Chapter 3: All the people Jing Wansheng are just pitiful.

Feng Zhijian will have another chance to see Zhu Qing, fulfilling the regret of only wanting to see her once more in his previous life.

Realizing this, Feng Zhijian's bewildered mood turned into a surge of passion, and he only wished he could see Zhu Qing immediately.

He hurriedly kicked away the chair he was sitting on, strode out of the secretary's office, and as soon as he stepped out, he saw the evening sky over Chang'an, with the sunset glow hanging upside down on the horizon, and a line of wild geese flying by in neat formation, calling out under the red glow.

The courtyard of the head secretary was quiet. In the grass by the moon gate, a tabby cat was sleeping, its fluffy little tail occasionally wagging to shoo away the mosquitoes that approached.

Gazing at the crimson glow of the sunset, Feng Zhijian suddenly realized that Zhu Qing's time for studying had already passed.

In her previous life, Zhu Qing came to the shogunate to study in the afternoon and left in the evening.

Although Feng Zhijian had a habit of taking a midday nap, the head secretary did not allow others to enter the courtyard without permission. However, a small gong was set up outside the courtyard, and if someone came to visit, someone would gently tap the gong to call him.

Feng Zhijian had just woken up naturally at his desk.

He was a suspicious, light sleeper, easily awakened by the slightest sound. He was quite certain that the gong had not been rung today.

That is to say, no one has been here, including Zhu Qing.

Is there something wrong with this, or is it simply that I'm too old to remember things and have misremembered the time when Zhu Qing came to study?

But he wouldn't be mistaken about Zhu Qing.

Feng Zhijian was flustered and hurriedly ran out of the moon gate. His sudden approach startled the tabby cat, which was sleeping soundly in the grass, causing it to meow and jump onto the courtyard wall, its fur bristling as it stared at him warily.

Feng Zhijian glanced at it quickly and recognized it as the tabby cat that Zhu Qing kept in the secretary's room. It especially liked to puff up its fur, so she called it Baobao.

The secretaries were originally on duty in the chief secretary's office, but Feng Zhijian was not comfortable letting others get close to him, so he ordered a small courtyard to be built outside the main courtyard and moved the secretaries and others there.

From then on, they were cut off from the outside world.

When Feng Zhijian arrived at the secretary's office, only Bao Fu was there. Bao Fu was resting his head on one hand, leaning against the desk, drowsy and half asleep. When Feng Zhijian walked to his side, he still had a smile on his lips and was sleeping soundly.

Knock knock—

Feng Zhijian bent his knuckles and tapped them lightly twice on Bao Fu's table.

"Ah! Mr. Huaihe!"

Bao Fu suddenly woke up with a start, sprang to his feet, stood at attention, lowered his head in fear, and stammered, "I know I was wrong, I'll never dare to fall asleep on duty again..."

Feng Zhijian interrupted him and asked, "Where is she?"

Bao Fu followed Feng Zhijian's gaze and saw Zhu Qing's empty seat with several unfinished official documents on the table.

Bao Fu scratched his head, puzzled, and said, "Sir, you forgot? Miss Zhu took leave yesterday morning, saying she wasn't feeling well and would come tomorrow."

Feng Zhijian indeed did not remember this incident in his previous life.

But I remember that Zhu Qing was in poor health, and when he studied under him, he would often feel unwell, and he never stopped taking medicine with him.

Despite his young age, he lives like a medicine furnace.

Zhu Qing never lost heart and continued to live tenaciously. Not only did he survive in this world, but he also repeatedly outmaneuvered Feng Zhijian in their struggles, earning him the reputation of a strategist on par with Feng Zhijian.

Feng Zhijian knew that Zhu Qing's strategizing skills far surpassed his own. However, because she was a woman, people usually only called her "the First Female Strategist." The word "woman" prevented her from claiming the title of Feng Zhijian's First Strategist.

She should have been the number one, regardless of gender.

If it weren't for the Sixteen Prefectures incident, she should have been remembered in history.

She was a frail woman, yet she grew up so strong because of her incredibly stubborn nature. Even when she was ill in her past life, she never missed a single one of his lessons.

The upper value is also the same.

Why is this life different?

In his previous life, after Zhu Qing's death, Feng Zhijian had been living with an illness. He had deeply experienced what it meant to be powerless and in pain. He dared not delay any longer, and he didn't have time to think about why the two lives were different. He was only eager to see how she was doing.

Zhu Qing's family lived in Qingxi Village, which was also Feng Zhijian's hometown. In the past, their two families lived opposite each other. Zhu Qing's home was just across a small river in front of their houses.

Feng Zhijian is getting old and will forget many things, but he will never forget the way home.

Naturally, you can find Zhu Qing, who lives across the street from your house.

Feng Zhijian hurriedly left the secretary's office, his young legs moving swiftly, and soon he arrived at the shogunate's stables.

There were five horses inside. Feng Zhijian went to open the door and lead one out, but he suddenly stopped when his fingers touched the bolt.

He hadn't locked the door to his office yet; what if someone went in...?

Moreover, at this time in my previous life, I didn't know how to ride a horse. What if someone saw me...?

As a strategist, any action that deviates from the norm will be interpreted, suspected, and used to stir up trouble. If it arouses the suspicion of the lord, the consequences range from execution to death.

Feng Zhijian must not act rashly.

In a moment of distraction, Bao Fu jogged up to Feng Zhijian and stopped beside him, panting, "You walked too fast... Taoist Jingwan sent someone over at noon, saying that he would go to Chongde Garden to see you after you woke up from your afternoon nap. Since the Taoist said there was no rush, I didn't bang the gong."

Upon hearing the name of Taoist Jingwan, Feng Zhijian's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.

This is his teacher.

From the age of sixteen, Feng Zhijian had been taught by the Daoist Jingwan. When he turned twenty, he came of age and Jingwan bestowed upon him the name "Zhijian," which means "the great Dao is simple."

Having a deep understanding of Jing Wan over the decades, Feng Zhijian knew that every time he went to Chongde Garden to see him, he would not return for two or three days.

He returned, covered in wounds.

None of that mattered. What Feng Zhijian really cared about was that he would never see Zhu Qing again.

If Zhu Qing were to come to study during my two or three days at Chongde Garden…

Feng Zhijian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Bao Fu and said, "You stay here and guard the courtyard."

As he spoke, he walked to the gate of the chief secretary's residence and locked the gate, which had three locks. After locking it, Feng Zhijian tried pushing it to make sure it was secure before saying, "If Zhu Qing comes, agree to whatever she asks for. Also tell her to wait for me to come back."

Bao Fu had gotten into the habit of watching Feng Zhijian lock the courtyard gate, but he didn't understand what Feng Zhijian said next.

Zhu Qing and Feng Zhijian have never had any interaction, so what kind of request could she possibly make?

Bao Fu dared not ask aloud, but looked at Feng Zhijian's heavy door lock and said, "What if Zhu Qing requests to join your Secretariat?"

Feng Zhijian was slightly taken aback.

Although he allowed Zhu Qing to enter the Secretariat in his previous life, Feng Zhijian never actually allowed Zhu Qing to enter alone.

As soon as Zhu Qing sets foot there, Feng Zhijian will put down what he is doing and secretly keep an eye on Zhu Qing to see if she wants to steal any secrets or set any traps to assassinate her.

During the days when Feng Zhijian was secretly observing Zhu Qing, he only saw a sickly Zhu Qing who was living life to the fullest.

Zhu Qing would tend to the flowers and plants that he had never seen before, tidy up his messy desk, and, if they were closer, would tie his hair and brew medicine for him when he was occasionally seriously ill.

Even though Feng Zhijian never drank the medicine she had boiled for most of the night, nor did she agree to let her tie her hair up.

He felt that he couldn't see Zhu Qing when his hair was tied up, and he couldn't control any of Zhu Qing's actions. Moreover, the back of a person's head is an extremely dangerous and fatal place.

If she wanted, she could take his life with just a hairpin on the back of his head.

Looking back now, those numerous refusals and the discarded medicines were all expressions of regret and helplessness, a reluctance to do things the way they were supposed to.

Feng Zhijian was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said, "Except for this."

He was still worried, so he let Zhu Qing enter the Secretariat alone without him watching over him.

Feng Zhijian's answer was as expected. Bao Fu nodded and said, "I'll get your carriage ready. Please be careful on your journey, Mr. Huaihe."

With war raging at the time, Bao Fu, serving in the shogunate, was well aware of how dangerous it was for strategists in such times.

Fortunately, Chongde Garden is not far from here; it only takes half an incense stick's time to drive there.

After harnessing the carriage, Feng Zhijian bent down and sat down, repeatedly instructing Bao Fu to guard the courtyard, before the creaking carriage drove away.

Inside the car, Feng Zhijian lifted the curtain and gazed intently in the direction of Qingxi Village.

In his previous life, Feng Zhijian was summoned to Chongde Garden by Taoist Jingwan, a similar incident occurred on the day Zhu Qing came to study.

The same thing happened in this lifetime.

Why was Zhu Qing's pursuit of education skipped out, while everything else proceeded smoothly?

What exactly went wrong in this life?

-

Qingxi Village.

After having lunch served by her second brother, Zhu Yubo, and drinking the medicinal soup served by her sister-in-law, Nie Zhen, Zhu Qing left the house, intending to familiarize herself with the new home.

After Zhu Qing went out for a walk, she discovered that it was a small courtyard shaped like the Chinese character "田" (field). Zhu Qing and her brother and sister-in-law lived in the back two rooms, while her two unmarried brothers squeezed into the outer room.

The last room is a small dining hall, which, in addition to serving meals, is also used to store animal hides, medicinal herbs, and the Third Brother's business avenues.

It can be said to be the office of the three brothers.

As for the original owner of this body, her room had a small table and wardrobe prepared by her brothers, so she didn't have to squeeze in with them to study or write. There was also a pomegranate tree planted by the window, which was evergreen all year round and very pleasing to the eye.

Zhu Qing felt she had become familiar with the place, so she returned to the house, lay down on the small wooden bed, and slowly began to accept the tragedy of her past life while also integrating the original owner's memories in her mind.

Her village, Qingxi, was a few miles from Chang'an City, a drive away that takes about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

The Zhu family had no other branches. All the ancestors who could ascend to immortality had ascended to immortality. Her parents had passed away early, leaving only her, her three older brothers, her sister-in-law, and her little niece.

Zhu Qing looked around her room. Although it was bare, when she went out to look at the new house, she found that her brothers' rooms were even worse. There was only a bed and a wooden stick nailed to the wall to hang clothes. That was all.

Zhu Qing's room turned out to be the best one.

The Zhu family was arguably the poorest family in Qingxi Village.

Originally, the poorest family in Qingxi Village was surnamed Feng. That's right, it was the legendary strategist Feng Huaihe, whose family was the poorest in the village.

Living right across the river, Zhu Qing could see the two small thatched huts on the other side of the river when she looked out the window.

Feng Huaihe and his mother each had their own room, and they lived and cooked in the open courtyard. There wasn't even a toilet. In the past, Feng Huaihe would come to her house to borrow a toilet.

He and his widowed mother depended on each other for survival. In the original owner's memory, when Feng Huaihe was seven or eight years old, rumors started circulating in the village about his mother.

Regarding the rumors about a widow, Zhu Qing didn't need to carefully recall the original owner's memories to guess what kind of dirty words were used in a patriarchal society.

In short, rumors circulated that Feng Huaihe had gotten into a fight with the other children in the village. Being the oldest, he directly knocked down the younger children one by one.

The widowed mother not only didn't appreciate it, but also whipped Feng Huaihe, dragged him to apologize to each and every household, and finally punished him by making him kneel at his doorstep for a day and a night.

It rained heavily that day. Six-year-old Zhu Qing sat on her father's shoulders to try to persuade Aunt Feng, but Aunt Feng chased her away.

Feng Huaihe looked at Zhu Qing in the rain. For some reason, his sharp and bright eyes, like those of a wolf or a falcon, had become a very deep part of the original owner's memory that rainy night.

So much so that even after Zhu Qing transmigrated, she could still see it in her memories, as if it were playing right before her eyes.

In short, from then on, Feng Huaihe became taciturn, gloomy, and cold. He didn't get close to anyone. Even his only interaction with the original owner of this body was when Feng Huaihe came to borrow the outhouse again, and the ten-year-old original owner asked him when he would return it...

Feng Huaihe glared at her fiercely that day and never came back. A year later, he expanded his thatched hut into two rooms and even built a latrine.

After Zhu Qing went to work at the shogunate, he once heard Zhu Qing drinking with his colleagues. When he was drunk, Zhu Qing said that now that there was an outhouse at home, his mother would no longer be spied on.

Zhu Qingcai then realized why the boy was so obsessed with the outhouse, which everyone else despised.

It was for his mother.

However, in his memory, Feng Huaihe's mother passed away just two months after he finished repairing the outhouse.

In the third month, Feng Huaihe disappeared.

Years later, he became a renowned strategist in Jiangbei.

After recalling everything from the original owner of the body, Zhu Qing's eyes stung with tears. She seemed to understand why the original owner, with whom she had never crossed paths, later admired Feng Huaihe so much.

Just like her in her previous life, she was a pitiful person.