That day, lost in the deep mountains, Chen Anzhi had coincidentally encountered Brother Hu and his group. At that time, You Heng was negotiating the surrender of several mountain bandit groups, and Brother Hu, thinking of the harsh conditions at the border, decided it would be good to take this opportunity to go legitimate. He went down the mountain to find You Heng’s army and happened to meet the lost Chen Anzhi, whom he brought along to curry favor with You Heng.
Chen Anzhi had angrily questioned Wangjiang why he had betrayed him.
But Wangjiang claimed he was mistaken, saying he wasn’t Wangjiang but Qingshan, and had never served anyone, living in the mountains all his life.
How could that be possible?
After knowing each other for so many years, how could Chen Anzhi not recognize Wangjiang? It was impossible! But no matter how he pressed, this person who looked exactly like Wangjiang, even with the same small scar on his neck, refused to admit he was Wangjiang!
Chen Anzhi snorted coldly, angrily throwing the wet clothes in his hand.
He thought to himself that it was inconvenient being alone in the army. Once back in the capital, he would definitely throw Wangjiang into prison and torture him severely!
However, before reaching the capital, their army was ambushed by Ning Kingdom’s brute force troops, resulting in heavy casualties. In the chaos, the expedition’s commander, General Zhou, fell off his horse and was about to be killed by a burly enemy soldier. Wangjiang quickly shot the soldier in the eye, giving You Heng time to save the fallen General Zhou.
After retreating to safety, General Zhou called Wangjiang over, praising him and accepting him as his adopted son.
Everyone congratulated him, while Chen Anzhi’s brows knitted into a tight “川” character. If Wangjiang were truly accepted as General Zhou’s adopted son, how could he be thrown into prison and tortured to ease Chen Anzhi’s anger?
Chen Anzhi’s face darkened with frustration.
He resented that when he joined the army this time, his father and mother wouldn’t let him bring any men. If he had a few subordinates, he would have dealt with Wangjiang long ago!
A soldier hurried in, “His Majesty has passed away!”
Chen Anzhi stood up immediately, looking towards the capital. They were still some distance away and couldn’t return in time.
Listening to the discussions around him, Chen Anzhi slowly sat back down.
The edict had been issued a couple of days ago, and now his Fourth Uncle had ascended the throne.
Chen Anzhi suddenly thought, if only his father had been more ambitious.
In early August, the army returned to the capital. Unlike the grand send-off they had received, there was little fanfare for the defeated troops, especially with the state funeral taking place. However, for every ordinary family, seeing their fathers, husbands, and sons return safely was joy enough.
Chen Anzhi watched as Tie Zhu ran into the crowd, lifted his wife, and spun her around twice. He shook his head in disapproval, finding it quite improper.
During their half-year in the army, he had lived and eaten with the common soldiers. But the moment he stepped onto the capital’s soil, his noble lineage seemed to reawaken within him.
He was different from those around him.
As he looked through the crowd for someone who had come to greet him, his eyes unintentionally fell on Wangjiang, who was sitting on a horse in the front row. The joy in Chen Anzhi’s expression immediately ceased. He had thought that General Zhou’s words on that day were mere politeness, but now he saw that General Zhou had kept Wangjiang close by his side during their return.
But what did it matter if Wangjiang was recognized as General Zhou’s adopted son? No matter how many merits General Zhou had, he was still just a military man. And Chen Anzhi was a born royal!
“Your Highness!” Wangshan pushed through the crowd, beaming as he approached Chen Anzhi.
“Why are you just getting here?” Chen Anzhi frowned in displeasure.
Wangshan immediately put on a smiling face and said, “I came as soon as I could, but there were too many people. Your carriage has been ready for a while!”
Only then did Chen Anzhi follow Wangshan through the crowd and climb into the grand carriage of the Prince of Jinnan’s residence.
He hadn’t ridden in such a comfortable carriage for a long time. Sitting inside, Chen Anzhi let out a long sigh of relief. Thinking back on the past six months, it seemed like a nauseating nightmare.
Fortunately, he was back now. No longer a lowly soldier in the army, but once again the noble and unparalleled heir. Having endured this hardship, he thought his father and mother would have forgiven him.
Upon returning to the familiar Jinnan residence, Chen Anzhi barely had time to reflect before seeing many servants bustling about in the courtyard.
“What are they doing?” he asked.
Wangshan quickly replied, “After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we will be heading to the fiefdom.”
Chen Anzhi let out an “Oh,” nodding with a frown. He quickly walked inside and saw the Prince of Jinnan waiting for him in the courtyard. Chen Anzhi’s eyes reddened as he immediately knelt properly before his father, “Father, your son has returned!”
The Prince of Jinnan looked down at his dark and thin son, feeling a pang of pity and swallowing the scolding words he had prepared. “Stand up.”
Chen Anzhi stood up with a smile and stepped closer to his father, “How is mother? I heard she gave birth to a younger brother the other day. Are both mother and child well? Is everything alright?”
Hearing Chen Anzhi’s concern for his mother, the Prince of Jinnan felt much more at ease. He nodded and said, “They are all well.”
“Then I’ll go see mother!”
The Prince of Jinnan nodded again.
When Chen Anzhi entered the room and saw his mother, his eyes immediately reddened. The princess consort, seeing how he had been worn down by his journey, also teared up instantly.
“Mother!” Chen Anzhi cried out and threw himself into her arms, weeping.
The princess consort gently patted his shoulder, shaking her head helplessly and teasing him for crying like a child despite his age.
It wasn’t until the Prince of Jinnan came in to stop him from distressing his mother further that Chen Anzhi left her room. He wiped the tears from his face and stood in the courtyard, letting the dry wind blow across his face. Slowly, he began to smile.
It felt so good to be back.
He strode out of the courtyard and went to his quarters to change his clothes. Hongzan and Si Han stood respectfully by the roadside, waiting for him. Chen Anzhi touched the two shell bracelets hidden in his sleeve, glanced briefly at his concubines, and then looked away.
He vaguely felt that a few concubines were missing, but couldn’t immediately recall who they were.
After changing his clothes and shaving his beard, he hung his beloved jade pendant and sachet at his waist, and quickly headed to Tanxiang Yingyue, eager to see the two women he had decided to spend the rest of his life with.
Wangshan followed behind Chen Anzhi, happily chatting about the events in the mansion and the capital during Chen Anzhi’s absence. Chen Anzhi, now back in the capital and in a great mood, felt more triumphant than if he had just achieved top honors in the imperial examinations. He listened to Wangshan’s words absentmindedly, thinking about the concubines he had just seen.
He thought he had more than just two concubines.
Hongzan used to be Fang Qingyi’s maid, and now he didn’t want to see her at all. Si Han’s situation was even more dramatic, and since she used to be Sun Guangliang’s concubine, he wouldn’t touch her either.
He recalled the concubines who hadn’t come to greet him.
Oh, Lin Yingying had been abducted by mountain bandits.
“Where is Chunxing?” Chen Anzhi asked. Chunxing was always obedient and well-mannered, and it wasn’t like her not to come and greet him.
“Aunt Chunxing is ill.”
“Oh, what about Hongyu?”
“Who?” Wangshan looked puzzled.
Chen Anzhi tapped his forehead and said, “I meant Cuiyu.”
Wangshan carefully observed Chen Anzhi’s expression and cautiously reported, “She made a mistake and was expelled from the mansion by the madam.”
Chen Anzhi frowned briefly but soon relaxed, saying, “Expelled, then expelled.”
He never liked Cuiyu much; her background in a brothel was enough to disgust him. Keeping her in the mansion was merely a matter of face. It was just as well that the madam had expelled her. Chen Anzhi thought about You Yuji expelling his concubines while he was away. Did that mean she cared about him after all?
Or perhaps, in his absence over the past six months, You Yuji had calmed down and reconsidered their future, planning to start anew with him?
He would first visit his Princess Que and then go to the You family to bring her back!
With a broad smile, Chen Anzhi stepped into Tanxiang Yingyue.
Now, Tanxiang Yingyue had long lost its former vitality. As Chen Anzhi stepped inside, he didn’t see a single servant. He continued walking and finally saw a maid sweeping the floor. The maid, surprised to see him, hurriedly bowed and paid her respects.
Chen Anzhi frowned and asked, “Why are there so few servants here?”
Wangshan quickly responded, “The madam returned to the You family, and all the servants in this courtyard were reassigned elsewhere, leaving only two maids to take care of things.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Anzhi’s face darkened immediately. He questioned, “Princess Que still lives here. How can you be so neglectful?”
Wangshan quickly explained, “The madam said before she left that Princess Que likes peace and quiet and doesn’t need many people to attend to her.”
Chen Anzhi thought for a moment. It seemed true that Princess Que preferred quiet. His expression eased slightly as he continued walking inward. He stopped at the door of the eastern chamber, straightened his clothes, and cleared his throat with a couple of light coughs.
As he knocked on the door, Chen Anzhi wondered if the gift he brought was too cheap.
Maybe he shouldn’t give the shell bracelet to Princess Que just yet. He should first buy some more precious gifts and then present them to her together!
He knocked three times but received no response.
Chen Anzhi’s anxiety grew, “Is Her Highness resting?”
Still, there was no answer.
Why were even the maids who usually attended to the princess not around?
Could something have happened to the princess? Thinking of her frail health and the rumors that she wouldn’t live past twenty, Chen Anzhi’s face turned pale. His hands trembled as he pushed the door open.
“Princess!”
He stumbled into the room, fearing he might have arrived too late.
The room was empty.
He searched the small room three times but found no one.
“What’s going on! Where is she?” Chen Anzhi loudly questioned the two maids standing in the courtyard.
The two maids looked at each other, then knelt down, trembling, “We don’t know!”
“What do you mean you don’t know? I’m asking you, where is she?” Chen Anzhi rushed out, standing before the two kneeling maids.
One maid, trembling, replied, “Princess Que has been in poor health, and we were instructed never to disturb her. Every time the kitchen delivered meals, we left them at the door, and one of the princess’s maids would take them in…”
The other maid added, “Yes, yes, we saw the maid named Tingyun with the princess last night! Why the princess is not in her room now, we really don’t know…”
“The princess’s maids often boil medicine in the small kitchen. If the princess were seriously ill, she shouldn’t be able to leave the room on her own…”
Chen Anzhi’s face turned deathly pale, and he swayed unsteadily.
How could this be?
Who had broken into his home and taken his beloved away?
At that moment, the person Chen Anzhi was so worried about was lying naked on a damp bench in a steam-filled bathroom, her long black hair spread out.
You Yuji sat beside him, having moved a small stool to his side, focusing intently on painting with red ink on Si Que’s back.
Si Que was twirling a copper coin between his fingers, feeling a bit unhappy.
He had been flipping the coin for years, yet it still didn’t cooperate with him.
Once again, he lost, so he obediently lay there, serving as a canvas for his sister.