be punished
The three of them sat around a round table in Yunxun Tower. Jiang Jin, sitting in the middle, looked at Zi Yuan and Zhou Cong on either side of her and said with a smile, "Eat whatever you like today, it's on me."
Jiang Jin called over a waiter to take their order. "We've come here because of its reputation. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Shrimp grilling from Beizhou, mandarin fish soup, crab roe noodles, fried snails, chicken noodles with fish soup, and our local specialty fish wine—all so delicious and unforgettable." The waiter, noticing the three men's refined attire, specifically recommended several expensive dishes.
"Bring us all the dishes you mentioned, including the fish wine, and a bowl of plain congee too." Jiang Jin waved his hand and ordered a considerable amount of food.
"Ah Jin, isn't this a bit too much?" Zi Yuan could tell from the names of the dishes the waiter announced that they were high-quality, and seeing the waiter's delighted expression, she could roughly guess how expensive they were.
"It's alright, didn't we bring a food box? If we can't finish it, we'll take it back." Jiang Jin patted Zi Yuan's hand.
"Besides, isn't fish and shrimp your favorite food? The fish and shrimp here in Beizhou are the freshest, and you'll never find this opportunity again."
"Then I'll try to eat as much as I can!" Ziyuan's attention was quickly drawn to the grilled shrimp that had been served. The palm-sized shrimp were grilled on a stone and then sprinkled with fine salt, which preserved the shrimp's freshness while adding a touch of spiciness.
"This looks delicious!" Ziyuan couldn't resist picking up a piece and putting it in her mouth, her eyes shining as she looked at Jiang Jin. "Jin, as expected of a signature dish, it really tastes better than other places."
"Zhou Cong, you should eat something too." Jiang Jin noticed that Zhou Cong hadn't eaten all day and pushed the shrimp towards him.
"Thank you, Madam." Zhou Cong glanced at Zi Yuan and, seeing that she had no objections, picked up a piece of shrimp and placed it in his bowl.
"This is your crab roe noodles with golden threads." The waiter brought over the new dish at just the right time, and Ziyuan ate with great relish.
"As expected of the best restaurant in Beizhou, some dishes are even better than those in the capital." Zhou Cong relaxed a lot, and seeing that Zi Yuan wasn't making any other movements, he could eat in peace.
“Every place has its own unique characteristics.” Jiang Jin picked up a piece of snail meat and put it into Zi Yuan’s bowl.
"Ah Jin, you should eat more too. You've lost a lot of weight since you arrived in Beizhou. I don't know how Wei Shu has been taking care of you," Zi Yuan said with concern, looking at Jiang Jin's somewhat pointed chin.
"I've gained quite a bit of weight in the capital, so this will just be a return to my old appearance." Jiang Jin stuffed Zi Yuan's mouth with mandarin fish soup.
"What exactly did you mean by seeing foreign things in the secret room?" Jiang Jin asked Zi Yuan, who was engrossed in her food, after swallowing the soup in her mouth.
"They were scimitars that looked like the moon, along with silver whips and thick iron rods. Compared to the weapons of the Great Yan, they were worlds apart; they were obviously brought in from outside." Zi Yuan recalled the appearance of those strange weapons she had seen in the secret chamber.
"The crescent-shaped scimitar does resemble a weapon of the Qiang people, but I haven't heard of any tribe using the silver whip." Zhou Cong put down his chopsticks and gestured on the table. "Do crescent-shaped scimitars come in different sizes?"
"It seems so. They were placed together in the box, but I didn't dare to look closely before leaving."
Ziyuan tried hard to recall the situation at the time. "Right, there seemed to be some white things in those boxes, but I have no expertise in medicinal herbs, so I don't really know what they are."
"Actually, what I was thinking was, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to eat alone outside while keeping the general's back?" Zhou Cong awkwardly picked up a spoon and ladled himself a bowl of fish soup.
"You only remembered your general after you'd already eaten halfway through your meal, isn't that a bit late!" Zi Yuan couldn't help but roll her eyes at Zhou Cong. "Besides, since A Jin married him, does that mean she can't even have a decent meal out?"
"That's not what I meant! Lady Ziyuan, you've misunderstood me again!" Zhou Cong always felt that his words sounded different coming from Ziyuan's mouth.
"Alright, you two stop bickering. Your general isn't a petty person. Eating alone behind his back isn't doing anything bad, so don't feel guilty." Jiang Jin wondered if Zi Yuan and Zhou Cong's horoscopes clashed, which was why they argued as soon as they met.
"You don't need to eat yet. Watching me and Ajin eat like this won't count as you eating alone." Ziyuan moved the shrimp pancake closer to herself. "You can fill your stomach with plain porridge too!"
“I think Madam is right. Besides, I’ve already eaten half of it, how can I give up halfway?” Zhou Cong reached out and moved the shrimp to its original position. On the blue porcelain plate, a single shrimp lay forlornly.
Zi Yuan and Zhou Cong were both intently focused on the last remaining shrimp, neither giving an inch, when suddenly a slender hand reached out in front of them. They watched helplessly as Jiang Jin snatched the last shrimp away.
"To end your melee, I have no choice but to step in and help you deal with this shrimp." Jiang Jin adopted a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor.
"Zhou Cong, it's all your fault! If you hadn't been so persistent in pursuing my shrimp, it wouldn't have abandoned me!" Zi Yuan felt her heart bleed as she watched Jiang Jin chew.
"How about I treat you to another plate?" Zhou Cong felt a pang of guilt seeing that Zi Yuan genuinely enjoyed the food and wasn't just trying to compete with him.
"Do you keep your word?" Zi Yuan looked at Zhou Cong with a very distrustful gaze. "You didn't learn any deceitful tricks from following Wei Shu around, did you?"
"Our general is upright and honest, not the kind of person the world portrays him to be!" Zhou Cong quickly retorted upon hearing Zi Yuan's slander against Wei Shu.
"Alright, as long as you treat me to shrimp fritters, I'll consider Wei Shu a good person. But I'm a bit full today, so I'll owe you for now." The thought of having shrimp fritters to eat later lessened Zi Yuan's resentment towards Zhou Cong.
"Alright, I'll be happy to accompany you whenever you want to eat, Ziyuan." The three of them ate and drank their fill, leaving hardly any food behind. By the time they returned to the governor's mansion, it was already dark. Wei Shu hadn't returned yet. Jiang Jin sat at the table, quietly practicing calligraphy, while Ziyuan sat beside her, reading a storybook.
"If you're bored, you could practice your calligraphy. Your handwriting has no style at all," Jiang Jin sighed helplessly, looking at Zi Yuan who was chuckling beside her from time to time.
“Ah Jin, I’d be somewhat interested in fighting if you asked me to, but I’m not good at these calligraphy-related things. Besides, all I need to do is read, and it’s not a big deal if my calligraphy lacks style.”
Zi Yuan sat with her legs crossed, engrossed in reading the storybook, completely ignoring Jiang Jin's words.
"What exactly are you looking at?" Jiang Jin stood up and snatched the storybook from Zi Yuan's hand. "My romantic past with my lover in Pingkang Lane?"
Jiang Jin flipped through a few pages, her face flushed, and she raised an eyebrow. She rolled up the book and pointed at Zi Yuan, "Did you buy this book yourself?"
"This..." Zi Yuan slowly got up, trying to move to the door, but Jiang Jin grabbed her wrist. "Don't try to escape, just tell me!"
"I found this on the black market myself. This is the best one; I didn't even want the others." Ziyuan blinked, trying to bluff her way out of it.
"You even went to the black market alone!" Jiang Jin gripped Zi Yuan's wrist tightly. "Your wings have certainly hardened!"
"Zhai Wan and I went together. She went to find medicinal herbs and I went to find books. We hit it off immediately; it was such a touching display of affection!" Zi Yuan tried to shift the focus to Zhai Wan, hoping to escape, but Jiang Jin saw through her immediately.
"A-Wan is doing this for His Highness and the mission. May I ask what you're reading this storybook for, sir?" Jiang Jin looked at the storybook in her hand, her anger rising. "You're reading it right next to me? Do you think I'm being too lenient with you?!"
"Your candle is brighter, so I can enjoy it more!" Zi Yuan explained softly, but Jiang Jin overheard her.
"So, should I get a brighter candle for your room so you can savor it slowly?" Jiang Jin grabbed Zi Yuan's ear. "Go back and meditate, I'll come check on you tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Ziyuan looked pitifully at Jiang Jin, who wanted to take back her storybook. "I bought it with my own copper coins."
"Don't worry, I'll give you the money after you finish reading the Doctrine of the Mean!" Jiang Jin poked Zi Yuan's forehead. "Reading this kind of book too much will affect your brain."
"You've read those before too," Zi Yuan muttered. Jiang Jin immediately retorted, "The ones I read were about talented men and beautiful women who had to write reflections at the end to avoid being deceived by men. Can you write reflections in your book?"
"Actually, it's not impossible!" Ziyuan retorted and immediately took off running, bumping right into Zhou Cong, who was on duty outside.
"Did you make Madam angry again?" Zhou Cong tossed a date to Zi Yuan.
"It was just a little bickering, nothing to get angry about." Ziyuan wiped the jujube with her sleeve, took a bite, and the juice spread across her lips and teeth. "These jujubes are good, where did they come from?"
"I picked it up by the roadside." Zhou Cong laughed as he watched Zi Yuan's face turn from black to white and then to red. "I was just kidding. I bought it from a stall and they said it was freshly picked by a farmer."
"Zhou Cong, you're really speechless!" Zi Yuan spat a date pit at Zhou Cong and then walked towards the house.
"Then I thank you for your praise, Lady Ziyuan!" Zhou Cong looked at the jujube pit in his hand and, as if possessed, put it away.
Inside the room, Ziyuan chewed on her calligraphy brush, trying to recall the few memories she had left of the doctrine of the mean. "Destiny...destiny..." Ziyuan watched as wax dripped continuously, yet the Xuan paper on the table in front of her remained blank, and a sharp pain shot through her head.
A knocking sound came at the door. Ziyuan, slumped over the table, replied weakly, "Who is it?"
"Me, a speechless person!" Zhou Cong looked at the flickering candlelight in Zi Yuan's room, and soon Zi Yuan's voice rang out.
"What are you doing!" Zi Yuan opened the door, rolled her eyes at Zhou Cong standing in the doorway, "Don't you Imperial Guards know that going to a woman's boudoir in the middle of the night is a very inappropriate thing to do?"
“Alright, then I’ll eat this giant sesame seed cake myself.” Zhou Cong shook the food box in his hand.
"Did A-Jin send you to deliver this?" Zi Yuan immediately recognized it as Jiang Jin's work.
"Madam guessed you weren't asleep yet, so she specially instructed the kitchen to prepare this." Zhou Cong opened the food box and presented the steaming hot Jushengnu (a type of meat dish) to the two of them.
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