Leaving the imperial study, Ning Chen made his way to the Falling Phoenix Palace.

Once he had been announced, Ning Chen found the Ninth Princess in a red dress, her smile bright and lovely.

The Ninth Princess seemed to have a particular fondness for red. He wondered idly whether her stomach-wrap was red too.

She had been in good spirits, but the moment she saw Ning Chen, her spirits sank a little.

Ning Chen watched the change come over her face and could not help asking, “The Princess doesn’t look happy to see me?”

The Ninth Princess glared at him. “Have you come to ask whether I’ve made up my mind?”

“Hm? About what?”

Ning Chen looked a little lost.

The Ninth Princess planted her hands on her hips, willful and adorable. “About Yudie! Weren’t you hoping I’d agree to let her be your concubine? Isn’t that what you’re here for?”

Ning Chen blinked, then shook his head.

The Ninth Princess brightened at once. “So you came just to see me?”

“I’ve come to say goodbye to the Princess.”

The Ninth Princess froze. “Goodbye?”

Ning Chen nodded. “Wu has sent terms for peace. I’m to go there on Great Xuan’s behalf and negotiate.”

“It’ll take nearly two months, all told. I’m afraid our wedding will have to be pushed back a few days.”

The Ninth Princess shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s only a few days’ delay… and it’ll give the Ministry of Rites more time to prepare, if anything.”

Ning Chen looked at her, surprised. “You’re not angry?”

The Ninth Princess looked at him as if he’d said something strange. “Peace talks are a wonderful thing for the kingdom and the people — why would I be angry?”

“If the talks succeed, the frontier won’t have to fight a war every year. Our soldiers won’t have to die. The common people can live their lives in peace.”

Ning Chen looked at her with something like astonishment… He had never expected this willful, spoiled little thing to have such a grasp of the bigger picture.

“Just what I would expect of Ning Chen’s wife — you know what matters, and you can see the whole board!”

The Ninth Princess’s face flushed red at once, and she glared at him. “You— what did you call me?”

Ning Chen smiled. “We’re about to be married. Aren’t you my wife?”

The Ninth Princess’s face went redder still.

“We’re not married yet. You can’t call me that.”

“We’ll be married in two months. Calling you that now just gets you used to it… Blushing already, at this rate? We’ll be sharing a bed by then, you know.”

The Ninth Princess’s face went so red it looked ready to bleed, and, too flustered for words, she pointed at Ning Chen. “You— you—”

Seeing the Ninth Princess too furious to speak, Heye scolded him. “How dare you take such liberties with the Princess?”

Ning Chen shot her a glance. “Run along and play. This is between husband and wife — don’t go sticking your nose in.”

Then he turned back to the Ninth Princess. “I need to go home and get ready — I leave for Wu in three days… When I come back from Wu, I hope the Princess will line the road to welcome me home, and I’ll hold nothing back in return.”

The Ninth Princess felt there was something off about that last part, but she couldn’t put her finger on what.

Ning Chen reached the door, paused mid-step, and turned back. “Princess, have you thought any more about Yudie and the concubine business?”

The Ninth Princess gave an irritated huff. “We’ll talk about it when you’re back from Wu.”

Ning Chen’s heart lifted. Looks promising.

Leaving the palace, Ning Chen went to the courtesans’ quarter.

Once she heard Ning Chen was going to Wu, Yudie’s whole face filled with reluctance to let him go.

“Wu is a long way off. Ning, dear, you must take care of yourself on the road.”

Ning Chen smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s not the first time I’ve traveled far.”

Zisu came over and held out her hand to him.

Puzzled, Ning Chen looked at her, then took the hand and held her small, soft palm.

Zisu’s hands were beautifully shaped, slender and fair, soft as if they had no bones in them at all… those hands had brought him no small amount of pleasure.

Zisu pulled her hand back and swatted his away, irritated. “Stop taking advantage!”

Ning Chen was baffled. “Then what was it you wanted?”

“To borrow some silver.”

Ning Chen made a small sound. “How much?”

“Ten thousand taels, to start.”

The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. She really had some nerve, asking to start with ten thousand.

He asked, curious. “What do you want that much silver for?”

Zisu said, “To open a clinic.”

“A clinic doesn’t cost that much.”

Zisu smiled. “The clinic I’m opening is a free one.”

Ning Chen: “???”

“Has something come loose in your head?”

Zisu said, “You just barely escaped having your name ruined for good, which shows your standing isn’t high enough yet. I’ll open a free clinic in your name and build you a reputation with it.”

Yudie said quickly, “Sister Zisu, I have silver.”

Zisu shook her head. “This silver has to come from Marquis Ning.”

Ning Chen thought it over for a moment.

“Not a bad idea, but you can’t just run it that way… You’re underestimating how greedy people are. Make it free and even if I had mountains of gold and silver, it wouldn’t last long.”

“The clinic can open, but the business model needs to change!”

Zisu looked at him. “Change how?”

Ning Chen smiled. “Charge the poor next to nothing for treatment, and charge the rich and powerful ten, a hundred times over.”

“Put plainly: use the money from the rich and powerful to help the poor… That way you make money and build a reputation both.”

Zisu thought it over and gave a slight nod.

Ning Chen went on. “And it can’t open in my name alone — that would look far too deliberate, and people would criticize it.”

“I’ll go to the palace and ask for an edict, so His Majesty’s name goes on it too… Something that wins him a good name and doesn’t cost him a coin of his own — I don’t think His Majesty will say no.”

“And I’ll ask His Majesty to write the plaque himself… That way the clinic will be safe from any trouble, and no one will dare cause a scene there.”

Zisu blinked her lovely eyes. “Marquis Ning, you really are a sly one. You never leave a drop showing.”

The corner of Ning Chen’s mouth twitched. “That’s called thinking things through.”

Then, all at once, Ning Chen grinned wickedly. “‘Never leave a drop showing’ is the wrong choice of words. If I remember right, that night quite a bit was dripping off your chin.”

“Can’t help it if I’ve got a big appetite and a lot of firepower… ‘Not a drop showing’ is a tall order.”

Zisu’s pretty face flushed scarlet clean through.

“Zhirou, control him… is that something you can just say?”

Yudie gave a soft laugh. “It’s all right! Sister Zisu, you’re no outsider… and we’ll both be waiting on Ning, dear from now on anyway.”

Zisu looked thoroughly done with her. “Who says I want to wait on him alongside you… Dream on, if you think you’re getting the blessing of the man of Qi.”

“Zhirou, you’re a lost cause. He must have put some kind of spell on you.”

“I’m not talking to you two anymore. I’m going to get you some Nine Yang Decoction for Nourishing the Source, for you to boil up and drink on the road.”

Zisu got up and left.

Yudie laughed prettily. “Sister Zisu is embarrassed!”

“Does Ning, dear like Sister Zisu?”

“Uh… she’s, well, not bad.” Ning Chen rubbed his nose, careful not to let it show. “The important thing is you two get along so well, I couldn’t bear to see you two apart.”

Yudie leaned in close to Ning Chen’s ear and whispered, “Sister Zisu likes you a lot too, actually. She even asked me quietly — whether it feels good, being with you.”

Something lit up in Ning Chen’s eyes. The blessing of the man of Qi — what man alive could resist a temptation like that?

If a man could, it was either an empty purse or something wrong with him.

Ning Chen grinned wickedly. “And what did Yudie tell her?”

Yudie’s pretty face flushed. “This girl said… it feels very, very good!”

Ning Chen grinned wickedly. “I’m off to Wu soon, nearly two months of it… You’ll have to bear the burden the next two days.”

(End of Chapter 348)