Chapter 1335: Huh? (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
“My father gets along well with everyone.”
As the girl in red spoke, a strange glint flashed in her eyes, disappearing in the blink of an eye, as if that ripple was merely a figment of Lin Feng's imagination after a brief moment of distraction. Sensing the slight malice in the girl's words, Lin Feng remained silent.
No matter how you reply, it's inappropriate.
Unlike the seemingly genuine but ultimately false "close friendship" between the Lord and Wu Xianjiu, the Lord's friendship with Zhai Le during their youth was at least 90% genuine and 10% false. The Lord himself acknowledged this bond, occasionally mentioning it with a smile. Lin Feng didn't know Zhai Le's attitude, but considering that their identities at the time had no conflict of interest, Zhai Le's feelings for the Lord were likely sincere.
Only when both parties are sincere and compatible in temperament can they find common ground.
The girl in red, however, said that Zhai Le was opportunistic with everyone, not only fundamentally denying the friendship but also giving the impression that Zhai Le was cunning while his lord was innocent and naive. Or perhaps, she was just overthinking it, and the girl in red didn't mean it that way? Regardless, Lin Feng didn't respond: "King Zhai was unrestrained and indulgent in his youth; who wouldn't like such a temperament?"
Compared to a greasy, gloomy snake that could brew venom at any moment, people naturally prefer a warm, outgoing, and cheerful dog. A dog that isn't afraid of strangers will approach anyone and chat for a bit; that's a dog's problem, not a human one.
She rested her chin on her hand and murmured, "Unrestrained and unconventional? Indulging in one's desires?"
Lin Feng said calmly, "In my youth, that was indeed the case. Even in simple clothes and straw sandals, his dashing demeanor was undeniable. Who wouldn't admire a young man full of passion and boundless ambition? But times have changed, and our identities are ultimately different. Back then, I could travel a thousand miles alone for the sake of loyalty and righteousness. Now, bearing the heavy responsibility of my family and country, I must restrain myself a bit."
Humans are to the universe what ants are to mountains and seas.
Even mountains and seas cannot withstand the changes of time, let alone human beings.
The girl in red retorted, "Is this how the King of Shen is?"
Lin Feng said, "Of course."
"Your Majesty's words are much more pleasing to the ear than those of the Grand Tutor..." The girl in red let out a snort of laughter, leaned closer to Lin Feng, and showed a touch of the naivety unique to her age. "I hit it off with Your Majesty at first sight, and I am reluctant to part with you when I think of your departure... Please don't be so quick to change your expression, Your Majesty. I am speaking in my personal capacity, not as anyone's daughter or the crown prince of any country."
A private identity, not involving national or family interests.
I simply really like Lin Feng as a person.
Lin Feng naturally wouldn't easily believe the other party's emotional appeal, but he didn't mind saying a few nice things that the other party wanted to hear: "It is my good fortune to win His Highness's favor."
Zhai Le's educational methods are reliable. As long as she doesn't go astray, the girl in red will be a commendable successor.
This is Lin Feng's general assessment of the girl in red.
Although the girl in red was the crown prince, she was not ignorant of agriculture. In fact, she was very clear about the trivial matters of people's lives, from the process of planting crops to the price of harvesting, from judging the quality of grain to the basic market price, she knew what families with different incomes should be like, and she understood the hardships of people's lives... Before meeting her, Lin Feng was worried that the girl in red would be the kind of person who was incompetent and did nothing but occupy a position without doing anything.
As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Lin Feng grew up by Shen Tang's side and also learned her habit of praising others without reservation. Whether it was her subordinate or a minor official she had only met once, Lin Feng would habitually praise even the smallest merit.
Even when facing the girl in red, he subconsciously brought this along.
Only after praising him did he realize he had overstepped his bounds. The other person has probably heard similar things countless times since childhood.
The girl in red looked at her in surprise, her cheeks slightly flushed.
He said, "It's not as good as the Queen says."
Lin Feng shook his head and said, "Listening to only one side leads to darkness, while listening to both sides leads to enlightenment. This is easy to say but incredibly difficult to do. Your Highness's achievements at such a young age are certainly due to the guidance and advice of those around you, but even more so to Your Highness's own excellence."
The girl in red sighed upon hearing this.
A slight daze appeared on his still somewhat childish face.
Lin Feng did not press the matter further.
Based on their interactions today, she was certain the girl in red had something on her mind and some conflict with Zhai Le, but these were matters of another country and private affairs, and as an outsider, it was best for her not to get involved. Lin Feng simply observed her quietly.
What are we observing?
Naturally, we can learn from experience.
Once the ruler has an heir, there will be fewer pitfalls in their education. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess differ by only one character, yet they face vastly different problems and dilemmas. The girl in red is likely the first female heir truly raised as a successor, wielding power and growing up as a potential candidate for the throne. She faces many challenges; it's always good to learn from and observe her closely.
Why was Lin Feng so certain?
Because she discovered that the official beside the girl in red was not a simple person.
These officials also demonstrate how determined Zhai Le was to appoint this successor, completely disregarding any second choice.
[...Although Zhai Xiaofang succeeded to the throne early, the cultivation of women in the Qu Kingdom started later than in the rest of the country. The Crown Princess's palace not only had high-ranking civil and military officials from the court, but also female officials and their families who were closely related to these officials... There were no ordinary people... How could the phrase 'carefully selected' possibly describe it?] There were quite a few female officials accompanying them this time. Lin Feng's gaze swept over their waists, and they were basically all scholars and literati. Judging from their clothes and speech, he could tell that they came from prominent families.
However, the female guards, limited by their cultivation time, didn't possess particularly strong auras. Yet, their very presence showed that Zhai Le was grooming them as his daughter's future team. If something were to unfortunately happen to him, this team could seamlessly take over.
Lin Feng silently noted down the key points in his mind.
The female officials were all much older than the girl in red.
The oldest among them is about the same age as Lin Feng.
Judging from her posture, speech, and official rank, she should be the one the red-clad girl trusts the most. Upon meeting Lin Feng's gaze, she cupped her hands in a respectful bow and thanked him, saying, "...Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
Lin Feng's eyes swept over the last line of inventory numbers.
After mentally adding and subtracting, I finally ticked off the entries.
Today's task has been successfully completed.
"To comfort? What makes you say that?"
The female official said, "His Highness has been in low spirits lately, but after a long talk with the Lady, he was finally able to smile a little."
Lin Feng did not claim credit for the achievement.
He simply said, "This is because Your Highness is very perceptive."
She figured it out herself; it wasn't her who persuaded her.
Knowing Lin Feng was cautious, the female official didn't continue the topic. Instead, she had the food brought out. On a table were two plates of hot, plump white rice balls, each filled with a savory filling and shredded cucumber.
The lady-in-waiting said, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe that a day’s work could yield such a bountiful harvest. Your Highness was in high spirits just now and rushed to the fields with others to harvest a small half-acre of rice. We had the husks removed, washed, and cooked. We made a lot of it and wanted to share it with Your Majesty so that she could also taste our skills.”
There wasn't enough time to grind the ingredients; they just added them in and shaped them into a ball. It wasn't a particularly good cooking dish, so it wouldn't taste great, but it wasn't terrible either. That's what Lin Feng initially thought, until she took a bite and tasted the salty, fishy flavor.
"What's this?"
She almost vomited.
Between the cucumber shreds and fish floss, there was a small, smooth, and soft clump of something with a flavor that's hard to describe—a little sour and a little pungent. Taking another bite, this rice ball didn't have that strange taste anymore, but it contained small dried fish.
It's still a very strong-smelling dried fish.
"...Ahem, the tastes here in the Southeast are too strange..."
It wasn't poison or spoiled food, so there was no reason to waste it. Lin Feng frowned, chewed twice, and swallowed.
She initially thought the girl in red was deliberately making things difficult for her, but when she turned her head, she saw the girl and her group standing on the edge of a distant field. Her hands were covered in grime, her sleeves were rolled up, and her trouser legs were tied around her knees. She stood in the wind, laughing lightly as she approached the rice ball in the female official's hand.
With his excellent eyesight, Lin Feng was certain that the other party's rice ball and the rice ball in his hand were made by the same person and had the same recipe.
Tsk, what else can she complain about?
Lin Feng could only finish the rest with a wry smile.
Fortunately, the new rice is soft, sticky, and delicate, with a natural sweet aroma.
After chewing and finishing the five rice balls on his plate, Lin Feng gradually got used to the strange taste and found it somewhat acceptable. Enjoying the cool evening breeze, he mentally assessed the extent to which the fertility of the rice paddies was causing a decline in grain production. To meet the deadline, he either needed Zhai Le to allocate national resources to ensure the fertility of the rice paddies, or he needed to switch to cultivating a different batch of land. These fields, if planted two or three more times, would be practically ruined.
It would take a long time to restore fertility using conventional methods.
Lin Feng didn't want to cause any misunderstanding with the Qu Kingdom, that she had deliberately destroyed their fertile fields. During the cooperation between the two countries, it was important to maintain a facade of harmony and minimize conflicts. Lost in thought, she suddenly felt the wind on her face lessen; someone had blocked it.
Oh, it's Gong Xichou, who's been missing for several days.
The other person looked somewhat disheveled, and his complexion was not as rosy as before.
If his usual expression suggested someone owed him five hundred taels of silver, now even a passing dog owed him fifty thousand. Lin Feng glanced him over, seeing no bandages and smelling no blood, guessing he wasn't injured. Had he kicked a hornet's nest?
"Freshly baked, want to try some?"
Lin Feng handed the plate over.
Gong Xichou didn't even look, picked up a lump of something and stuffed it into his mouth. The next second, he turned his head and spat it out, his face contorted: "...Pah, what a weird taste! Did you stuff a corpse in there, or did you poison it?"
Lin Feng flicked his finger, conjuring a ball of flame that sent the poor rice ball back to the earth. He laughed and said, "Every grain is hard-earned, don't waste it."
Gong Xichou ate the remaining half of the ball with a sour face.
His assessment was: "It's not even as good as swill."
Lin Feng: "..."
That's quite a harsh assessment.
She asked, "Has the General made any gains these past few days?"
Gong Xiqiu said coldly, "Let's not talk about it, it's bad luck!"
Lin Feng thought for a moment, then handed him a hot rice cake, freshly made in the kitchen, with some red bean paste inside. If it wasn't sweet enough, he could dip it in brown sugar. Gong Xiqiu devoured one in two bites, chewing it vigorously as if the rice cake were his enemy.
He whispered, "...The seal is gone."
Lin Feng knew the history of the Gongxi clan and what Gongxi Chou was investigating, so he had a bad feeling when he heard this.
"...Is it really that person?"
Is the man next to Zhai Xiaofang Che Hou that one?
“Things are probably not that simple. What disappeared wasn’t just the sealed person, but also the seal itself that suppressed that person…” Gong Xichou paused suspiciously for a long time, then frowned and said, “…I’m worried that a traitor has appeared…”
Lin Feng was shocked: "How is this possible?"
"...I hope not."
Did you encounter any obstacles when you went to investigate?
Gong Xichou said, "Yes, we've been ambushed."
The two sides only exchanged blows briefly and did not fight to the death, so the ambushers' specific cultivation level and trump cards were unknown. Gong Xichou did not want to make a scene, and the other side was also considering something and was deliberately keeping a low profile.
Lin Feng's mood visibly darkened.
The fact that Gongxi Chou dared to attack directly and then escape unscathed means that his strength is considerable. Could this person be Che Hou, who serves by Zhai Le's side? Lin Feng said, "I'm going to discuss the matter of national fortune and prosperity with the King of Zhai tomorrow. Are you going too?"
Does the person smell like you?
Gong Xichou said, "Hmm."
Then, pointing at the girl in red, he asked, "Who is she?"
Lin Feng looked in the direction she pointed and saw the girl in red, her peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, smiling and talking to the female official. The others also had different expressions, each extremely beautiful and unique. It was, undeniably, a beautiful scene worthy of a painting.
"The daughter of the King of Zhai, and the Crown Princess of Qu."
Gong Xiqiu let out a short, sharp "Really?"
"What's there to fake about this?"
Gong Xichou turned his head and muttered something.
"...Can't even raise a daughter properly, what a waste."
Lin Feng turned his head, puzzled: "Huh?"
Gong Xichou ate seven or eight rice cakes by himself, and didn't leave a single red bean special edition for Lin Feng: "...You didn't see...oh, you didn't see...how old is his daughter?"
"...twelve or thirteen years old (by Chinese reckoning)?"
The way age is calculated differs significantly between the Southeast and the Northwest.
"...At this age, and a martial artist... well, actually, it's about right." Gong Xichou seemed to be calculating something, and his few words sent chills down Lin Feng's spine. "...Back in the day, Tang Guo's good-for-nothing son was..."
"You—watch your words!"
Lin Feng subconsciously interrupted Gong Xichou.
He shifted his gaze from the girl in red, opened and closed his mouth several times, and after a long while said, "Impossible. She—although I haven't had much contact with her, I can tell that she's like her father; she's not the type to suffer in silence. Tell me, who would dare to lay a finger on her?"
Not only will that audacious person die without a burial place, but even the earthworms next to his nine generations of relatives will be chopped vertically by Zhai Le!
Gong Xiqiu said in surprise, "You've misunderstood."
How could it be what Lin Feng was thinking?
“Zhai Xiaofang herself is a cunning martial artist who pretends to be weak but is actually strong. You can tell whether someone close to her is intact just by looking at their aura…” Gong Xichou’s words made Lin Feng breathe a slight sigh of relief, but the next second he raised his voice again, “No one can touch her.”
Lin Feng pondered these words and hesitated for a moment.
"Are you... implying something?"
"Yes, no one can touch her."
Lin Feng swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva and chose to end the topic.
Gong Xiqiu was unsurprised: "Even Lin Xiaoma is surprised by this? Among those in power, there's no shortage of money-power-sex transactions. I saw all sorts of things when I was with Tang Guo back then."
Is it because the Kang Kingdom's administration was clean and efficient? Or was there something fishy going on? Or were Mama and Chu Wuhui protecting her too well?
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