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Chapter 190
Jiang Suizhou immediately clenched his hand that was holding the letter.
No wonder … he calculated the duration of the trip from Ye City. Seeing that the time was delayed a lot, he suspected that something was amiss.
He guessed that Huo Yuyan would not let things go even with Emperor Zhao Yuan’s agreement, but to his surprise… he was actually afraid of Huo Wujiu to this extent.
According to history, Huo Yuyan’s body was fundamentally damaged since the Xunyang War, much worse than before.
He had been the Crown Prince since. He was raised in Ye City, he didn’t dare to step a foot out of it. Even so, he only lived to be over 30 years old before perishing. For his current constitution, he was able to leave Ye City and go to Lin’an under such circumstances, showing how much he feared Huo Wujiu.
Jiang Suizhou took the letter and pondered for a while.
“Go back to General Lou and say we know,” he said. “Tell him to just relax.”
The scout hurriedly got up and obeyed.
Jiang Suizhou spoke again, “Meng Qianshan, go and ask where General Huo has gone. Send someone to ask him to come back as soon as possible.” “Understood! This servant will do so right away!” Meng Qianshan promptly responded.
After the two retreated, the imperial study room instantly became much more quiet.
Jiang Suizhou took the letter and pondered over it.
Since Huo Yuyan dared to come, it meant that he did not know that Huo Wujiu had evidence in his hands. Although Huo Wujiu killed Li Sheng, everyone in the world now thought that Li Sheng was disloyal and wanted to get rid of Huo Wujiu.
Because of this, it was no surprise that Northern Liang sent so many officials to the south in his correspondence with Emperor Zhao Yuan.
Presently, only Jiang Suizhou, Huo Wujiu and Lou Yue knew the truth, and only Jiang Suizhou and Huo Wujiu knew of the secret letters between Huo Yuyan and Pang Shao.
Although Huo Yuyan’s arrival was beyond Jiang Suizhou’s expectation, the enemy was already in the light while they were in the dark. On the contrary, Huo Yuyan was more passive.
If handled properly, for them, Huo Yuyan would take the initiative to send himself to their door.
Jiang Suizhou rubbed the edge of the paper and fell into deep thought.
Follow current novℯls on In the summer, raging waves rose in the huge river that spanned between the Northern Liang and the Southern Jing. Trees created pleasant shade on both banks of the river, forming a Jiangnan scenery.
Lou Yue stood at the riverside and took a deep breath.
As soon as the news of Huo Yuyan’s arrival reached him, he immediately sent someone to forward it to Jiang Suizhou without any delay.
He knew that Jiang Suizhou was in Lin’an and would certainly have everything ready. All he had to do was to hide all his thoughts and safely welcome all the people sent from Ye City.
He looked cold, but Lou Wanjun, who was next to him, did not take notice.
She waited impatiently, riding a horse and strolling along the river. She rolled her whip and tucked it back around her waist. Afterward, she raised her hand and folded a willow, then gently swung it while urging her horse to saunter along the riverside.
She shook Lou Yue’s heart.
“Behave!” Lou Yue ordered her, frowning in disapproval.
Lou Wanjun was totally unaffected. She swung the willow branch with one hand, and controlled the direction with her other that was holding onto the reins.
“Does standing stupidly means being behaved?” she retorted, “I have nothing to do, and restraining this horse is terrible.”
Lou Yue held his tongue for a period and admonished her, “His Highness the Crown Prince of Northern Liang is coming later, so be careful and don’t violate the etiquette.”
Lou Wanjun snorted with laughter and said, “What Crown Prince, hah?! Decades ago, it was me who protected him and brought him to play back then.”
Lou Yue hastened to rebuke her, “That’s nothing serious! No matter what happened in the past, he is now the Crown Prince and a member of the royal family. You shouldn’t utter such words indiscriminately!”
Lou Yue considered the disagreements between Huo Yuyan and Huo Wujiu over and over again, but still did not tell Lou Wanjun. On the one hand, Lou Wanjun was straightforward and could not hide her thoughts, and on the other hand, it was safer for one less person to know about the matter.
What was more, in his opinion, Lou Wanjun was just a girl too. She neither had an official position, nor was she a man, so she might as well not know about it.
Lou Wanjun was absolutely oblivious to his countless thoughts and worries.
She chattered, “Of course I won’t say a word of it in front of him. I am not stupid.”
While the two of them were chatting, the shadow of the ships gradually became visible on the river. The banner hanging on the gaff was exactly that of Northern Liang’s. The leading ship was two-stories high, which was likely the ship the leader boarded.
Lou Yue tensed up from head to toe, and he hastily restrained the expression on his face.
“They’re here.” He said, “Watch your mouth.”
Lou Wanjun gave him a somewhat strange look.
Her father might appear austere and solemn, but his expression at the moment didn’t give the impression that he was welcoming a family, but rather like he was preparing to deal with some enemy.
She withdrew her gaze and looked towards the river.
As the ships approached inch by inch, they swayed with waves and slowly sailed across the flowing river. The river was wide, and the ships sailed steadily. It should have taken a quarter of an hour before they docked at the bank.
The soldiers under Lou Yue’s command had already lined up on the river bank, with silver armor and red tassels, and flags fluttering. Seeing the ships dock, Lou Yue led the officers under him to welcome them. The largest ship lowered its gangway and the guards quickly paraded off the ship.