A steady stream of internal force transferred to Gong Yi Mo's hand, giving warmth. Gong Jue saw his sister look up at him in surprise. He only lowered his head and coldly said,
"In the future, don't meet with the Crown Prince alone."
"What?"
Gong Yi Mo was baffled. She couldn't understand why he would ask such a thing.
Gong Jue suddenly reached out with his other hand and... rubbed her head affectionately.
He was now much taller than Gong Yi Mo. However, who let him do something like rubbing her head? Just when Gong Yi Mo wanted to throw a fit, she looked up and saw sadness within his ink-like eyes.
"What must I do for Sister Gong to no longer have to sacrifice for me?"
Whether it was trying to earn money, or planning for his future, or even worrying for him.
"I just want to make Sister Gong happy."
He just wanted to protect her, cherish her, and watch her stay happy and carefree rather than leaving her the way she was now-over exerting herself to plan meticulously for his every step.
Gong Yi Mo felt touched. She smiled, "I am happy now!"
There was no falsehood in her expression. It seems that for her, working hard for his sake was a joyful thing in itself. At that moment, Gong Jue just wanted to embrace her and hug her tightly in his arms!
He wanted to hold her dearly, kiss her forehead, and integrate her entire body into his flesh and blood! So what about them being siblings and public opinion? He was not afraid-not afraid of anything!
As he patted her head, the young boy's mood came to a climax of conflicting feelings!
What do I have?
This sentence suddenly flashed through Gong Jue's mind.
What qualifications do I have to embrace her?
The wind seemed to suddenly turn frigid.
Gong Jue looked at Gong Yi Mo intensely and passion flared within his eyes, but his hands soon fell heavily to his side and he gave a slight sigh.
No, he shouldn't rush things... He was not qualified right now, but he would be later.
Having to endure was nothing; he was not afraid of waiting as long as she was there.
Gong Yi Mo noticed her brother's downcast mood. Such a mature expression should not appear on a young boy's face, so she couldn't help but frown in worry. Gong Yi Mo looked down and felt her stomach.
"I originally wanted to give you something then go back and have dinner. I didn't think that we'd meet up this late. You haven't eaten either, right? Do you want to join me for a meal?"
She seemed to brighten up as she spoke.
Gong Jue looked at her for a long time then sighed as if in defeat. He smiled, his eyes filled with helplessness and indulging.
"Alright."
*
Since Gong Jue's important mission was to build reservoirs and ditches in Xi Zhou along with sending disaster relief supplies, he would be accompanied by master craftsmen, naval forces, as well as other technicians.
Due to the enormity of the project, the materials to be transported was more than double of their cargo in previous years. That was why when Gong Yi Mo earnestly proposed that the group split up and exit through three different gates, Emperor Gong acceded to her request. However, such a move made the people who wanted to sabotage the materials panic.
Because of the tight deadlines, they did not have enough manpower. There was no way for them to ambush all three gates at the same time. Thus, the originally simple matter became complicated. Now, they could only gamble!
A masked henchman told his employer, "We're pressed for time right now. It was reported that 150 carriages will exit through each of the three gates. However, we have a limited number of men, so we can only block one of the three gates. We also hope that Lord will quickly make a decision. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, we will have no way to explain ourselves!"
"Every gate will have 150 carriages? That's three times the initial report; since when did they have that many supplies? Wasn't it supposed to be 150 carriages altogether? Those people from the Ministry of Revenue must have made a mistake!"
At first, the official talked to himself anxiously. He only calmed down after another one of his men rushed in to report.
It turned out that the Crown Prince just issued a secret order for the lieutenant of the Southern Gate to be on standby and send troops to protect the materials after they leave the gate
Although he didn't know why the Crown Prince was willing to help the Ninth Prince, his move did explain one fact. That is, out of the three groups leaving the city, only one will be carrying the supplies!
So now, they are left with one critical issue-which of the three gates will the supplies pass through? Will it be the Southern Gate guarded by the Crown Prince, the originally planned Eastern Gate, or the extremely inconspicuous Western Gate?
The man stroked his beard and pondered.
Having the Ninth Prince leave the capital was originally the Chaoyang Princess' idea. Furthermore, as a person of extraordinary intelligence, if she had indeed planned this herself, which gate would she go through?
No matter how hard the official tried, he could not guess the mind of the little girl. The man waved his hand, signaling for his henchmen. "The Chaoyang Princess is devious. The supplies for Xi Zhou are definitely going to be transported through a single exit. Since they've already left, quickly go and check which group of carriages has the deepest tracks and report to me!"
After receiving his order, the masked man hastily left the compound and soon returned to his employer with the news.
As he panted slightly, the man hastily reported, "We have results! It's really suspicious! The deepest carriage tracks are at the Western Gate, the ones by the Eastern Gate were next deepest, and the shallowest tracks were found by the Southern Gate.
The lord narrowed his eyes and thought deeply before laughing, "That little girl is really clever! What a pity she had to run into this old man.." With a look of confidence, he commanded, "Have everybody at the Eastern Gate lay in wait! The supplies will definitely still exit from there. Do not fall for their diversion!"
The henchman in black did not understand. "Why does Lord say this?"
The old official proudly stroked his beard and explained, "The carriage tracks are deepest going through the Eastern Gate. This must be the princess' plot to mislead us by filling the cargo with rocks and sand. The Southern Gate has the shallowest tracks. What could possibly be in the carriages? Perhaps it's just filled with air? Meanwhile, the Eastern Gate is the most dangerous place, which means it is also the safest. For the Chaoyang Princess to take the opposite kind of path, she could be considered brilliant!"
Seeing him speak so certainly, the man in black said flatteringly, "Unfortunately for her, Lord saw through her plan."
The official laughed and said, "Yes, the Chaoyang Princess originally wanted to scatter our forces, but fortunately, I was able to see her motives. Go and quickly carry out my orders!"
"Yes, Lord!"
After the man in black went his way, the official was left to gloat. "Those barbarians from Xi Zhou only deserve to eat rotten grains and low-quality rice. Hmph, I hope the Ninth Prince enjoys our present to him."
.........
Shili Pavilion.
The group of carriages and people was enormous, making up more than ten thousand people.
Troops of soldiers and horses escorted them to Shili Pavilion before returning to the Southern Gate to report the completion of their duties. At this time, Gong Jue commanded his men to reorganize their carriages. As they went about their errands, the prince suddenly noticed a figure dressed in white sitting in the pavilion. This girl had waited for their arrival for quite a while.
The tip of his brow raised, and with excitement, he urged his horse quickly in her direction.
Gong Yi Mo was originally savoring her wine. When she heard the hoof sounds nearing, she quickly took out a teapot from her space and put on the appearance that she was sipping tea.
As soon as Gong Jue arrived, he could smell a hint of wine in the air, but he did not expose her and instead smiled.
According to the decree, princes were not allowed to leave the capital, yet he was now standing here, completely relaxed.
Gong Jue no longer concealed his feelings. All the negative feelings that built up within him seemed have been swept away, leaving him energetic and high-spirited. When Gong Yi Mo saw him racing towards her on horseback, the elation and excitement in his eyes were the complete opposite of his usual unsettling calmness in the palace. Only now did the bearing of an eleven-year-old boy show itself in a splendid fashion.
Gong Yi Mo secretly nodded to Gong Jue in approval. Seeing him like this helped to somewhat ease the sadness of his departure.
"Sister Gong!"
Gong Yi Mo smiled lightly. "How is it? Is everything going smoothly?"