The Salted Fish’s Political Marriage - Chapter 5
Mu Yanzhou slipped away very quickly.
Sensing that the situation was unfavorable, he pulled out a random excuse and vanished without a trace.
However, since it concerned the survival of the world, Song Mingzhi could not help but feel anxious.
The servants of the Prince’s Mansion were exceptionally efficient.
Before long, they had tidied up the Zhuohua Courtyard.
It was not yet noon.
Song Mingzhi traveled to the courtyard by sedan chair, and from afar, he saw that underneath the peach tree in the courtyard, a dining table had been prepared early. Not only were there two maids standing on either side specifically to serve food, but there was even a hot spring in the distance, curling with mist.
As soon as Song Mingzhi stepped out of the sedan, someone stepped forward and saluted him. “His Highness is worried that the Princess Consort might not be accustomed to the food in the mansion, so he specially summoned a famous chef from the Western Regions to the estate. Today’s meal was cooked entirely by them.”
Having said this, the maid picked up the milk wine that had been warming on the stove.
To have clothes handed to one and food delivered to one’s mouth, the lives of immortals could not be better than this.
However, born in sorrow and dying in happiness, Song Mingzhi, who had died in the fall of a nation, would not be easily bought over by Mu Yanzhou.
Song Mingzhi was not used to being served by others. “I will do it myself.”
The maid saluted him. “Understood, Princess Consort.”
Song Mingzhi took the milk wine and ordered them to withdraw first. Then, he summoned his servant, Alang.
This morning, Song Mingzhi had clearly inquired about it. The name of his personal servant was Alang. He had grown up alongside the original owner, was not only proficient in the Central Plains official language but had even practiced martial arts. Just now, Alang had been in the Zhuohua Courtyard helping the mansion servants set up their living quarters.
Hearing Song Mingzhi call him, Alang hurried forward and saluted. “What are your orders, Young Master?”
Song Mingzhi sat at the table and lowered his voice. “Later, I will make a list for you. After you finish lunch, take some people out of the mansion and buy everything on it.”
Alang froze for a moment, then replied, “Yes, Young Master.”
Escaping a marriage was free, but it was truly miserable.
Seeing that the Prince of Qi was outwardly strong but inwardly weak and did not dare to do anything excessive to the Young Master, Alang was no longer in a hurry to flee Chongjing.
However, there was still one matter he could not let go of.
Alang was in no hurry to leave.
He could not help but ask Song Mingzhi, “That person you mentioned before, do we still need to keep looking for them?”
Song Mingzhi murmured, “Looking for someone?”
What kind of person was the original owner looking for in Chongjing?
Alang, assuming he had forgotten due to the busyness, reminded him, “It is the person who saved you when you came to Chongjing in your childhood. Didn’t you say just yesterday that you were worried that if you truly left Chongjing, you would never have the chance to find them again?”
Song Mingzhi was silent.
No wonder the original owner was hesitant yesterday.
Compared to Alang, who was a newcomer and unfamiliar with the capital, it was obviously faster for him to find the person himself. Moreover, since he had occupied this body, he had to fulfill this wish for the original owner.
Although Song Mingzhi was somewhat surprised, his expression remained unchanged. “I will handle this matter myself.”
Alang immediately replied, “Yes, Young Master!”
Evening light had not yet reached the Huiming Hall, and no lamps had been lit.
Twilight shone through the main hall and fell into the side chamber, leaving only a glimmer of light.
The atmosphere inside the Huiming Hall was somewhat heavy.
In front of the flower and bird screen, an attendant dressed in black knelt on the tiles, hesitating as he spoke to Mu Yanzhou. “Reporting to Your Highness, at seven o’clock this morning, when we arrived at the Shangshu Mansion, we discovered that someone had already arrived at Magistrate Du’s residence before us.”
A chill ran along the floor and up the attendant’s spine.
The man in black shivered heavily and stammered, “We discovered that someone had already arrived at Magistrate Du’s residence before us.”
Behind the gold-embroidered flower and bird screen, Mu Yanzhou placed a chess piece down and said nonchalantly, “What did they do?”
A crisp “click” echoed across the chessboard.
The attendant gritted his teeth. “They saved him.”
In the current imperial court, corrupt officials held sway.
Du Shanhui, who served as Minister of Rites, remained steadfast on the path of righteousness. He was not only the backbone of the few upright officials in the court but also a thorn in the side of the corrupt faction.
He was a true outlier.
To avoid suspicion, it was not convenient for His Highness the Prince of Qi to plead for him directly.
Not long after Du Shanhui was released and returned to his residence this morning, they had headed toward the Shangshu Mansion, intending to treat his injuries in private and save his life.
Who would have thought they would encounter something so strange!
The attendant continued, “Not only did he stop the bleeding for Magistrate Du, but he also carefully bandaged the wounds. His technique was extremely seasoned.”
Mu Yanzhou slowly set down the chess piece in his hand.
He rested his chin on his hand and leaned against the couch as he asked, “Were there any other irregularities in the Shangshu Mansion?”
The strangeness lay right there!
The attendant was completely baffled. He gritted his teeth. “Answering Your Highness, there were none at all.”
As the Minister of Revenue, Du Shanhui was somewhat impoverished, but there were still servants in the mansion. Yesterday, that person had entered the Shangshu Mansion as if it were an empty house. Furthermore, he had knocked out two servants without alerting anyone else.
He was definitely an expert!
“Click, click.”
Mu Yanzhou held a chess piece between his fingers.
He tapped the board lightly twice.
A trace of interest suddenly appeared in his eyes.
Finally, he whispered, “Who could it be?”
Du Shanhui’s nephews had begged all over Chongjing yesterday, but everyone avoided the matter like the plague. Even if someone wanted to reach out and help, they probably would not have been able to find such a master.
It was rare for Mu Yanzhou to feel such curiosity about anyone.
Seeing this, beads of sweat the size of soybeans immediately erupted on the attendant’s forehead. “Answering Your Highness, only Magistrate Du saw the person when he was conscious. Magistrate Du said that the person was wearing plain clothes and a veil hat, with a slender build. Other than that, he knows nothing.”
“Click, click, click.”
Mu Yanzhou was still tapping the chess piece nonchalantly.
The attendant became increasingly nervous.
He clenched his hands. “Magistrate Du thought at the time that the person was sent by Your Highness, so he did not inquire carefully.”
Mu Yanzhou was about to place his piece when suddenly, a sound of footsteps echoed outside the Huiming Hall.
The previously dim front courtyard lit up with lamps.
The light illuminated the “Double Happiness” character on the window that had not yet been torn down, along with Mu Yanzhou’s slightly lowered phoenix eyes.
He turned to see a servant with Western Region features carrying a lantern, leading Song Mingzhi toward this place.
Mu Yanzhou said offhandedly, “Withdraw and go accept your punishment.”
As he spoke, he messed up the chessboard.
The attendant felt a chill on his back. “Yes, Your Highness.”
The attendant immediately saluted and withdrew through the back door.
Yuan Jiu followed closely behind and entered the Huiming Hall, lighting the lamps in the room one by one.
In the blink of an eye, the room brightened.
Under the flickering candlelights, Mu Yanzhou rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the chessboard.
He fiddled with the chess pieces. “Wearing a veil hat…”
Ordinary secret guards and attendants always wore black cloths to cover their faces, but the person who went to the Du residence today wore a veil hat.
What was the purpose of such trouble?
“Princess Consort has arrived!”
The announcement interrupted Mu Yanzhou’s thoughts.
Mu Yanzhou slowly shifted his gaze from the chessboard to the door, and then he saw…
Mu Yanzhou asked, “What is this?”
Apart from the servant from the Western Regions, there were several mansion servants following behind Song Mingzhi, each holding a thick stack of books in their arms.
Song Mingzhi walked into the room and saluted him. “Reporting to Your Highness, these are the books I have prepared for you.”
Mu Yanzhou said in disbelief, “Wait, what does my beloved consort mean by this?”
Song Mingzhi answered this question with his actions.
He took a book from Alang’s hand and said earnestly, “His Highness has been idle in the mansion recently. It would be better to read some books in your spare time. Even if they are not used, it shouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Song Mingzhi did not believe that the Prince of Qi was an unlearned man.
However, he could not afford to gamble with the world.
Waiting blindly and observing was not as effective as attacking from both sides: urging the Prince of Qi to study and discuss politics. When the crisis arrived, the world would not be completely beyond saving. If His Highness was not truly “rotten wood,” then even if he offended him, at worst, he could choose to run away.
Mu Yanzhou refused him. “No, wait.”
Song Mingzhi was unmoved. “Your Highness might as well start with this one.”
Even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. Song Mingzhi, who had spent years squatting on the rafters of the Imperial Palace, naturally knew what princes and grandchildren were expected to learn. Having said that, he solemnly placed a copy of Strategy for Governing the World on the desk.
Mu Yanzhou: “Cough, cough, cough.”
Yuan Jiu chuckled.
Mu Yanzhou asked, “What?”
Yuan Jiu quickly averted his eyes.
That book, His Highness had memorized it thoroughly by the age of eight; he never expected to see it again today!
The Prince of Qi blustered nonsense all day long, and no one ever took his words to heart. Who would have thought that this time, he would stumble so badly over the Princess Consort?
Even if he wasn’t a spy, he was surely a trial for His Highness.
Mu Yanzhou stood up and flipped through a book casually. He was not giving up yet. “Why did you bring so many books? When will I ever finish reading them? Besides, what will you be doing while I am reading? Are you going to read them with me?”
After finishing his sentence, he turned to look at Song Mingzhi.
The Princess Consort did not need to participate in court affairs.
Song Mingzhi immediately shook his head, refusing him. “Your Highness, I have no use for these books in the back residence.”
The flickering candlelight fell into his water-blue peach-blossom eyes.
His gaze was exceptionally sincere.
That was true.
Mu Yanzhou was silent.
His face was written with: This is so unfair.
Seeing a group of servants swaying back and forth while holding books and not daring to put them down for a long time, Yuan Jiu finally ordered, “You guys leave the books here first and withdraw.”
The servants replied, “Yes.”
After saying that, they put the books on the desk, finally let out a long sigh of relief, saluted, and retreated from the Huiming Hall.
And at this moment, Mu Yanzhou hissed.
He slowly and forcefully pressed his hand against his abdomen.
His acting itch flared up once again.
Song Mingzhi asked, “What is wrong?”
Mu Yanzhou gripped the clothes underneath his hand tightly.
He could not help but frown and whisper, “It is over. My stomach illness seems to have recurred. I cannot read these books.”
Song Mingzhi murmured, “Stomach illness…”
The Prince of Qi indeed suffered from a stomach ailment and was currently recuperating.
But…
“Yesterday, Your Highness said that you were faking your illness.”
Song Mingzhi hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to ruthlessly expose him. “Besides, the stomach is on the left side.”
Practice makes perfect; today he was very calm.
Mu Yanzhou was silent.
He silently moved his hand to the other side.
Finally, he said in despair, “No, how could you even notice that?”
The candlelight warmed those water-blue eyes.
Song Mingzhi curled the corners of his lips subconsciously.
Mu Yanzhou was momentarily dazed. “Even the beauty trap won’t work.”
However, his protests were futile.
As Mu Yanzhou was speaking, Song Mingzhi had already taken out the brush and ink, and silently placed them next to the books by his hand. “Your Highness, please begin.”
Mu Yanzhou asked, “You are being serious, aren’t you?”
Song Mingzhi clearly had no intention of joking.
Mu Yanzhou said in despair, “Just let me continue my downward spiral.”
He sighed lightly, pressed his hand against his forehead, and finally said to Song Mingzhi from the bottom of his heart, “Just let me be a respectable piece of trash.”
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