Chapter 83 Strange
Before the long column of officers and soldiers left, A-Cuo came over and asked if he could stay:
"I haven't been to many places since I came to Da'an. I'd like to go out and see the sights with you."
Shang Yuji: "We're going to see a deceased elder, if you don't mind."
"It should be that you don't mind." A-Cuo had never heard her mention her past. Even the seat of honor at the wedding banquet was taken by that Doctor Yan. He thought that Miss Shang was avoiding the topic.
"Of course not, she should be happy that someone is visiting her."
After speaking, A-Cuo carefully recalled whether she had missed anything. She had come in a hurry and had entrusted Hui-Gu to raise the Gu that she and Jiang Xi had taken.
Including Hui Gu's own, there were a total of three Gu worms.
...Now that she's staying away for a few more days, Hui-gu should be able to manage, right?
As Yi Ning led the team away from Quanshan, Mo Anxin looked back repeatedly. Mo Anju, dressed in plain clothes, stood in front of the inn to see them off.
After the person had walked away, someone came up behind her and Sun Fengwan asked, "Xiao Mo, aren't you going with your brother?"
Mo Anju shook his head: "Brother is busy dealing with the bandits, so I won't go and cause you any trouble."
Given her brother's concern for her, he would surely have to make time to accompany and comfort her outside of work. It would be better to let her and her sisters stay at the Fulai Inn, where they are surrounded by familiar people, which would put her at ease.
"However... we need to find a way to make money. It's not good to keep bothering the shopkeeper." They had been nagging the shopkeeper for a long time, and he had already done his best. If they dragged it out any longer, it would be their fault.
Having received the message from Miss Shang, Sun Fengwan smiled and said, "Miss Shang asked us sisters to gather in the inn's lobby at Shenshi (3-5 PM) because she has something to ask us. Please go and inform everyone as well."
They learned from the innkeeper that they had been rescued because this young lady had witnessed the conflict between the inn and the bandits, and had intervened to help, calling for reinforcements to capture the bandits. Otherwise, these sisters would still be living at the mercy of the bandits.
They were deeply grateful for the life-saving grace, and since Miss Shang had something to say, they were determined to cooperate.
“Okay,” Mo Anju replied.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM), the afterglow of the setting sun shines on Quanshan Mountain, casting a golden outline on it, as if it were draped in a dazzling golden brocade.
Even when not in Quanshan, seeing such a scene brings a rare sense of peace to the heart.
As the evening glow entered the hall, it seemed to drape the young lady in a shimmering golden brocade. She called out, "Ladies, I have a few shops that are still in the exploratory stage and I'm really short-staffed. If you want to come to Yangzhou with me, I'll take care of your food, lodging, and work. In addition to a fixed income, your wages will also be linked to the shop's profits."
"Of course, there will be rewards for those who do well. What you need to do is to run the bookstores well, make them bigger and stronger, and let them spread all over Da'an, just like the Fulai Inn!"
That's right, Boss Shang decided to send job offers to these girls.
We attracted the first batch of employees to expand Xinhua Bookstore's business by offering preferential treatment that was rare in the entire Da'an area!
With meals and accommodation provided, a fixed base salary plus performance-based pay, and bonuses for outstanding employees, she believed that such good benefits would surely attract many people.
Several girls shifted slightly, but out of respect for their benefactor, they stood still quietly.
However, many people are already having second thoughts.
Shang Yuji added, "Since the only house I currently have vacant is in the south of the city, you will have to stay together if you go there."
What sounded like poor accommodations turned out to be just right for them.
If they live together, they will know and trust each other, and can support and take care of each other in the beginning.
Only a place that belongs exclusively to them can allow them to lower their guard and slowly try to establish communication with the outside world.
Sun Fengwan knew that many people were tempted, so he stepped forward to support Shang Yuji: "Give us some time to think about it, and we will tell you our answer later."
Shang Yuji smiled and replied, "Okay, I have something to do and need to leave the inn for a while. I'll probably be back in three to five days. Let me know then."
The two women worked together in unison, and Mo Anju immediately realized that Sister Sun had already spoken with Miss Shang.
Moreover, it seems that Sister Sun supports Miss Shang.
Indeed, with such good treatment, who wouldn't be tempted?
Sister Sun has secured a... good future for them.
Since that's the case, she couldn't just let Sister Sun go through all this trouble; she also had to help persuade them to stay.
Xiaoqian called out to Shang Yuji, who was about to leave. Her eyes, which were always shrouded in mist, gleamed with a strange light. She asked softly, "Miss, your shop is a bookstore. May we use it to read and practice calligraphy?"
Shang Yuji smiled even more brightly: "Of course, how can I introduce a book to a guest if I don't understand its contents?"
Of course, how much they learn depends on their own understanding.
·
The next morning, after breakfast, the three of them quietly left the Fulai Inn.
A-Cuo rode the same horse he had come by, slowing down to ride alongside the carriage.
Since there was no accommodation nearby, they slept on the ground for the night.
There are mosquitoes at night in spring, but Shang Yuji has two Gu practitioners by her side.
A strong sense of security.
Jiang Xi sprinkled some ash powder around the area. When Shang Yuji looked over, he smiled and said, "This only works on insects, it won't affect us."
A-Cuo untied the silver bell from her hair. When Shang Yuji looked over, she could vaguely see several dark-colored creatures climbing down from her hair, circling her body, and landing on the ground, before rustling and hiding among the low grass.
Shang Yuji: Think about your heart... Sometimes it's best not to think too much about the true nature of certain things.
As the dust was sprinkled around A-Cuo, she said, "Leave an opening so they won't let the insects in."
So this is the buffet for A-Cuo's Gu worms.
The mosquitoes outside wanted to suck their blood and flesh, but they couldn't walk through the ash powder laid by the river, so they could only walk through the gap in the ash powder left by A-Cuo.
But what awaits the mosquitoes at this opening are the venomous insects that have crawled down from A-Cuo's body, ready to feast.
...Wait, she did indeed think carefully about the insects that crawled down from A-Cuo's hair.
So, was Miss Sun's scream last time a result of the fear of falling suddenly from a great height, or was it because she suddenly saw the Gu worm in A-Cuo's hair?
After pondering for a moment, Shang Yuji decisively let herself go.
Some ideas don't stand up to close scrutiny.
There was a bamboo mat and a thin quilt under him, so it wasn't too uncomfortable to lie down on. Then he covered himself with a blanket, which looked like a simple camping trip in the wild.
Squeezed between Jiang Xi and A Cuo, she didn't feel the chill of the spring night.
Through the treetops overhead, one can see the twinkling stars, hear the chirping of insects in the distance, and feel the rustling of the wind through the treetops. Tonight will be a clear and bright night.
Worried that Aji would catch a cold, Jiangxi, unlike before, snuggled into her arms and instead held her tightly in her embrace.
With steady breathing beside her and the gradually fading chirping of insects, Shang Yuji found herself in a rare moment of tranquility, her thoughts wandering freely.
The bandits have been captured, but why are they in such a hurry to forge weapons?
Their leader, Huang, was dead, so they couldn't learn the truth from him.
But from another perspective, it is the second prince who needs the weapons, and why does the second prince urgently need these weapons?
Under what circumstances would a weapon be used?
fight……
The one who should be facing the Xianbei is the eldest princess. Even if weapons are needed, it should be the eldest princess who urgently needs them. What does it have to do with his second prince?
If it's not a war, then what is it?
Weapons have only two uses—to kill enemies abroad and to stab each other in the back.
"..." Could he be sharpening his knives at the Eldest Princess?
The Milky Way shimmered in her eyes, and Jiang Xi's warm breath brushed against her hair. After a long while, she thought of something.
The Second Prince's plan was actually the same as the Eldest Princess's.
That supreme throne of the ruler of the world.
His reason for wanting military force is undoubtedly no different from that of the Eldest Princess.
The eldest princess's plot to seize the throne requires her to meet with the second prince at Xuanwu Gate, but the second prince does not need to.
Since the death of the Crown Prince and the First Prince, the position of Crown Prince has been vacant for many years. Now, the Second Prince is the most popular candidate in the court, and even the Emperor is inclined to support him.
Why should he choose the path of armed conflict?
Even if it was to prevent himself from being killed by his other brothers, why rush the bandits to make it during this short period of time?
Is something that will happen in a while that will prompt him to do this?
What is directly related to his interests is the throne.
...Could it be that something happened to the emperor?
How is the emperor described at this time in the book?
Or, to put it another way, when did the second prince ascend the throne?
The emperor fell ill and was bedridden, causing chaos in the court.
The eldest princess, unwilling to die from the Gu worms in Jiangxi, ended her life by drinking poison. Before her death, everyone in the mansion had been dismissed, with only a few old servants remaining until the end.
Cui Shu, who had been biding his time in the Second Prince's residence for many days, tricked the Second Prince, causing him to be overwhelmed with work to fill the gaps in his defenses, thus eliminating any suspicion from others.
Then the turmoil in the harem affected the court, eventually creating a mess. Finally, the second prince, along with Jiang Xi, fought his way through the chaos and ascended the throne.
...No, it seems that Consort Shu, the birth mother of the Second Prince, was not involved in the turmoil in the harem.
How is that possible?
The fact that the second prince ultimately ascended the throne suggests that Consort Shu must have interfered.
It couldn't be as simple as... a favored concubine drugging the emperor.
As for the Second Prince's wife?
The book only mentions casually that she had already died before Cui Shu's incident.
Strange, everyone has a hidden strangeness behind them.
It was estimated that the second prince would ascend the throne in half a year, which would be close to the time when the emperor would run into trouble.
It makes sense that the second prince prepared weapons and private soldiers in advance when the emperor was in trouble.
As for why he made preparations in advance, it was naturally because he had intervened when the emperor was in trouble; otherwise, how could he have known in advance?
Surely we can't be like her, knowing the contents of the book and predicting the future?
Even though drowsiness was already creeping into her eyelashes, she suddenly opened her eyes.
She seemed to have unconsciously said something that sounded like planting a flag.
And the words of planting a flag are most likely to come true in a world with a story background.
...Thinking boldly, what if the Second Prince also had foresight?
There's one thing they've all forgotten—
Sun Dashu said that Fu En sent him to disrupt the wedding banquet, but why did he come to disrupt the wedding banquet that she and Jiang Xi were going to?
She and Yi Ning habitually associate Sun Dashu and Fu En with bandits, believing that their capture could uncover the Second Prince's secret of privately manufacturing weapons.
However, this is incorrect because they have absolutely no connection with Fu En!
Why would he bother them when he's not related to them?
Or was he testing something?
Within her residence, the only people connected to the Second Prince's faction were Hui Gu and A Cuo, who had once gone to the Second Prince's residence to abduct A Shuang.
Fu En's move was ultimately aimed at Hui Gu and A Cuo...
Or should we go to her and Jiang Xi?
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