jdhmnovel Chapter 319 Wang Huai's True Identity
Chapter 319 Wang Huai's True Identity
After Zhao Xuan left, Gu Zhanghua stopped Shi Shu, who was about to clear the dishes, pulled her to sit down next to him, and stared intently into her eyes.
"Is there anything you didn't want the Princess to hear? Now that the Princess is gone, you should tell me the truth, shouldn't you? What's really going on between you and Chunlan? Do you like her or not?"
Shi Shu remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Gu Zhanghua and said, "I like it."
Shi Shu didn't realize that when she said the word "like," her eyes were filled with longing for happiness, but Gu Zhanghua saw it clearly and couldn't help but have many doubts.
"The princess wants you to marry Chunlan, but you're still unwilling. Are you a grown man who's shy?"
Faced with Gu Zhanghua's concern, Shi Shu nervously twisted her fingers and slowly spoke.
“Your Highness, as you know, my mother and I fled from Jinyang City to Liyang back then. My mother died of illness on the way, but I have been inquiring about other relatives all these years. Recently, I found out that I still have an uncle who is alive.”
"This is a good thing! What does it have to do with your marriage to Chunlan?"
Shi Shu pursed her lips and said after a while, "As the saying goes, a mother's brother is the most important. I'm thinking of going back to Jinyang City when I'm less busy, and asking my uncle's opinion before we get married."
“I see,” Gu Zhanghua nodded. “What you did was not wrong, but now the Yue Kingdom is making trouble. Jinyang City is right next to the border city of Yue Kingdom, so it is indeed not a good time to go back now.”
Immediately afterward, Gu Zhanghua asked Shishu, "Why don't you just tell Chunlan what's going on? Chunlan isn't an unreasonable person."
Shi Shu gritted her teeth and sighed.
“My uncle has a daughter. When we were still babies, our parents arranged a marriage between us. I don’t know if my cousin is married now. If she is not married, I should marry her.”
Gu Zhanghua was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
The marriage between Shishu and his cousin was arranged by their parents and elders. If this matter could not be resolved properly, it would be difficult for Shishu to marry Chunlan.
Shi Shu couldn't tell Chun Lan the truth at this moment, and he also had his own difficulties.
"This is really difficult to handle. Never mind, let's talk about it when you see your uncle."
"I hope Your Highness will keep this a secret and not let Chunlan know."
"Okay, I see."
Shi Shu got up and came to the bedside to help Gu Zhanghua make up the bedding.
"Your Highness must be tired after a long day. Please get some rest."
After Shi Shu finished speaking, she took out her own set of bedding from a box by the wall and spread it on the ground.
Gu Zhanghua suddenly grabbed Shishu's arm and said worriedly:
“I asked Little Fairy Doctor, and she said that since you sleep on the floor every day, the dampness will slowly seep into your skin and then into your bones, which would be troublesome. Starting today, we will sleep in the same bed.”
"How can that be? Your Highness, don't worry, I have a good foundation in martial arts, I'll be fine after a few days of sleep."
"What if? How about I sleep on the floor for a day, and you sleep on the bed..."
As Gu Zhanghua spoke, he was about to lie down on the floor when Shi Shu hurriedly pulled him back, feeling utterly helpless.
“Your Highness, there are actually empty beds in other rooms, but I feel that there are too many people and too many different kinds of people in the workshop right now. I’m worried about your safety if you sleep alone. I’ll feel more at ease if I’m watching over you. How about this, I’ll make do for today, and tomorrow I’ll find a thick bed board to put on the floor to keep out the moisture. Is that alright?”
"Alright, just for one night."
Shi Shu nodded gently. Seeing that Gu Zhanghua was lying down on the bed, she carefully tucked the blanket around Gu Zhanghua, blew out the candle, and quietly lay down on the floor.
uncle……
His only family in the world.
Shi Shu, using the moonlight streaming through the window, turned to look at Gu Zhanghua lying on the bed, her gaze lingering on him for a long time.
Your Highness...
The prince who has accompanied him for so many years, who treats him like an elder brother, shouldn't he be a closer relative than an uncle?
"Servant!"
Shi Shu suddenly heard Gu Zhanghua call him and hurriedly replied, "Your subordinate is here."
Gu Zhanghua turned to the side, rested his head on his hand, and looked intently at Shishu.
“Although we are master and servant, we are closer than brothers. You shouldn’t stay by my side all the time. After you and Chunlan have settled your affairs, you should take Chunlan to Jinyang City and reunite with your uncle’s family.”
Shi Shu's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"But, Your Highness... I can't bear to part with you..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Zhanghua smiled broadly. "You don't mean to stay by my side forever, do you?"
"I……"
Shi Shu was speechless, then let out a soft sigh.
He truly wished to stay by His Highness's side for the rest of his life, together with Chunlan.
?
Inside the royal palace of the Yue Kingdom.
Tian Shang was summoning his ministers in the main hall. He slowly rose from his throne, looked down at the civil and military officials before him, and said in a firm and powerful voice:
"I have decided to wage war against the Xia Kingdom in ten days! General Liang Changping will lead the army and set off immediately for the border city to make all preparations for the great battle!"
Don't think that I only want to conquer Fengcheng, Jinyangcheng, and Fucheng, these important towns on both sides of the middle reaches of the Heng River. No! I have much greater ambitions! I have a grander ideal than all my ancestors!
"I want the entire land of Xia! Then I'll annex the tiny Song Kingdom! I'll unify the entire Qiankun Continent! I will be the king of this entire Qiankun Continent!"
The ministers all knelt down and shouted in unison:
"Congratulations to Your Majesty on becoming the ruler of the entire Qiankun Continent! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Kneeling among his ministers, Liang Changping was now completely subdued. Twenty years had passed, and the humiliation of Fengcheng was finally about to be avenged!
The former Yue Emperor Tian Yi was ambitious but addicted to wine and women, while the former Crown Prince Tian Yuan was cowardly and afraid of battle. Only His Majesty is the great ruler he is willing to follow wholeheartedly!
Liang Changping prostrated himself on the ground again.
"Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations! I will do anything, even risk my life, to help Your Majesty achieve your wish!"
In the royal study.
Wang Huai was leisurely drinking tea when he saw Tian Shang return to the imperial study in high spirits. He hurriedly got up and bowed to Tian Shang.
"Your Majesty is back!"
Tian Shang sat down in the chair, looking at Wang Huai with great confidence.
"Please have a seat, sir! Have you arranged things on your end?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your old minister has already made arrangements. On the day you and the Rongdi tribe agree to start the war at the same time, a surprise force will be dispatched from within the city of Liyang in the Xia Kingdom to coordinate with Your Majesty from the inside and outside, causing chaos in Liyang. At that time, the Xia Emperor will be busy quelling the internal strife and will not be able to mobilize more manpower to support the northern and southern fronts!"
"Excellent! With your brilliant plan, sir, we'll be even more confident in this battle! The destruction of Xia is just around the corner!"
Wang Huai suddenly stood up and knelt down in front of Tian Shang.
Tian Shang asked in surprise, "Sir, what's wrong? Please get up and speak!"
As Tian Shang spoke, he quickly stepped forward and reached out to help Wang Huai up. Wang Huai stood up shakily, looked up at Tian Shang, and suddenly burst into tears.
"Your Majesty! This old minister has been keeping something from you for a long time! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Tian Shang's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he looked at the excited Wang Huai in front of him.
Wang Huai had been assisting him for over ten years, and he thought he knew Wang Huai inside and out. But today, Wang Huai told him that he had been hiding something from him all along.
This really made Tian Shang extremely unhappy!
Tian Shang returned to his seat and snorted coldly.
"Oh? Tell me first what you've been hiding from me, and then I'll see if I should pardon you."
Wang Huai raised his hand to wipe away his tears and sighed deeply.
"I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers that twenty years ago, when the Xia Kingdom was still the Chen Dynasty, the King of Chen had a most favored young prime minister named Qi Kai!"
"Open together? Open together..."
(For readers who don't remember the name Qi Kai, you can go back to Chapter 11: The Sheep Willingly Falls in Love with the Wolf, where Emperor Xia and Gu Li provide an explanation.)
Tian Shang murmured the name, then suddenly remembered something and leaned forward, staring intently at Wang Huai's face.
"Of course I remember. Back then, Emperor Xia Gu Li used the banner of 'cleansing the court of corrupt officials and eliminating Qi Kai' to conquer cities and territories, eventually changing the dynasty. Qi Kai should have died at Emperor Xia's hands long ago."
A flash of resentment suddenly appeared in Wang Huai's eyes, and he said, word by word:
"He's not dead!"