A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 69

Mo Yan was tasting the food with a spatula when she turned her head and looked over, saying nonchalantly, "It's a pity it's not mine. Look, there's a lot of good stuff inside."

Zhan Zhao opened the box as instructed, glanced at it briefly, and his expression suddenly turned serious. He then poured out all the jewelry, examined it carefully, and frowned, saying, "These are all from the palace. Where did you get them?"

“I caught a thief on the street. I had just asked the victim where the treasure in his purse came from when he ran away, not even taking the purse.”

What does the person involved look like?

“She was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in men’s clothing,” Mo Yan frowned as she recalled, her hands still moving. “The cosmetics she used weren’t the kind sold on the street. She knew some rudimentary kung fu, not very skillful, and couldn’t even catch petty thieves. It’s strange, if someone with her skills could steal things from the palace, then I’m wasting my talent as a constable. I should be more than qualified to be a palace guard.”

Zhan Zhao pondered for a long time but still couldn't come up with a solution, so he asked, "Then what do you plan to do with this money pouch?"

“Perfect timing, take this to Judge Bao.” She brought over the overflowing bowl and smiled slyly, “Consider it your contribution, but… you have to plead with Judge Bao for me to shorten my days of patrolling the streets.”

Chapter Three

After carefully putting away the jewelry, Zhan Zhao smiled slightly: "Why didn't you say so yourself?"

"I did say that, but Lord Bao went on and on for half a day, talking about how the classics cannot be abolished, how he was concerned about the people's suffering, how he had a heavy responsibility... In short, he just wanted me to get through these three months."

"I could plead for you, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough." Zhan Zhao picked up his chopsticks and handed a pair to Mo Yan.

"Lord Bao won't even listen to you?"

Sitting in front of the steaming hot mixed fried rice, Mo Yan bit her chopsticks, genuinely troubled: "Should I pretend to be sick? What kind of illness is serious but not fatal, and can drag on for more than a month?"

Zhan Zhao reminded her, "Don't forget Mr. Gongsun. He can tell whether someone is sick or not at a glance."

"You mean..." Her eyes widened suddenly, "...I should deal with Mr. Gongsun first?"

Zhan Zhao almost choked. He finally understood why Mo Yan's senior brothers and sisters liked to tap her on the head: "I mean, pretending to be sick is not a good method. I will do my best to plead for you." He guessed that Lord Bao was so insistent because Mo Yan was too young and needed more tempering.

"really?"

"Well, but—if Lord Bao doesn't agree, you mustn't act recklessly."

"oh……"

Seeing that he had agreed, Mo Yan felt a little relieved. She was extremely hungry and buried her head in her food. Zhan Zhao smiled slightly and also lowered his head to eat.

Although the meal in front of her was made from leftovers, it looked quite appealing: scrambled eggs were diced like osmanthus blossoms, braised goose meat was deboned and diced, and finely shredded shredded gourd was mixed in with the rice. A large bowl of seaweed soup served on the side. This seaweed soup was originally stewed with pork ribs, but the ribs had long been eaten, leaving only seaweed in the soup. She had reheated it and added a few drops of vinegar, making it very refreshing.

Zhan Zhao took a few bites, and when he looked up, he noticed that Mo Yan's eyes were sparkling, looking at him expectantly...

"Is it delicious?" she asked.

"Delicious." He paused, then added, "Even better than the food at Zuixianlou." He couldn't recall what the food at Zuixianlou tasted like, but the leftovers in front of him tasted exceptionally sweet compared to what he usually ate. Nanxia was always steady and pragmatic in his words and actions, and although his words sounded slightly exaggerated, they truly reflected his feelings.

Mo Yan didn't think about all that. Since he said so, she naturally believed him, smiled sweetly, and happily lowered her head to continue eating.

After finishing his meal, Zhan Zhao bid farewell to Mo Yan and went to Bao Zheng's study. It was still dark, but the study was brightly lit, whether Bao Zheng had stayed up all night or had gotten up early in the morning was unknown.

"Guard Zhan, you've come at just the right time!" Unlike usual, Bao Zheng was dressed formally in his official robes, as if he had just returned from the palace. He looked anxious and didn't even bother to ask Zhan Zhao if his trip had gone smoothly. He hurriedly said, "Princess Yu is missing. The Emperor has issued a secret decree that she must return safely."

"Missing?" Zhan Zhao didn't understand for a moment. "Could he have been taken away by villains?"

Bao Zheng shook his head, seemingly having something difficult to say. After a moment of silence, he said, "His Majesty has issued an edict to betroth Princess Yu to Yelü Hongji. Princess Yu is probably dissatisfied, which is why she left the palace."

“This matter must not be revealed. His Majesty has already dispatched the Imperial Guards to search for her, but Princess Yu has been deeply favored by the Emperor since childhood and has a spoiled personality. I fear that the Imperial Guards alone will not be able to persuade her to return to the palace, and I am even more afraid that she will do something rash.” Bao Zheng stood up, walked around the desk and came over. “The princess has always admired you and highly praised you. His Majesty has ordered you to find the princess and make sure she is unharmed.”

"His Majesty wants me to go..."

Zhan Zhao was stunned. How could he bear to find a frail woman and send her to a foreign land?

Bao Zheng was well aware of his thoughts. He patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "The Liao Kingdom has long harbored wolfish ambitions and has been eyeing our Great Song for a long time. Now, they have formed a marriage alliance with the Western Xia. His Majesty has no choice but to do this."

"Zhan Zhao understands."

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Zhan Zhao sighed inwardly. Without even taking a break, he accepted the order and left. Just as he stepped across the threshold, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and took out the money pouch that Mo Yan had obtained…

"What is this?" Bao Zheng asked in confusion.

“This is what Xiao Qi found while patrolling the streets last night.” Zhan Zhao paused for a moment, then explained, “It’s Miss Mo.”

Mentioning this girl, Bao Zheng looked at Zhan Zhao with some helplessness and wariness: "You weren't sent by her to act as an intermediary, were you?"

Zhan Zhao smiled, but remained silent.

“Do you think I want her to patrol the streets?” Bao Zheng shook his head and sighed. “Since she started patrolling the streets, I haven’t had a moment’s peace. All I hear Wang Chao and Zhao Hu gossiping about what trouble she’s gotten into. Fortunately, there’s only a little over a month left. I can just bear with it a little longer.”

"My lord..." Zhan Zhao chuckled to himself as he heard that Bao Zheng was also quite troubled.

“It would have been fine to exempt her, but she is still unsettled, acts rashly, and has some of the habits of the martial arts world. If she doesn’t get proper training, how can she understand the difference between the imperial court and the martial arts world? She can’t solve everything by fighting and killing.”

Although he couldn't help feeling sorry for Mo Yan, he knew that Bao Zheng's words made sense, so Zhan Zhao didn't say anything more and smiled, "The lord is indeed very thoughtful." He then got down to business, opened the money bag, gestured for Bao Zheng to look over, and said seriously, "...Sir, please look at the items in this money bag. Aren't they all from the palace?"

Bao Zheng was slightly surprised. He walked closer to examine the jewelry. The pieces inside were exquisitely crafted, with pearls, jade, and agate that were crystal clear. They were all top-quality items, truly objects that could only be seen in the palace.

Where did she get it from?

"It is said that she was a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old who was disguised as a boy."

Bao Zheng frowned for a moment, then hurriedly summoned someone to bring Mo Yan over.

Before long, Mo Yan burst in, her face beaming with joy. Hearing that Bao Zheng had summoned her, she guessed that Zhan Zhao's intercession had worked, and Bao Zheng had finally granted her a pardon, exempting her from patrolling the streets.

"Lord Bao! What brings you here?"

Seeing her beaming with joy and leaning closer, Bao Zheng coughed twice and retreated behind the table. Zhan Zhao sighed and pulled Mo Yan back to sit down.