Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 166 The Wind Rises

It's easy to go from simplicity to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. After resting in Xuandu for two months on a luxurious bed and soft pillows, Shen Qing's "rich man's disease" relapsed.

Although it wasn't a forced march or the first time traveling a long distance, riding horses for days on end was still quite arduous.

Damn it, it takes a month to get from Xuandu to Pingshan Pass!

Shen Qing thought to himself, no wonder that once the central government lost its authority in ancient dynasties, local separatism was likely to occur. This is the reason why the emperor was far away and the heavens were high.

As the saying goes, "To get rich, build roads first," and the infrastructure gene in the blood of the Chinese is beginning to stir...

Stop! Shen Qing immediately suppressed the thought; he was not yet qualified to undertake such a large-scale project.

While the newly appointed General Shen was still on his way to Pingshan Pass, the upper echelons of the neighboring country had already learned of the news through various channels.

Qidu—

When Jingchuan heard about this, he was shocked but also felt that it should be so. However, the way others looked at him was somewhat ambiguous and teasing.

"Is the woman my son admires that female general from Xuan Kingdom?"

"That's absolutely impossible!"

Seeing Jingchuan's intense reaction, as if he had been frightened, the Empress smiled and changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this, but you are indeed of marriageable age. The Eastern Palace needs a Crown Princess, and you should understand that."

Jingchuan's eyes darkened, then he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, "It is all up to Mother Empress to decide."

The Empress smiled with satisfaction. "The powerful families of Qidu are deeply entrenched. Why not broaden our horizons? I think the Ye family of Cangzhou is quite good."

"The Ye family of Cangzhou?"

With a single glance from the Empress, the head maid beside her immediately understood and handed the scroll in her hand to Jingchuan.

"Ye Mingzhu, daughter of the governor of Cangzhou, is gentle, virtuous, and elegant, making her a perfect match for him."

Jingchuan glanced symbolically at the beautiful young woman in the painting. Her character and appearance were actually unimportant. He knew in his heart that the Hou clan and the Ye clan of Cangzhou must have reached some kind of consensus.

Oh well, anyway, it's impossible for him to have feelings for anyone, it's the same for everyone.

Yasukuni Imperial City —

"Shen Sanlang is actually a woman?"

People do laugh when they're speechless, and that's exactly what happened to Crown Prince Zhao Zheng. He was too blind to notice it, but that only proved that his initial judgment was correct.

At that time, he felt that Shen Sanlang was no ordinary person and needed to be closely guarded against. Now, she, a woman, has just taken up a fourth-rank military post and is in charge of a region, which further proves that she is capable of overcoming public opinion far beyond that of ordinary men.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess has arrived."

Zhao Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. "Come in."

A woman in palace attire gracefully approached; she was Princess Fukang of Qi Kingdom, now the Crown Princess.

"Your Highness has been reviewing memorials for three hours. Please take care of yourself." With that, he put down the tray and personally ladled soup from the jar.

"My dear concubine, you should take better care of your health. You've lost a lot of weight in just a few months. Is there anything you're not used to?"

Fukang was somewhat flattered. In fact, she was still quite plump, but compared to when she was in Qi Kingdom, she had become much "thinner".

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

After a few casual words, Zhao Zheng suddenly changed the subject.

"My beloved concubine, take a look." Zhao Zheng handed the secret report to Fukang.

Fukang took a look and was pleasantly surprised, "Sister Shen has become a general!"

Zhao Zheng astutely grasped the key information: "So, my beloved concubine already knew that Shen Sanlang was a woman all along!"

Fukang froze, then forced a smile and said, "This concerns a young lady's reputation, so it is inconvenient for me to say more. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"It's alright. I heard that my beloved concubine wrote her a letter earlier?"

Fukang's fingers twitched, and he said calmly, "It's just to thank her for taking care of me along the way."

"My dear consort, there's no need to be nervous. It's only natural for close friends to exchange letters."

"Meeting by chance a few times is hardly enough to be considered a friendship; it's just polite talk."

·

After leaving the main hall of the East Palace, the maid asked in confusion, "It's rare for the Crown Prince to be so gentle and considerate. Why doesn't Your Highness go along with him?"

Fukang shook her head. Although she had to resort to scheming when she was struggling to survive in Qiguo, she still had her principles. Shen Qing was her only friend. She had her own principles and didn't want to let this friendship become tainted by power struggles.

In the end, only a soft sigh remained: "We won't contact each other again."