Chapter 558 - 552 - 1
Jiang Ziqi also learned that Zhao Erhu had entered the capital from news that had come from Xin’an City, and even received an imperial summons. Fearing that Zhao Erhu might have encountered some trouble, he specially sent people to inquire about it, and only after gathering some information did he roughly guess the reason and knew that Zhao Erhu had entered the Imperial Palace to meet with the Emperor. Therefore, he went to the Zhao Residence to wait for him.
Zhao Erhu trusted Jiang Ziqi a great deal, and Jiang Ziqi knew many of their family secrets. After all, Zhao Erhu was unfamiliar with the Imperial Palace and the Court. Even though he knew the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Emperor had already explicitly signaled for him to maintain a distance. Zhao Erhu would not ignore such commands. If he went to find the Princely Heir right after leaving the palace, it would certainly arouse the Emperor’s suspicion. Moreover, there were some matters he couldn’t even tell the Princely Heir. Now that his wife was not by his side and he had no one to consult, he thought of Jiang Ziqi.
Jiang Ziqi feared that Zhao Erhu, unfamiliar with the rules, might offend the Emperor, so he waited specially, wanting to offer advice before Zhao Erhu entered the palace. However, they had not stopped upon entering the capital and went directly into the palace. He could only wait until after Zhao Erhu had seen the Emperor to understand the situation fully and give Zhao Erhu some pointers, in case Zhao Erhu had erred in some way, so he could make timely amends.
Zhao Erhu did indeed want Jiang Ziqi to analyze the situation for him and didn’t hide anything, telling everything as it was, including the conversation with the Emperor in the palace today, as well as the matter of the Golden Token. "Brother Jiang, as you know, I am not familiar with these matters, so I must seek your advice and have you help me see if there is anything inappropriate hidden within."
Jiang Ziqi was quite surprised when he heard that the Emperor had entrusted the Golden Token to Zhao Erhu, but then he understood something and sighed, "Being the Emperor is not an easy task! You did well today, and the Emperor still trusts you very much. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given you the Golden Token. Just do your duty well, do whatever the Emperor asks of you. Xiaoyue was right, the one you should stay loyal to from beginning to end is only the Emperor. As a sage ruler, he will naturally see your loyalty. However, you still need to be cautious of what you should be cautious of."
"Thank you, Brother Jiang, for your advice. Also, there’s another matter. My wife wants to find a craftsman skilled in firing glazed glass, which, it seems, only craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department know how to do. Originally, she wanted me to find a way through Lady Roujia, but after all, it is not quite convenient for me as an outsider. I’m afraid I will have to trouble you with this matter," Zhao Erhu said to Jiang Ziqi without any pretense, knowing that if Jiang Ziqi could do it, he would certainly help.
"This matter is indeed not that easy to handle, but it’s not impossible. Leave it to me. I will first make some inquiries and see how best to proceed," Jiang Ziqi readily promised without a second thought.
"Xiaoyue is doing well now, isn’t she? Before the New Year, I heard she was hurt by that scoundrel, but at that time, there were too many matters at my residence, and I really couldn’t leave to visit her personally. I initially thought she would accompany you to the capital." To be honest, Jiang Ziqi was somewhat disappointed to know that Lin Yue had not come with Zhao Erhu.
Zhao Erhu had been with Jiang Ziqi for a long time and admired the man greatly. Moreover, although Jiang Ziqi was fond of his wife, he was always upstanding and never harbored any sordid thoughts. Zhao Erhu now didn’t really feel jealous about Jiang Ziqi anymore.