After asking all the servants to leave, Jiang Chenghan told Yan Jingshu and the Dowager Lady everything that Kou Shijun had told him regarding the young imperial grandson's background.
Escorting the young imperial grandson to the capital was an order given to Jiang Chenghan by Kou Shijun, which he could not refuse. Therefore, he did not return home this time to seek the opinions of Yan Jingshu and the others as he had before. Although Yan Jingshu was somewhat surprised, he was not displeased. While the matter carried certain risks, success would also bring great merit and benefits to Jiang Chenghan.
Upon learning of this, the Dowager Lady was stunned for a moment before showing a sudden look of understanding. When Jiang Chenghan mentioned the Crown Prince, she suddenly remembered that the child did indeed closely resemble the Crown Prince in his childhood. However, decades had passed, which was why she had not recalled it earlier.
They were set to depart the next day, and with an additional person, more preparations were needed. This was relatively easy to handle—clothes could be bought directly from a tailor shop, with a dozen or so sets purchased. As for other items, they simply replicated everything exactly as they had for Jiajia.
After busy preparations for nearly half an hour, everything was mostly ready, and Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu returned to their bedroom to sleep. The next day at dawn, Jiang Chenghan got up and left home. He first went to the military camp to assemble the officers for this escort mission, then led his men to the residence of the envoy and Princess Chanya to pick them up.
After bidding farewell to Kou Shijun, Jiang Chenghan led the team to set out. Although he was not at home with Yan Jingshu and the others, he had already made all the arrangements. Thus, when his team exited Ningcheng, the Jiang family's carriage convoy was already waiting at the south gate of Ningcheng.
The envoy and Princess Danu were aware that Jiang Chenghan's family would be accompanying them. Having been saved by Jiang Chenghan before, they held a favorable impression of him and had no objections to this matter. Princess Danu even met Yan Jingshu and Jiajia, presenting them with gifts.
Seeing this, Jiang Chenghan did not say much. After thanking Princess Danu, he used the need to avoid delaying the journey as a reason to escort Yan Jingshu and Jiajia back to their own carriage. He then instructed the coachman to drive steadily and follow at the rear of the procession before mounting his horse again and riding to the front of the team.
Unlike previous travels between Ningcheng and the capital, this time the procession moved very slowly to ensure Princess Danu's safe and sound arrival in the capital. The journey took over two months in total. However, with Jiang Chenghan leading the troops escorting them and receiving protection from local garrison forces along the way, the trip was very stable and smooth, without any mishaps.
The only unexpected incident during the journey was unrelated to Princess Danu or the young imperial grandson. Instead, it was Xie Huan, who suddenly rode on horseback and caught up with them under the escort of Song Fan and others from Ningcheng.
At first, Jiang Chenghan thought something major had happened in Ningcheng. Fortunately, Xie Huan quickly explained that it was not due to any trouble in Ningcheng or at home. Rather, about a month after Jiang Chenghan's departure, he had received a letter from the Xie family in the capital stating that Xie's mother was seriously ill and urging him to return quickly.
Although Xie Huan had been expelled from his family and could no longer stay in the capital, as a son, he could not remain indifferent to his mother's critical illness. He made the necessary arrangements in Ningcheng as quickly as possible and then set off on horseback for the capital. Song Fan and the others, who had been left by Jiang Chenghan to protect him, naturally accompanied him.
Worried about his mother, Xie Huan did not travel with Jiang Chenghan's group after meeting them. After greeting them and explaining his reasons, he continued riding toward the capital.
After seeing off Xie Huan, they traveled for another half month before Jiang Chenghan's team finally arrived in the capital. Court officials and people from the Duke of Anguo's residence, who had already received the news, had been waiting for a long time. Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu then parted ways. Jiang Chenghan followed the court officials to escort Princess Danu to the Sifang Hall, the residence for foreign envoys, while Yan Jingshu, the Dowager Lady, and the others went to the Duke of Anguo's residence to settle in.
Although the Duke of Anguo knew Yan Jingshu was not his biological child, years of father-son bond remained. Being sentimental and soft-hearted, he was very happy to see Yan Jingshu return and even asked him to stay at the family home. Sister-in-law Shen Shi, unaware of Yan Jingshu's background, also hoped he could stay for a few days since his rare return.
Under normal circumstances, Yan Jingshu would have agreed. However, with the young imperial grandson of unclear identity by his side, he declined the Duke of Anguo and Shen Shi's urging to avoid potential complications. The Dowager Lady, understanding his concerns, also spoke on his behalf, so the Duke of Anguo and Shen Shi said no more.
After leaving the ducal residence, Yan Jingshu went to the five-courtyard dowry house that the Dowager Lady had given him. The house had always been looked after, and they had sent word ahead of their arrival to the capital. It was now cleaned up. Yan Jingshu first had only the main courtyard prepared for their stay, leaving the other courtyards untouched.
Although the journey had been slow, sleeping in a carriage was not as restful as in a proper room. Although the two children were curious, they did not have the energy to explore the house. Once the rooms were ready, Yan Jingshu put them to bed to rest.
Although Jiajia was a shuang'er, he was still young, so it was fine for him to share a bed with the young imperial grandson.
Yan Jingshu also felt somewhat tired, but he wanted to wait for Jiang Chenghan to return, so he forced himself to stay awake. However, night fell, and Jiang Chenghan still had not come back.
Just as Yan Jingshu was considering sending someone to inquire, the Duke of Anguo suddenly arrived at the house with shocking news that hit like a bolt from the blue.
Princess Danu's maid had attempted to assassinate the emperor while attending to the princess during an audience with His Majesty. Although Jiang Chenghan, who was also present at the time, managed to protect the emperor and capture the assassin maid, as the escort commander, he was still held responsible for bringing an assassin into the imperial palace. The enraged emperor immediately had him thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison.
The matter of Yan Jingshu and Jiang Chenghan's imperial decree-mandated marriage was well-known in the capital. Someone promptly informed the Duke of Anguo, who was also shocked by the news. However, unaware of the specific details, he did not know how to help. It was the Dowager Lady who reminded him, prompting him to seek out Yan Jingshu. Besides informing him of the incident, he also wanted to ask Yan Jingshu about matters related to Princess Danu to see if there was any way to rescue Jiang Chenghan.
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