Li Wen's two grand gifts indeed left Zhang Chen somewhat at a loss.
Zhang Chen thanked Li Wen and was about to return to Guangping County. Hearing that Li Wen was leaving soon to take up his post in Wuwei, he decided to stay for a few more days. Firstly, to take this opportunity to listen to his teachings, and secondly, to see him off when the time came.
Li Wen also thought this was reasonable. A Prefect of a commandery handles complex matters, unlike a County Magistrate, and there were indeed many things he needed to advise Zhang Chen on.
Therefore, Li Wen asked Zhang Chen to stay temporarily at the Prefect's Residence, as it would be his in the future anyway.
Ye City was the commandery seat of Wei Commandery, as well as the provincial capital of Ji Province. Zhang Chen thought that the Governor should also be here, and since he had come, he ought to pay a visit.
Unexpectedly, Li Wen told him that the Governor had retired last month, and the imperial court had not yet appointed a new Governor.
Mentioning this, Li Wen did not forget to caution him, stating that the Prefect of Wei Commandery and the Governor of Ji Province were in the same city. Besides commandery affairs, he would sometimes need to assist the Governor with provincial matters, so he must act cautiously and attentively in the future.
Zhang Chen listened and Note it all.
One day, having nothing to do at the Prefect's Residence, Zhang Chen went out for a stroll.
As Zhang Chen strolled, he thought that he had received such great kindness from the Prefect and had nothing to repay him with. The Prefect was leaving soon, and how could he see him off empty-handed? He decided to look around the market and choose a gift as a token of his appreciation.
With this thought, Zhang Chen unconsciously turned towards the East Market.
The market was bustling with carriages and horses, lively and prosperous, with a constant flow of people. Peddlers occasionally hawked their wares, and there were restaurants, inns, and taverns. It was indeed worthy of being the provincial capital of Ji Province, its prosperity far surpassing that of Guangping County!
As Zhang Chen walked, he pondered what gift would be suitable.
The Prefect was a man of noble character, so ordinary mundane objects would naturally not catch his eye. However, if the gift was too valuable, it might be suspected of bribery. The Lord was upright and incorruptible, and his reputation must not be damaged by this.
After much deliberation, Zhang Chen finally made up his mind.
This time, the Prefect was going to guard the border and assist General Huangfu in suppressing the rebellion. Quelling rebellion required military strength, so perhaps a sword would be a suitable gift.
Thinking this, Zhang Chen asked around if there were any famous blacksmith shops in the city that could forge high-quality weapons.
After inquiring, Zhang Chen found one at the corner of the East Market street. The owner of the shop was named Li, and it was said that his forging skills were extremely exquisite.
Upon entering, he heard a series of 'clanging' sounds from inside.
On the walls hung several forged swords, and various other weapons leaned against the wall.
"Is anyone here?"
"Coming, customer!" A dark-skinned man walked out from the inner room, his face beaming with smiles, and said, "Customer, what do you need? Our small shop specializes in making all kinds of tools. Whether it's farming tools, cooking utensils, or weapons and armor, we can make them. But for armor, you need to have official documents from the government, otherwise, I wouldn't dare... Hehe!"
Zhang Chen briefly looked him over, and the Insight Eye immediately activated.
【Name: Li Ju】
【Attributes: Superhuman Strength (Blue), Blacksmithing Mastery (Purple), Divine Weapon (Purple)】
【Blacksmithing Mastery (Purple)】: You are an excellent blacksmith, skilled in blacksmithing and forging techniques. (Greatly reduces the failure rate during blacksmithing)
【Divine Weapon (Purple)】: You can sometimes forge items of extremely high quality. (The higher the quality of materials used, the more likely you are to forge high-quality items)
Not bad, he's quite an outstanding blacksmith!
Zhang Chen thought to himself and said, "I want to forge a sword. The material needs to be excellent. Do you have any good materials here?"
Li the Blacksmith smiled and said, "Easy, easy. Our small shop has high-quality refined iron, which is perfect for forging a sword for you, customer. The price, however, will be three thousand coins."
"The price isn't a problem, but I need it urgently. Can it be forged within three days?"
"Three days..." Li the Blacksmith pondered for a moment. "That's a bit rushed. If the customer could... Hehe..."
"Five thousand coins. I'll pick up the goods in three days."
"Alright! You can count on it!"
Immediately, Zhang Chen paid a deposit of two thousand coins and turned to leave the shop.
Turning the corner of the street, he saw three or five young children happily playing in a corner. Several of them were gathered in a circle, bouncing and chanting a nursery rhyme.
"Imperial aura thrives in the eastern capital, ill fortune hides in the central hub."
"A demonic star appears in the northwest, chaos emerges from it."
!!!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was greatly shocked.
Weren't these the words he had spoken with Dong Zhao and Ju Shou that night at the Yingtao County Government? How did they spread to Ye City? And even get sung as a nursery rhyme?
Zhang Chen was quite surprised by this. He knew well what the consequences would be if such a nursery rhyme reached the ears of those with ulterior motives!
Zhang Chen quickly walked over and asked the children, "Hey, kids, where did you hear this nursery rhyme?"
"Everyone is singing it, so we just followed along," the children said with laughter.
It seemed this nursery rhyme had been circulating for several days.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Who leaked the information? And what was the purpose of doing so?
Zhang Chen didn't believe that Dong Zhao and Ju Shou would do such a thing, as it would not benefit them.
Could it be that there were people with malicious intentions in the Yingtao County Government who overheard their conversation that night?
But what was the point of doing this? Was it to harm him?
Even if this nursery rhyme spread to the capital and reached the emperor's ears, no one would know that it originated from Zhang Chen's mouth. Nursery rhymes spread by word of mouth and were impossible to trace. The emperor wouldn't issue a decree to kill those children.
Doing this would only achieve one result: causing panic and unrest among the people, making the already precarious Great Han even more unstable.
Wait!
Yellow Heaven Holy Sect!
This name flashed through Zhang Chen's mind. The Yellow Heaven Holy Sect was developing rapidly in Great Deer, and it was not impossible for it to spread to Ye City. And what they needed most was the support of the people. Only when people's hearts were unstable could they incite them and gain followers.
There were actually people from the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect mixed into the Yingtao County Government!
Zhang Chen furrowed his brow, walking and pondering in silence.
If there were Yellow Heaven Holy Sect informants in Yingtao County, he should notify Dong Zhao as soon as possible to be vigilant.
But then he thought, hadn't the County Magistrate Geng Wen also been exposed? Surely with Dong Zhao's ability, a few spies would be no match for him!
"Oh dear!"
With a cry of surprise, Zhang Chen felt something bump into his chest, followed by a delicate jasmine fragrance.
Zhang Chen's family had been merchants for generations. Although he was not skilled in business matters, he could distinguish between good and bad goods.
That was the scent of high-quality rouge, elegant and tranquil, unlike common inferior products with their strong, vulgar fragrance.
Such goods were expensive and could only be afforded by daughters of wealthy and prominent families.
"Hey, you, you, you! Didn't you watch where you were going!"
Only then did Zhang Chen see that two young ladies were standing in front of him.
One of the young ladies, about thirteen or fourteen years old, was petite with lively eyes and eyebrows. She wore her hair in twin buns, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks.
The young lady raised her delicate hand and pointed at Zhang Chen, scolding, "Who are you? You bumped into my Miss, hurry up and apologize to her!"
"Jinxiu, don't be rude." The other young lady beside her lightly rebuked her, then turned and bowed to Zhang Chen, saying, "My servant is ill-mannered, please forgive her, Gongzi."
Zhang Chen looked at her and couldn't help but be somewhat stunned.
This young lady was a little taller than the maid beside her, appearing to be about sixteen years old. She wore a light green, elegant embroidered dress. With that bow just now, her every movement revealed the gentle and serene demeanor of a young lady from a prominent family.
Zhang Chen quickly returned the bow and said, "I was momentarily distracted and bumped into Miss, please forgive me."
As Zhang Chen spoke, he straightened up, and the young lady also rose. Their eyes met, and they looked at each other.
The young lady's skin was like congealed fat, her face like a hibiscus flower, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes held the clarity of autumn water. She was truly like a person from a painting.
As they looked at each other, the young lady smiled slightly, her smile as beautiful as a flower, with a pair of dimples appearing faintly on her cheeks.
At this moment, Zhang Chen couldn't help but feel a little dazed and involuntarily activated the Insight Eye to examine her.
【Name: Zhen Jiang】
【Attributes: Young Lady of a Prominent Family (Purple), Well-Read and Courteous (Purple), Prominent Clan (Gold)】
【Young Lady of a Prominent Family (Purple)】: You are the eldest daughter born into a high-ranking noble household.
【Well-Read and Courteous (Purple)】: You have received an excellent education since childhood, are well-read in many books, and are knowledgeable in etiquette.
【Prominent Clan (Gold)】: You come from a prominent clan. The person who marries you will enjoy a very high reputation boost. (Marrying her can significantly increase your reputation)
!!!
It was her!