Love Lock

Chapter 92 Offering a warm face to a cold backside
Zhao Zun and Pingchuan rode ahead on horseback, their figures appearing exceptionally agile amidst the rising dust.

Luo Hai's carriage followed slowly behind. Inside the carriage, Luo Hai was leisurely sipping tea, enjoying this rare tranquility that had lasted for more than a month.

As soon as Zhao Zun arrived at the gate of the county magistrate's residence, he saw a middle-aged man in official robes hurriedly coming to greet him. It was none other than Sun Wenyuan, the prefect of Cangzhou.

He was respectful, with his head bowed and eyes lowered, clearly taking this meeting very seriously.

Before Zhao Zun was enfeoffed as the King of Cangzhou, Sun Wenyuan was the highest-ranking official in the entire Cangzhou. But now that Zhao Zun has arrived, Zhao Zun is naturally the highest-ranking official.

Sun Wenyuan had been there for more than half an hour, and the clerks of the county magistrate's office all came out to welcome the prefect into the mansion. But having heard that Zhao Zun had gone out, he insisted on waiting outside the mansion, just to leave a good impression on the King of Cangzhou.

"Your Highness, this humble official pays his respects." Sun Wenyuan's voice carried a hint of obsequiousness.

Sun Wenyuan is a direct descendant of the Sun family, one of the four great families of Dajing.

The Sun family was the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, which was also the maternal family of Emperor Jing. The family was among the four great aristocratic families and was very powerful.

However, in recent years, the Sun family has spent a lot of money to support Emperor Jing's ascension to the throne, and their financial resources are no longer as good as those of the Wei family.

Despite his large family, Sun Wenyuan still held a sense of awe for Zhao Zun, a prince who had risen from a border marshal.

After all, Zhao Zun's reputation was renowned throughout the entire North Pass.

Previously, when Zhao Zun served as the Marshal of the Northern Pass, they were both court officials, one a civil official and the other a military one. But now, Zhao Zun's status was higher than his, and he had to bow to Zhao Zun when they met.

Zhao Zun's face was cold and his eyes were deep. He raised his hand slightly and said in a very indifferent tone, "Prefect Sun, there's no need for formalities. What brings you to see me?"

Upon seeing this, Sun Wenyuan quickly bowed and replied, "This humble official has received His Majesty's imperial decree, ordering me to oversee the construction of the Prince's residence. I have come to inquire where Your Highness wishes to build the residence in Cangzhou?"

Zhao Zun's gaze lingered on Sun Wenyuan's face for a moment, as if he were pondering something. After a while, he spoke calmly, "Let's do it in Qingshui County."

"Qingshui County is wonderful! It's the most prosperous county in Cangzhou." Sun Wenyuan flattered, and quickly took out a blueprint he had prepared from his sleeve, presenting it with both hands: "Your Highness, this is the blueprint I have drafted. Please take a look."

Sun Wenyuan's attitude was very proper. However, Zhao Zun, who was sitting high on his horse, did not reach out to take the blueprints. He simply said, "It doesn't matter. It can be built however it is, as long as it is habitable."

As long as it's habitable, that's fine?
Is this the construction of a royal palace?
Sun Wenyuan was taken aback. The prince's indifference and casualness were clearly quite different from the majestic image he had imagined.

He secretly wondered if it was because the prince had been in a bad mood lately?
Little did Sun Wenyuan know that with Han Lei nowhere to be found, Zhao Zun was indeed in a bad mood and had no interest in anything other than searching for Han Lei.

Sun Wenyuan swallowed hard and spoke even more cautiously, "Your Highness, then... I'll start construction once I've chosen an auspicious day?"

Zhao Zun did not answer him. As if he had suddenly thought of something, he frowned slightly and asked in return, "Prefect Sun, how did you know that I was in Qingshui County?"

He had just arrived in Qingshui County yesterday, and Sun Wenyuan came looking for him today. He didn't believe it was a coincidence.

Sun Wenyuan quickly replied, "After receiving His Majesty's decree, I sent people here to await news of the Prince. Last night, I received a report that the Prince had arrived, so... I rushed here to pay my respects."

Sun Wenyuan's prefectural office was in Huachang County, a neighboring county of Qingshui County, a journey that took about eight hours each way. In order to curry favor with the Prince of Cangzhou, he indeed rushed over overnight upon receiving the report.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zun's brow twitched slightly, as if he had suddenly realized something. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and with a gentle wave of his hand, Pingchuan immediately stepped forward from behind him.

"Go tell Commander Xiao to immediately lead men to find Princess Chang Le's whereabouts. Then bring her here and say..." Zhao Zun lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then continued to instruct, "Say that I want to host a banquet for her."

As soon as he arrived in Qingshui County, Princess Changle came looking for him. This proved that Princess Changle, like Prefect Sun, had sent people to keep an eye on his whereabouts beforehand, and that he was not in Qingshui County looking for a friend and just happened to run into him.

"Yes!"

Pingchuan accepted the order and rode away. After Pingchuan left, Zhao Zun looked at Sun Wenyuan and said calmly, "Prefect Sun, you've shown your concern. You can handle this matter yourself."

Sun Wenyuan saw a flash of coldness in Zhao Zun's eyes. He thought there was something wrong with his rushing over overnight and felt uneasy. But seeing that Zhao Zun didn't seem angry, he felt a little relieved.

He continued cautiously, "This is my duty. If Your Highness needs anything, please do not hesitate to give the order. I will do my utmost to serve Your Highness."

Zhao Zun's sharp gaze lingered on Sun Wenyuan's face for a moment, but he didn't invite him into the magistrate's mansion to sit down. He simply nodded slightly.

"Very well! Since His Majesty has granted Cangzhou to me as my fiefdom, I will have to rely on Prefect Sun for the management of Cangzhou in the future. If you do your best, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wenyuan was overjoyed. He quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

At this moment, Luo Hai's carriage slowly arrived.

The prefecture is larger than the county, so Sun Wenyuan is inferior to Zhao Zun, but he is Luo Hai's superior.

Luo Hai alighted from the carriage and saw that Prefect Sun was still at the gate. As the county magistrate, he quickly straightened his official robes, bowed, and stepped forward to pay his respects. Then, he welcomed the prefect into the county magistrate's residence for a talk.

Luo Hai hosted a banquet for Sun Wenyuan at the county magistrate's residence.

During the meal, Sun Wenyuan showered Zhao Zun with flattery and obsequiousness, launching into a torrent of praise. However, no matter the topic, the absent-minded Zhao Zun remained indifferent throughout.

Sun Wenyuan had a feeling that he had offered his warm welcome only to be met with indifference. This made him both uneasy and embarrassed.

Luo Hai, who was accompanying them, couldn't stand it any longer. Fortunately, he was good at socializing in official circles. Seeing that Zhao Zun was not interested and ignored Sun Wenyuan, making the latter feel embarrassed, he had no choice but to take over the conversation and take the initiative to talk to Sun Wenyuan.

Luo Hai frequently raised his glass to toast Sun Wenyuan, which made the prefect's situation seem less awkward.

The banquet lasted until nightfall. Because Zhao Zun's family was temporarily staying at the county magistrate's residence, and Sun Wenyuan was going to supervise the construction of the Prince's Mansion in Qingshui County, he also needed to stay in Qingshui County for a while.

To avoid further embarrassment, Luo Hai, caught in the middle, had no choice but to send the already drunken prefect and his entourage to the post station in Qingshui County for temporary lodging.

Sun Wenyuan's group left the county magistrate's residence, and Zhao Zun, slightly drunk, also returned to his room.

Before long, Xiao Zhengfei, who had led his men to search for Princess Chang Le, returned.

"Your Highness, we have found Princess Chang Le at the inn," Xiao Zhengfei reported as he entered, clasping his hands in greeting.

Zhao Zun was sitting at the table, studying why the love lock in his hand wasn't glowing. Hearing Xiao Zhengfei's report, he propped his head up with one hand, looked up at Xiao Zhengfei, and let out a sneer.

"Hmph! Didn't she come to Qingshui County to look for a friend? What, she didn't find one?"

"This, I don't know," Xiao Zhengfei reported truthfully. "I heard from Pingchuan that the prefect is requesting an audience with the prince. I thought the prince probably wouldn't have time to see Princess Chang Le today, so I secretly sent word that the prince will host a banquet for the princess tomorrow, but I've left my brother at the inn to keep watch."

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Zun's somewhat dazed eyes. He waved his hand and said, "No, I can't wait until tomorrow. I'll bring her here now."

"Yes!"

Xiao Zhengfei seemed to understand something as well, and answered with a firm and resounding voice.

Is it wrong for Princess Chang Le to love someone so passionately?

(End of this chapter)