Chapter 549 - Chapter 549: Chapter 536: Return to Beijing (1/2)

Chapter 549: Chapter 536: Return to Beijing

Chu Yunhe and the Wang family, now in the same boat, will not necessarily cause a fuss over this, but this will certainly sow many seeds of discord in their hearts.

This discord, much like seeds in the crevices of stones, will grow like weeds, under the influence of wind, sun and rain, so when you want to cut them off, they won’t even be eradicated by wildfire, they will just grow back the next spring.

The Empress’ move is truly a case of outsmarting herself.

If things continue this way, it won’t be long before trouble arises.

The Lantern Festival banquet is just around the corner, and might be livelier than usual.

As Chu Jinnian thought, he turned another page of the letter in his hand.

This was the last page, which did not mention the matter between Chu Yunhe and Concubine Liang but rather the outbreak of banditry in Lu. The Emperor intended to dispatch troops to suppress it, appointing a prince to lead the charge. The decision about who would lead has not yet been made.

Among the adult princes, besides the Second Prince who died young, there is now only the First Prince Chu Yunhe, Third Prince Chu Yunkuan, Fourth Prince Chu Yunzhao, and Fifth Prince Chu Yunbin.

Chu Yunkuan, whose mother, Consort Rong, is frail and who himself was born unhealthy and has been weak and frequently ill since childhood. He requires constant medical attention and contracts a cold every spring and autumn. Such a physically weak person is naturally not suitable for such a task.

The Fifth Prince, Chu Yunbin, has always preferred literature to martial arts. He has an unparalleled literary talent and his painting skills are highly acclaimed. Consumed by literature, when he came of age and could take up a position, he asked the Emperor for a position at the Imperial College, and has shown no interest in other matters.

In other words, the heavy responsibility of suppressing the bandits will naturally fall on either Chu Yunhe or Chu Yunzhao.

In his previous life, Chu Yunhe was injured from falling off a horse and had to recuperate in bed. The Emperor then sent Chu Yunzhao to suppress the bandits. During the campaign, Chu Yunzhao achieved a great victory and forced the bandits into a corner. Just as he was about to capture the bandits’ leader, he was hit by an arrow in the final melee.

This arrow almost pierced Chu Yunzhao’s heart, and because the arrow was poisoned, Chu Yunzhao was in a critical condition. Fortunately, he met a renowned local doctor on his way back to the capital, who managed to neutralize the poison in his body, thus saving his life.

However, despite this, Chu Yunzhao’s body suffered greatly. Every time the weather was gloomy or rainy, he would be unbearably itchy and had to rely on various decoctions to alleviate his symptoms. These medicines were toxic though, and Chu Yunzhao’s health deteriorated until eventually, Imperial Concubine Hui had to endure the pain of seeing her white hair outliving his black hair…

It could be said that the arrow he was shot with during that suppressive campaign ultimately led to Chu Yunzhao’s death.

That arrow, in Chu Jinnian’s view, was fraught with many suspicions.

When fighting with the bandits at close range, they all used swords, and Chu Jinnian, after inquiring, did not find any bandits at the scene carrying bows and arrows.

Moreover, the arrow was finely crafted, unlike something that would be owned by common bandits who only knew how to pillage and plunder. There was also only one arrow.

Which is to say, the target of this arrow was very clear, it was intended for Chu Yunzhao.

It’s obvious who the perpetrator and the mastermind were.

But at that time, there was no evidence to indict the Empress and Chu Yunhe, so the matter had to be dropped.

As for the past, whether Chu Yunhe deliberately fell from his horse, sending Chu Yunzhao to suppress the bandits in the hope of having him killed, but upon seeing that Chu Yunzhao was not only unharmed but also making merit, thus harboring murderous intentions.

Or whether the fall was an accident and Chu Yunhe saw the credit that should have been his being taken by Chu Yunzhao, and thus harbored murderous intentions.

All these are unknown.

Although many things have been different from his previous life since he reopened his eyes, the suppression of bandits in Lu has still come.

At the moment, there is no news of Chu Yunhe falling from the horse, and it’s not certain that Chu Yunzhao will be sent over, perhaps this time the person going to suppress the bandits will be Chu Yunhe.

But these are just his guesses for now. There isn’t any certainty in what’s to come, and everything is still unknown.