Chapter 30 Misty Western Hills (Part Two)
Two more days passed.
Sun Man, who had originally planned to wait and see, couldn't sit still any longer.
Because Ling Wei really hadn't stepped out of the courtyard these past two days, the servants reported that in the Fifth Prince's courtyard, only three personal guards were going in and out, moving and organizing books, while she and that Minister Shen stayed in the room all day.
"Still looking?" Sun Man put down his teacup, his brows furrowing deeply. "Is she really planning to waste her time on these piles of papers?"
She got up and paced a few steps, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.
As she expected, this princess, who was said to only know how to enjoy herself after being seriously injured, would at most get annoyed and bored after a day in front of this vast sea of tedious documents, and would either give up or give up after flipping through a few books.
But given the current situation...
Sun Man stopped and looked at Du Wen, who was standing to the side with her hands at her sides: "You've really been holed up in your room reading documents? How much have you read?"
“Reporting to Your Excellency,” Du Wen bowed, “as you instructed, three more boxes of documents have been sent in every day. The Fifth Prince’s personal guards are extremely strict, and we cannot find out what is going on inside, but she has accepted all the documents that have been sent in.”
She hesitated for a moment before asking, "My lord, if I may be so bold as to ask, why don't we just send in some tampered booklets? That way, she won't actually notice anything."
Sun Man glanced at her and shook her head: "No."
She walked back to the table and tapped the surface with her fingertip: "Who do you think he is? No matter what, he is a legitimate imperial envoy, coming with an imperial edict. If we present something that has been tampered with, what if... I mean, what if she happens to notice something is wrong? That would be a ready-made handle, handing it directly to her."
Du Wen's expression hardened.
"By then, we won't even need to find anything; she'll just seize on the pretext of falsified accounts and deceiving the imperial envoy to reprimand us and report to the court. We'll be the ones in a passive position."
Sun Man was able to become the prefect, and was even sent by the Cai faction to sit on this "volcano," not just because of her scheming.
She has an instinctive caution in her bones. When her opponent shows her strength, she will naturally be on high alert. But even if her opponent seems ordinary, as long as she has a vague feeling that something is wrong, that unease will be like a tiny hook, tugging at her nerves and making it impossible for her to really relax.
It is better to expend extra effort to prepare thoroughly than to underestimate an opponent based on a momentary judgment.
That's why she was able to hold onto this position and be entrusted with important responsibilities.
Du Wen understood: "Is it that I misunderstood, or is it that you, sir, have considered things thoroughly?"
“So,” Sun Man changed the subject, “the most important thing right now is not those dead documents, but to prevent her from reading them in peace. We need to distract her.”
She looked at Du Wen and said, "You mentioned another plan earlier. Tell me about it in detail."
Du Wen hurriedly said, "After the Fifth Prince was seriously injured, she indulged in pleasure, and everyone in the capital knows this. Now she's all alone outside, with only the aloof and cold-hearted Vice Minister Shen by her side..."
"A honey trap?" Sun Man raised an eyebrow.
“Exactly.” Du Wen nodded. “Young Master Liu is exceptionally handsome, plays the zither beautifully, and, more importantly, is sensible and knows how to please people. If he could catch His Highness's eye…”
She added meaningfully, "Perhaps, we can place another pair of eyes around His Highness."
Liu Mianfeng was Sun Man's adopted son in his early years. He was handsome and his zither playing was famous in Fuling County. Originally, he was raised with the intention of finding an opportunity to send him to the mansion of a powerful figure in the capital as a secret pawn.
This situation is perfect for it.
Sun Man pondered for a while. The word "cautious" from Prime Minister Cai's secret letter was still ringing in her ears. Ling Wei's unusual quietness made her feel uneasy.
"Okay." Sun Man nodded finally. "Make the arrangements well."
......
That afternoon, Sun Man personally came to the post station to invite His Highness, saying that a new batch of fine wine from Jiangnan had arrived at Wangjiang Tower in the city, and he specially invited His Highness to taste it, so as to relieve the boredom of reading documents for days.
Ling Wei readily agreed after hearing this.
Wangjiang Tower is located next to the water. When you open the window of the private room on the third floor, you can see the shimmering water on the river and the outline of the undulating mountains in the distance.
When the food and wine were served, Sun Man eagerly urged everyone to drink, his words always revolving around the troubles of the mine bandits and the prince's hardships.
After a few rounds of drinks, Sun Man seemed to suddenly remember something and said with a smile, "Your Highness has been working hard these past few days, and I feel really bad about it. It just so happens that my adopted son Mianfeng has been playing the zither since he was a student and knows a bit about music. Why don't we have him play a tune to cheer Your Highness up?"
Ling Wei was holding a wine glass, seemingly savoring the wine, when she heard this, she paused slightly.
Playing the piano? Adding to the festivities?
Why did they suddenly arrange for her to listen to music?
She looked up at Sun Man's face, which was full of ingratiating smiles, and her mind raced. What kind of new test was this? Or was it just plain flattery?
He merely nodded slightly and said, "The Prefect is very kind."
A person emerged from behind the screen.
Liu Mianfeng wore a light blue, wide-sleeved robe made of the finest soft silk, which shimmered with light as he moved. He was indeed handsome, with fair skin like jade, and his eyes were full of affection, as if he had a thousand words to say when he looked at people.
He held his zither and bowed to Ling Wei, his movements exuding a natural air of elegance.
"Liu'er greets Your Highness."
His voice was clear and melodious, and his eyes lingered on Ling Wei's face for a moment longer than intended.
Ling Wei: "???"
She glanced at Sun Man without making a sound, and saw that he was looking at her with a smile, his eyes full of a "you know what I mean" implication.
Ling Wei suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood.
Her lips twitched, suppressing the absurdity in her heart, and she simply nodded: "Get up."
The music began, and the technique was indeed skillful; the movement of the fingers revealed years of hard work.
The melody was gentle and melodious, a piece called "Spring Stream Melody" that had recently become popular in the Jiangnan region. Ling Wei leaned back in her chair, her fingertips idly tapping the table, seemingly listening but not really.
When the music ended, Sun Man smiled and asked, "What did Your Highness think?"
Ling Wei lazily hummed in agreement: "Not bad."
A hint of smugness flashed in Liu Mianfeng's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Ling Wei stood up and said, "I've had my wine and music. I'm tired. Let's go back."
Sun Man hurriedly said, "If Your Highness likes it, may Mianfeng go to the post station again tomorrow to play the zither for Your Highness to relieve your boredom?"
Ling Wei paused, turned back to look at Liu Mianfeng, and curled her lips into a half-smile: "Okay."
Back in the courtyard of the inn, documents were piled up like a small mountain on the desk in the outer room. Shen Zhilan was sitting behind the desk, flipping through them, her profile appearing quiet and focused in the light and shadow.
Ever since the document arrived, Ling Wei had called Qing Shu and Shen Zhilan into the inner room to make arrangements. He had been almost busy these past few days. Now that he saw Ling Wei return, he put down the account book in his hand and signaled Yun Qi to prepare a hangover soup.
Once inside, Ling Wei slumped into a chair, seemingly relieved, and found it somewhat amusing: "What exactly is Sun Man up to? Is she sending someone to me? What does she take me for?"
Shen Zhilan, who had already sat back down at her desk to continue reading the documents, stopped turning the pages upon hearing the sound.
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