Mentioning the previous war, the emperor also fell silent.
Although they had won the battle against Northern Liang, the losses of the Northern Wing Army kept him awake at night, his heart aching with grief.
“General Zhang…”
The emperor sighed.
“During the rebellion of the princes years ago, I was entrusted by the late emperor to inherit the throne. It was General Zhang who risked his life to deliver the late emperor’s imperial edict hidden in a belt to me and led troops to guard me.”
“In those days… no matter the circumstances, whenever I looked back, I could see General Zhang guarding behind me.”
“In that river-crossing battle, General Zhang suffered seventeen wounds, all on his front, with not a single injury on his back.”
“How could I not know of General Zhang’s utter loyalty?”
“Now that I have lost General Zhang, even though we won the battle against Northern Liang, I find no joy in my heart.”
At this point, the emperor’s eyes welled with tears, as if recalling the fierce general who had always protected him on the battlefield.
But…
“Of course, I would not let General Zhang die in vain, but… I will have someone investigate. You brat, you, you…”
“Today, I have ordered the capture of the Northern Liang spy leader and searched the secret residence he privately established in the capital. Inside, we found his preserved correspondence and documents.”
What?!
The emperor, who had been about to erupt in anger, was instantly stunned.
He had intended to say that the young man before him was too impulsive—investigating spies was no easy task. What if this young man got hurt while conducting a secret investigation?
Who would have thought…
Chu Wujin had only returned to the capital a few days ago and had already captured the spy leader, even raiding his lair.
So quickly?
“Truly?!”
“I have retrieved the key letters.”
Chu Wujin took a few letters from his robe and was about to present them with both hands when the impatient emperor snatched them away.
“Additionally, there are other correspondences in that private residence. I have ordered the Black Armor Army to seal them in boxes, which are now outside the Hall of Diligent Governance.”
Soon, two Black Armor Army soldiers carried in a box.
After reading the two letters, the emperor’s face was filled with rage and a cold smile.
“Excellent! My inner court has become a sieve! And the Ministry of War…”
The contents of the letters were utterly shocking.
“Wujin, you have rendered meritorious service once again.”
Chu Wujin remained as aloof as ever.
“I defied Your Majesty’s orders by returning to the capital privately and dare not claim merit… I only seek to bring justice for the wrongfully deceased General Zhang and the Northern Wing Army.”
“Good, very good! If General Zhang knew in the afterlife of your efforts on his behalf, he would rest in peace. I will immediately imprison all these traitors who colluded with Northern Liang to comfort General Zhang’s spirit!”
However…
Chu Wujin shook his head.
“Your Majesty, after reading the letters, I found that although those who contacted the Northern Liang spy are despicable, none had access to the military deployment maps… This indicates that someone used these individuals to relay information to Northern Liang. Even the Northern Liang spy does not know this person’s identity.”
“Therefore, I suggest we should not alert the enemy at this moment. Instead, we should monitor these people to uncover the mastermind behind this.”
The emperor fell silent for a while, reread the key letters several times, and even opened the box to examine the correspondences inside.
Finally, he nodded.
“Wujin, you are right… These people may be vile, but the mastermind behind them must not be let go.””This matter… I entrust it to you. You must investigate it thoroughly!”
“Yes!”
Chu Wujin bowed in acknowledgment.
“You…”
The emperor stepped forward and grasped Chu Wujin’s hands.
“We’re uncle and nephew, why must you… Ah, Wujin, why are your hands so cold? Has your Cold Poison flared up again?!”
Holding Chu Wujin’s hands felt like grasping pieces of icy jade.
Chu Wujin withdrew his hands and shook his head.
“This subject is fine…”
“Don’t speak!”
The emperor waved him off impatiently.
“I don’t believe what you say. You there… speak!”
He pointed at one of the Black Armor Guards who had just carried in the chest of letters.
The Black Armor Guard looked up, revealing a chubby round face.
It was Xue Lang, Chu Wujin’s trusted subordinate.
“Me?”
“Yes, you! Tell me! What’s wrong with your prince? Don’t look at him, speak!”
Xue Lang pouted, feeling his life was particularly difficult.
“Well… actually…”
“Speak quickly!”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Our prince returned to the capital early to investigate the Northern Liang spy situation. But… somehow the news leaked, and someone ambushed us outside the city. They caused His Highness to fall into a valley. In that heavy snow… he spent a night in a cave and nearly froze to death.”
“Fortunately, a young girl saved our prince. Even so, His Highness’s Cold Poison still flared up.”
“Despite this, the prince continued diligently investigating the spy matter. Thankfully, we found the traitor’s hideout today…”
“However, to protect a young girl – the same one who saved our general earlier… His Highness used his internal energy again, which must have worsened the Cold Poison.”
The emperor: …
Though furious at his nephew’s disregard for his health, he seemed to have caught another important point.
“Young girl? Spent a night? And… saving the beauty?”
Was this still his nephew who showed no interest in women?
Was this still his aloof and distant Prince Jing?
“This young girl you mentioned… who is she?”
“Is she pretty? Is she married? Which family is she from?!”
Hearing the emperor’s increasingly excited tone, Chu Wujin frowned.
“Your Majesty…”
“Stop with the ‘Your Majesty’ nonsense! Let him speak!”
The emperor stared intently at Xue Lang.
Speak.
Quickly!
Xue Lang: …
He felt like he had only two paths today – die here or die there.
Well, better not die here for now.
“Your Majesty, the young girl is General Jiang Zhen’s youngest daughter, named Jiang Yueyao. She’s fifteen this year and not yet betrothed.”
“Oh hohoho~~”
The emperor was delighted.
Fifteen years old – the age of a blooming flower.
And from a military family.
Most importantly… not yet betrothed!!!
“Good, good, excellent!!”
The emperor felt as if a ray of dawn had suddenly illuminated his paternal heart.
“Wonderful, you rascal, you’ve finally grown up…”
……
……
“Achoo!”
Jiang Yueyao rubbed her nose.
[Did I catch a cold from working too hard tonight?]
[Catching a cold in this era is no small matter. Maybe I should buy some cold medicine from the System Store later]
[Hahaha, I made a fortune today! From now on I can splurge however I want!]
[But… there’s still one more thing to take care of]”Sis, mainly… Young Marquis Xie, the Prince Jing you mentioned—is he proper?”
Jiang Yueyao looked at Jiang Yuehua and Xie Yanqing sitting opposite her, both wearing serious expressions.
She had asked an equally serious and proper question.