This one! A large, oval pear drifted into view, looking plump and moist and very tasty.
Why give this one? i Changsu smiled at the youth.
Biggest!
The biggest one is for Su gege?
Ng!
i Changsus gaze skipped to the side and seeing ng Zhi, who was sitting to one side, raise his cup to his lips, he smiled to himself and asked loudly, Fei Liu, tell Su gege, what colour is this kind of pear?
Dark white!
ng Zhi spat out his mouthful of water with a Phoo! and stared at Fei Liu, coughing vigorously. Darkdark what?
Fei Liu gave a dismissive Hmph! and turned his head away, ignoring him.
You know, our Fei Liu is very talented at inventing new words. i Changsus gaze was full of warmth as he gently ruffled Fei Lius hair, and Fei Liu, sensing his affection, leaned over and held out the pear again.
Fei Liu, these cant be eaten now, i Changsu said, still smiling. These are frozen pears.
Frozen pears.
We freeze them so that they can keep longer, and when we want to eat them, we have to first let them sit for awhile and grow warm again, otherwise we wont be able to bite into them.
Fei Lius eyes widened, and he looked at the pear in his left hand, then at the one in his right, and finally raised the smaller one to his mouth, bit into it, and froze, stunned.
Cant bite into it, eh? ng Zhi had recovered by this ti, and ca over, saying, You have to soak them in water to warm them up, so that they grow soft enough to eat.
Fei Liu processed these words for a few monts, and then suddenly disappeared.
Actually, that pear isnt the biggest Ive seen. ng Zhi shook his head. Isnt the biggest sphere-shaped object in the capital at the mont the head of Capital Magistrate Gao Sheng?
i Changsu couldnt help laughing. ng dage certainly has an amusing way with words. Even if Officer Gao had not co across these troubleso matters, wouldnt his head still be larger than a pear?
ng Zhi couldnt hold back a laugh either. Youre one to talk, you bring two such difficult cases to him, yet you yourself are keeping idle. Watching you tease Fei Liu, I know you are in a good mood today.
The two were currently in an elegant little tea house in the southern part of the city, which was near the main streets, but not too noisy, and each tea room was its own single bamboo building, decorated tastefully.
Ever since the corpses in the well case had been reported to the court, everyone in Jinling knew two things. One, there were corpses in the well in LanManor, and two, the newly famous Su Zhe was looking for a residence.
Lan Manor was an abandoned wasteland, and now had beco the scene of a vicious cri, and therefore was certainly no longer fit to live in, so Su Zhe needed to buy a new residence. And so, no matter whether it was because they wanted to take the opportunity to make his acquaintance, or because they genuinely wanted to make a helpful recomndation, or because they simply had a residence for sale, the number of offers pouring in with possible manors for sale were too many to count. But as he was still staying at the Xie residence, most of the inconvenience was shouldered by Xie Bi, and i Changsu had only so far visited the ones recomnded by the Yunnan Mu family and Xia Dong, and so this was only his third such outing.
What do you think about the residence I chose? ng Zhi asked, leaning closer.
i Changsu glanced back at him. Is it possible that you are really planning to sell this place?
ng Zhi grinned playfully. It does kind of seem like Im rushing to build relations with a new celebrity, but you have really given a lot of face, being willing to co out personally with for a tour.
What kind of prestige does Commander ng carry, that I would dare not to give you face? You saw how natural Xie Bi thought it was when I accepted your invitation today; if I had refused you, how shocked do you think he would have been? i Changsu smiled back. Not to ntion, the bit of fa I have acquired in the capital, isnt it all due to that fight between you and Fei Liu? Although it was not my arrangent, it was nonetheless an unexpected gain.
This child Fei Liu is truly a wonder, I havent seen him for a few days, and he seems to have improved already. I hear he even defeated Xia Dong recently?
Ng, i Changsu made a noise of agreent, as if he didnt care much. He is a calm child, and so naturally picks up martial skills quickly and easily. But he is still young, and his inner strength is not yet pure enough, and so when he cos up against such experts such as yourself, it would be difficult for him not to lose.
Thats no problem, he still has plenty of ti to train. ng Zhi picked up his tea cup, and asked a second ti, What do you think about the manor I picked?
i Changsu thought for a mont. I can tell it was picked by you.
You shouldnt be so an, even though I dont know much about estates and aesthetics, I know you, which is why I spent so much effort finding you this place, shouldnt you be a little grateful?
Thats what I ant, i Changsu looked at him kindly. ng dage, you are really the one who understands what I want.
ng Zhi had originally been feeling quite satisfied with himself and proud of his work, but now, faced with such blunt words of gratitude, he was a bit embarrassed, and he scratched his head, saying, I do know the scenery of this manor isnt the best.
The scenery will have to be redone, otherwise people will wonder why I managed to pick this manor out of the hundreds and thousands I was given to choose from. But its one advantage is better than ten manors with beautiful scenery. ng dage, you have truly outdone yourself.
I really didnt put any special effort into it, ng Zhi was still a bit embarrassed. I was only wandering around aimlessly when I discovered it myself, that the back wall of this manor is less than a hundred feet away from the back manor of Prince Jings residence, with the intervening space being shaded ground surrounded by thick forest, and in addition, the main doors of these two manors open onto difference streets, so the two residences seem to be in different areas of the city entirely, and it is really not easy to realize that they are actually located so close to each other. Xiao Shu, dont you have people who are skilled at construction? Once youve moved in, you can build a secret passage between the back courtyards of your and Prince Jings manors, and then even if you do not et in public, he can co through the hidden passage at night secretly for your private etings.
i Changsu looked helplessly at the first-ranked martial arts expert of Da Liang, and didnt know whether to laugh or cry. That is indeed a good suggestion, but can you not pick up Fei Lius manner of using words? Private etings?
Close enough ng Zhi thought for a mont, and then asked, So you dont intend to make your declaration public? After the matter with the Princess last ti, the Crown Prince will realize sooner or later that it was you who destroyed him with one blow. He is not a tolerant person, and will probably try to take revenge on you, so hadnt you better pretend to join Prince Yus side for now, and at least benefit from his protection so you wont have to suffer both sides as your enemy?
Dont worry, they are both busy at the mont, and dont have ti to deal with . A cold smile drifted across i Changsus face. It is said that those who only defend will always lose4.Since Prince Yu has used the corpses in the well case to attack the Minister of Revenue, Lou Zhijing, the Crown Prince must naturally hold on equally tightly to He Wenxins case. I thinkHe Jingzhong will definitely find a way to raise his sons murder case to the Ministry of Justice for re-sentencing.
The Ministry of Justice is Prince Yus backyard, can the Crown Prince compete?
Prince Yu has the upper hand, its true, but He Wenxins case is much too black and white, and with the Earl of Wens fury roused, it will be difficult for the Ministry of Justice to tamper with the case.
You must be happy to see them turning on each other. ng Zhi saw i Changsu tucking his hands into his sleeve and hurriedly pushed the small brazier closer to him. But even if the Crown Prince manages to sentence He Wenxin to death, in the end, it is still not He Jingzhong himself who must die, and to Prince Yu, there is no great loss.
i Changsu smiled aningfully and answered lightly, If he knew how to restrain his subordinates from going too far, then He Wenxins case would not do him much harm. His greatest weakness right now still falls on the head of the old Duke of Qing.
ng Zhi hit his fist against his thigh. Thats right, I wanted to ask you about this. I thought, with Xia Dongs return to the capital, she would have already gathered most of the evidence, so why has there been no word of the land infringent case up until now, what is the Emperor thinking?
He is thinkingabout who he should appoint to manage this land infringent case.
Ah?
i Changsu stretched out a hand and wrapped it around the brazier, his face calm, as if he was chatting about so idle matter. The Emperor has to deal with this land infringent case because this custom of powerful court officials taking over whatever land they like has been getting out of hand, and is starting to affect national affairs. But the question of who he should appoint to manage such an important case is a difficult one. I think he has not decided on a suitable person, and thats why there has been no ntion of this case so far.
As the commander of the imperial guard, ng Zhi was naturally not unintelligent, and after thinking it over, he nodded, and said, Thats right, Xuanjing officers only have the right to investigate, but cannot pass judgent, and this case is so important that it can only be handled by the Executive Secretary Bureau, the Imperial Censor Office, and the High Bureau of Justice5but.
i Changsu laughed grimly. His Majesty the Emperor knows in his heart that the three heads of these departnts will judge the case, but without soone of neutral position and a strong will to oversee them, this land infringent case will beco a cat-fight, and his intention to use this case as an example and a warning against similar future incidents will be wasted.
ng Zhi frowned and sighed. No wonder the Emperor is having trouble deciding, this is really a difficult situation.
i Changsu looked at him. So, it must fall to you to lift the Emperors burden.
? ng Zhi was taken aback. What kind of solution could I co up with?
Of course there is a solution. i Changsu wrapped his arms around the brazier, picked it up, and leaned back, the corner of his lip twitching. You can suggest soone to the Emperor.
Who?
Prince Jing.
ng Zhi stood up abruptly. What did you say?
No court official would be able to hold his own against those three heads, it must be soone of royal birth. If the Crown Prince was picked, he would raise such a fuss that this case would never be closed, and if Prince Yu was chosen, he would let it fade into the background and dissolve into nothing. Prince Jing has kept himself far from palace politics for many years, and has always been upright and outspoken, and only if he handled the case would it be able to achieve the purpose the Emperor intends.
But wouldnt Prince Jing offend many people by taking on the case?
If he wants to enter into the fray, how can he avoid offending people? The important consideration is whether it is worth it. i Changsus tone beca light and cold. This case is perfect: first, he will gain the love of the common people; second, it will raise his power and prestige; and third, it will showcase his ability and competence. Not to ntion, if he offends so people, he will naturally gain the support of others. If he keeps standing off to the side, no one will rember he exists.
ng Zhi watched him closely for a long ti then finally let out a long sigh. Once you have made up your mind, you are never wrong. Nothing in this world is certain, and I know you have already prepared every step. But what if the Emperor doesnt agree?
He will.
You are so sure?
He will, because he has no better option. i Changsu tightened his mouth and swallowed the sigh that had slid to the edges of his lips.
Aside from there being no other choice, there was actually another reason. It was because the Emperor did not love Prince Jing very dearly, and so would not think or care about the difficulties Prince Jing would face in accepting this assignnt, and thus, it would be easier for him to make up his mind.
And as for Prince Jing, this would be his first step onto the path of no return.
From this point on, there would be no turning back.
this seems to be the real na of the wasted manor MCS & co visited in chapter 37 (the na is revealed by Gray Hawk in Chapter 38, but I only just realized it now lol). Lan () ans orchid.
it has a seductive / sexual undertone, like rendez-vous
LOL that ones for all those MCS/XJY shippers out there ng Zhis on your side!
4similar aning to offense is the best defense
5its very complicated but basically, all you need to know is these are official titles from Chinese historical tis (a very specific ti period corresponding to the ti-setting of this novel) referring to certain highly ranked governnt departnts of the court that serve basically directly under the Emperor, sothing like that.
Chapter 41 Translators Notes:
Yayyyyy MCS is back The chapters always seem more peaceful and sophisticated and in control when hes around. Its the sa feeling that I get whenever I see Hu Ge as MCS on screen in the drama.
Also, if you have not yet seen Hu Ge and Chen Longs version of the rendez-vous line, please do yourself a favour.
I swear Ive seen an English translation sowhere and Ill try to find it, but basically hes punning on the word, and his suggestions range from private eting / rendez-vous (MCS: .___. cant you use a different phrase?!) to chance encounter to appointnt to eting. and all the Chinese comnts are like, you forgot about (an even more explicit lovers rendez-vouz) LOL
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