Chapter 87 Three Victories
Yi Ning pushed the signed document with Fu En's signature to the other side of the desk:
"His master ordered a search for people from the southern border. He heard that there are two in your household, but they rarely go out, and it is difficult to contact them when they do. So he thought he would take this opportunity to test them."
After glancing at the signed document, Shang Yuji tapped it lightly with her finger and said with a smile, "That Sun Dashu was just used as a pawn."
There was no hefty reward. From the beginning, Fu En planned to use Sun Dashu as a scapegoat. Fu En would then arrest the troublemaker Sun Dashu, thus both gaining her favor for maintaining the wedding banquet and saving the reward that was originally intended for Sun Dashu.
Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
As for not informing him in advance about the capture of Sun Dashu, and then acting out a pretense with him?
With Sun Dashu's mediocre skills, he might be able to threaten ordinary people, but how dare he threaten Master Fu En, the registrar of Yangzhou?
With just a wave of his hand, Master Fu could have countless people eager to curry favor with Sun Dashu and show off their abilities in front of him.
In fact, Master Fu had ordered people to do the work and provided cover; the people he sent to meet with Sun Dashu were all his subordinates.
Who would have thought that Sun Dashu, who had been in the underworld for so long, hadn't learned anything except the saying, "When beating a dog, you have to consider its owner"?
If the deal is done but payment isn't made, at least he'll know who to ask for the money from.
Even if the other party tries to betray him after he's served his purpose, he'll fight tooth and nail to bring them down with him.
Using his swift legs honed from numerous escapes, he unexpectedly discovered that the headman knew the clerk!
His intention in bringing up Fu En this time was not to drag Master Fu down with him, but to use Master Fu's influence to get Shang Yuji to release him.
Since ancient times, commoners have never fought with officials. As a young woman, when she heard the name of an official, she had to give Master Fu face, considering that she still wanted to make a living in Yangzhou.
Unexpectedly, the comparison of background strength ended up being made with Shang Yuji.
She couldn't tolerate that, otherwise all her hard work working for the princess's faction would be for nothing.
When the two meet on a narrow path, she will naturally win.
Shang Yuji: "I remember A-Cuo would go out to try dishes she hadn't eaten before. Could it be that Fu En hasn't had any contact with her?"
Yi Ning shook her head: "Fu En did manage to communicate with Miss A Cuo a few times, but Miss A Cuo only talked to him about the delicacies used as bait, without saying a word more, which forced Fu En to resort to this tactic."
She recounted how, during the interrogation, when she talked about A-Cuo, Fu En suddenly became furious, and said that if it weren't for the two experts arranged by Huo Shengge, they would have almost managed to snatch him out of prison.
"So it seems that he came for Huigu and Miss Acuo, but I don't know why he's looking for people from the Southern Frontier. It can't be... like last time, setting a trap to harm His Highness?" Yining frowned, unable to figure out the logic.
However, she reassured herself, "With Ah Shuang in the capital, if it really is related to witchcraft in the southern border, we can take precautions beforehand."
"It's a pity that guarding against thieves for a thousand days is not a good idea. We don't know when Miss A Shuang will return to the Southern Frontier. We don't even know where to start to guard against her."
Yining was torn between these conflicting thoughts, wavering between worry and concern for the safety of the eldest princess.
Shang Yuji reassured him, "Don't be nervous. After you've dealt with things in Yangzhou, I should be going to the capital."
"?" Yi Ning carefully recalled what she had said, and then exclaimed loudly, "The capital? Why go to the capital?!"
If she remembered correctly, Shang Yuji's original request to His Highness was to leave the capital. Why did she suddenly want to go back?
"It's inconvenient to exchange letters between Yangzhou and the capital. If something urgent happens in the capital, we won't be able to help."
"But Yangzhou is much safer, and no one will discover the girl's identity."
On one hand, there was the unpredictable and treacherous political landscape of the imperial court; on the other hand, there was the peaceful and carefree life far from the center. Comparing the two, Yi Ning preferred that Shang Yuji stay in Yangzhou.
If Shang Yuji were a strategist advising the lord, she would naturally stay by his side to deal with the ever-changing power struggles.
But she is not like that; her mystery lies in her uncanny prophecies, and her wonder lies in her imaginative creations that open people's eyes.
Compared to advisors who offer brilliant strategies to their lord, she needs to remain hidden in a safe rear, preventing the enemy from discovering her abilities and whereabouts.
The eldest princess must think the same way; Miss Shang's abilities are too special, and the fewer people who know about them, the better.
Yangzhou is conveniently located near the capital, and the recent renovations at the Princess's residence would likely draw attention to the capital, misleading people and causing them to overlook that the real culprit was actually in Yangzhou.
Seeing that Yi Ning was considering dissuading him, Shang Yuji pointed out, "A major event is about to happen in the capital, and no one can remain uninvolved."
"What does this mean?" Yi Ning's words of dissuasion stuck in her throat, and she asked in confusion.
Shang Yuji put down the document in her hand and pointed upwards: "That person... has a health problem. The capital, no... the entire Da'an, will be replaced."
Yi Ning was speechless for a moment. Such shocking news was casually revealed by Shang Yuji, giving her no time to process it.
After a long while, Yi Ning finally processed the information and asked with a bewildered expression, "Could you please tell His Highness about this matter?"
"Not yet..." Shang Yuji tapped her head. "I only found out recently."
Some things, if you don't think about them, won't appear in your mind.
However, no matter how much you think about it in the early stages, it will only leave a vague impression at most. The deeper the impression, the more you look at it, the more blurred it becomes.
At most, she could sense that as time went by, she could perceive more things and understand them more clearly.
Like breaking through a certain limitation, something that was once incomprehensible is now within reach.
Like an old computer, all systems are optimized, achieving a leap forward in an instant from slow operation and occasional lag to smooth, error-free operation.
It even broke through the limitations of the original book, allowing her to "see" even more secret things.
Like those premonitions, they come without warning and without any discernible pattern.
Even so, upon closer examination, this is a positive development, as information asymmetry is always an important strategic resource.
Unfortunately, the new features are still in the exploratory stage, and there are still some things she cannot discover.
If you're so capable, just reveal the whole story behind the emperor's illness. What kind of nonsense is it to only say half the story and not tell the whole story?
What's the difference between piquing her curiosity without fulfilling it and digging a hole and not filling it?!
Now things are really messed up. Yining, who was already worried about the safety of the eldest princess, became even more anxious upon learning that there was going to be a major change in the capital. She was so anxious that she paced around the study in front of Shang Yuji.
Shang Yuji reassured him, "Alright, there are priorities in everything. Let's settle things in Yangzhou first, so we can return to the capital and help His Highness get through this difficult time."
In addition, we have been preparing for a long time, so even if the situation comes unexpectedly, we are capable of responding.
Trust in His Highness and his colleagues in the capital; their ability to handle emergencies is beyond question.
Yi Ning let out a sigh of relief and resignedly said, "That's true. There's no point in rushing now. We might as well finish what we have at hand first."
“In that case—” Shang Yuji smiled like a fox, mercilessly tossing a bunch of work tasks to Yi Ning.
Experiments with waterwheels that directly impact people's lives, the opening of Xinhua Bookstores that facilitated the imperial examination system, the selection of printed books...
As for the finer details, the two still need time to align them.
After entrusting the matter to her, Shang Yuji went to Yueyinglou Restaurant on the way. With the warm welcome of the waiter, she ordered the restaurant's newly launched braised round fish with ham and colorful beef tenderloin to go.
After returning home, it was almost noon, so I took the two dishes to the kitchen to keep them warm.
They happened to run into A-Cuo, who had come to the kitchen to check on today's dishes.
Even from a short distance, she could smell the aroma of food wafting from the food box Shang Yuji was carrying, and couldn't help but ask, "Is this today's lunch?"
"Yes." Shang Yuji walked into the kitchen.
A-Cuo automatically followed behind, and asked curiously, "Why the sudden extra meal?"
As soon as she entered, Aunt Zhao stepped forward and took the food box from her hand. Judging from the style of the food box, it was from Yueyinglou Restaurant. The young lady had bought from it a few times before. Aunt Zhao took out the food from the food box as if she knew what she was doing and warmed it up over a low flame.
With her hands free, Shang Yuji turned around and looked at A-Cuo. She smiled brightly and said, "This meal was added as a reward for Miss A-Cuo."
A-Cuo frowned, a hint of distrust showing on her baby face. "Don't use me as an excuse."
How could that be?
Shang Yuji explained: Fu En cleverly devised a food scheme, and A-Cuo was spared from the guillotine!
Ah-Cuo was clever and quick-witted, and was not fooled by the petty gains. To reward such outstanding performance, Shang Yu-Ji specially added two delicacies as encouragement!
“It was him!” A-Cuo recalled the person she mentioned. “So he was trying to get information out of me? The dishes he brought were indeed delicious, but his attitude seemed strange, so I bought the dishes and left.”
In the end, A-Cuo got the delicious food but didn't reveal the news, so A-Cuo won.
After clarifying things, the two put the matter aside.
After dinner, Shang Yuji returned to her study. The two rag dolls on the table had changed into matching dark green long dresses, clearly the latest masterpieces from the master craftsman Jiang Xiqu.
The two children were snuggling together when suddenly, a slender finger fell from the sky, pushing Shang Xiaoji down. At the same time, Jiang Xiaoxi, who was cushioning Shang Xiaoji's fall, also fell down.
Behind her, the silver ornaments clinked crisply, making a clear, cool sound. Shang Yuji withdrew her mischievous finger, turned around, and Jiang Xi stood behind her, holding Wu Ming's unique style of silver ornaments and blue-purple fabric.
I witnessed the entire process of Aji pushing the two rag dolls over.
Jiang Xi pretended not to see and asked shyly, "Is Aji going out today?"
Shang Yuji reluctantly put the rag doll back in its place: "I'm not going out. I've been outside these past few days and I'm a little tired. I'll rest for a while this afternoon."
His smile deepened, and the red mole on his cheek made him even more captivating: "It's so nice to be able to stay with Aji."
"..." Shang Yuji narrowed her eyes, realizing that something was wrong.
How could he use his beauty to seduce someone with such a strong will?
That was definitely the right move.
They're legally married now; all that talk of unwavering willpower is nothing to her.
Let whoever wants to be Liu Xiahui be it.
Faced with such beauty, she would prefer to savor it first!
Sensing her intention, Jiang Xi lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, placing the silver ornaments and fabric in her hand into an empty space on the desk before she jumped over.
Then he firmly embraced Ah Ji, who was lunging at him.
"Seducing me?" Shang Yuji wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and looked up to question him.
Jiang Xi blinked, her fox-like eyes shimmering with autumn water: "Mmm."
"Then you win, honey!"
She tilted her head back and accepted the sticky, caressing touch.
It is also said that Jiang Xi cleverly devised a beauty trap, and Shang Yuji went straight into the land of gentle pleasures.
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Author's Note: Fu: How many people are in your family? What are their names?
Cuo: How much are the fish?
Fu: What are your hobbies?
Cuo: Ten taels of silver.
Fu: Where do you live?
Twenty taels.
Fu: When was your birth date?
Twenty-five taels is the most I can give!
Fu: Is there anyone you like...?
Tso: Are you selling or not? If not, I'm leaving!
Symbol: ...to sell.
Cuo: Why didn't you sell it earlier? Stop spouting nonsense! [Angry]
Fu·Break Defense: It's clearly you who can't understand what I'm saying! [crying][crying]
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