Chapter 121 Little Nan Ke is going to be in big trouble!

Wei Yan, sitting opposite Shen Cong, raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"The Emperor has already bestowed rewards upon the Marquis of Anping's estate before the disaster relief efforts have even ended. Is His Majesty selecting the most meritorious officials and ministers in the court?"

If I'm not mistaken, the news of the Marquis of Anping's family receiving the reward has already spread throughout the entire capital, hasn't it?

With the Anping Marquis's family's precious jewels as an example, which of the court officials and nobles wouldn't donate grain and silver?

This solves the Ministry of Revenue's funding shortage. Your Majesty's move is absolutely brilliant! I bet this wasn't your idea, was it?"

Shen Cong curled his lips slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and tossed aside the book in his hand.

"So free? You've finished reviewing all the cases in Bianjing Prefecture?"

Wei Yan tossed a segment of orange into the air, caught it precisely with his mouth, chewed it twice, and his mouth was full of sweet and sour juice.

He chewed and swallowed slowly before saying, "When is the Bianjing government office ever idle? It's always the same old chores. Can't I steal a moment of peace from the chaos?"

Shen Cong turned around and took out a black lacquered wooden box from the shelf next to him.

"Since you're free, let's play a game."

"No!"

Wei Yan refused decisively.

"I'm not sick, why should I let you abuse me?"

When playing chess with Shen Cong, he would lose ten times out of ten, and each time he would lose miserably.

Who would have thought that this twelve-year-old boy possessed such superb chess skills, placing pieces with effortless grace and displaying a continuous and intricate strategic layout?

Wei Yan refused, but Shen Cong wasn't angry. He slowly took out the chess pieces.

Each of her slender, pale fingers picked up a black and a white chess piece, placing them alternately with her left and right hands.

Wei Yan tossed oranges into his mouth while pursing his lips, his face full of disgust.

You're not human!

How can someone play chess with both hands, with their left hand making deadly moves and launching fierce attacks, while their right hand plays cautiously and strategically, using softness to overcome hardness?

How does this person's brain work?

Shen Cong easily placed a black piece and let out a soft hum.

"You clearly have too much water in your brain. You need to empty it out so that other things can fit in."

Wei Yan gritted his teeth.

Forget it, he's just wasting his time talking to a pervert.

"Yesterday, my princess went to the Marquis of Anping's residence to deliver a thank-you gift. Guess what happened to her?"

Shen Cong stared quietly at the chessboard on the table, holding a black piece in one hand and a white piece in the other, seemingly oblivious to what he was saying.

Wei Yan didn't care and continued on his own, recounting how Li Nanke and Song Yi had used the Duchess of Xin, Princess Lanyang, and Madam Wang to get out of trouble.

"...The fact that Lady Song, the Crown Prince's wife, was forced to use external forces and was not afraid of airing her dirty laundry shows that she really had no other choice."

In a noble household, the eldest son and his wife have no clear fault, yet the second daughter-in-law is put in charge of the household—this is a sign of chaos within the family.

"The Marquis of Anping, a mere marquis, has no ambition for meritorious service; he spends his days squabbling with the women of the inner quarters. No wonder the Marquis of Anping's mansion has fallen into such a state!"

He added, "No wonder you suggested that His Majesty bestow rewards upon the Marquis of Anping's residence at this time, which would solve the problem of the court's financial shortage."

This can be considered as finding a backer for Lady Song and Xiao Nanke; it wasn't in vain that the little girl informed you of the torrential rain and the breached dike in advance.

Shen Cong placed a piece, his expression indifferent.

“A powerful backer is not necessarily reliable and may even bring greater risks.”

"You mean His Majesty wants to choose Xiao Nanke to be Princess Zhaoning's study companion? Isn't that a good thing? The Marquis of Anping's mansion is currently in a weak position."

If Xiao Nanke were to become Princess Zhaoning's study companion, not only would no one dare to bully her within the Marquis's residence, but outside, others would have to give the Marquis's residence considerable respect.

Wei Yan looked puzzled.

Chen Cong remained silent, his head bowed in deep thought about the game.

Wei Yan stared at him for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant.

"You don't want that little girl to be Zhao Ning's study companion? Or is it that she doesn't want to either?"

"you guess?"

"Ha, I won't guess!"

Wei Yan wasn't fooled. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"That means you have both, which is quite troublesome. In His Majesty's opinion, the fact that Xiao Nanke was chosen as the princess's companion is already a great blessing for the Marquis of Anping's family."

"If Xiao Nanke dares to refuse, even though the Marquis's mansion has just rendered meritorious service and His Majesty won't kill her, given Princess Zhaoning and the Empress's personalities, Xiao Nanke will be in deep trouble."

He glanced at Shen Cong's expression and suddenly sat up straight.

"I mean, you didn't already tell Xiao Nanke about this, and you're letting her figure out how to refuse herself, did you?"

Shen Cong nodded.

Wei Yan stared in surprise, and after a long while, silently put a segment of orange into his mouth.

He chewed hard and swallowed it down before angrily saying, "Chen Cong, you're really something. You actually made an eight-year-old girl refuse the emperor's will."

Aren't you afraid that the Empress and Princess Zhaoning will beat her in their anger? She's only eight years old!

But this eight-year-old girl knew that he was under a blood curse that even the legendary healer Gui Liu had failed to detect.

They knew in advance about the torrential rain and the dike breach, and they also knew to stockpile grain in advance to sell it for money after the natural disaster.

They even knew the whereabouts of the eldest prince, whom the royal family had been searching for for years without success!

Shen Cong pursed his lips, his face so pale it was almost transparent.

He wanted to see if the little girl had any ability to handle more complex matters besides the so-called "divination".

For example, refusing His Majesty's imperial decree...

perhaps......

Wei Yan sighed indignantly, "I don't know what bad luck Xiao Nanke had to run into you!"

Shen Cong placed his last white piece and then threw the black piece into the chess basket.

With a soft snort, she said, "Bad luck is still luck!"

Wei Yan...

They were speechless.

Seeing that Shen Cong had already gotten up and walked towards the door, he belatedly realized what was happening and looked at the chessboard.

"Which hand won this time?"

The white pieces have surrounded the black pieces on the board, leaving the black pieces with no chance to breathe.

He curled his lip. "It's boring. The left hand always wins. Can't your right hand stand up for you?"

Shen Cong ignored him and had already left.

"Where is Your Highness going?"

Erfeng quickly grabbed the cloak and chased after him, draping it over his shoulders.

Shen Cong: "Take Xueying with you and go for a walk."

The Imperial Palace.

Li Nanke and Song Yi alighted from their carriage at the palace gate, where Eunuch Ding, who had delivered the imperial decree that morning, greeted them with a smile.

"Lady Song, Miss Li, where is His Majesty and the Empress's Ninghui Palace?"

As soon as he finished speaking, probably seeing that Song Yi's whole body was stiff with nervousness, he smiled and explained a few more words.

"Ninghui Palace is located next to Kunning Palace, where the Empress resides. It is a place used to speak with members of the imperial family and nobles outside of festivals."

The implication is that it's not a formal or serious occasion, so there's no need to be so nervous.

Song Yi understood and gratefully slipped another red envelope over.

"Thank you for your help, Eunuch Ding. This is the first time my daughter and I have entered the palace alone. If there is anything we don't understand, we hope you can give us some pointers."

Grandpa Ding accepted the red envelope with a smile and saw Li Nanke standing obediently next to Song Yi.

Although it was his first time entering the palace, he was not as nervous and flustered as ordinary children, nor did he look around with his eyes wandering.

Seeing him look over, her bright, grape-like eyes curved into crescents, and two sweet dimples appeared on her round little face.

"Thank you so much, Eunuch Ding! You are such a kind person!"

Ding Wang was stunned for a moment, and then a complicated and strange feeling arose in his heart.

Having spent many years immersed in the palace, I haven't heard the description of him as a "great person" for many years.

The smile on his face became inexplicably more genuine.

"Miss Li is so cute and well-mannered at such a young age. She might have a great opportunity in the palace today. I wish Miss Li good luck."

Li Nanke's eyes flickered slightly, realizing that this so-called great opportunity was to become Princess Zhaoning's study companion.

This wasn't really a great stroke of luck for her.

Instead, it's a huge misfortune!

She recalled the first time she saw Princess Zhaoning in her dream...