Chapter 394
**Chapter 392: A Self-Recommendation**
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Shen Wei and Yuan Fu made their way along the main road, arriving first at the county town.
King Wu loved a lively atmosphere. After coming to this dilapidated county, he abolished the existing curfew, encouraging the townsfolk to venture out at night to conduct business. After dark, King Wu enjoyed strolling through the night market, indulging in grilled fish, shrimp, and fine wine.
He often patrolled the night market.
With such a prominent figure around, thieves and bandits dared not show their faces. The night market was relatively safe, and gradually, restaurants, taverns, and rouge shops began to flourish.
“Let’s buy some provisions at the night market, then head straight to the imperial capital of Donglin. If we hurry, we can reach the capital in five or six days,” Shen Wei said, having purchased a map of Donglin from the night market, calculating the journey to the imperial capital.
Just as Shen Wei was rapidly brainstorming the route, she overheard some discussions nearby.
“What does the notice from the King Wu’s palace say?”
“His Highness is sending an envoy to Qingguo and is recruiting a guide well-versed in Qingguo culture, along with cooks and servants.”
“In our shabby county, with dozens of fishing villages, who knows anything about Qingguo?”
“Recently, quite a few merchants have come to Wu County; maybe one of them has been to Qingguo.”
Shen Wei approached the newly posted notice.
She quickly scanned the notice, and her eyes lit up instantly.
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Under the night sky, the Wu Palace was ablaze with light.
King Wu Zhao Ziqi couldn’t sleep. With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced back and forth in his study. He sighed deeply, walking over to the large bronze mirror beside his desk, gazing at his reflection.
His appearance was still the most handsome in Donglin.
His demeanor remained the most graceful in Donglin.
But he knew that this handsome and elegant life of his might not last much longer.
“Your Highness, I bought your favorite grilled squid from the night market. Please give it a try,” a guard said, entering with a bowl of grilled squid.
King Wu closed his eyes and pushed the bowl away, his voice hoarse and weary. “How can I eat when my life hangs by a thread? Ah, the soothsayer from Yue said that I was destined for great fortune, that after turning twenty, I would meet a benefactor. Clearly, his divination was not true.”
King Wu felt a pang of sadness.
At the age of five, his sister, Princess Zhenmin, was sent to Qingguo for a political marriage. King Wu was tormented, cursing his father while secretly weeping on the beach.
Perhaps he cried so pitifully that he caught the attention of a soothsayer from Yue.
That celestial-like man read his fortune and told him he was destined for “great wealth and nobility.” The hardships of life would only last the first twenty years. After turning twenty, as long as he remained virtuous, he would encounter a great benefactor, leading to a life of peace and prosperity.
At that time, King Wu, tear-streaked, had asked the soothsayer, “Will my future wife be beautiful?”
The soothsayer’s divination board spun for a long while before he replied, “You will meet an extraordinary woman.”
The soothsayer seemed to foresee something else, his expression turning grave as he turned to leave.
King Wu etched the soothsayer’s words into his memory.
He had endured years of hardship in the Donglin royal family, suffering the torment of palace servants, enduring the ridicule of thirty-nine older brothers and the disdain of a dozen younger ones. Finally, he reached the age of twenty, leaving the imperial capital to come to this shabby place in Wu County.
Little did he know, before he could settle in, disaster struck, and he was sent by his father to escort tribute.
A task fraught with peril.
King Wu sighed, gazing at his handsome reflection in the mirror. “I’ve posted the notice for talented individuals for quite some time, yet no one has come forward. Ah, it’s said that handsome men often meet untimely ends.”
The guard awkwardly reminded him, “The notice has only been up for two hours; that’s hardly long.”
King Wu kicked the guard lightly. “You talk too much.”
At that moment, another guard reported from outside, “Your Highness, someone has come forward!”
King Wu was overjoyed and went to the palace entrance to greet the newcomer.
As night fell, the red lanterns at the palace entrance cast a warm glow on the ground. King Wu strode forward, catching sight of a slender figure in the distance.
He was slightly taken aback.
What a thin and beautiful silhouette. In the light of the palace lanterns, the figure exuded an ethereal beauty, reminiscent of a character from a painting.
Oh, what a slim waist.
Oh, what long legs.
What a pity—it’s a man.
The young man with the delicate silhouette slowly turned around, revealing a slightly dark and rough face, with a palm-sized black birthmark on his right cheek. His slightly curly black hair was tied up with a gray cloth strip. He wore tattered clothes typical of fishermen and simple hemp sandals.
He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, likely undernourished, with a small and frail frame.
King Wu glanced at the young man, secretly disapproving. The back was quite appealing, but the face was rather ugly.
Ugly enough to seem somewhat familiar.
“I am Shen Wei. I saw the notice outside the palace and have come to self-recommend. I am willing to be your guide, Your Highness,” the young Shen Wei said, bowing politely in her male disguise.
King Wu frowned in distaste. “With your looks and skin, you clearly are a local fisherman. Do you understand the customs of Qingguo?”
Shen Wei replied, “I do.”
She wasn’t lying.
She knew Qingguo inside and out, even the color of the robes worn by the Supreme Emperor of Qingguo.
With the day of escorting the tribute fast approaching, most people in Wu County were locals, and few knew anything about Qingguo. King Wu had no choice but to let Shen Wei inside.
In the study, King Wu sat crookedly in a chair, holding a white jade fan. “You claim to be well-versed in Qingguo. Let me test you.”
Shen Wei replied, “Please, Your Highness, ask away.”
King Wu started with a few simple questions about Qingguo, and Shen Wei answered fluently.
Then King Wu raised the difficulty, inquiring about the road conditions in Qingguo. Shen Wei ground ink and quickly sketched a simple map of Qingguo’s territory, marking the official routes.
King Wu’s expression changed on the spot.
He never expected that this dark and ugly youth actually understood Qingguo.
And had even drawn a map!
King Wu scratched his head, tentatively asking, “How about drawing a defense map of Qingguo’s borders? I could sell it to the Emperor of Nanchu, inciting a conflict between Qingguo and Nanchu, allowing Donglin to reap the benefits.”
Shen Wei’s lips twitched. “I don’t know how to draw a defense map.”
As if he could just fly to the heavens.
King Wu composed himself, his expression turning serious. “I was just joking; no need to take it seriously. But Shen Wei, you are clearly from Donglin. Why are you so familiar with Qingguo?”
Shen Wei lowered her gaze.
The night wind rattled the window panes, and the cool breeze tousled Shen Wei’s hair. She sighed deeply. “Everyone has their secrets. If Your Highness presses me, I will have to leave.”
Shen Wei was taking a gamble.
King Wu was treated as a pawn by Donglin, and there was no one to guide him to Qingguo. Shen Wei’s timely appearance could solve his urgent problem.
Thus, even if King Wu doubted Shen Wei’s identity, he had no choice but to hire her.
King Wu indeed pondered Shen Wei’s identity, his gaze fixed on her face.
It was a face typical of a fisherman, somewhat rough. Only someone who had spent years exposed to the sun and wind by the sea would have such a face.
She shouldn’t be an assassin sent from the imperial capital.
Moreover, the weariness and sorrow etched on Shen Wei’s face reminded King Wu of the “tragic protagonist burdened with deep-seated grudges, far from home, enduring humiliation and hardship” from the stories.
Could it be that this person before him truly had an extraordinary identity?
King Wu recalled the soothsayer’s prophecy from years ago.
Could it be that this was his benefactor...
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