Chapter 73: Not What You Should Be Worrying About
Ju Nanyi had not expected the Crown Prince to summon him early in the morning, and without time to ponder, he arrived at the Crown Prince’s Mansion dressed in plain clothes.
Indeed, Ju Nanyi had matters to attend to, with the location of a crucial bridge under construction along the river being of great importance, and the draft designs for the Chuihong Pavilion and the Luohui Pavilion on the bridge also awaiting final decisions.
Only thing was, he had tried to see the Crown Prince over the past few days, to no avail.
As Ju Nanyi approached the Crown Prince’s Mansion, he knew something must have happened in the last two days. Moreover, the nature of the affair had exceeded what he was privy to. Ju Nanyi was not a curious person; he had no inclination to dig into others’ secrets. Over the two days, he had simply detailed some of the finer points in the draft drawings and caught up on other work that had not been completed.
"Scholar Ju, this way, please," said Qi Yu politely, leading the way inside. Ju Nanyi was taken aback to see Qi Yu emerge from the inner rooms, but as Qi Yu showed no sign of stopping, he had no choice but to follow.
The study? Ju Nanyi was uncertain, remembering that when he had previously visited the Crown Prince’s Mansion for business, it had usually been in the anteroom of the study, separated by a long corridor along the river. The light breeze on the riverbanks forced Ju Nanyi to pull back his wandering thoughts, clearing his mind of all ideas, and regain the composed expression on his face.
"This humble official pays his respects to Your Highness," he said upon entering the study. Indeed, something had transpired at the Crown Prince’s Mansion in the last few days.
"Nanyi, have a seat," Zheng Congyuan indicated towards a chair nearby.
Ju Nanyi glanced up slightly and chose a spot close to the main seat, yet inconspicuous, neither too familiar nor disrespectful.
Zheng Congyuan, not paying much attention, tossed the folded paper in his hand to Ju Nanyi, who caught it and saw it contained information on the villagers of a small district. He was somewhat taken aback, unable to guess what Zheng Congyuan intended.
"To my knowledge, Junze County is located in the coastal area of Dongyu, where villagers mostly engage in fishing and trading. May I ask Your Highness..."