Chapter 48: Intimate Friend
Although Wei Assistant Secretary was very anxious, wishing the Prince had wings to fly back to the camp to meet Yan Jiu.
But he couldn’t stop the Prince from ignoring his advice; when passing by the military farms, he insisted on taking a look at that assassin.
Jinsui only brought Hei Hu forward. Looking from behind, Commander Huo appeared much thinner, his body swaying precariously as he pulled the rope.
As she walked forward, the person surnamed Huo happened to fall into the field, wiping sweat and saying to the soldier guarding him:
“That person is not the Li King at all!”
Hei Hu was furious. This damned assassin, after being a fool for so many days, still dared to sow discord!
Just as he was about to step forward and beat the person surnamed Huo, Jinsui waved him to stop. They stood there and eavesdropped.
Then they heard the soldier say in a very normal tone: “I know!”
This answer clearly stunned the person surnamed Huo. He froze where he sat on the ground, looked up at the soldier, and even stammered:
“You, you know? All of you know!”
At this moment, Huo Zi’an was full of doubt, finding it utterly unbelievable, with a thousand thoughts tumbling in his mind.
Did the entire border city know that person was a fake Li King? Was this the Li King’s scheme? Where was he really? …
Then he saw the young soldier look at him with the eyes of someone looking at a fool and say:
“Our Prince is now called ‘Li, the Boundless King’! Of course, he’s not the Li King!”
Jinsui successfully saw Commander Huo’s ashen face turn from pale to red, likely thinking to himself, these people in the borderlands are all crazy!
“Hahahaha, Lord Niu, it seems your attempt to bewitch this King’s soldiers was still a bit short.”
Huo Zi’an turned back and glared at Jinsui, saying: “My surname is Huo, not Niu!”
“The ‘niu’ here is not a noun, but a verb. ‘Huo’ is ideology, and ‘niu’ is metaphysics.
In this King’s eyes, you are Lord Niu!” Jinsui said earnestly.
Huo Zi’an turned his face away speechlessly. As expected, everyone in the borderlands was indeed crazy! And this fake Li King was the craziest!
Jinsui walked up to his face and asked in a low voice: “Are you changing your tune now?”
This person, after being watched by the soldiers to plow ten mu of land, was about to fall apart, feeling as though he would collapse at any moment and never get up again.
But he still looked at Jinsui firmly: “Huo will definitely expose your true face!”
Jinsui gave him a thumbs-up again: “As expected of Lord Niu, your bones are indeed hard!
However, once, twice, but there can’t be a third time.
If you slander this King’s identity again next time, don’t blame this King for being impolite.”
Hei Hu whispered from behind: “He plows the land quite well, better than a cow. Your Highness, don’t kill him.”
Huo Zi’an was convinced that this pair of master and servant were putting on a show, and he spat fiercely at Hei Hu.
Hei Hu was bewildered. I was begging for your life, why are you spitting at me?
Upon returning to the camp, Wei Assistant Secretary insisted that Jinsui change her clothes and wash her face before meeting Yan Jiu.
Jinsui joked: “This King is meeting a male guest, not a female guest, why should I change my clothes?”
Wei Assistant Secretary advised: “Your Highness, you may not know, but Yan Jiu is known for his cleanliness. He has brought heavy gifts, so Your Highness should receive him grandly.”
Meaning this person has mysophobia! Then why did he come to the border camp? Any place in the border camp could drive a person with mysophobia to death.
To make Wei Assistant Secretary talk less, Jinsui changed her clothes, washed her face, and even re-combed her hair.
When she arrived at the drafty main hall of the barracks, she saw a young man in white, sitting cross-legged on a cushion.
With slender fingers, he held a few pages of paper in one hand, reading, and a blue and white porcelain tea cup in the other, sipping tea.
Jinsui knew at a glance that the cushion and tea set were not from the camp; they were things he had brought with him.
Looking at his snow white clothes with a silvery sheen, the jade hairpin on his head, the exquisite jade pendant at his waist, and the emerald thumb ring on his thumb.
Well, this whole ensemble made him look more like an Imperial Prince than she did!
Sensing the gaze, the man looked up towards the door, revealing a pair of eyes like forest lakes under the moonlight, quiet and clear.
Under the gaze of these eyes, even the most restless heart would feel at peace.
Even Jinsui instantly put away her playful and dismissive attitude, feeling fortunate that she had changed her clothes and washed her face.
The man before her was handsome, with an elegant demeanor, and his presence was unforgettable.
She now believed Wei Assistant Secretary’s assessment; this person was indeed a dragon among men.
Seeing her staring at him intently, Yan Jiu stood up and cupped his hands in greeting:
“Greetings, Lord Li. Yan Jiu has come uninvited, please do not be offended, Your Highness.”
Indeed, handsome men are handsome, and their voices are pleasant too, unhurried, as if even if the sky were to fall, they could remain composed.
Jinsui had intended to sit on a chair, but since the guest was sitting on a cushion, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to sit on a chair!
She looked around, casually picked up a straw mat from the corner, and sat opposite Yan Jiu, raising her hand and saying:
“Yan Clan Head is a distinguished guest, how could this King blame you? It’s just that the border city is desolate, and the hospitality is lacking.”
The reason for her composure was that the moment Yan Jiu saw her, his eyes showed no surprise. This person had not seen the real Li King, which put her at ease.
Although looking at a handsome man was a pleasure for the eyes, she hated people who didn’t get to the point and instead engaged in endless small talk. So, as Yan Jiu’s servant poured her tea.
She directly asked: “May I know what business Yan Clan Head has with this King?”
Then she successfully saw a flicker of emotion in Yan Jiulang’s eyes, likely the first time he had encountered someone so unconventional.
Yan Jiu chuckled lightly, quickly finding a way to communicate with the Li King, and pushed the papers in his hand towards Jinsui:
“Is this Military Strategy Book from Your Highness’s hand?”
Jinsui took it and looked. It was indeed the ‘textbook’ she had distributed to the Black Feather Camp Soldiers.
She nodded: “That’s right! Where did Yan Clan Head obtain it?”
“It was lost by a Black Feather Camp Soldier and picked up by my younger brother.”
Jinsui said ‘oh’: “So Yan Clan Head is here to deliver something? Thank you, thank you.”
Yan Jiu smiled again. This Li King was indeed interesting.
“Not at all. Yan Jiu wishes to purchase this Military Strategy Book from Your Highness. The complete Thirty-Six Stratagems.”
Jinsui raised her eyebrows. She had encountered someone who knew its worth!
Having only read ten stratagems, she knew the book’s value and had rushed to come in person.
After a moment of thought, she made a decision and asked with a smile:
“What does Yan Clan Head think this book is worth?”
Yan Jiulang’s heart stirred, knowing that this answer would determine the purchase price. The Li King was setting a trap for him!
If he said it was cheap, it would mean he didn’t know its value; if he said it was expensive, he would be overpaying.
However, the Yan Clan lacked nothing but money, and the current Li King lacked money the most.
Therefore, he answered honestly: “Worth a thousand gold!”
He expected the Li King to ask for a thousand gold, but Jinsui was not that shameless. To buy a horse’s bones with a thousand gold, she couldn’t drive away the first gentry family head who came to her.
She nodded and smiled: “Thank you for Yan Clan Head’s high praise. This King also feels this book is worth a thousand gold!
Since Yan Clan Head likes it so much, how about buying one for a thousand taels of silver? This King will give you a personalized TO signature with my personal seal.”
“TO signature, what does that mean?”
Jinsui choked, stood up, and said: “Wait here.”
She pretended to go into the room to get the book, but in reality, she went into her space to print the Thirty-Six Stratagems, bind them into a booklet, with the second page being blank.
She took it out and asked in front of Yan Jiulang: “What do you think our relationship is?”
Anyone else would think the Li King was crazy.
But Yan Jiu felt that the Li King was simply too frank, and it was easier to interact with such a person.
He chuckled lightly: “If Your Highness does not mind, Yan believes we can be considered friends.”
Jinsui nodded as she took a pen and wrote:
To my friend Yan Jiu—Mountains and rivers are not as important as meeting a confidant.
Below, she heavily stamped ‘Li, the Boundless King’.
She handed it to Yan Jiu: “This is the TO signature! Does Yan Clan Head have enough silver? If not, this King will send someone to escort you to the city to get it.”
Yan Jiu took the book and looked at the inscription for a long time.
He had previously thought it would take a lot of effort to obtain the complete Thirty-Six Stratagems, and had even prepared what kind of transaction to make with the Li King.
He hadn’t expected the Li King to be so straightforward, willing to give him the entire book for just a thousand taels of silver.
And to consider him a confidant.
Jinsui beside him smiled sweetly. Five thousand taels of silver for a mirror, and a thousand taels of silver for a book! The money of the young masters from Yandi was truly easy to earn!
My dears, it’s the end of the month, and monthly tickets are double! If you still have monthly tickets, throw them all at Jinsui!
