Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 125 Farewell
As summer fades into autumn, the weather turns chilly, and a cold wind blows, causing the leaves to flutter and fall.

A procession of carriages and horses lined up in front of the Fengxian County government office, with attendants busily carrying luggage back and forth. General Rong was escorting the Sixth Prince back to the capital.

"Ni'er, are you really not coming back with me?" Rong Junye asked with a stern face. Although it was a normal inquiry, it sounded like an interrogation, exuding an unnamed pressure.

Rong Wanyin wiped her palms on her clothes to dry the sweat, feeling a little flustered: "No... I won't go back..."

Rong Junye glanced thoughtfully at Yan Mingzhang, sighed, shook his head, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and turned to leave.

Rong Wanyin was about to cheer after surviving the ordeal when Yan Mingzhang called out to Rong Junye, startling her so much that she almost exploded. She hoped this man wouldn't cause her any trouble.
"Brother Mi Quan, wait a moment!" Yan Mingzhang called out to Rong Junye.

Rong Junye turned around, somewhat puzzled: "Chengxuan, is there anything else?"

These past few days, the Sixth Prince has been spending all his time with Rong Junye, leaving Yan Mingzhang with virtually no time to be alone with him. Rong Junye is highly skilled in martial arts, but he is also rather rough around the edges. Yan Mingzhang tends to overthink things, so he needs to be reminded of things before he can feel at ease.

Yan Mingzhang looked around and, seeing no one was nearby, hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice: "Brother Mi Quan, although 'a gentleman does not conceal others' faults or speak ill of them,' there are some things I still want to say... The Sixth Prince... From what I've observed these past few days, the Sixth Prince is not as simple as he appears. I think he..."

Rong Junye, looking as if he knew everything, patted Yan Mingzhang on the shoulder: "I know, although the Sixth Prince is somewhat weak, I think he's the one I have the highest hopes for among these princes. The others are simply not worth my attention..."

Rong Junye realized he had misspoke and quickly stopped talking, explaining somewhat embarrassedly, "Chengxuan, don't worry, I was just saying that in front of you, I won't say it casually."

“No, what I mean is…” Yan Mingzhang was about to explain when he realized that Rong Junye had misunderstood him. He looked up and saw the Sixth Prince standing not far behind Rong Junye with his hands behind his back, looking at Yan Mingzhang with an ambiguous smile.

The sixth prince stood there, with a handsome face and a dashing demeanor, possessing the bearing of a gentleman. However, Yan Mingzhang could see right through him at a glance, seeing through his ambition and his pretense.

Yan Mingzhang felt a chill run down his spine from the sudden gaze, and the words that were on the tip of his tongue became stuck in his throat.

Yan Mingzhang straightened up and looked back calmly. Oh well, that's how it is. He felt relieved. Perhaps he had been overthinking it.

Rong Junye laughed and patted even harder: "Chengxuan, don't worry too much, I know what I'm doing! Let's go back, we need to hurry up and set off, otherwise we'll have to camp out in the mountains tonight."

Yan Mingzhang nodded and glanced at the Sixth Prince standing not far away. He wondered how much the Sixth Prince had heard. If he had heard Rong Junye's words, it might have been a good thing, as it unintentionally showed his loyalty.
-
After seeing Rong Junye off, Rong Wanyin finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in a chair with a hunched back and bent waist. After all, sitting upright all the time was too tiring.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tap on her back, and Rong Wanyin sat up straight as if by reflex. Her older brother always reminded her to sit up straight in this way.

Rong Wanyin thought for a moment, "Didn't my elder brother leave?" She turned around and saw Yan Mingzhang covering his mouth and chuckling.

Rong Wanyin finally realized what was happening, and her anger flared. Her elder brother was already gone; it was this "big bad wolf" who was using her position to bully her! Rong Wanyin suddenly remembered, "Right, we haven't settled the score yet! We'll settle both the old and new scores!"

Rong Wanyin angrily questioned, "Excuse me, 'Big Tail... ah, no, sir, I still have a score to settle with you!' I'm asking you, did you write a letter to my brother to inform on me?"

Thinking that she hadn't received her monthly allowance yet, Rong Wanyin changed her tune and softened her tone, realizing that she was indebted to those who accepted her help.
Yan Mingzhang answered without changing his expression, "Yes!"

Rong Wanyin's eyes widened in disbelief. How could someone be so shameless and brazen as to admit it! Rong Wanyin was furious: "I have no grudge against you, why did you stab me in the back?"

Yan Mingzhang smiled slyly, looking every bit like an old fox, and said, "How can this be called stabbing someone in the back? I stabbed them in the face openly and honestly. Didn't you see how frankly I'm admitting it?"

Rong Wanyin was furious and was about to get up to argue with him when Yan Mingzhang pressed his fan against her head to prevent her from getting up. He smiled and said, "I'll treat Miss Rong to a big meal as an apology. How about it? I know a newly opened restaurant that has pretty good food."

Upon hearing that a large meal was coming, Rong Wanyin felt conflicted. She wanted to remain composed, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up: "Then... I'll reluctantly accept it!" She then added, "But please, it can't be just another bowl of plain noodles!"

Yan Mingzhang smiled helplessly and nodded. This girl is too easy to coax!

"A feast? What feast?"

Su Zhan came out of the study with a headache. There were so many files to organize, when would it ever end? Su Zhan's eyebrows were furrowed, and he sighed, feeling extremely annoyed at the thought of those files.

Rong Wanyin was sitting on the steps of the corridor eating melon seeds when she saw Su Zhan come out. She smiled and said, "Brother Su..."

Su Zhan looked at Rong Wanyin strangely. Why was this girl calling him "Brother Su" today? Didn't she usually call him "Lord Su"? To be honest, it sounded quite nice.

Rong Wanyin rolled her eyes: "Brother Su, how about we make a bet?"

"Gambling? Sure!" Su Zhan hadn't played cards in a long time and was itching to get back to it. He rubbed his hands together, his interest immediately piqued.

Rong Wanyin rolled her eyes and pouted, "It's not the kind of bet you're talking about! When Mo Yun arrives later, don't ask, just guess where he went. Whoever guesses right wins!"

"Huh? How can we bet on this? How will we know if we don't ask? Are we just going to guess?" Su Zhan shook his head.

"What, are you scared?" Rong Wanyin provoked.

Su Zhan didn't like hearing people say he was afraid, so he suddenly stood up, flicked his folding fan open with a "whoosh," and quickly fanned himself in front of his chest: "Let's bet then, who's afraid of who? How much to bet?"

Rong Wanyin suppressed a laugh, her face beaming, and raised one hand, spreading her five fingers.

"Fifty taels?...Alright!" Su Zhan frowned slightly and thought for a moment before agreeing. Then, he thought again and realized something was amiss. "Do you even have fifty taels?"

Rong Wanyin originally wanted to say five taels, but since the sucker himself had already said so, there was no reason not to take money that was offered to her. So she slowly said, "If I lose, I'll help you organize a file!"

"No, three copies!" Su Zhan hesitated, holding up three fingers as he bargained.

"..." Rong Wanyin pretended to be troubled, "Alright..."