Chapter 33 Intelligence This was the first time she had shown such goodwill.
Moments of tenderness and affection always make people want to linger. More than a day has passed, and Shi Wan is still immersed in the afterglow of the Qixi Festival that night, and is somewhat unable to extricate herself.
Outside the tent, Hua Hui was carrying in a small stack of new books. This was a special order from the King, and the servants below were naturally very attentive. Moreover, after these past few days, anyone with eyes could see the King's favoritism towards Wan'er.
On one side, Shi Wan had just finished familiarizing herself with the books when her maid Hua Lan, seeing that she finally had a chance to use her skills, quickly moved half of the books to the tidied table.
Shi Wan rarely had the opportunity to read, and in the ocean of knowledge, she was inevitably thirsty. She opened the books one by one, and as her eyes swept over them, she found that the footer of the pages had a similar tear as before.
Some of the books were even damp.
"These books were collected by some soldiers from the surrounding area. Some of the residents' studies were in disrepair or had not been used for a long time, which is why they are like this," Hua Hui explained quietly as she saw Shi Wan pick out the damaged books.
This place is only a few dozen miles from the actual front line. With the invasion of foreign tribes, these years must have been extremely difficult. Under such circumstances, it would be even more difficult to have a collection of books at home. Upon hearing this, Shi Wan's movements became even gentler, and she said, "It is naturally not easy for the people guarding the border to read books and understand principles."
Compared to Luoyang, and compared to the noble scions born into aristocratic families, a woman of her background understands better how hard-won this book is.
“Yes, this book… in ordinary households, let alone here, even in Jichuan, it would be very rare.” Hua Lan looked wistful as she picked up a scroll beside her. “This scroll of poems alone would cost three taels of silver. In today’s world, it is practically priceless.”
Seeing this, Hua Hui sighed, "Yes, such a unique copy is extremely rare, even if it is copied by someone else."
"Nowadays, we live hand to mouth. Just having enough to eat and wear, and a place to stay, is enough. How can we possibly have the energy to think about studying and taking the imperial examinations?"
"And the world these days, sigh..." As if remembering something, her voice choked, "A person's fate is determined from birth..."
Seeing that the two of them were in low spirits, Shi Wan couldn't help but comfort them, "But if you never give up, you will naturally achieve great things. As the saying goes, fate, luck, and ability are the three most important factors."
"If you learn a skill, you can definitely have a different life."
When the two maids heard her say that, they subconsciously exchanged glances. Seeing that Shi Wan seemed to be just offering casual advice, they continued to steer the conversation back to her, saying, "That may be true, but we think that you, Miss, have an extremely good life." Hua Lan echoed this, nodding as she spoke.
Her gaze fell on the travelogue that Shi Wan was reading, then lightly swept over her hair and clothes, and she said with envy, "Just the books you read, the clothes you wear, the hairpins you wear, all these things... are almost ten years' worth of living expenses for an ordinary family."
“Yes.” Shi Wan replied without thinking, her thoughts drifting as she recalled her days at Willow Terrace.
Seeing her lack of interest, the maids, fearing they might alert the enemy, simply went along with it and exclaimed, "The King treats you so well!"
"Yes, this is truly one of a kind."
Shi Wan stared intently at the title page of the book, her hands turning the pages rhythmically. The two were wondering if their advice had worked. Remembering the King's instructions, they were about to probe further when they heard Shi Wan ask, "These mint leaves... can they be used in tea?"
“This… the things in the book are complex and varied, and cover a wide range.” Hua Lan shook her head after hearing this and said, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen this either.”
When Shi Wan first came to serve Jiang Xu, she remembered the precious tea leaves left by the former prefect in the prefect's mansion. The brewing process was complicated, requiring the leaves to be finely crushed into powder and then water was used. The book described this "mint pounded tea" as having much simpler steps.
Without hesitation, she, Hua Lan, and Hua Hui obtained fresh mint leaves. These were specially brought by the army for cooling off when they went on their expedition, and now she was getting a good deal from them.
The mint leaves were bright green and much larger than those Shi Wan usually saw, and they also had a rougher texture.
Hua Hui seized the opportunity to say, "This should be wild mint unique to the border region. Nowadays, in the hot summer, the army always brings some before going to war."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan continued to pound the peppercorns and coarse tea leaves with a pestle, extracting a small amount of greenish juice. If you brought it close, you could smell its refreshing aroma.
Once it had turned into a sticky paste, she sprinkled on some spices, then poured in freshly boiled water. As the steam rose, the unique sweetness of mint quickly spread.
Shi Wan took two small sips. The astringency of the coarse tea mixed with the refreshing wild mint created a wonderful flavor. She then busied herself preparing another batch for Jiang Xu.
After a short while, once everything was finished, she hurriedly took a teacup and went to find him.
Inside the main business account.
Jiang Xu was carefully reading the military report from the Youzhou uprising army. After discussion, the leaders of the uprising army had decided to transfer the salt and iron monopoly rights of the three prefectures to the Jingbei Army.
However, Jiang Xu also needed to provide them with some assistance, such as provisions, men, and horses.
Jiang Xu was not surprised by this result, but the speed at which the rebels came to negotiate with him was indeed a bit slow... He pondered for a moment, then dipped his brush in ink and began to write regularly.
The neat, regular script leaps off the page, and the poem ends with just a few words.
A moment later, Jiang Xu suddenly looked up and stared at the outside of the tent. "Who is it? Come in."
Shi Wan was hesitating outside, several steps away from the soldiers guarding the tent, when she suddenly heard Jiang Xu inside the tent calling her to come in.
As he approached, Jiang Xu saw that it was her, and his sharp aura softened slightly. "Why are you here at this hour?" He glanced at what Wan'er was carrying and chuckled, "What is this?"
Thinking about it...
After the two maids pressed their advantage and persuaded her, Wan'er's desire to escape must have faded considerably.
Jiang Xuwen guessed, "This thing... looks like tea?"
Border guards also have a habit of drinking tea, especially during the two most extreme seasons of the year, summer and winter. They always drink special tea wines or other dairy products. For example, drinking wine in winter is even more effective in keeping warm and refreshing the mind.
This summer...t.....
Seeing Wan'er nod in agreement, Jiang Xu snapped out of his reverie, stood up, and took the bowl. It was a pale green color, and upon closer inspection, it emitted a faint minty fragrance. He joked, "Why don't you make some wine? It would be good for the soldiers to have a taste and boost their morale."
This was undoubtedly a joke. Not to mention the strength of the liquor itself, even if she counted the number of times she secretly practiced, she was still far from proficient, and... the raw materials alone were not easy to obtain.
But on the surface, Shi Wan smiled and said, "The soldiers are soldiers, and the king is the king."
“These past two nights, you took me to see the Qixi Festival celebrations, so naturally I want to do something for you too.”
The gloom in Jiang Xu's eyes dissipated further. He chuckled twice, then drank the cup in one gulp.
The wild mint has a sharp, pungent flavor that instantly cuts through the lips and tongue. Upon closer tasting, it seems as if other spices have been added. After drinking it all in one sip, the richness of the tea has been perfectly neutralized by the refreshing mint aroma.
Jiang Xu was enjoying his drink, and a smile inevitably appeared on his face. "It tastes excellent." This was the first time in recent times that Wan'er had shown him such goodwill.
It has a similar meaning to "washing one's hands to cook soup for the ruler"...
She truly is a woman who responds better to gentleness than force. Jiang Xu's tone was soothing. "I will depart no later than the day after tomorrow morning. You stay here and ask those two maids if you need anything."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan focused on something else and asked, "The latest? Can we even calculate the date of the battle ourselves?"
Jiang Xu glanced at her with a half-smile, "I think the next two days are auspicious, so I'll make the decision myself."
"Make your own decision?" Shi Wan felt a lump in her throat as Jiang Xu made excuses again, suspecting that he might have secretly received some information or was planning to frame someone.
In a flash, she even had a strange thought about the nightmares that had been plaguing her lately, and...
The assassin with the purplish-blue scar under his left eye.
If dreams come true...
As she was pondering this, she heard Jiang Xu say, "While I am away fighting, you must remember to report your safety to me frequently."
Shi Wan quickly snapped out of her daze, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. She met the man's dark eyes and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
She shook off those strange thoughts, raised the corners of her lips, and said, "I've been writing letters to the King lately... I won't run away at this time."
......
*
On July 12th, the army set out on the expedition.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, like a bluish-gray silk ribbon wrapping the horizon, creating layers of different colors.
"Marching into battle!"
The group then departed in an orderly fashion, raising a cloud of dust that dissipated into the morning air.
Shi Wan was in a daze, suddenly sitting up from the couch. Cold sweat soaked her clothes, sticking to her back. She didn't know what she was thinking, but she hastily put on an outer robe, picked up the letter she had written on the table last night, and was about to go out.
Outside the tent, two maids, hearing the commotion, quickly came in to greet her. "Miss." Seeing that she was awake but looked uneasy, they hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
However, Shi Wan was preoccupied with other matters, so she gave a perfunctory reply and went to find Jiang Xu.
"His Majesty has already left with his army." Jing Yin received the order and happened to be nearby. Seeing Shi Wan's hurried expression, he paused for a few moments before saying, "If Madam has anything to say, I can convey it to her."
Shi Wan calmed down a bit and said seriously, "I have something important to tell the King. Since he has already set off, I wonder if Guard Yin could... convey my message?"
Jing Yin's expression remained unchanged, his eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the person in front of him, not missing a single small movement. After a moment, he finally smiled and said, "Of course, this is my duty."
"Please give your orders, Madam."
Shi Wan then took out the letter. In her haste to run, the edges of the letter were slightly crumpled. She quickly smoothed them out and handed it to Jing Yin, saying, "Guard Jing, please give this letter to the King. Also..."
Her voice became hesitant, but after a few moments, it still came to a decisive conclusion, as if she had made a great decision.
Accompanied by the sudden, rapid heartbeat, gradually mingling with the morning breeze carrying sand, "Also, Your Majesty, please be extremely careful of the person with a scar under their left eye."
“A… man.”
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