Her guards

Chapter 220 Miss Jiang's Thoughts

Zhu Yunxiao inspected the scene and examined the bodies with the people from Changshuiying yesterday evening, and was not able to leave until the afternoon of the following day.

Because he hadn't slept all night, his personal attendant called a carriage from home to pick him up.

Zhu Yunxiao entered the carriage, and his entourage followed him in.

"Your Highness, is there anything wrong?" he asked in a low voice, his expression slightly nervous.

Zhu Yunxiao reached up and pinched his brow to relieve his tired eyes: "No, it's changed hands several times already, they can't find any trace of it."

Although it's unclear why the maid Ah Sheng suspected that he was responsible for Jiang Rui's attack, it is true that he did it.

But I didn't expect it to turn out like this.

What went wrong?

Zhu Yunxiao thought, "The mistake was that the location where we made the move was too close to the National Academy."
Miss Yang lives in the Imperial Academy and is protected by imperial guards bestowed by the emperor, making it easy for her to receive requests for help.

No, there's more than just this one oversight.

The oversight lies in misinterpreting Jiang Rui's behavior.

He knew Jiang Rui very well. Even if Jiang Meng was accidentally kidnapped, given Jiang Rui's personality, she would only rush to him for help in such a critical situation.

He had already avoided the situation beforehand and had his parents find an excuse to leave.

Jiang Rui couldn't find him, and time was wasted. Jiang Meng died, and Jiang Rui certainly wouldn't survive either; she would blame herself to the point of suicide.

Even if she didn't commit suicide, he would arrange for her to do so.

This is still a perfect ending.

But Jiang Rui didn't come looking for him; instead, she went to the Chinese Academy to find Miss Yang...

Didn't the two have a few disagreements because of rumors?

how come……

Could it be that, as the Empress suspected, Jiang Rui also believed that these bandits were imposters sent by Miss Yang, which is why she rushed to the Imperial Academy to apologize to Miss Yang and beg for forgiveness, leading to this accidental outcome?

Zhu Yunxiao sighed. The root cause was that he had rushed things this time, which led him to use such flamboyant methods. With so many people involved, it was difficult to control the situation.

It's all Wei Cui's fault for suddenly asking Wei Jiao for a marriage proposal. Marquis Yichun urged him to hurry up and settle things with his fiancée, otherwise he could take his time...

That's not right either. The original plan to have Jiang Rui pretend to be sick, which was supposed to be done slowly, didn't work out.

Because Jiang Rui insisted on going to school, he had to take back the sachet to prevent other young ladies from getting the scent and having their families notice.

In short, things haven't been going well lately.

"Young Master, shall we go straight home or to the Jiang family?" the attendant asked in a low voice.

Zhu Yunxiao stopped thinking and took a deep breath: "Go to the Jiang family. I haven't seen A-Meng yet, and A-Rui is also waiting for the results of the investigation."

He is the backbone of the Jiang family; how can they feel at ease if he doesn't go?

The attendant responded and moved out of the carriage to instruct the driver.

The carriage arrived at the Jiang residence quickly.

"The Crown Prince has arrived."

The gatekeeper outside the Jiang residence was no longer the same as before, but two guards from the Changshui Camp, who naturally recognized Zhu Yunxiao.

Zhu Yunxiao told them they had worked hard.

"Your Highness is too kind," a guard said, adding as he watched Zhu Yunxiao enter, "Miss Jiang is not home."

Zhu Yunxiao paused, looking surprised: "Where did you go?"

Bingwei shook his head: "I don't know, they went out before dawn."

"Don't know?" Zhu Yunxiao looked at him, letting her leave without asking?
"Zhou Laoqi and the others escorted them, and they didn't ask where they were going," Bingwei said casually.

What's there to ask? Anyway, someone will escort her, so the young lady can go wherever she wants.

Zhu Yunxiao felt a slight tightness in his chest.

He just had an accident, and then he left his injured sister and timid mother behind and went out again?

Jiang Rui is no longer the Jiang Rui he knew.

……

……

Jiang Rui walked through the imperial city, looking down at the bluestone pavement beneath her feet.

In fact, she doesn't come to the palace often, nor does she meet the emperor frequently. Yesterday, she spoke more to the emperor than she had in more than ten years.

Yesterday she was still in a daze, answering any questions without thinking, but today is different...

Thinking about what she was going to do in a little while, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks. She was so scared...

Amidst the chaotic footsteps ahead, two eunuchs greeted them with beaming smiles.

"Miss Asheng has arrived."

"Is His Majesty in the Hall of Diligent Governance? I've brought Miss Jiang to see His Majesty."

The eunuchs seemed not to have heard her last sentence at all, and had already turned around to lead the way with enthusiasm, saying, "His Majesty is in the Imperial Study, Miss, just come with us."

"Miss Jiang."

Yang Luo, who was walking forward with the eunuch, looked at Jiang Rui, who was standing still, and raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"What, you regret it?"

"It's okay, you can still change your mind now. Let's just let this matter go."

Seeing Ah Sheng stop, the two eunuchs neither urged nor inquired, waiting quietly. Did she regret it? Was she going to let it go? Jiang Rui clenched her hands in front of her, then looked up.

"Thank you for your trouble, Ah Sheng," she said. "Let's go."

……

……

"This maid, Asheng, greets Your Majesty on behalf of my young lady."

"Haha, Ah Sheng, don't be so polite. Quickly go and serve a bowl of apricot cake. I just ate some and thought it was delicious. You should try it... see if it suits your young lady's taste."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but there's no rush. My young lady has asked me to bring Miss Jiang to see Your Majesty. She has something to ask of you, and only Your Majesty can make the decision."

"Sigh, she can make the decision herself," the emperor almost blurted out, but then remembered that there were outsiders present.

The emperor's gaze fell upon Jiang Rui, who had followed him in, his expression kind: "Miss Jiang, please speak freely." He then inquired with concern, "Is your sister feeling better? How is Madam Jiang?"

Jiang Rui kowtowed and expressed her gratitude.

The emperor didn't say much, and asked directly, "What do you want to say?"

Jiang Rui tensed up instantly, her ears were ringing, her throat was dry, and she stood there frozen for a moment.

The maid, Ah Sheng, urged from the side, "Miss Jiang, quickly tell His Majesty what you want."

What did she want? Jiang Rui felt as if she could no longer breathe.

She wanted to become as capable as Miss Yang.

But Ms. Yang said...

“Miss Jiang, you don’t need me to help you with this. You can become a very capable person if you just want to.”

"You have a mother and sister who are devoted to you. Although your father is no longer here, he has left you with meritorious service and loyal generals."

“Miss Jiang, you are good at studying, which means you are not confused. So, just think about it and you will know how amazing you can become.”

"You just never thought about it."

If she wants to...

Jiang Rui exhaled and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, I wish to follow in my father's footsteps and join the army."

The emperor was surprised, seemingly not having heard clearly: "What did you say?"

The maidservant chuckled and said, "She said she wants to join the army."

The emperor looked at the maid and asked, "How can a woman like her join the army?"

“Your Majesty, women do indeed have a physical disadvantage, but the military is about the cooperation of the entire unit, not just physical strength,” the maid said earnestly. “Take my young lady, for example. She inherited the good genes of her parents. Although she is young, she has escaped assassination attempts several times. Is she any less capable than men?”

"The bloodline of my parents..." The emperor was moved. Yes, yes, his beloved Luo Ying had suffered so many dangers; even a man would have died many times over by now.

"But..." The emperor was excited but still hesitant. This Jiang Rui had never been outstanding since childhood. The only time she was mentioned was because she had a good fiancé, the heir of the Marquis of Yongwu.

It can't compare to his fallen petals.

"Your Majesty." Jiang Rui looked at the emperor's face. She knew that once he said those words, there would be no turning back. Instead of asking the maid to speak again, she was no longer afraid. "Please give me a wooden staff."

The emperor frowned. "What do you need the wooden staff for?"
"Your Majesty, please give it to her," the maid said with a smile. "Didn't you say that she's just a young woman? Are you afraid she'll commit a crime in front of the Emperor?"

The emperor scoffed, "I conquered this empire with my own hands. It's not so easy to commit violence in front of me." With that, he gestured for a eunuch to bring a cane.

Jiang Rui hesitated for a moment, then blushed and added, "It needs to be thinner."

The eunuch smiled and agreed, and soon brought over a bamboo pole: "Miss Jiang, take a look, is this alright?"

Jiang Rui blushed and nodded as she accepted the bamboo pole. She held it tightly and took a deep breath.

"Your subject is sorry for your rudeness," she said, then squatted down slightly, gave a soft shout, and held the bamboo pole horizontally in front of her with both hands.

Her gaze was fixed ahead, but no longer on the majestic emperor, but on her smiling father.

"Alright, Arui, remember, the first thing we in the Jiang family practice with our spears is to be steady."

"Only with a stable lower body can you strike with power."

"Now, bayonet."

Jiang Rui took a step forward and thrust the bamboo pole forward with a bang.

Although her movements were unsteady and her speed slow, she recalled the techniques she had learned as a child, techniques she hadn't practiced in a long time, techniques personally taught by her father, and shot them one by one...

I seemed to hear clapping.

"it is good."

"Arui is so amazing at such a young age. She will be even more incredible when she grows up. The Jiang family's spear technique has a worthy successor."

Jiang Rui couldn't help but tear up.

I'm sorry, Father. She didn't amount to anything when she grew up; instead, she disappointed your expectations.

She was timid and cowardly, and dared not even admit that she could inherit her father's mantle, drifting aimlessly until now...

"it is good!"

Then came the sound of clapping.

This time, the words echoed clearly in her ears. Through her teary eyes, Jiang Rui saw the emperor stand up and clap his hands.

The emperor's expression was both agitated and sorrowful, as if he could see his deceased brother through her.

"Brother Jiang, I thought I would never see your marksmanship again," he murmured, then looked at the thin woman holding the bamboo pole and nodded. "I allow you to enter the camp as a soldier, under the command of Yuan Cheng. Jiang Rui, I am waiting to see you restore your father's glory."

"Father, thankfully, it's not too late yet," Jiang Rui said, holding the bamboo pole and kneeling on one knee.

"Your Majesty, I will defend you to the death!"