The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

「The next day, at the training grounds.」

As soon as Zhi Wan followed Lady Wei out of the carriage, she saw Lu Zhenbei waiting there with his men.

"Uncle." Wearing a veiled hat, Zhi Wan stepped forward and bowed.

Lu Zhenbei nodded, his gaze falling upon Lady Wei. "You’re here."

Lady Wei gave a cold nod.

Lu Zhenbei’s eyes dimmed slightly. "Let’s go inside," he said gently.

"Mm."

Zhi Wan followed the two elders into the training grounds.

Drums thundered across the vast training grounds where soldiers were drilling.

The sight was magnificent and awe-inspiring.

An Order Flag Soldier waved a flag, running back and forth around the troops to relay the commander’s orders.

It was the first time Zhi Wan had seen such a spectacle, and she was utterly awestruck.

"Wan’er, do you see that Order Flag Soldier?" Just then, Lady Wei suddenly stopped and whispered in her ear.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan immediately looked toward the Order Flag Soldier.

She hadn’t looked closely before, giving him only a cursory glance.

Now, upon closer inspection, she found the Order Flag Soldier looked somewhat familiar. It was none other than Shen Longjin, whom she had seen yesterday.

"Do you recognize him?" Lady Wei said with a beaming smile.

Zhi Wan lowered her head and nodded shyly. "Mm."

Lady Wei glanced at Shen Longjin circling on horseback and said approvingly, "This young man seems quite decent. His voice is loud and clear, and he relays the commander’s orders in a methodical manner. Setting other things aside, he must be a meticulous and responsible person. In a little while, I’ll call him over for a chat so you can get a better look at him."

"Okay." Zhi Wan gave a slight nod.

She had only seen him from a distance yesterday, with a screen partially obscuring her view. All she had been able to make out was a silhouette, enough to know Shen Longjin was quite handsome. But to be sure about the details, she needed to see him up close.

Chen Jiu, trailing behind the two women, saw them whispering to each other while occasionally glancing at the distant Order Flag Soldier. A bad feeling welled up inside him, and he quickly turned his curious gaze toward the soldier as well.

One look was all it took for Chen Jiu’s expression to shift.

’How is this Order Flag Soldier so handsome? He’s not as dashing as my Princely Heir, of course, but you don’t often see looks like that in the army. And from the looks of it, the Madam and the Miss have taken a liking to him. How can this be? The Miss belongs to my Princely Heir!’

Chen Jiu was beside himself with anxiety.

"Duke, Madam." Just then, a young officer approached and bowed to Lu Zhenbei and Lady Wei.

Lady Wei recognized him at once. "You’re Bai Yi?"

"That’s me, Your Ladyship." Dressed in armor, Bai Yi scratched his head.

Lady Wei thought for a moment, then said to Lu Zhenbei, "Wan’er and I would like to tour the training grounds a bit more. Just have Bai Yi and Shen Longjin show us the way. You can go attend to your business."

Lu Zhenbei knew she had taken an interest in a few young officers yesterday and had brought Wan’er here today to further assess their character. Since he did indeed have military affairs to attend to, he nodded. "I’ll have someone fetch him." After saying that, he gave a few instructions to his trusted aide and then departed for the command hall.

"Bai Yi, show us around the training grounds," Lady Wei said, looking at Bai Yi kindly.

"Yes, ma’am." Bai Yi responded respectfully and began guiding the group around the training grounds.

Before long, Shen Longjin was summoned as well.

He had just come off the field, beads of sweat still clinging to his face. The armor he wore accentuated his resolute and dauntless bearing, making his fair and handsome face stand out even more.

At this sight, Zhi Wan found herself looking at him a little longer.

"Madam Lu." Shen Longjin greeted her with a cupped fist salute.

"No need for such formalities." Lady Wei made a small gesture with her hand and said with a smile, "This is my niece’s and my first time at the training grounds. We’ll be troubling you and Bai Yi to show us the way."

"You are too kind, Madam. This way, please." Compared to Bai Yi’s simple honesty, Shen Longjin was far more composed.

He walked ahead of the group, beginning to introduce the layout of the training grounds.

"Over there is the Martial Arts Hall, where training regimens are planned and martial competitions are held. That over there is the Grain Supervision Office, which manages weaponry and provisions. And further on is the Medical Bureau..."

Listening to Shen Longjin’s introduction, the group gained a better understanding of the training grounds.

From behind her veiled hat, Zhi Wan observed the young man walking ahead of them.

She didn’t know much about the position of an Order Flag Soldier, but she couldn’t help but admire the dashing figure he cut earlier, holding the flag high as he galloped back and forth among the troops.

’It must not be a job just anyone can do,’ she thought.

With this in mind, she couldn’t resist quietly asking Chen Jiu, who was trailing behind her, "Ah Jiu, what kind of position is an Order Flag Soldier?"

Chen Jiu had been glaring at Shen Longjin up ahead, cracking his knuckles, itching to teach the man a lesson. ’That pretty boy, daring to steal someone who belongs to the Princely Heir! He must have a death wish.’

Startled by the Miss’s sudden question, he froze for a moment before snapping back to reality.

He lowered his voice and said, "Miss, an Order Flag Soldier’s duty is to relay commands within the army. They’re soldiers who wave signal flags to direct the troops, conveying the general’s orders and maneuvering the army through different flag signals.

"Don’t be fooled by how impressive they look; they aren’t part of the official hierarchy..." At this point, he added, "Truthfully, there’s no future in it. Their annual salary is only sixty shi of grain. Even I make more than them."

But to his surprise, Zhi Wan replied nonchalantly, "Sixty shi isn’t a small amount at all. A commoner wouldn’t earn that much in a year. Sixty shi is enough to feed an ordinary family of five for two years."

Chen Jiu was speechless.

’Not a small amount?’

’Aren’t the Miss’s standards a little too low?’

"It’s enough to keep one’s stomach full, but living comfortably would be difficult," Chen Jiu said, shaking his head and sighing.

Zhi Wan paid this no mind. She was looking for a husband to marry into her family; naturally, she would be the one to provide for the household. As long as her husband was honest and upstanding, a lower income didn’t matter.

Seeing her indifference, Chen Jiu cleared his throat and tried to persuade her earnestly, "A poor couple faces a hundred sorrows. Miss, you don’t manage a household, so you don’t know the cost of daily necessities. You can’t get by in this life without Silver. You may not care now, but that’s because you’ve never lived a hard life. Without Silver, conflict and resentment are bound to arise between a husband and wife over time. By then, it’ll be too late for regrets!

"I feel that even if you are recruiting a husband, Miss, your standards shouldn’t be so low. With your talent and beauty, you could easily choose someone with better prospects."

’Like our Princely Heir, for instance.’

’I wonder if the Princely Heir would even be willing to marry into her family?’

Stroking his chin, Chen Jiu fell into deep thought.

"Better prospects?" Zhi Wan’s gaze suddenly fell on him, and she looked him up and down.

Chen Jiu felt a shiver run through him under her scrutiny, and a terrible premonition bloomed in his heart.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard his Miss ask in a serious tone, "Ah Jiu, it seems my cousin pays you a handsome monthly salary. In that case, how about you consider marrying into my family?"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Chen Jiu burst into a fit of earth-shattering coughs.

It was so loud that even Lady Wei turned around to look.

Nanny Fang walked over and patted Chen Jiu on the back, asking with concern, "What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly coughing like that?"

Chen Jiu’s face had turned beet red. He pounded his chest and said with great difficulty, "Miss... you can’t joke like that..." ’The Princely Heir would have me drawn and quartered and thrown into the river to feed the fish.’

Hearing this, Lady Wei looked at Zhi Wan, confused. "What did you just say to Chen Jiu to scare him so badly?"

"I was just making a little joke," Zhi Wan said sheepishly. She was slightly annoyed. ’Am I some kind of monster? To think I scared Ah Jiu that badly!’