Chapter 230: You little brat, what a big problem!

Cold and desolate, the north wind pities.

The mighty aftermath of the daytime inspection lingered in the beams, and inside and outside the Xian Xie it was so quiet that hardly a human voice could be heard.

Amidst the boundless dusk, after a long while, a light footfall finally broke the silence.

Chunri Jian stepped firmly with one foot on the cool blue stone slabs beneath the corridor, his posture upright, his steps steady, without a hint of hesitation, and strode straight toward the study inside the Xian Xie.

All the way he came, his expression remained calm as usual, his bearing upright and proper, showing no trace of oddity, his steps orderly, entirely the rigorous demeanor of official business.

Upon reaching the study's door, Chunri Jian pushed it open briskly, preparing to enter and report, but a wave of warm smoke greeted him; as his gaze swept the interior, he suddenly froze.

In the side chamber of the study, as rumored, the daughter of the Deposed Crown Prince leaned sideways on the Luohan bed, eyes closed, resting.

The room was quiet and undisturbed; she must be taking a brief rest in the tranquil dusk...

And he, completely oblivious, actually failed to notice his superior resting, and boldly barged right in!

Chunri Jian felt remorse, instantly withdrew his gaze, and for a moment did not know whether he should speak up and apologize solemnly, or close the door and retreat.

Only then did he suddenly realize a major matter——

He was anxious.

All along this journey, he had indeed become more urgent than before.

But how could he not be anxious?

Since he first started school, he had longed for an official post; now the broad road to success lay within easy reach—how could his heart not be eager?

Ordinary folk, lacking money and power, might muddle through life and that would be enough.

Heavenly aristocrats, wealthy and powerful, could enjoy a lifetime of riches and honor, and he accepted that.

Yet it was he, having money but no power, who had only glimpsed influence from afar and could never truly reach those who held it—most pitiable of all.

His father, day after day for decades, constantly nagged at home about that fish on the master's table......

But was it merely a mouthful of fish?

No, it was not.

What lay on the table, waiting for the nobles to devour, had always been 【them】.

Now the opportunity lay before him; never mind that the current emperor was a usurping villain who deserved to be overthrown.

Even if it were a peaceful prosperous age, if someone could give him an office and ask him to rebel......

He might even want to give it a try.

After all, if caught plotting rebellion, his nine clans would be implicated.

Though defeat would be grim, letting those who harmed him be exterminated together would be satisfying!

But doing so would be sorry to his parents......

The warm wind that had swept into the study faded before his eyes, and all around fell into utter silence.

Chunri Jian was in a daze.

And the startled Du Shanü, too, silently sized up this new official.

He went from his earlier look of shock back to that composed, stern youth, and promptly knelt to apologize......

The whole process took no more than ten breaths.

No wonder it was Afang who deceived—er, found him; he really does have some skill.

Du Shanü casually waved away his kneeling and called out:

"It's fine, come in."

Hearing her voice, Chunri Jian halted, not daring to move rashly.

Du Shanü then slowly rose from the Luohan bed, her hair unbound, locks loose and falling over her shoulders; she lacked the earlier stern propriety that had pressed upon the front courtyard, yet showed no softness.

Before outsiders, her every gesture still concealed an inviolable might, like a crouching tiger, her bearing undiminished.

Du Shanü stretched her posture to dispel the fatigue of two days without rest, then asked about the progress of official business:

"How have you handled the matters I entrusted to you?"

Chunri Jian was serving his superior for the first time, and she was a female ruler whom he had just caught resting; he was naturally a bit nervous, but fortunately he was exceptionally quick-witted.

In a single breath, he cleared his mind, bowed his head, and spoke with respectful steadiness, clearly answering point by point:

"Your Highness, today's schedule is too tight; I managed only a few items. Among the remaining sundry tasks, examining the files and redoing the accounts are especially tedious."

"The county magistrate you placed under house arrest, though he indeed committed multiple derelictions of duty, kept his accounts so ingeniously concealed that, had Your Highness not caught him in time, he would not have finished leaving clear traces, and even immortals might struggle to discern them...... To reconstruct the accounts now would require several more days."

Chunri Jian related everything clearly and orderly.

Du Shanü listened to a few sentences, then suddenly said:

"You praise Ouyang Yan's accounts as good?"

The scene when Chunri Jian, accompanied by his household servants, inspected the accounts was truly unforgettable.

Du Shanü had originally thought this person was unparalleled under heaven, yet now how could he turn around and praise Ouyang Yan?

Chunri Jian kept his bowed posture unchanged, not shifting his brows or eyes in the slightest, and only said:

"Speak of business as business, of office as office."

"This man caused mistakes and deserves punishment, no doubt. But after further thought, my subordinate realized that one person doing the work requires six to verify it, and thus he does have some use; that's why I ventured to mention it...... If Your Highness dislikes it, my subordinate will certainly not bring it up again."

One person falsifying accounts needs six to check them......

Moreover, this is an 'unfinished set of accounts,' which naturally counts as Ouyang Yan having talent.

However, no matter how great the talent, it cannot outweigh his earlier mistake; thinking of it now annoys Du Shanü.

Thus, for now Du Shanü merely gave a slight nod, considered the Ouyang Yan matter settled, and turned to another question:

"When I dozed lightly just now, I faintly heard you arranging the roster in the courtyard...... Can everyone in the Xian Xie now be clearly identified?"

Seeing that Du Shanü did not refute his remark about Ouyang Yan, Chunri Jian let out a slight sigh of relief and quickly continued:

"I dare not disappoint Your Highness's expectations; I can barely recognize seven out of eight. Just now I reassigned the relatively idle clerks from the six bureaus to other posts, and even replaced one who had been helping Ouyang the county magistrate forge documents......"

Item by item, piece by piece, everything is well ordered.

They came at noon; it was still not night, yet this person had already settled everything properly, and the assistant would even take one example and apply it to many......

Indeed, it is rare.

Except for Chunri Jian's leg, everything was so normal that Du Shanü nearly wanted to tear up.

Too normal, too normal.

Among the people she has met along the way, Chinu is jealous, Afang is poisonous, Xiao Ai is stupid......

A Chou only knows how to cause trouble for Chinu, and Leitie only knows clang clang striking iron.

Needless to say about the Ouyang brothers, one hides his clumsiness, the other is truly clumsy.

Ruan Jintian's quirk is really too strange; not to mention if it can't be used, even if it could be used, Du Shanü really wouldn't want to use it.

As for the newcomer Yu Lve, this person should be usable, but unfortunately they are blind-eyed and blind-hearted, unable to even tell who is in charge......

Among this group of people, there simply is no normal person......

But now, everything is different!

Now, she has A Chun!

Respectful, proper, what a clear-headed young person!

In the future, it will surely bring a completely new atmosphere to her surroundings!

Du Shanü's mind wandered for a moment, as she was daydreaming about the future, when she again heard Chunri Jian sigh and say:

"However, no matter how we adjust, people are always lacking, let alone the matter of the documents that need to be handled."

"If we could still let that detained county magistrate handle his own previous mistakes himself, that would be perfect...... Moreover, this person is about the same age as the sir, equally outstanding and handsome; if they are detained for the rest of their life, it would indeed be a pity."

Du Shanü was happily daydreaming about the future when she suddenly heard the last sentence, incredulously shifting her gaze to the young man before her——

Ouyang Yan.....

Handsome?

Still outstanding and handsome???

A Chun isn't a male? How come you're praising males now!?

Is this correct?

Can this be correct?

Chunri Jian, because he was thinking about Ouyang Yan, had already lifted his head slightly; Du Shanü looked, and their gazes met exactly, and both faces were bewildered.

Du Shanü: "?"

Chunri Jian: "？"

Chunri Jian suddenly realized: "Ah... I have a same-sex inclination; earlier, because I favored the sir, I was reprimanded by the sir; Your Highness, you didn't know?"

Du Shanü: "……"

Damn it, how would she know about this!

I thought a normal person had come, but didn't expect another oddball among the retinue!

?? Let Chun Fang rest, the young noble may stay.

? Finally got to this plot point! Indeed, A Chun has a one-sided crush on Afang, being Afang's super big fanboy! (Would love to...)

? The mutual reflection of the characters 'spring' and 'fragrance' is also a little thought when outlining the plot! (*^▽^*)