Chapter 516: Worth Pursuing
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Yuwen Cong looked at Yuwen You with a smile that wasn’t a smile, but Yuwen You understood his meaning. He was asking what he would use to repay the loan.
But Yuwen You had thickened his skin by now and didn’t care how others saw him. He straightforwardly said, “Royal Uncle said he wants to assist me, right? Perfect. I need manpower, and lack of resources has been a constraint. Therefore, I need to establish a team and hire assistants. I ask for Royal Uncle’s help.”
He’s shameless enough, asking for money so boldly. Does he really think the world belongs to him? Yuwen Cong chuckled and said, “Alright, wait for me to write a letter to Wangye, and Your Highness can expect good news.” Then he asked, “Your Highness seems to be in high spirits. Is there something good?”
Yuwen You smiled slightly, “Nothing much. I just had an audience with the Emperor and was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Longlin Guards, in charge of the defense of the Chongzheng Hall. I’ll take office after the Lantern Festival.” He then had someone arrange a feast for Yuwen Cong, who praised him, and the two of them enjoyed the food and drink together.
When Yuwen Cong left, a servant came to invite Yuwen You, “The Wangfei requests Your Highness to rest.”
Yuwen You was a bit impatient, “Tell the Wangfei that I still have things to do and ask her to rest first.” He then went to a secluded area in the backyard, opened the courtyard door with a key, and Uncle Gai came out to greet him. He asked, “Is she alright?”
Uncle Gai gestured to indicate that Jiang Shanshan had already gone to sleep.
Yuwen You didn’t care whether Jiang Shanshan was asleep or not, and he entered directly.
Sitting by Jiang Shanshan’s bed, Yuwen You asked, “The Emperor promised to give me some money, and I can choose my own manpower. When will you start doing what I asked?”
Jiang Shanshan was weak and drowsy, and for a moment she couldn’t react. Yuwen You was displeased and casually picked up a cup of cold tea from the bedside and splashed it on her face.
Jiang Shanshan gritted her teeth in hatred but still smiled on her face. She calmly wiped off the tea and said, “Once the money is in place and the manpower is ready, I will start training the men for Your Highness. As for the bed crossbow, you’ll have to find skilled craftsmen yourself. Before that, I need Your Highness to help me with something. I have difficulty moving around, so having a wheelchair would be much more convenient.”
Jiang Shanshan took out a drawing from under the pillow and handed it to Yuwen You.
Yuwen You glanced at it casually. It was a chair with two wheels, nothing special. Because Jiang Shanshan spoke the truth, he simply put the drawing in his pocket and turned to leave. Before leaving, he reminded Uncle Gai, “Make sure to guard the place well. If there’s any movement, move immediately.”
Jiang Shanshan watched his back and sneered inwardly. It’s fine if he wants to use her to climb up, but he shouldn’t treat and insult her like this. She’ll make everyone who wronged her pay the price—she had drawn this plan with charcoal, and only she could use charcoal to draw, so once it was sent out, someone would notice it soon. That would be her chance.
Yuwen You returned to his room and saw the slightly sad face of the Wusun Princess under the light. He felt a rare pang of guilt, “I told you not to wait for me, why are you still waiting?”
The Wusun Princess followed Teacher Lin’s instructions and came forward gently to help him wash and change, whispering, “If Your Highness is unhappy, I’m unhappy too. As long as Your Highness is happy, I’m willing to do anything.” She paused and handed him a booklet, “All my dowry is here, Your Highness can use it.”
Yuwen You, still half drunk, asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
The Wusun Princess smiled slightly, “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Since I met Your Highness, I knew you were the hero in my heart, the one I want to follow for the rest of my life. What’s yours is mine.”
Yuwen You was moved and accepted her things, deciding to repay her with great enthusiasm. After a round of intimacy, he fell into a deep sleep, but the Wusun Princess couldn’t sleep. She got up to tidy up his clothes and accidentally found the drawing of the wheelchair.
The drawing wasn’t done with a regular brush, but with fine charcoal, a skill only Jiang Shanshan possessed.
The Wusun Princess stared at the drawing for a while, then put it back in Yuwen You’s clothes without expression. Jiang Shanshan was indeed hiding in this mansion, and she was still alive. Her heart was in turmoil. It seemed that Yuwen You had been acting mysteriously these days, unwilling to return to the room early to accompany her. Did he really hide Jiang Shanshan? Why? She thought about finding Teacher Lin again.
However, it was still dark outside, and she couldn’t do as she pleased. She could only lie down next to Yuwen You and wait quietly for dawn.
Yuwen You indeed left before dawn. Princess Wusun finally waited until daybreak and hastily made her way to Wuyi Lane under the pretext of an urgent matter.
Teacher Lin couldn’t help but smile after hearing her out. It was as if they had found Jiang Shanshan’s whereabouts after treading through iron shoes, without seeking. Although Zhu Wenhao was an annoying person, he had a point. Anything or anyone that everyone sought after always had its reasons.
If it were just jealousy and petty squabbles, would Jiang Shanshan be worth the attention of the Ying Wang Mansion, the Fu family, and Yuwen You? This woman, first with glass products and soap, and then with the drip dew pot, seemed indispensable in every affair. She was definitely worth looking into.
Teacher Lin earnestly advised Princess Wusun, “You mustn’t take matters into your own hands. Pretend you know nothing and wait for me to come up with a good plan.”
Princess Wusun nodded in agreement, still feeling quite uneasy. Perhaps she could inform Fu Mingzhu and use her to handle this matter.
After Princess Wusun left, Teacher Lin wrote a note for a servant boy to deliver. Then, all the hidden nails planted in the capital city by Zhongshan Wang in his early years started moving, all to find a woman named Jiang Shanshan.
But it was only the early hours of the morning, and Mingzhu couldn’t fall asleep anymore. When she heard movement beside her, she immediately sat up, trying to sound pleasing as she said, “Your Highness…”
Yuwen Chu gave her a stern look, preemptively refusing her before she could speak, “No, continue resting in bed.”
Mingzhu pouted, displeased, “All my bones are scattered from lying down for so long! What more do you want!” Seeing that Yuwen Chu ignored her, she shamelessly tried to get up, “I’ll help Your Highness change clothes! I’ll comb your hair.”
“I see you just want to lie down for a few more days, don’t you?” Yuwen Chu glanced at her with a smirk. Mingzhu dared not speak anymore and dejectedly laid back down, “Fine, then promise me you’ll let me go tomorrow.”
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