Chapter 73 It’s All For You
PS: Thank you Xiao Xiaoren for voting pink, thank you for your continued support. Today is the first of the month, a new month has arrived, Qingqing is weakly shouting with a pot lid on her head, begging for pink votes, those who have pinks, please throw them to Qingqing, haha, thank you:)
Why would an extremely intelligent person reveal such a flaw in front of another extremely intelligent person? Zhong Min thought about it and there were only two reasons.
Or maybe Ning Zhiyuan did it on purpose, just to see Xiao Mingzheng's reaction, because as everyone knows, Xiao Mingzheng has never had any personal maids by his side. So it makes sense that Ning Zhiyuan treats her differently based on this.
As for the other reason, it was unintentional. Li Jin'er was a secret agent serving the court before. Maybe Ning Zhiyuan had seen her before, so maybe he felt that she looked familiar, so he subconsciously tried to test her.
But no matter what the reason is, this is not a good thing for Zhong Min, and it will also affect Xiao Mingzheng, so Xiao Mingzheng asked this question.
Seeing that Zhong Min understood his meaning without needing any prompting, Xiao Mingzheng was even more impressed by her intelligence. However, for the time being, it was not appropriate to take any action against Ning Zhiyuan, so he simply instructed Zhong Min to be extremely cautious and avoid any unwarranted contact with Ning Zhiyuan, so as to avoid any problems. After all, at this moment, even a single move could affect the entire situation, so he had to be even more vigilant.
Zhong Min naturally had no reason to object. Xiao Mingzheng was right. If Ning Zhiyuan really knew the former Li Jiner, then it would be easy for her current identity to be exposed. Although this possibility was not great, it is better to be safe than sorry. In any case, avoiding unnecessary contact was the most effective method at the moment.
After leaving Mo Garden, Zhong Min went straight to find the spy who was responsible for collecting intelligence for her, and told him that no matter how much it cost, he must find out all the information and situations of all the places along the way from Muzhou to the capital, as well as the places he would go to after arriving in the capital, within three days, without leaving anything out.
Then she found Xie Feng again and asked about the general situation in the capital, so as to find out various safety hazards more comprehensively, prepare in advance, and come up with countermeasures.
After a busy period, he was about to leave the office to sort out his thoughts, but he saw Luo Jiaxing walk in.
"Brother Luo, you've come just in time. I was looking for your help with something." Zhong Min remembered that Xie Feng had said before he left that Luo Jiaxing was more familiar with the affairs of the capital than he was. So, he had been planning to ask Luo Jiaxing about this, but he hadn't expected him to show up by chance. "I just heard Brother Xie talk about the situation in the capital, but it wasn't very comprehensive. He said you know more about it than him, so I was thinking of asking you to tell me more."
"There's no rush. Let's talk about it later." Luo Jiaxing said as he sat down on the chair next to Zhong Min. With a serious look on his face, he said, "I have something more important to tell you."
"What's the matter?" Zhong Min saw that Luo Jiaxing had a serious face and thought that something big had happened after she left, so she waited attentively for Luo Jiaxing's reply.
"Zhong Min, how old are you?" Luo Jiaxing asked this question suddenly, but his expression was not much different from before.
"How old?" Zhong Min hadn't expected Luo Jiaxing to ask this out of the blue. She was stunned for a moment and said, "How important is this? What do you mean?"
Seeing this, Luo Jiaxing frowned slightly and said, "Just answer the questions, and you'll know the answer in a moment."
"Oh, let me think about it." She blinked, looking very cooperative. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Sixteen? Seventeen? I can't remember exactly how old she was, but she should be over fifteen and under twenty!"
Hearing Zhong Min's serious yet completely uncertain answer, Luo Jiaxing couldn't help but shake his head and said, "In other words, no matter what, you are already an adult, right?"
Adulthood? Right? In ancient times, women were considered adults at the age of fifteen. Zhong Min was well aware of this. She nodded, but still didn't understand what Luo Jiaxing was trying to say. "Yes, it's adulthood, not Brother Luo. What do you mean? Can you explain it more clearly?"
"You don't understand, right? Fine, then, I'll explain it clearly!" Luo Jiaxing said with a sullen face, very dissatisfied: "Since you are already an adult, how come you don't even understand the simplest principles of a girl? Look at what you did just now. Not only did you arm wrestle with a man, but you also heartlessly rolled up your sleeves and exposed your arms in front of so many men, as if nothing had happened. Tell me, are you a woman? Do you understand the differences between men and women, and the protection between men and women? It's a pity that you could still be serious and righteous in the end. Luckily, this happened in the mansion, in front of the prince, and no one dared to do anything. If it was outside the mansion, if it was someone else, you would..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Zhong Min listened for a moment, finally realizing that Luo Jiaxing was specifically trying to teach her a lesson about this. She felt amusement in her heart and interrupted him, "Brother Luo, is this the important thing you're talking about?"
"Do you really think this is no big deal? You're a girl after all. If this gets out, it won't do your reputation any good." Luo Jiaxing was furious when he saw Zhong Min still looking nonchalant. He said in dissatisfaction, "Don't think you've become a man just because you think you're a boy. You're a girl after all. How can you not behave like a girl at all?"
The more Zhong Min listened, the more she felt that Luo Jiaxing's tone was similar to her mother's usual scolding of her. For a moment, she couldn't help herself and said with a smile, "Brother Luo, don't be so angry. You know my temper. I don't like to pretend. I am what I am. As for my reputation, I am innocent. Let people say whatever they want. I have a piece of meat to lose anyway, so why bother with so much. Besides, I don't feel ashamed. It's not as serious as you say. I don't care, so why are you so angry?"
"I've been so kind-hearted that I've been ignored. I'm meddling in other people's business!" Luo Jiaxing's face darkened upon hearing this. In a fit of impatience, he blurted out, "Do you think I'm just bored and want to meddle in other people's business? If it weren't for you, if it weren't for me..."
Having said this, Luo Jiaxing suddenly stopped talking, his expression instantly becoming a little strange. Seeing Zhong Min staring at him with curiosity and confusion, he had to swallow the rest of his words.
Seeing Luo Jiaxing suddenly stop talking, Zhong Min couldn't help but ask, "What else is it?"
Hearing Zhong Min's question, Luo Jiaxing suddenly looked embarrassed. His face flushed and he hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "If it weren't for you calling me Brother Luo, I wouldn't bother to waste my time on such a stubborn person like you."
Seeing Luo Jiaxing's look at this moment, Zhong Min just thought that he was really angry with her. After thinking about it, although she did not agree with Luo Jiaxing's point of view, it was certainly not wrong in such an era. Moreover, the other person was well-intentioned and was thinking about her, but she kept refuting him again and again, which was really a bit too much.
"Brother Luo, don't be angry with me. That's not what I meant just now. I know I have a lot of problems, and I know you're doing this for my own good. Although I can't guarantee that I can change these bad habits all at once, don't worry, I will listen to you in the future and pay more attention to these things."
Zhong Min had a rare opportunity to make a friend like Luo Jiaxing, so she naturally didn't want to let such a trivial matter affect their relationship. Seeing that Luo Jiaxing was genuinely angry, she quickly followed his lead and said, "One step back, the sky will be wider." After leaving Prince Mu's mansion, she could live her life however she wanted, and Luo Jiaxing probably wouldn't have the chance to nag her about such things like that.
Hearing Zhong Min finally change her tune and admit her mistake, Luo Jiaxing's expression gradually brightened. He hadn't meant anything else; he was simply worried about her constant carelessness and worried she'd suffer. He knew Zhong Min's personality well; it was impossible to make her act like a lady all of a sudden. But at least she had been taken seriously, which put him at ease.
"It's good to know your own problems." He shook his head. "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. The prince asked me to come find you. He said that the dinner will be held in the front courtyard banquet hall later. The prince is still in the study. When you are done, go find the prince as soon as possible. Don't let people see that you, a personal maid, are not working by the master's side all day."
After hearing this, Zhong Min realized that Luo Jiaxing came to see her for something important, so she nodded. Seeing that it was getting late, she did not ask Luo Jiaxing about the affairs in the capital at this time, but quickly got up and went back to the study to find Xiao Mingzheng.
Luo Jiaxing still hadn't shown up for the evening banquet. Besides Xiao Mingzheng, several key officials from Muzhou were also summoned to join him, welcoming Ning Zhiyuan. Ning Zhiyuan had changed his clothes, but he still looked as elegant as ever in his white robe, white as white as snow. It was clear he had a fondness for white.
After some polite opening remarks, everyone present raised their glasses and drank together, formally welcoming Ning Zhiyuan. Xiao Mingzheng was a man of few words, but at his behest, officials would naturally speak up and bring up topics at the right time. Add to that the performances of the palace's singing and dancing girls, and the atmosphere was quite good.
Ning Zhiyuan still wore a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, looking as energetic as ever. However, apart from occasionally exchanging a few words with Xiao Mingzheng and occasionally responding to the officials beside him, he didn't say much. He only occasionally glanced at the performances of the singing and dancing girls, clearly not being very interested.
Seeing this, Xiao Shizheng waved his hand, signaling the performing singers and dancers to withdraw first, and then said to Ning Zhiyuan, "The singing and dancing in this palace are too ordinary. Prime Minister Ning is used to seeing first-class performances in the palace. These are indeed not pleasing to his eyes."
"Your Highness has taken the trouble to arrange such a wonderful song and dance. Zhiyuan is extremely grateful and how could I not be happy?" Ning Zhiyuan smiled slightly and gracefully raised his hand towards Xiao Mingzheng, saying, "However, Zhiyuan still has a request that I dare to ask for Your Highness's permission."
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