I Am a Salted Fish in Ancient Times

Chapter 29

Regardless of what the Emperor was planning, the decree had been issued, and there was no changing the fact that Zong Qing would be going to Liangzhou.

After receiving the decree, Xiao Shan made a special trip to the palace. It wasn't for any other reason but to inform the Emperor that he intended to take Xie Zhui with him to Liangzhou. Taking Xie Zhui along without prior notice wasn't impossible, but it would lead to a lot of subsequent trouble and potential impeachment.

He had no desire to argue with those nitpicking censors.

If this matter was approved by the Emperor, then the censors would have nothing to say.

The Emperor's eyebrows shot up upon hearing his request. "You want to take your spouse along while investigating a case in Jiangnan?"

Xiao Shan maintained a serious expression and said, "Father Emperor, it's not about taking a spouse along for the investigation; it's about taking Xie Zhui. Xie Zhui has fought and killed enemies on the battlefield. In comparison, I am powerless. If we encounter danger, he can protect me."

"Hah." The Emperor let out a cold laugh. "Don't you feel ashamed saying such nonsense? In our Da Zhou, isn't it always the men who protect their husbands? And now, in your case, it's reversed? Oh, so Xie Zhui has to protect you? Can't you protect him a bit? Besides, aren't the accompanying guards enough to protect you?"

"Father Emperor, this is different." Xiao Shan didn't even flinch at the Emperor's sarcasm, continuing smoothly, "Xie Zhui is my husband. His eyes will always be on me, and if we encounter danger, he will be the first to notice. The accompanying guards have too many people to protect. Even if I'm afraid of dying, I can't have them focus solely on me and neglect Master Zong's safety."

"As for who protects whom, Xie Zhui and I are a couple, and we are one. It doesn't matter who protects whom."

The Emperor's mouth twitched, thinking to himself, how shameless.

Moreover, Xiao Shan's ability to lie with a straight face was becoming more impressive.

Clearly, he wanted to take Xie Zhui out for a trip, yet he could come up with such a fresh and unconventional excuse.

It's not easy, truly not easy.

Seeing the Emperor's attitude softening, Xiao Shan seized the opportunity and said, "Father Emperor, please just agree to this small request."

The Emperor knew that if he didn't agree, Xiao Shan could spend the entire morning pestering him, and in the end, his ears would suffer, and he would still end up agreeing.

So, with a wave of his hand, the Emperor said, "Fine, Zhen agrees to this. But remember, as a prince, this is your first time leaving the capital on official business. Be mindful of what you should and shouldn't do in Liangzhou. Zhen doesn't want to see a pile of impeachment memorials on Zhen’s desk before you even return."

In response to the Emperor's pointed remarks, Xiao Shan laughed and said, "Father Emperor, you should know my character by now. I always act with integrity and have no fear of baseless impeachment."

Seeing his good intentions taken for granted, the Emperor felt a pang in his chest and immediately lost the desire to say another word to him. He waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "Zhen has agreed to your request. Now leave the palace."

Xiao Shan, having gotten what he wanted, left the Qianming Hall with a spring in his step.

Not long after, an attendant reported that Xiao Shan did not leave the palace directly, nor did he go to the Jinglan Hall, but instead went to the Eastern Palace.

The Emperor snorted lightly upon hearing this, "Zhen knew he couldn't be steady."

Chang Le, smiling, said, "His Highness is straightforward and never hides what he wants to do." If it were someone else, they wouldn't go to see the Crown Prince at this time, fearing the Emperor might suspect they were planning with the Crown Prince to cover up Liu Jingxuan's crimes.

But not Xiao Shan. He had a good relationship with Xiao Jin and never hid it. Even when leaving, he did so openly and with dignity.

He didn't care about suspicions at all.

Thinking about Xiao Shan's personality, the Emperor snorted, "He's had that stubborn temper since he was a child. If he learned to be secretive, he wouldn't be himself anymore."

Chang Le echoed the Emperor's sentiment.

Chang Le knew well that despite the Emperor's complaints, he actually liked Xiao Shan's straightforward nature.

***@@@@

Xiao Shan didn't care whether the Emperor was pleased or not. He naturally wanted to see Xiao Jin before leaving.

When he arrived at the Eastern Palace, Xiao Jin was already waiting for him—this was the tacit understanding between brothers.

Liu Jingyi did not appear, whether by her own choice or because Xiao Jin didn't want her to.

But that was just as well; at this time, her presence wouldn't make much difference in what was said or unsaid.

Xiao Jin invited Xiao Shan to sit down and, with a disapproving look, said, "The decree has been issued, and instead of packing your bags at home, you're here in the palace. Are you deliberately looking for a scolding?"

Xiao Shan took a sip of tea and said, "Father Emperor's scoldings are always the same few phrases, nothing new. They don't bother me at all; I'm used to it. Besides, I came to the palace today for a legitimate reason, so I won't get scolded."

Xiao Jin also took a sip of tea, his expression heavy with concern.

After finishing his tea, Xiao Jin looked at Xiao Shan and spoke earnestly, "I feel uneasy about you going to Liangzhou. Before you leave, I have one thing to say: if Liu Jingxuan hasn't committed any crimes, then fine. But if he has, you must not cover for him and risk breaking the law."

With Zong Qing watching closely, any slight injustice on Xiao Shan's part would be immediately reported to the Emperor.

Xiao Shan nodded, "Don't worry, Second Brother. If he really has committed a crime, not only will I not cover for him, but I'll personally give him a beating."

Xiao Jin: "..."

He struggled for a moment and said, "There's no need for that. As a prince, you can't personally lay hands on anyone. If word gets back to the capital, the censors' memorials will fall on Father's desk like snow."

Xiao Shan's eyes curved into a bright smile. He said to Xiao Jin, "Second Brother, just rest assured. I know my limits."

Xiao Jin was not reassured at all. At this moment, his worry completely overshadowed his heavy heart.

He feared that if Liu Jingxuan had indeed committed a crime, Xiao Shan might beat him to death before he could be escorted back to the capital.

After all, they had no connection with Wang Xin, nor did they instruct Wang Xin to submit the memorial. The Emperor could investigate all he wanted; he wouldn't find anything linking it to them.

However, they did need to look into why Wang Xin sent a letter to Prince Rui's residence. They needed to determine if someone was trying to frame Xiao Rong.

Xiao Rong found Gu Guang's analysis somewhat reasonable and reluctantly calmed down.

Upon hearing that Xiao Shan had left the capital today, Xiao Rong first thought about how Xiao Shan was stepping on his face to go to Liangzhou, which made him very unhappy. He wished he could immediately find someone to chop Xiao Shan up halfway there.

But then he realized that Xiao Shan leaving the capital meant he wouldn't have to see this troublemaker in the capital for a long time, which was practically a cause for universal celebration.

So, Xiao Rong felt both anger and joy about this matter.

It wasn't just him; even Xiao Yi and Xiao Xian in the palace breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

Xiao Yi mainly feared Xiao Shan's sharp tongue. Whenever Xiao Shan spoke, Xiao Yi would feel the Emperor's anger before even understanding the situation, suffering unjustly. He usually tried to avoid Xiao Shan and not provoke him.

Xiao Xian, on the other hand, thought that without Xiao Shan, he could once again become the Emperor's favorite. He could act a bit spoiled without being publicly mocked by Xiao Shan for being a baby.

Among the princes, only Xiao Jin was worried.

***

Meanwhile, Xiao Shan, who was in the minds of the other princes, encountered Xie Chen, who was on his way to Jiangnan to seek a renowned doctor, shortly after leaving the capital.

This time, Xie Chen had taken almost all the servants from the Xie residence with him.

At the Xie residence in the capital, only a steward, a cook, and a few maidservants and young servants remained.

With no master present, the Xie residence closed its doors to visitors.

Those who had plans to deal with Xie Chen after Xiao Shan and Xie Zhui left the capital were left speechless upon seeing this situation.

Xie Chen was truly something else, pulling the rug out from under them so skillfully.

Having 'coincidentally' encountered Xie Chen, Xiao Shan naturally couldn't let him travel to Jiangnan alone, so they all decided to travel together.

Five days after leaving the capital, Xiao Shan, Xie Zhui, Xie Chen, and Zong Qing quietly left the main group and boarded a merchant ship heading to Jiangnan.

Xiao Shan was quite displeased with this four-person arrangement. He had originally planned to travel by boat with just Xie Zhui and a couple of disguised guards. However, Zong Qing insisted on coming along, and since Zong Qing was coming, it wouldn't be appropriate to leave Xie Chen behind alone.

Naturally, Xiao Shan wasn't happy about Zong Qing tagging along, but as soon as he expressed his displeasure, Zong Qing, with a blank expression, said, "The Emperor has ordered me to keep an eye on Your Highness at all times. Please don't make it difficult for me."

Xiao Shan had no way to deal with the upright and incorruptible Master Zong, so he had to let him come along.

Just before the four of them boarded the ship, Xiao Shan couldn't help but make one last attempt. He glanced around the top of Zong Qing's head and said, "Master Zong, don't you think the light above your head is a bit too bright*?" If Zong Qing was willing to return to the main group, Xiao Shan could ask him to take care of Xie Chen...

*It often implies that someone is drawing too much attention or standing out too much

Unfortunately, Zong Qing didn't understand. With a puzzled expression, he replied earnestly, "Your Highness, please don't joke. How could there be light on someone's head?"

Xie Chen stood to the side, smiling silently.

Xiao Shan let out a long sigh and took Xie Zhui's hand as they boarded the ship.

If they had to be followed, it didn't matter whether it was one person or two.

However, not long after the ship set sail, Xiao Shan had no time to think about anything else.

He discovered for the first time that he got seasick.

Initially, he felt fine, but after half an hour, he couldn't take it anymore, his stomach churning violently.

Seeing how pale he looked, Xie Zhui quickly helped him into the cabin to lie down.

Staring at the cabin ceiling, Xiao Shan murmured, "I can handle flying in the sky and running on the ground, but I never thought I'd be defeated by traveling on water."

This time, Xie Zhui heard him clearly but didn't understand. He tightly grasped Xiao Shan's hand and said, "Your Highness, I'll go get a doctor."

For this trip, they had a doctor traveling with them, but to avoid leaking information, the doctor stayed behind with Ji An, who was pretending to be Xiao Shan.

Fortunately, Xie Chen always had a doctor with him, so it wasn't difficult to arrange.

Perhaps because it was rare for him to encounter something that truly troubled him, Xiao Shan didn't want Xie Zhui to leave his side.

He said, "Even if the doctor comes, he'll just prescribe medicine. Taking medicine now feels like torture. Just stay with me and let me sleep for a while."

Xie Zhui actually wanted to say that the doctor had many ways to alleviate his discomfort, but seeing Xiao Shan in this state, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

So, he lay down beside Xiao Shan.

The conditions here were naturally not as good as in the prince's residence. For one thing, the bed was half the size.

The two of them lay closely together. It was very hot at this time of year, but neither of them moved.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Shan was lulled to sleep by the rocking of the boat on the water.