A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 46p2

Chapter 46: Complaint p2

She had almost fled in disarray last night, and she didn’t know how Jiang Yu was doing.

Would she be sad.

Thinking this, Shen Zhishu still decided to go and see.

She only brought a trusted attendant and knocked on the door of the Eldest Princess’s Manor in the afternoon with a large box of strawberries.

But it was not the familiar doorman who opened the door, but another attendant she had never seen before.

Shen Zhishu did not suspect anything and thought that she was probably a new attendant in the princess’s manor. But when she looked up, she found that the courtyard was in a commotion.

That attendant was surprised for a moment at the door, then suddenly turned her head and shouted to the courtyard, “Little Lord Shen is here!”

“Which Little Lord Shen?”

“Which other one? General Shen!”

The courtyard immediately fell silent, and all eyes, big and small, converged on the entrance of the courtyard.

…This made Shen Zhishu feel as if she had gone on stage to sing an opera.

Good news, she knew everyone in the courtyard.

Bad news, more than half of the people she had met since she returned to the capital were all here.

The Seventh Imperial Princess was the first to jump over, raised her face, and smiled, “What brings General Shen here? Why aren’t you with General Xie?”

The First Imperial Princess raised an eyebrow, her expression a half-smile.

The Second Imperial Princess nodded slightly, as a greeting.

And… Jiang Chu, who was sitting in the flower hall from afar.

Shen Zhishu took a deep breath impassively and first answered the Seventh Imperial Princess’s question, “I originally wanted to come and discuss the details of the Martial Hall with Her Highness the Eldest Princess. Since today is a family banquet for all of you Highnesses and the Emperor, it is not convenient for me to disturb you. I will take my leave first and visit again another day.”

“It’s alright, the General is too polite,” the Seventh Imperial Princess said, jumping up and down. “We are all familiar with the General, and the General will not feel out of place among us. Why don’t you stay and make dumplings with us, how about it?”

The Second Imperial Princess also spoke slowly and methodically, “The Seventh Sister is right. Today is actually not a family banquet, it’s just that everyone happened to come together. I came to find my little aunt to play, but I didn’t expect to run into my Imperial Eldest Sister on the way. My Imperial Eldest Sister said that she also had something to find my little aunt for. When the two of us arrived, we saw that the Seventh Sister and our mother-empress were also here. It’s really a fate.”

The First Imperial Princess’s gaze swept over Shen Zhishu two or three times, her tone meaningful, “It is we who have disturbed the General and our little aunt from discussing official business. It is a rare occasion for the General to come. Why don’t you stay for a meal before you go? I don’t think it will be a bother.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I haven’t been disturbed. Anyway, the Martial Hall will not be completed for another month, so it’s the same to discuss this matter at any time. It’s not urgent,” Shen Zhishu cupped her hands and said. “Your Highnesses are having a family reunion, so I won’t join in the fun—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her arm was already grabbed by the Seventh Imperial Princess. The Seventh Imperial Princess jumped up and down, pulling her towards the flower hall, “Alright, alright, the General doesn’t need to be polite. Our mother-empress and our little aunt were just talking about the General. The General can just chat with them, and my Imperial Eldest Sisters and I will go to the small kitchen to take a look.”

Shen Zhishu hurriedly said, “Ah, no—”

The Seventh Imperial Princess was already gone.

So the bewildered Little General Shen was now standing alone in the flower hall, face to face with Jiang Chu and Jiang Yu.

Shen Zhishu: …I really hope this is my illusion.

Jiang Yu and Jiang Chu were sitting side by side on the two chairs at the head, one with a complex gaze, and the other with a calm gaze.

The two of them looked very similar, especially the lower half of their faces. It was just that Jiang Chu was already a little older, and with her working day and night, her skin had been weathered by the wind and frost, showing some signs of age.

At this moment, a bunch of little people were arguing in Shen Zhishu’s heart.

Little person one: “Since the Emperor already ‘knows’ about her relationship with Jiang Chu, she might as well take it a step further in front of her, and act more intimately with Jiang Yu to create a ‘deep affection’ feeling.”

Little person two: “What a stupid idea. What if the Emperor gets angry? I say we should just be proper and show a normal friendly relationship.”

Little person three: “But didn’t Jiang Yu say before that the Emperor is impartial and won’t hold a grudge because of this?”

Little person four: “You believe that? The Emperor’s will has always been unpredictable. What if the Emperor gets unhappy and just orders her to be beheaded?”

Little person three: “You’re just being an alarmist!”

Little person four: “How am I being an alarmist? What’s wrong with being a little cautious?”

…

Shen Zhishu pressed the four little people to death with a smack with a blank expression.

She took a step forward, bowed properly to the two people at the head, and planned to act according to the situation.

The Emperor raised her hand and said, “My dear minister, please rise. Why are you here today? Do you have something to discuss with Huai’an?”

Shen Zhishu moved her previous excuse over, “That’s right. I would like to discuss the details of the Martial Hall with Her Highness the Eldest Princess.”

“Oh, that’s still a long way off, there’s no hurry,” the Emperor waved her hand and smiled. “Does my dear minister have anything else?”

“…No, just this.”

“In that case, my dear minister can go back first today. I have important matters to discuss with Huai’an,” Jiang Chu said.

The Emperor’s intention of sending her away was extremely clear.

Shen Zhishu narrowed her eyes impassively.

Just as she was about to say something, she saw the Eldest Princess, who was sitting on the other side, speak in a faint voice, “Imperial Sister, can’t the General hear this ‘important matter’? Do we have to talk about it behind closed doors?”

Jiang Chu’s face did not change, but her hand, which was holding the teacup, tightened, “We sisters are having a heart-to-heart talk. What does it have to do with an outsider like her?”

Jiang Yu’s voice was without a ripple, “Does Imperial Sister have to make me say it out loud? The General is not an outsider—”

“Huai’an!” Jiang Chu took a breath and finally let go of the teacup, saying in a deep voice, “Forget it, General Shen, please take a seat.”

…The Emperor’s form of address for her had been downgraded from “my dear minister” to “General Shen.”

She didn’t know what it would become later.

Thinking this, Shen Zhishu said thank you and sat down on a chair on the side unhurriedly.

She was wondering what “important matter” the Emperor wanted to discuss with Jiang Yu, but she didn’t hear any useful information for a long time. The Emperor chatted from the new opera to the five hundred and thirty-six memorials she had marked today. Jiang Yu listened faintly and suddenly asked, “Is this what Imperial Sister wanted to talk about?”

Jiang Chu was stunned for a moment, “What? A’Yu should have been quite happy to hear me talk about these things in the past.”

“I have no happy heart. This is all your wishful thinking,” Jiang Yu said. “You never ask me if I like to listen. You always just sit down and start talking endlessly. You’ve been a tyrant in the study for half a day, and I have nowhere to go to read.”

Jiang Chu narrowed her eyes, “I have never heard A’Yu complain about these things before.”

“Of course not,” Jiang Yu said. “Imperial Sister is the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven does not need to listen to others’ voices. After all, the world is so big, and there are thousands of subjects. Listening too much will only make one’s mind unsettled and cause trouble.”

“Is A’Yu saying that I don’t care enough about you?”

“I don’t need Imperial Sister’s concern,” Jiang Yu said. “Imperial Sister’s heart should be for the people of the world, not on me alone.”

Shen Zhishu felt that she should probably be lying on the roof, not standing stiffly in the main hall.

Jiang Chu gripped the armrest and asked, “If A’Yu doesn’t tell me your worries, then who will you tell?”

A chill ran down Shen Zhishu’s back, and sure enough, a few breaths later, the Emperor faintly threw out the second half of her sentence, “Will you tell Shen Zhishu?”

Shen Zhishu: …Very good, the form of address has been downgraded from “General Shen” to “Shen Zhishu” again.

“I’ll tell whoever I want to tell,” Jiang Yu said. “The General is certainly one of them.”

“Oh? Are there others?”

“Is it strange that there are others?” Jiang Yu said in a faint voice. “Imperial Sister seems to dislike it when others appear by my side. So much so that I have been walking alone in the long road.”

“I have no dislike, it’s just…” Jiang Chu said. “I originally thought that having me was enough for you.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t do as Imperial Sister wishes. General Shen has already appeared by my side, and there will probably be more in the future.”

Jiang Chu’s gaze swept back and forth between Jiang Yu and Shen Zhishu two or three times. After a moment, she answered irrelevantly, “What is A’Yu trying to express?”

“Imperial Sister did not care about my feelings before and was just wishfully ‘for my own good.’ But it’s alright, Imperial Sister doesn’t need to worry about me anymore. I have others to take care of me.”

Jiang Chu took a light breath, “A’Yu—”

“Imperial Sister,” Jiang Yu met the eyes of the person beside her and suddenly interrupted her, “Do you need me to be more direct?”

And then, without waiting for a response, she said word by word:

“Jiang Chu, I don’t need you anymore.”

Jiang Yu’s indifferent tone was the same as ever, as if all affection and fate had ended, and the joy of the past would never return.

The Emperor leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

The Emperor was silent for a long, long time. Shen Zhishu did not dare to look up, so it was not until half an incense stick’s time later that she found…

Jiang Chu was crying.

The wind in the flower hall blew from north to south, blowing the stray hairs on Jiang Chu’s forehead into her tear tracks.

Water droplets trickled down from the corners of her eyes. Jiang Chu raised her hand and wiped them away haphazardly, squeezing out a few muffled words from her throat.

This action was extremely improper in front of a subject. But the Emperor seemed to be unable to hold it in.

Shen Zhishu looked away and did not look any further.

Jiang Yu watched in silence, and in the end, she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Chu’s face.

Jiang Chu paused and slowly took it.

Wiping away the tears that had already been dried by the wind on her face, Jiang Chu said in a low voice, “Huai’an, I’ve finally had half a day to rest… don’t say such things, alright?”

“I can pretend not to see. If I don’t see, I won’t be sad… don’t make things difficult for me, alright?”