Chapter 159

Mr. Su Mingzhe and the princess didn't discuss poetry for long.

The young Mr. Su, a modest gentleman adhering to propriety, left the pavilion early and retired to the inner courtyard room arranged for him by Eunuch Zhao.

Chen Daxia was staying next door to Lord Zheng.

That evening,

Zheng Fan didn't seek out Chen Daxia for a chat, nor did Chen Daxia come looking for Zheng Fan;

Both were aware that,

Speaking under the nose of the Swordsmith could easily lead to trouble;

Moreover, while there was only one Swordsmith on the surface, there were likely other experts hidden in the shadows, possibly even at the level of the Swordsmith.

After all, a monarch was traveling incognito; they couldn’t possibly be stingy with security.

Zheng Fan fell asleep quickly and woke up quickly. It was still dark, probably around three in the morning, when Lord Zheng awoke.

Whether in his previous life or this one, Zheng Fan had no habit of lazing in bed. Once he was awake, he got up.

It was still dark. Zheng Fan lit a candle and sat at the desk.

The desk was furnished with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Lord Zheng picked up the brush and began attempting to "recite from memory":

"Her face is like a flower, her garments like clouds."

Zheng Fan's handwriting wasn't bad; he had a foundation from his previous life and had practiced calligraphy. He practiced when he had nothing else to do in this life as well. He was definitely far from a true scholar, and his writing couldn’t be considered particularly good, but to ordinary people, it was passable.

"Her face is like a flower, her garments like clouds, her face is like a flower, her garments like clouds..."

Lord Zheng licked his lips.

What was the next line again?

Zheng Fan couldn't recall. Blindman wasn’t around.

So, he only wrote that one line of the poem.

He got up.

Washed his face.

In the inner courtyard, apart from Eunuch Zhao, there was no one else around, so he had to fetch the water himself.

After washing up,

Lord Zheng sat on the chair,

And began to think deeply.

After daybreak, the Regent and the Swordsmith left together.

Zheng Fan, accompanied by Eunuch Zhao, left the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was quiet, but outside, things were incredibly lively. Preparations for the wedding were in their final stages, and the arrangements were grand.

Sixth Prince’s wedding had inflated the market; these were princes and princesses. Even if it wasn't necessary to be as extravagant as Sixth Prince, it couldn't look too shabby.

Moreover, the Qu Clan had the Fan family constantly injecting resources, so they were spending money freely.

This was just the imperial villa, which was essentially being used as the princess's temporary maiden home, so the arrangements at the Qu family's main residence in Juyuan City would only be more lavish than this.

Zheng Fan walked and looked, cracking melon seeds he'd grabbed from Zhao Cheng while shaking his head.

Alas,

The lifeblood of the people.

It had taken so much effort to get through the winter at Snow Sea Pass, yet here, they were being so extravagant for a wedding.

How wonderful it would be to plunder it all back?

As he walked, Zheng Fan saw a troupe of acrobats rehearsing ahead.

As he got closer, Zheng Fan saw a dwarf, wearing makeup, jumping and dancing to the rhythm of the gongs and drums.

Ever since meeting Xue San, Zheng Fan had developed a special fondness for dwarves.

And soon,

Zheng Fan realized the source of his current emotion,

Because the dwarf was running toward him.

It was Xue San.

Many times, Zheng Fan couldn't help but admire himself. To allow his subordinates to one day take charge on their own, he had long ago paid attention to delegating power, so that his subordinates could gain ample opportunities to practice.

Therefore,

Even though their lord was now sometimes at the Fan residence, sometimes at the villa, sometimes in Zhou County, and sometimes back at the villa, his subordinates were still able to arrange things in an orderly manner.

Zheng Fan and Xue San found a secluded spot to meet and told Xue San that the Regent had also appeared here. Xue San said that he already knew, since the appearance of the imperial guards was politically sensitive, and most people would be able to guess what was going on.

Immediately afterward,

Xue San took out three specific plans for the wedding heist and let Zheng Fan choose one.

Very good.

What was originally a complex problem

Had directly become a multiple-choice question of "A, B, or C"

For Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan chose "A," and Xue San left immediately.

As the lord, Zheng Fan could continue to be leisurely, but the devils had to hold up the sky.

In other words, Zheng Fan had to be leisurely, otherwise the devils' busyness would lose its meaning.

Xue San said he would go inform Si Niang and A Ming, and all Zheng Fan needed to do was find another opportunity to meet the princess and explain some details to her.

Of course,

The success of the plan was inseparable from whether the princess was willing to leave with Zheng Fan in public. From this perspective, Zheng Fan's difficulty was actually the greatest, and his responsibility was also the heaviest.

To see the princess again, the best method was still to use poetry as a bridge;

So,

What was the next line after "Her face is like a flower, her garments like clouds?"

...

By evening, Zheng Fan still couldn't recall the next line, but that was no longer important.

Because that night, the Regent and the Swordsmith, who had left during the day, did not return.

Since they hadn’t returned, Zheng Fan had more freedom.

Qu Peiluo also didn’t come tonight. After all, the wedding was in three days, and he couldn't keep running back and forth.

And after these people were gone,

The inner courtyard,

The princess's bedroom,

Was practically Zheng Fan's home.

...

"The imperial guards are still here, so Royal Brother shouldn't have left," the princess said.

Zheng Fan said, "Could it be that they're staying to protect you?"

The princess shook her head and said, "No, if Royal Brother were to leave, he would definitely tell me, no matter how busy he is."

"Then he must have gone out on business and will still return to attend your wedding."

"No, Royal Brother wouldn't delay himself for so many days for me. It's already very rare for him to see me once before I get married. He wouldn't specially stay for several days to wait for my wedding before leaving. After all, he's the Regent of Da Chu."

"Mm, I understand."

Zheng Fan's gaze fell on the green python again. From the first time they met, this green python had clearly shown disdain towards him.

Therefore, Lord Zheng really wanted to see what kind of situation it would be in when this green python was brought back to the Pingye Marquis’s residence by the princess as part of her dowry and met the devils.

He hoped it could continue to maintain its arrogance;

Eunuch Zhao came in to deliver tea.

While pouring the water,

Eunuch Zhao said,

"Your Majesties, that Great Majesty has returned."

...

The Regent and the Swordsmith had returned.

At this moment,

The Regent was sitting there drinking tea,

While the Swordsmith was using a small carving knife to carve a wooden sword.

The Regent asked,

"Are the arrangements all in place?"

The Swordsmith didn't even look up as he continued carving, answering, "The arrangements are in place."

"If the arrangements are too perfect, it won't be good. The fish might not take the bait."

"Your Majesty can rest assured, if they miss this opportunity, they won't have another chance. They are more anxious than we are."

"Heh, I didn't expect that they would actually dare to launch their plan on the day of Liqing's wedding. Actually, I didn't want to come."

Because he knew his sister's true intentions, the Regent had been deliberately keeping his distance from the princess after she grew up.

His coming to see her now was actually a greater cruelty to her.

The Swordsmith blew on the patterns of the wooden sword and said, "But Your Majesty still came."

"I came because they wanted to cause trouble."

"For most people, they only like to see the result, and they aren't very interested in the cause and the process. Since you have ultimately appeared here, their arrangements and plans are actually not wrong and can still continue."

"I myself find it a bit absurd. How dare they?"

"When a dog is cornered, it will jump over the wall, let alone that person; however, this is also in line with that person's style. He likes to take risks and be unconventional."

"That's true."

"Your Majesty can rest assured, they won't be able to escape this time. Everything is under your control."

"No."

The Regent put down his teacup and said, "I still think we shouldn't wait until Liqing's wedding day to close the net. I don't want to clash with her wedding."

The Swordsmith heard this and nodded, saying:

"So, Your Majesty means you want to launch the plan ahead of time?"

"Let's do it a day earlier, resolve the matter, and let Liqing get married smoothly and beautifully. As her older brother, that's all I can do for her. But I'm afraid that Liqing will hate me even more when she finds out."

"Princess is intelligent and insightful, she will understand Your Majesty. And no matter what, Princess will only stand by your side. After all, this is all for the stability and future of Da Chu."

"I can only say these words to you. After Father Emperor passed away, I understood the feelings of the Yan Emperor more and more. Fortunately, he has Tian Wujing and Li Liangting, and I have you."

The Swordsmith put the wooden sword aside,

Looked at the Regent,

Said:

"Your Majesty, I can't learn from Tian Wujing."

The Regent pointed at the Swordsmith,

"You, you, you're still the same."

The Swordsmith flicked his long hair, shook his head, and said, "I still prefer to stay in the Sword Casting Workshop, the kind where I don't have to come out for a whole year."

The Regent sighed, saying:

"But who can let go of everything and really become a carefree wanderer?"

The Swordsmith exhaled and said, "Then I'll go make arrangements now. Let's launch the plan tomorrow."

The Regent nodded,

Said in a deep voice:

"Once this matter is over, and after Tian Wujing withdraws his troops from Zhennan Pass, I can ascend the throne."

The title of Regent could be removed, and he could officially rule Da Chu.

"Actually, calling you Your Majesty doesn't feel as natural as calling you King."

"You can call me Brother like you did when we were little."

"You said you didn't want me to learn from Tian Wujing. It's better for us to be just ruler and subject. I'll handle things for you, and you'll guarantee my family's prosperity and glory. Clear and straightforward. That's good."

The Regent clenched his fist,

Said:

"In any case, this time, we can't give Fifth Brother and the person by his side any chance."

————

I've been adjusting my schedule these past few days and can't stay up late. I'll try to write a 10,000-word chapter tomorrow and have a burst of updates.

Good night!