This late night, Chen Jingui's navy interrogated the prisoners while pursuing the fleeing bandits, and in the early hours of the morning, they found several water bandit strongholds. In one of these strongholds, they rescued the kidnapped Young Marquis Lu Chun. Search: \(¨Complete¨Book¨God¨Station¨) to read high-quality literature for free.

During his kidnapping, Lu Chun never saw the faces of his captors; he was simply moved around constantly. On the night of his rescue, the bandits likely realized their defeat and were attempting to move him again when they happened to arrive at this particular stronghold, only to be rescued by the navy that had breached the camp.

Currently, these are the only conclusions that can be drawn. Further information requires in-depth interrogation of the bandits. Chen Jingui naturally wished to remain and unearth the entire plot before leaving, but on the other hand, he had the task of escorting the Birthday Tribute. While he could withstand the pressure to stay for Lu Chun's sake, lingering after the matter was resolved would be seen as overly ambitious and denying his colleagues any chance of credit, a major taboo in officialdom.

Aside from the military and political aspects, the Secret Intelligence Division only had advisory power in such matters, a clearly defined constraint. With the threat to the Birthday Tribute eliminated, rewards for Chen Jingui and the others were not part of the same system. Of course, most people knew neither Chen Jingui nor the Secret Intelligence Division. They only saw that the day after the great victory, half of Xuyi was decorated as if celebrating a festival. It was expected that soon, from Xuyi to Huai'an, and even further afield, the victory over the water bandits would be widely publicized.

That day, Ning Yi moved onto the boat where Yunzhu and Jin'er were staying, watching the continuous stream of people coming to congratulate Chen Jingui and the others, and the firecrackers exploding under makeshift shelters in the rain. Simultaneously, the soldiers who pursued the water bandits on Hongze Lake were gradually returning. Due to the overnight pursuit and battle, although the battle was almost one-sided, the number of casualties was higher than expected. The initial battle on the lake yesterday afternoon went smoothly, but when they chased the bandits into their camps, it was already night. Despite maintaining the advantage, there were still many deaths and injuries in the darkness. However, with the rescue of the Young Marquis and such a great victory, the commanding generals had already forgotten their own minor losses. After all, this major victory would bring significant rewards, and no one would be shortchanged.

The captured water bandits were interrogated overnight, but the information gleaned throughout the entire day was still insufficient to piece together the complete picture of the incident. Of course, this didn't matter. One of the fleet's original five ships had been destroyed, leaving four. However, that evening, Chen Jingui's side decided that the fleet would continue its journey the next morning to deliver the Birthday Tribute to the capital as soon as possible, without wasting any more time. As for the various follow-up tasks, they would be left to others in Xuyi County, who would continue to investigate the water bandit kidnapping incident in depth and root out all those involved.

The people of Xuyi were eager to applaud this decision. That evening, the rain lessened slightly, and they naturally held another grand banquet, inviting Chen Jingui and the noble young masters. As a result, although there were many guards at the pier, it was ultimately much quieter. After dinner, Zhou Pei came to find Ning Yi, sitting properly on a stool in the room, looking pitiful like a little puppy.

"What do you want? Just say it, Princess."

"Teacher, you know... the Consort Grandfather's reply must have arrived..." Zhou Pei pursed her lips. "I want to go to the capital..."

Ning Yi looked at her for a long time, then smiled and placed a letter in front of her. "I don't know what that old man is thinking... I can certainly help you with this, but you have to help me with something too."

"Okay, okay, what is it, Teacher? Just tell me." Zhou Pei excitedly picked up the letter and read it for a while, then said, "See, see, my father doesn't care about me at all. He didn't even say anything about me going to the capital. Humph, he's just choosing a consort for me because he's afraid people will say he's too careless as a father... Oh, Teacher, what do you want me to do? Murder, arson, or swindling? I'll listen to you."

"It's abusing your power," Ning Yi said with a smile. "I need to do something that requires some people not to hear my name. But there are too many people on the boat. Not long ago, Zhuo Yunfeng told his friend my name, and his friend told Li Shishi, which is why Li Shishi came to find me. But that's enough. Soon, a man named Wang Xian will board the ship. I don't want him to hear anyone mention the name Ning Yi. But we can't tell Zhuo Yunfeng and his friends, and it's hard to prevent. I hope you can take care of this."

Zhou Pei blinked, then whispered, "There's something wrong with that Wang Xian?"

"There might be," Ning Yi nodded. "But I don't want to alert him. What you need to pay attention to is that if you deliberately warn Zhuo Yunfeng and their friends, they might create some problems when they're with Wang Xian. You need to figure out what method to use. Is there a problem?"

"No," Zhou Pei smiled brightly. What she learned from a young age was how to interact with these people. She must have her own understanding of people's hearts and how to manage them. When it comes to interacting with Zhuo Yunfeng and his group, Ning Yi is certainly not as good as her, so there's no need for him to give her any advice.

"Also, you currently have the highest status on that boat. Next, I'll arrange a bodyguard for you, possibly one of the three, Qi Xinyong, and you need to cooperate. Except for going to the restroom, he'll be near you at all times. Don't be capricious, and don't fall in love with him. It's best to find a reliable royal relative in the capital, someone who is well-matched in social status, loves you mutually, and is like-minded. That way, I can report back properly."

Kang Xian's letter had this intention in it, saying that since Xiao Pei was unwilling to find a consort in Jiangning, she might as well go to the capital to celebrate his birthday, and at the same time, he would find a suitable boy for her. This was her last chance. Zhou Pei's face turned red, and then she chuckled, but she didn't dare to respond. She changed the subject and asked, "Is that Wang Xian so powerful? Who is he? How did he come?"

"I don't know yet," Ning Yi shook his head. "But if he really is, then I can only say... ha, it's fate."

******************

Ning Yi's "fate" made Zhou Pei look at him strangely. After the little princess left, Ning Yi looked out the window, the rain had basically stopped. Many soldiers were patrolling the pier, but since not many people were talking loudly, it still seemed somewhat lonely even with the bright lights, and water droplets dripped from the eaves. He went out and found Yunzhu and Jin'er. In the room lit by an oil lamp, Jin'er was nowhere to be seen, only Yunzhu sat at the table by the window, looking down at a book.

Ning Yi stood by the door for a long time, and Yunzhu turned her head, smiling at him. The light in the oil lamp flickered slightly, dyeing the white scarf on her head a warm yellow, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

"Aren't you coming in? Standing at a woman's door in the middle of the night will cause gossip."

Yunzhu said softly. Ning Yi smiled, looked to both sides, "There aren't many people on this boat." But he finally closed the door and came in.

On the ships along the way, the main ship naturally housed the relatives of those high-ranking officials and dignitaries. The remaining ships, in addition to carrying various valuable goods, were mostly occupied by maids and servants who didn't need to be by their side at all times, as well as people who were going to the capital by virtue of their connections, even with their families and children. The ship where Yunzhu and Jin'er were located was relatively quiet. Ning Yi went over and sat down next to her, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and Yunzhu leaned against his shoulder.

"Have you been busy lately?"

"There are a few things to do, I'm sorry, I haven't had time to spend with you."

"It's okay, I have a lot of things to do too."

"What kind of things? Reading?"

"Listening to your things."

"Hmm?"

"I... I hear about what's happening, and then I guess what things Liheng, you did in there. When I was in Jiangning before, I liked to hear people talk about you, what poetry gatherings you attended, what kind of poems you wrote, and how everyone reacted. It's the same now, especially since I'm by your side now..."

Yunzhu leaned on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and softly expressed her feelings. In these days of noisy atmosphere, she was probably guessing what Ning Yi had done behind the scenes, and in the aspects that Ning Yi didn't "know", there might have been Xiaochuan's narration as well. Having such a woman by his side, Ning Yi never felt lonely, and reached out to hug her.

"I remembered the way you wanted to set up a pancake stall a year or two ago. I used to run past your house every morning, talking and so on. At that time, I told you that if things ever got too complicated, you could think about what it was like in the beginning. These past two days, when I was handling things, I occasionally thought, am I going to make things too troublesome again..."

"Does Liheng feel tired?"

Ning Yi shook his head: "I used to go in the wrong direction..." He said softly, and then said, "Actually, some things in this world will not change. It's like walking in the wilderness, you can make a bonfire, build a house, raise chickens and hunt wild boars, sometimes you will always encounter tigers, and if it wants to eat you, you have to kill it. It's the same with people, the Su family's matter, Liangshan is the tiger, and reasoning is useless, whether it's complicated or simple, I have to do this, but... I'll come over to accompany you tomorrow."

"Hmm." Yunzhu nodded, and after a moment, she opened her eyes and asked hesitantly, "Uh, then... what about your little Xiaochuan girl?"

"I have to let her know." Ning Yi thought for a while and smiled, "You've met before, you saved Ningxi, and she has a good impression of you, um, I'm just coming to read and write with you, you and Yuanbao can chat and sing, I won't bother you, just tell Xiaochuan... we are soulmates or something, I am a talented man and you are a beautiful woman, cherishing each other but respecting each other, maybe you can become good friends..."

"Uh..." Yunzhu was speechless for a while, feeling that there was some playful meaning in the other's eyes, but she already knew Xiaochuan privately, and it was not good to say something that she did not agree with. After being embarrassed for a moment, Ning Yi's smile became more and more interesting, and his hand had already reached into her clothes. She naturally knew what Ning Yi was going to do, feeling the movement of the other's palm on her body, she lowered her head, but her skin became hot, and she said softly: "Liheng, is this... is this called respecting each other as guests..."

"Most of the time is..."

The lamp flickered, the shadows on the wall changed, and after a moment, Ning Yi placed Yunzhu's body on the bed, and after untying the clothes belt and skirt, there was a cheerful knock on the door from outside. The two were slightly stunned, at this time Yunzhu's body was half exposed, Ning Yi's palm was resting on her chest, and her face was flushed, but the knock on the door sounded like Jin'er's, after a daze, she supported her hands on Ning Yi's chest, and then laughed.

"Too much..." Ning Yi rolled his eyes. Jin'er outside was saying: "Sister Yunzhu, Sister Yunzhu, come and open the door, I'm back..." humming a tune as if singing, and then said: "Sister Yunzhu, are you taking a bath?"

Yunzhu replied: "Yes, wait a moment." The "Oh" agreed, jumping around outside the door. Ning Yi rolled his eyes, and when Yunzhu tied his dudou and pulled up his clothes, he walked over to open the door. Jin'er, who was jumping around, looked at him for a moment, and then looked into the door, only to see Sister Yunzhu, barefoot, sitting on the bed with her arms around her clothes. At this time, she didn't understand what had happened, but she didn't know what Ning Yi was feeling, and blinked her eyes to prevent him from going crazy. Ning Yi shook his head and said, "Too much..." and walked out. She was happy, jumped into the door, poked out her tongue and made a face, and then happily closed the door.

"Sister Yunzhu, thanks to me coming back, you weren't molested by that lecher... you don't want to be like this in the future..."

Ning Yi walked a little further, hearing Jin'er's voice faintly from over there, and couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.

****************

This little episode, of course, didn't make Ning Yi really feel too much frustration. His look of being hit was just to make Yunzhu and Yuanbao'er, that fool, happier. Of course, when a man's desire comes up, he may not be able to completely calm down for a while. He walked out of the cabin, looked at the night scene on the pier, and took a few breaths of fresh air.

To celebrate this great victory, the banquet in the city was still going on. Soldiers patrolled the pier, and there were not many idlers. Ning Yi stood on the side of the ship for a while, and a few people came in from the door. The soldiers guarding the door were checking the documents, warrants, and other items, and couldn't help but take a few more glances at the veiled woman who was still beautiful, elegant and generous. It turned out to be Li Shishi, leading her maidservant and attendants, and bringing some personal belongings. She was not invited to the banquet tonight, or she refused the matter, and came here before everyone else returned.

Ning Yi thought for a while, and then went down from the boat to greet Miss Li, who had finished checking and entered the pier to board the main boat. Miss Shishi was kind to him after all, and chatted a few words on the boat, asking where Ning Yi lived. Ning Yi pointed to the ship next to him. After a moment, the two said goodbye to each other and left.

When he returned to this ship, Ning Yi looked over there and saw that the cabin where Li Shishi was staying on the ship was already lit. This meeting was simple, but the purpose that he wanted to achieve, and the things that he should do, have basically been done.

Soon after, the banquet in the county seat was over, and the people who rested on the boat at night returned one after another, and accompanying them was the man named Wang Xian. Because he was valued by a group of young masters, he was also arranged on the main boat.

After this night, the next morning, when everyone boarded the boat one after another, the fleet was already ready to set sail again. When talking with everyone during breakfast, Li Shishi asked casually what kind of people lived on the ships next to her, and her maidservant was naturally arranged on the main ship, but for example, attendants and others, could only be arranged on other ships. As for the ship where Ning Yi was located, in the eyes of everyone, it was a place where people who had some connections but were obviously not of very high status were arranged, such as the master, steward, or accountant of some high-ranking families. If it was necessary to travel to the capital, they would also be arranged there.

In her heart, she knew that Ning Yi had the reputation of being the number one talent in Jiangning, and she originally thought that Ning Yi should have been accepted by these aristocratic circles, but at this time, it seemed that the situation was a little bit wrong. Either the status of a son-in-law has dragged him down, or he is a bit proud - she heard the joke of "a Taoist reciting two songs" in Hangzhou, but such people are not pleasing - she did not live in Jiangning for a long time, and she could not grasp Ning Yi's positioning in the eyes of others.

Thinking of his expression when she asked him where he lived last night, she may have been concerned, but she also seemed lofty - she had seen many such people, and she could imagine - she was the best at handling social situations and adjusting everyone's mood. She was originally thinking that if she had the opportunity, she might as well talk to everyone about the talent of Jiangning, talk about Qingyujuan, When Will the Moon Be Clear, but now that she thinks about it, she should be cautious. If she talked to everyone about the name of the number one talent in Jiangning, and then everyone discovered that the other party was actually on that ship, with that kind of proud personality, what he could get would not be the joy of becoming famous, but the embarrassment of being despised by everyone.

That morning, looking at the scene on the ship following behind, Miss Shishi sighed softly. At the same time, Ning Yi was in the room with Yunzhu, Jin'er, and Xiaochuan, living a morning that was a little unfamiliar and a little leisurely...(To be continued.) Vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation

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