“Also?” Chu Dingjiang immediately seized the key point.
Just as An Jiu had never imagined Chu Dingjiang would think of her, he too had not dared to hope. So An Jiu’s reaction now was truly a pleasant surprise for him.
“I just…” An Jiu’s words abruptly stopped halfway.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Dingjiang encouraged her with his gaze to continue.
An Jiu thought of the changes in herself these past few days and felt uneasy, so she changed the subject. “I took on a job recently.”
Chu Dingjiang was slightly disappointed but still followed her lead. “What kind of job?”
“There’s a Bounty Board in Bianjing. I took a white-level bounty from there—the target is a mountain bandit leader, worth six thousand taels of silver,” An Jiu said.
Chu Dingjiang had heard a little about the Bounty Board. White-level bounties were the least dangerous. Although An Jiu lacked Inner Force, during the battle at Misty Villa, she had held her own against several eighth- and ninth-level experts single-handedly. Even taking a red-level bounty wouldn’t be much of an issue for her. But he didn’t understand, “Why did you suddenly think of taking a bounty?”
“Last time, I used a Thunderclap bomb to blow up birds, and Zhu Pianxian said it was worth fifty thousand taels of silver. Since I don’t have any other way to make money, I looked into this board,” An Jiu said excitedly. “Besides, I had nothing else to do. Killing bandits counts as doing good for the people.”
In the past, the people she killed had been indiscriminate—some were even high-ranking officials with notable political achievements. The feeling now was completely different from back then.
“If you enjoy it, then go ahead. Just prepare carefully beforehand and don’t underestimate your enemy. There are plenty of examples of people failing due to overconfidence!” Chu Dingjiang said this, but in his mind, he was already thinking that he must have a “chat” with Zhu Pianxian later.
“Mm.” An Jiu nodded, then asked, “Have you met the Second Prince? How is he?”
Unconsciously, she had gradually integrated into the Song Dynasty. Seeing the emperor and the Crown Prince indulging in debauchery in private made her somewhat worried about the country’s future. Not that she was particularly patriotic or concerned for the people—she simply feared that without the nation, there would be no place for her.
Having experienced partial wars and turmoil, she knew that a change in regime was no simple matter.
“Just as expected. Given the current state of the Song Dynasty, if he were to rule, he might do better than the Crown Prince. But he still lacks refinement, and rashly ascending the throne now would be unwise.” Seeing her interest, Chu Dingjiang explained in detail. “Being neglected since childhood and influenced by his mother has made him strong-willed and resolute, with considerable cunning. But he’s also overly proud.”
“Overly proud?” An Jiu didn’t quite understand.
“He’s too arrogant, believing his talents far surpass his father and brother’s. Plus, he hasn’t faced much setback in his actions over the years, so he’s prone to underestimating enemies and lacking patience.” Chu Dingjiang thought for a moment. “He’s still too young—his thinking is naive.”
“You’re being too harsh.” An Jiu felt that for a child in his teens to have the mentality of someone in their twenties was already impressive, yet Chu Dingjiang seemed dissatisfied.
“He’s someone who’s meant to be emperor—naturally, he can’t be judged by ordinary standards.” Chu Dingjiang squeezed her hand and smiled. “Besides, time is pressing. Fortunately, the Crown Prince’s handling of Ling Ziyue’s matter has sobered him up somewhat.”The Crown Prince saw through the Second Prince's attempt to rescue Ling Ziyue, so he feinted a move, causing all the preparations the Second Prince had made in advance to be exposed prematurely. As a result, not only did he fail to rescue the person, but he also suffered losses in strength. Fortunately, Chu Dingjiang secretly helped erase all related traces, otherwise this single move might have sent him to rock bottom.
"Are you already his advisor now?" An Jiu asked. (To be continued...)
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