Chapter Sixty Secret

  New book on shelves, seeking first subscription, seeking pink powder

  "Xiao Daren..." After a brief hesitation, Zhen Shining pushed the door and walked in, unintentionally letting out an "eh", "It's really warm in here."

  Cozy space, warm as spring.

  Xiao Yu smiled, pointing at the eight vermilion pillars of the pavilion, "These pillars are all fire dragons." He pointed to the ground again, "Under the pavilion is a closed dark groove connected to the pillars. In winter, it's filled with shredded wood and burned slowly, better than a fireplace..." Looking up at the plaque on the pavilion, "Mother loved this place the most, Mei Ting was named by her personally."

  "No wonder I saw that the snow around this pavilion had all melted when I came up...". Zhen Shi Niang stretched out her hand to touch the pillar, and indeed it was warm. She couldn't help but sigh in admiration, "Rich people are really extravagant, just to appreciate a plum blossom, they've built such a warm pavilion." However, Zhen Shi Niang's gaze turned back outside the pavilion, "Where is the plum blossom?" She hadn't seen a single one on her way up.

  Jian's daughter is drinking tea. Seeing Zhen Shining, Xiao You's mood seemed to be good, personally poured a cup of tea and invited her to sit down.

  Zhen Shi Niang sat down on the stone bench at the side, and couldn't help but laugh, "This stone bench is actually warm too." She had been hesitant to sit down just before.

  "They're all hollow warm walls." Xiao Yu smiled and nodded.

  Zhen Shiniang took a sip of tea, raised her head, and was startled to see that on the slope behind, thirty or so plum blossoms were standing tall, sparse but majestic, like a small plum forest. In the depths of winter, some plum blossoms had already begun to bloom, their red petals delicate, their white ones like snow. Zhen Shiniang could even smell the faint, intermittent fragrance wafting towards her. "How is this possible? This pavilion is closed off." She turned around in surprise.

  On the eaves of the pavilion, a branch of white plum blossoms was inserted in a celadon vase, blending with the snow outside. If not for the fragrance, she wouldn't have noticed it, and it reminded her of a line from a poem: "Distantly knowing it's not snow, only the subtle scent arrives."

  Xiao Yu looked at her in surprise, "...... Does Jian Niang really like plum blossoms?"

  Zhen Shiniang stood up and walked slowly to the glass edge, "...... I haven't seen plum blossoms for a long time." The last time she remembered admiring plum blossoms was with her colleagues at Xiangshan Park, where there was a plum valley cultivating a patch of wax plums, and the fragrance could be smelled tens of meters away.

  Thinking that she would never be able to return in this life, Zhen Shiniang's expression suddenly turned gloomy, and her good mood vanished completely.

  "Is Miss Jian from a scholarly family?" Xiao Ye quietly came up behind her. Following her gaze, he looked outwards, "How is it that she has medical skills?" If she were from a family of doctors, she wouldn't be so elegant and refined, the imperial physicians would never recite poetry.

  "Is it a decline of the family?" Xiao Yu looked at her slightly furrowed brow and secretly speculated.

  "Long illness makes a good doctor." Zhen Shining dodged the question, "I have an illness myself. I like to read medical books and happened to get a rare book that recorded many difficult and complicated symptoms."

  "Does Miss Jian really like reading miscellaneous books?" Xiao Yu secretly wondered, she was indeed one of a kind.

  Many miscellaneous books were listed as forbidden books, especially for women. These books were uniformly prohibited from being read, and only "Nu Jie" (Female Precepts) and "Nü Lun Yu" (Female Analects) among the Four Books for Women were taught.

  Of course I like it. Unfortunately, there isn't one.

  In ancient times, there was no TV or internet. After a busy day, the long night could only be passed with books, but unfortunately, she had no money. Buying a few traditional Chinese medicine books from an old bookstore was already a luxury. She thought of the medical books by her pillow that she had flipped through until they were worn out, and even the diagrams of human meridians that made people headache just thinking about them, she could recite them fluently. Zhen Shiniang couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I like it," she said, turning to Xiao Yu, "Thank you, Lord Zhongtang, for your great gift... I... " Her voice hesitated for a moment, "May I... borrow it back to read?"

  "Speaking of that book on the geography of Zhou, Miss Jian has already taken a look at it." Xiao Yu chuckled and said, "That book is just a rough draft compiled by the Hanlin Academy, an internal version that even the Emperor hasn't reviewed yet...hmm..." He thought for a moment, "If Miss Jian likes it, she can wait a few more days until the proofreading is complete and the final draft is confirmed. I'll have Gu Mai arrange to send it over to her."

  "Thank you, Lord Zhongtang." Zhen Shiniang nodded in gratitude and suddenly said, "No wonder General Shen had just conquered Nanyue and returned to the court for only a few months, and this book was written." Before that, she thought that the dissemination of information in ancient times was really so fast, like the news broadcast of her previous life, where the top leaders would hold a meeting and immediately the whole nation would know the content of the meeting.

  " Pacify the pirates, conquer the southern barbarians, and conquer Nanyue. In just a few years, the territory of my great Zhou has expanded by nearly half... " Xiao Ye smiled and nodded, "This General Shen is indeed a rare military genius in a hundred years. This time, re-measuring the map of Great Zhou, compiling the geographical annals of Great Zhou, and praising General Shen's achievements are all personally ordered by His Majesty himself."

  Otherwise, it would have been compiled so quickly.

  "...is just a wise man who knows how to use people, that's all." Zhen Shi Niang shook her head disdainfully.

  But after winning several battles, how did it become a hundred-year-old event?

  It's said that in a hundred years, there will be a legendary doctor who can perform medical techniques that even people from ancient times have never seen before.

  Zhen Shining felt a strong sense of disgust in her heart, "The Book of Great Zhou is not lacking in wise rulers who can expand the territory and make great achievements. Among them, the current Emperor Wansui can be said to be the first person after the Holy Ancestor Emperor... In my opinion, this great achievement should belong to Emperor Wansui..."

  The sound suddenly stopped, and how could there be no mention of it in the book?!

  "When the book arrived, I just flipped through it and felt something was off, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Later, with so many things going on,"

  He immediately opened it... After all, the Hanlin Academy sent over a draft out of courtesy, not really asking him to review it. Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye's expression changed slightly, and he nodded, "Miss Jian is right, this achievement should be attributed to the Emperor..." He shook his head again, "Such exaggeration of General Shen's merits, it seems someone has an ulterior motive."

  As he spoke, Xiao Yu's forehead was covered with a thin layer of fine sweat.

  Unexpectedly, Xiao Yu said this, Zhen Shi Nang secretly scolded herself for being too talkative. The affairs of the imperial court had nothing to do with her, and she seemed to be intentionally bringing it up, as if she was worried about Shen Zhong Ge. Her mind racing, she was thinking of how to change the subject, when Xiao Yu sincerely sighed, "To tell you the truth, without the current Emperor, there wouldn't be a today for me and General Shen."

  How come?

  If she wasn't mistaken, Shen Zhongge and Xiao Ye were both the top scholars appointed by the previous emperor, one exceling in literature and the other in martial arts. She was puzzled in her heart, but didn't ask anything out loud, calmly appreciating the beautiful scenery outside the pavilion.

  "Sit down, young lady." Xiang Yu turned around and sat back on the stone bench, touched the tea water which was still warm, and filled two cups with it. "Seven years ago, when His Majesty was still the Crown Prince, he went incognito among scholars on the eve of the imperial examination, and happened to meet me and General Shen in a tavern, engaged in lofty discussions..." Xiang Yu shook his head with a wry smile, "At that time, we were young and reckless, daring to say anything. The Crown Prince then posed a question: internally, there was the tyranny of the Duke of Zhenguo; externally, there were Japanese pirates invading, and neighboring countries eyeing us covetously. What should the current Emperor do in such a situation?"

  That's not easy to handle?

  Zhen Shiyan furrowed her brow seriously.

  “……One must first stabilize the interior before expanding outward!” The words that changed his and Shen Zhong's fate, Xiao Yu's face slightly flushed with redness. "I didn't know it was the Crown Prince in front of me, so I proposed a strategy to him: first eliminate the power of the Town Country Duke, then unite with Yan Qi, isolate Yi Yue, and divide them up...” Immersed in memories of past events, Xiao Yu's eyes became warm and gentle. "The Crown Prince asked, 'Isn't it true that Yan Qi in the north and Yi Yue in the south have long been eyeing the Great Zhou, but only the Town Country Duke's bravery and military prowess can keep them at bay? If we take away his military power, won't that be suicidal?' His words left me speechless..." Suddenly, he returned to those magnificent years of old. Xiao Yu sincerely sighed with emotion, "At that time, the Great Zhou was unmatched in terms of military strategy and tactics; no one could surpass the Town Country Duke's bravery and martial prowess. He was the only one who could keep neighboring countries from coveting us. Even if we were to widely recruit talented military leaders, finding a second Town Country Duke would be no easy task..."

  "What happened afterwards?" In her impression, Xiao Yu had always been in control with a calm and confident demeanor, this was the first time. She heard that he was actually left speechless by someone, Zhen Shi Niang couldn't help but be curious.

  The crown prince turned to ask General Shen, "You are a martial arts expert, how would you deal with the invasion of the southern barbarians?" General Shen used the cups and plates on the table as soldiers and began to explain in detail the generals and commanders of the southern barbarians, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to deploy troops and arrange formations... Xiao Yu couldn't help but feel admiration, "The crown prince was completely absorbed in listening, I only then realized that General Shen was a rare military genius, especially when it came to geography, he could remember every detail after just one visit, and would even come up with tactics tailored to the specific terrain..."

  "...So the Crown Prince chose him as the top martial arts champion?" He wanted to cultivate him to replace Zhen Guo Gong.

  She recalled that six years ago, Zhen Guo Gong died of treason after Shen Zhongge became the champion scholar. Zhen Shi Niang's heart skipped a beat and she unconsciously swallowed her last sentence.

  "No matter how well you say it, it's just empty talk... and at that time, the crown prince hadn't even taken power yet..." Xiao Yu shook his head, "It was General Shen's outstanding performance on the military training grounds that moved the previous emperor, who personally awarded him the title of Wu Zhuangyuan. Unfortunately..." He thought back to how Shen Zhongjie had been forced into a marriage with the arrogant and willful daughter of the Minister of War due to his exceptional military talent, and now he was stuck in a loveless marriage, a hero for a lifetime but destined to be lonely all his life. Xiao Yu let out a soft sigh, but didn't continue speaking.

  What a pity!

  Zhen Shining was puzzled in her heart, seeing Xiao Yu close his mouth, she didn't want to talk about Shen Zhongjie anymore. She changed the subject and asked, "Is it true that the Emperor wants to use the sixth princess of the imperial family to form an alliance with Qi Guo?"

  "Most people in the court are opposed to the marriage, and the debate is inconclusive..." Xiao Ye said, suddenly having an idea, he raised his head and asked, "How does Miss Jian view this?"

  "Is General Shen going to send troops to the State of Yan?" After a brief hesitation, Zhen Shiniang calmly expressed her own thoughts.

  The Great Zhou had just pacified the Japanese pirates, subdued the Yi and Yue tribes, and the morale of the three armies was high. Military power ranked first among the three countries of Yan, Qi, and Zhou. It would never use a princess to exchange for peace. Now, however, there is controversy that will not subside, obviously because the Emperor has the intention of making peace through marriage, but there are too many people in the court who oppose it, so it is being discussed again and again.

  Wan Sui is a wise and brave ruler, not a timid or weak one. His sole reason for advocating for peace and unity is that after pacifying the Yi and Yue tribes, he has developed a desire for unification.

  Although Yan Qi's military strength is not as good as that of the Great Zhou, the three countries are balanced in a tripod situation. If the Great Zhou initiates war and attacks Yan State Qi, it will come to help, and vice versa. It is impossible to swallow two countries at the same time. The best way is to form an alliance with one of the countries through marriage between royal princesses.

  If that's the case, as long as she can get through this period of time before Shen Zhongjie goes on another expedition without a hitch, she'll be able to buy herself one to two years' time, allowing her pills to gain traction in the Imperial Hospital and smoothly establish a pharmaceutical factory, laying down a foundation for Jian Wu and Jian Wen!

  As it involved her own future, Zhen Shiniang's heart was tightly strung, but her eyes seemed to be looking at Xiao Ye as if nothing was wrong.