All matters were on track. Jiang Shanxing was appointed as the governor of Jiangnan. Among the Beijing officials brought by Sheng Chengming, there was an official named Ge who performed outstandingly in the flood and was transferred to be the prefect of Suzhou.
Although all officials wanted to be in Beijing, in fact, the people under Sheng Chengming had no status or power in Beijing. In comparison, the prefect of Suzhou was a lucrative position. Moreover, they had personally visited the disaster area and lived and ate with the victims for a period of time during the disaster relief work, and had already developed feelings for this land.
Everything was getting better. One day in late July, the autumn wind was blowing, and the persimmons in the courtyard were about to ripen. Sheng Chengming, wearing an apricot-yellow robe, came to say goodbye to Rong Tang.
The weather became a little cooler, and Rong Tang sat in the yard playing chess with Su Huaijing.
Order was restored to normal, and Sheng Chengming was too embarrassed to capture Su Huaijing as a soldier every day, so he spent time with Tangtang day after day.
Sheng Chengming brought a large batch of medicinal herbs and introduced them to Rong Tang one by one: "I will be returning to Beijing tomorrow. If you want to stay in Jiangnan for a while, you must take care of your health."
After two months of getting along, Rong Tang's opinion of the second prince of Emperor Renshou has changed a lot. Although he is a humble prince, his nature is not bad. He even has a rare and innocent childlike innocence. This kind of character is a good thing for the country and the people when it appears in the royal heir.
Rong Tang stood up and said goodbye to him: "Your Highness, the journey back to the capital is long and I don't think it will be all smooth sailing. Please remember to take care of yourself."
Sheng Chengming was slightly startled and looked at Rong Tang for a while with a somewhat strange expression, trying to see some emotion on his face other than the greeting, but there was none. Rong Tang was just being casual throughout and did not chat with him about any trivial matters in officialdom.
Sheng Chengming couldn’t think any more and said goodbye to the two of them again before leaving the house.
The Second Prince was going back to the capital, and all the officials in Suzhou would have to arrange for him to return, so Rong Tang didn't need to worry about it.
He sat down again, picked up a black piece, looked at the chessboard and thought carefully, then made his move.
Su Huaijing looked around and saw that the black pieces were besieging the white pieces, and the white pieces were attacked from both sides. His eyes lit up and he felt amused and happy.
Rong Tang rarely shows such strong aggressiveness in the game of chess. He has always been passive and needs to be constantly coaxed and nibbled away bit by bit before he can find some meaning in the lazy game.
Su Huaijing made a few moves and watched Rong Tang force him back step by step. The interest in his eyes grew stronger, but Rong Tang's expression became more and more unsightly.
The autumn wind blew gently, and the leaves in the yard fell. Rong Tang held a black piece in his hand, and his eyes moved back and forth on the chessboard twice. He threw it back into the chess cup with a "dong" and looked at Su Huaijing with his obsidian eyes: "Are you letting me?"
"No." Su Huaijing denied with a smile, leaned over and took out another chess piece from the chess cup in front of him, put it on the chessboard, and then placed the white chess piece. The black chess piece's pressing posture instantly relaxed, and the white chess piece tore a barely detectable gap in the middle. "Tangtang, let me go, and I'll live."
Rong Tang rolled his eyes at him and said, "No more playing."
Su Huaijing clearly did not use his full strength, and every move he made was in a place that Rong Tang could not expect. It was as if he made these moves not to win the game at all, but to see how many tricks Rong Tang had to force him back.
This wasn't even a teaching chess game, Rong Tang was too lazy to play anymore.
He stood up and sat on a recliner at the side, his whole body sank into it. He raised his eyes from the leaves above his head to the sky and saw the drifting clouds and the looming sun.
Su Huaijing chuckled softly, not annoyed or panicked, and did not ask Rong Tang to come back to continue playing chess with him. He just put the black chess cup in front of him, picked up the black and white chess pieces, and said as he played: "Tang Tang wants to remind the Second Prince, and by the way, remind me that this trip to the south is a blessing for the people of Jiangnan, but for the officials in the court, it affects the interests of too many people. When the Second Prince returns to the capital this time, he will definitely be surrounded by wolves and tigers, waiting for an opportunity to devour him?"
As he spoke, he casually placed a piece on the chessboard, and a thick white cloud floated through the gaps between the leaves.
Rong Tang did not respond, Su Huaijing continued: "Sheng Chengming has been away from Beijing for three months, and the situation in Beijing must have changed a long time ago. At the end of April, Yang Xingye, a disciple of Zhang Baoshan, was dismissed because of the impeachment of the Southwest Governor Zhang. Now that there is a flood in Jiangnan, Lu Junxian has been escorted back to Beijing. In just three months, although the Second Prince has made great achievements on the surface, in fact, the Second Prince's party has lost two generals. Sheng Chengming's return to Beijing this time must be dangerous. Tang Tang reminded him that the journey is long and not smooth, which is to tell him to be humble and not to interact with bureaucrats after returning."
Su Huaijing paused, raised his eyebrows, and asked Rong Tang with a smile: "Is it so?"
Rong Tang withdrew his gaze from the gap between the leaves and turned his head to glance at Su Huaijing: "I don't know."
Su Huaijing was slightly startled, but couldn't stop smiling. He tapped the chess table with his fingers and made another leisurely move: "Well, Prince Ning Xuan has been stupid for many years, so it's normal that he can't think of so many things. Brother Tangtang just said a kind reminder. The journey from Jiangnan to Yujing is long, over mountains and ridges, and there may be bandits along the way. You just told the Second Prince to take care of himself along the way."
Rong Tang: “…”
[He is even more ridiculous than you.] The system said in a dull voice.
The villain in Rong Tang's heart nodded continuously, agreeing very much with what his little stupid system said.
No matter what Su Huaijing said, the two people present were unanimous and no one believed it, but his expression was very natural, and he didn't have the slightest sense of blushing for telling a lie.
The situation on the board has changed. The small gap torn out by the white piece has become a life-saving medicine, and the black piece's seamless siege has disintegrated piece by piece and gradually declined.
Rong Tang glanced over, was stunned for a moment, and then relaxed.
Su Huaijing asked: "Does Tangtang know what the Second Prince should do when he returns to the capital this time?"
Rong Tang was a little stuck, and when he was about to say he didn't know, Su Huaijing smiled as if he had just remembered, "I forgot again, Tangtang doesn't know."
There was a hint of complaint unconsciously in his eyes, which amused Su Huaijing. He laughed for a long time before explaining to him.
"Whether it's Yang Xingye or Lu Junxian, whether they falsely accused their colleagues, or were corrupt and took bribes and colluded with the old party of the previous dynasty, they are essentially just ministers." Su Huaijing said slowly. The morning wind blew across the sky and the earth, the clouds dispersed, and the grass leaves swayed slightly.
"The ruler is the ruler and the subject is the subject, this is an eternal truth. As the heir to the throne, Sheng Chengming is naturally the master in front of the subjects, but in the eyes of His Majesty, he is also a subject. Since he is a subject, he naturally cannot form cliques for personal gain or form factions." Su Huaijing said, "Therefore, it doesn't matter how many people the Second Prince's party loses, as long as the foundation is not damaged. For Sheng Chengming, it is not a big loss, there will always be others to make up for it. What he really needs to worry about is not this."
Rong Tang waited for him to continue, but Su Huaijing looked at him intently and asked again: "Tang Tang really doesn't know what the Second Prince needs to worry about?"
"…" Rong Tang felt a little tired. He sighed softly and answered Su Huaijing's question: "Your Majesty's suspicion."
Su Huaijing: "Please explain, Tangtang."
Rong Tang had no choice but to say, "First, Yang Xingye falsely accused his colleagues. Your Majesty might suspect that he was instructed by the Second Prince to suppress the Third Prince. Second, Lu Junxian is the uncle of the former Third Prince. He has enjoyed a high position and generous salary for so many years under your Majesty's nose. He is also a disciple of Zhang Ge Lao. Your Majesty is already unhappy. It is hard to guarantee that he will not think about how Lu Junxian concealed his identity so thoroughly, and what role Zhang Ge Lao played in it. He knew that he was a member of the old party of the previous dynasty but concealed it. Third..."
Rong Tang paused, not knowing where to look, and simply looked at the chessboard. He couldn't tell whether he felt it was quite ironic, and sighed softly, "The Second Prince made great contributions to the flood disaster, and the people of Jiangnan have spread the word, and now they regard him as a living Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering."
"If he is the one who is favored by the people, he may be suspected of being more meritorious than the emperor. He is the heir to the throne and the oldest among the existing princes. If he knows how to avoid suspicion when returning to the capital this time, it would be fine. But if he does not know how to behave and speak properly, and has close contacts with officials in the court, it would be even worse..." Rong Tang frowned slightly, "At this critical juncture, if someone mentions the establishment of a crown prince, it is undoubtedly to send Sheng Chengming to death."
Su Huaijing smiled, looking at Rong Tang with eyes full of satisfaction and joy: "Then what does Tang Tang think he should do?"
"Hide your strength and bide your time, pay respects every morning and evening, show loyalty, be unrestrained, and live a life of debauchery." A voice that didn't quite make sense came from behind, and answered Su Huaijing's question with a smile, then casually clasped his fist towards Rong Tang and said, "I've been studying in the academy for a long time, and I can't help but answer when I hear questions. Please don't blame me, my lord."
The person who came was Ke Hongxue. Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then fell silent. He just nodded without saying anything more. He exchanged a glance with Mu Jingxu who was walking behind Master Ke as a greeting.
Su Huaijing didn't get an answer from Rong Tang and felt a little disappointed, but he was already quite satisfied that he could coax him into expressing so many of his own opinions.
He lowered his head and finished the game, stopping at a situation where one move could decide life or death, then looked at Ke Hongxue: "Master Ke, are you interested in assisting the Second Prince?"
Ke Hongxue curved her peach blossom eyes and said, "I don't have that in mind. It's too much trouble."
He smiled and said, "I came to ask when you two plan to return to Beijing."
Su Huaijing looked at Mu Jingxu: "Are you guys leaving?"
Mu Jingxu shook his head: "Not yet."
Ke Hongxue said, "I saw that you didn't go back to Beijing with Xiao Lu and the others, so I guessed that you two didn't plan to go back to Beijing for the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you don't mind, you can stay in Jiangnan for a while. I will take you around and go back after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Rong Tang was slightly stunned. Wang Xiuyu had written to them a few days ago asking when they would return to Beijing, but Rong Tang subconsciously didn't want to go back so soon.
The capital was a muddy place, and returning there would be exhausting calculations one after another. It was so chaotic that he secretly wanted Su Huaijing to take a break.
Besides, now in Jiangnan, Mu Jingxu is staying in Linyuan, and no one will gossip about him. He and Su Huaijing haven't seen each other for a long time, and Rong Tang doesn't want to separate them again so soon.
He asked Ke Hongxue: "What does Master Ke mean by this?"
Ke Hongxue smiled and said, "I am not willing to assist any prince, but I am happy to be with you."
Rong Tang was shocked and realized that this was Ke Hongxue's surrender.
He turned his head and looked at Su Huaijing, who asked him, "Tangtang, do you want to go home?"
Mu Jingxu looked over, and there was a hint of nervousness on his face, even though he was usually calm and composed.
Rong Tang shook his head: "No, I always spent the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace in previous years, and it was not comfortable at all."
Su Huaijing smiled and said, "Then we will spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiangnan before going back?"
The persimmons on the treetops are about to ripen and fall, the sky and the earth are dyed with autumn colors, the courtyard is quiet and peaceful, Rong Tang smiled and said: "Okay."
Let’s have a reunion dinner to commemorate the long-awaited reunion.
You and your brother's, I and yours.
(End of this chapter)