Wan Yan shook his head nonchalantly. "The head of the Qiao family is extremely meticulous and terrifying. I'm afraid it's not about taking sides, but rather pushing his legitimate daughter out to confuse everyone."
Hearing this, Shen Yuning felt rather uncomfortable. Although she had seen many families abandon their daughters for their own interests, she thought of Qiao Xiangjun, who had set her heart on Xuanzhi without knowing that her affection had been exploited by her parents.
Zidu then slowly said, "The Qiao family has decided to send Qiao Peilan to the Second Prince's mansion."
Shen Yuning widened her eyes. "The Second Prince already has a primary and secondary consort, and their ages don't match..."
She quickly realized that Qiao Peilan wasn't going to be the primary wife but a concubine. The Qiao family was clearly gambling on the merit of supporting the future emperor.
Wan Yan was quite surprised. "The Qiao family always acts secretly, and that old fox from the Qiao family is used to feigning one thing while doing another. How could they tell others about something that hasn't even happened yet? How did you find out, my lord?"
Zidu seemed embarrassed and wanted to touch his nose. Since he was wearing a silver mask on his face, he just turned his head away without answering.
Wan Yan suddenly understood and couldn't help teasing him. "That little girl from the Qiao family has taken a fancy to you, my lord? She's quite infatuated. She even told you such a secret?"
Zidu mumbled in response. "I've investigated. What she said is true."
Shen Yuning felt mixed emotions. Before, she had disliked Qiao Peilan, thinking she was as annoying as Xue Yujiao. But now, she thought the girl was quite pitiful.
She also thought that if this poor woman knew that she was just Xuanzhi's sister after showing off in front of her, she would surely regret it to the core.
Shen Yuning looked up secretly at Zidu, her heart pounding. She tried hard to calm herself down and secretly reminded herself that Xuanzhi was just her younger brother and only regarded her as an elder sister. She shouldn't have any wild thoughts. She was three years older than him. They were not a good match.
She tried to act like an elder sister and view Qiao Peilan with the attitude of an elder towards a younger sibling, but no matter how she looked at her, she just couldn't stand her. She wished she could send Qiao Peilan far away and never see her again in this lifetime.
Why did she feel so sour inside?
Shen Yuning shook her head to drive away the chaotic thoughts in her mind. Qiao Peilan was too arrogant and conceited. It must be that she disliked such a woman and didn't want her to be her younger sister - in - law.
Yes, it must be so.
In the future, she would carefully choose a wife for Xuanzhi. She would surely pick a celestial beauty, one in a million.
Wan Yan drained the tea in his cup in one gulp, laughed heartily, and patted Zidu on the shoulder. "My lord Zidu, you've seen that I originally only intended to cultivate myself and do some practical things for the Great Zhou and the common people. I was forced onto this boat. If there's no place for me on your boat, I'll really have to sail to the Nanyang region."
"Couldn't be better," Zidu said and then looked at Shen Yuning.
Shen Yuning looked at him in confusion. "Why are you looking at me? Although the Xue family has always been loyal to the emperor, you've also seen that even though I haven't done anything, I've been hunted down. If I were still as muddle - headed as before, I might not even know when I was killed."
Zidu smiled and said seriously, "I was wrong before. Yuning, don't worry. From now on, we'll always be together. I'll protect you no matter what."
Shen Yuning looked at Zidu and knew he was referring to the matter of hiding his identity.
Since they hadn't had a chance to be alone, she had always wanted to ask Zidu why he had hidden his identity and why he hadn't recognized her. Now she was relieved. She believed he had his reasons. Since she believed in him, it didn't matter whether he told her the reasons or not.
The three of them still had important matters to attend to, so they weren't in such a hurry to return to the capital.
Wan Yan sent and received letters along the way, all by carrier pigeons, looking for the herbs Zidu needed. Every time he shook his head when receiving a pigeon, Zidu's face would turn a bit paler.
Shen Yuning often stood not far away watching Zidu. Perhaps because his identity had been revealed to her, Zidu was less cautious. The gentle aura around him seemed to disappear, and the wildness and sharpness that Xuanzhi usually had would occasionally show up.
Zidu always seemed to be hiding something in his heart. No matter which courtyard he was in, he could wield his sword powerfully.
Wan Yan squinted his eyes at Zidu's sharp sword energy and suddenly said, "I seem to have seen a similar sword technique before."
Zidu stuck his sword into the soil. The killing intent in his eyes became even stronger. After a while, he replied, "Jiang Heng of the Jiang family in Qinglong."
Wan Yan clapped his hands and laughed. "So you're a disciple of Jiang Heng. Back then, Jiang Heng was a legend in the Great Zhou. When he appeared, the whole capital was amazed."
Shen Yuning stood under the corridor, staring blankly at Zidu who was washing himself by the well. Before, when he said his foster father was from a side branch of the Jiang family, she had firmly believed it. Now she knew it was actually the direct branch.
The Jiang family in Qinglong was well - known in Qinglong, but in other places, especially in the capital where there were many talented people, they weren't that outstanding until Jiang Heng's appearance.
Shen Yuning still remembered clearly that her grandfather had stroked his beard and sighed that no one in the Great Zhou could match Jiang Heng at his prime. He was both wise and brave, elegant, and most importantly, he had a patriotic heart.
At that time, Jiang Heng was extremely talented. Many noble ladies had secret crushes on him, but he didn't respond to any of them. He didn't get married even after he was over thirty. Until...
After Zidu finished washing, he stood up. "Jiang Heng is my adoptive father."
Wan Yan chased after him and asked, "So, Jiang Heng didn't die back then? Where did you go later? Where is he now? He should be nearly fifty now. I'm really curious what he looks like."
Zidu didn't say much. He pulled out his sword and gently wiped it with a soft cloth.
Jiang Heng had left because he was seriously ill and didn't want to drag Zidu down. At that time, Zidu was still young and powerless. He didn't know if he regretted the separation now.
Shen Yuning was in a daze, suddenly thinking of what Xuanzhi had looked like when she first met him. It seemed completely different from now.
She had sighed countless times that her Xuanzhi had grown up. But it was only at this moment that she truly felt he had.
In Xitian Town, she could easily see through all of Xuanzhi's little troubles, mostly about whether the shop was doing well or the endless harassment from ill - intentioned people.
Now, he had his own secrets, and she could no longer figure him out.
Zidu used to use a knife. It seemed like the first time Shen Yuning had seen him hold a sword. Unexpectedly, he looked much better with a sword than with a knife before.
If he took off his mask, I'm afraid all the girls in the capital would fall head over heels for him, not just Qiao Peilan.
Thinking like this, Shen Yuning felt as if her own treasure was being taken away by others.
After three days of travel, they were finally approaching the capital. The three of them stayed in a mansion of Wan Yan's on the outskirts of the capital, planning to enter the city the next day. They were also waiting for news from the shops under Wan Yan's control today. Maybe the herbs the Crown Prince needed could be found in one day.
But the hope was slim.
Zidu was extremely anxious. His hand holding the sword was unsteady. He almost hurt himself while practicing swordsmanship.
Shen Yuning couldn't bear to watch and called him in to eat snacks. They were sugar cakes that Shen Yuning had learned to make in Xitian Town.
Wan Yan looked at the sweet and greasy sugar cakes and felt a pain in his teeth. He shook his head and refused to eat. "I always thought that as long as I had a young heart, I would still be young even though I'm over forty. Now I understand where I'm different from you young people. Just looking at these sugar cakes makes my teeth ache. Oh, I'll go out and check the letters. You guys eat by yourselves."
In contrast, Zidu ate a small piece, but that was all.
When Shen Yuning saw that there was no one around, she asked curiously, "You used to love these kinds of snacks. Why don't you like them now?"
Zidu's ears turned red. After a long time, he stammered, "I haven't eaten them for a long time... I'm not used to them anymore."
Shen Yuning thought silently that he probably couldn't get such delicate snacks in the army. But suddenly, she remembered that one day when they talked about tastes, Zidu had said that he liked spicy food since childhood and disliked sweetness.
It was completely different from the former Xuanzhi.
Shen Yuning silently looked at Zidu's red ears and seemed to realize something. It seemed that although Xuanzhi always said he liked sweet food, in fact, the sweet snacks he often bought were what she liked.
She couldn't help asking, "So, you never really liked sweet food?"
Zidu was a bit nervous. He licked his dry lips and picked up the teacup beside him to drink water. "It's okay... I don't like it very much, but there are still a few kinds I like."
Seeing his flustered look, Shen Yuning found it a bit funny. She gave him a reproachful look. "If you don't like it, just say so. You always bought them for me back then without saying anything directly. I even specifically told my second brother and sister - in - law that you liked sweet food, so they should put more sugar and less spice in the dishes. You actually endured it for so many years."
Zidu's voice was a bit hoarse. He looked up at her. But since he was wearing a mask, she couldn't see his expression for the moment.
"I was very happy back then."
Shen Yuning's heart skipped a beat. Whenever she looked at Zidu, she always had strange feelings. For example, now, his low - toned words were actually very ordinary, but somehow, she heard a tender and affectionate tone in them.
She must be going crazy.
At this time, Wan Yan rushed over holding a letter, shouting excitedly, "We've got them, we've got them! The herbs are found!"
Zidu stood up abruptly and quickly asked, "The herbs have been found? Is it close? There are only five days left. Can we still make it?"
Wan Yan nodded. "We can make it. Not only have we found the herbs you need, but my younger brother also wrote in the letter that he happened to meet a divine doctor a while ago who is very familiar with this prescription. He has already asked the divine doctor to come here. Calculating the time, he will arrive in the capital in just three days."
With the prescription and a divine doctor, the Crown Prince would be saved.
Zidu held the short message from the carrier pigeon and read it carefully twice. He couldn't help but feel happy. "The doctor we found said he could only give it a try, and this prescription might not guarantee the Crown Prince's complete recovery. But since there's a divine doctor... even if he can't get completely better, he won't be in such a bad state as he is now."