Jing Zhe wasn't a person who disliked money. It was just that the thought of being caught by Song Huaizhi for taking two salaries made her break out in goosebumps all over. Just thinking about Song Huaizhi gave her a headache.
So she couldn't help but let out a sigh. Looking at Zheng Yuanqing, she shook her head, signaling him not to say any more.
How annoying!
Jing Zhe thought of the cold - faced Song Huaizhi and the gentle and smart Meng Ruyi beside him. Suddenly, she felt that Meng Ruyi was like a little rabbit falling into a wolf's den, pitiful and innocent.
She fell into deep thought.
The candlelight dimmed and flickered gently in the room. The shadow cast on the wall also writhed menacingly.
Jing Zhe turned around and saw that Zheng Yuanqing had been looking at her all along. When he saw her looking up, a look of uneasiness flashed across his face.
Zheng Yuanqing was no good guy either. If Song Huaizhi was a wolf, then he was a tiger cub that hadn't fully grown up yet. As a killer, Jing Zhe could see these things more clearly than ordinary people.
So, how much of that uneasiness on his face was real was worth her pondering.
Thinking like this, Jing Zhe looked at Zheng Yuanqing and asked, "Your Highness the Third Prince, why have you been looking at me all day? Do you have something to say?"
In the candlelight, there was no emotion in Jing Zhe's sharp and slanting phoenix eyes. She stared at him calmly, waiting for Zheng Yuanqing's answer.
Hiss!
Zheng Yuanqing didn't expect Jing Zhe to ask. So he was momentarily stunned, and his index finger and thumb unconsciously rubbed against each other.
"…Yes." After a long while, he finally spoke. Looking at Jing Zhe seriously, he said, "My Lord Jing Zhe, would you like to stay by my side forever?"
"If you're willing, I'm willing to treat you with the highest courtesy. If you have any requests, I will surely find a way to fulfill them."
Jing Zhe, whose martial arts were only second to Song Huaizhi's, was like a life - saving talisman for Zheng Yuanqing, the down - and - out prince. With her around, he felt he could have many more lives.
He was a bit nervous. But thinking about the dangerous future and the many times he might encounter such things, he couldn't help but speak to Jing Zhe.
"I follow Song Huaizhi and Miss Meng's lead," Jing Zhe said without hesitation. "Your Highness the Third Prince, you're being too polite, but I'm afraid I can't accept for the time being."
She had no intention of taking refuge with anyone other than Song Huaizhi or Meng Ruyi.
Zheng Yuanqing let out a long sigh, hiding the regret in his eyes. He lowered his head and nodded slightly.
If only he were stronger, even able to…
Zheng Yuanqing thought of his father and elder brothers far away in the capital city. The faces of those people appeared in his mind.
If he could defeat them, would he be able to ascend to that throne, never having to submit to others or worry about anything?
Zheng Yuanqing was sitting on a chair. The room was small and narrow, and the candlelight was dim. Fortunately, the damp smell was finally gone from his nostrils.
The person sitting in front of the screen lowered his head and looked at the book in his hand, looking calm. The sword at his waist, however, made people feel extremely at ease.
Zheng Yuanqing was sitting there, but his mind was full of the capital city.
…
After Meng Ruyi returned, she immediately pulled Song Huaizhi into the study and asked him, "Brother Song, is there a kind of medicine that can make people lose their desires?"
A medicine that can make people lose their desires?
Song Huaizhi was slightly stunned. The reflection of Meng Ruyi was in the bottom of his eyes, but the tips of his ears went slightly numb. He couldn't tell what it felt like.
[I can't take it anymore. Hahaha. I'm dying of laughter because of Baby Yu. A medicine that makes people lose their desires. What a euphemistic way to put it.]
[Isn't that just a medicine that makes men impotent? Yu is so euphemistic.]
[I can't take it. I'll remember the expression on Song Huaizhi's face for the rest of my life. I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts.]
Alas!
Only then did Meng Ruyi realize that these words were ambiguous. When put together, people would inevitably think of that kind of thing first. Her face immediately turned red, and she stammered to explain.
"It's not…" She couldn't help but cover her face with her hands. Her face was extremely red. "It's just a medicine that can make people uninterested in other things and feel drowsy?"
"…Cough." Song Huaizhi also felt inexplicably embarrassed. He touched his nose and said, "Yes, I'll send someone to give it to you later."
"Thank you, Brother Song!"
This was an unexpected surprise.
Meng Ruyi didn't expect that her wild idea could actually be realized. For a moment, she couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth. She was in a great mood.
Song Huaizhi didn't ask what she was going to do with the medicine and just agreed right away.
Meng Ruyi realized this. She lowered her head for a moment and said to him, "I'm going to give this medicine to Zhang Yunyun's father."
"Yunyun is about to get engaged. I haven't thought of how to deal with him for the time being, but I have to make him quiet for a while."
As Meng Ruyi said this, she felt that her tone didn't sound like a good person. She couldn't help but blush slightly and pursed her lips in embarrassment.
Noticing her uneasiness, a faint smile appeared in Song Huaizhi's eyes. The way he looked at her was like looking at a naughty child.
"Don't worry, it's okay," he said gently. "What do you want to do to him, Yu?"
Meng Ruyi didn't expect Song Huaizhi to want to help her. So she slightly raised her head and looked at him. There was a hint of thought in her eyes. "Zhang Yunyun's father is really… I'm thinking about how to make sure he doesn't get any substantial harm, but at the same time, he can't drag Yunyun down anymore."
This was an extremely difficult thing to do. In this place, after a daughter got married, her face was supported by her natal family. If she was too harsh, it would inevitably drag Zhang Yunyun down. But if she didn't do anything, according to County Magistrate Zhang's current temper, something bad would surely happen.
It was really…
Meng Ruyi frowned. Seeing this, Song Huaizhi reached out and ruffled her hair bun, saying gently, "Don't be in a hurry. There's a way."
"Huh?"
"Being an official is his greatest reliance. The Zhang family's family wealth is not very substantial compared to others," Song Huaizhi explained calmly under Meng Ruyi's surprised gaze. "So we just need to make sure he can't get any promotions in his position. He will surely be depressed for a while. Then, if we spread a piece of news at that time, it will surely make him cautious in his words and deeds."
This was a great idea!
Meng Ruyi couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration. "You're really amazing, Brother Song."
But then she thought about it again, and a headache came over her. "But isn't it too difficult to implement this?"
Making it impossible for a person to get promoted in his official position was such a difficult thing!
"No," Song Huaizhi smiled faintly and said to Meng Ruyi, "It's not that difficult."
"Yu, remember," Song Huaizhi said. His tone was still as gentle as before, but there was a hint of unshakable solemnity. "As long as you're in a high position, there will surely be people who will do some things for you."
"You don't have to say anything. You can just subtly hint at what they should do," Song Huaizhi said. His long eyelashes covered the coldness in his eyes. "As long as you control the degree well, in a sense, you haven't done anything, and these things have nothing to do with you."
Killing with a borrowed knife.
These words flashed through Meng Ruyi's mind. She stared blankly at Song Huaizhi.
What kind of person was Brother Song exactly? Even the children of powerful and wealthy families couldn't be so good at manipulating power at such a young age.