Boss Zhao sat up straight.
"I didn't laugh."
Gu Moran to the map.
"Be serious, I am doing a good deed."
"Do things cleanly."
"The money should be transferred through several intermediaries from the teahouse's account before it leaves."
"The instructor invited him under the guise of a security escort agency."
"Hang up the signboard, but don't involve the Prince Yi's Residence."
Boss Zhao immediately stopped joking.
"Understood."
"Also, it's free for the first thirty days, and the porridge will still be provided."
"The words 'Put the poor first' should be written in a prominent manner."
Boss Zhao frowned.
"Your Highness, is this to give Ye Qingyun a way out?"
"It's also to leave a door open for the poor people in the south of the city."
Boss Zhao stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.
"I'll take care of it right away."
He walked to the door, then stopped.
"Your Highness, if anyone asks what the meaning of the two characters 'Dragon Abyss' is?"
Gu Moran folded the map and tucked it into a hidden compartment on her desk.
"Just say that Liu Laosan was illiterate."
"I think those two words are powerful."
Boss Zhao turned to look at him.
Gu Moran looked up.
"What, not imposing enough?"
Boss Zhao cupped his hands in greeting.
"Domineering."
The door was closed.
Only the candlelight flickered in the study, the scent of cool tea mingled with the fragrance of ink, and the night seeped in through the cracks in the window.
Uncle Fu looked towards the door and waited until the footsteps faded into the distance before speaking.
"Your Highness, if this plan succeeds, Ye Qingyun will never sleep soundly again."
Gu Moran picked up the folding fan and tapped the fan ribs against his palm.
He can't sleep well anymore.
Uncle Fu looked at him.
"Actually, one day of drying is enough, why insist on drying it for three days?"
Gu Moran did not answer immediately.
" Ye Qingyun has just suffered a setback, and at this moment he is most suspicious and competitive."
The more enthusiastic you are, the more he feels there's a trap.
"So make him wait in line, three days, no more, no less."
Gu Moran brought up the system panel and glanced at Ye Qingyun's data.
[ Ye Qingyun's Bamboo Scroll Technique: Third Level.]
[Current martial skill: Mid-stage 7th Rank]
[Luck Value: Recovers by an average of 1.2% per day.]
[ Heavenly Dao Correction Force Activity: Above Average]
His own Sixth Rank official position was entirely due to being hung up.
Ye Qingyun is different.
The bamboo scroll gave him something that had a path, a foundation, and even the support of Heavenly Dao.
Gu Moran turned off the control panel and got up to stretch his wrists.
Hold the pen with a light grip.
When opening the door, be gentle.
Even when serving tea, one must be careful not to exert too much force.
Footsteps could be heard outside the door.
The servant spoke at the door.
Your Highness.
Gu Moran straightened his cuffs.
"Enter."
Uncle Fu opened the door and took a letter.
The servant left a message saying, "This was brought by Miss Biyu," and then turned and ran off.
The door closed again.
Gu Moran took the letter and checked the seal first.
No signature.
The folding method was the three-fold style most commonly used by Li Yuan, a staff member in the Chancellor's Residence.
He took it apart.
There was only one line of text inside.
"Master is very uneasy that Ye Qingyun has not left the capital."
The signature was simply "Li".
Gu Moran turned the letter over to the back.
Empty.
Uncle Fu watched his movements.
No one from the Chancellor's Residence dared to enter the Prince's mansion.
Gu Moran folded the letter, but didn't immediately put it away.
" Li Yuan is afraid that my dear father-in-law will be burdened with the reputation of secretly supporting the Prince Yi's Residence."
Uncle Fu asked, "Why is Chancellor Su uneasy? Is he afraid of Ye Qingyun?"
Gu Moran looked up at him.
Do you think the Prime Minister is afraid?
Uncle Fu thought for a moment.
"A poor scholar who just lost a poetry contest shouldn't be someone the Prime Minister is worried about so much."
"If the Prime Minister wanted to, killing him wouldn't be difficult, but the problem is that Ye Qingyun is currently being protected by the Second Prince."
Gu Moran laid the letter out on the table, her fingertips pressing down on the character "Li".
He's not afraid of Ye Qingyun.
He was afraid of the old favors owed to the Ye Clan.
Uncle Fu looked at the letter.
Gu Moran said, " Ye Qingyun's father saved Old Master Su. Not many people in the capital know about this, but Jizhou do."
Ye Qingyun didn't elaborate at the poetry recital.
"If he really lays bare his true intentions, the Su Clan has enjoyed the Chancellor's Residence's reputation for many years, yet they've kept their benefactor's son out. This is a difficult situation to resolve."
Uncle Fu frowned.
" Chancellor Su could say that the imperial edict was difficult to disobey."
"Sure."
Gu Moran pushed the letter forward half an inch.
But what the people want to hear is not that imperial edicts cannot be disobeyed.
"What the people want to hear is that the Ye Clan saved the Su Clan, and that the Su Clan, after becoming wealthy, reneged on the old agreement with the Ye Clan, which had fallen on hard times."
"The more absurd and bizarre it is, the more the people like it."
Uncle Fu remained silent.
Gu Moran continued, "Add the Second Prince as well."
"Add the Jizhou Chamber of Commerce as well."
"If Ye Qingyun stays in the capital, Chancellor Su afraid of more than just one person."
Uncle Fu replied in a low voice.
"It's a difficult knife to control."
Gu Moran glanced at him.
" Uncle Fu, your analogy is quite apt."
Uncle Fu lowered his head.
"This old servant learned it from Your Highness."
Gu Moran smiled, then stopped.
"I guess this isn't what my dear father-in-law finds most annoying."
"If Ye Qingyun leaves the capital safely, this old agreement will be considered closed."
"If he stays in the capital and is pushed towards the Prince's residence, Su Yao will be caught in the middle."
"Is the Su Clan avoiding suspicion, or protecting their daughter?"
"To avoid suspicion, Su Yao would feel disheartened."
"If they protect their daughter, the Su Clan will be drawn into the game."
After listening to these words, Uncle Fu's fingers tightened and loosened in his sleeve.
Therefore, Li Yuan only wrote one line.
One line is enough.
An old fox leads to a little fox.
Gu Moran placed the letter under the inkstone.
Uncle Fu asked in a low voice, "Does Your Highness wish to reply?"
Gu Moran did not answer immediately.
Replying to the letter was tantamount to telling Su Wenyuan that the Prince Yi's Residence had taken on this trouble for him.
If he doesn't reply, Su Wenyuan will continue to have trouble sleeping.
A prime minister who can't sleep well is more useful than a father-in-law who pretends to be confused and refuses to take sides.
Gu Moran pressed the inkstone down on the letter.
"I won't reply."
Uncle Fu lowered his hands.
"This old servant understands."
Gu Moran picked up the teacup.
He took a sip, and the bitter taste lingered on the back of his tongue.
"Let him be uneasy."
The watchman's drum outside the window has already sounded twice.
Only the candlelight and the smell of tea remained in the study.
Uncle Fu was still standing in front of the desk.
"Your Highness, Boss Zhao is busy putting up the signboard, and there are people keeping an eye on Shun'an Lane as well."
"Is there anything this old servant can do for you?"
Gu Moran closed the box lid and tapped the wood grain twice with his fingertip.
Two images flashed through my mind.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingyun was practicing his boxing in the newly acquired martial arts school, holding a bamboo scroll.
On the other hand, he possessed only Sixth Rank Qi and blood, but all he knew how to do was throw wild, unorthodox punches.
This won't work.
He can pretend to be useless, but he can't actually be useless.
" Uncle Fu."
"This old servant is here."
"Since Ye Qingyun is practicing martial arts, I can't just watch the spectacle. I must practice here in the manor too."
Uncle Fu understood, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Does Your Highness intend to consult with Madam?"
Gu Moran pushed the wooden box to the inside of the desk, and before taking his finger off the lid, he pressed it for half a breath.
Murong Xue is ruthless enough to save even the Northern Territory warriors.
However, the princess's communication costs are slightly higher.
Lin Qingdai is different.
She has a strong temper, a steady hand, and a solid grasp of the Grand Commandant's Residence's ways.
Most importantly, she ate three pieces of the braised pork knuckle from last night's meal.
"Find Lin Qingdai first."
Uncle Fu nodded.
"Look for Murong Xue again?"
Gu Moran looked up.
"You've already paved the way for me?"
"Remember to prepare a large pork knuckle for tomorrow morning."
Uncle Fu looked up.
Gu Moran turned around, his expression serious.
"A good mix of lean and fatty meat, stewed until tender, with a glossy skin and a thick sauce."
Uncle Fu remained silent for a moment.
"Is Your Highness taking on a disciple?"
"This is a friendly exchange with my beloved concubine."
" Madam Lin won't accept it?"
"Then let's add one more."
Uncle Fu lowered his head.
"This old servant understands."
The next morning, Gu Moran carried a food box into Iron Plum Courtyard, and the smell of ironware wafted into his nose first.
Dew still clung to the blue bricks; as you stepped on them, a chill crept up your feet.
The aroma of soy sauce wafted from the cracks in the food container, and the steam traveled around my hand.
Gu Moran paused half a step at the door.
The Sixth Rank Qi and blood are stored in the skin and flesh, making walking more stable and breathing more deep than before.
He glanced down at the food box.
Over at Shun'an Lane, Ye Qingyun had already started practicing.
The bamboo slip technique progressed too quickly.
If he doesn't make a few more moves, and they really do run into each other, his strength will only be enough to keep up appearances.
The door was pushed open.
Lin Qingdai sat at the stone table, wiping her sword. Her sleeves were rolled up to her forearms, her wrist bones pressing against the scabbard, and the sword's surface gleamed from her polishing.
Zitang was sharpening her short knife when she heard the door open. She first looked at the food box, then at Gu Moran, and quickly got up to greet him.
Lin Qingdai merely glanced at him.
"Did Your Highness get lost today, or did you hide from someone and come to Iron Plum Courtyard?"