Too high to reach

Chapter 395 The storm is coming
After venting his anger on Prince Yong'an, Li Jing went home; he had a lot to do.

Mo Yi was getting impatient.

"Your Highness!" Upon seeing him return, Mo Yi quickly stood up.

"Slow down..." Li Jing complained, quickly stepping forward to support her. "Such a big belly, yet you're still quite agile!"

"Your Highness!" Mo Yi gripped him tightly, clearly excited. "The people I sent to southern Shu have returned! The items have been found!"

When Li Jing returned, he heard about this from Mo Yi. Now that he heard they were back, he felt a chill run down his spine. Things were really happening all at once!

"Well done! That's fantastic! Where's the stuff?" His voice was also filled with excitement.

"Here is the letter. The three of them were very clean; the Crown Prince's men were all silenced. So, they won't receive this message over there."

The two sat down side by side. Li Jing took the letter, calmed herself down a bit, and then opened it. The two heads huddled together to read it.

It turns out that this was a contract to establish an alliance of offense and defense.

It was signed by the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and it has their signatures and seals.

The purpose of signing this agreement is to bind the relationship between the two parties, ensuring they advance and retreat together. It's a way of demonstrating sincerity by handing over one's weaknesses to the other party.

Cooperation content: Remove Crown Prince Li Yuan and Consort Dong and her son, and support Li Huan as Crown Prince.

Empress Jiang guaranteed Empress Dowager Qian's position in the palace and her wealth and honor, and supported her in reviving the Qian family. This included official positions for men and marriage opportunities for women...

The content was short and only expressed the willingness and sincerity to cooperate; it did not specify how to proceed.

Li Jing's hand trembled slightly as he held the letter. "So, my noble mother, my gentle elder brother, and my sister who spent ten months with me in my mother's womb all died in such plain and straightforward writing."

He didn't intend to cry, but tears streamed down his face without warning.

Mo Yi was also heartbroken, her throat tightening as if a huge lump was stuck in it, wanting to comfort her but unable to speak. She wrapped her arms around Li Jing, tears streaming down her face.

He was only twelve years old when he went through all this... My heart aches, just like when I saw my father with an injured leg back then.

For a long time, the two of them just held each other like that, and no one said a word...

Sadness always seems to pass faster when someone is there to comfort you.

Finally, Li Jing let out a long sigh, hugged Mo Yi, and calmed down. "Although this was the initial guess, and we deduced this conclusion based on some clues, even if we had this document... even if we arrested them all and interrogated them, the result wouldn't be as conclusive as this."

"Then what should we do now?"

"Then let's settle this at... Yu'an's wedding! Let the world see! Alright..." He sniffed, his red eyes fixed on Mo Yi: "I need to gather people to discuss this. Mo Yi... meeting you, marrying you, was a mercy from heaven... Once, uncovering this mystery and avenging my blood feud was the entire meaning of my life..."

But now things are different. I have a very important kinship: you are my wife, not just a princess!

……

The Empress Dowager was in the palace, feeling extremely depressed.

These days, the continuous good things and good moods have all come to an abrupt end.

Li Jing returned safely, unharmed, carrying the fruits of his labor. His demeanor was even more assertive towards the Emperor, and he openly mocked himself.

Damn it! How come this cursed lone star is so incredibly lucky?

"What is that person doing?" she asked the personal maid who had just come in.

"Your Majesty, we are busy with Yu'an's wedding."

"They really took it seriously? Could it be..."

Things are probably not going to work out. How can you guarantee that I can retire safely?
Silencing the Empress is relatively easy. But how much do the Crown Prince and Yu'an know about that matter?
She bit her fingernails, lost in thought.

On his way back to his residence, the Crown Prince had the carriage turn a corner and head to Princess Yu'an's residence.

When Princess Yu'an returned from the palace last time, she was not as irritable as before, and silently made arrangements for the wedding.

Looking at the girl, the prince felt a sense of relief. "Girl."

"Brother is here, please sit down." Princess Yu'an pulled the Crown Prince to sit down. "Isn't this a bit troublesome?"

"Yes. That bastard is really tough. Even this couldn't stop him..." The Crown Prince sighed, "This is bad, sister... I was thinking that if we just waited for the right time, things would fall into place naturally. But now, I'm afraid they won't give us the chance." He rubbed his temples.

"What did the Empress Dowager say?" Princess Yu'an asked.

The Crown Prince shook his head: "General Niu has already arrived, and his troops are stationed ten miles from the city. He should arrive by the time I return to my residence."

How many men did he bring?

"It's only a few hundred...it can't be any more." "He failed in his mission, but he still wants to be the prince consort. He should at least show some more sincerity, right?" Princess Yu'an said disdainfully.

"Hmm..." The Crown Prince looked at the girl approvingly, "It's fitting for your status to think this way! Little sister, I remember everything you've done for me!"

"We're in this together, there's no other way!"

You don't look well, are you alright?

"It's nothing, my brother doesn't look too well either!"

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly. "It's not entirely hopeless... If all else fails, we'll give it a shot."

"Yes, we've climbed out of hardship. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

When the Crown Prince returned to his residence, General Niu was indeed already there.

Despite his words, the Crown Prince was still very unhappy. "This matter has not gone as expected at all..."

General Niu was tall and burly, with a rugged appearance, and he really did have a strange smell about him...

But the person was very meticulous. "Your Highness, this matter cannot be blamed on me. This matter is suspicious. Even now, we still haven't been able to fully understand it... but it's definitely not as simple as suppressing bandits. It feels like someone is raising a private army... and then, everything fell into chaos. Not to mention the Zhao family army that came silently from outside. Even in our vicinity, there were people who started fighting without warning."

The crown prince listened silently; he was already aware of the problem.

"Now everything is in chaos, the profits are being redistributed, and many new competitors are vying for them. The Niu family has suffered a considerable loss."

The Niu family used to be the dominant force in that area, always getting the first share of everything good, and even taking half of it. Now, the landscape has changed.

To rebuild from scratch would be incredibly difficult, not to mention the effort involved. And if those people had Li Jing's support again, it's hard to say who would end up dealing with whom!
"Your Highness, this is not a major issue. I have a few ideas for you to consider... these few..."

The crown prince took it and looked at it; this meant they were here to make demands...

……

Liu told Mo Yuan the news of Li Jing's return.

Amitabha! That's great! I've caught my breath again! She didn't dare to show off outside, but wandered around the house laughing to herself.

Recently, she has been accompanying the Crown Princess to take care of her son, acting as if she is invisible.

But she's naturally sensitive and senses something's off; she's been especially tense lately...

Even the Crown Princess seemed preoccupied and often lost in thought. The Crown Prince, on the other hand, was either out attending court or handling official business, or he spent most of his time in the front study, rarely venturing in.

Now that the prince's brother-in-law is back, the impact will be even greater, right?
Now, she has run to the Crown Princess's courtyard again.

At this time of day, the Crown Princess's son is at his most energetic.

Lying on the crib, I opened the package, and there was the little kid kicking his legs and playing.

Mo Yuan held a xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) in her hand. She was quite skilled at it, able to play a few tunes. The little baby loved listening to it, waving his arms and legs along with the music and giggling.

Normally, the Crown Princess would be overjoyed to see this.

Today, however, he watched silently... with a hint of worry and helplessness on his face.

After playing for a while, the child got tired and yawned. The nanny quickly picked him up and took him away...

Mo Yuan stopped talking and looked at the Crown Princess: "Your Highness, is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing..." the Crown Princess smiled. "I heard that Prince Qi has returned."

"Yes. I heard about it..."

"Don't you want to go take a look?"

"Sigh... a lot has happened at the Qi Prince's residence while the Prince is away. The household must be incredibly busy..."

“Yes, these are turbulent times,” the Crown Princess blurted out. Her mother was a true lady of high birth, who had raised her and her brother very well.

But her father...

My mother and brother have been quite worried lately... A storm is brewing!
Born into a wealthy family and married into such a prestigious family, she enjoys immense glory. But she also bears greater and heavier responsibilities than others. If trouble arises, there is no escaping it!

If it were just me, that would be fine; after all, who made me enjoy it?
But... I could still smell the lingering fragrance of the baby in the room.

She has children...

(End of this chapter)