Chapter 138: Greatness Needs No Words.

November 25th.

Prince Ren’s Estate, Side Hall.

“I heard that the prisoners of war from the State of Wu are being held for forced labor at the stone quarry north of the City. I wanted to ask the Young Miss to mediate on their behalf and allow me to visit them.”

Ding Suian finished speaking, but after waiting for a long time without a response, he couldn’t help but slowly look up.

At the head of the hall, Yi Yiyi sat poised on a brocade couch.

Her gaze, looking down from above, was as calm as water, detached and cold. Facing Ding Suian’s probing look, she did not flinch, even lifting her chin in a proud arc. Her voice was steady, carrying a clear sense of boundaries. “Head Ding is an outside official; if you have business, you should naturally go to the Honglu Temple. What is the use of seeking out a woman who does not understand state affairs?”

Huh?

Ding Suian subconsciously turned back to look, thinking there were others in the hall, but where his gaze landed, it was empty.

There were only the two of them in the hall, with only Steward Yi guarding the door. He took a step forward and lowered his voice. “Yi Yiyi’s childhood Nickname, the current situation…”

“Please address me as Young Miss, Head Ding!”

The voice was not loud, but crisp and cold.

“…”

Ding Suian was very surprised. Not to mention whether she could help or not, the distant and indifferent tone alone was not right.

Heh, he had only heard of men being heartless after “doing the deed,” he hadn’t expected Yi Yiyi to be the type to put on her skirt and deny everything too!

Was she afraid he would blackmail her?

Since that was the case, he wasn’t someone who liked to entangle himself.

Ding Suian stepped back, bowed according to etiquette, and his tone became polite and formal. “This official was abrupt. I apologize for intruding on the estate today, Young Miss, please do not take offense.”

After speaking, he turned and left.

Watching his decisive back, Yi Yiyi opened her mouth—perhaps she wanted to call him back, or perhaps she just wanted to ask something else.

In the end, it was suppressed by her self-esteem and pride.

The day before yesterday, outside the estate gate, you made two Wu women laugh with just a few words; aren’t you quite good at coaxing women?

Today, coming to the estate, even if you don’t apologize for the day before yesterday, couldn’t you say a few soft words?

The moment you open your mouth, it’s about state affairs!

Her hand, hidden in her wide sleeve, was twisting her silk handkerchief in conflict, but on her beautiful, cold face, there remained only an emotionless, detached chill.

After leaving the side hall, Ding Suian originally intended to go talk to the Prince of Nanshun. Unexpectedly, just as Steward Yi led him outside the bedchamber, he heard a burst of wailing inside.

“Yunniang, oh my Yunniang, the love of my life, to have died such an untimely death…”

“…”

Steward Yi couldn’t help but pause awkwardly, bowing his head. “Head Ding, it would be better to come another day.”

The news of Prince Ren’s family members encountering bandits had arrived three or four days ago. It seemed the Prince of Nanshun had not yet recovered from his grief.

He was facing such a dangerous situation, yet he remained immersed in sorrow. Sigh, he truly lacked the bearing of a ruler; sooner or later, he would be devoured by his two brothers.

But then again, ‘ruthlessness is not necessarily the mark of a true hero.’ For a concubine to make him this sad, it must have been true love for Yunniang.

“Fine, I will come another day.”

Ding Suian bowed, intending to leave first.

But just after walking three steps, the wailing started again inside the bedchamber.

“Liniang, oh my Liniang, you were the one I couldn’t live without in this life, yet you have also left me…”

“Ruiniang, oh my Ruiniang, you were my favorite, even you have gone…”

“Jingniang, oh my Jingniang, you were the one and only in my heart, how can I live without you…”

Alright, Prince Ren sure had a lot of loves of his life!

If you don’t think of a way soon, you’ll be joining your loves in the afterlife soon.

Walking a few more steps, a thought suddenly occurred to Ding Suian, and he couldn’t help but turn back to look at the Prince of Nanshun’s bedchamber. Could this guy be pretending?

Pretending to be weak, pretending to have no ambition, pretending to be a fool to let his two brothers lower their guard, and then suddenly launching an attack.

It wasn’t that Ding Suian saw any suspicious clues; it was just that there were many such examples in history—acting foolish when weak, waiting for the right moment to win in one strike.

But recalling his interactions with the Prince of Nanshun over the past month, he really hadn’t seen anything profound in him.

Wait!

According to Nickname, she had been studying with the State Preceptor since she was four or five years old. But at that time, the State Preceptor’s identity was still that of a fugitive confucian renegades from the State of Wu. As a vassal state of Southern Zhao, the Prince of Nanshun allowing him to hide in the estate and serve as a tutor carried great political risk!

Furthermore, twelve years ago, after the father and daughter went to Great Wu as hostages, the Prince of Nanshun decisively let his daughter join the Jile Sect. Even if the Jile Sect could operate openly in Southern Zhao, it was definitely not a reputable sect.

After all, the secret arts of the Jile Sect often involved human desires.

Was this part of a deal with certain forces? Or was it to cling to more powerful backers?

In short, after carefully combing through it, it seemed the Prince of Nanshun had quietly made some preparations for the future more than a decade ago.

Besides that, there was his relationship with the State Preceptor—the latter was now the honored State Preceptor. Even if the Prince of Nanshun was slow, he should have been contacting him and deepening their bond to make him a backer.

But these past few days, the Prince of Nanshun had never taken the initiative to visit, as if deliberately avoiding him.

Interesting.

Around the hour of the Snake.

Ding Suian returned to the Four Nations Residence.

The residence was quiet. Li Qiushi had led the mission to the Honglu Temple early in the morning to haggle with Xue Fang and Prince De.

This peace talk wouldn’t yield results without twenty days or a month.

Daoist Master also led a group of Disciples out of the City to visit fellow sect members, also trying to facilitate the peace talk through the Daoist gates as soon as possible.

This Daoist Master, although a practitioner, was deeply entangled with the mortal world. During the Lanyang plague, she had voluntarily gone; for this peace talk, she was also sparing no effort.

She was about forty years old. Although there were fine lines on her face, she had a good appearance and an elegant figure.

Ding Suian had even thought about whether he should play matchmaker for his old man. Two withered, lonely Souls and bodies might just strike a spark.

It was just that her status as the head of the Xuanji Palace was a bit out of reach compared to Old Ding’s position as a Dutou.

“Ah! Husband, you’re finally back! Quick, quick, Nunu will dress you up!”

Ding Suian was startled. Zhao Yan, who usually went bare-faced, had her small melon-shaped face painted like a ghost. Her small lips were as red as if she had eaten a dead mouse, the rouge on her cheeks wasn’t blended evenly, and she had a layer of greenish eyeshadow on her upper eyelids.

She was the spitting image of Sister Pomegranate!

“What are you doing?”

Ding Suian was pulled into a chair by Zhao Yan. Seeing her take out rouge and prepare to touch him up, he was horrified.

“Dressing you up, Husband! This morning, after you left, my little sisters from years ago somehow found out I was in Yunzhou and came to find me together! They heard the Mountain Ancestor Goddess had bestowed you upon me, so they arranged a banquet at noon and insisted I bring you!”

“Your little sisters?”

“Mhm!”

“Are they also demons?”

“Some are demons, some are humans, all are fellow Disciples of the Jile Sect~”

“Oh?”

For the sake of world peace, even if he disregarded his personal safety, he had to go meet this group of demonesses.

Greatness needs no words!

“Yaner, I think you don’t need to wear makeup.”

“Why? Every time the Princess Consort encounters a grand occasion, she puts on beautiful makeup.”

You said it yourself, ‘beautiful makeup,’ the key is that this isn’t beautiful!

Ding Suian said, “When a person is beautiful, they look beautiful even without clothes, so Yaner naturally doesn’t need makeup!”

“Pfft~”

Zhao Yan seemed to want to laugh, slightly tilting her head, giving Ding Suian a charming, coquettish glance, then wiggled her waist to the table, leaned over, and looked back. “Then Husband, you must be quick, don’t delay the banquet.”

“?”

Ding Suian looked at Zhao Yan’s colorful face and said confusedly, “What be quick?”

“Every time Husband says sweet words, it means you want to practice; come quickly~”

Zhao Yan lay on the table and wiggled her bottom.

“…”

So, in the little fox’s mind, this is his image?

At the hour of the Snake, in order to support his little wife who had finally returned to her maiden home, Ding Suian privately bribed the officials of the Four Nations Residence and borrowed a carriage.

Then he drove the carriage himself, let AZhi act as a guard, and rushed to the destination.

The place they agreed to meet was in the North City of Yunzhou, a small courtyard with three courtyards.

“Atu’s husband is a high official in the State of Zhao. Ah Ji said he is already very old, and his wife at home is very fierce, so he secretly keeps Atu outside.”

Zhao Yan, wearing new clothes, refused to sit quietly in the carriage and insisted on sitting on the carriage shaft with Ding Suian.

“Yaner, the kind you’re talking about… is an outside mistress, right?”

“What is an outside mistress?”

“Um, it’s the kind that can’t be seen in the light…”

“Oh.”

Zhao Yan had no interest in titles and such in the human world. Anyway, to her, sleeping in one bed and practicing was the relationship of husband and wife.

She continued, “Sister Ah Ji is the top courtesan of the Southern Zhao Pavilion in Yunzhou.”

“Huh?”

Ding Suian was surprised. She was a Disciple of the Jile Sect, so she should have some skills. How did she end up like this?

“Why did she end up in this line of work? Is she short of money?”

“Not short of money. This morning, Sister Ah Ji said she just likes doing this job.”

“…”

This group of little sisters of Zhao Yan, some being mistresses, some working in the service industry—they were all talents.

“This Sister Ah Ji of yours, is she human or a demon?”

Zhao Yan looked left and right, leaned into Ding Suian’s ear and said, “A demon~”

“What kind of demon?”

“A chicken demon.”

No wonder!

A chicken demon working as a chicken, that could be considered deep excavation of her own potential.

Eh?

But then, Ding Suian realized the problem and said in surprise, “Yaner, you steal Make Do’s hens to eat all day, and you’re sisters with a chicken demon?”

“What’s wrong with that! A chicken and a chicken demon are different. The former has no spiritual intelligence and is naturally food for all living things in the world.”

Zhao Yan not only thought it was normal but also gave an example: “You hairless monkeys have people who eat monkeys, don’t you? You evolved from Spirit Monkeys, but you don’t treat monkeys as your own kind, right?”

Huh, now that you mention it, it actually makes some sense.