Xiangru insisted on leaving—and no one stopped her.

One didn't want to stop it, and the other was too lazy to stop it.

Of course, it was indeed dark. In the past, Zhu Xinning had always been brought over by the Prime Minister's carriage when she came over at night, but now the carriage had long since gone back. Xiangru was a weak woman, so Jing Zhe was naturally worried about letting her go back alone.

So he said to Hanhan, "Hanhan, go and deliver the fragrant herbs!"

"oh."

He said in a muffled voice.

"Don't be so silly and naive all the time. Learn more from Xiangru. You're both human, so why is there such a big difference? When your second sister comes, you should talk to Xiangru more. Why aren't you a little more clever than you are now?"

"..."

While Hanhan remained silent, Xiangru quietly gave Jingzhe a thumbs-up, thinking to herself that the young master had made progress!

I left on my own initiative, and he sent the big, dumb guy away again!

Hmm, there's potential!

After the two left, everything returned to normal.

Zhu Xinning and Jing Zhe sat facing each other, separated by candlelight.

What did you talk about today? Did it go well?

Zhu Xinning, after all, held an official position. When she was with Jing Zhe, she was gentle and virtuous, often making people forget her status. In fact, her ability to become a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat was not to be underestimated.

Jing Zhe now holds an official position, and yesterday he only wrote a poem, which distracted her, so she didn't inquire about anything else. Zhu Xinning came here today to ask about it.

Jing Zhe briefly discussed the other sections, and there weren't any major issues. However, when they got to the current affairs and lifestyle sections, Zhu Xinning frowned particularly frequently.

After he finished speaking, Zhu Xinning immediately asked, "Zhe'er, if this current affairs section comes out, your relationship with Minister Wu will be irreconcilable! It will basically be... a fight to the death."

Jing Zhe smiled and said, "So what? Even if I don't write it, our relationship is still irreconcilable. He's convinced that he's in this situation because of me. Even if it really is because of me, isn't it his own fault? From his grandson Lin Wenyao to his grandsons and sons, which one of them didn't want to harm me? If I hadn't been lucky, I would have been dead long ago!"

Zhu Xinning nodded after listening; the Wu family and Jing Zhe did indeed have a deep connection.

"Besides, since I'm going to write this, I'm preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the Wu family, leaving them no chance to recover! It'll save me from being constantly targeted by such a despicable person. Even if I'm not afraid, it's still uncomfortable!"

Seeing Jing Zhe's determination, Zhu Xinning asked, "Zhe'er, are you sure?"

Jing Zhe nodded and said, "Yes. Moreover, for the first issue of the newspaper, I don't want to attract attention solely through the entertainment and literature sections. One flower alone does not make a spring; a hundred flowers blooming is spring! Furthermore, the current affairs section is what His Majesty values ​​most. For the first issue, I want to include some heavyweight news. Under the dual pressure of public opinion and His Majesty, even if Wu Xianyong has powerful backers, those people won't dare to protect him!"

After listening to his spirited speech, Zhu Xinning seemed to finally understand his ambition and plans.

"Zhe'er, if this first issue goes out, I'm afraid no one will dare to publish in the current affairs section so casually. Those princes and ministers will probably be afraid of you because of this, right?"

Jing Zhe nodded with a smile.

"However, this could bring more danger, and I'm worried about you."

"Jing Zhe is walking a very dangerous path," Zhu Xinning said with some concern.

"Second sister, don't worry! Fifth sister left me a martial arts manual before she left. I have a natural talent, and I've already made some progress after only two days of practice. I estimate that given more time, I will definitely become a master like Fifth sister and won't be afraid of anyone! Besides, I'm in Jingzhou now, and no one dares to touch me!"

After hearing this, Zhu Xinning felt a little relieved, and then said softly, "Zhe'er, you do so many things just to make yourself stronger, right?"

Jing Zhe nodded without hesitation, then laughed and said, "I'm a man, I can't always rely on my sisters to protect me, can I? I need to become very, very strong, strong enough that I can stand up for my sisters and help them solve their problems in the future!"

Zhu Xinning shook her head after hearing this: "I am your older sister. I am willing to protect you and protect you for the rest of my life! As long as you can be carefree and safe and healthy like when you were a child, I would rather you not become stronger and just be the little Zhe'er by my side."

After saying that, she suddenly sighed again.

"But I can't."

She then continued, "Regarding the lifestyle section, I think it's just a winery. Even if it were to disappear, Zhe'er wouldn't lose much. Why is Zhe'er so concerned and attentive? It's definitely not for that Miss Zhang, but to deal with the Prince of Jin's heir, isn't it?"

Zhu Xinning truly deserves to be the only female civil official in Anguo; her keen insight is something that ordinary people cannot possess!

So Jing Zhe stopped trying to hide it and nodded solemnly.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Xinning frowned even more deeply.

She sighed again: "Actually, as your older sister, I shouldn't have stopped you, but I'm afraid! Prince Jin is our enemy, not just you and me, but also my eldest sister and the other sisters. How can we forget that? But Prince Jin's power is not as simple as you think!"

"After my parents were demoted to Pengzhou, it wasn't long before His Majesty ascended the throne, and Prince Jin went to Jinxi. For the past ten years or so, he has been building up his own power, and Jinxi has become his territory! Moreover, he is not satisfied with this. He has been recruiting soldiers and horses in private, and he has also contacted various sects. The rapid development of Tongtianque in recent years and its advancement to the top four sects are inseparable from Prince Jin's support!"

“The Prince of Jin’s power is immense, both in the officialdom and in the sects. When he first went to Jinxi, he still harbored resentment towards my parents and wanted to kill them. However, His Majesty had a special appreciation for my father and warned him privately, so he dared not do it.”

Even so, he still declared that none of us sisters could visit our parents in Pengzhou or have any contact with them. Otherwise, he would not let us off the hook. This is why, despite knowing that our parents are in Pengzhou, we have never contacted them all these years!

"Because the Prince of Jin has too many cronies, and he also has many spies in the sect, such as your fifth sister and me, who both hold important positions in the court. Most of those people have seen us, so we dare not show our faces in Pengzhou, not even from afar..."

At this point, Zhu Xinning seemed to recall that Jing Wenmao and his wife hadn't seen them again before they died, and she became even more sorrowful.

Hearing this, Jing Zhe finally found the answers to some of the original owner's doubts, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He stood up and walked over, gently putting his arm around her shoulder. Zhu Xinning nestled against him and began to sob.

————