King Qi said calmly, "Be careful then, and you can also befriend Zu'an. That kid previously hinted at joining us, so you can take this opportunity to test whether he is sincere or not."
"Befriend him?" Zhao Zhi's voice suddenly rose, his eyes filled with rage: "That brat humiliated me back then, I wish I could tear his flesh and hide his bones!"
"A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan," King Qi admonished. "If you can't even tolerate this little thing, what great things can you accomplish? Now is the time to use people. Even if they are enemies, you must make good use of them. You can settle accounts with them later when things have settled down."
Seeing that his father did not stop him from seeking revenge, Zhao Zhi's expression softened: "Father is right to teach me a lesson."
"Let me tell you about the specific situation over there..." Then King Qi pulled Zhao Zhi aside and told him about some specific things in Yunzhong County.
...
At the top of Yuquan Mountain, a pair of long legs wrapped in stockings climbed the steps and arrived near the lotus pond. It was freezing cold today, and it had even started to snow, but the lotus flowers in the pond were still blooming brightly, and a layer of misty air enveloped them, as if they were in a fairyland.
Looking at the figure fishing by the pond, Jiang Luofu couldn't help but say, "Teacher, these fish are your beloved pets, why are you fishing for them? Besides, I've never seen you catch a single one."
"They must be bored being confined to this small space. I just play with them often." As the chief priest spoke, he lifted the fishing rod, revealing that the hook was straight, not curved.
Jiang Luofu couldn't understand her teacher's peculiar sense of humor: "What do you want from me today, teacher?"
"Did the Princess Consort of Qi ever ask you to retrieve something from Zu'an?" The chief priest asked casually, his attention focused entirely on the water.
However, Jiang Luofu was deeply disturbed and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from the teacher."
Her brothers married daughters from the Pei family or the Yu family, so the Jiang family and the Qi King's lineage have always had a good relationship.
She herself had a good personal relationship with Princess Qi, and they were close friends despite their age difference, which is why they entrusted her with that task.
"Then why didn't you take action?" the chief priest asked with a light laugh.
Jiang Luofu said in a deep voice, "Zu An is also my friend, and I don't want to betray my friend."
"This matter may not be as serious as you think. Perhaps some people are even hoping for your betrayal," the chief priest said meaningfully.
"What do you mean, teacher?" Jiang Luofu was startled and hurriedly looked at the chief priest.
But the other party stopped answering the question: "Go to Yunzhong County next."
"Yunzhong County?" Jiang Luofu crossed one arm over her chest and rested her smooth chin on the other, lost in thought. "Today, the imperial court sent Sang Hong and Zu An to Yunzhong County to investigate the disappearance of the Duke of Yunzhong. Could it be related to the academy in some way?"
Although the imperial court issued an order to appoint a new Duke of Yunzhong, everyone knew that the appointment was a pretense, and the real purpose was to investigate the case.
If it is found that the disappearance of the former Duke of Yunzhong was not an accident, then the appointment will naturally have to be postponed.
"You could say it's related, or you could say it's not." As the chief priest spoke, ripples appeared on the water's surface. He lifted his fishing rod, and a red fish was caught in the water.
Jiang Luofu had initially thought he spoke like a fortune teller on a street corner, but when she saw this scene, her eyes widened in astonishment—even a straight hook could catch fish.
The chief priest took the fish off his hand, and with a wave of his palm, the red fish floated and swam in his palm as if it were still in the water, but it could never swim out of the small space in his palm.
"Alas, of all the fish in this pond, you are the glutton. You'll die from that mouth of yours sooner or later." After scolding the red fish, the chief priest released it back into the pond. He then casually stuck his fishing rod aside, got up, and went to the cliff. Looking at the mist halfway up the mountain, he slowly said, "A great change is coming."
Jiang Luofu pursed her lips. The teacher always spoke in riddles like this. She didn't ask. She already knew the answer after all these years. Unless the teacher told her on his own, asking would be pointless.
He thought to himself that if his junior sister were here, she would definitely go and pluck his white beard.
Unfortunately, only the junior sister would do something like that.
"Go ahead, you'll know what to do when the time is right." The chief priest waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
"Yes!" Jiang Luofu bowed respectfully, and then the crisp, melodious sound of her high heels stepping on the bluestone slabs gradually faded away.
The chief priest looked down over the entire capital, a hint of vicissitude in his eyes.
...
Inside the palace, Zu An looked at the palace maid in front of him and felt a real headache coming on.
He had just taken the opportunity of paying his respects to the Crown Princess to try and meet with Bi Linglong, but she only sent a palace maid out to offer him a few perfunctory words of comfort and that was it; she still did not see him.
"It seems I really angered her last time." Zu An was also very troubled. Now that he knew she was about to leave, she still refused to see him. Did she intend to hold a grudge against him for the rest of her life?
Now that Bi Linglong was not around, there was no point in him staying in the East Palace, so he simply made an excuse to slip away.
Anyway, he still holds the title of Imperial Guard General, which is a perfect excuse for him to slack off.
"Your Highness, look how little he respects you. He just left like that." Rong Mo naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by to sow discord between him and his wife.
Bi Linglong said expressionlessly, "Lord Zu is currently very busy with official duties, so naturally he cannot stay in the East Palace all the time."
Rong Mo rolled his eyes: "This guy has become more and more rude now that he's got wings. The Emperor shouldn't have promoted him."
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