Chapter 19
AS EXPECTED, when Jiang Suizhou entered Gu Changyun’s quarters that night, he found Xu Du waiting there as well.
The room was empty except for the three of them, the table set with food by servants who had already been dismissed.
When they saw Jiang Suizhou enter, the two men bowed to him, and Gu Changyun poured him some tea.
Jiang Suizhou sat down at the head of the table.
“When I received word that His Highness planned to visit, I had the servants prepare a sweet and sour mandarin fish,” Gu Changyun said, smiling. “Just for you.”
He nudged the plate in front of Jiang Suizhou encouragingly.
“Try it, Your Highness?”
Jiang Suizhou had never been fond of sweet flavors, especially not the sweet and sour dishes so prominent in Jiangnan cuisine. Come to think of it, his dining table had been mostly filled with northern dishes these past several days.
He was a bit puzzled. Did the original owner of the body like sweets?
As he looked suspiciously at Gu Changyun, the man raised an eyebrow, his expression a tad surprised.
“Won’t you eat it, Your Highness?”
Jiang Suizhou didn’t speak. He picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks.
Plopping it into his mouth, he found the fish was sweet and fragrant, but so cloying that Jiang Suizhou couldn’t help but frown.
His chopsticks came to a halt.
Though the soul inhabiting the Prince of Jing was Jiang Suizhou’s, the physical body still ultimately belonged to the original prince. Though sometimes dietary preferences were dictated by a person’s experiences, Jiang Suizhou had no particular psychological aversion to sweets. He simply didn’t care much for them. Thus, the intense disgust he felt right now in reaction to this piece of fish must have been rooted in this body’s natural physiology.
So, if the original owner avoided sweets, this meant that Gu Changyun was testing him.
Jiang Suizhou chewed a few times, then gazed evenly at Gu Changyun.
Gu Changyun sent him a small smile. He appeared somewhat relieved, his doubts dispelled.
Jiang Suizhou didn’t speak, just looked at him coldly. His gaze carried a hint of both scrutiny and warning—something that did not go unnoticed by Gu Changyun, whose eyelashes flickered slightly in response.
“As I expected, His Highness still dislikes sweets,” he said cheerily. “It’s a pity, don’t you think? Such a famous Jiangnan dish, yet it hasn’t earned Your Highness’s appreciation even once over the past three years.”
Jiang Suizhou slowly put down his chopsticks.
“You certainly have guts,” he said coolly, looking down at the table.
Gu Changyun watched him. For a moment, he didn’t speak.
“Did you get the result you wanted?” Jiang Suizhou asked flatly.
Gu Changyun paused, then chuckled softly.
“What are you saying, Your Highness? Your subordinate only noticed how fresh today’s delivery of mandarin fish was, so I had them prepare it for Your Highness to try.”
Jiang Suizhou’s fingers tapped slowly on the table.
Anyone familiar with him—Jiang Suizhou himself, not the Prince of Jing—would immediately recognize this gesture as habitual. He tended to do it when thinking deeply, such as when he uncovered a lie and had to plot his next move.
Clearly they’d realized he wasn’t the original owner of this body.
He had anticipated such an outcome. These two were the original prince’s highly trusted, handpicked advisors, so of course they’d be tougher to fool than ordinary chumps. Even if they hadn’t spent every second by his side, they must have known him quite well.
Still, he didn’t expect they would start testing him on their second meeting. That meant that they’d noticed something was off about him from day one.
The soft tapping of his fingers against the wooden table echoed in the quiet room.
At this moment, Xu Du, who’d been sitting to the side, spoke up.
“Please forgive him, Your Highness. Changyun is just a little mischievous, that’s all,” he said as he rose.
Xu Du paused to give a deep bow.
“Still, His Highness can rest assured,” he continued. “No matter what happens, his loyalty to you will remain as unwavering as heaven and earth.”
Jiang Suizhou knew the additional, specific meaning Xu Du intended his words to convey. He was telling him that no matter who he’d become now, they would stay allied with him as long as he was still their master.
He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea, washing away the cloying sweetness that permeated his mouth.
Words were empty. Naturally, he couldn’t believe them so easily.
At the same time, he realized that they were currently at a bit of an impasse. The three of them had reached an unspoken understanding regarding his identity. They’d tested him, he’d given a warning, and the other side had affirmed their loyalty and goodwill. Applying further pressure at this point would achieve nothing.
He would need to determine whether Xu Du’s loyalty was genuine, but that would require proof. Until he could gather that, his priority was to find a way of securing leverage over them to prevent any potential betrayal.
Jiang Suizhou picked up his chopsticks again. Then, as if the confrontation hadn’t happened at all, he calmly brought up the letter he’d received yesterday.
Xu Du and Gu Changyun also acted as if nothing had happened. Following his example, they began discussing the contents of the letter in detail.
Just as before, the two were logical and methodical and offered sharp insight. Their suggestions often struck the mark, as far as aligning with Jiang Suizhou’s knowledge of the historical records.
It was as if they really were talking to the original prince, the way they completely devoted their attention and energy to the discussion without holding back.
Was it a deliberate act, or were they truly that unconcerned about his identity? Regardless of their reasons, their analysis proved valuable, and after careful contemplation, Jiang Suizhou noted down the segments he believed to be useful.
Once they were done eating and discussing all the recent events, Jiang Suizhou departed.
Although spending the night here wouldn’t be a big deal, the thought of it felt a bit torturous. His true identity had been exposed. He couldn’t stay here in the quarters of the original owner’s subordinates now that they knew his most dire secret.
Xu Du and Gu Changyun stood up and cupped their hands, seeing him off.
Once the attendants and servants had escorted Jiang Suizhou out of the courtyard, the two of them finally returned to their seats at the table.
“He saw through it,” Gu Changyun said with a soft chuckle.
Xu Du shot him a disapproving look.
“I told you not to tease him.”
Gu Changyun raised an eyebrow indifferently.
“I hadn’t expected him to be so sharp, that’s all,” he said. “But look, he wasn’t upset, was he?”
Xu Du glanced at him.
“Not necessarily,” he said.
Gu Changyun laughed again.
“Ah, who cares?” he said. “I just want to see what our new clever, softhearted lord will do next.”