Chapter 72 The more challenging, the more interested
PS: Thank you Huajiang for the amulet, and thank you Kaixin Liuli for the sachet. I am very happy to have two new friends. Thank you to all the subscribers. The second update is here, Qingqing will keep working hard.
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Xiao Mingzheng did not answer Luo Jiaxing's words immediately, but walked to the desk and sat down, staring at Zhong Min who was standing beside him with a thoughtful look.
"Your Highness, what did Ning Zhiyuan say to you? Why did he ignore so many things happening in the capital and come here for no reason?" Luo Jiaxing frowned when he saw that Xiao Mingzheng did not answer, and asked again after a moment.
Seeing that Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything but kept staring at her, Zhong Min thought it was inconvenient for her to be here, so she said, "Your Highness, please discuss business with General Luo. I'll wait outside."
She was about to turn around and leave when she was stopped by Xiao Mingzheng: "No need to avoid it, this matter is also related to you."
Is it related to her? Hearing Xiao Mingzheng's words, Zhong Min was a little puzzled. However, since the prince said there was no need to avoid him, she had no choice but to stay and see what was going on that concerned her.
Seeing this, Luo Jiaxing looked at Zhong Min strangely, and then asked Xiao Mingzheng, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"The fifteenth of next month is the Empress Dowager's fiftieth birthday. The Emperor has ordered all the princes and lords to return to the capital to pay their respects. I originally planned to use the war on the northwest border as an excuse not to go to the capital, but I didn't expect Ning Zhiyuan to come. It seems that this time I have to go even if I don't want to."
Xiao Mingzheng finally began to answer Luo Jiaxing's questions: "He said that he had just returned to the capital after finishing some business in Yuzhou and happened to be passing by here, so he came to see me. In a few days, we will also return to the capital together."
"Passing by? He really is on his way. It takes a detour through several counties to get from Yuzhou to Muzhou. It's clear that the Emperor sent him here specifically." Luo Jiaxing said firmly, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, you absolutely must not go to the capital this time. The court is trying every possible means to lure you back. There must be some conspiracy behind this, and I'm afraid they have no good intentions."
"I understand the dangers of returning to the capital this time. Leaving Muzhou, those who seek my life will be free to act with impunity. Furthermore, the power structures in the capital are complex and intricate, and if I'm not careful, I might never return." Xiao Mingzheng said in a deep voice, "However, if I don't return to the capital this time, I'm afraid the court will hold me accountable, and our situation will only become more vulnerable."
"Your Highness, have you decided to return to Beijing in person to celebrate the birthday?" Luo Jiaxing knew that Xiao Mingzheng wouldn't change his mind easily once he made it, but since this matter was of great importance, he changed his mind and said, "Why don't we think of other ways and see if we can find a reasonable reason to cancel this celebration?"
Hearing Luo Jiaxing's persuasion, Xiao Mingzheng just shook his head slightly, and then said to Zhong Min, who had been silent beside him, "The security mission this time in Beijing is extremely difficult. Do you have confidence?"
Zhong Min had already understood what Xiao Mingzheng meant by "he had something to ask her" from his previous conversation with Luo Jiaxing. Now, seeing Xiao Mingzheng's direct question, she knew his decision wouldn't change. Even though he knew it was a dangerous place, Xiao Mingzheng had no choice but to go for it.
For her, perhaps, this was a perfect opportunity. If she could successfully complete this external defense mission, it would be sufficient to prove that the security system she had promised was mature enough to withstand any test. The deal between her and Xiao Mingzheng would also be perfectly concluded, and her departure would be just around the corner.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. The more challenging the task, the more interested I am. Furthermore, the success of this external defense mission will be a powerful test and validation of the entire security system I've constructed, so I will give it my all." Zhong Min said calmly without hesitation, "However, this time is different from the past. The matters involved are extremely complex, so I will need more time to prepare."
"I will give you seven days to prepare. Also, within these seven days, anyone you need, including Jiaxing, Xie Feng, and the spies, will be at your disposal." Xiao Mingzheng knew that seven days was a short time, but it was the maximum time he could give Zhong Min. "We will depart in seven days. This is all I can give you. Any more and you won't be able to make it in time for the Queen Mother's birthday."
"Seven days?" Zhong Min murmured again. After a moment, he looked up at Xiao Mingzheng and nodded. "If we hurry up, it will be almost done. However, there is one thing I must remind Your Highness."
"Go ahead!" Xiao Mingzheng didn't know what Zhong Min wanted to remind him, but since it was mentioned at this time, it must be related to the safety of entering Beijing, so he took it very seriously.
Zhong Min replied, "Your Highness, during this trip to the capital, the most I can do is prevent individual and small-scale assassinations. As for other crises, Your Highness will need to think of countermeasures in advance. Finding multiple escape routes will make it much easier to escape unscathed."
Xiao Mingzheng naturally understood what Zhong Min meant, but he hadn't expected her to be so insightful. Seeing her thinking so much about him, he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart.
"I will have carefully considered and prepared for this." He nodded and said, "You only need to do your job with all your heart. Upon successful completion of this mission, I will definitely reward you. I will never break my promise."
Hearing Xiao Mingzheng's promise, Zhong Min naturally felt good. She didn't care about the reward or anything like that. The best thing would be for her to leave and regain her freedom as soon as the deal was completed. However, she didn't say much else at this point. She simply said, "First, we should work hard. Only with real results can we have a foundation for everything else."
Seeing that everything had been discussed and concluded, Zhong Min decided to go find someone to gather valuable information and intelligence. Time was running out, so she had to hurry.
Just as she was about to leave, Xiao Mingzheng called her again: "Wait!"
"Your Highness, is there anything else?" Zhong Min paused, not knowing what else Xiao Mingzheng had to say. Come to think of it, Xiao Mingzheng must have been much busier than she had been during these past seven days. After all, she only had to prepare one thing, while Xiao had to deal with all sorts of things.
"You said that your intuition has always been accurate. You also met Ning Zhiyuan today. I would like to hear your opinion about this person." Xiao Mingzheng did not ask too clearly, but just asked Zhong Min in general terms.
When Zhong Min heard Xiao Mingzheng suddenly ask this, she thought for a moment. She didn't know why Xiao Mingzheng asked this suddenly, nor did she know what his real intention was. However, this was the first time that Xiao Mingzheng took the initiative to ask her about something unrelated to security issues, so she had to give him some face.
"Since the prince asked, I must tell the truth." She smiled and said, "To be honest, this man is outstanding in appearance and elegant in demeanor. Most importantly, he has a gentle temperament and elegant conversation. I think the phrase 'soft as jade' is the most appropriate to describe such a man. But..."
She paused, recalling Ning Zhiyuan's attention to her, intentional or not, and shook her head slightly. "It's just that this man has risen so rapidly to the highest position in the government at such a young age. He must have a completely different character and skills than his delicate appearance suggests. Otherwise, how could he have held such a position and such great power? Therefore, my intuition tells me that it's best to be cautious of such a person and keep my distance."
"Your Highness, in my opinion, Zhong Min's intuition is indeed very accurate. This man is a smiling tiger. He smiles to your face, but you never know when he will stab you in the back. His visit to Muzhou this time, besides forcing Your Highness to come to the capital, must have other ulterior motives. Otherwise, he would not have made this trip in person. We must be on guard." Luo Jiaxing fully agreed with Zhong Min's words: "If we leave in seven days, he will have to stay here for another seven days. Who knows what he might do."
"We'll discuss this later." Xiao Mingzheng took over Luo Jiaxing's words and continued to say to Zhong Min, "You mean you sensed a dangerous aura from Ning Zhiyuan?"
Seeing Xiao Mingzheng asking more detailed questions, Zhong Min didn't hide anything and nodded to explain, "Perhaps. He seemed to be paying a little too much attention to me today. Logically speaking, even if he usually appears to be easygoing, he wouldn't pay so much attention to an ordinary maid he's never met for no reason."
At this point, she suddenly spread her hands and said with an amused expression, "Firstly, I'm not some stunning beauty, so naturally I don't have the stunning presence to instantly attract the attention of a powerful Right Prime Minister. Secondly, I've always been well-behaved and haven't done anything special to dazzle anyone. So, everything about me is normal, yet he still shows the kind of attention he shouldn't have. Doesn't this automatically mean he's abnormal?"
"Hahaha..." Hearing this, Luo Jiaxing couldn't help laughing: "Zhong Min, you are quite self-aware."
When Zhong Min heard this, she rolled her eyes at Luo Jiaxing and said, "Of course, you think I'm a flower maniac!"
"Flower maniac?" Luo Jiaxing stopped laughing and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "What does 'flower maniac' mean?"
Luo Jiaxing was already used to Zhong Min blurting out some completely incomprehensible words from time to time, and he didn't find it strange anymore. He just always looked eager to learn and asked for an answer.
"What 'nymphomaniac' means is that some women fall in love with handsome men, and then completely lose the ability to think, and their IQ becomes as low as an idiot. Do you understand?" Zhong Min gave a simple explanation, and secretly warned himself in his heart that he should be more careful with his words in the future and not suddenly blurt out some modern words.
Luo Jiaxing suddenly understood, thinking that this word was a perfect description. He was about to express his opinion when Xiao Mingzheng took over the conversation with a serious face, "Since you have already seen that Ning Zhiyuan is abnormal, do you know why such an extremely intelligent person would have such an obvious flaw?"
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