After the successful suppression of the mountain bandits at Jiu Lan Mountain, the Emperor issued an edict dispatching the Crown Prince, accompanied by the Crown Princess. Anyone with eyes could see this was a move to steal credit.
"This is utterly outrageous!" Song Xingzhi slammed the table fiercely, his voice filled with agitation.
The bandit suppression is nearly complete, and the Emperor sends the Crown Prince now—clearly intending to help the Crown Prince build public prestige and seize the credit for suppressing the bandits."
"This isn't the first time he's done something like this."
When Song Xingzhi heard the news, he immediately exploded with rage. His peach blossom eyes glared fiercely at the eunuch who had delivered the edict, frightening the man so much that his legs trembled. After announcing the decree, the eunuch turned and fled.
He was terrified that General Song, in a fit of rage, might chop off his head to vent his anger.
Song Xingzhi knew the Emperor was biased and held no favor for their Wangye, but such extreme partiality was unmatched anywhere in the world.
The suppression at Jiu Lan Mountain had been exceptionally perilous. Whenever problems arose, that damned old Emperor would send one edict after another, urging their Wangye to swiftly eliminate the bandits, completely disregarding Wangye's safety.
Now that the bandits were subdued, the Emperor nominally sent the Crown Prince to assist, but in reality, he planned to later reward the Crown Prince for his contributions to the suppression and heavily publicize it.
How many times had this routine been played? It's absolutely despicable.
Song Xingzhi paced back and forth in anger, feeling it was utterly unfair to their Wangye. In his heart, he cursed the Emperor repeatedly as a short-lived scoundrel.
"Xingzhi, watch your words."
Zhou Jin knew Song Xingzhi was indignant on his behalf, but Song Xingzhi was too young and impulsive, unable to conceal his emotions, which could potentially lead to future troubles.
A tall tree catches the wind—those lurking in the shadows might be closely monitoring their every word and action.
Zhou Jin, of course, understood the Emperor's intentions. The Emperor wanted to use him while simultaneously suppressing him, never allowing his influence to grow too dominant.
The Emperor was someone who had murdered his own brother and father—how could he possibly be benevolent? Ordinary human ethics held no sway with him.
Song Xingzhi was still too young; he only saw the surface layer but failed to perceive the deeper implications.
Zhou Jin clearly knew that while the Emperor's move appeared to pave the way for the Crown Prince, there were ulterior motives at play.
"Hmph." Song Xingzhi's face puffed up with anger as he plopped down into a chair. His eyes swept sideways and landed on Xu Bao'er, who was leisurely eating fruit.
Immediately, he directed his frustration toward her.
"A-San, aren't you going to speak up for Wangye? You're Wangye's person now."
As soon as Song Xingzhi said this, Zhou Jin raised an eyebrow and looked at Xu Bao'er, his eyes filled with teasing, curious to see how she would respond.
"I am indeed Wangye's person. Rather than concerning myself with the Crown Prince's affairs, I am more interested in how the bandit suppression efforts will proceed."
Xu Bao'er knew exactly what Zhou Jin wanted to hear, and she had no issue indulging him.
Men needed to be coaxed too.
Sure enough, upon hearing "indeed Wangye's person," the smile in Zhou Jin's eyes was impossible to hide.
So even the battlefield's living Yama could be so easily handled.
Although the mountain bandits at Jiu Lan Mountain had been suppressed, the leader Xu Shaofei had escaped. A large number of captured bandits remained, and many civilians were involved as well. These matters had to be handled properly; otherwise, they could incite rebellion.
Figuring out how to appropriately deal with these bandits was the real challenge in suppression. Eliminating bandits was easy; maintaining long-term control was difficult.
Today there might be a Xu Shaofei, but tomorrow a Liu Shaofei or Li Shaofei could emerge.
"This is indeed very difficult to handle."
"Little clever one, have you thought of any strategies? Hurry up and tell us."
Song Xingzhi was a genius in military strategy and formations, but when it came to handling these matters, he was utterly clueless.
"First, deal with the mountain bandits and their sheltering relatives according to regulations. Next, promulgate the Civilian Protection Act to seek more livelihood opportunities for the people of Baiqu County. Use the relief funds allocated by the imperial court for resettlement and reducing land rents."
"If every family can have a full meal, public order will naturally stabilize."
The main reason for the abundance of mountain bandits in Baiqu County was its mountainous terrain with little farmland, leaving the people impoverished. With no food to eat, becoming mountain bandits offered a chance to get rich, so they flocked to the profession in droves.
Killing all those bandits would only address the symptoms, not the root cause. Only by ensuring the people were well-fed could they prevent new bandits from emerging in the future, achieving long-term bandit control.
After Xu Bao'er finished speaking, Song Xingzhi stared at her with puppy-dog eyes, full of admiration.
"A-San, you're truly a talent."
"If only I had a sister, you could become my brother-in-law."
"A-San, do you have a sister?" Song Xingzhi leaned closer to Xu Bao'er, his attitude eager. "If you have a sister, she must be as beautiful and clever as you."
"I'm not married yet, so consider it."
"Ouch, Wangye, why are you pulling my collar?"
Song Xingzhi broke free from the restraint, baffled by his lord's sudden madness. He was merely striving for his life's major event—hadn't Wangye always urged him to marry soon?
"Carry out Bao…" Zhou Jin paused, "Zhang San's instructions. This prince has important matters to discuss with him."
"Oh." Song Xingzhi caught Zhou Jin's hint to leave.
Obediently heading out, Song Xingzhi stole glances at Xu Bao'er as he walked.
"A-San, if you have a sister, you must introduce her to me."
"I'll treat her well."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Xingzhi sped off as if riding a wind-fire wheel, afraid of being scolded by Wangye.
After Song Xingzhi left, the once lively study instantly fell silent.
"Does it still hurt?" Zhou Jin stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, but his reddened ears betrayed his inner turmoil.
Xu Bao'er knew what Zhou Jin was referring to and whispered softly, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Her voice was soft and sweet, as if coquettishly pleading.
"This is for you."
Zhou Jin handed a brocade box to Xu Bao'er, not daring to look at her expression. Making an excuse about having matters to attend to, he left.
Xu Bao'er hadn't expected Zhou Jin to be so contrasting when in love—his icy exterior hid a pure-hearted warrior of love.
So easily shy, how adorable.
The brocade box Zhou Jin gifted was exquisitely styled, with yellow brocade featuring peony and auspicious cloud patterns in subtle relief. The fabric was a top-quality tribute from foreign lands.
The box's value was evident at a glance, and its contents were naturally even more precious. The box was quite large and not light in weight.
Xu Bao'er placed it on the table and was stunned upon opening it. It was packed to the brim, as if afraid it wasn't full enough.
Picking up a ruby ring at random, the ruby was nearly the size of a quail's egg.
"Host, look at that set of jadeite jewelry—it's a national treasure of the Wu Wei Kingdom! Extremely rare full green jade, so translucent and evenly colored. How generous to gift it!"
"The Cloud-top Jade Flower Pavilion Gold Hairpin in the upper left corner was crafted by the master artisan Xun Daozi. It's a one-of-a-kind piece—wearing it would be incredibly striking."
"Why so much? It's overwhelming, all such fine treasures, I can't even take them all in."
The system was so envious it could hardly maintain its composure, its eyes practically gleaming with gold at the sight of treasures, no longer pretending to be dead.
Xu Bao'er could practically hear the system drooling. Truly, a man's money shows where his heart lies.
Duan Wang, renowned for his military campaigns across the lands, possessed immense wealth. Yet when Xu Bao'er was Duanwang Fei, even managing a few hundred taels required meticulous accounting, with not a penny extra granted.
Now that she had entered Zhou Jin's heart, even before she could ask, this large box of jewelry and gems was lavished upon her as if it cost nothing.
Packed to the brim, as if fearing he had given too little.
Naturally, receiving gifts brought joy, but with the Crown Princess about to visit, how could she conceal her true identity?
Xu Bao'er felt somewhat troubled. She wasn't ready to reveal who she really was yet. Controlling the situation while hiding behind a disguise was far more intriguing.