Before the person above her could speak, Xia Zhiqian knelt down, simultaneously raising her hand and presenting the bamboo tube that she held, palm facing upward. The Lord Qi Ling who had brought her in took the bamboo tube from her hands and handed it to the Crown Prince standing before them.
In her peripheral vision, Xia Zhiqian caught a glimpse of the resplendent blue brocade hem that belonged to the Crown Prince. At the sa ti, her heart beca sowhat chaotic with this realization, as if soone had glimpsed a secret of hers in a flash.
"Miss Xia, please rise," Xia Zhiqian finally heard the person above her speak. The voice was deep and gentle, even more pleasant than she had ever imagined, as if all her fantasies had suddenly beco tangible.
Xia Zhiqian nervously stood up.
Zheng Congyuan had already opened the bamboo tube. The content of the letter was very simple; Zheng Congyuan finished reading it in just a glance but did not speak. A brief silence ensued, filling the room with tension.
Standing by her side, Ju Nanyi showed not the slightest curiosity about what Zheng Congyuan held in his hands, but the arrival of Miss Xia was quite sudden, especially in the middle of the night. A brave general from Jiumu Mansion had sent a crucial secret letter, which must be of great importance. However, the Crown Prince had not asked him to leave, and just as he was preparing to withdraw on his own, Lord Qi Ling had already brought soone in.
"Miss Xia, you have worked hard. Lord Ling, arrange for soone to escort Miss Xia back," Zheng Congyuan finally spoke, without ntioning the content of the bamboo tube.
Xia Zhiqian felt sowhat disappointed, but she also knew that it was wishful thinking to hope that the Crown Prince would reveal even a hint of such important matters to her.
Concealing her curiosity, Xia Zhiqian ticulously perford a respectful bow.
"I take my leave," she said.
Xia Zhiqian followed Lord Qi Ling out. A breeze from the lake hit her, and the girl felt her cheeks burning, her heart pounding fiercely with nervousness and a sense of unreality. She had just seen the Crown Prince up close, a stark contrast to the fleeting glimpse she had from afar during a boat ride. The presence of the Crown Prince right before her eyes made her feel very real, as if her life had only just begun to have aning at this mont.
"Miss Xia, don’t be nervous. You did well today, delivering such an important secret letter to the Crown Prince so swiftly. Indeed, you have the decisive deanor of General Ling," Lord Qi Ling said, comforting the young lady, who had nearly stumbled twice. Seeing her flushed face, every movent betrayed her nervousness.
Moreover, the words of Lord Qi Ling weren’t just out of comfort. The line of succession in Jiumu Mansion had dwindled, and this ti only Madam Xia and Miss Xia had co. Madam Xia was very timid, yet unexpectedly, Miss Xia showed courage and strategy, delivering the letter at midnight and even choosing several routes to co.
"Thank you for the praise, my lord," Xia Zhiqian replied, her heart fluttering with the unexpected comfort. She wondered, if one of the Crown Prince’s close guards praised her like this, could it an that the Crown Prince might think the sa of her?
Steward Li finally saw his mistress and breathed a sigh of relief. Although it hadn’t been long since Miss Xia entered and then left, for Uncle Li, it was an ordeal.
"Miss—" Uncle Li imdiately went up to greet her but then saw Lord Ling beside her and, feeling restrained, politely prepared to bow.
"There’s no need for formalities, Uncle. I’ll arrange for soone to escort you back," Lord Ling said gently, waving over a guard.
Two guards accompanied Xia Zhiqian on her way back to Jiumu Mansion, where everyone had already been waiting anxiously. Madam Xia lacked decisiveness and had already been crying intermittently, throwing the servants below into disarray, although they were unaware of any significant matter.
Just as they were unsure of what to do, Xia Zhiqian arrived at the gate. Steward Li gratefully thanked the two guards and prepared to give them so money as a token of appreciation, but they refused to accept it.
By now, dawn was breaking. Madam Xia, exhausted from crying, now went to rest, whining and lanting.
...
Ju Nanyi did not want to know what ssage Miss Xia of the Jiumu Aristocratic Clan had brought. Since General Ling of the Jiumu Aristocratic Clan, now garrisoned at the Northern Border, had urgently sent back a ssage, sothing must have happened there.
But Ju Nanyi understood well that so matters were harder to remain ignorant of than to know, and that restraining one’s curiosity and adhering to one’s duty were of the utmost importance.
Ju Nanyi noticed that the Crown Prince before him clearly had sothing on his mind, and since Ling Ge had already taken the Crown Prince’s n to the incident’s location, there was nothing here for him anymore.
"Your Highness, I am on duty tonight. If there are no other orders, I..."
"Nanyi, don’t rush." Zheng Congyuan interrupted Ju Nanyi’s words, suddenly looking at him.
In the instant that Zheng Congyuan looked at Ju Nanyi, he had already made up his mind. Hadn’t he appointed Ju Nanyi to the position of Jingcheng for the very sa reason?
At the ti of setting up the unified examination, it was because this route was least likely to easily trigger the interests of others, although the drawbacks had also been exposed along with it.
Officials from the unified examination were all in civil positions, unable to secure a firm footing amongst established interests, so it was necessary to slowly infiltrate those domains of power, and there had to be a beginning.
Those who were appointed to these positions along with Ju Nanyi were chosen through a thorough and ticulous process, and even the manner and reasons for their selection were deliberately manipulated to appear very natural.
"Nanyi, co with to a place." Zheng Congyuan suddenly stood up, and upon hearing his words, Ju Nanyi simply nodded slightly and imdiately followed him.
Zheng Congyuan boarded the carriage, with Lord Qi Ling personally taking the reins. Seeing this, Ju Nanyi obediently got into the carriage. In the dark of night, the sound of horse hooves pierced the silence, and Ju Nanyi didn’t think further. The fact before him was the only clue he had—it must be related to the confidential letter brought by Miss Xia.
However, it was not difficult for Ju Nanyi to see that the Crown Prince had hesitated, or to say, thought it was sowhat premature to involve him now. It was only the appearance of Miss Xia that had disrupted his plan.
"Nanyi, do you know about the Evil Cult that appeared in Zheng Capital over a decade ago?" Zheng Congyuan suddenly asked.
"I know a little. According to records, the Evil Cult was associated with Ghostly Beasts, sucking the lifeblood and harming human lives. Eleven years ago, they spread a plague in the Western Border, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian deaths and injuries. Later, Master Huo Yi erged, killed the cult’s leader, and organized a team to combat the Evil Cult. In half a year’s ti, they annihilated the remnants of the cult. Rumors say so surviving forces fled to the Northern Border, beyond the borders of our Nanzheng State," Ju Nanyi promptly answered.
Zheng Congyuan nodded, his eyes showing a trace of approval.
Such matters had disappeared from Nanzheng State over a decade ago, and even those familiar with the records would not notice such details. This was the remarkable ability of Ju Nanyi, always able to surprise in an unassuming manner.
Hence, even Zheng Congyuan did not know what other extraordinary abilities Ju Nanyi might still be hiding.
"Your Highness, we’ve arrived—" Lord Qi Ling steadied the carriage, and in pitch darkness, Ju Nanyi could not discern the direction, only vaguely concluding they were near Siyan Mountain.
"Co with to et so people," Zheng Congyuan said first, stepping out of the carriage. "These people are elites who had once fought against the Evil Cult, and now they have trained several new teams."
Ju Nanyi was slightly startled upon hearing this and sowhat puzzled.
"The confidential ssage from the Northern Border states that powers from the Evil Cult have entered Zheng Capital and seem to have so significant purpose."
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