Original Intentions

The few of them looked at the approaching carriage in confusion. They saw Eunuch Su, who was dressed in his casual clothes, running over and bowing to them.

Mr. Kong quickly led his wife off the carriage. With Eunuch Su here, it was obvious who was sitting in the carriage.

“Greeting to your Majesty.”

The group was about to bow when Shao Zhan quickly got out of the car to stop them.

“Teacher Kong, you don’t have to do this.”

Shao Zhan helped Mr. Kong up with both hands. “I was the one who invited you here to teach. I should send you back personally now.”

Teacher Kong was deeply touched as he looked at Shao Zhan. When he first saw the man, he was still an infant. When the Shao Nation was invaded, Mr. Kong had already retreated to live in the mountains. The reason he left the mountains was because Shao Zhan had repeatedly invited him to go to the capital. He didn’t think that Shao Zhan would come personally to see him off.

Mr. Kong was filled with emotions. He nodded and shook his head at times, looking completely immersed in his memories.

Mrs. Kong couldn’t stand it anymore and reached out to pinch him secretly.

“Ah!”

The few of them were shocked by his sudden yelp and looked at him blankly.

Mr. Kong rubbed his arms and pretended to look up at the sky. Then, he blurted out, “It’s getting late. We should set off.”

Shao Zhan assigned a few men to escort the two elders of the Kong family to Yonghai County. After gladly accepting the offer, the couple got into the carriage and bid farewell to everyone before leaving.

After watching the carriage leave, Shao Zhan left first. If he did not leave first, no one would have dared to leave.

Jiang Danhe was in a hurry to write a letter to Xiaoguo, so he did not stay long. He left for home after bidding farewell.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw a carriage that was about to leave.

Jiang Danhe sighed helplessly. He got off his horse and handed the reins to the guard beside him.

When Eunuch Su saw Jiang Danhe, he knocked on the carriage to inform the emperor that the person he was waiting for had arrived.

After doing all this, Eunuch Su led a group of people and moved aside, leaving an empty space for the two men to talk.

“How is it? Have you thought it through?”

Hearing Shao Zhan’s confident tone, Jiang Danhe suddenly laughed.

“What are you laughing at?”

Shao Zhan tilted his head and looked at him curiously. “Has he gone crazy?”

Jiang Danhe stopped laughing and shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ve indeed thought it through.”

“Yes.” Shao Zhan nodded. Everything was under his control.

Jiang Danhe snickered at his confidence. “I think you’re right. The army is indeed very important to me.”

Hearing this, Shao Zhan nodded in satisfaction, but what he said next almost made him choke.

“However, you underestimated my love for Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang.”

“…” Shao Zhan was confused and asked uneasily, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Danhe jumped and sat in the carriage. Then, he looked into the distance with longing. “Everything I’ve done is based on the premise that I can go home safely to accompany them. Even though I can’t bear to part with my hard work over the past few years, it seems so insignificant compared to them.”

“…” Shao Zhan opened his mouth, but he didn’t know what to say.

Jiang Danhe continued, “I was feeling quite hesitant last night, but my doubts disappeared very quickly. I’ve missed out on four years with them. When they were going through the most difficult period in their lives, I wasn’t by their side. No matter what the reason was, I had already missed out on that period. Although their lives are in a better state now, I can’t use this reason to excuse myself from the duties of a husband and father again.”

“Besides, this job is high risk. If I were a bachelor, it wouldn’t matter. But I’m not. I have a wife and a son. They all need me. I can’t be too selfish and leave all the responsibilities to Xiaoguo. It’s too unfair to her. And as for how to live in the future, that’s for the future. I’ll let nature take its course. I believe that being together as a family, nothing could come in our way. Even if I had to do farming with them in the future, we will be happy together.”

At the thought of going home to reunite with them, he couldn’t help but smile. No one could predict the future. He should just let nature take its course.

“Everything is open for negotiations. Don’t be so absolute in your decision.”

Shao Zhan understood how it felt to be a father. Although he had been trying to make up for the years where he had missed out on Xiaoyi’s childhood, he always felt that something was lacking. Jiang Danhe was right. What was missing could never be recovered. But he had to ensure that the regrets did not pile up further.

However, he couldn’t let him leave. There has to be a middle ground. Everything was negotiable.

“Then don’t be a general. I’ll get you a position that isn’t life-threatening. One which will give you plenty of time and holidays.”

Shao Zhan’s mind was spinning rapidly. Jiang Danhe was very good at training people. Even if he was no longer a general, there were other posts that he could fill. He just needed him to stay in the capital. It just didn’t feel right without Jiang Danhe in the palace.

“I don’t want to be a civil official.”

“Who asked you to be a civil official? Wouldn’t that be a waste of your talents?”

Shao Zhan shook his head. “There must be a more suitable position for you. It would be safe and allow you to display your talents. Let me think about it…”

Jiang Danhe let out a long sigh and did not take his words seriously.

Although they had not known each other for a long time, their relationship was indeed very deep.

He understood that Shao Zhan’s uneasiness stemmed from the fact that his childhood was spent threading on thin ice. In adulthood, many years were spent living under various inhibitions. Being in his prime now, he hardly had any friends whom he can share his thoughts with. His position on the throne came with many temptations. It can be difficult to stay true to oneself. Perhaps with him around, Shao Zhan would find it easier to stay on the right path.

Jiang Danhe’s thoughts were similar to Shao Zhan’s. With Jiang Danhe around, he was constantly reminded of his initial goal of taking back the Shao Kingdom.

Apart from taking revenge, he was determined to be a good emperor who cared about the country and the people since he was young.

If Jiang Danhe were to leave now, he was really afraid that his original intention would be eroded and he would turn into a muddle-headed emperor. At that time, his heart and fate would get out of his control.

In the end, Shao Zhan seemed to have thought of something. He pushed Jiang Danhe away and summoned Eunuch Su and the others back. “Let’s return to the palace immediately!”

“Yes!” Eunuch Su immediately stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off his butt. He said to the other men, “Let’s go!”

With that, he bowed to Jiang Danhe and left with the carriage.

Jiang Danhe laughed helplessly. It was so sudden. He wondered what rotten idea he had come up with.

“Oh no!”

Jiang Danhe suddenly exclaimed.

“General?”

The guard immediately stepped forward and asked.

“It’s nothing.” Jiang Danhe shook his head and ran back to the study. He had just remembered that he had not written back to Xiaoguo. She must have been waiting anxiously for the news.

After writing, he asked the guard to post it out urgently. After hearing that it had been successfully sent out, he felt relieved.

–

Xiaoguo was indeed getting anxious from waiting. Ever since she received Jiang Danhe’s letter and confirmed that Mr. Kong would be coming to Yonghai County, She passed the days with her heart in her mouth. It had been a few days. She knew that she would not receive a reply so soon, but she was still hoping everyday that a courier would knock on the door.

While waiting for the letter, she had sewn up Zhuang Zhuang’s school bag and also made a lot of new clothes. She had also taken into account the attire of other scholars, but she felt that they looked a little sickly and listless, so she modified the designs of the clothes.

Zhuang Zhuang seemed to have sensed something as well. He had been appearing listless and lethargic. Xiaoguo had to either carry him or piggy-back him. His limbs seemed to be malfunctioning. He was just short of letting her carry him to the toilet.

Xiaoguo witnessed the change in his behavior with her own eyes, but there was nothing she could do. This might be the legendary school phobia.

It was said that there was only one thing that could be used to treat such symptoms, and that was habit.

After all, this was the first time a young bird had to leave the wings of a big bird. It was inevitable that he needed time to get used to the new world. Everyone has to go through their first steps in life.