Chapter 306: Compare zithers? I, unworthy as I am, also wish to try

Internal troubles and external threats, the late emperor's body grew ever thinner; the huge blow left the benevolent late emperor unable to recover, and his mental state worsened day by day.

Jiang Yunchu heard the description from the emperor's maternal uncle, raised her eyebrows, and thought… Is this still benevolence?

She unexpectedly gained another understanding of benevolence.

"It took three years; internally the senior premier stabilized the court, externally the Da Ning War God Jiang Wen Fu gave Da Ning a breath of relief." Ning Emperor gave a bitter laugh; they had struggled day and night, and all they gained was merely a moment's respite.

"The five-nation negotiations."

Ning Emperor lifted his gaze, looked toward Jiang Yunchu, studied that face—before he thought they looked very alike, but as he came to know Yun chu better, he realized they were not alike.

One is a person who is gentle outside but firm inside; once she makes a decision, she never changes—the little junior sister.

One is a person who is firm outside but soft inside; she probes the world with the softest heart—that is Yun chu.

Although they look very much alike, especially when they first met, they seemed as if carved from the same mold.

Yun chu frowned; the five-nation negotiations—what happened?

"Your mother debated the scholars, and from then on the hairpin style spread from Da Ning; a single plum zither could face the four directions!"

At the court, envoys from various countries all sought to suppress Da Ning.

But the person who stepped forward at this time was no longer Jiang Wen Fu, nor was it he, this nameless soldier hiding his identity.

But it was Kang Ying!

She wore a ruqun, gentle and serene, unhurried, uncompetitive, that faint gentle smile seemed etched forever on her face as she walked slowly through the court.

"Compare zithers? I, unworthy as I am, also wish to try." That soft voice was like a trickling stream, the ding-dong when it touches stone.

That note of the zither stirred the war drums, accompanying them; that piece, "Golden Sound," caused countless generals who had fought blood-soaked fields to surge with fighting spirit.

The final roar of the war horse made the zither's sound become an absolute echo.

Nothing like it exists in the world.

"It is my companion, the plum zither."

"Da Ning has countless heroes; my name is not worth hearing, but the sons of Da Ning will one day reclaim everything."

"When that time comes, the countries will naturally know the name of Da Ning."

Her upright spine, her unchanging aloofness, seemed to carry a faint plum fragrance.

"From then on, no one knew her name, but they knew her hairpin style, which they named 'hairpin'."

"She said she could not bear it, so she took the name Ying Mei, and thus the name 'Ying Mei hairpin' came to be."

Ning Emperor lowered his head, looked at that painting, and smiled softly: "The second junior brother guards Da Ning's territory, while the little junior sister protects Da Ning's reputation."

"She has always been worthy."

"Yun chu, she also does not wish it; do not hate her."

He acted slowly, cherishing it; he rolled up the painting, then tied it with a silk cloth, and placed it in the secret compartment of the Duobao Pavilion.

"No hatred."

Jiang Yunchu sat on the stool that Grandpa Xi had moved earlier, lifted a cup of tea, took a light sip, and pondered everything she had just learned.

"How do you plan to act from now on?"

"Or, what do you want to do?"

Ning Emperor looked at the girl whose expression showed no change, drinking tea calmly, and he felt somewhat worried.

In that moment, receiving so much information, could she bear it?

"I want to flee from Jingdu; this place is crowded and full of prying eyes, too many people are watching the Regent Prince's Manor, watching you."

"Only by leaving here can I gradually accumulate people, money, and grain."

Jiang Yunchu lifted her head, her fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, but she quickly withdrew them; when she looked at Ning Emperor, her eyes held a smile.

"Uncle Emperor, I have grown up; I have my own path and know what I should do. From now on, let me walk my own way."

She had said to Jiang Wen Fu that she had always been torn over what to call him—should she call him Second Uncle or Father?

She, who usually does not fuss over names, suddenly found herself hesitating.

"Good."

Much time had passed; Ning Emperor closed his eyes, these years he had propped up Da Ning, this land, and he was weary.

To avoid causing turmoil and an uproar, he and the second junior brother, Cheng Yan, could only cooperate secretly, gradually clearing out the people of the past; only when the court was purified would it be fundamental.

But he also feared that, cornered, the Da Ning foundation would be unstable and needed to be plotted slowly.

But…

Looking at Jiang Yunchu, it seemed that everything they had done was worthwhile.

"Do whatever you want to do; Jingdu has me."

"The frontier has your Second Uncle and Cheng Yan; the manor has the senior premier."

Ning Emperor sighed, his face benevolent: "Letting you marry into the Regent Prince's Manor was never meant to restrict you, but to give you a backing so you could rely on the imperial family."

"Cheng Yan may not show his face, but I, this imperial elder brother, will not allow anyone to bully the manor."

He was protecting Yun chu in his own way; this eighteen-year mark is truly special—if he does not keep her by his side, how could he rest easy?

Zhongzhou's gaze has always been fixed on Yun chu; over these years, if not for the poisonous insects suppressing her constitution, how could Zhongzhou have allowed her to grow to this point?

"Good."

Jiang Yunchu smiled, her eyes narrowing; over these days, her greatest feeling was that she was no longer alone, with the emperor's uncle's words she could venture forth confidently, and the children in Jingdu were safe.