Chapter 82: Impeachment

Chapter 82: Impeachment

Before the magnificent and spectacular Ao Mountain, Shen Changze and Cheng Jinchu led the two children, standing at the front of the crowd to admire it up close.

The happy and harmonious family of four was the envy of those around them.

But to Jiang Shu, it was an eyesore and a damper on her mood.

Losing her interest, Jiang Shu whispered to Yu Zheng, "Let's go down."

Yu Zheng didn't respond, but simply took her hand and walked back.

As soon as they returned to the ground, a handsome man in official robes with a long sword at his waist bowed to Yu Zheng and said, "A kidnapping case occurred on West Street, Your Highness, please be cautious."

Yu Zheng nodded and said in a deep voice, "Just now, I saw the Marquis of Jing'an with his son watching the Ao Mountain."

The man was startled, "Didn't His Majesty order the Marquis of Jing'an's son to reflect in seclusion for a year?"

Yu Zheng replied, "That's right. It's in your hands now."

The man nodded solemnly.

After walking a distance, Jiang Shu curiously asked, "Who was that official just now?"

"Zhou Boxu, the Commander of the Imperial Guards."

Jiang Shu was surprised, "He's so young to be a commander."

Yu Zheng slightly raised his dark eyebrows, "He's five years older than me, already thirty."

"Still, that's impressive. Truly young and talented." Jiang Shu clicked her tongue.

Yu Zheng's dark eyebrows furrowed, and he pursed his lips, saying, "It's a restless night in the capital, I'll escort you home."

Jiang Shu was about to refuse, but recalling Zhou Boxu's words, she swallowed the word 'no'.

Courtesy and inconvenience were nothing compared to safety.

The two walked to the end of the street where Zhuiyun and Zhufeng were waiting by the carriage.

It was the same carriage as last time, which gave Jiang Shu a familiar sense of security.

"To Jiang Manor," Yu Zheng instructed.

The wheels began to turn, and the sound of horse hooves clattering on the stone road was crisp in the night.

Yu Zheng sat in the main seat, Jiang Shu on the side, the atmosphere slightly heavy and suppressed.

Jiang Shu lifted the carriage curtain for air and said in surprise, "It's snowing."

The snow wasn't heavy but fell with some urgency.

Jiang Shu looked up, watching the silver snowflakes flutter down from the dark, ink-like sky, a beautiful sight.

A lantern hung on the carriage wall, the dim yellow candlelight casting a glow on Jiang Shu's innocent smiling face, causing Yu Zheng to smile slightly.

The earlier displeasure vanished without a trace.

Unfortunately, the road was too short, and they soon arrived at Jiang Manor.

After getting off the carriage, Jiang Shu bowed to Yu Zheng, "Thank you for the escort, Your Highness. Next time you dine at Cuiyun Building, it's on me."

Yu Zheng, however, said, "Don't stay out so late in the future, it's not safe."

Jiang Shu was slightly stunned and explained, "Usually, I take the carriage home. Today, the coachman had urgent family matters, so I let him go ahead."

Yu Zheng nodded, "Go inside."

Only after watching Jiang Shu enter Jiang Manor did Yu Zheng instruct Zhufeng to turn the carriage around and return to the estate.

The next morning at the imperial court, Shen Changze was impeached by Zhou Boxu.

He was accused of defying the emperor's decree by taking his son out of the manor to stroll the streets during the Lantern Festival, showing contempt for imperial authority.

Shen Changze knelt in fear and explained, but could not hide the fact that he had taken his son out.

The emperor was furious and ordered Shen Changze to be struck with twenty paddles.

After the court, Shen Changze was carried back to the Marquis's estate by Huo Chong.

"How did this happen? Who reported it?" Cheng Jinchu asked anxiously.

Shen Changze lay on the daybed, grumbling, "I told you yesterday that Yan Yang couldn't leave the manor before completing his seclusion, but you insisted on taking him out. This is the consequence."

"How did His Majesty find out?" Cheng Jinchu was puzzled.

They had just returned to Shang Jing and had never seen the Lantern Festival. Thinking that Yan Yang and Yan Huan had been cooped up in the manor for months, they took them out to see the festivities, only to cause trouble.

"Zhou Boxu, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, saw it during his patrol and impeached you in the grand court this morning. Hiss!" Shen Changze winced in pain.

The imperial guards' paddles were solid and without mercy.

Cheng Jinchu was angry, "Why did he meddle?"

Shen Changze muttered, "He grew up with the Long Princess; their bond is deep."

Cheng Jinchu was speechless, it seemed they had walked right into his view.

Shang Jing was fraught with danger, not a step could be taken wrong.

"Keep a closer eye on Yan Yang from now on. He must not step out of the mansion again," Shen Changze gritted his teeth as he instructed.

Yesterday, they harbored a psychology of fortune, thinking that with Shang Jing being so large and crowded, no one would notice if Yan Yang secretly left the mansion once.

But as it turned out, Shang Jing was full of the emperor's eyes, and not a single move could escape notice.

If there was another incident, it would likely be more than just a beating.

At the Cuiyun Building, after finishing a discussion with Yu Yuan, Jiang Shu's eyes caught the Shu brocade he was wearing. She casually asked, "Do you really like Shu brocade? I've seen you wearing it all winter."

Mentioning this made Yu Yuan angry, and he threw the peanuts he was holding aside. "Do you think I want to wear it? Brother Zheng forced me to have ten sets made; what else could I do but wear it?"

"It's strange that your Jiang Silk Shop suddenly started selling Shu brocade," Jiang Shu remarked.

Yu Yuan replied curtly, "The silk merchant we were working with betrayed us and started collaborating with the Fang family, cutting off our supply. We couldn't find a new source of goods in time, so we had to switch to selling Shu brocade."

"The Fang family of Fang Mingxu?" Yu Yuan pressed.

Jiang Shu nodded, suddenly recalling that every time she had seen Yu Zheng, he too was always wearing Shu brocade.

"What a scoundrel, not doing anything proper," Yu Yuan spat contemptuously, putting the blame on Fang Mingxu.

Amused by Yu Yuan, Jiang Shu lightly sighed, "The business world is like a battlefield, full of deceit and cunning, bloodless warfare, all for one's own benefit."

"Next time he comes to eat, I'll overcharge him again," Yu Yuan said angrily.

Jiang Shu did not stop him. She didn't like Fang Mingxu either, always finding him unfathomable and extremely dangerous.

Before the end of the first lunar month, Father Jiang had left to run the family business, leaving the Jiang family's enterprises to Jiang Shu's management.

This move caused dissatisfaction from Jiang Shu's eldest uncle and Jiang Shaohé, especially Jiang Shaohé, who was extremely upset.

Because of what Jiang Yun had done to harm Jiang Shu, Father Jiang had taken away two prosperous shops from Jiang Shaohé, greatly reducing his income.

Now, leaving Jiang Shu in charge of the Jiang family's business felt like they were being treated as outsiders and kept at a distance.

One day, while the two were drinking and complaining at a tavern, Fang Mingxu appeared before them.

"Shopkeeper Jiang, would you mind if I sat down for a drink with you?"

"What do you want?" Jiang Shaohé, half-drunk, became alert.

Fang Mingxu smiled, "How about I help you take charge of the Jiang family's business?"

Though Fang Mingxu smiled like a cunning fox, his offer was too tempting, and eventually, they nodded.

With the Jiang family's extensive business, Jiang Shu didn't dare to be careless, inspecting each shop daily, addressing issues promptly, which left the shop managers in awe.

"If you were a man, the Jiang family's vast business would have a successor," they said.

"Too bad you'll eventually marry out," they added.

Jiang Shu didn't hear these words and didn't care. She just wanted to do the job Father Jiang had entrusted to her.

By February, the weather was gradually warming up, and Mother Jiang, looking at the new buds on the trees, counted the days.

"It's been almost a month since your father left; he should be back in a few days."

Jiang Shu, taking a rare half-day break, basked in the sun and teased, "Mother, are you missing father?"

Mother Jiang scolded, "Nonsense, I'm just concerned for his safety."

Jiang Shu laughed and comforted her, "Don't worry, father has years of experience in running businesses and has brought plenty of guards with him; he'll be fine."

Mother Jiang looked up at the sky and, as usual, silently prayed in her heart for Father Jiang's safe return.