Jiang Chenghan prepared to leave after speaking, but Kou Shijun suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped him, saying, "By the way, there's something I'd like to ask your opinion on. The envoys and the princess of Danu will soon depart for the capital. I need to send guards to escort them. Would you like to take on this duty?"
Unlike the previous escort mission, this time it was within the borders of Da Qi, so it was bound to be much more secure. Given Jiang Chenghan's current official rank, he was naturally to be the commander of this guard contingent. Once they entered the capital, he would even get an audience with the emperor—an honor most people could only dream of.
Kou Shijun assigned this task to Jiang Chenghan for several reasons: firstly, he considered Jiang Chenghan reliable and steady in handling affairs; additionally, since Jiang Chenghan was already acquainted with the envoy and the Danu princess, it would make the journey more convenient. Secondly, it was because Yan Jingshu was originally from the capital. Having married into Ningcheng for over two years now, he must have been missing his home and family. This would be a good opportunity for the whole family to return to the capital for a visit.
Although Kou Shijun did not explicitly state these reasons, Jiang Chenghan could read between the lines. He felt deeply grateful to Kou Shijun but did not immediately accept the task, saying instead that he needed to go home and discuss it with his family.
Although Yan Jingshu was still the second young master of the Duke of Anguo's household, due to past events and the fact that he was not a blood descendant of the Duke's family, the only person he truly cared about there was the Dowager Lady Yan. And since the Dowager Lady was currently in Ningcheng, Jiang Chenghan wasn’t sure if Yan Jingshu would even want to return to the capital to see the rest of the Duke’s household.
Kou Shijun had intended this as a reward for Jiang Chenghan, therefore he had posed it as a question for Jiang Chenghan to consider, rather than issuing it as a direct military order. He wasn’t angered by Jiang Chenghan’s hesitation and simply told him to reply as soon as possible.
After thanking Kou Shijun, Jiang Chenghan left the Governor's residence.
When he returned home, Xie Huan happened to be there as well. Jiang Chenghan brought up the matter in front of everyone and asked for their opinions.
"I have no objections. You decide. However, I cannot neglect my students at the school, so I cannot go back to the capital with you," Xie Huan was the first to speak, his tone as detached as ever.
Both Yan Jingshu and the Dowager Lady found it somewhat strange that Xie Huan would rather bear the reputation of being unfilial than return to the capital and his home all these years. However, personal loyalties dictated their perspective. Xie Huan himself held far greater importance in their eyes than his parents did. Therefore, they had never commented on his decision to stay away, and his stated reason for not returning to the capital came as no surprise to them.
Jiang Chenghan then looked at Yan Jingshu and the Dowager Lady, waiting for their decision.
Yan Jingshu pressed his lips together. To be honest, he was somewhat reluctant to let Jiang Chenghan take on this task. If they were to return to the capital together this time, the Dowager Lady would certainly go with them. But when they returned to Ningcheng, the Dowager Lady would not be able to come back with them, and Yan Jingshu found that very hard to accept.
But he couldn't selfishly keep the Dowager Lady by his side forever. After all, the Duke of Anguo's household was her home—her son, granddaughter-in-law, and great-grandson were all there. He was already grateful for the two years they had spent together. Moreover, if the Dowager Lady continued to stay in Ningcheng, it would invite gossip about the Duke's household, which Yan Jingshu did not want to see.
After a long silence, Yan Jingshu finally made his decision. A faint smile appeared on his face, masking the reluctance in his eyes, as he said softly, "Xin'er is seven years old now. I wonder how much he's grown. This will be a good chance to go back and see him. Jiajia should also meet his grandfather, aunt, and cousin."
The Dowager Lady didn't speak but nodded in agreement with Yan Jingshu's words. She was not unaware of his reluctance, but she ultimately could not stay with the Jiang family forever. She especially felt that her health was declining year by year, and if anything were to happen later, it would only be a burden to Yan Jingshu and Jiang Chenghan.
Jiang Chenghan naturally deferred to Yan Jingshu's wishes. Since Yan Jingshu agreed, he had no objections either. Without delay, he then went back to the Governor's residence to inform Kou Shijun of his decision to accept the task.
Kou Shijun didn't seem surprised and then informed Jiang Chenghan of the departure time for the team and other matters concerning the personnel accompanying them.
Unlike the previous secret escort mission, this time escorting the envoy and the Danu princess to the capital involved many protocols, especially upon arrival in the capital. Jiang Chenghan wasn't very familiar with these rules, but fortunately, there were several members of capital aristocratic and noble families right in his own household who were well-versed in the etiquette and customs of the imperial city. They immediately began giving him a crash course.
With a few days left before the official departure, Jiang Chenghan dedicated himself to intensive lessons on capital etiquette and court protocol, diligently instructed by the Dowager Lady. While Yan Jingshu began meticulously arranging the luggage and supplies for the journey, selecting which servants would accompany them, and overseeing the preparation of gifts intended for the Duke of Anguo's household.
After several busy days, everything was finally packed and arranged properly on the eve of their departure, waiting only for them to set off with the escort team the next day. However, on this very day, a letter suddenly arrived from the Duke of Anguo's household in the capital. The letter stated that the Crown Prince's rebellion case, which had once thrown the entire capital into panic and filled the execution grounds with piles of corpses, had actually been overturned.
The Duke of Anguo had sent this letter following the Dowager Lady's previous instruction to inform her if anything significant happened in the capital. However, the matter was extremely complex, and likely to avoid implicating themselves, the letter did not detail the specific process of the reversal.
Receiving this letter suddenly, especially on the eve of their journey to the capital, left Jiang Chenghan and the others momentarily at a loss for words, though there was little to be said anyway. They still had to go to the capital, and this matter didn't really concern them much, so Jiang Chenghan quickly put it out of his mind.
That was what Jiang Chenghan thought. But soon, when he was awakened in the middle of the night, summoned to the Governor's residence to face Kou Shijun, and heard what Kou Shijun had to say, he realized he had been mistaken.
"Take that child to the capital with us?" Utterly astonished, Jiang Chenghan couldn't help but repeat Kou Shijun's words.
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