There is something strange in Sangzhou
"Why should I have you bring it over? Aren't you afraid we'll fight?" Zhou Cong stood at the door and handed the food box to Zi Yuan.
“If I don’t fight back, then there won’t be a fight, right?” Zi Yuan looked at Zhou Cong standing motionless at the door, his eyes fixed on the giant sesame seed in the food box. “If you want some, you can beg me, and maybe I’ll take pity on you and give you one.”
"I don't dare look into your room. Okay, if there's nothing else, I'm going back!" Zhou Cong took a deep breath, looking at Zi Yuan in front of him who only had food on her mind.
"Can you read and understand the Four Books and Five Classics later?" Zi Yuan looked Zhou Cong up and down as if he were a fish on a chopping board.
“Of course, otherwise how could I assist the general in handling affairs? I’ve been studying the Four Books and Five Classics since I was a child.” Zi Yuan’s eyes lit up as she pulled Zhou Cong into the house, not forgetting to close the door behind her.
"What are you doing? If you're trying to frame me for molesting you, I'll definitely run to the general to plead my case!" Zhou Cong crossed his arms, preventing Zi Yuan from getting any closer.
"Go to your desk and start reciting the Doctrine of the Mean!" Zi Yuan pretended to kick Zhou Cong, shooing him to the desk.
"You can't even recite the Doctrine of the Mean? Looks like you're nothing special!" Zhou mocked Zi Yuan, but still earnestly began to recite it.
An hour later, Ziyuan held up the well-written Doctrine of the Mean and placed it in front of Zhou Cong, saying, "Check for any mistakes. If Ajin finds any, I'll have to rewrite it."
"What if there are typos? How will you correct them?" Zhou Cong asked, looking at a piece of paper crammed with densely packed words.
"Of course, you black it out and then correct it. That's how all calligraphers do it." While Zhou Cong was inspecting Zhongyong, Ziyuan quietly took a storybook out of her bundle and stuffed it under her pillow.
"You wrote this character wrong." Zhou Cong patted Zi Yuan on the shoulder. "Correct it quickly."
"I understand." Ziyuan picked up her pen, blacked out the wrong word, and wrote a small character next to it.
"Why did Madam tell you to remain silent and moderate? What exactly did you do wrong?" Zi Yuan put down her brush, picked up a giant sesame seed cake, and stuffed it into Zhou Cong's mouth.
"Knowing too much can easily get you silenced!" Zi Yuan clapped her hands, leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and looked at Zhou Cong. "Young Master Zhou, you can leave now."
"You're a bit too quick to kick me away after I've served my purpose, aren't you?" Zhou Cong had just swallowed the giant sago pearl when Zi Yuan gave him the order to leave.
"Please, if word gets out that a man was in my bedroom late at night, what will become of my reputation!" Zi Yuan kicked Zhou Cong's shin. "Hurry up, or I'll hit you."
"You're really good at making things up!" Zhou Cong retorted, picking up a giant sesame seed cake and stuffing it into his mouth. Just as he was about to grab another one, Zi Yuan snatched the food box away.
"This is my giant sesame!" Zi Yuan looked at the few giant sesame dogs on the plate with great heartache, her eyes wide with anger as she glared at Zhou Cong.
"Give me back my Giant Victory Slave!" Zi Yuan reached out to attack, and Zhou Cong raised his hand to defend. Because it was late at night, neither of them dared to make too much noise, and they both tacitly reduced their strength.
Ziyuan made a mistake and was immediately grabbed by the arm and pinned against the wall by Zhou Cong. "Ziyuan, my wife still needs to work harder!"
Taking advantage of Zhou Cong's smugness, Zi Yuan stomped hard on his foot and then pinned him against the wall. "I'll teach you a lesson too: pride comes before a fall. Are you convinced?"
Zi Yuan didn't dare loosen her grip and immediately grabbed Zhou Congfu's neck and wrist. "I give up, let me go!"
Zhou Cong felt Zi Yuan's grip weaken, and just as he was about to attack, she held him down firmly. "Young Master Zhou, do you think I don't know the saying 'all's fair in war'?"
Zi Yuan kicked Zhou Cong. The candles in the room had long been extinguished during the fight, and the two could only see each other's expressions by the faint moonlight. Zi Yuan snorted and asked, "Do you admit defeat or not?"
"I admit defeat, I won't ambush you again!" Zi Yuan finally released Zhou Cong and rubbed her wrist.
"Are you hurt?" Zhou Cong looked at Zi Yuan rubbing her wrist and then at her expression.
"Of course not!" Zi Yuan wouldn't admit that she had used too much force and her wrist was a little sore.
"Keep being stubborn!" Zhou Congcong took out some ointment from her pocket and placed it on the table. "Take a little, rub it in your palm to warm it up, and then apply it to the wound. It will feel better; otherwise, it will hurt even more tomorrow."
"There's no reason to turn away something that's offered to you, thanks!" Zi Yuan looked at the small green porcelain bottle on the table and asked, "Do you Imperial Guards always carry these things?"
“It’s inevitable to get scrapes and sprains when you’re out and about. It’s good to have extra so you won’t regret it when you need them.” Zhou Cong walked to the door with his back to Zi Yuan. “Alright, it’s late, I should go now. You should get some rest.”
"Thank you." Zhou vaguely heard a thank you murmured in the moonlight as the door closed.
The next day, when it was fully light, Zi Yuan was still trapped on the bed by the blankets and unable to move. Jiang Jin had breakfast but still hadn't seen Zi Yuan, so she went to her room alone.
"Ziyuan, Ziyuan!" The knocking at the door finally woke Ziyuan from her sleep. She opened the door, still drowsy and wrapped in her blanket, and was a little stunned when she saw Jiang Jin dressed neatly.
"Ah Jin, you've come to see me so early?" Zi Yuan returned to the couch in a daze and casually pointed to the paper on the table. "I finished memorizing it yesterday, Ah Jin can check it."
"It's already past 9 AM. Anyone who didn't know better would think I punished you severely, keeping you up all night." Jiang Jin held Zi Yuan's wrist to make sure she wasn't sick before checking on her memorized copy of the Doctrine of the Mean.
"There are no errors throughout. Are you sure you memorized this yourself?" Jiang Jin looked at the neat handwriting on the white Xuan paper without any pauses or hesitation. The few typos were corrected in time, which made her more understanding.
"Of course, you can recognize my handwriting, can't you?" Zi Yuan's voice was somewhat low as she covered her head with the blanket.
"How about I recite a passage? If you can't answer, I won't pay for the storybook." Jiang Jin sat down next to Zi Yuan, holding the paper in her hand.
"What's there to be afraid of!" Zi Yuan mustered her courage and silently prayed that Jiang Jin would draw the passage she knew.
"Duke Ai asked about governance. Confucius said..." Jiang Jin specifically chose this passage on governing the country to test whether Zi Yuan had completely forgotten the important parts.
"The policies of both civil and military affairs are laid out in the strategies and plans..." Following Jiang Jin's words, Zi Yuan recited the entire chapter on governance word for word. Jiang Jin then tested her on several key points, which Zi Yuan answered fluently.
"Not bad." Jiang Jin placed the storybook she was holding next to Zi Yuan's pillow. "I'm returning this book to you, but don't read it too much or try to learn anything from it."
"I knew A-Jin loved me the most!" Zi-Yuan poked her head out and looked at Jiang Jin, swaying slightly.
"Alright, get up quickly." Jiang Jin patted the blanket and didn't insist on Zi Yuan any further.
"Coming right away!" Zi Yuan pulled her head back inside again. Jiang Jin assumed that Zi Yuan was shy and didn't stay in the room.
Upon going outside, Jiang Jin saw Zhou Cong lingering in front of the house for some unknown reason. "Madam," Zhou Cong curtsied, and Jiang Jin nodded slightly, pointing to the closed door behind her. "Zi Yuan hasn't gotten up yet. If you want to find her, you can come back later."
"No, Madam, I didn't!" Zhou Congfei quickly waved his hands, looking at Jiang Jin with a nervous expression.
"You're making it sound like you're admitting guilt." Jiang Jin ignored Zhou Cong. Knowing Zi Yuan's personality, if Zhou Cong did anything to displease him, it would only be Zhou Cong who got hurt.
Jiang Jin returned to her bedroom and looked at the intelligence report about Gaoyun Pavilion that Yi Yi had sent her. "Could the second prince of the Northern Barbarians have secretly gone to Gaoyun Pavilion?"
"Our spies have seen people from the Northern Barbarian tribe coming and going, and news has also come from the Northern Barbarians that the Second Prince has indeed left the capital for the Great Yan." Yi presented the next few secret reports one by one.
"Why are there so many secret reports?" Jiang Jin looked at the secret reports spread out on the table and had a bad feeling.
"Gao Yunge may have influence in Sangzhou." If it weren't for the secret report in his hand, Jiang Jin wouldn't have been able to connect Sangzhou with Gao Yunge.
"It seems things are more serious than we thought." Seeing Jiang Jin's grave expression, Yi Yi's heart sank as well.
“Currently, Gaoyun Pavilion in the capital may be under His Majesty’s surveillance. The forces in Beizhou have become somewhat timid under Wei Shu’s watchful eye. I don’t know about other prefectures, but we must be extra careful with Sangzhou.” Jiang Jin unfolded a map of the Great Yan’s territory.
"Have our men focus their investigations on the garrison areas and the rice-producing regions. Jiangnan Road is also a place that needs attention. Have the rest of the people in Bianzhou been completely wiped out?"
A few days ago, Jiang Jin received a secret letter informing her that Zhai Wan had altered the prescription for the elixir, replacing the snow lotus with other medicinal herbs. Furthermore, His Majesty had granted Bianzhou to Lou Xuan as his fiefdom.
"There are still some hidden ones we're investigating, but the Wang family's influence has been completely dismantled," Yi Yi reported on the situation in Bianzhou.
“Alright, since His Majesty has granted Bianzhou to Your Highness as your fief, we can’t afford to make any mistakes. I remember that Bianzhou has 30% more soldiers than Yuezhou, but they are somewhat lazy. Remember to rectify military discipline. Agricultural taxes will remain the same as those in the court for the time being. Students taking exams in the countryside, counties, prefectures, and the capital will all receive subsidies…” Jiang Jin spoke at length, and Yi Yi unfolded a piece of paper and began to take notes.
"Does my lady have any more?" Yi Yi looked at the ten pieces of advice on the paper and clicked his tongue in admiration. "My lady, I will have someone send the letter back to the capital immediately."
"By the way, investigate Zhou Cong and Zhou Liao's identities and their family's past experiences. The more detailed the better. Remember to investigate secretly and don't let Wei Shu find out." Jiang Jin didn't want Wei Shu to become suspicious, but she was still worried about Zhou Cong and Zhou Liao.
"Alright, is there anything else, my lady?" Yi Yi asked with concern as he watched Jiang Jin rubbing her temples. "Would you like some calming pills? Lady Zhai specially prepared them for you to relieve your symptoms."
"It's alright. Every medicine has its side effects. Awan's medical skills are superb, but even the best pills can't be taken in excess. I'm just a little tired these days, nothing serious." Jiang Jin endured the pain in her temples and continued to instruct Yi Yi.
"His Majesty may have been monitoring us all along. Your Highness, please be careful. Gaoyun Pavilion is too dangerous. If you are sending someone there, remember to prepare antidotes." Yi Yi quickly brought over a calming pill, noticing Jiang Jin's pale face.
"It's alright, I'll feel better after drinking some tea." Jiang Jin didn't want to suppress it with medicine, so he picked up a teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "Send a few reliable and experienced people to Sangzhou. Remember not to arouse suspicion, lie low for now, and don't make any unnecessary moves."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com