Chapter 73 Wu Zhao Si
Over the past six months, the Prince of Yan's Mansion has been hiring chefs, and the dishes are becoming more and more diverse. Hao Chunhe left Jiang Qiaosheng and rushed to the dining room. He grabbed his chopsticks, sat down, and began to eat in silence.
Jiang Qiaosheng had fought his way up from the Red Pavilion to the position of Pavilion Master, so naturally he was competitive. She sat down, picking at her bowl, biting her chopsticks and glancing at Hao Chunhe, clearly not giving up. Xue Ke sat beside her, looking a little reserved. After finishing his meal, he urged Jiang Qiaosheng to go out and deal with the affairs of the board.
Jiang Qiaosheng was walking around in the yard, and he became annoyed by the man following him and nagging him. He got angry and stormed out.
Wen Yao looked at her back, leaned back in his chair and smiled.
Zhao Xuanxu walked over and stood beside Wen Yao, putting his hand on her back. "Are you tired after running around for the past few days?"
From Bianliang to Gusu, and back from Gusu, I immediately went back to the palace. It was basically non-stop, and the schedule was quite busy.
"Hmm." Wen Yao reached out and grabbed the peanuts on the table, rubbing them slowly: "What kind of intensity is this? Not tired at all."
Zhao Xuanxu: "Sometimes the body doesn't feel tired, but the mind does."
Wen Yao raised an eyebrow: "Such literary words actually came out of your mouth."
"Because I know." Zhao Xuanxu said seriously, pressing Wen Yao's back: "Whenever I see those idiots outside, I feel annoyed."
Wen Yao: "Then what are you going to do?"
"Just don't attend court and don't see them." Zhao Xuanxu justified his laziness and negligence in government affairs. "Leave everything to Zhang Yun and Gao Shaoshan."
"You are such a good boss." Wen Yao bit a round peanut between his teeth and looked up at Zhao Xuanxule.
Zhao Xuanxu lowered his head and stared at her for a while. Suddenly, without any warning, he bent down, gently held her chin with his thumb, leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth. Then he took Wen Yao's hand, pulled her up and walked out: "Ayao, let's go, let's go to the pool."
Wen Yao had long since discovered that Zhao Xuanxu loved bathing. When he wasn't killing people, he was quite fussy, meticulous and particular about his appearance, bathing two or three times a day. Wen Yao initially thought Zhao Xuanxu was afraid of the odor from killing so many people, but later, when she was around him, Zhao Xuanxu didn't kill often, but he still bathed two or three times a day.
Like a cat, you need to lick your fur every once in a while.
Zhao Xuanxu led her to a courtyard. Outside grew a banyan tree. Inside, there was nothing but a large pool of water, steam rising from it. A semicircular jade pipe sat beside it, and several maids carried buckets to fill it with hot water.
Wen Yao looked around and recognized the courtyard where she and Zhao Xuanxu had met on their first day of reunion. Back then, she had crouched on the banyan tree with a tentative thought, watching Zhao Xuanxu snap the maid's head cleanly.
She stared at the hot tub for a long while and couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies. When I first came here, I never thought I would be in love with you."
The maid went downstairs with the bucket and stood silently outside the courtyard. Zhao Xuanxu's black hair was loose, and he twisted the belt to untie it and hung it aside. He took off his outer robe and piled it up in layers. Hearing Wen Yao's words, Zhao Xuanxu turned his head and stared at Wen Yao: "I am different. I have been thinking about how to be with you."
Wen Yao wasn't one to be shy, and even hearing that made her feel a little embarrassed, wondering how her boyfriend could be so good at saying nice things. Her ears burned as she watched Zhao Xuanxu strip down to his undergarment, his muscles toned and flowing as he stepped into the water with his long legs.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu looked up at Wen Yao and said, "Come here."
Having done everything she could and couldn't do, Wen Yao no longer hesitated. She quickly stripped off her clothes and stepped into the pool. The pool was filled with hot water, and something had been added to it, but it exuded a light, delicate fragrance. Wen Yao smelled it for the first time and found it quite pleasant. She brushed her hair, scooped up a handful of water, and brought it to her nose to sniff.
Zhao Xuanxu stepped on the bottom of the pool and moved closer.
The stirring hot water gently lifted their pure white sleeves, entwining them into a ball. Zhao Xuanxu held Wen Yao's arm in his hand, kneading it one by one, starting from the fingers.
His force was neither too strong nor too weak, and Wen Yao froze. "What are you doing?"
"It promotes blood circulation, removes blood stasis, and relieves fatigue." Zhao Xuanxu chuckled and rested his chin on Wen Yao's shoulder: "I learned it from Bai Rang."
"You're worthy of being my boyfriend." Wen Yao gradually relaxed, feeling a tingling sensation in the area where he had pressed her. She began to praise him, "You can cook porridge and give massages, amazing!"
She had repeated it so many times that Zhao Xuanxu already knew what "boyfriend" meant. He gladly accepted Wen Yao's compliment, smiled against her cheek, and the hot air from his lips and teeth hit the soft flesh of Wen Yao's ears.
His Royal Highness Prince Yan used an extremely professional technique to massage Wen Yao's wrist bones, then her forearms and shoulder blades. Wen Yao soaked in the hot water, feeling warm all over. She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, she felt her hair being gently pulled.
Wen Yao lifted one eyelid and squinted. He saw Zhao Xuanxu reach out and scoop up the hair of the two people floating in the pool, taking out two small strands and tying them into a knot.
They are married and love each other deeply.
Thinking of this poem for no reason, Zhao Xuanxu's eyes suddenly filled with a strange and innocent tenderness. He passed his hand through the warm water, clasped Wen Yao's fingers and gently shook them, mumbling, "Give it to me."
Wen Yao immediately thought Zhao Xuanxu was extremely cute.
She took Zhao Xuanxu to the edge of the pool, fumbled in the outer robes they had taken off, took out a dagger, and cut off the tangled hair neatly and put it aside.
"I'm giving it to you. Keep it."
The next day, Wen Yao had just finished practicing swordplay twice when there was a knock on the gate of the Prince of Yan's mansion, which had not been visited by outsiders for 800 years. The steward came running to find Wen Yao. Wen Yao sheathed his sword and raised an eyebrow: "Who is looking for me?"
"It's General Baili."
The steward led Wen Yao out to the reception room, where two men sat, each holding a cup of tea. They were clearly not used to drinking tea in Prince Yan's mansion, and they didn't even take a sip. Wen Yao approached, and the two men stood up and bowed to him, "Commander Wen."
Wen Yao recognized one of them as General Baili Cheng.
She had met Baili Cheng twice, once at Cunying Mountain and once at the assassination site during the Heshen Festival. In the chaos of that day, Baili Cheng had recognized the Red Pavilion's killing warrant and was struck through the left shoulder by a Red Pavilion assassin's plum blossom knife. The knife was smeared with a potent poison, and it was quite potent. For the past few months, Baili Cheng had been recuperating, and his presence at court had been far less active than before.
As for the middle-aged man with a long sword behind him, Wen Yao had no impression of him.
The Baili family had entered the court through the Prince of Qin's connections, making them unwavering supporters of the Prince of Qin. While Zhao Xuanxu remained ostensibly neutral, public opinion at court was volatile, with many believing the Prince of Yan favored the Prince of Yong. Wen Yao was genuinely surprised to hear Baili Cheng come to visit her.
Wen Yao sat down at the head of the table and took the tea handed over by the steward. He said in a steady and measured tone, "General Baili is looking for me?"
"I should have thanked Commander Wen for defending Tianshui back at Cunying Mountain." Baili Cheng was a clever man, a masterful blend of a warrior's arrogance and the cunning of an official. Beneath his beard, his mind was thicker than a honeycomb. He spoke politely, speaking not of the imperial court but of the martial arts world: "Commander Wen's martial arts were unparalleled. Even though the martial arts brothers didn't know his identity, they were convinced of his presence."
Commander Wen said modestly: "You're welcome."
"No, no." Baili Cheng waved his hand. "Our Tianshui Dynasty needs talents everywhere. Cun Yingshan also promoted talents to serve as officials. Commander Wen, the effect is not good."
Wen Yao just smiled, lowered his head to drink tea, and didn't respond.
Officialdom matters belong to the officialdom, while underworld matters belong to the underworld. The clear distinction between the two, and their mutual non-involvement, is practically an iron rule of the underworld. Therefore, the last time I visited Cun Ying Mountain, only small-timers showed up; not a single notable figure showed up.
Why hire them then? It's better not to hire a bunch of losers.
At this moment, the man behind Baili Cheng, who had been looking at Wen Yao, bowed and said solemnly, "Xingyi Sword, I have long heard of your great name."
"Xingyi Sword, Xingyi Sword Master"—that's how people in Jianghu greeted Wen Yao. For example, Liu Suling and Yu Le, even though they knew Wen Yao was working for the King of Yan, didn't call him "Commander."
Wen Yao put down the teacup and looked over: "Who are you?"
"My last name is Baili, and I'm an unknown swordsman in the Jianghu." This swordsman from the Baili family was the one who stood behind the King of Qin and defended the Jianghu during Cun Ying Mountain. Unlike Baili Cheng, he spoke directly, saying, "I've been wandering the Jianghu since I was young. I've met many people, all ordinary people, starving. My sword can punish evil and promote good, but it can't fill their stomachs. It's clear that some things can't be solved by a knight-errant with a sword. Later, I changed my ambitions and left my hometown to come to Bianliang. Miss Wen, what do you think of a 'knight'?"
"I'm just a swordsman, I don't know these things." Wen Yao spread his hands and said, "But if you ask me to guess, I guess it's about expressing the injustice of the world."
"That's right." Baili Swordsman suddenly became excited and shouted, "Today, Tianshui is surrounded by powerful countries, and Northern Liao is eyeing us covetously. If you only care about the old rules and stay in the martial arts world, without ever thinking about or serving your country, then you are not worthy of being a hero, but just a hooligan in a peaceful and prosperous era!"
Wen Yao understood.
She shifted her elbow, leaned forward, and said, "So, you're here this time because you want me to hold another tournament and invite everyone else?"
"I want to borrow Commander Wen's title, but it's not a duel." Seeing Wen Yao's attitude soften, Baili Cheng quickly said, "I've already submitted a petition to His Majesty to organize the Wu Zhao Si to select talented people from the martial arts world. Every three months, the Wu Zhao Si will nominate people to serve as officials in the imperial court."
That is the Imperial College for military men.
"In the martial arts world, the strong are respected," Baili Cheng said. "In the Xingyi Sword, the reputation is more powerful than anything else. If the Wu Zhao Division can carry Commander Wen's name, I think more young talents will rush to Bianliang."
Wen Yao nodded: "But I'm already working for Prince Yan."
With just these words, Baili Cheng keenly sensed that Wen Yao had relaxed. He hurriedly said, "If Commander Wen finds this troublesome, then it's just a matter of hanging up the official badge, a mere title. As long as you're willing to speak up, the various sects will give you a favor. It won't harm the foundation of the martial arts world, and it will also benefit Tianshui's national affairs. Commander Wen, please consider this."
These words were spoken sincerely.
Wen Yao touched the teacup with his fingertips and suddenly said, "General Baili came to see me. Does His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin know?"
Baili Cheng gave Wen Yao a deep look and said frankly, "I know. I haven't concealed this matter. Prince Yong, Prince Xiang, and the entire court, both civil and military, are aware of it. Commander Wen, today Baili Cheng is just a lobbyist."
"Okay!" Wen Yao clapped his hands and stood up. "You're right. Some things can't be solved by a man of the martial arts world with just a sword. I accept this."
Baili Cheng and the swordsman from the Baili family were instantly overjoyed.
Baili Cheng bowed and said, "The spring search will begin the day after tomorrow, and Your Majesty will inquire about this matter then. I, Baili Cheng, would like to thank Commander Wen for his understanding of justice."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
