Chapter 311

Shen Mo was stunned; he never expected to hear the name of His Highness the Crown Prince from Jiang Jinshi's mouth. He stood up abruptly, his eyes wide: "What do you mean?"

Jiang Jinshi was quite surprised by Shen Mo's expression, "Mr. Shen, you were once a lecturer for the Dong Gong; you should not be unfamiliar with His Highness the Crown Prince."

Shen Mo's lips trembled slightly, beyond his control. He stared fixedly at Jiang Jinshi, as if trying to see the word "lie" on his face.

But Jiang Jinshi appeared calm, without the slightest bit of guilt. Shen Mo spoke coldly, "His Highness the Crown Prince is already dead! How can he resolve my heart's knot?"

Only then did Jiang Jinshi realize where the problem lay; it turned out that Shen Mo did not know Wei Xikang was still alive!

To be precise, it should not just be Shen Mo; many scholars and commoners, and even some officials in the Imperial Court, did not know this news.

When Wei Xikang appeared in Beijiang and even stood on the same front as the Prince of Zhenbei, he had spread the news, but now it seemed that this news had not spread out of Beijiang.

From the perspective of the scholar-gentry and the Imperial Court, they had already succeeded in usurping the throne, and the news that Wei Xikang was alive was an unstable factor.

This was not conducive to the stability of the imperial court, so they chose to cover up the truth and spread the news that Wei Xikang was dead.

Even in later generations, with such advanced information technology, what you see is still what others want you to see.

Not to mention in this era of information isolation; those in high positions completely controlled public opinion, and the scholars and commoners were kept in the dark.

Jiang Jinshi understood the key to this and signaled for Shen Mo to sit back down.

"Sir, please sit. This matter is of great importance and should not be publicized." Jiang Jinshi said very calmly: "Some things, seeing is not necessarily believing, and hearing can also be false. Especially... the 'facts' that those in that position want you to hear."

Shen Mo did not sit, his scrutinizing gaze still measuring the person in front of him. After a long while, he questioned: "Mr. Jiang, these words must not be spoken recklessly! Who exactly are you? And how do you know... about His Highness?"

He no longer called him "His Highness the Crown Prince"; that title was already a taboo in the world today.

Jiang Jinshi met his gaze and responded: "Who I am, I have already said! As for how I know...

Because I met His Highness not long ago. Although His Highness has gone through hardships, he is well."

"Impossible!" Shen Mo subconsciously retorted, but his voice grew weaker, "If His Highness... if he were still alive, how could there be no news at all!"

There were many people in this world who revered orthodoxy; many scholars like Shen Mo did not approve of, and even despised, the actions of the Second Prince, Wei Xi Yuan.

If Wei Xikang were truly still alive, there would be no shortage of people going to follow him.

Even if they died, they would have to uphold their integrity and establish the orthodoxy! Leaving behind an image of uprightness and unyielding spirit for future generations.

Jiang Jinshi smiled and shook his head, no longer explaining too much, "Mr. Shen is a smart man and should know what it means that I dare to mention the words 'His Highness' today. You should also understand that my mention of the education in Beijiang is not empty talk."

Shen Mo sat down slowly, his face gradually returning to calm. He was trying hard to digest this hard-won news and gradually judge the truth or falsehood of it.

Jiang Jinshi did not urge him, pouring tea in a leisurely manner.

"Where... is His Highness now?" When Shen Mo spoke again, his voice held only an anxiety to confirm.

"Beijiang!"

Jiang Jinshi did not give a specific answer; he was even wondering now if the scholar-gentry had deliberately concealed the news of the Ming Army breaking through the Xiongnu.

"Mr. Jiang came to see me today and spoke directly about this; it surely wasn't just to tell me this news, right?" He turned his head back, his gaze becoming clear.

Shen Mo had doubts about the identity of 'Jiang Shi'; how could a merchant know so many secrets and also want to find people to head north? Therefore, the other party's identity must not be simple, but since he was unwilling to say more, Shen Mo could only guess secretly.

Jiang Jinshi said solemnly: "Beijiang lacks talent for governance; wanting the people to live and work in peace and contentment is not something just anyone can do! One must have great talent and also have the people at heart, which is why I came to talk with you, Mr. Shen!"

Shen Mo knew that the other party must be someone in a high position in Beijiang; otherwise, they would not have taken such actions, nor would they have been able to come into contact with the Crown Prince.

Since that was the case, why not take a gamble?

In any case, continuing to stay in Jiangnan was like being a walking corpse, and he would not achieve anything in the future, so he might as well trust him once.

Although there were still doubts in his heart, as long as he headed north, all these mysteries would be solved.

Most importantly...

Shen Mo knew too well the actions of these people in high positions; if he refused him today, there would be an extra floating corpse in the river in Jiangnan tomorrow, after all, he knew some secrets.

It was death either way, so he might as well head north to understand the detailed situation. If what the other party said was true, he might still be able to accomplish something!

"Shen Mo is willing to go to Beijiang." He said every word clearly and decisively, "I will be at the disposal of Mr. Jiang and His Highness. Even if the road ahead is full of thorns and my bones are buried in the yellow sand, I will have no regrets."

Jiang Jinshi let out a silent sigh of relief and raised his teacup.

"Mr. Shen, the wind in Beijiang is strong, and the road ahead is long. I, Jiang, use tea instead of wine to toast your integrity and also to congratulate Beijiang on meeting a good teacher."

Shen Mo also raised his teacup and touched it lightly with Jiang Jinshi's.

Afterward, Shen Mo asked: "Mr. Jiang, I wonder how many people you need?"

Jiang Jinshi's eyes lit up; listening to the meaning of these words, could Shen Mo perhaps find some people to go together?

"Mr. Shen, naturally the more the better; there are many affairs, and if there are not enough hands, that is also a troublesome thing!"

Shen Mo nodded: "Although I have lived in a daze these years, I still have a few good friends whose talent is not below mine. We occasionally gather in private to discuss state affairs!"

"Good!" Jiang Jinshi clapped his hands, "I naturally trust you, Mr. Shen, but I wonder if your friends, Mr. Shen, are willing to go?"

"No need to worry about that; I will act as a lobbyist, so it shouldn't be difficult!" Shen Mo had some confidence in this; those friends of his were just like him, having talent but no place to apply it.

As long as the pros and cons were explained clearly, they would certainly not refuse this opportunity.

Afterward, Jiang Jinshi asked in detail for the names of Shen Mo's friends, which coincidentally overlapped with the list Cui Wangshu had given him. Although it was only in the Jiangnan region, this obviously allowed Jiang Jinshi to save a lot of effort.

"Since that's the case, I will wait here at the inn for your good news, Mr. Shen!"

"No time to lose, I will set off immediately!"

Shen Mo stood up, his face recovering some spirit, and his whole person was completely different from his condition when he arrived.

After Shen Mo left, Jiang Jinshi sat on the chair and stretched. Now that the partners for the merchant caravan had been found and some scholars had been recruited, as long as things went smoothly with Shen Mo, it seemed that the trip south was coming to an end.