Chapter 72

When Tao Sheng returned to the Imperial College, she told Lord Xu, the chief academic officer, about her plans to go with the emperor.

Lord Xu felt sad. He thought Tao Sheng was the most thoughtful and clear-minded among the young officials working on the textbooks. He had wanted to promote her way of thinking to others, but now she was leaving with the emperor.

Tao Sheng wouldn’t return until the emperor decided to come back. If the emperor decided to visit the Great Wall again, Tao Sheng might not return until later in the year.

Lord Xu felt disappointed.

Tao Sheng felt embarrassed by Lord Xu’s praise. The things he admired were not her own ideas. Many came from later generations’ knowledge about making textbooks. Although some ideas were too advanced for now, others could be used and were quite helpful. They were based on the knowledge of many people over time.

Soon, Tao Sheng’s family heard that she was going north with the emperor.

Su Jia sighed, saying it was unlucky this time since Ji Yanming was on a diplomatic mission and couldn’t go with Tao Sheng to help her.

Su Wan also said: “It’s good to accompany the emperor, but traveling far is hard. You’re a girl, so take good care of yourself.”

Luo Xiu felt confident in the emperor and the King of Chu, thinking they would protect Tao Sheng. “The emperor personally asked Tao Sheng to go, and with the King of Chu’s protection, no one would dare trouble her.”

Tao Sheng also felt reassured by the King of Chu’s presence and said, “The King of Chu is a good person, and the Princess of Chu is kind. If there’s a problem, I can ask them for help.”

The emperor was getting old and did whatever he liked more often now.

The trip north was planned for the end of April, but Tao Sheng expected to leave by mid-May at the earliest. To her surprise, the emperor acted quickly and left the capital at the start of May, giving the Inner Court little time to prepare.

Most officials Tao Sheng’s age traveled on horseback. Only high-ranking and older officials rode in carriages.

But it wasn’t realistic for Tao Sheng to ride a horse, so Gao Zhen secretly suggested she travel with Princess Chu in her carriage.

Since the King of Chu was the emperor’s eldest son, Princess Chu’s carriage was close to the emperor’s, so Tao Sheng could arrive quickly if summoned.

Tao Sheng traveling with Princess Chu delighted her.

The journey north was long, and Tao Sheng got bored, so she practiced some new songs.

Princess Chu never thought she would get such royal treatment, having her own private performances from Tao Sheng and even requesting songs she liked. It was a dream come true.

They say Tao Sheng’s music can help officials think clearly and write better. It can energize martial artists and might even make you look younger!

Princess Chu was thrilled and became even friendlier to Tao Sheng.

Along the way, they made stops to set up camp and have picnics to relax.

Tao Sheng noticed that Guan Muyun, suspended from his post, didn’t come. But Shen Ruojin was there, saying she was accompanying Princess Rui.

Princess Chu quietly told Tao Sheng that Princess Rui was usually distant with people, but she seemed very close to Shen Ruojin now. “It’s surprising she brought Shen along. It shows how much she trusts Guan Muyun’s nephew. She isn’t cautious with Shen at all.”

Tao Sheng nodded. After all, Shen Ruojin was the original heroine. It was normal for her to have a special kind of charm in this world.

Shen Ruojin seemed to have a way of making people think the world was wrong to accuse her, even when she did something terrible. Her skills in persuasion were amazing.

Princess He’en happened to pass by and overheard the conversation between Princess Chu and Tao Sheng. She snorted coldly and said, “What do you mean by undefended? It’s just a matter of mutual interest.”

Tao Sheng immediately perked up, sensing that there might be some big news. Princess Chu was also curious and asked, “What else is going on?”

“Shen Ruojin is indeed clever. She has been giving Sixth Sister-in-law a lot of advice recently,” Princess He’en said. “I heard that before Sixth Sister-in-law left, she had made those concubines obedient. The relationship between the Crown Prince and my father is no longer what it used to be.”

Everyone was aware of Princess Rui’s situation. She was Prince Rui’s second wife, and the previous Princess Rui had given birth to a child, the eldest son, who was named Crown Prince several years ago. This made things awkward for the two children of the current Princess Rui.

Prince Rui cared about public opinion and highly valued his eldest son. He had no intention of replacing the Crown Prince, but the two sons born to Princess Rui were distant from their father.

Shen Ruojin helped solve Princess Rui’s biggest concern, so naturally, the princess appreciated her.

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The group continued their journey, but as they neared Chengde, their progress slowed. That day, just after noon, the Emperor said he was tired of sitting and ordered the group to stop and set up camp.

Xie Huaian saw an opportunity and whispered to Tao Sheng, “I passed a tavern by the road with many guests. Do you want to go take a look?”

Xie Huaian, holding a low-ranking position, was traveling with limited supplies, so his meals weren’t as good as Tao Sheng’s, who was enjoying a more luxurious lifestyle with Princess Chu.

Tao Sheng recalled that the King of Chu had mentioned yesterday that he was tired from the journey and wanted some wine and fresh food. Seeing an opportunity, Tao Sheng agreed to go with Xie Huaian.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, they saw someone suddenly emerge from the woods and rush toward Tao Sheng.

Startled, Tao Sheng instinctively stepped back. Xie Huaian was also surprised and stepped forward to protect Tao Sheng.

The person appeared to have been traveling for a long time. His clothes were dirty and covered in yellow dust, making him hard to recognize. However, Tao Sheng felt he looked familiar.

She thought for a moment and remembered seeing this man about a month and a half ago when she had brought food to Ji Yanming at Honglu Temple. At that time, he was reviewing military maps with a young general. It must be this man.

Tao Sheng asked him, “Excuse me, are you General Su Chengsu?”

“I am Su Cheng,” he replied, wiping the dust off his face. He added emotionally, “Miss Luo, I finally found you.”

Xie Huaian asked Tao Sheng, “Do you know him?”

“Yes, I know him,” Tao Sheng replied. “He is General Su Chengsu, an eighth-rank deputy general serving under General Qi. We once had a meal together.”

Hearing this, Xie Huaian relaxed a little.

Still, Tao Sheng was concerned. It wasn’t a good sign that Su Cheng had found them alone. She frowned and asked, “How did you find this place, General Su? Do you have urgent news for His Majesty?”

“Yes, it’s a matter of great importance. I would like to ask you, Miss Luo, to report it for me.”

Xie Huaian still felt suspicious. “Why not report directly to His Majesty? Why sneak around like this?”

Su Cheng said nothing, casting a wary glance at Xie Huaian.

Tao Sheng gently signaled Xie Huaian to step back for now, indicating it wasn’t too late to go back to camp after hearing what General Su had to say.

Reluctantly, Xie Huaian accepted Su Cheng’s sword and stepped aside, but he remained alert.

Su Cheng then explained, “I broke through the border defenses to get here. I couldn’t approach the Emperor directly because I wasn’t sure if his guards were trustworthy. I remembered you were among the escorts and knew that you and Lord Ji had a close relationship, so I came to find you. I’ve been following the Emperor’s group for days but didn’t dare get too close. I waited until now to speak with you.”

Hearing this, Tao Sheng became more concerned. “What happened in Lingguo?”

Su Cheng’s journey seemed too difficult for someone of his rank to handle alone. There must be something serious.

“After Lord Ji arrived at the Royal City Inn in Lingguo, he was summoned to the palace several times and discovered that the King of Ling had been plotting something for two years. It seems the relationship between Ling and the Kingdom of Dai is just a facade. In reality, they have secretly joined forces and plan to attack the Great Zhou border. The armies of both countries have been moving. If Baicheng falls, the consequences will be disastrous.”

Tao Sheng was shocked. “Why didn’t you report this to the capital?”

“Starting on April 22, we sent two 800-mile express messages to the capital. The first time, we received no reply. The second time, we were told that the Crown Prince believed the border was stable and that these were just rumors spread by Lingguo to cause discord between Dai and the Great Zhou. The Ling King tightened his surveillance after that, making it harder for us to send messages. That’s why I had to come here myself.”

Tao Sheng frowned.

Ever since the emperor started preparing to go north, he let the crown prince act as regent. Counting the days, the crown prince had been regent for more than half a month.

This meant the crown prince knew about the situation before the emperor left the capital but did not report it. Why would the crown prince hide such an important matter, even after the emperor left?

There must be something more important. So, what could be more important than a border invasion?

For a prince with rebellious intentions, the most important goal was the throne of Great Zhou. This journey to the north was the perfect chance.