Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Thinking of this, Chen Jie thanked Zhao Ya. Zhao Ya smiled and said, ”You and I are to be husband and wife; we’re originally one. How can there be so many ’thank yous’ between us? All right, go drink properly with Brother Ni. I’ll go to the rear courtyard and also take the chance to get to know Sister Hua.”

Chen Jie said, ”Good idea. Sister Hua is a very good person. And with Yunjin there, it’ll be good for you to chat. You’ll have to be in frequent contact in the future.”

Zhao Ya lightly nodded and said, ”I understand.”

After this brief exchange, the two parted ways. Zhao Ya returned to the rear courtyard to look for Su Yunjin and the others.

Chen Jie entered the room. At this moment he saw that Ni Wenjun was already seated there, while Cuiju and the others at the side had finished setting out the dishes and wine.

Chen Jie came to Ni Wenjun’s side and said, ”Big Brother, Yaya was a bit rash just now, please be tolerant.”

Ni Wenjun, hearing this, looked at Chen Jie and said, ”Hehe, Jiu Si, I think the Commandery Princess is quite fine; she’s a good person. You mustn’t let that girl down.”

Chen Jie said, ”Brother Ni, what do you mean by that? Am I that kind of person?”

Ni Wenjun said, ”As long as you’re not, that’s good.”

After saying this, Ni Wenjun poured a cup of wine for Chen Jie and said, ”Just now I was interrupted halfway through. What is it you wanted to ask of me?”

Hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Ni Wenjun and said, ”Oh, Brother Ni, it’s like this. You know my relationship with the Commandery Princess. You’ve heard about what happened to the Ruyang King, right?”

Ni Wenjun said, ”I’ve heard a bit. Seems he was trapped by the court and is under soft confinement in the Great Capital?”

Chen Jie lightly nodded and said, ”Mm, that’s how it is. The Commandery Princess came this time precisely hoping I would go with her to get the Ruyang King out.”

Ni Wenjun said, ”Mm, a son-in-law rescuing his father-in-law is perfectly proper. You’re marrying their daughter, and now that something’s happened and they need you, you can’t shrink back.”

Chen Jie said, ”Mm, I know. So this time I’m going to head north to the Great Capital with the Commandery Princess.”

Ni Wenjun said, ”Then what do you need me to do?”

Chen Jie lightly nodded. ”Exactly, Brother Ni, this is what I wanted to ask of you.”

”We’re brothers; what ’ask’ is there to talk about? If there’s something, just say it. As your elder brother I’ll surely help you.”

Ni Wenjun readily agreed.

Chen Jie picked up the wine jar and poured Ni Wenjun a cup, then filled his own, and said, ”It’s like this, Brother Ni. I’m not afraid of going north to the Great Capital; I’m just afraid of a fire breaking out in the rear. Over these years I’ve made many enemies outside. If I leave Huangzhou Prefecture, I fear these enemies might come to our door and harm my wife, children, and family.”

”So I’d like to ask Brother Ni to help look after my household in Huangzhou Prefecture, and not let those enemies harm them.”

Chen Jie said this to Ni Wenjun.

Ni Wenjun burst out laughing when he heard it. ”I thought it was something serious. Looking after a brother’s family is what an elder brother ought to do. How does that deserve the word ’ask’?”

”Besides, there’s something I wanted to ask my younger brother for help with as well.”

Hearing this, Chen Jie said, ”As long as elder brother gives the word, there’s nothing your younger brother won’t do. I don’t know what elder brother needs help with?”

”It’s not some huge favor. Your Sister Hua is expecting.”

Ni Wenjun said mysteriously.

Chen Jie was stunned, his face full of disbelief, then he immediately beamed with joy, clasped his fists, and said, ”Hahahaha, then congratulations, Big Brother!”

Ni Wenjun said, ”Yes, I didn’t expect that at my age I could still have a child. But this has worried me sick. You know that all around me are soldiers; fighting and killing are no problem, but when it comes to caring for a woman and childbirth, that really stumps me.”

”I’m thinking Yunjin gets along very well with our Ah Hua, and Yunjin has also given birth to a child. She must be very experienced in this. So your elder brother is shamelessly asking your help—let our Ah Hua stay at your place for a few days. Have Yunjin and the others take some trouble to look after her. How about that?”

”That’s wonderful.”

Chen Jie clapped his hands in delight. ”I just asked Big Brother to help take care of my family, and Big Brother in turn asks me to look after Sister Hua. Isn’t this our brothers being of one mind?”

”Let Sister Hua live here, and Big Brother, you sit in Huangzhou Prefecture. That way we’re both at ease. Isn’t this a solution that serves both sides?”

Ni Wenjun also laughed and said, ”Exactly, exactly, it truly is a solution that serves both sides. Then it’s settled. Let your Sister Hua stay here for a while, and I’ll also stay in Huangzhou Prefecture for a while. I’ll wait for your return.”

”But there’s one thing we should make clear. I may be staying, but unless a strong enemy invades our territory, I absolutely won’t make a move. I hope you, Jiu Si, can understand this.”

Chen Jie said, ”All right, all right, everything will be as Big Brother says.”

In fact, Chen Jie very much agreed with Ni Wenjun’s stance. Although he needed Ni Wenjun to be in Huangzhou Prefecture, he didn’t want Ni Wenjun meddling in his internal affairs.

He knew that the system he had painstakingly built in Huangzhou Prefecture—if it were shattered because Ni Wenjun suddenly intervened—would leave him with more loss than gain.

Precisely because of this, when Ni Wenjun proposed that he would only handle external enemies and usually not make a move, merely staying in Huangzhou Prefecture without touching its internal governance, this was an immense boon to Chen Jie.

This spared Chen Jie from having to make other arrangements to guard against Ni Wenjun doing something reckless and throwing his foundations into chaos.

Now that Ni Wenjun had taken the initiative to propose this, it truly left everyone delighted.

Chen Jie raised his cup. ”Come, Big Brother, have a drink. After your younger brother leaves, the safety of Huangzhou Prefecture will be entrusted to you.”

Ni Wenjun laughed and said, ”Your business is your elder brother’s business; what ’entrustment’ is there to speak of? Besides, we’ll have to trouble that girl Yunjin to help look after your Sister Hua.”

Chen Jie laughed and said, ”You and Sister Hua hit it off at first meeting; you’re already like sisters. There’s no need for elder brother to entrust anything. Yunjin will naturally do her best. On this point, does elder brother still not feel at ease?”