A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 64

Ning Jin rolled his eyes at Mo Yan, who remained oblivious, so he could only stomp away in annoyance. Mo Yan tugged at Zhan Zhao's sleeve from behind and said with a smile, "How about I treat you to dinner?"

Not only was Zhan Zhao stunned, but Ning Jin also stopped and looked at her in surprise.

"How about I invite you to dinner at Zuixianlou?" Mo Yan repeated with a smile.

Zuixianlou was one of the most prestigious restaurants in the capital. Zhan Zhao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and smiled slightly, saying, "If you want to eat, I'll treat you." He thought that Mo Yan was about to return to Shu and didn't know when she would be able to come back to the capital again, so he decided to treat her to a farewell meal.

"No need, I have money."

Ning Jin leaned casually against the door: "Drunken Immortal Pavilion isn't cheap. Your meager constable salary is only enough for a cup of tea."

Mo Yan took out a few silver notes from her pocket and shook them: "Isn't this enough for a meal? I'll exchange them for silver later."

"Where did you get so many silver notes?" Ning Jin asked curiously.

"These were given to me by Lord Zhan," Mo Yan said with a smile. "They were from when we decided to split up in Yangzhou. We ended up spending all our money on the road, so we didn't have to use these silver notes."

Ning Jin looked at her with disdain: "You made me spend money all the way here, and then used Zhan Zhao's money to treat Zhan Zhao to a meal. You really are..." He racked his brains but couldn't think of a word to describe it, so he could only use his eyes to fill in the gaps.

"Zhan Daren wouldn't be as petty as you."

Seeing Zhan Zhao smiling and standing quietly to the side, Mo Yan didn't want to pay any more attention to Ning Jin, so she pulled Zhan Zhao away.

Ning Jin glared angrily at their retreating figures, hesitated for a moment, and then hurried after them.

"Wait for me! I know what the best dishes are there."

Ma Xing Street was the most bustling street in the capital, not far from the Kaifeng Prefectural Government. Zui Xian Lou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion) was located at both ends of Ma Xing Street, facing each other across the street, with a wooden corridor connecting the second floors. From the outside, the wooden corridor, suspended in the air, was carved with lifelike birds and beasts, and was decorated with gold and silver, making it look very grand.

Upon seeing that they were from Ningjin, the shopkeeper hurriedly invited them upstairs. Before they could even speak, he arranged a spacious and elegant room with a view of the street from the railing. Fearing that it was chilly, the shopkeeper specially brought out sheepskin rugs to place on the chairs, and then laid out chilled fruit and fragrant tea. He asked them to wait a moment while the hot dishes were served before leaving.

Seeing the shopkeeper's attentiveness, Mo Yan clapped her hands and laughed at Ning Jin, "Coming out with you is truly wonderful! Will he even ask for money after we finish eating?"

"You wish," Ning Jin glared at her. "Not only can you not give less money, you also have to give extra tips, otherwise where will I put my face?"

"Then what use is the Prince of Ning to you!" Mo Yan shook her head repeatedly.

Ning Jin was furious, but unable to articulate his purpose for the moment, he simply remained silent, glaring at her. Mo Yan turned to see Zhan Zhao sitting quietly, his brows slightly furrowed, sipping tea with his eyes lowered. Sunlight streamed down his body, the interplay of light and shadow highlighting his gentle, jade-like features. She stared, mesmerized…

As he saw the two of them, and recalled the scene at Hanshan Temple, the two scenes overlapped, and Ning Jin felt slightly uncomfortable. Just as he was about to turn his face away, he remembered something and hurriedly asked Mo Yan, "Are you really going back to Shu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao looked up at Mo Yan and saw her staring blankly at him.

"Why can't I stay?" He hesitated for a moment before asking.

Mo Yan scratched her ear in embarrassment. "Actually, when I agreed to become a constable, I was thinking..." She glanced at Zhan Zhao, who smiled faintly. How could he not know that she had only thought about rescuing her senior brother back then, and becoming a constable was just a temporary measure? Now that she wanted to leave, he should have expected it.

"My second brother is urging me to go back again. He dislikes having anything to do with the government the most." Mo Yan looked worried. Originally, she also thought that there were no good people in the officialdom, and that they were all corrupt and incompetent officials who only knew how to plunder the people and collect money. But in recent days, seeing Bao Zheng not afraid of Emperor Renzong at all and relentlessly impeaching Zhang Yaozuo, and being diligent and conscientious in his official duties, she admired him in her heart, even though she didn't say it.

And then there was Zhan Zhao, a man she had never seen or even imagined before. She had to admit, he was indeed a good official, and far more than that…

Unable to bear seeing her troubled expression, Zhan Zhao sighed softly and asked, "When shall we depart?"

"Probably the day after tomorrow, but how can I leave now that Miss Bai is in such a predicament?" Upon hearing this, Mo Yan immediately remembered why she had invited Zhan Zhao to dinner, and hurriedly moved closer to him, asking very earnestly, "What does Lord Bao usually like most?"

Zhan Zhao was taken aback by her question: "What do you like?"

"Does he have any favorite things?"

"Lord Bao..." Zhan Zhao thought for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "You seem to enjoy playing chess."

"Let's play chess!" Mo Yan said happily. "We happen to have a set of agate chess pieces at home. I wonder if Lord Bao would like them?"

Agate Go stones are quite valuable and not something an ordinary family could possess. Ning Jin was unaware of Mo Yan's background, and was slightly surprised to hear that her family had such valuable items.

Zhan Zhao asked, puzzled, "What do you want to do with the agate chess pieces, Lord Bao?"

"Please ask him to release Miss Bai," Mo Yan said matter-of-factly.

"Nonsense!" Zhan Zhao shouted angrily, "This is bribing an official. Judge Bao is not the kind of person who accepts bribes and embezzles public funds."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

It was rare to see Zhan Zhao so stern and fierce. Mo Yan felt wronged after being scolded by him: "Unless I break you out of prison, but I can't beat you."

Zhan Zhao's heart softened: "I will instruct the officers to take good care of her on the way and not make things difficult for her. We can also go and help with the funeral arrangements for Bai Baozhen tomorrow."

“I will choose a good coffin for her father myself,” Ning Jin interjected.

"But she'll still be exiled to the frontier." Mo Yan bit her lip. "Is there really no other way?"

"The law is like a mountain, and cannot be violated."

Chapter 52

"you……"

Mo Yan angrily downed the tea in front of her in one gulp, but there was nothing she could do.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the restaurant served dishes in a continuous stream. It was the perfect time to eat crabs, and right in the center of the table was a dish of crab-stuffed oranges, its aroma filling the air and looking incredibly tempting.

Ning Jin, who loved crabs, didn't hold back. He picked one up first, opened the orange lid, took out the crab meat inside, dipped it in salt and vinegar, and ate it with relish. Only then did he repeatedly say, "This crab tastes good, why don't you eat some?... Crab without wine is not enough, another pot of chrysanthemum wine would be just right." So he called the shopkeeper to bring wine.

Seeing that Mo Yan was still angry, Zhan Zhao had no choice but to pick up a crab-stuffed orange for her with his chopsticks and gently persuade her, "You might as well try it. Once you return to Shu, you probably won't be able to eat it again."

Mo Yan was initially resentful, but upon hearing his gentle persuasion, she somehow managed to lose her temper. She lowered her head and obediently began to eat the crab meat, finding it incredibly fragrant and delicious.

"How... how is this made?" She immediately forgot her earlier annoyance and stared at the crab meat with bright eyes.