Free Web NovelChapter 1062: Chapter 256: The Trap
Mr. Su Mingzhe and the Princess didn’t discuss poetry for long.
Young Mr. Su, a courteous gentleman, adhered strictly to etiquette, left the pavilion early, and then slept in a room arranged by Eunuch Zhao in the inner courtyard.
Mr. Chen stayed next door to Lord Zheng;
In the evening,
Zheng Fan didn’t go to chat with Mr. Chen, nor did Mr. Chen come to talk to Zheng Fan;
Both knew well,
speaking under the supervision of the sword maker could easily lead to problems;
Also, on the surface, there was only one sword maker, but secretly, there must be other masters, perhaps even those not inferior to the sword maker.
After all, when a king travels incognito, he cannot afford to be lacking in splendor.
Lord Zheng fell asleep quickly and woke up quickly as well, before dawn, around three in the morning, Lord Zheng awoke.
In both previous lives and this one, Zheng Fan never had the habit of lingering in bed, once awake, he simply got up.
It was still dark, Zheng Fan lit a candle and sat at the desk.
The desk had brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.
Lord Zheng picked up the brush, attempting to "mentally write":
"The clouds think of garments, the flowers think of appearance."
Lord Zheng’s handwriting was decent; having a foundation in the past life, practiced calligraphy, and occasionally practiced writing in this life as well. Certainly, there was a significant gap compared to true scholars, and it couldn’t be considered exceptionally well written, but to ordinary people, it was acceptable.
"The clouds think of garments, the flowers think of appearance, the clouds think of garments, the flowers think of appearance......."
Lord Zheng licked his lips,
What comes next?
Lord Zheng couldn’t remember, and the blind man wasn’t around.
So, the poem ended with just this one sentence.
He stood,
washed his face.
In the inner courtyard, aside from Eunuch Zhao, there were no idle people, so he had to do the water himself.
After washing up,
Lord Zheng sat in the chair,
and began to ponder deeply.
After dawn, the regent went out with the sword maker.
Lord Zheng, accompanied by Eunuch Zhao, left the inner courtyard.
The inner courtyard was tranquil, but outside it was extremely lively, the wedding preparations were already in the final stages, grandly set up.
Little Six’s wedding elevated the standards; being royal princes and princesses, even if there was no need to rival Little Six in extravagance, at least it couldn’t appear shabby.
Moreover, the Qu Clan had a family like the Fan Family behind it, constantly supplying resources, silver was being poured in relentlessly.
This was just the royal estate for the princess to temporarily call home, thus the arrangements at Ju’an City’s Qu Family headquarters would certainly be even more grand.
Lord Zheng walked while observing, munching sunflower seeds grabbed from Zhao Cheng, shaking his head,
Alas,
the fat and grease of the people.
At Snow Sea Pass, it’s hard to get through winter well, yet here it’s so lavish just for a wedding.
Why not take it all back?
Walking further, Zheng Fan saw a troupe of acrobats rehearsing.
As he walked closer, Zheng Fan spotted a dwarf in makeup, jumping to the beat of drums.
Ever since knowing Xue Three, Lord Zheng had developed a special affection for dwarfs.
Soon,
Lord Zheng realized the source of his emotions at the moment,
because the dwarf was running towards him,
it was Xue Three.
Many times, Lord Zheng had to admire himself; to enable his subordinates to eventually handle matters independently, he had long paid attention to delegating power, giving them ample training opportunities.
Therefore,
even now, when he is in the Fan Family, sometimes at the estate, sometimes in Zhou County, sometimes again at the estate, his subordinates can still manage everything seamlessly.
Lord Zheng and Xue Three found a secluded spot for a meeting, informing Xue Three that the regent was present here, Xue Three said he was already aware, given the appearance of royal guards; anyone with a bit of political sensitivity could guess something.
Subsequently,
Xue Three presented three specific plans for the kidnapping on the wedding day, letting Lord Zheng choose for himself.
Very well,
what was originally a complex issue,
for Lord Zheng,
became simply a choice among "A, B, C."
Lord Zheng chose "A," and Xue Three immediately left.
As my lord, Lord Zheng can remain leisurely, but the demon kings must hold up the weight.
In other words, Lord Zheng must stay leisurely; otherwise, the busy efforts of the demon kings would lose their purpose.
Xue Three said he would go to notify Siniang and A Ming, and what Zheng Fan needed to do was to find another chance to meet the princess and explain some details.
Of course,
the success of the plan was closely tied to whether the princess was willing to leave with Lord Zheng in public, from this perspective, Lord Zheng’s challenge was indeed the greatest, his responsibility the heaviest.
To meet the princess again, the best approach was to use poetry as a path;
Therefore,
what’s the next line after "the clouds think of garments, the flowers think of appearance"?
...
By evening, Lord Zheng still hadn’t remembered the next line, but it no longer mattered.
Because that night, the regent and sword maker who went out during the day didn’t return.
With them absent, Lord Zheng had much more freedom.
Qu Peiluo did not come tonight either, since there were only three days left before the wedding, he couldn’t keep coming here every day.
And when all these people are absent,
inside the inner chambers,
the princess’s sleeping quarters,
are just like Lord Zheng’s home.
...
"The royal guards are still here, brother surely hasn’t left." the princess said.
Zheng Fan then replied, "Could it be he stayed to protect you?"
The princess shook her head, saying, "No, if brother were to leave, he would definitely inform me, no matter how busy he is."
"Then maybe he went out for some business and will return to attend your wedding."
"No, brother wouldn’t delay just for my sake. It’s already difficult for him to see me once before I get married. It’s impossible for him to stay several more days just to leave after my wedding, since he is, after all, the regent of Chu."
"I understand."
Zheng Fan’s gaze then fell on that Green Python, which had shown clear disdain towards him since their first meeting.
Thus, Lord Zheng was really curious about what the scene would be like when this Green Python, brought along as the princess’s dowry, meets the demons at Lord Pingye’s house.
He hoped it could continue to maintain its pride;
Eunuch Zhao came in to deliver tea,
and while pouring,
Eunuch Zhao spoke:
"You two lords, the great lord has returned."
...
The regent and the swordsmith have returned.
At this moment,
the regent was sitting there drinking tea,
while the swordsmith was carving a wooden sword with a small knife.
The regent asked:
"Everything arranged properly?"
The swordsmith, without lifting his head, continued carving and replied, "Yes, everything is arranged."
"If arranged too perfectly, the fish might not bite."
"Your Majesty can rest assured, if they miss this chance, they won’t get another. They are more desperate than us."
"Ha, I never expected they would really dare to act on Liqing’s wedding day; honestly, I didn’t even want to come."
Understanding his sister’s true intentions, after she grew up, the regent had deliberately kept a distance from the princess.
Visiting her now was actually a greater cruelty to her.
The swordsmith blew on the wooden sword’s grain and said, "But Your Majesty still came."
"I’m here because they intend to stir trouble."
"For most people, they only care about the result, not so much the cause and process. Since you’re here now, their layout and planning aren’t wrong; it can still proceed."
"I myself find it a bit absurd, how dare they?"
"Even a dog, when pushed, will leap over a wall, let alone that one; moreover, it’s fitting of his style, preferring unexpected, unconventional methods."
"Indeed."
"Your Majesty can be assured, this time they won’t escape; everything is within your grasp."
"No."
The regent put down his teacup and said, "I still think it’s best not to wait until Liqing’s wedding to act, I don’t wish to disrupt her wedding."
The swordsmith nodded at those words and said:
"So, Your Majesty is suggesting we act in advance?"
"One day early. Resolve the matter, allowing Liqing to marry gloriously and smoothly. As her brother, that’s all I can do for her, although I fear Liqing will hate me more if she finds out."
"Her Highness the Princess is remarkably wise and will understand Your Majesty’s intentions. Regardless, the princess will always side with you, as it’s all for Chu’s stability and future."
"These words, I can only say to you, after father’s passing, I understand the feelings of Yan’s emperor more and more, but luckily, he has Tian Wujing and Li Liangting, and I have you."
The swordsmith set the wooden sword aside,
looked at the regent,
and said:
"Your Majesty, I can’t compare to Tian Wujing."
The regent pointed at the swordsmith,
"You, you’re still the same as ever."
The swordsmith flicked his long hair and shook his head, saying, "I still prefer staying in the sword-making workshop where I don’t have to come out all year."
The regent let out a sigh and said,
"But who can truly abandon everything and live as a carefree wanderer?"
The swordsmith exhaled and said: "I will go and make some arrangements now and we’ll act tomorrow."
The regent nodded,
saying:
"Once everything here is settled, we wait for Tian Wujing to withdraw his army from Town South Pass, and I can ascend to the throne."
The title of regent can be dismissed, and he can officially rule Chu.
"Actually, calling you Your Majesty feels less natural than calling you Your Highness."
"You can call me brother like when we were young."
"You still claim I shouldn’t emulate Tian Wujing. Let’s just be sovereign and subject; I’ll handle matters for you, and you ensure my family’s prosperity. It’s clear and straightforward, and that’s good."
The regent clenched his fist,
and said:
"In any case, this time, we cannot afford to give the Fifth Prince and his associate any sliver of opportunity."
————
Lately, I’ve been adjusting my schedule, unable to stay up at night, but I’ll try to write ten thousand words during the day.
Good night!
