Afterwards, Jing Wan saw a pile of important letters, “This, won’t do……..” Backing away, just wanting to leave.
Li Hong Yuan turned his hand and grabbed her, “Wan Wan, you must remember, I’m saying one last time, my matters, there’s nothing you can’t know. Next time, encountering this kind of situation again, I’ll get angry. Or, does Wan Wan not want to walk shoulder to shoulder with me?” He was smiling gently as before.
But, Jing Wan kept feeling that right now, he was quite dangerous. Clearly looking as if there was nothing wrong, yet this was just like darkening at a moment of disagreement? She uncontrollably shivered. Hey, properly talk, don’t play like this, my heart can’t take it!
“What’s wrong, cold? Right now, at night, it’s still somewhat chilly, so should add another layer of clothing.”
“No, not cold.” Since the words were already put out, Jing Wan also no longer shied away. In any case, they were already firmly tied together. Since one body, then naturally needed to advance and retreat together. He was willing to give her enough status, this was a good start. She can’t, because of certain changes that might appear in the future, just not do anything now, even shrinking back from hereon out.
Jing Wan smiled, her smile containing another kind of surprise, very shallow and very faint.
However, Li Hong Yuan very much liked this smile of hers. She was willing to take that step forward, she was willing to voluntarily do some things. “These, Wan Wan help me look over all of them first, and have the main point marked down.”
Jing Wan nodded, “Even if I make a mark, it’s still better for you to look over once yourself too. After all, I’ve never came in contact with these before, so what I think is the main point perhaps is different from the information you need.”
“Wan Wan is too modest.” Ever since Jing Wan entered the capital, she has never once been cut off from the imperial bulletin. Regarding the matters of the imperial court, Luo old fox also explained quite a bit to her. Although one has never heard her express her opinions before, this didn’t mean that she wouldn’t even know what was significant or not. Even if there wasn’t this opportunity, he believed, she still wouldn’t be completely ignorant.
“It’s still better to be a bit cautious. Once I’m completely familiar with it, there won’t be anymore problems.”
“En, some things, indeed need to teach you.”
Afterwards, the two just quiet down, concentrating on the matter at hand.
“Ah Yuan, some things are too lengthy and too long-winded. How come you don’t let them write more concisely?” Jing Wan believed, a certain someone wasn’t one who liked seeing other people write some flattering nonsense. Others perhaps would, due to common practice and due to habit, but he wasn’t the same. If he doesn’t like, letting them change, it would definitely be changed.
“Redundant and long-winded writings also have their uses, more convenient in hiding the content.”
Jing Wan instantly understood. This one’s actions were all secretly carried out in the dark, so these things naturally can’t land in other people’s hands. Even if losing, still need to ensure that others won’t be able to discover anything even if they get their hands on it. Short and refined, that was suitable for the Emperor’s position. “You’ve worked hard.” To want to pick out the things that possess value from a pile of trash, it was indeed tiresome. “This portion, wouldn’t I be completely unable to handle? Moreover, which ones were important?”
For the sake of not arousing suspicion, naturally can’t have a portion be long-winded, and a portion be concise. As time goes on, it will inevitably be noticed by someone. One nevertheless need to put out numerous smokescreens, not only concealing from one’s enemies and opponent, but even from one’s own people.
Being tiresome was certain, but viewing as a pastime rather lessened the pressure quite a bit. “All have markings, so just have this portion picked out. Later, I’ll teach you how to read.” Li Hong Yuan just easily had the very important things told to her. This kind of trust really was not holding back in the slightest.
Jing Wan nodded.
This kind actually occupied more than half.
Even so, the rest, Jing Wan was still somewhat shocked looking over. How to put it, from her grandfather, she roughly learned about the power held in the hands of the current princes. Although in each person’s hand, there will certainly still be hidden chess pieces not known to others, but that was still a small number after all. However, these in his hand, not a single one wasn’t important, each and every one all stringing together. Jing Wan couldn’t help but stared at a certain someone. What exactly did this person eat growing up?
“What is Wan Wan looking at this husband for?” Li Hong Yuan teasingly said.
“Just want to say, my husband is very impressive.” Jing Wan also unhesitantly teased back.
Li Hong Yuan lifted his brow, “Already impressed by just this? If let Wan Wan completely know everything, probably will just prostrate oneself in admiration towards this husband.” The power in his hands, Wan Wan naturally can’t completely learn about in one night. Moreover, some things were too dark, so he didn’t really want to let her know. ———-This was just strategically concealing.
“What’s that saying again, the so called ‘surprise’ will only have an effect the first time. The ones after, one will long be mentally prepared for. That way, no matter how shocking in itself, it still won’t be as shocking as the first time. Doing well will just make others feel it’s only natural, and not doing well………….” Jing Wan let out two laughs, the meaning obvious without saying.
“In other words, it’s still better for men to continuously maintain a bit of mysteriousness?”
Jing Wan let out a ‘pfft’.
After they finished looking over the ones on the surface, Li Hong Yuan began teaching Jing Wan how to read the hidden ones.
Just, after opening the first letter, Jing Wan’s heart couldn’t help trembling again. This was privately manufacturing weapons, and moreover, this amount wasn’t just several thousands, but several hundred thousands. Even if just a bit of scraps, if his Majesty were to find out, no matter how much he favors this son, nine times out of ten will all ask for this son’s little life. Exactly what kind of pirate ship did she get on?
What did this count as? This was thoroughly not having any path of retreat. She once even said something like ‘to part without hard feelings’, but this was just gathering and never parting.
“Isn’t this amount a bit too much?” Even if forcing the emperor to abdicate, still won’t need this many.
“Qi Yuan’s borders aren’t stable.” That’s why, this simply wasn’t prepared for the sake of his great cause.
Jing Wan understood, yet was still increasingly confused, “Even if there’s a war, these things still aren’t worth you taking such risks to privately manufacture. As an emperor, one still wouldn’t go as far as to use one’s own country to play a joke, no? And the Ministry of Works’s military arms division isn’t a decoration either.”
“Wan Wan, some things, you don’t understand. Even if an emperor, for the sake of their undisclosable secrets or selfish desires, even if it means sacrificing several hundreds of thousands of lives, they still won’t hesitate. Regarding this matter, it’s a bit bloody, and also a little nauseating, so won’t explain to you in detail.” If there’s no other mishaps, next year, Qi Yuan will just break out into war. If he doesn’t interfere, the final main commander will certainly still be Fu Yun Ting. For the sake of extinguishing the Fu family, the three hundred thousand great army will soon die in humiliation. Regarding the main commander, Li Hong Yuan didn’t want to change, but the rest, he absolutely won’t just watch from the sidelines.
Moreover, for quite a few things, very big changes have already appeared, presenting a completely different path of development. The matters at the western borders didn’t happen, and the uprising triggered by the flooding in the south also got secretly extinguished by him in the dark.
In his past life, during this period of time, although the other countries didn’t invade, it was still endless commotions. For instance, small bands of the already defeated Northern Xiongnu people invading to rob, making one unbearably annoyed, the damages also very disastrous. Then, there was Western Xiongnu, Qian Wei, Southern Wei, and such powerful countries eyeing covetously in the dark, continuously attacking to sound out, and also some small countries and foreign land bouncing up and down, although don’t know why they didn’t launch a large scale attack while Qi Yuan was having internal conflict.
Conversely, in this life, a great crisis appear to have been extinguished, yet it instead made a certain string tighten even more, especially regarding the snowstorm in the north prior to the new year. Northern Xiongnu and such areas suffered disastrous losses, and because they couldn’t obtain ‘supplies[1]‘ from Qi Yuan in advance, facing the crisis of their clan perishing, perhaps it’ll make them like cornered dogs, ready to jump the wall. This war perhaps will even be shifted ahead of time. From the information Li Hong Yuan received, there were already faint signs.
In this kind of matter, Jing Wan was just a layman. As such, she didn’t continue questioning in detail either.
Once she finished assisting Li Hong Yuan in having the all things that should be looked over taken care of, it was already very late. However, Jing Wan was leaning against his body, not feeling sleepy at all. The amount of information she took in tonight was a bit much. She needed to digest a little.
Li Hong Yuan didn’t speak, also just quietly holding her.
In the end, Jing Wan softly asked by Li Hong Yuan’s ear, “My grandfather, was he long pulled into the waters by you?”
“Wan Wan is wronging this husband, your grandfather just knows some of my matters. The rest, he just needs to continue being a pure official and it’ll be enough. With you marrying me, if your grandfather were to have too close of a relations with me, it’ll be a little too conspicuous. There are plenty of people that work for me, so don’t really lack him. At most it’s just occasionally keeping each other informed.”
“Then, when did you join hands with my grandfather?”
“When does Wan Wan think it was?”
Jing Wan looked to him, and afterwards, lowered her eyes, “Before we got engaged?”
Li Hong Yuan smiled but didn’t speak. Right now, it still wasn’t time to uncover the riddle yet.
The specifics, Jing Wan didn’t want to go guess. She kept feeling that the more she guessed, the more it’ll make one unable to bear.
However, “Then, in other words, Ah Yuan also knows, at the time, I was the one that picked you?”
“My honor. Others all view me as the plague, rushing to avoid, yet only Wan Wan you were able to recognize the pearl with your great perception.”
“Don’t stick gold on your face. Also, you should know that at the time, the reason why I picked you, in essence, was just because I had no other choice, using you as a shield, that’s all.” Just, the final result was truly completely different from what one had imagined.
“The reason and process are all not important, as long as the outcome makes one satisfied, that is enough.”
Unknowingly, their hearts grew even closer.
After going to sleep, Jing Wan actually slept quite well. If able to obtain a person’s heart, never to part until old age, even if going through the wind and rain, she was also wholeheartedly willing.
The next day, Jing Wan received news, the people from the capital will come over in the afternoon.
However, prior to the afternoon meal, an uninvited guest came to the estate, the ‘don’t know which nerve was out of place today’ Kang Qinwang. At the same time, he also brought along a woman, one that was covered in a veil and very alluring. ————-The eyes filled with autumn ripples, lovely and seductive; the voice sounding like song, delicate and enticing; the body possessing nice curves, the waistline slender, just like a water snake, making one unable to avert the eyes.
In all in, this was just, no matter how one looked at it, all can be considered an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
According to Kang Qinwang’s explanation, this was the girl that the capital’s number one brothel, Chu Chen Pavilion’s, brothel keeper had bought back from a foreign land using a large sum of money. Perhaps slightly lacking in gentle talents, but her dance was stunning. As soon as she arrived in the capital, she just got inadvertently seen by Kang Qinwang, casually asking a few words and afterwards, bestowing a dance, thereupon stunning all like a celestial being. Early this morning, he just used a large sum of money to have the person brought out. “Sixth brother, the entertainers raised in your manor, although not bad, compared to…………” Kang Qinwang singlehandedly embraced the beauty, “still far inferior.”
So, Kang Qinwang was just bored and specifically came to show off?
[1] This parts was a bit subtle that even I didn’t understand at first, but it made sense after a few rereads. The ‘supplies’ is referring to the above line of how the remainder of the Northern Xiongnu people have been invading and looting Qi Yuan’s borders for ‘supplies’. And because their efforts were thwarted they weren’t able to obtain supplies for their people.
