The Salted Fish’s Political Marriage - Chapter 9

The carriage slowly emerged from beneath the high tower.

The midday sun pierced through the carriage curtains once more, falling upon Mu Yanzhou, making him appear brilliant and radiant.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Is this a test to see if I have any hidden ambitions?

Mu Yanzhou straightened his posture, and as if not yet fully awake, repeated the words: “Us, a separation?” Then, looking at Song Mingzhi with profound confusion, he asked, “Why has my beloved consort suddenly brought this up?”

Song Mingzhi replied, “The First Prince, he…”

The thin carriage walls could not block out much sound.

Mu Yanzhou’s words fell clearly into the ears of Yuan Jiu, who was driving the carriage nearby. He could not help but tense up, gripping the reins tightly as he listened to hear how Mu Yanzhou would handle this.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage:

Hearing the words “First Prince,” Mu Yanzhou suddenly started shaking his head and laughing.

“Don’t worry, I am not the First Prince. I would not be like him, getting married and having children while putting on such a pretense of righteousness…” Having said this, Mu Yanzhou suddenly widened his eyes, looking down at Song Mingzhi in shock. “Wait, could it be that you, Ah-Zhi, actually like sanctimonious hypocrites like the First Prince? Hmm, this seems a bit difficult to deal with. I…”

Mu Yanzhou derailed the conversation instantly.

The somewhat serious atmosphere inside the carriage was completely shattered by him.

Hearing this, Song Mingzhi immediately corrected him: “Your Highness, that is not what I meant!”

He knew that the First Prince was not only a hypocrite but had also historically orchestrated an assassination attempt on the Prince of Qi out of jealousy; he was utterly despicable. How could he possibly admire such a person?

Mu Yanzhou drew out his tone, “Oh, then that is fine.”

With a “whoa” sound, the carriage pulled to a slow stop within the Prince of Qi’s residence.

Mu Yanzhou smiled to himself, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped out: “The only thing I care about is this.”

Having said that, he did not give Song Mingzhi time to react. He turned and instructed Yuan Jiu to drive the carriage directly to Zhuohua Courtyard so he could catch up on the sleep he missed last night.

Yuan Jiu: “!”

He silently gripped the reins. Master, you are truly a genius!

It was the season of late spring, and the plants and trees were just beginning to sprout.

When the east wind blew, the room was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

A servant dressed in black brought a secret report into the Huiming Hall: “Reporting to Your Highness, we have finished investigating the area around the Shangshu residence. In the past few days, no one nearby has seen a man dressed in plain clothes wearing a veil-hat.” As he spoke, he stepped forward, bowed, and handed the report to Mu Yanzhou.

Mu Yanzhou took it casually.

As soon as his voice fell, another servant stepped forward and said, “Reporting to Your Highness. The Princess Consort has already returned to Zhuohua Courtyard; there are no irregularities for the time being.”

Mu Yanzhou leaned sideways on the daybed: “Continue to keep watch.”

As he spoke, Mu Yanzhou’s wrist suddenly trembled violently. He only glanced down at it once, then casually averted his gaze, ignoring the discomfort in his wrist.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The servants had finished their task; they exchanged a glance, preparing to withdraw from Huiming Hall.

However, before they could bow and take their leave, they heard him suddenly say: “Wait, there is one more thing.”

The servants immediately bowed: “Please, Your Highness, give your orders.”

Mu Yanzhou reached out and took an object from the side of the daybed, tossing it toward one of them: “Catch.”

The servant who had just returned from outside the residence hurriedly stepped forward to catch it, then frowned as he read the title: “Strategies for Governing the World.”

What is this?

Mu Yanzhou clapped his hands carelessly: “Go, copy this book, and remember to mimic my handwriting.”

Servant: “?”

He had served under the Prince of Qi for many years and had never done such a strange thing before.

But seeing that the Prince of Qi had spoken, the servant immediately accepted: “Yes, Your Highness!”

After bowing, he said, “Yes.”

He solemnly took the Strategies for Governing the World and withdrew from the room.

Prince of Qi’s Residence, Zhuohua Courtyard.

Song Mingzhi did not expect that the habits of his past life would follow him into this one. As a secret guard, Song Mingzhi was used to having his days and nights reversed; he had not felt tired at all last night, but when daytime came, he could not help but feel drowsy. Upon returning to Zhuohua Courtyard, Song Mingzhi originally only intended to nap for a short while, but unexpectedly, he slept from noon until dusk.

The sun was setting.

Song Mingzhi was in no hurry to call for a meal.

Instead, he stayed in Zhuohua Courtyard, asking several servants about the Prince of Qi’s “drinking addiction.” Today, the Prince of Qi mentioned he had a drinking addiction, and Song Mingzhi could not help but feel uneasy about it.

At this moment, a maid dressed in a light cyan dress was carefully recalling under a tree: “Replying to the Princess Consort, the Prince of Qi does indeed like to drink. The Prince’s stomach ailment was also caused by drinking several years ago.”

Everyone in Zhuohua Courtyard assumed the Princess Consort was concerned about the Prince’s health, so they spoke without reservation.

As the maid finished, another person added: “The Prince is fine during the day; it is just that every night before bed, he likes to have a small drink. It has never stopped, but he has also never gotten dead drunk.”

Hearing this, another maid nodded along: “Yes, yes! I have been in the Prince of Qi’s residence for several years, and I have never seen the Prince drunk.”

Song Mingzhi suddenly furrowed his brow: “Several years?”

The maid was stunned. She did not seem to expect Song Mingzhi to ask this question. After recalling for a moment, she answered: “About three years, I think.”

Song Mingzhi muttered to himself: “Three years.”

The sky gradually darkened, and the lanterns in the Prince of Qi’s residence were lit.

Seeing that there was no more useful information to be gained, Song Mingzhi finally stood up and said to those around him, “Alright, I know everything now.” Then, he turned to face the outside of the courtyard and instructed the servants: “In a little while, remember to check near the wine cellar. If anyone from Huiming Hall goes there to move wine, remember to come back and tell me.”

The servants answered immediately: “Yes, Princess Consort!”

However, before they could bow and withdraw, Song Mingzhi suddenly spoke again: “Wait!”

The servant turned around in confusion: “Princess Consort?”

Song Mingzhi walked slowly toward the outside of the courtyard and said to them: “No need to trouble yourselves. I will go and check later myself.”

The Princess Consort really is concerned about the Prince!

The group bowed and withdrew, full of energy: “As you command!”

At the end of the dynasty, the country was falling apart, yet high-ranking officials and nobles only cared about pleasure, drowning themselves in wine and women, ignoring state affairs.

Song Mingzhi may not have seen an enlightened monarch or loyal officials, but he had seen too many people who were addicted to alcohol. They were usually dull, lifeless, and their spirits were lethargic.

Even setting aside future history, just looking at his appearance, the Prince of Qi did not look like such a person at all.

The night was heavy, like thick, indelible ink.

A-Lang held a large red lantern and followed Song Mingzhi to the wine cellar of the Prince of Qi’s residence. As the night wind blew, A-Lang could not help but shiver, saying to him, “Young Master, why do I feel that this place looks a little bit eerie?”

Song Mingzhi unlocked the wine cellar with a copper key. Within a few seconds, he smelled an extremely strong scent of wine.

The wine cellar in a Prince’s residence was naturally different from that of commoners.

A-Lang raised the lantern to shine inside, and Song Mingzhi lowered his eyes to see: this wine cellar was about four zhang square, and the interior was extremely spacious. Aside from miscellaneous items, there were only wine jars; there was almost nowhere to step.

Seeing this, A-Lang could not help but exclaim: “Young Master, there is so much wine in the Prince of Qi’s residence!”

As he spoke, he could not help but swallow his saliva.

The Western Regions had a tradition of valuing wine since ancient times. Unlike Song Mingzhi, A-Lang was a native of the Shulan Kingdom, and the intense scent of alcohol instantly hooked his craving. With Song Mingzhi’s permission, A-Lang immediately took a jar of wine from the cellar, along with two small bowls, and filled them for himself and Song Mingzhi.

But, after just one sip, he started coughing heavily.

Song Mingzhi was startled by him: “What is wrong, A-Lang?”

A-Lang coughed incessantly: “Young Master, this jar of wine is just too spicy!”

Spicy?

Song Mingzhi picked up the bowl, took a small sip as well, and immediately felt himself choked violently: “Cough, cough.”

The pungent and burning sensation felt like a blade sliding down his throat. After one drink, he had not tasted even a hint of the wine’s aroma; he had only tasted burning pain.

It was Shaodaozi (Burning Knife). This kind of wine was cheap, potent, strong in flavor, and felt like fire; generally, only common people drank such harsh wine to satisfy their cravings.

Why would such inferior wine be in the Prince of Qi’s wine cellar?

A-Lang’s craving had been completely satisfied.

Coughing, he said, “Strange, all the wine jars in the cellar look exactly the same. Did I pick the wrong one, or what is going on?”

There was simply too much wine in the cellar for the two of them to test every jar.

Song Mingzhi silently noted this down, then said to A-Lang: “Alright, you go back to Zhuohua Courtyard first. I will keep guard here alone.” He was not sure if the Prince of Qi would actually come, so he could not ask A-Lang to keep watch with him all night.

A-Lang said in shock, “Ah?”

The Young Master just said he wanted to see if the Prince of Qi would come to the cellar to get wine; he thought they were just taking a quick look, he did not expect that it would be an ambush!

Although the Young Master’s future wealth and honor were tied to him now, in just a few days, why was the Young Master so concerned about the Prince of Qi? It could not be the case of a married-out son being like splashed water!

The night wind blew through the wine cellar. A chill ran down A-Lang’s back.

At the beginning of the Hai hour (9:00 PM), Prince of Qi’s residence.

Mu Yanzhou pushed open the door and headed quietly toward the passage outside Huiming Hall.

He brought two servants with him. By this time, those two servants had already passed through the passage ahead of him, walking stealthily all the way into the inner courtyard of the residence:

“Keep your footsteps quiet!”

“Extinguish the lights, do not disturb anyone else.”

“Look around everywhere, the Princess Consort’s people might be guarding here!”

The two extinguished the lantern, paused outside the inner courtyard for a moment, and after confirming by experience that there was no one around, they crossed the threshold. Then, holding their breath, they hugged the wall and stepped into the courtyard. After repeatedly confirming that there was no one in the inner courtyard, they turned around and said to Mu Yanzhou: “Prince of Qi, rest assured, there is no one inside.”

After the voice fell, Mu Yanzhou, who had been waiting outside the inner courtyard, finally walked up slowly. He did not enter the courtyard but ordered them from afar: “Go and open the wine cellar.”

Servant: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Mu Yanzhou: “Keep your voices down.”

Chongjing, which had been clear for a day, began to drift with a fine rain at night.

The full moon of the fifteenth day was hidden behind a thin layer of clouds, and the moonlight was blocked completely behind it.

Song Mingzhi, sitting in the tree, saw the dim candlelight illuminate the small inner courtyard.

As soon as the Prince of Qi gave the order, the servants immediately took the command, quickly stepped forward, and used a copper key to open the wine cellar.

Song Mingzhi had previously asked his servants to count the number of jars.

Therefore, after these two servants retrieved the wine, they did not bring it out of the cellar; instead, they produced a small wine skin from somewhere, filled it, and then carefully lifted their hands to pass it to their companion who was responsible for receiving it, whispering excitedly: “Alright, alright!”

Right then, his finger suddenly felt itchy: “Ouch!”

Already feeling guilty, he was instantly terrified and jumped on the spot involuntarily, almost dropping the wine skin in his hand.

The companion above hurried to say: “Keep it down, why are you being so jumpy!”

Another person said in a hushed voice: “Someone threw a paper ball.”

However, before he could finish his sentence, he widened his eyes in horror.

Although the moon was still hidden behind the clouds, the lantern on the ground was emitting a warm light. As soon as the servant in the cellar looked up, he saw Song Mingzhi smile, jump lightly from the tree branch, and walk forward slowly to say to them: “Hand over the wine.”

Mu Yanzhou leaned against the courtyard wall, waiting outside the small courtyard.

A few seconds later, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He did not turn his head to look but directly raised his hand and said: “Alright, give it to me.”

Then, he heard a voice from behind say: “Yes, Your Highness.”

Mu Yanzhou: “.”

This voice…

Someone raised their hand and handed over the wine skin. His fingers were blindingly white in the night, as if carved from snow.

“What a coincidence, my beloved consort.”

Under the courtyard wall of the Prince’s inner courtyard, the Prince of Qi silently withdrew his hand.

He then looked up at the sky and asked: “Are you also here to enjoy the moon?”

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