Chapter 603: Chapter 601: The Transmigrated Woman Who Self-Destructed 18 Times (Part 32)
Another month has passed.
It was still daytime.
Shen Zheng’an entered the secret space with three others. They were all stained with blood, and none of them looked well. One of them was already unconscious, appearing to be on the brink of death.
Shen Zheng’an also had a share of the Spiritual Spring Water, which he hadn’t used before. This was his first time using it, to save his subordinates.
Things indeed turned out to be more dangerous than imagined.
He fed half a cup of Spiritual Spring Water to the severely injured subordinate and, seeing the breathing stabilize, he sat aside and took out the ledger from his arms to go through it.
"Is this the one, sir?" the person beside him asked.
Shen Zheng’an nodded, "It’s this one."
He watched the unconscious person awaken and scolded, "That arrow couldn’t harm me. With my skills, I could have avoided it. Don’t be so impulsive next time."
Cultivating a trustworthy and capable subordinate is not easy; losing one is a loss.
Luckily, the person still had a breath left. If they were to perish, the Spiritual Spring Water here wouldn’t help.
At worst, there was still an amulet on him, which, according to Miss Chu, could fend off attacks and keep him safe.
But the scolded subordinate said nothing, seemingly conveying that they’d do the same next time.
Shen Zheng’an: ...
"You all should rest first, recover, and then head out. I guess there are still people outside tracking us," he advised, knowing it would be hard to deal with them if they headed out now.
"There are clean clothes prepared inside the house. You should change into them."
He thought for a moment and added, "Don’t go anywhere else; just stay inside the house. Let me know what you want to eat, and I’ll fetch it for you."
Seeing them dirty, what if they made Miss Chu’s place unclean?
The three subordinates were silent, wondering if the master cared about them or not.
Cared, but perhaps not too much?
Shen Zheng’an also changed into clean clothes, washed up, and then went to the warehouse to bring things back. He never shortchanged the people under him.
On returning, he noticed two subordinates staring at the flowers outside. "They’re beautiful, right?"
The two subordinates nodded quickly. Yes, they were beautiful; they’d never seen such flourishing flowers.
"But you can only look," Shen Zheng’an remarked, "Don’t touch them. It’s not easy for them to grow this beautifully."
He had put a lot of effort into ensuring each of these flowers looked beautiful.
Later, when the subordinates saw Shen Zheng’an about to cook personally, they wanted to help, but Shen Zheng’an refused.
"You don’t cook well. I’ve tasted it before. Don’t ruin good things, just wait on the side."
Now that there’s no danger, it’s a rare chance to relax. Of course, he wanted to cook himself, to also practice his culinary skills.
The three subordinates exchanged glances, feeling that something was odd about their master today.
They dared not intervene anymore but instead picked up fruits to eat. Tasty and crisp, they rivaled the flavors of the Rare Pavilion. But they knew, Rare Pavilion wasn’t their master’s.
"The Rare Pavilion belongs to the Sixth Prince," Shen Zheng’an briefly explained, "Bringing you here today, you should understand what it means."
Originally, if he could avoid using this place, he would. But plans couldn’t catch up with changes; he couldn’t just watch his people die. He also needed to bring some people in, so he just went along with it.
The three subordinates nodded in agreement, understanding that such secrets must never be mentioned outside, even to death.
Actually, from the moment Shen Zheng’an brought the three into the space, Ah Chen knew, but she was at Jingyue Temple then and couldn’t go in.
She only paid attention to the circumstances of Shen Zheng’an’s group. They were somewhat injured, with one being more seriously hurt, but since the Spiritual Spring Water could heal, she didn’t need to intervene.
"Hasn’t anyone come to visit Chu recently?" Nun Yunqing asked with a smile, casting a glance at An Lin chopping wood in the courtyard, as if saying the person was very useful and quick at chopping wood.
Ah Chen chuckled lightly and shook her head, "No."
"It’s not easy to find such a useful person anywhere,"
Nun Yunqing sighed regretfully, then looked at Tao Lan drying herbs, "This girl is meticulous; she handles the herbs well, seems knowledgeable."
Ah Chen smiled until her eyes curved, "Such ones are hard to find."
"Indeed," Nun Yunqing sighed, "Anyway, I’m not about to let go of people easily. Now that they’re here, they ought to stay for at least a year or half."
"Nun, you’re still too kind-hearted. Three or five years would work too," Ah Chen responded, "They’re willing, not forced. Now they’re here, how could they leave so easily, right?"
Nun Yunqing thought for a moment and said, "You’re right."
Their voices weren’t suppressed at all. An Lin chopping wood in the distance and Tao Lan drying herbs heard everything clearly, feeling as if the sky had fallen.
They had tried to escape, but each time Nun Yunqing would silently appear behind them like a ghost. After two or three such instances, they always felt like there was a ghostly shadow behind them no matter what they did, leaving them too scared to attempt escaping anymore.
After saying goodbye to Nun Yunqing, Ah Chen boarded the carriage and spoke with Lan Xin before entering the space.
Shen Zheng’an’s three subordinates had eaten and were now resting in the house.
Shen Zheng’an was still watering flowers, and when Ah Chen appeared in front of the bamboo house, he noticed and walked back with a watering can.
"Miss Chu, it’s been a while," he greeted, handing her a beautiful flower he’d picked along the way.
Ah Chen took it and noticed the bandages on his arm, "If you’re injured, rest well. Didn’t you leave the flower watering to Lan Xin?"
"It’s just a minor injury, not much of a problem. It’s been many days since these flowers were last taken care of."
"This task is nearly done. Once His Highness’s people come to take over, I can return to the capital with them."
He spoke as if it were simple, but to completely resolve the matter, it would likely take half a year, given the extent involved.
Once he returned to the capital, his focus would be preparing for the imperial exams.
Though for him, whether or not he took the exam wouldn’t affect his prospects, not taking it would still be a regret. What’s his should be reclaimed.
When that time came, he could ask Miss Chu if she was willing to accept his flowers for a lifetime.
Though inexperienced in relationships, from the long-term interactions, Miss Chu consistently accepted his flowers, indicating she understood what it meant.
Yet, his current situation was not enough.
Achieving the title of Champion Scholar was merely a beginning.
That realization left him stunned; he thought he wasn’t ambitious, but it seems his ambition was just a bit misplaced.
Ah Chen glanced at the dazed Shen Zheng’an, wondering what he was thinking again. At times, he seemed a bit foolish.
Considering he was just a small fragment, each fragment having some differences was normal. Some were clever, some a bit foolish; it wasn’t surprising.
Later in the evening, Jiang Zhi entered, excited to have secured the final ledger and list. After a few hurried words with Shen Zheng’an, he didn’t linger and headed into the palace overnight. The case was one the Emperor had secretly tasked him to investigate, both a test for him and a true attempt to solve the issue.
Shen Zheng’an and his subordinates recuperated in the space for three days. When there were no more signs of unrest outside, he took them out to hide, waiting for the Court to send someone.
Meanwhile, Ah Chen received an invitation to attend a flower viewing; the invitation was from Zuo Lanshuang, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue.
