39: Chapter 39 Qingyang County is going to hold a poetry festival! (Part 1)

In the kitchen, Zhao Zilong felt very depressed.

He truly had not expected that last night's incident would make Cai Wenjing so angry.

In his view, although Cai Wenjing was usually cold and aloof, she was actually a very passionate person at heart.

At the very least, she shouldn't be so petty.

Misjudged?

Zhao Zilong could not figure it out.

However, depressed or not, when cooking, Zhao Zilong was still very serious and attentive.

Cai Wenjing, his current backer, was having some issues, and he didn't know if he could still rely on her, so he had to curry favor with the Princess even more.

At critical moments, this was his protective amulet.

Tonight, Zhao Zilong made braised pork, braised carp, and a plate of vegetables. Although they were just home-style dishes, Zhao Zilong discovered that the overall cooking standard in the Daye Kingdom was rather poor.

With his culinary skills, in the Daye Kingdom, even if he wasn't number one, he could at least make it into the top few dozen; it was definitely enough.

---

Dining Hall.

"The food is here."

After Zhao Zilong finished cooking, he personally brought the dishes out, along with steaming hot rice.

Just the smell was enough to greatly increase one's appetite.

"Dad, I'll help you."

Zhao Xiaotian wanted to help carry the dishes, but Zhao Zilong stopped him: "Dad can do it himself."

Zhao Zilong told the Princess and Cai Wenjing to start eating first.

"No need to wait for him."

Cai Wenjing huffed.

Princess Zhu Yunxi's eyes crinkled with a smile. She had chatted with Cai Wenjing for a while earlier; although Cai Wenjing hadn't said anything, Princess Zhu Yunxi could tell that Cai Wenjing had feelings for Zhao Zilong.

Now she seemed angry at Zhao Zilong, but it was actually more like acting coquettish.

Princess Zhu Yunxi knew that Cai Wenjing had essentially run away from an arranged marriage. Cai Wenjing's fiancé was Jiang Jian, the son of the Marquis of Wenyang, who was now a Fifth-Grade Martial Artist.

However, although Jiang Jian was very outstanding, Cai Wenjing did not like him.

Moreover, because of the death of her sworn brother Wu He, Cai Wenjing had used this as an excuse to delay the marriage and come to Qingyang County.

"Everyone, let's eat first."

Princess Zhu Yunxi also knew that Zhao Zilong wouldn't mind, and since Cai Wenjing had said so, they would eat without waiting for Zhao Zilong.

"Caiwei, Xiaotian, you two eat more. Don't save any for Zhao Zilong; he said he wasn't hungry."

Cai Wenjing ate heartily; truth be told, it was really delicious.

Princess Zhu Yunxi had a faint smile on her lips, and she shook her head with a hint of helplessness.

For a man to be able to make Cai Wenjing act like this showed just how much she liked him.

"Mr. Zhao is so outstanding; it's only natural for Wenjing to have feelings for him."

Princess Zhu Yunxi ate her food in small bites, feeling inevitably sad inside.

She didn't know if the Empress would adopt Zhao Zilong's strategy to defeat the enemy, or if the court officials would agree to it.

She believed Zhao Zilong's strategy was viable, but she wasn't sure what the imperial court would think.

With various factions playing against each other, sometimes, a strategy isn't adopted just because it's good.

If it wasn't adopted, she would have no choice but to be married off far away to the Northern Barbarians.

"Although Wenjing has a fiancé and ran away from the marriage, she ultimately still has a choice. Unlike me, imprisoned in this cage, unable to be free, not even daring to reveal my feelings for the person I like, and forced to keep it bottled up inside."

"If I could, how I, Princess Zhu Yunxi, would also like to act coquettishly and throw little tantrums at Zhao Zilong just like Wenjing."

"But just because I am a Princess, I have to bury everything in my heart."

"Princess, why aren't you eating? These dishes are so fragrant."

Seeing Princess Zhu Yunxi looking distracted, Caiwei couldn't help but call out to her.

"Yeah, Princess Sister, hurry up and eat. The food is so good; if you don't eat, Xiaotian is going to finish it all."

Zhao Xiaotian still had a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth.

Princess Zhu Yunxi gave Zhao Xiaotian a knowing smile and said: "Xiaotian, eat more; you're at the age where you're growing."

"Mm."

Zhao Xiaotian nodded in agreement and began eating heartily again.

However, he was mostly just shoveling rice into his mouth and rarely picked up the dishes, clearly leaving them for others.

Zhao Zilong came in, carrying two jugs of wine.

Since he had to spend the night at the Princesss Residence, he could only use being drunk as an excuse.

"Mr. Zhao, are you going to drink again?"

Caiwei asked curiously. Last night, Zhao Zilong had said he would never drink again, that drinking too much made him feel terrible, and so on. Had he forgotten all that today?

Zhao Zilong said: "I had a very productive day at the Fuzheng Division, so I'm drinking a little to celebrate."

He had recruited Ge Yun and Tong Yun, two Second-Grade Martial Artists, today, and Zhao Zilong was indeed in a very good mood; his team had grown stronger.

Although Ge Yun and Tong Yun might not be fully loyal to him yet, Zhao Zilong was not in a hurry; he would eventually find a way to completely win them over.

Moreover, whenever he thought about how Li Kai, Zhang Da, and the others had gone to Linglong Pavilion to drink and have fun with the ladies tonight, Zhao Zilong felt depressed. If Cai Wenjing hadn't stopped him, he would have gone with them.

Besides, Wang Shan was paying for everything tonight; such opportunities were rare.

"Mr. Zhao, what happened at the Fuzheng Division today? Tell us about it."

Caiwei looked at Zhao Zilong as he sat down and asked very curiously.

Zhao Zilong said: "Alright, I'll tell you while I drink."

Cai Wenjing couldn't help but glare at Zhao Zilong.

Princess Zhu Yunxi saw this and had a faint smile on her lips. At this moment, she actually envied Cai Wenjing for being able to act without any restraint, something she herself could not do.

---

In a room in the backyard of the County Magistrates Residence in Qingyang County.

The room was brightly lit with candles.

A woman dressed in a snow-white long dress sat on a chair by the table in the room.

Her face was stunningly beautiful and cold; even if she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, she was a rare beauty in this world.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Moreover, her figure was excellent; even while sitting there, she couldn't hide her superb physique.

Her snowy mountains were firm, and her full moons were rounded.

In front of this stunning woman, a person dressed in a night-traveling outfit was reporting to her.

"Princess, Zhao Zilong should be spending the night at the Princesss Residence tonight and will not be returning home."

"Continue to send people to watch the Princesss Residence and Zhao Zilong's side. Report back to me if anything happens."

The stunning woman spoke, and her subordinate withdrew.

A faint look of sorrow appeared on the stunning woman's brow.

Though her appearance was cold, it only made her more pitiful and endearing.

If Zhao Zilong were here, he would definitely be able to recognize who this woman was.

She was none other than the Princess of the Former Dynasty, Ning Hongxiu, who was now staying in County Lord Cao's County Magistrates Residence under the alias Ning Chuwei.

Her identity was that of a merchant's daughter who had come to Qingyang County to do business.

Her father had some dealings with Cao Yuan, which was why she was able to stay in the County Magistrates Residence.

Footsteps sounded outside, and Ning Hongxiu gently raised her eyes to look.

A moment later, she saw Cao Yuan walk in.

Although Cao Yuan was a County Lord, he had a very imposing aura.

After all, he was a royal relative, a maternal uncle of the Emperor.

"Miss Ning, are you still worrying about the mission?"

Cao Yuan walked into the room and asked slowly.

Ning Hongxiu said: "County Lord Cao, please sit."

She gestured, and Cao Yuan sat down opposite her.

Ning Hongxiu said: "Looking at the current situation, we do not have any certainty of success if we try to enter the Princesss Residence to assassinate her."

"With Miss Ning's strength, you don't have certainty?"

Cao Yuan was a bit surprised.

Ning Hongxiu was a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, and she was even about to break through to the Seventh Rank.

He really hadn't expected that with such strength, she still wouldn't have the confidence to assassinate Princess Zhu Yunxi.

Ning Hongxiu had naturally been somewhat confident before, but after her battle with Cai Wenjing last night, and after that guy Zhao Zilong figured out her fatal weakness, she knew she could no longer use forceful methods to deal with Princess Zhu Yunxi and could only resort to wit.

She now hated Zhao Zilong to the core; how could a First-Grade Martial Artist have seen through her fatal weakness?

It was unbelievable.

If it weren't for the fact that Zhao Zilong was spending the night at the Princesss Residence tonight, she would definitely have found him and asked him for the reason.

Otherwise, this matter was like a nail driven into her heart, making her extremely uneasy.

"The Princesss Residence already has precautions in place. If we try to force our way in to assassinate her, not only will we not succeed, but we will also suffer heavy losses."

Ning Hongxiu naturally couldn't tell him the real reason, which was that her fatal weakness had been discovered; this was what she feared the most right now.

Ning Hongxiu said: "The only strategy now is to lure Princess Zhu Yunxi out."

Cao Yuan said: "But ever since Princess Zhu Yunxi came to Qingyang County, she hasn't left the Princesss Residence for even a step. It's not easy to get her to come out. Even I, her maternal uncle, have invited her to be a guest at my residence several times, and she has never agreed."

Ning Hongxiu said: "It might have been extremely difficult before, but that might not be the case now."

"Why?"

Cao Yuan was very surprised.

Ning Hongxiu said: "Two days ago, a poem spread from the imperial court and has already had some influence in the Imperial City and its surroundings. Now, the scholars of the Qingyang County Literary Society have sparked a craze for poetry once again."

Cao Yuan looked confused; he didn't know about this matter.

Ning Hongxiu said: "It's normal that you don't know, County Lord Cao. After all, no one pays more attention to court affairs than we people of the former dynasty. I have seen that poem; it is written extremely well. The author, Zhao Yun, is truly a great talent of the current age. It's just a pity that I have no chance to meet him."

Listening to Ning Hongxiu's words, Cao Yuan, who was very shrewd, had already thought of something.

He said: "Princess Zhu Yunxi loves poetry. If the Qingyang County Literary Society holds a poetry gathering, Princess Zhu Yunxi will have a high probability of attending, and this will be Miss Ning's opportunity to make a move."

Ning Hongxiu said: "Correct, that is exactly my intention, but this matter will require your help, County Lord Cao."

Hearing Ning Hongxiu say this, Cao Yuan frowned slightly and said: "Miss Ning, although I have agreed to cooperate with you, it is limited to financial support. Now you want me to initiate this poetry gathering. If something happens to Princess Zhu Yunxi, I will be in trouble."

Ning Hongxiu couldn't help but smile faintly and said: "County Lord Cao, even if you don't initiate this poetry gathering, if Princess Zhu Yunxi meets with an accident in Qingyang County, as the County Lord, can you escape the consequences?"

"This..."

Cao Yuan's heart sank; that was true.

Ning Hongxiu said: "However, you are, after all, Princess Zhu Yunxi's maternal uncle. Even if something happens to her, you will at most be reprimanded; it won't be anything major."

Cao Yuan said: "That's right. Everyone knows how much I, her uncle, dote on Princess Zhu Yunxi. If something happens to her, in the eyes of outsiders, the one most devastated will surely be her uncle. I indeed won't have any major problems."

"But Miss Ning, if we act this time, there cannot be any slip-ups."

"Also, you must fulfill what you promised me."

Ning Hongxiu said: "Rest assured, County Lord Cao. When our Ning Dynasty restores the country, you will be a founding hero of the restoration. The rewards will naturally not be lacking, and a position as a Duke will definitely be reserved for you."

Cao Yuan said: "Since that is the case, when do you plan to start the poetry gathering, Miss Ning? So I can go and prepare."

Ning Hongxiu said: "Three days from now, at the Qingyang County Literary Society."

Cao Yuan nodded, then stood up and left.

After leaving Ning Hongxiu's room and walking to the door, Cao Yuan looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.

"Yunxi, don't blame your uncle. If you must blame someone, blame your sister, the Empress. If she hadn't restricted the power of us maternal relatives, I wouldn't have cooperated with people from the former dynasty."

"After all, your uncle doesn't want to just be a small County Lord for his whole life. That position of Duke is truly tempting."