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

Chapter 168 Sowing Discord

The saying goes, "The year's plan starts in spring." Even the emperor of a country would symbolically swing a hoe a couple of times, and the empress would feed the silkworms, to set an example and encourage agriculture.

Last year, a locust plague broke out in Longxian County, a neighboring prefecture. Thanks to the timely rescue efforts of the county magistrate Yuan Cong, the locusts did not spread too widely, but the burden of some of the disaster victims still fell on Cangzhou.

To ward off bad luck and pray for favorable weather in the new year, the governor of Cangzhou held a spring festival.

However, people's joys and sorrows are not shared. While one side is earnestly praying for blessings, the young noblemen and ladies on the other side have set aside a piece of land for a leisurely game of floating wine cups on a winding stream.

"Young Master Fang is really good at pitch-pot."

At this time, the separation between men and women was not very strict. Although men and women still sat separately, the distance between them was only a few feet, and they could clearly see what was happening on the other side.

"Even if you're good at pitch-pot, it's just for fun. A real man still needs real skills."

"Having ability but no family background is all for naught."

“Exactly, for example, the young master of the Zhen family is excellent in all six arts, yet he ranks second among the four young masters of Cangzhou… Ouch~” Before the noble lady could finish speaking, her companion pinched her arm. Following her companion’s gaze, she looked at the girl not far away, who was none other than Ye Mingzhu, the younger sister of the number one young master of Cangzhou.

However, Ye Mingzhu was lost in thought at the moment and did not pay attention to what they were saying. Her mind was only on the exciting news that the merchants had brought back from Xuan Kingdom.

Sister Shen has become a general! That's wonderful, I'm so envious!

Seeing that Ye Mingzhu seemed not to have heard, the noble lady breathed a slight sigh of relief. In fact, Zhen E's family background was not bad, but it was still slightly inferior to Ye's.

"Wow~"

Many noble ladies in the crowd let out infatuated screams. Zhen E, dressed in a black outfit, rode a chestnut horse, drew his bow and shot an arrow at the kite string. Another kite swayed and fell from the sky.

Hunting is not practiced in the spring, so when someone suggested flying kites, the noble ladies were happy to participate, and even competed with each other to see who could fly their kites the highest.

Zheng's young master took the lead and shot down three kites. He thought that even if Zhen E hit one, it wouldn't mean he was better than him. Who would have thought that Zhen E wouldn't shoot the kites but shot the arrows!

Zhen E deftly caught the flower wreath thrown by some noble lady, smiled and plucked the flower, which attracted more flowers and sachets to be thrown at him.

Zhen E turned around and looked at Ye Mingzhu. He found that Mingzhu was also looking at him. He felt smug. This young master is irresistibly charming!

No, Ye Mingzhu looked away. A scourge can live a thousand years; if she marries Zhen E, she won't have the chance to be a widow.

Indeed, she was just now considering the feasibility of replicating Shen Qing's path to becoming a general.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Pan Ying."

“I went to see her the other day, but the servants said she was ill and I didn’t see her.”

Knowing the truth, Ye Mingzhu coughed lightly and changed the subject, "Let's play a leaf game."

"Okay."

Everyone respected the governor's only daughter, and soon no one mentioned Pan Ying anymore.

·

In a private room of a tavern in Pancheng, a valiant middle-aged man said with a stern face, "I would never betray my country and collude with the enemy. Give up on that idea. If you spout nonsense again, don't blame me for not showing any mercy and taking you to see Sima!"

The young scholar scoffed, "You may be loyal to Zhen Sima, but he doesn't consider you a threat."

"When your most precious legitimate daughter was trapped in a bandit's den, you went to Sima for help. What did he say? Let me guess, was it something like, 'We need to think things through carefully'?"

Pan Yue's face darkened. This was a taboo subject he couldn't mention. Just thinking about the torment his daughter had suffered and her current dazed state pained him greatly. He said coldly, "Sima is right. Military matters cannot be handled lightly. Later, the young master of the Zhen family did indeed seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Tiger Head Mountain and secretly send Aying back."

"Ha~ wait half a month for an opportunity?" the young scholar mocked. "Do you know that the Ye family's daughter was kidnapped to the mountain during the day and rescued that very night?"

Pan Yue's expression changed. Ye Mingzhu had also been kidnapped?

"The governor's daughter is still the most precious. People go up the mountain at dusk, and soldiers set off in the middle of the night."

"I have another piece of news for you. The Empress Dowager's family wants to form a marriage alliance with the Ye family, and Ye Mingzhu will soon become the Crown Princess."

"Tsk tsk~ Same situation, but because she has a good father, she can rule the world, while your daughter's life is ruined!"

"Stop trying to sow discord!"

Pan Yue angrily stood up and stormed off, while the young scholar remained calmly seated, dabbing wine between his fingers and drawing circles on the table. After setting up this scheme for so long, it was time to wrap things up.

Ye Yu, Ye Yu, you shouldn't have married into the Hou clan. Now look what's happened; even the one in Qidu can't tolerate you anymore.

Cangzhou is already in the hands of my Jing Kingdom!

Pan Mansion —

"Ah Ying, did you see Ye Mingzhu on Tiger Head Mountain before..." Pan Yue carefully chose his words.

Pan Ying, curled up in the blanket, was somewhat dazed and replied woodenly, "Ye Mingzhu... Zhen E seems to have come looking for her..."

Pan Yue's fists clenched behind his back cracked. "Zhen Siming! I respect you as my superior, and you even said that Aying is a good wife. I can understand why you stopped mentioning this matter after the incident. I originally thought you were truly considering the big picture, but I didn't expect you to be so opportunistic and bullying people so much!"

·

Weary from the journey, Shen Qing looked at the city walls of Yu City and felt a surge of emotion. "I'm back!"