Governor Xu held the article copied by Xiao Jin and read it foolishly for a long time. Then he laughed three times and ordered the people to repair the Qingzhou Tower.
The repair of the Qingzhou Tower was originally not a big deal.
It was just heard that on the day when the tower was repaired, a scholar climbed the tower and looked far away while blowing the cool breeze of early spring. Suddenly, he was inspired and composed a poem on the spot.
After finishing the poem, he laughed loudly and left with a flick of his sleeve.
The anonymous scholar originally just wrote a travelogue on a whim.
However, a private school teacher who was present was so fascinated by it that he picked up the paper left behind by the scholar and read it to his students and family.
It spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.
The travelogue that the scholar wrote casually finally caused a sensation in the entire Qingzhou City.
People came from far and wide to climb the Qingzhou Tower and look at the water of the Moon Crossing River. They saw the green willows by the river and the lanterns hanging high in the city, which was a scene of pure and bright beauty. They began to praise Governor Xu's achievements.
For a while, young and old alike praised Governor Xu for being honest and upright, a good official for the country and the people.
When the "Record of the Qingzhou Tower" reached the capital, it sparked a huge controversy.
Although some people said that this travelogue was probably written by Governor Xu's men in order to win fame, even if it was intentional, this person combined parallel prose and free verse so cleverly, with clear and beautiful language and lofty thoughts, that it was simply superior to countless famous poems of the past century.
Although the old scholars in the Hanlin Academy didn't seem to like this travelogue on the surface, they couldn't help but take out the copied text to read it carefully after leaving the court.
"What a great talent, truly a remarkable talent of this world!"
When this matter reached the palace, Xiao Shuang was standing on the Moon-Viewing Platform with Zhao Hua, enjoying the flowers.
Tang Yu presented a piece of paper with the travelogue respectfully.
Xiao Shuang casually looked at the flowers and glanced at the content on the paper.
Then she dismissed the palace people, frowned, and repeated the words on it, "'Worry about the worries of the world before the world worries, enjoy the happiness of the world after the world enjoys happiness'?"
"Is this something Xu Fanghai(Governor Xu) asked someone to write?"
After glancing at Xiao Shuang's expression, Tang Yu whispered, "I have investigated, and there should be no one around Governor Xu who can write such sentences."
After reading it, Xiao Shuang folded the paper and smiled, "You never like to read or appreciate literature. Why are you so sure now that this article can only be written by a literary genius?"
Tang Yu smiled bitterly and replied, "Your Highness, this article has already spread throughout the capital. Even if I am ignorant, I still know that the author of this travel journal is very talented. Even the great master of the literary world, Mr. Gong Sun from Da Qi, praised it and felt inferior to it. So, I naturally understand how exquisite its content is."
Hearing this, Princess Zhao Hua also smiled and agreed, "The few passages that Princess read out just now are indeed well-written and easy to understand, much easier to remember than the obscure and difficult articles written by Mr. Gong Sun."
Xiao Shuang nodded, "This palace also knows that this person has talent... However, according to the spy's report, the idea of repairing the Qingzhou Tower by Governor Xu, seems to have occurred only after he talked with the Prince Yan."
Tang Yu looked at Xiao Shuang's furrowed brows, thought for a moment, and added some information. Her speech was extremely slow, but she still stumbled when she mentioned the poem that Xiao Jin had mentioned at the banquet. After all, Tang Yu was notorious for not liking to study or read books. She would frown and avoid scholars on ordinary days, and every time she saw them during missions, she would get a headache.
In order to recite this poem perfectly in front of Xiao Shuang, she had practiced it repeatedly last night, and could only barely read it fluently now.
Fortunately, Xiao Shuang did not have extra time to criticize Tang Yu's ignorance because she heard Tang Yu say that the poem was actually spoken by Xiao Jin.
Xiao Shuang frowned, "Xiao Jin said that this poem was written by a person named Wang Wengong, and his hometown is in Linchuan..."
"Who is Wang Wengong? What is Linchuan? Have you heard of it?" Zhao Hua and Tang Yu looked confused.
Xiao Shuang suddenly lost interest in the flowers and was somewhat angry in her heart, "This palace watched the Prince Yan grow up, of course, I know that she doesn't know any more characters than Tang Yu. How could she inexplicably recite a poem by someone surnamed Wang?"
"..."
Tang Yu innocently took the blame, but unfortunately, the person in front of her was the Princess Zhao Hua of Qi country.
So she could only remain silent, lowering her head to listen to the reprimand.
After questioning, Xiao Shuang calmed down and said in a low voice, "Tang Yu, go investigate Wang Wengong from Linchuan. This palace wants to know who he is and when he became acquainted with Prince Yan."
Tang Yu cleared her throat and said, "But... Your Highness, there is no place called Linchuan within Qi country.
Xiao Shuang glanced at Tang Yu and said, "This palace knows that, of course."
"May I ask Vice Commander Tang, if this palace knew where that place was and who that person surnamed Wang really is, would you still need to dig three feet into the ground to find out?"
...
Xiao Jin had no idea that a poem she recited would anger Princess ZhaoYanyang so much. She also had no idea that Tang Yu's next task was an impossible goal.
At this moment, Xiao Jin was sunbathing in her home in Qingzhou, while Tang Yu was standing at the border of Qi Country, feeling lost and helpless.
Yes, they both had bright futures ahead of them.
In fact, Xiao Jin should have returned to the capital city long ago.
After all, the task had been accomplished, and it would be too heartless not to return to the capital at this point.
The hearts of Empress Liang, the
Emperor Qi, and even Old Zhang had grown cold.
However, Xiao Jin squinted her eyes and enjoyed the spring sunshine, paying no attention to whether it was snowing in the capital city or whether Old Zhang was waiting alone at the Yan Prince's mansion, feeling lonely and desolate.
These factors couldn't affect her enjoyment of life.
Finally finding some free time without any tasks to do, she definitely wanted to bask in the sun and organize her thoughts.
However, good times are always short-lived.
By the time Xiao Jin opened her eyes, Yin Zhu had already approached her.
Yin Zhu's expression was not particularly good, nor was it too bad, but it revealed a slight sense of helplessness.
The first thing Xiao Jin thought of was Chu Shao, after all, the biggest disaster lurking around her was her.
But she still remained calm and asked, "Did something happen with the princess?"
In fact, she wanted to ask more specifically: Did the princess go crazy and start killing people again?
Unexpectedly, Yin Zhu shook her head, and Xiao Jin was surprised that she had immediately thought that something had happened to Chu Shao.
"If the princess can wield her sword so decisively, what could possibly go wrong?"
After a moment's thought, Yin Zhu replied, "Your Highness, it's not the princess who's in trouble... but there are two women outside looking for you."
Xiao Jin immediately became alert.
She glanced over at the wooden frame on the other side, where Chu Shao was teaching Qin Xueyi and Qin Xueting how to play the flute under the flower trellis.
Chu Shao had a smile on her face and seemed to be enjoying herself.
Xiao Jin felt a little afraid that someone was coming to see her.
Especially... an unknown woman with an unknown surname.
If it was another one of the scandalous debts that the original owner owed in the past, then wouldn't she have to clean up the mess for the original owner?
Whenever she thought of the vicious words that Chu Shao had uttered in the past few days, Xiao Jin couldn't help but feel that with her twisted mentality, she might have already considered her as her personal property.
She didn't dare to touch any of Chu Shao's nerves that might be out of order, so she could only lower her voice and ask, "What do the two of them look like?"
Yin Zhu was stunned for a moment before answering, "One is wearing a goose yellow shirt, and the other is wearing a red dress."
Xiao Jin instantly felt relieved.
It's okay, they're both familiar faces who have already appeared before.
Yin Zhu listened to Xiao Jin's deliberately lowered voice and looked at Chu Shao standing under the wisteria flower, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Is Her Highness... afraid of the princess?
But the prince is also a woman, why would she fear the princess?
Yin Zhu was destined to never know the real reason why Xiao Jin was "afraid of the princess."
She could only follow her instructions and respectfully welcome the two women in.
However, when the two women set foot in the small courtyard, Yin Zhu keenly noticed that the atmosphere had changed.
And it was a visible change, one that could be felt just by standing still.
Moreover, the changes were visible to the naked eye and could be felt even standing still.
It was because Chu Shao's flute suddenly stopped playing.
It happened to stop at a not-so-wonderful moment, causing both Qin Xueyi and Qin Xueting, who were immersed in it, to be stunned.
Qin Xueyi looked at Chu Shao's smiling lips and thought she looked very handsome, even more so than all the flowers in the courtyard.
She really wanted to ask why the pretty sister had stopped playing the flute. But then she felt a sudden chill and didn't even dare to speak.
However, Qin Xueyi actually preferred Xiao Jin, who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. With Chu Shao, she always had an innate fear in her heart.
So she just curiously watched the two big sisters who walked into the courtyard and wisely did not ask.
But Qin Xueting liked the mystery and beauty that surrounded Chu Shao, so she pretended to be naive and looked up, asking, "Sister Shao, why did you stop playing?"
From "Princess" to "Sister Shao", Qin Xueting's change in address was extremely fast.
Because she knew how to adapt to the situation.
Compared to the truly innocent Qin Xueyi, she understood better how to quickly get closer to others.
Chu Shao didn't seem to care about Qin Xueting's address to her and just smiled slightly, saying softly, "Because there seem to be guests in the courtyard, so I can only play next time."
"And...maybe you shouldn't call me Sister Shao, but Princess."
Qin Xueting looked at Chu Shao in surprise, but was scared out of her wits by the vague coldness in her tone.
However, Chu Shao's expression didn't change in the slightest, and even a gentler smile appeared on her lips.
She patiently explained to Qin Xueting, "Because I prefer this title."
...
Now it was already March.
Qingzhou was located in the south of Qi country and had a relatively warm climate, so the wisteria flowers on the wooden frame were also blooming.
Bai Zheng and Shen Shuang sat under the wisteria flowers, drinking flower tea sent by the Governor Xu's men, and looked in amazement at the relaxed and peaceful Xiao Jin.
They reasonably suspected that witchcraft was prevalent in Qingzhou.
Otherwise, it could not be explained how the always violent and warlike Prince Yan had been nurtured into a leisurely and idle person in this region.
However, this pampered lifestyle is just an illusion.
Anyone who has planted spies, combined with the poem Xiao Jin recited at the banquet, knows that the other side has a great plan in this trip.
Even if Bai Zheng knew that Xiao Jin's purpose was not simple, and she was clear that she had some credit in it.
After all, if she hadn't put the note into the box containing Chunshan Kong, there would probably not have been so many twists and turns.
However, Bai Zheng pretended to be ignorant, smilingly looking at Xiao Jin on the wheelchair and Chu Shao sitting next to her, chatting: "Qingzhou is indeed good weather and scenery, it is not surprising that Her Royal Highness Yan enjoys it and does not think about the capital."
Hearing Bai Zheng's idle talk, Xiao Jin inexplicably heard a hint of reluctance to leave this place.
She was a little unhappy at the moment, thinking that it was she who led me here, why pretend to be innocent now.
But considering that regardless of the purpose, Bai Zheng also sold herself a favor.
So she just replied calmly: "Qingzhou is naturally not as prosperous as the capital, but it is good because there is less trouble. It's not that I enjoy it, it's just that I have a rare free day and feel comfortable."
The words she said were not false.
Qingzhou is good because there are fewer tasks and she can relax and be herself.
But in Shen Shuang's ears, this statement was extremely hypocritical.
Xiao Jin, a person who loves to watch the excitement and does not mind big things, would one day wave she hand and say that she loves a quiet life?
Joke, a big joke.
Shen Shuang felt that Xiao Jin was really shameless, and even her gaze at Chu Shao was involuntarily sad.
Why did the Princess Chu, such a good woman, fall in love with someone like Xiao Jin?
The three of them had their own ulterior motives, and only Chu Shao's thoughts were very simple.
She smiled at Bai Zheng and Shen Shuang, feeling that the weather was really good, and the wind was a bit noisy.
If these two people could not exist--
If they disappeared from her sight, or from this world, that would be even better.
Chu Shao didn't really want to think about why she wanted these two people to disappear. She just found them a bit annoying.
She disliked how they appeared in front of her without any warning, and she disliked how they sat next to Xiao Jin and talked to her at such a close distance.
So when Bai Zheng explained their reason for coming, Chu Shao was lost in her own world. She kept a soft smile on her face but didn't hear a single word.
When she snapped out of it, she realized that Xiao Jin had turned her head and asked her, "What do you think, Princess?"
Because of this question, everyone present looked at Chu Shao.
Chu Shao's smile was extremely gentle and genuine, as if it blended into the color of wisteria flowers. She looked at Xiao Jin and simply answered with an "Oh?"
In contrast to others who thought Chu Shao was pretending to be cool, Xiao Jin understood that Chu Shao really hadn't heard the conversation just now.
It had nothing to do with manners, but rather that being absent-minded was normal for her.
Xiao Jin looked at Chu Shao, who obediently sat under the flower rack, feeling a bit helpless.
Most of this helplessness came from herself.
She might have contracted a contagious disease related to nerve contact, making her feel that this Chu Shao was a bit airheaded.
And... kind of cute.
Xiao Jin was speechless.
So speechless that she almost wanted to perform a head-on-ear grab right there.
Could "cute" be used to describe Chu Shao? Xiao Jin, are you afraid that you have lived too long?
The most frightening thing was that Xiao Jin knew that her brain had some issues, yet she still unconsciously slowed down her speech and patiently explained, "Qingzhou has had floods recently. Miss Bai, as the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, has come to Qingzhou to participate in the disaster relief with her father."
Chu Shao suddenly felt much better.
She nodded to show her understanding and asked with a smile, "What about Miss Shen?"
Shen Shuang was pleasantly surprised but found that Chu Shao's gaze had been glued to Xiao Jin's face.
Although she felt hurt inside, she still answered Chu Shao's question with a painful smile, "Princess, I came with my father to transport relief money and supplies."
Both of their reasons for coming to Qingzhou were plausible.
However, Chu Shao frowned slightly and asked another question, "I understand that, but what about you two young ladies? Why did you come here?"
As soon as she spoke, the area under the wisteria tree fell into an unusual silence. Even Xiao Jin, who usually prided herself on being unembarrassable, found Chu Shao's question somewhat awkward. After all, everyone was here, so why ask why they came?
However, Chu Shao still smiled and did not think that her question was impolite or offensive. She was genuinely curious.
One came to transport supplies, and the other came for relief efforts. But why did they have to come to this house specifically?
Bai Zheng fell into silence. Without the incident, she really had no reason to give Chu Shao.
After all, she only came to see Xiao Jin, and as for Shen Shuang...they were close friends, and Bai Zheng could sense that she wanted to talk to Chu Shao.
However, none of these reasons were sufficient and legitimate enough to justify their presence here.
Bai Zheng smiled and answered softly, "Because the Crown Prince asked me to pass on a message to see Her Highness and the Princess."
This was something they had discussed earlier, but Chu Shao had missed it because she was distracted.
That's why Xiao Jin slightly furrowed her brows and asked Chu Shao the question.
Bai Zheng smiled at Chu Shao beside her.
As long as she looked at her, she thought of the young man in blue who appeared at Yanyu building that day.
And...the rainy night when blood was flowing a few days ago.
Could it be you?
Unexpectedly, Chu Shao just stared for a moment and then smiled and replied, "So that's it."
It was only then that Bai Zheng realized.
Perhaps Chu Shao was not pretending, but really didn't care, so she didn't hear it.
This explanation was reasonable but also a bit absurd.
Seeing this, Xiao Jin said indifferently, "The Crown Prince was appointed by the emperor as a special envoy to go to Qingzhou to aid the disaster victims. It was also reasonable."
"But from what you two said earlier, the Crown Prince came this time to ask me for assistance in disaster relief. If he only came to me for official business, why did he want to see the princess?"
When Bai Zheng heard the term "princess," her expression dimmed slightly.
But after a little thought, she felt that Xiao Jin's words were really taking things too seriously.
If the Crown Prince only saw Xiao Jin and not Chu Shao, it would imply that he looked down on the latter.
If he saw Chu Shao, it seemed like there was no mistake to be found.
She pondered to herself that it was fine before, but she didn't know where Xiao Jin had such great animosity towards the Crown Prince.
Bai Zheng was not a member of the royal family and did not interfere with such matters, of course, she had no right to interfere.
She just smiled and said, "If your highness needs a clear reason, perhaps he can only wait until the Crown Prince comes in person to ask."
Xiao Jin was somewhat surprised.
What's wrong with the male lead, why does he have to come in person?
This made her very uncomfortable.
As a monarch, even if she was the Prince of Yan in the Qi Country, there was no possibility of refusing him if he came to visit.
She had a feeling that the Crown Prince was not a good person and didn't have any good intentions, but she still had to see him.
Xiao Jin was not happy about it, but still had to dress up, wear her crown, and put on a show like meeting a superior leader.
Yin Zhu and Zi Ling were tying up Xiao Jin's hair.
Their movements were fast, unlike Chu Shao, who always liked to hold up a wooden comb and scrape bit by bit, as if enjoying a long and pleasant process.
But this time, Chu Shao didn't barge in and interfere with her dressing up.
Xiao Jin looked at her face in the bronze mirror and felt that no matter how she looked at it, it was cold and ruthless. Her face was full of indifference.
Even with the filter of the bronze mirror and natural skin smoothing, the contours reflected were not soft. They were more like the sharp edge of a shining sword, cold and unfeeling.
She thought to herself that anyone who faced such a stinky face would not want to look at it all the time.
This included Chu Shao, who probably didn't want to see it either.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jin furrowed her brows and bent the corners of her lips. The ice and snow in the mirror seemed to have melted slightly.
Seeing the fake smile on her lips, Xiao Jin laughed for real, her eyebrows and eyes curved slightly.
As if a piece of fluff had brushed past her, she blinked in front of the mirror, as if confirming that she was not a fake person.
However, happiness inevitably brings sorrow.
After laughing, Xiao Jin's face changed slightly, and she coughed violently, covering her mouth with her hand.
When Xiao Jin released her hand and slowly opened her palm, she found that she had been holding a handful of blood.
The blood dripped along her pale fingertips and fell onto the newly changed clothes. The clothes were black, like ink dripping into an inkwell, and did not show any color.
Xiao Jin looked at the bright red blood in her palm, staring at it for a long time, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
Yin Zhu and Zi Ling quickly searched for a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped Xiao Jin's fingers, comforting her, "Don't worry, Your Highness, the Crown Prince won't be here for a while, so you can change your clothes later."
However, the source of Xiao Jin's annoyance was not because she had dirtied her clothes. It was a kind of indescribable, inexplicable annoyance.
She seemed to care too much about Chu Shao.
But the blood in her palm reminded her that she was always just a foreigner living in a body. Xiao Jin's purpose in doing all this was just to prolong her life and postpone the countdown.
And her ultimate goal is to complete all of her tasks, and then let Chu Shao personally kill her.
Finally, she will leave this world.
In other words, Xiao Jin came here and got to know everyone here essentially just to leave.
Thinking of this, she felt a bit restless and even depressed.
Xiao Jin didn't know what was at the end of her despair.
She only knew that when she looked up, Yin Zhu and Zi Ling had already gone to find new clothes.
The person squatting in front of her had become Chu Shao.
Chu Shao was gently wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with a silk handkerchief.
The strength and movement were both intriguing.
But if it was Chu Shao, it seemed very natural.
She seemed to be wiping a fragile object.
This fragile object had a lot of spirit, even though it was already covered in blood, scattered on the ground, and had become difficult to piece together, it was still tough and beautiful.
So when Chu Shao looked at the fresh red bloodstain on Xiao Jin's lips, and the slightly pale and sickly skin all over her body, the blood in her body couldn't help but boil.
Her smile was very elegant, and her movements were gentle and calm.
However, when Chu Shao met Xiao Jin's gaze and noticed the sharp crack in it, she stopped her movements.
It was as if she had seen cicada wings being cruelly torn apart, and gems being crushed into powder.
The curve of her lips gradually disappeared.
Chu Shao didn't feel happy; instead, she felt a slight anger and a feeling of sadness.
Because Xiao Jin's sadness at this moment seemed to stem from something other than herself.
For Xiao Jin's rare fragility in her eyes, Chu Shao felt that she should feel happy and truly enjoy this pleasure.
But if this fragility wasn't brought about by her, then everything would seem meaningless to her. Instead, it made her restless and even jealous.
Thinking about this, Chu Shao restrained the smile on her lips and whispered to Xiao Jin, "Your Highness, I am not in a good mood right now."
Xiao Jin was stunned and didn't understand what Chu Shao was saying.
After a moment, Chu Shao's voice, tinged with regret, reached her ears, "So what I'm going to do next might be a little rude."
Before Xiao Jin could respond, Chu Shao reached out her fingers and gently brushed over the bloodstained lips.
Then she smiled slightly, tilted her head, and kissed Xiao Jin's neck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or gave me nutrient solution between 23:59:34 on March 18, 2022 and 23:59:25 on March 20, 2022~
TO BE CONTINUE...