Chapter 63 A Little Talent "The purse your wife bought for you?!"...
"You're knowledgeable, but that's only because you've read so many books."
Xue Rongyue rolled her eyes at him, and was about to retort when she suddenly recalled that the two of them had also had a heated discussion on this issue last time, and she had been at a disadvantage because of the undeniable facts.
To avoid repeating the same mistake, she had no choice but to back down and angrily utter this weak statement.
But since she still needed Qin Jin's help, Xue Rongyue didn't argue with him too much: "Since you're here today, let's discuss how to work together from the inside and outside to rescue Shuman. Although she's not in immediate danger, from what I've heard, those bandits are all desperate scoundrels who only fear power and don't appreciate kindness. They might turn on us at any time. I'm really worried about her being in such a dangerous situation."
Qin Jin nodded: "Ji Dian is waiting at the teahouse not far away. Send your men to fetch him."
"Jidian? What's he doing here too?"
Xue Rongyue was surprised and somewhat reluctant. Although she had reconciled with Qin Jin, she still did not trust Ji Dian.
Qin Jin said quietly, "Didn't someone say that we should work together from the inside to rescue them?"
Xue Rongyue denied it: "Who is this person? Who wants to work with Ji Dian to save people? Why is the Crown Prince telling me this? I don't know anything about it."
Qin Jin looked up and glanced at her.
Xue Rongyue leaned forward with a grin: "I only said that I would cooperate with the wise and powerful Prince Qin from the inside."
Qin Jin's thin lips involuntarily curled upwards, but he immediately restrained himself upon realizing it, his tone cold: "I've already told you, you're good at sweet talk."
"Stop pretending. You got the benefit but are now acting innocent."
Xue Rongyue's expression immediately changed, and she kicked him.
Having taken a solid kick, Qin Jin knew when to stop: "Ji Dian has been infiltrating the bandits for some time and is highly regarded by the bandit leader. The person who imprisoned and guarded Madam Zheng is his confidant."
Xue Rongyue suddenly realized: "No wonder Guanhe was able to win people over so easily, and Shuman also said that the person could be trusted and there was no need to worry. It turns out that he was one of his people."
Saving lives was her top priority; her past grievances with Ji Dian were insignificant at this critical juncture. Xue Rongyue summoned Luo Zhen and instructed him to personally go to the teahouse and invite Ji Dian over.
Luo Zhen was squatting outside the door, gnawing on a roast duck with his mouth dripping with oil. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly wiped his mouth and left.
"Your Highness, are you really not going to have a drink with me today? We are, after all, old friends meeting in a foreign land."
Taking advantage of this free time, Xue Rongyue extended a warm invitation.
Qin Jin sensed something was wrong: "Why have you been inviting me to drink with you?"
Of course, it's because I need a strategy guide.
She had always been the one receiving attention from men; she had never gone to great lengths to win over or please a man. She thought she had used every means at her disposal, but Qin Jin's favorability and hatred seemed to have frozen in time.
She was truly at her wit's end. Since she didn't have many opportunities to use her skills while traveling, she decided to try and apply the physical contact techniques from the "Guidebook" to see if they would still be effective. However, she couldn't get over the hurdle in her mind to do it so openly, and she also found it difficult to find a reason or excuse to justify it afterward.
After much thought, she decided that pretending to be drunk was the most ingenious trick, and she used it with great skill.
To everyone's surprise, Qin Jin refused to cooperate at all.
Facing his suspicious gaze, Xue Rongyue said matter-of-factly, "I already said, we're celebrating our chance to meet an old friend in a foreign land. Didn't you find it a little surprising when you saw me in the neighboring county that night?"
"......etc."
Xue Rongyue suddenly realized something and sat up straight: "You... weren't surprised at all back then!"
Seeing that Xue Rongyue had realized what was happening, Qin Jinqing coughed and lowered his eyes to cover up his thoughts: "I've always been like this, calm and composed, unfazed even if Mount Tai collapses before me." "Stop trying to glorify yourself. It's not like when you were five years old and I found out you were wetting the bed."
Xue Rongyue couldn't stand it anymore and exposed his shortcomings without hesitation.
If Qin Jin's blush was mild and subtle before, after a brief moment of silence following Xue Rongyue's unexpected words, Qin Jin blushed from head to toe, her face turning even redder than the Guan Gong portrait pasted on the door.
He raised his voice incredulously: "Xue Rongyue!"
"You'll see, just try it and you'll know."
Xue Rongyue spread her hands innocently: "It's not that I didn't change my expression."
Qin Jin's pupils were in shock. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "Exaggeration, do you even understand the use of exaggerated language? There's no need to verify that!"
"There's no way around it, I've always had a strong thirst for knowledge."
Xue Rongyue regained the upper hand, casually picking up her teacup, but her almond-shaped eyes landed squarely on Qin Jin: "Just like I want to know, since that person is Ji Dian's confidant, how could Ji Dian not know the contents of the secret letters exchanged between Shu Man and Guan He?"
She snorted coldly, her tone growing increasingly harsh: "...Since Ji Dian knows, then the Crown Prince of Qin will naturally know as well."
"Qin Jin, you're just going to keep this from me! I told you, that night when the cranes blocked our way, how did you manage to slip away so quickly? You already knew I was coming to Lin County, didn't you!?"
Qin Jin awkwardly touched his nose: "Ji Dian knows, but why should I necessarily know? Besides, Ji Dian is also a scion of a prominent family. Although he may lack great virtue, he is mindful of minor matters and might not necessarily look through the secret letters they exchange."
"Don't try to fool me. Ji Dian was able to infiltrate these bandits for so long, there must be something big involved. After the Shuman incident, how could he possibly ignore the secret messages that were sent out and not read a single word!"
Xue Rongyue coldly stared at him: "People who lie will never wake up again once they close their eyes!"
Qin Jin gasped: "Xue Rongyue, you just said you met an old friend in your hometown. You're too cruel. You're cursing an old friend like a dead person."
Xue Rongyue sneered: "You were just making excuses. If you weren't lying, why are you panicking, Your Highness?"
Qin Jin was about to speak when two short knocks came from behind him. Ji Dian's lazy voice followed: "Gentlemen, may I come in now? It's getting dark and there are a lot of mosquitoes. If I get bitten again, I'll become a dried-up corpse."
Ji Dian had already arrived at the door, and Xue Rongyue couldn't really keep her waiting outside for too long.
Glaring angrily at Qin Jin, Xue Rongyue made it clear that she would fight later and replied, "The door wasn't locked."
Ji Dian pushed open the door and walked in: "It's so dark in here, why didn't you two light a candle? You're really engrossed in your argument."
He took out a tinderbox and lit the candles on the table. The light immediately dispelled the darkness in the room. Ji Dian turned around and sat down, looking at Xue Rongyue lazily and said, "Madam Xue, it really has been a long time."
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, but standing in front of the door, your voices kept coming into my ears, it was hard not to hear them." Before Xue Rongyue could speak, he continued, "I have a question, I wonder if you two could enlighten me?"
Xue Rongyue knew he was never one to speak sensibly, so she refused without hesitation, saying, "If you have something you don't understand, go back and think it over. Be smarter and keep it to yourself."
Ji Dian readily agreed: "Since you two are willing, then I shall dare to ask—"
"Aren't you two sworn enemies? The hosts are always wary of you when you attend banquets, afraid to let you meet. If that's the case, what led to this situation?"
"I was thinking that you two usually don't attack each other, which already shows that you can be considered to be on good terms. But you never said you knew you were coming to the county, so how can that be considered hiding something? And you're still pressing me for an answer. Is this what you two are supposed to be friends about?!"
Xue Rongyue looked Ji Dian up and down and said, "Young Master Ji is indeed superior. Whether viewed from afar or up close, he is no different from those bandits. It seems that he is exceptionally talented and born to be a bandit."
Ji Dian's lips twitched, but he thanked her expressionlessly: "You flatter me, Madam Xue."
Xue Rongyue remained calm and composed, deftly deflecting the question: "Although I do not know why Master Ji is so indignant, I still maintain that if you cannot understand something, you should think about it more than others. The early bird catches the worm. If you continue to be foolish, there will be many more things you will not understand in the future."
Ji Dian, whose eloquence was never as sharp as Xue Rongyue's, gritted his teeth upon hearing this and changed the subject: "Madam Xue, didn't you brave the snow to go up the mountain to kill Prince Qin before? You even made some harsh statements. Now that such a good opportunity has come, you're not going to go back on your word and not kill him, are you?"
Xue Rongyue's expression froze.
At that time, Jingnu pulled her up from the edge of the cliff. She had just escaped death and was still furious. She couldn't save face in front of the monks and pilgrims who rushed over after hearing the news, so she said two harsh words: "We'll fight to the death."
It's rather embarrassing that Ji Dian is now making fun of it.
At this moment, Qin Jin realized how much trouble Princess Yu'an had when he was at odds with Xue Rongyue. He said helplessly, "Didn't we come here to discuss how to rescue Madam Zheng from the bandit's den? It's getting late, let's get down to business."
Upon hearing this, Ji Dian raised her eyes and glared at him.
Women are like hands and feet, and brothers are like clothes, right?
When he was at a disadvantage just now, why didn't Qin Jin step in to smooth things over? But now that Xue Rongyue is silent, he's learned to speak up!
Qin Jin pretended not to see it and was about to get to the point when Xue Rongyue suddenly spoke up: "Yes, I have already made peace with Prince Qin. I have changed my mind and do not want to kill him anymore."
Ji Dian sneered, about to retort, when he caught a glimpse of Qin Jin's wildly upturned lips out of the corner of his eye.
Ji Dian: "......"
What is he happy about?
Ji Dian looked over in disbelief—
Qin Jin felt his gaze, coughed, and then raised an eyebrow at him, as if to say, "See, I didn't lie to you, she really isn't going to kill me now."
It's clear that Qin Jin is trying to suppress the upward curve of his lips, but it's obviously a futile effort.
Ji Dian: ""
No, what is he so proud of?
What is he so smug about this time?!
Is it something to be very proud of that Xue Rongyue has changed her mind and decided not to kill him?
Ji Dian felt that suppressing bandits was no longer the top priority.
He had to take Qin Jin to a Taoist temple to have a Taoist priest exorcise the evil spirit, otherwise no one knew what unbelievable things this possessed bastard might do!
After downing two cups of cold tea, Ji Dian still couldn't pull himself out of his absurd state.
After he was defeated, Xue Rongyue got back to the point: "There are many bandits on the mountain, and the government is protecting them. It's like a pipe dream to rescue someone from the mountain."
Qin Jin said, "If you want Madam Zheng to come down the mountain, you still have to agree to the marriage first."
When it came to business, Ji Dian didn't mince words: "But Zheng Shuman is unwilling to cooperate. I have already told her that we are just pretending to agree to deceive the bandits, and we will rescue her after we go down the mountain. But perhaps because of her reputation, she just won't cooperate."
"Perhaps she doesn't trust me. Why don't you go and persuade her, Madam Xue? You two have always been like sisters. Since you've traveled all this way for her, you don't want her to risk her life because of her reputation."
Xue Rongyue fell silent.
Ji Dian was stunned, then exclaimed in surprise, "No way, Xue Rongyue, you don't also think that those ephemeral reputations are more important than your life? As long as you're alive, you can always rebuild. Reputation is a shackle that varies from person to person. You two shouldn't be foolish..."
"no."
Xue Rongyue interrupted him before he could finish speaking: "The reason she dared not nod was never her reputation, but that marriage."
Ji Dian frowned, about to speak, when he saw Xue Rongyue take a deep breath, look up at the lantern drifting in the night wind under the corridor. In the heavy night, the faint light was like a leaf quietly floating on the river, a lonely and helpless fallen leaf, swirling, not knowing which storm would push it into the abyss.
She said, “We all know that it was just an excuse to deceive the bandits and let her down the mountain first. But did Ji Langjun ever think that once she agreed, the bandits would definitely bring her a marriage contract to sign and send her off to get married without stopping for a moment?”
Qin Jin lowered his eyelashes, looking at the ripples trembling in the teacup, and understood.
Ji Dian still didn't understand: "Yes, there are many people and things are chaotic during the wedding procession, which is the best time for us to step in and save people."
Xue Rongyue asked, "What happens after they're rescued?"
Ji Dian was stunned by the question.
Xue Rongyue said, "The grand wedding procession is making its way through the neighboring county, and the whole town knows about it. Even if we rescue the person, will this marriage just disappear?"
Ji Dian said incredulously, "Yes, Zheng Shuman's maternal grandfather has ulterior motives and colluded with bandits to force her into marriage. But after we rescue her, we can immediately send her back to Chang'an. With Uncle Zheng there, do you think her maternal grandfather's family would dare to pursue her? She is a daughter of the Zheng family, and her marriage should be decided by her parents. How could the Yu family dare to..."
Ji Dian stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, finally realizing the problem.
Yes, although Zheng Shuman's birth mother died early, her birth father and second wife are still alive. How could the Yu family dare to bypass them and the Zheng family to force Zheng Shuman to marry?
Aren't they afraid that the Zheng family will find out and cause trouble for them, which could get out of control and expose their behind-the-scenes conspiracies?
Ji Dian's heart skipped a beat, and his throat felt dry.
There are only two possibilities: either the Zheng family was fully aware of the marriage and had already tacitly agreed to it, which is why the Yu family dared to act so recklessly.
Alternatively, even if the Zheng family is currently unaware, once the deed is done, the Yu family has a way to appease the Zheng couple. Perhaps the Zheng family has something on the Yu family, perhaps it's a swap of interests, perhaps money or official positions, or perhaps some other miscellaneous dealings. In short, the Yu family can ensure that the Zheng couple will accept the marriage afterward and will not cause a major conflict.
Regardless of which possibility it is, for Zheng Shuman, as long as she signs the marriage certificate and gets into the bridal sedan chair, even if she manages to escape from the bandits, there is still a very high probability that she will have to marry them afterward under the coercion of the Zheng and Yu families and the governor.
Or rather, she is destined to be married off to him.
It wasn't until this moment that Ji Dian understood Zheng Shuman's unspoken words and the helplessness and pain beneath her stubborn refusal to cooperate.
No wonder, even after falling into the hands of bandits, she dared not ask the Zheng family for help, because she knew that no one would come to her rescue.
He didn't know how Zheng Shuman felt, but as an outsider who understood the schemes of the Zheng and Yu families, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
These are blood relatives!
His time in Lin County was neither long nor short, but it was nowhere near as deep as the Yu family's influence in Cenzhou. Even so, he knew perfectly well how despicable the governor who colluded with the mountain bandits was.
He came from a prominent family in Jiangnan, and all three of his wives died tragically. If it weren't for his powerful family's ability to cover for him, he would probably have been imprisoned long ago. Zheng Shuman wasn't forced into marriage at all; she was practically pushed to the edge of a cliff, and one more step would have meant certain death.
If he understood this, how could the Yu family, a family with long-standing and deep ties to the governor, not know it? Yet they still resolutely pushed Zheng Shuman forward, watching helplessly as she was about to fall off the cliff.
Ji Dian tightened his knuckles: "Then what should we do? The bandits are running out of patience. They will definitely take a hard line. It's not the right time to suppress them yet. Even if we send manpower now, I'm afraid the bandits won't be patient enough to last that long."
"We still need to get her to nod first, to pretend to agree to the marriage, and appease those bandits," Xue Rongyue said after a moment of thought. "But we can't kidnap her when she's being escorted off the mountain. It would be best if we did it on the way down... No, we still need to find a way to cause an unexpected incident after Shuman pretends to agree, so that they don't have time to prepare for the wedding."
"Moreover, this unforeseen event cannot happen to Schumann, as I fear it would anger the bandits. It would be better if it happened to the bandits, or perhaps the governor..."
Xue Rongyue's eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly looked up at Qin Jin.
Ji Dian was surprised: "Kill the governor? No, no, he is a crucial witness, he must be captured alive."
Xue Rongyue: "We definitely can't kill them, it would alert them. But if there are changes in the governor's family that prevent the wedding from taking place, such as a funeral, or if the governor breaks his leg, then we can proceed."
Qin Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Liu Muzhen is not a rule-abiding person. As long as he is not dead, it will not prevent him from getting married. A funeral is acceptable."
Qin Jin and Ji Dian simultaneously thought of one person: "Liu Muxing."
Xue Rongyue had never heard of this name before: "Who is he?"
Qin Jin explained, "Liu Muzhen's younger brother was seriously injured not long ago and was in critical condition. Liu Muzhen invited all the famous doctors in Cenzhou to treat him, so he probably still has a breath left."
Ji Dian said thoughtfully, "Then write a letter to persuade Madam Zheng to agree, and I'll send it to her. As for Liu Muxing, I'll leave him to you."
He patted Qin Jin on the shoulder: "The capable should do more. Go and get rid of him."
Qin Jin glanced at him but didn't reply. Instead, he said, "It's getting late. You should get some rest. There's no rush with the letter."
Xue Rongyue was taken aback, then realized: "You have other ideas?"
Qin Jin simply said, "It's still uncertain. Give me two days."
Ji Dian understood, gave a short hum, and didn't say anything more. He then stood up and said, "Then we'll take our leave."
Xue Rongyue hesitated for a moment, then called out to Qin Jin and asked, "What should I do if I need to contact you?"
With a slight bob in his Adam's apple, Qin Jin lowered his eyes, untied an inconspicuous sachet from his waist, and handed it to Xue Rongyue: "Send someone to take this sachet to the teahouse where he was drinking tea earlier and give it to the manager."
Ji Dian looked back and forth between the two people in front of him thoughtfully, and suddenly spoke up: "Delivering a letter is fine too. The shopkeeper is both virtuous and principled, he would never peek."
Hearing Ji Dian say this, Xue Rongyue was somewhat skeptical. She smiled at Ji Dian and affirmed him again: "Wearing coarse linen clothes, Young Master Ji really does look like a mountain bandit."
Ji Dian glared at her: "You don't know a good heart!"
Even after leaving the courtyard where Xue Rongyue and her group were staying and entering the teahouse, Qin Jin took off his brocade robe embroidered with gold and cranes behind the screen and changed back into the coarse linen clothes worn by bandits. Ji Dian was still indignant: "Where do I look like a bandit? You're blind!"
He held a grudge and attacked Qin Jin as well: "And why is she only talking about me and not you? We used to be the two of us being mocked by her together."
His gaze fell on the brocade robe Qin Jin had changed out of, and he sneered: "That's right, who's like you, always having to take a bath and change clothes before seeing her? Guang Sheng runs around every day buying you brocade robes and jade crowns, don't you get tired?"
Guang Sheng, standing to the side, secretly thought to himself, "This is where Ji Langjun's lack of understanding lies. You know, people dress up for those who please them."
Wearing the bandits' coarse linen clothes, and with the young master always covered in blood when he came down from the mountain, how could he possibly meet Lady Xue?
Guang Sheng cast a supportive glance at Qin Jin, "Your Highness, I understand you!"
Qin Jin said slowly and deliberately, "She's just sharp-tongued, so don't argue with her every time."
"?"
Ji Dian stood up abruptly: "You want me to argue with her? You've really gone too far with your underhanded tactics!"
He gritted his teeth and said, "You're still so sharp-tongued. Have you forgotten when she put laxatives in your food? I'm just wondering what Xue Rongyue's abilities are that she can so easily bewitch you from childhood to adulthood."
"I've figured it out now. It's all those random books she showed you when you were little that ruined your brain!"
Ji Dian disliked Qin Jin when he was young.
He would suddenly give a wicked smile. In the dead of winter, he lay on a tree frozen into an ice sculpture, reading a book. It was unclear whether he understood the book or not, but he was stuck to the ice tree and couldn't move. Several eunuchs tried to pull him out, and finally, they tore his robes to shreds before he was rescued.
He pretended to be a child prodigy with a photographic memory when he read books. He read thirteen books in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, throwing one away after reading it. He also shouted "simple and easy" as if he were drunk, which made the teacher furious. When the teacher tested him, he found that he hadn't recognized all the characters. He was given twenty lashes on the palm of his hand and couldn't even hold his chopsticks anymore.
When invited to play polo, he casually glanced at him and coldly said, "You are no match for me." In fact, at that time, he couldn't even ride a horse properly, and his left hand was in a cast after falling off a horse.
During the New Year, when setting off firecrackers outside the palace, Princess Yu'an, worried about safety, snatched the tinder from his hand. He stood under a tree frozen into an ice sculpture and said in a very low voice, "Woman, you are playing with fire. Don't try to attract my attention."
It wasn't until Princess Yu'an held him down and beat him up that he became a little more normal. Ji Dian had always thought Qin Jin was an idiot when he was young, but later he learned the reason why the idiot had suddenly appeared and the woman behind the idiot.
"That's not right either."
Ji Dian glanced at him and said, "My sister also bought these miscellaneous books, and I read a few myself out of admiration, but I didn't end up like you."
He threw Xue Rongyue's words at Qin Jin: "You definitely have some talent, the talent to be an idiot."
Qin Jin understood that he was in a bad mood after defeating Xue Rongyue, so he didn't want to argue with him. He was about to go to the table to have a cup of tea when he suddenly stepped on something.
He looked down and saw a piece of emerald green silk with two green bamboos at the ferry crossing and a river surface reflecting a bright moon.
It was the purse that Xue Rongyue had embroidered for him.
Just as he was about to bend down to pick it up, Guang Sheng suddenly exclaimed, "So this is it! The purse my wife gave me. I thought I had dropped it outside."
Guang Sheng quickly picked up the purse and brushed off the dust.
For a moment, Qin Jin thought he was hallucinating—
"A purse your wife gave you?!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: The Crown Prince's face first turned red and then began to crack.
Xiaoyue is right, Ji Dian needs to practice more if he's going to be weak, otherwise what will he do when he finds out they've been betrothed? [crying emoji]
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