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墨書 Inktalez
Today, during the court assembly, the king did not arrive despite waiting for him on both sides, and after sending people to search three times without success, the ministers in the hall were anxious to the point of frustration.
The king had an appointment with the Zhao Envoy, who was good-natured and did not lose his temper on the spot; otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain relations between the two countries.
In recent years, the strength of Yan State has greatly diminished. The Wei Kingdom is aggressive like a tiger or wolf, and Chu State has always eyed its neighboring states covetously. Moreover, Qin State has begun reforms to strengthen its people. If relations with Zhao State also deteriorate, life for Yan State may become quite difficult.
Everyone below understood this principle, but the king seemed oblivious, as if he valued one person more than the entire nation.
Ju Rong only learned that the king had visited after returning to his residence and taking San Chun out for a stroll. He felt quite resentful but held back his anger since his daughter had just returned. After pondering for a long time, he finally spoke up.
San Chun understood what he meant. Qi had no intention of governing the country; how could she not see that? Perhaps because she herself was a Yan person, her feelings for Yan State ran deep. Even though she had traveled through Chu State, Wei Kingdom, and Qin State, none of those countries or cities evoked such strong feelings of nostalgia in her. She genuinely hoped for the prosperity of Yan State and the well-being of its people.
"I understand, Father." She slightly bowed and stepped back. Determined to persuade Qi to be a diligent and benevolent king next time they met, she was even willing to scold him harshly if necessary.
Watching her slowly walk away, Ju Rong couldn't help but sigh softly. For some reason, ever since his daughter returned, he felt as if she had completely changed. The former Dan'er was gentle and well-mannered; now she seemed wild like a girl from the streets, constantly wanting to run outside and forgetting all about proper etiquette.
Previously, Ju Dan's embroidery skills were unmatched; her embroidered peonies could attract bees, and her mandarin ducks looked as if they were swimming in water. But now, according to the maidservants, she didn’t even know how to thread a needle.
What on earth was happening? Had his daughter forgotten even some basic skills after her memory loss?
It seemed necessary to find someone to properly teach her; otherwise, in her current state, how could she fulfill her role as a proper wife?
At this moment, night had fallen deeply. The faint moonlight and scattered stars brought a sense of joy.
Returning to her courtyard and walking among the plum trees, a flower path paved with white stones wound toward her building. That building belonged to her; it was constructed from white stones with ice flower lattice windows painted in light blue. The white gauze covering the windows resembled snowflakes. From afar, it truly appeared elegantly like a fairyland.
On this quiet night, it was supposed to be a good time to enjoy the snow and admire the plum blossoms, as well as to gaze at the stars and the moon. But just the thought of someone possibly waiting inside made her lose her good mood.
In the early winter, amidst the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, the silver lamp cast a glow on the snow-like white window curtain, revealing two shadows—one sitting and one standing.
Wasn't it supposed to be just one person? Why were there two?
She quietly approached, wanting to peek inside through the curtain. Just as her face got close, she heard a cold voice from within say, "Why sneak around when you can just go home?"
San Chun ground her teeth; if it weren't for him, would she have to sneak around?
Upon entering the room, it turned out there were indeed two people. Zhong Xue was sitting on her cushion, sipping tea from her cup, while a black-clad servant stood beside her, head lowered so that his appearance was indiscernible.
"Decided to come back?" Of course, he spoke with a tone that was both mocking and strange.
San Chun felt uncomfortable; she wasn't anyone to him, so why did he need to question her like this?
She forced a laugh and deliberately said, "In the dead of night, intruding into a woman's chamber—Lord Jun doesn't think that's too shameless?"
Zhong Xue snorted. "Don't forget your own identity."
"I'd like to know what my identity is," San Chun replied with a smile that was infuriating.
When she was in Wei Kingdom, she could pretend to submit to his intimidating presence and play the role of his Spring Consort. But now in Yan Kingdom, her identity was that of a Senior Official's Daughter of Ju Rong; what did she have to do with him? Was she his possession? Did he have any evidence?
Zhong Xue felt furious; had he known this would happen, he would never have let her leave. That old scoundrel Ju Rong had colluded with her to deceive him, claiming they would consider his proposal once they returned to Yan Kingdom. Now it seemed he probably had no intention of marrying his daughter off to him at all. That excuse was merely a stalling tactic.
However, it doesn't matter. Those who have competed with him in wits have long since entered their coffins. He will let him know what the consequences of playing tricks on him are.
"Don't think that This Lord can't do anything to you. You know very well what kind of person This Lord is." He lifted the tea bowl, his knuckles slightly turning white.
Just like when she wanted to invite Ji Xun to the banks of the Fen River, he knew what she intended to do at that time. He felt an extreme hatred in his heart, wanting to grab her and question her, yet also wanting to kneel on the ground and plead with her. But he also knew that no matter which way he approached her, it was impossible to keep her. It was just like now, not knowing why he felt good. He could scold anyone, could kill without blinking, but when it came to her, he simply couldn't bring himself to curse her, let alone hit her.
Perhaps seeing through his bluster, San Chun chuckled lightly and suddenly snatched the teacup. "What does Lord Jun want? Do you want to hear the crisp sound of the teacup hitting the ground?" She said, letting her fingers slip, and with a "thud," the teacup fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces and splattering tea everywhere.
Zhong Xue was momentarily stunned before shouting angrily, "You are such a bold Girl."
San Chun raised her head defiantly. "If being bold is wrong, then so be it."
Zhong Xue gritted his teeth; this Girl seemed much more arrogant than when he first met her.
Back then, Yan Dan looked down upon the Seven Kingdoms, maintaining an air of nobility in front of everyone, like a bright moon. Was she gradually returning to her true nature now?
The anger that had been boiling inside him suddenly vanished without a trace. He thought she would be easier to bully if she had lost her memory, but that was truly underestimating her.
Zhong Xue bent down to clean up but froze when she touched the overturned porcelain cup. Her hand tightly gripped the sleeve of her robe as she lowered her eyes; her face no longer bore that earlier arrogance but instead resembled a wounded beast looking somewhat pitiful.
He stared blankly as if pondering something. His fingers traced over the broken porcelain, even cutting into his skin and drawing blood, yet he remained unmoved.
Seeing this made San Chun feel guilty; she secretly wondered if she had done something wrong. She really shouldn't have acted this way; he hadn't done anything wrong to her—why push someone too far?
She opened one eye to sneak a glance and unexpectedly met his smiling gaze, momentarily stunned. Was he not angry?
She reflexively smiled as she looked at him, noticing the deepening smile on his lips. Suddenly, she remembered that this was truly not a time for laughter, and immediately lowered her head honestly. "I was rude, Lord Jun, please do not be angry."
Zhong Xue lightly tapped her head with his long, slender fingers. "Oh? You admit your mistake quite quickly. Tell me, where did you go wrong?"
She lowered her head even more. "My temper is not as great as yours..."
Zhong Xue: "..."
"My cunning is not as much as yours..."
Zhong Xue: "..."
"My heart is not as bad as yours..."
Zhong Xue: "..."
Her head drooped even lower. "And... my acting skills are not as good as yours..." She thought he was genuinely angry earlier, but it turned out he was just teasing her.
Zhong Xue remained silent for a moment. "...You seem to know me quite well."
You can't hit her, you can't scold her; if you are tough, she is tougher; if you are soft, she is softer. How exactly should he address her?
He sighed. "Let's not settle today's account just yet. In the future, if you can behave yourself, it won't make This Lord upset. Since I don't feel at ease about you, I'll send a servant to accompany you. It’s good to have someone around for protection."
After he finished speaking, the young man who had been standing silently stepped forward and bowed to San Chun. "I am your subordinate, greetings to you, Miss."
A familiar voice, San Chun leaned down and stared at his face, suddenly screaming in surprise, "It's you."
The man pointed at the tip of his nose and smiled broadly, "It's me."
He was actually the one from the Second Shop, the one who falsely accused her of being a female thief. This was truly infuriating. She never expected him to be from Zhong Xue and assigned to her; this was not protection at all, it was simply torture.
These two must have known about her relationship with Zhong Xue, which was why they targeted her at the tavern. With Zhong Xue having such an informant, she would be in trouble.
She held her forehead and said, "I don't know why I suddenly feel like the sun is so bright that my head is a bit dizzy..." and naturally began to fall to the ground.
Zhong Xue's hands caught her steadily from behind, and she heard his familiar laughter and a soft sigh, "What should I do with you?"
She pointed at the man, "Just get rid of him."
He shook his head, "No."
She started to cry, "Can we switch him for someone else?"
"No."
He raised an eyebrow, a gentle smile forming on his lips, "His martial arts are exceptional. With him around, This Lord can rest easy."
Of course he felt at ease; such an infuriatingly capable person was hard to come by.
Well then, since she couldn't refuse, she would just have to compete and see who was stronger.
She raised her head arrogantly, looking down with a contemptuous gaze. "What is your name?"
"Subordinate Dong Dong."
Annoying, and the name was annoying too. She sneered, "Dong Dong? Is their family in the cave business?"
"You really know nothing. His family runs a thieving business and occasionally makes a hole in the wall," implying that he was a thief.
San Chun couldn't help but cover her face. What kind of people were these? The dignified Chengyang Jun actually had a thief following her.
After Zhong Xue left, Dong Dong stayed outside to serve as her guard.
He didn't even know what kind of skills he practiced; every time she pushed the door open, there wasn't a single shadow outside. But as soon as she called him softly, he would immediately jump in front of her. His movements were so swift, it was as if he had fallen from above.
She was surprised. "Dong Dong, what kind of skills are you practicing?"
Dong Dong rolled his eyes. "Sister, can we discuss what skills I'm practicing tomorrow? Don't keep calling me back and forth late at night."
San Chun found it amusing. She originally wanted to test how exceptional his martial arts were, but it seemed he wasn't completely useless after all. Having him around might not be such a bad idea.
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