Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

Chapter 6 Mission Completed

The main hall of Guangxin Palace.

Li Yunrui leaned against the soft couch, her plain white palace dress loosely draped over her shoulders, the neckline slightly open, revealing a section of her fair neck.

Chunmei stood three steps away with her head bowed, her voice very low:

"Your Highness, he accepted it."

"Hmm..." Li Yunrui let out a soft nasal sound, as if he had just woken up and was languid. "Keep an eye on him and see what he does."

"This servant understands," Chunmei replied immediately.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A day passed quietly.

Wu Feng never saw Li Yunrui again.

He stayed in the servants' quarters, occasionally tending to the flowers and plants in the small garden; everything seemed normal. This made him somewhat depressed; his emotions were pointless, and the system was just for show.

It seems that only by completing this task as soon as possible and gaining Li Yunrui's trust can I get closer to her and earn her emotional points.

The day after tomorrow morning, Wang Cheng will leave the palace to buy flower seedlings.

Today he has to go out and scout out the location and make preparations.

I looked at the sky; it was just past 9 AM.

Wu Feng changed into his worn-out green shirt, carefully hid all his money on his body, checked the Guangxin Palace token again, and then pushed open the door to go out.

As he passed through the palace gate, the guards carefully checked his token and glanced at him a few times before waving him through.

Stepping out of the palace gates, the hustle and bustle of Kyoto immediately hit me.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and vendors' calls rose and fell.

Wu Feng walked slowly down the street, seemingly casually, but his eyes were observing his surroundings.

He first found a tea stall, sat down, ordered a bowl of coarse tea, and listened to the idle chatter of the customers at the next table.

"I heard the results were released this morning?"

"That's right! The results of the imperial examinations are already posted outside the examination hall!"

Who is this year's top scorer?

"His name is Lin Ruofu! A talented scholar from Jiangnan!"

Wu Feng paused slightly in the teacup he was holding.

Lin Ruofu.

The future prime minister, the current top scholar in the imperial examination.

Is this someone just starting their official career? Interesting...

He finished his tea, paid, and got up to leave.

Next, he went to the cloth shop and bought a set of coarse linen shirts made of dark gray material, a style commonly worn by ordinary people.

I found another inconspicuous little inn and booked a room.

After closing the door, Wu Feng walked to the window.

The streets were still bustling, with crowds gathered around the notice board discussing the release of the results of the imperial examinations.

He listened for a while, then closed the window and sat back down at the table.

Start to clarify your thoughts.

In recent years, the area north of the Yangtze River has suffered from floods every year, and the victims have been begging their way to the capital.

But as the capital, Kyoto could not tolerate the gathering of refugees. These people were driven to Shimizu Town in the suburbs.

I wonder how much is left now.

Wu Feng learned that most of the flower seedling shops in Kyoto were actually located in the Qingshui Town area.

A plan gradually took shape in his mind.

It's immature, but it should be useful.

only……

He always felt that someone was secretly watching him.

Were they Li Yunrui's people? To prevent him from escaping? Or did she want to see what she was really going to do?

No matter who it was, it made him even more vigilant.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Wu Feng changed into that coarse linen shirt and then used the tools he had prepared beforehand to disguise himself.

Looking at his reflection in the basin, the person in the mirror was no longer recognizable as having a handsome appearance; he looked like a malnourished, displaced boy.

He checked out of the hotel and left the city with a small bundle on his back.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Not long after, inside Guangxin Palace.

Chunmei stood beside the soft couch with her head bowed, her voice extremely low:

"Your Highness, after leaving the palace, he went to gather information, exchanged copper coins, and has now left the city."

"Moreover... he must have realized he was being followed and disguised himself before leaving the city. If our people hadn't been keeping a close watch, he probably would have shaken him off."

Li Yunrui leaned against the couch, holding a book in her hands, but didn't turn a single page.

Hearing this, she chuckled softly.

"Hmm...this is really fun." She put down the poetry book, raised her hand to tidy up the stray hairs by her temples, "This little dog is a bit clever, but not much."

Chunmei didn't dare to reply.

Li Yunrui turned to her side, resting her elbow on a soft pillow, propping her chin up with her hand, her eyes slightly curved upwards:

"If he can accomplish this... with proper training, he might become a valuable asset."

"This servant understands," Chunmei replied immediately.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Before we knew it, it was morning.

Nearly a hundred refugees gathered at the intersection of Qingshui Town Road.

They were dressed in rags, their faces were sallow and thin, and they were all holding broken bowls in their hands.

Most of these people are not actual disaster victims.

After the spring, the real disaster victims either returned to their hometowns to farm or found work in Kyoto.

Those who remained were mostly former thugs and ruffians who had formed their own "trades" here.

Wu Feng mingled among them, dressed in tattered clothes, his face smeared with ash, and holding a broken bowl in his hand.

These refugees were organized and had leaders. As soon as they saw a suitable carriage passing by, they would swarm around it, surrounding the carriage with broken bowls, and wouldn't let it leave without paying.

This trick works nine times out of ten.

The remaining ten attempts failed because they targeted the wrong people; not only did they fail to get the money, they were also badly beaten.

The garrison commander of Qingshui Town was extremely troubled by this. He couldn't drive them away, nor could he kill them. He reported it to the capital prefecture, but the higher-ups only told him to handle it himself.

Over time, the garrison commander got tired of it, figuring nothing serious would happen anyway.

Wu Feng followed these refugees, observing their patterns of movement.

By the end of the morning, they had surrounded three groups of carriages and horses, collecting quite a few copper coins. Wu Feng also received a few, which he carefully kept.

At noon, the sun is directly overhead.

A figure appeared at the end of the official road.

He was fair-skinned and clean-cut, wearing a dark blue steward's uniform, and walked with a straight back; it was Wang Cheng.

Wu Feng's heart skipped a beat.

coming.

Wang Cheng was clearly not a stranger to shopping outside the palace; he was very familiar with this route. He carried a cloth bag in his hand and walked at a leisurely pace.

The refugees' eyes lit up when they saw him.

Such a fair-skinned, well-dressed, and solitary person is practically the perfect target.

The leader made a hand gesture.

Dozens of refugees immediately rushed forward, holding out broken bowls to Wang Cheng, pleading all at once:

"Please, sir, have mercy..."

"Give me some money, I haven't eaten for three days..."

"Poor thing..."

Wang Cheng frowned, clearly having come prepared. He pulled a money pouch from his pocket, opened it, grabbed a handful of copper coins, and scattered them to the side.

"Take it!"

The copper coins clattered to the ground.

The refugees were stunned for a moment, then rushed towards the copper coins.

A smug smile appeared on Wang Cheng's lips. Every time he went out to buy flower seedlings, he could get a lot of benefits. What was a few dozen coins?

He lifted his foot to continue walking forward.

Just then.

Another handful of copper coins fell from the sky and landed directly on Wang Cheng!

The gleaming copper coins rolled into his collar and landed on his shoes.

Wang Cheng was stunned.

Before he could react, the homeless people who had originally gone to pick up money had turned around and surged towards him like a tide!

"Money! He has money on him!"

"Hurry and grab it!"

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Wu Feng mingled in the crowd, head down, and pushed his way forward.

He didn't use any veiled attacks; his right hand remained hidden in his sleeve, tightly gripping a dagger. The blade wasn't long, but it was sharp enough.

As the crowd jostled and pushed, Wang Cheng was jostled about, his face turning pale with anger.

"Get out of here! All of you get out of here! Do you even know who this 'master' is?!"

No one cares about him.

The refugees groped him, scrambling for the copper coins. Wang Cheng desperately tried to protect the money bag in his arms, but he was so jostled that he could barely stand.

Wu Feng seized the opportunity and suddenly pushed forward!

He wasn't very tall and didn't stand out in the chaotic crowd. His right hand slid out of his sleeve, the cold glint of a dagger flashing briefly beneath the sleeve's concealment.

Wang Cheng felt a chill in his chest.

He looked down and saw a dirty-looking boy pressed against him, the boy's hand on his chest.

Then, the coolness turned into excruciating pain.

a bit.

Two times.

Three times.

Wu Feng gritted his teeth, strained his wrist, and stabbed Wang Cheng in the heart several times with the dagger.

Wang Cheng's eyes widened, his lips parted, but no sound came out. He looked down at the dark red stain seeping from his chest, and his body slowly went limp.

Wu Feng quickly withdrew his dagger and hid it back in his sleeve. He lowered his head and squeezed his way out of the crowd amidst the chaos.

The people around were still scrambling for the copper coins, and no one noticed that Wang Cheng had already fallen down.

Wu Feng squeezed through the crowd and walked deeper into the town without looking back.

His hands were trembling slightly, and his heart was pounding. But he forced himself to suppress his nausea, to not turn back, not to stop, and quickened his pace.

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out and pulled him directly into the box.

Wu Feng was startled and instinctively stabbed at it with the dagger in his hand.

But to his surprise, this person blocked his attack with ease.

"Don't move, I'm here to help you."

A woman's voice?