In the Courage Palace, where Ning Wang's emblem was displayed, military councils were in session.
Shang Chao Zong and Lan Ruo Ting stood before a map, calculating every possible course of action.
Shang Chao Zong now commanded over a thousand of Ning Wang's veterans, and he had recruited more than a thousand new soldiers. Cang Wu County was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, with Feng Lin Bo and the Heavenly Jade Sect backing him, he could now make plans for the future.
An ordinary person could not enter such a secret place. But Shu Qing was no ordinary person, and she entered freely.
Shu Qing relayed the situation concerning Niu You Dao, which surprised Shang Chao Zong:
"He wants to enter secluded cultivation later?"
Lan Ruo Ting, who had been studying the map, also turned and asked:
"Princess, why did he decide to postpone his secluded cultivation?"
Shu Qing replied: "He didn't say, and I didn't ask. You know what kind of person he is. If he doesn't want to talk, he won't answer no matter how much you press him."
What was going on? Shang Chao Zong and Lan Ruo Ting exchanged glances. They wondered what could have happened?
As for planting vegetables, it was unlikely he would postpone cultivation for that. Yuan Gang had planted vegetables with the monks. Shu Qing had originally thought of planting flowers there, but when Yuan Gang started his work, she had no choice but to remain silent.
To postpone cultivation because of vegetables... that was strange.
Just then, a bodyguard arrived and reported:
"Prince, Yuan Gang sought us out and instructed us to investigate everything about the Jin Mo Xuan bookstore. He repeatedly emphasized that we must be discreet and not expose ourselves!"
Shu Qing froze. She suspected something.
"Jin Mo Xuan?" Shang Chao Zong whispered. "Why does that name sound familiar to me?"
Lan Ruo Ting reminded him: "Prince, it's that verse about 'one who has seen the vastness of the ocean, a mere stream ceases to impress'..."
"Ah!" Shang Chao Zong exclaimed. He remembered the verse, but then asked, surprised:
"Why would he want to know about a bookstore?"
Lan Ruo Ting shook his head slightly: "It's likely Lord Dao who wants this, not Yuan Gang. He always thinks several steps ahead."
Shang Chao Zong already understood that Niu You Dao was a far-sighted person. When Niu You Dao went to Kuangai County, he already had a plan to establish a marital alliance for the Prince and secure troops. In the end, he even predicted and poisoned the wedding night.
Shu Qing looked at the bodyguard and said: "Do as he instructed."
Seeing that the Prince did not object, the bodyguard cupped his hands and said: "Understood!" He then turned and swiftly departed.
Shang Chao Zong and Lan Ruo Ting looked at Shu Qing, and she replied:
"The delay in cultivation is most likely related to the bookstore."
Lan Ruo Ting asked: "How do you know that?"
Shu Qing said: "I mentioned that verse recently, and he started asking about it. Where did this verse come from?"
Lan Ruo Ting said, surprised: "What's so special about this bookstore? Why not just get to know the owner? Why investigate so cautiously?"
Shu Qing replied: "Sir, you don't know. Just now, when I told him that he could go to the secret location tomorrow, he immediately agreed. However, as soon as I mentioned that verse and the bookstore, he immediately changed his plans. He also doesn't want to disturb the snake in the grass... It seems he thinks something is amiss with this bookstore."
Silence hung in the Courage Palace. Everyone fell into thought. They all wanted to ask Niu You Dao what was happening, but they understood that if Niu You Dao wanted to speak, he would, and if not, they wouldn't find out.
In the end, Shang Chao Zong slowly said: "We shouldn't do anything, let's just observe."
That day, after lunch, news arrived. Yuan Gang entered the courtyard.
On a couch under the shade of a tree, Niu You Dao lay with his eyes closed. His fingers idly traced the hilt of the sword he held, indicating he was far from asleep.
Yuan Gang walked up to him, sat on a chair, and immediately got to the point:
"The Jin Mo Xuan bookstore is the most popular bookstore in the city. Its former owner temporarily left to avoid trouble after the Prince's upheavals. Now his younger cousin manages his shop. The neighbors say that besides that person, there's no one else in his shop. Little is discernible so far. We need to investigate deeper to find anything."
Niu You Dao said nothing, as if asleep. Yet, he continued to trace the sword's hilt with his fingers. When he finally stopped, he spoke:
"No need to investigate deeper; that might scare him off. Just keep the shop under surveillance."
Yuan Gang asked: "Lord Dao, what do you plan to do?"
"The opponent doesn't know I'm connected to that verse. Otherwise, he wouldn't have written it. But what does he intend to achieve with this verse?" Niu You Dao slowly opened his eyes and answered himself:
"If you think about it, he was looking for an opportunity to get close. He just didn't have that chance. He's probably afraid of the Heavenly Jade Sect. This also indicates that he's not an opponent of the Heavenly Jade Sect. So, we're safe here."
Yuan Gang said nothing and waited for Lord Dao to speak. Niu You Dao smiled and continued:
"It turns out he decided to use the bookstore. It's popular here. And the Prince has many people, so he'll definitely need writing supplies, which means they'll go to his shop, and no one will suspect anything. Very interesting. I want to meet him."
He stood, gripped his sword with both hands, and gazed into the distance. Then he continued:
"He clearly understands that he cannot approach someone who is under the protection of the Heavenly Jade Sect. Yet, he still dares to contact us. It seems they can't rest easy while I'm here. The Song Family won't rest until they kill me!" He turned and looked at Yuan Gang:
"You arrange a meeting for this shop owner with me. Invite him. Say that the Princess liked his verse and she's inviting him to a gathering! Oh, and also invite a few other reasonably educated people from the city. Don't be too quiet, but don't be too loud either. And there's no need to keep it a secret."
Yuan Gang understood him. He immediately turned and left.
Niu You Dao also left the courtyard and headed to Bai Yao's courtyard.
Bai Yao's courtyard was not a place Niu You Dao could simply stroll into. So he said to the guards at the door:
"Please report that Niu You Dao wishes to pay his respects to the elder."
Soon, the guard returned and led Niu You Dao into the courtyard. There, he saw Bai Yao sitting with a disciple, facing each other. It was unknown what they were discussing.
"Greetings to both elders." Niu You Dao cupped his hands.
Bai Yao, whose back was turned, asked indifferently:
"What is it?"
"Someone wants to kill me!" Niu You Dao replied with a smile.
Bai Yao paused, then turned to him...
"A poetry gathering?"
In the Courage Palace, Shu Qing was speechless upon hearing the news. She had been deceived! And to top it off, they claimed she was organizing this poetry gathering. Why such a deception?
Lan Ruo Ting, frowning, said:
"Others were invited too, so there must truly be issues with that shop."
Just then, another person arrived and reported:
"Prince, the Master went to Bai Yao."
Lan Ruo Ting asked: "Did they call him?"
"No, the Master went to them on his own," replied the man.
The three exchanged bewildered glances. They couldn't understand why Niu You Dao had gone to him. Usually, it was Bai Yao and the others who summoned him, yet now Niu You Dao had gone to them himself. The Prince and the others understood that Niu You Dao wouldn't go to them for no reason, but it unnerved them that he constantly kept them in the dark.
A man walked down a narrow alley in the city. He appeared to be a scholar. He pushed open a door and burst into a courtyard. A chick hopping in the road darted to its mother hen in fright. A woman hanging clothes on a bamboo pole to dry also jumped back in alarm, then shouted:
"What are you scaring people for? Are you tired of living?"
The scholar excitedly said, gesturing with a tablet in his hand: "Wife, look at this!"
His wife's eyes widened, and she said:
"I can't read, how should I know? Is it a recipe?"
The scholar ignored her and, still agitated, said:
"An invitation! Grand Princess Shang Shu Qing has invited me to the Prince's estate for a poetry gathering!"
His wife froze for a moment, then replied scornfully:
"And what good is that gathering? What use are words? You'll go there, eat your fill. But will you be able to feed your family? What about the rest of us, will we starve? Now, if she gave a sack of flour, that would be different!"
The scholar said irritably: "What nonsense!"
His wife replied:
"And what if you look impressive? Will that help us escape hunger?!"
He clasped a hand to his neck:
"That's your perspective! Do you think just anyone can get an invitation from the Princess? Do you know who governs this county now? And what could happen if one receives praise from the Princess! In these troubled times, if one manages to earn praise, they might be granted a salary and appointed as an official. Then we'll never know hunger again!"
Hearing him, his wife asked skeptically:
"Really?"
The scholar pointed towards the street:
"Didn't you see how the tavern owner, Wu Fu, became the county head?"
His wife blinked and immediately replied:
"Anyway, you're not doing anything useful. Go. By the way, take your New Year's clothes from the chest."
Just then, a hen with her chicks walked by. The scholar's eyes lit up, and pointing at the hen, he said:
"We need to slaughter the hen. I'll eat well today, and my memory will work better. Tomorrow, I'll be able to recite poems perfectly."
His wife flew into a rage:
"You want to kill her, but who will lay eggs then? Who will give us money for the eggs? She earns more than you. It would be more useful to kill you instead..."