86: I hope we can all get what we want.

Zhang Jiawen stood on the dock, his heart filled with mixed emotions at this moment.

This day had finally come. His son, whom he had not seen since he left home, was now returning to the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region with the two Legitimate Princesses. Minister Shen could not come because he had to handle some official business.

This was indeed a fact; after all, there was much to handle in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, and as the Provincial Administration Commissioner, he had long been completely sidelined by the people brought by Minister Shen.

He knew nothing about all the reforms in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, and the officials being dealt with did not pass through his hands. With the imperial edict plaque pressing down on him, combined with Minister Shen's status, he had absolutely no way to deal with it.

Now, even more trouble was on the way, and whether intentional or unintentional, news of Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning also bringing the imperial edict plaque somehow reached him.

"Heh, I, Zhang, certainly have quite a reputation." Zhang Jiawen only found it amusing. "The Jiangsu and Zhejiang region is truly lively now; one Minister Shen is not enough, and now we must have two princesses and an Imperial Son-in-Law. Hahahaha!"

To be honest, this feeling was truly unbearable. Every day, Minister Shen would send people to the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office to notify him where the fleet had reached; sometimes, as if afraid he wouldn't know, they would specifically report three times a day.

Minister Shen was clearly trying to torture him, and Zhang Jiawen was indeed being tortured. He truly understood that when Minister Shen told him the Shen Family was protective of their own, it wasn't just talk; they were truly torturing him in every possible way.

"My Lord, the ship is arriving soon." The Clerk beside him reminded him softly. "Now that the Second, the Second Young Master has become the Imperial Son-in-Law, what do you think..."

"What is there to say? What is there to talk about?" Zhang Jiawen shook his head. "Tell the people below to be careful. Minister Shen's intention is that after receiving them, they are to be escorted to the Governor-General's office, where he will personally receive them."

"But, after all, you are the Imperial Son-in-Law's biological father..."

"The Emperor personally stamped the deed of severing ties. Besides, do you think he would still acknowledge me?" Zhang Jiawen had come to terms with it, and instead, he wasn't as afraid anymore. "Let it be this way. The only thing I can do now is to find a way to see him alone. Yingcheng doesn't have many years to live. I can die, be sent to the Imperial Prison, be exiled, or be beheaded, I accept it all. I only beg him to spare Yingcheng and let him live his last few years in peace."

The Clerk beside him heard this and could only shake his head helplessly. Was this possible? No one had forgotten how Zhang Yingcheng had treated Mo Yingqi back then.

To put it simply, if Mo Yingqi had been a useless scholar, he would have been driven to death by his sickly older brother.

Perhaps Zhang Yingcheng had not expected that Mo Yingqi was the type who wouldn't play his games at all—the kind who would flip the table if you provoked him. After a few times, Mo Yingqi walked away unscathed, while Zhang Yingcheng's already poor health was worn down even further.

Even regarding the matter of Su Yan, Zhang Yingcheng thought Mo Yingqi would be very heartbroken, but he didn't expect Mo Yingqi to look at him with a confused gaze: "Is there such a person in this world?"

There was no help for it; having been pampered by Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning until he was 15, Mo Yingqi had long since ceased to care about any Su Yan. At that time, apart from revenge, what Mo Yingqi wanted most was to see the two of them again.

As for that so-called childhood engagement? It was not important; whether she was dead or alive had nothing to do with him.

Therefore, the Clerk truly did not believe that Mo Yingqi would let Zhang Yingcheng go. He only felt that Zhang Jiawen was more like someone who, after giving up on himself, grasped at a tiny, almost hopeless sliver of hope and wanted to try with all his might. Yet, often in such situations, it only brought more despair.

"My Lord, the ship has arrived!"

Zhang Jiawen was still deep in thought and hurriedly looked up upon hearing the words of the people below. It was not until the ship docked at the shore that he somewhat tremblingly led his men to welcome them.

But only one maid got off the ship, her eyes filled with a trace of annoyance and indifference: "The Two Highnesses prefer quiet and do not like so many people. Also, the Imperial Son-in-Law is still resting... This person, you must be Provincial Governor Zhang, right?"

Zhang Jiawen's body stiffened slightly, but before he could answer, the maid spoke: "Provincial Governor Zhang, you can stay behind by yourself. The Imperial Son-in-Law will meet with you alone after he wakes up."

"This, Minister Shen ordered..."

"Provincial Governor Zhang, even if Minister Shen knew, he wouldn't say anything." The maid sneered. "Speaking of which, the relationship between you and the Imperial Son-in-Law is also... extraordinary. The Highnesses specifically ordered that you must be allowed to meet the Imperial Son-in-Law properly!"

After speaking, the maid looked at the people from the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office who were following, then took out the imperial edict plaque: "Provincial Governor Zhang, you should recognize this, right? The Highnesses hold the imperial edict plaque just like Minister Shen. Only you may stay here; all other irrelevant personnel must withdraw immediately and return to your respective departments to perform your duties!"

The others saw this and did not dare to refute. In fact, whether or not they held the imperial edict plaque, who would dare to risk their lives to oppose these two Legitimate Princesses when they spoke?

"My Lord, you alone..."

The Clerk was a bit worried, but Zhang Jiawen shook his head and said in a somewhat hoarse voice: "Rest assured, this is not the capital. Even if they use the imperial edict plaque to kill me, they still have to go through the legal department to convict me. Besides, they are not imperial envoys and cannot interfere in local government affairs."

Although the result would be the same, the only person who could deal with him in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region now was Minister Shen. No matter how noble the princesses were, without real power, even if they held the imperial edict plaque, which was like an imperial sword, they could not kill him, the Provincial Administration Commissioner.

The Clerk saw this and couldn't say anything more, so he had to call everyone to leave first. Zhang Jiawen stood in front of the ship, head bowed, without saying a word. The wind blew in gusts, and at this moment, this Provincial Administration Commissioner no longer had the noble air and arrogance of the past; he was more like a prisoner waiting for the verdict, facing his own end alone.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Zhang Jiawen heard footsteps behind him. He subconsciously turned back to look, and to his surprise, a japanese sword he was extremely familiar with was pressed against his neck.

"Long time no see, Provincial Governor Zhang."

Mo Yingqi did not know when, nor did he know where, he had gotten off the ship, and was just pressing the sword against his neck, still maintaining a smile on his face.

"Yes, it has been a long time..."

Zhang Jiawen did not know why, even though he had woken up from nightmares countless times because he had dreamed of this scene, when Mo Yingqi really pressed the sword against his neck, he was, on the contrary, not so afraid anymore.

Or rather, it was a kind of feeling after being tortured by Minister Shen's high-pressure tactics for so long, he wished Mo Yingqi would just kill him with one slash, and then he wouldn't have to think about anything else.

"Rest assured, I won't kill you." Mo Yingqi slowly sheathed his sword. "Although taking your life is important to me, it is not the most important thing."

"Mo Yingqi, you hate me, I understand." Zhang Jiawen looked at his youngest son in front of him, that handsome face wearing a playful smile, dressed in brocade, his complexion rosy; he seemed even more spirited than when he was in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. "It's just, can you..."

"Sorry, I can't." Before he could finish, Mo Yingqi directly interrupted him. "I can guess what you want to say; it's nothing more than wanting to protect Zhang Yingcheng, right?"

"It's just that my thought is, your Zhang Family, top to bottom, should all go where you belong. How much you owe my mother, how much you schemed against my mother, you should all pay it back."

"So, Provincial Governor Zhang, although our thoughts are different, I still hope that we can both get what we wish for. After all, your precious eldest son dying... for you, that can also be considered letting him have peace, right?"