Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 44 Wei Zhuang's Curiosity, Zi Nu's Visit
"After the worst comes the best."

Standing by the window, Wei Zhuang repeated a sentence, a rare occurrence, with a hint of interest in his eyes.

"I'm curious, who said that word?"

Zi Nu was somewhat surprised. Wei Zhuang came from Guigu Valley and was proud and arrogant. Few people could arouse his interest.

"It's just a word."

Upon hearing Zi Nu's words, Wei Zhuang chuckled.

"The Book of Changes, also known as the Book of Changes, is said to have been derived by King Wen of Zhou from the Eight Trigrams of the Pre-Heaven Bagua while he was in prison. It encompasses the changes of heaven and earth, and is therefore known as the first of all classics."

"Even I have only scratched the surface of this scripture, while the person who speaks of turning adversity into prosperity has probably studied it quite thoroughly, or rather, his state of mind is far beyond that of ordinary people. Do you think I should be interested in such a person?"

Zi Nu's eyes flickered. She didn't understand the details, but judging from what Wei Zhuang said, that person was indeed of interest to him.

"I'll ask for you another time."

Wei Zhuang looked at the bustling scene on the street and said nothing more. Although he was somewhat interested in that person, it was not to the point that he had to meet him.

"Should we still get involved with Lord Anping and Lord Longquan?"

Zi Nu glanced down and asked a question.

Wei Zhuang remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"There's no need. The core of this matter doesn't lie with these two incompetent fools, and they're not worth exposing."

Zi Nu's gaze sharpened slightly, then she asked, "What about Han Fei?"

Wei Zhuang's gaze swept over the General's Mansion, and he gave a cold smile.

“We’ve already helped enough. If the whole bureau needs us to clean up its messes, then it doesn’t deserve to be in the bureau.”

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was evening. The sunset once again enveloped the world.

Upon receiving the news, Han Fei rushed to the prison, but it was too late.

The political landscape of the court shifted as if in a game, causing Han Fei's heart to sink to the bottom. Anping Jun and Longquan Jun were, after all, two members of the royal family, yet they died mysteriously in prison.

But his father didn't intend to investigate further, and for a moment he didn't know what to say!
The only good thing is that Ji Wuye stopped dwelling on the matter and making things difficult for Zhang Kaidi, but this was not the result he wanted.

In the end, just as he expected, Zhang Kaidi did not intend to recommend him for the position of Sikou.

After all, their initial agreement was to solve the case and recover the military pay. Of course, it wasn't all for naught; at least he gained a little admirer—Zhang Liang.

Seeing that the person in front of him still looked confident, Wei Zhuang was very curious about what the other person was thinking.

So, under the cover of night, Wei Zhuang and Han Fei went to a place—the residence of the Grand General of Han.

On the other side, Zi Nu, through her investigation, also determined the possible origin of the word Nong Yu had been repeating earlier. Therefore, she took over the role of delivering food to Chen Xiu Yuan, replacing Hong Dou.

However, when the owner of Zilanxuan pushed open the door, she was somewhat surprised. Hongdou had told her that she was a "little" customer, but she never expected that she would be so "little".

"Sir, dinner is served."

Hearing the sound, Chen Xiuyuan looked up towards the doorway, somewhat surprised.

The newcomer wore a long purple dress, with purple hair and eyes. Her long hair was styled into a bun, and her features were delicate, with a touch of vermilion on her lips, exuding a captivating yet not seductive charm. Her figure was graceful and curvaceous, the long purple dress hugging her slender waist, and she wore black stockings and purple heels, further enhancing her elegant demeanor.

He had seen this person before, but this was the first time he had seen her up close. The person was none other than Zi Nu.

However, Chen Xiuyuan was not too surprised to see her. Zi Nu was the owner of Zi Lan Xuan. Since he was staying here, he would definitely have to deal with her. It was just a matter of time.

Chen Xiuyuan nodded.

"Let's put it aside for now! I'll eat it later."

After speaking, Chen Xiuyuan looked away and continued reading the bamboo slips in his hand as if no one was around.

Upon seeing Chen Xiuyuan's actions, Zi Nu was taken aback. It wasn't that his behavior was wrong, but rather that his reaction made her feel somewhat strange, yet also reasonable. He had previously asked Nongyu to read to him, which indicated that he was a person who enjoyed reading.

The other party hasn't changed because of the change in the person delivering the food, or rather, he didn't care in the first place, and didn't care who the person delivering the food was.

Zi Nu stepped in, placed the food she was carrying on another table, and then stood there quietly without saying a word, beginning to look around the room.

This is the second floor, the innermost room on the second floor. The second floor is usually reserved for merchants. Since this "little" customer has been arranged here, it means that he does not know martial arts, is not a chivalrous hero or bandit, and does not have any political background. Even if he does, he is certainly not from Korea.

Recalling what Hongdou had said that day, Zinu quickly came to a conclusion: the "little" customer in front of her was a young man carrying a lot of money, so Hongdou arranged for him to come here without knowing his background.

The furnishings inside the room remained almost unchanged, except for the bamboo slips on the bookshelf, which showed signs of being moved. Of course, these signs were negligible, as the missing bamboo slips were stacked on the desk in front of Chen Xiuyuan.

The bamboo slips on the bookshelf were placed there by her, and they were only found on the second floor of the three floors. Having run Zilanxuan for so many years, she had a pretty good grasp of the temperaments of those merchants, if not perfect.

The concept of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was proposed long ago by Guan Zhong, the prime minister of the State of Qi, with the aim of optimizing the social division of labor and improving production efficiency. However, after Shang Yang's reforms in the State of Qin, the status of merchants was suppressed.

Therefore, a new trend emerged among merchants: they liked to display books in their rooms, as a way to appear cultured.

But this "young" customer didn't seem to be the kind of businessman she had in mind.

The other person seems to be genuinely looking at these things.

“Young master, I happen to be literate. Would you like me to read to you? You can eat while you listen, so it won’t interfere with either of your meal.”

Zi Nu crossed her arms and spoke with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyuan paused in his actions, but did not refuse, saying, "Since it is such a kind offer from you, young lady, then I will accept it without hesitation."

Then Chen Xiuyuan pointed to the five remaining bamboo slips on the table.

"And these few too."

Upon hearing this, Zi Nu burst out laughing.

The reason she laughed wasn't because of the first sentence, but because of the second.

It gives the impression that they are afraid they don't know, but the other person speaks in a very casual tone, as if they don't care what others think.

Zi Nu brought over the food, then picked up the bamboo slips on the table. Looking at the contents of the bamboo slips, her eyes were somewhat dazed. These contained some things about military strategy, and of course, they were all things that could be circulated.

These kinds of things are usually only for bookworms who study military strategy, and she didn't think this "little" guest in front of her was that kind of bookworm.

However, since she had agreed to help, Zi Nu still read it aloud softly.

Sun Tzu said: "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected."

Unlike Nongyu, Zinu was very bold. While reading the contents of the bamboo slip, she glanced at Chen Xiuyuan out of the corner of her eye.

Chen Xiuyuan's first impression of her was that he was quiet, very calm, with a composure that wouldn't faze her even if the sky were to fall.

This state reminded her of someone, Wei Zhuang, who didn't take anyone seriously. Sometimes he gave people that feeling. But if you listened carefully, Chen Xiuyuan's quietness seemed to come from the bottom of her heart, rather than Wei Zhuang's kind of intimidation and belief that there was no obstacle that the sword in his hand could not overcome.

He ate his meal neither too fast nor too slow, without deliberately trying to speed up or slow down. Chen Xiuyuan put down his chopsticks when the fourth volume ended.

"Are you interested in military strategy, sir?"

Upon seeing this, Zi Nu stood up and began to tidy up the tableware on the table. As she tidied up, she asked a question.

Not really interested~~

Chen Xiuyuan shook his head, then picked up the last bamboo scroll and began to read it.

"That gentleman..."

"There doesn't seem to be anything else here."

(End of this chapter)