novelhk Chapter 321 Danger
Chapter 321 Danger
After the discussion below ended, Wen Shuyao came down.
"Your Highness," Wen Shuyao, draped in a cloak, looked at Xie Jinghan with concern, "If you start a war with the powerful families of Jiangnan like this, what will happen to His Majesty..."
“He always acts with too many concerns. By the time he figures things out, these aristocratic families will probably have become an ineradicable cancer.” Xie Jinghan snorted. “My brother is too kind-hearted and thinks too much.”
“These powerful families should never have existed in the first place.” Xie Jinghan’s eyes turned slightly cold. “I had already heard about their enslavement of tenant farmers and their encroachment on land back in the capital.”
"These past few days, I've seen tenant farmers along the coast living in misery and destitution," Xie Jinghan sneered. "They use the blood and flesh of so many people to build their families' extravagance; they deserve to die."
"When my brother finds out about this, he'll at most say a few words to me." Xie Jinghan's tone softened as he met Wen Shuyao's worried gaze. "Yaoyao, you don't need to worry about me."
As he spoke, Xie Jinghan's hand was about to touch Wen Shuyao's face.
To everyone's surprise, Wen Shuyao snorted coldly and turned her head away, avoiding his outstretched hand.
Xie Jinghan's hand froze in mid-air.
Meeting Xie Jinghan's peach blossom eyes, which were filled with both unease and grievance, Wen Shuyao gave a light snort: "Your Highness, since you have made up your mind, I will not try to persuade you any further."
“But…” she narrowed her eyes and stared at Xie Jinghan, “Just now I overheard the conversation between the Prince, Si Qing and Zhou Yuanzheng. It seems that the Prince did not include me in the group for the trip to Yongcheng.”
"Yaoyao." Xie Jinghan's tone softened immediately. He had never spoken to anyone in such a gentle tone before. "As you know, Yongcheng is already plagued by an epidemic and is extremely dangerous."
"How could I let you put yourself in danger?" Xie Jinghan tried to make his words more tactful. "I heard from your grandmother that you were weak when you were a child and you still haven't recovered."
"Why don't you wait for me at the dock for a few days?" Xie Jinghan said, cautiously glancing up at Wen Shuyao. "What do you think?"
Wen Shuyao narrowed her beautiful phoenix eyes, meeting Xie Jinghan's guilty gaze.
Xie Jinghan had never been so humble in his life, but he was happy to do so for Wen Shuyao.
At this moment, all he wanted was for Wen Shuyao not to be angry.
Wen Shuyao looked down at him, the words on the tip of her tongue, but she only let out a cold snort.
"Since Your Highness has already made your decision, why ask me again?" Wen Shuyao snorted coldly. "I am but a woman; how could I possibly make decisions for Your Highness?"
“I just don’t want you to take any risks.” Xie Jinghan said earnestly, “Yaoyao, Yongcheng is too dangerous. If there were no plague in Yongcheng, you could go if you wanted, but the plague is rampant in Yongcheng, and I can’t just stand by and watch you go…”
"The imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital are all here, and so is the Prince." Wen Shuyao met his gaze. "With the Prince here, who can hurt me?"
Moreover, she was thinking about something else entirely.
Wen Yitong said that there was a plague in Yongcheng. Xie Jinghan exhausted all his efforts to finally cure the plague, but he was assassinated by assassins sent by the Jiangnan aristocratic families and has been in a coma ever since.
Even with Zhou Yuanzheng present, it was of no use.
She dared not let her guard down, so she wanted to go to Yongcheng with Xie Jinghan.
If that moment were to truly occur, she might still be able to shield Xie Jinghan.
Wen Shuyao's attitude was firm, leaving Xie Jinghan no room for refusal.
Therefore, Xie Jinghan's gaze changed repeatedly.
He asked helplessly, "Yaoyao, are you really going?"
“Of course.” Wen Shuyao nodded. “I’m going.”
Hearing Wen Shuyao's words, Xie Jinghan hesitated again and again.
But Wen Shuyao's gaze was firm; clearly, even if she wasn't allowed to go, she would still sneak off to Yongcheng.
If that's the case, it's better to keep Wen Shuyao under your watchful eye from beginning to end.
After much hesitation, Xie Jinghan finally agreed.
However, before that, he made a three-point agreement with Wen Shuyao: "Shuyao, when you go to Yongcheng, you have to promise me three things."
"First, you cannot act alone; second, you cannot contact patients without permission; third, if you go out, you must be accompanied by me." Xie Jinghan looked at Wen Shuyao with a serious expression. "If you can agree to these three points, I will take you to Yongcheng."
Upon hearing Xie Jinghan's request, Wen Shuyao did not hesitate at all.
“Okay, I promise you.” Wen Shuyao said immediately, “If you are not by my side, I will not step out of the post station.”
She knew Xie Jinghan's concerns. The assassination attempts occurred after the plague was resolved, so she didn't need to follow Xie Jinghan closely. She only needed to go to Yongcheng.
Wen Shuyao's straightforwardness left Xie Jinghan, who had prepared his explanation, at a loss for words.
Left with no other choice, he had to keep his promise.
"We will set off in three days."
……
Three days later, before they could even set off, the news had already spread throughout Dali.
The capital city, in particular, was shaken by this news.
"Plague? How could it be a plague?"
"Your Majesty! If that's the case, then all passages from Jiangnan to the capital should be cut off."
"Your Majesty! We must not let our guard down! The plague in the previous dynasty killed and injured millions!"
These words, without exception, resounded in the imperial court.
The emperor felt annoyed by these words.
He was especially furious after seeing the subtle tension between Minister Liu and Lord Gan.
"What?" The emperor looked around and sneered, "All you ministers have said is that you've only come up with the idea of severing ties with Jiangnan?"
"Doesn't Jiangnan belong to Dali?" the emperor said in a deep voice. "Or are the people of Jiangnan not my people?"
With the emperor saying this, the court officials naturally dared not say anything more.
However, the worry on their faces was still evident.
Seeing this, the emperor sneered repeatedly.
The emperor's repeated cold laughs made them feel extremely uneasy.
Especially Lord Gan.
Lord Gan harbored thoughts of overthrowing the emperor, but in reality, even though he was over fifty, he still felt that the emperor was unfathomable.
The emperor's gaze lingered on Lord Gan for an exceptionally long time. He knew that such rumors and such responses were not unfounded; someone must be manipulating things behind the scenes.
As a result, he began to suspect Lord Gan.
If it weren't for the Gan family's extensive influence in the court, he would never have let Lord Gan go.
Who would have thought that Lord Gan would dare to defy the powerful and scheme against him at this critical juncture?
Jing Han is currently in grave danger, and he is deeply worried. For Lord Gan to do this is simply courting death.
"Enough." The emperor's voice grew even deeper. "All the people under heaven are my subjects, and I will never agree with your statement."