He Zhiran's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she listened. She had already guessed Mo Jiuye's purpose in her heart.
Therefore, she took over the conversation and continued:
"This way, Nan Qi will harbor more hatred towards Nan Heng. With Nan Qi's intolerable temperament, when he returns to the capital, he will definitely think of ways to make trouble for Nan Heng.
Nan Heng will be too busy defending himself to temporarily ignore the assassination against me for the time being."
He Zhiran nodded with a smile.
"That's only part of the reason."
Mo Jiuye raised an eyebrow: "Could it be that you have other purposes?"
He Zhiran was full of confidence.
"I also want to take this opportunity to help Fei Nanyu and ask him to spread the word about your break up with Nan Qi after he returns to the capital. This way, Nan Heng will completely abandon the assassination against you.
Also, didn't we plan to distribute the silver coins from the dog magistrate among the common people last night? I plan to ask Fei Nanyu for help with this as well. With his capabilities, he will surely be able to accomplish it."
After hearing her words, Mo Jiuye admired this woman's wisdom even more.
There was an involuntary tone of indulgence in his words. "You really are exceptional to have thought of so many things with that little head of yours."
Flattered by the praise, He Zhiran nearly jumped for joy.
"It's called killing two birds with one stone. Not only did I find a reliable person to return the dog magistrate's money to the commoners, but I've also relieved Nan Heng's wariness against you."
Seeing her grinning, Mo Jiuye couldn't help reaching out to pat her head.
"Alright, you've been out for so long and must be tired too. Rest for a while and we'll have lunch."
He Zhiran felt very pampered by Mo Jiuye's doting care.
She obediently went to wash her hands in the bathroom, then sat obediently at the dining table waiting for the meal.
Mo Jiuye busily made two dishes with the ingredients he found in the fridge, one being cucumber fried pork, the other stir-fried eggs with cabbage...
When the dishes were brought to the table, He Zhiran's eyes instantly widened.
She could still accept the cucumber fried pork, as many people in her previous life ate this combination.
But what on earth was that stir-fried eggs with cabbage?
Forget about wondering what these two ingredients would taste like together, it seemed Mo Jiuye didn't even get the process right.
The egg pieces were about the size of fingernails, with some still wrapped in cabbage leaves.
Also, not knowing how much soy sauce he had added, the whole dish looked black.
The cucumber fried pork didn't look much better either. Not only was there no soy sauce, but the ingredients were also covered in wok char...
Looking at his creations, Mo Jiuye was clearly somewhat embarrassed.
He rubbed his head awkwardly, "Uh...I failed a bit with the dishes, but I tasted them earlier and they are edible."
He Zhiran was not the fussy type. In her previous life when she was young, her parents neglected her and she couldn't even eat food like this back then.
Moreover, Mo Jiuye had personally cooked for her, so she could not disregard his good intentions.
"It's alright, you'll get the hang of cooking with more practice," she encouraged.
After speaking, she picked up her chopsticks and put a mouthful of food in her mouth. The taste was not yet unpalatable, so He Zhiran simply ate a few more bites.
Seeing that she did not show displeasure, Mo Jiuye immediately smiled again.
"Eat slowly, I'll help serve the rice."
When Mo Jiuye came back with two bowls of rice, the smile on his face turned into an embarrassed look again.
He placed a bowl of rice in front of He Zhiran, "I didn't grasp the water ratio for the rice well, it looks a bit like congee..."
He Zhiran took a look, and indeed that was the case.
The rice Mo Jiuye made was a little too watery to be considered rice, yet a little too dry to be congee...
Still, she encouraged again, "It's alright as long as it's cooked and I can eat it."
Mo Jiuye knew clearly in his heart that she was comforting him, and he immediately felt a warmth there, with an even stronger desire to cook for her for the rest of their lives.
After the meal, He Zhiran made preparations to leave the space, bringing Mo Jiuye along this time.
After all, they were going to meet Fei Nanyu later, so Mo Jiuye hiding would inevitably arouse the other party's suspicions.
The two appeared together in the abandoned room.
He Zhiran had bought large quantities of honeysuckle from Taobao Treasury, piling up half a room's worth.
She then placed the silver and copper coins taken from the magistrate's residence on the other side of the room.
As for those silver notes, He Zhiran chose to keep them.
The reason she kept them was that the silver notes were easy to store, so there was no need for the dog magistrate to also store them here. If they were seen by Fei Nanyu, it would be equivalent to telling him there were not 300 taels of silver here.
He Zhiran did this to avoid possible troubles.
With all the items in the room arranged, the two pushed the door and went out together.
The weeds in the yard had grown back, clearly showing signs that no one had been here for a long time.
He Zhiran circled the yard several dozen times with the mule cart to create traces of frequent recent activity.
Once everything was ready, she bought an antique-style lock from Taobao Treasury and locked the front door.
Then she damaged one of the windows with a tool.
Glancing at the clock in the space, it was almost time she had arranged to meet Fei Nanyu.
He Zhiran purchased a few more antique-style quilts from Taobao Treasury and spread them in the cart compartment so that Mo Jiuye wouldn't feel too bumpy sitting inside.
Driving the mule cart and paying a fee of ten coins, the two returned to Pingyang County once again.
To make it look like she had come from the city, He Zhiran deliberately took a roundabout route before arriving at the designated meeting place.
Fei Nanyu was already waiting there and hurried up to them when he saw He Zhiran driving over with a mule cart from afar.
Mo Jiuye flipped open the carriage curtain to exchange greetings, then Fei Nanyu suggested He Zhiran sit inside while he and his attendant rode outside to drive the cart.
On the way, Fei Nanyu asked with concern how Mo Jiuye got injured.
The two had already anticipated Fei Nanyu would ask this, so they decided to tell the truth.
After listening, Fei Nanyu did not say anything, only sighing before changing the topic.
The few chatted casually along the way and soon arrived at the abandoned residence.
Mo Jiuye's injuries were still quite severe, so he was forcibly kept in the cart by He Zhiran.
He Zhiran led the other two into the yard.
Seeing the footprints in the yard, Fei Nanyu did not actually doubt anything and followed He Zhiran to the front door of the main building.
He Zhiran pointed to a window next to them and said, "The door is locked, so I got in through there."
Without any suspicion, Fei Nanyu strode to the window.
He Zhiran shook it forcefully a few times and the window opened.
Fei Nanyu jumped through the window. Seeing so much honeysuckle, his usual calm composure completely disappeared.
"Lady Mo, you have truly performed an enormous service this time. I thank you on behalf of the commoners of Dongfeng County."
"Mr. Fei is too polite. I still have a favor to ask of you." He Zhiran said.
"Lady Mo, please tell me whatever you need. As long as Nanyu can accomplish it, I will surely spare no effort."
He Zhiran pointed at the silver coins on the ground, "Mr. Fei must also have heard that Pingyang County's magistrate is a dog official. In the few years since he took office, he has exploited the common people without end. This silver must have been seized from those commoners.
Since we've found this money, I think it should be returned to its rightful owners."
