Chapter 73: Chen Zixiu, Are You Tacky?
Chen Bai had also noticed Lan Ruoyun’s gaze.
Out of politeness, he returned a smile.
Only then did Lan Ruoyun withdraw his gaze. “People say the line ‘the peach tree is young and lovely, brilliant are its blossoms’ describes a beautiful bride. I feel Mountain Lord’s eyes are no less dazzling.”
Chen Bai froze for a moment. “Lord Lan is also uniquely refined and clear-sighted, truly a famous scholar of Great Qian.”
A flower sedan chair was carried by people praising each other. Who did not know how to do that? Whoever blushed first would be the embarrassed one.
Qi Zheng: “…”
What were these two chatting about? A competition was a competition. Why were they chatting? The other party was an enemy. Chen Zixiu really was something. How could he not understand even this bit of the situation? It seemed that after this was over, he would have to properly remind him.
He had just thought this when Meng Huanchao, in the carriage beside him, suddenly said, “Both are bright and charming talents of Shangjing. Standing together, they really are pleasing to the eye.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Qi Zheng said with a dark face, “Nonsense. How can you tell they’re pleasing to the eye? They are clearly enemies fighting to the death, their eyes already red from hostility.”
Meng Huanchao: “…”
Was Qi Zheng blind? Could he not see that the two were getting along quite harmoniously?
Meng Huanchao actually examined them seriously for a moment. Fighting to the death? Eyes red from hostility? There was none of that at all. It was completely Qi Zheng’s wild imagination.
After Qi Zheng spoke, he ignored Meng Huanchao and looked toward the presiding official instead.
What was wrong with this presiding official? If it was a competition, then start the competition. Why let these retainers chat idly, as if they were old friends meeting again after years apart?
These retainers served different masters. What was there to talk about? No matter how much they chatted, it was not as though any feelings would come from it. When it was time to strike ruthlessly later, he did not believe anyone would show mercy.
Fortunately, at this moment, the presiding official announced the beginning of the match.
After the announcement, Chen Bai asked, “This round’s content is how to seize three cities from Yan. How will victory or defeat be judged?”
After all, if it was a contest of theory, everyone could express their own views, and each could claim their own reasoning. Who could know whose method would truly be more useful?
There were many wild and imaginative ideas, but whether they truly fit reality and could be put into practice was another matter.
Everyone pricked up their ears. After all, this question was worth three points. How victory and defeat would be determined was crucial.
The presiding official seemed to have known everyone would ask this, or perhaps the answer had long been prepared. He replied, “Naturally, it will be judged by actual action. Whoever helps Great Qian seize those three cities first wins. The method itself is secondary.”
Chen Bai froze. So… it was not a contest of theory, but to see who could truly take three Yan cities first. This…
Only the result mattered, not the process. Each would rely on their own ability. Thinking about it, this method of judging victory or defeat was indeed reasonable. No one would be able to decide the winner based on personal preference.
It was just that, actually using the seizure of three cities as the subject… this question was truly…
Sure enough, the moment the presiding official’s voice fell, the spectators erupted into an uproar. They had originally thought it would only be a competition of theories.
“Yan is already wealthy, and now it has formed an alliance with Ba and Wei. How could anyone obtain three cities from them?”
“Exactly. This question is simply unsolvable.”
The presiding official continued, “As for what strategies each of you has, we will not ask here, lest the news leak. Today, inviting the retainers onstage is merely a matter of formality.”
Chen Bai frowned. This question would probably not produce a result in a short time. How long was this imperial princes’ competition supposed to continue?
The presiding official continued, “After this round, there will only be one final round left. In other words, this is the second-to-last round. Retainers, please seize this opportunity. Its importance needs no further explanation.”
Today’s match was indeed just a formality, letting each retainer show their face and letting the people and officials of Shangjing know what this round was about.
Once it was announced, it essentially meant they could disperse. This was completely different from yesterday, when a sea of people had gathered together to watch the spectacle.
However, although the people dispersed, the excitement was even greater than yesterday. All of Shangjing was discussing this round. Because secrecy was required, they could not see how the competition would be carried out, but everyone was waiting for the result.
After Chen Bai stepped down from the platform, he got into the carriage. Unexpectedly, Qi Zheng also came in.
Chen Bai did not mind and said, “What method do you think Lan Ruoyun will use to win this round? Since they knew the question in advance, they couldn’t have casually sent someone up.”
After asking, he received no answer from Qi Zheng. He could not help lifting his head from his thoughts and looking over, only to find Qi Zheng narrowing his eyes at him.
What was wrong? Qi Zheng’s gaze was strange. He had only gone onstage for a little while. Had something happened?
Qi Zheng snorted through his nose. “Nothing.”
Mountain Lord’s eyes were indeed beautiful, like peach blossom eyes. No wonder Lan Ruoyun had kept looking at them.
Chen Bai: “…”
For some reason, he actually sensed a trace of arrogance and disdain in Qi Zheng’s voice. What did that mean?
Chen Bai was now in the identity of Mountain Lord, so he definitely could not return directly to the Court Commandant’s Estate. Moreover, he still had matters concerning this round to discuss with Qi Zheng, so the carriage went straight to Qi Zheng’s residence.
On the road, Qi Zheng suddenly asked, “What do you think of that Lan Ruoyun?”
Chen Bai casually replied, “Great Qian’s Lord Lan, known as the Dream-Borne Divine Lord. Seeing him today, his temperament is indeed like a secluded orchid, refreshing to the mind. He seems to be someone with some ability.”
Qi Zheng lowered his eyelids and suddenly said, “He is merely good-looking. His reputation is not even as good as Meng Huanchao’s. He is just so-so.”
Chen Bai: “…”
What was wrong with Qi Zheng?
“If he had no ability, would he have been chosen to compete in a match like this?”
Qi Zheng said, “You cannot judge a person by appearance. Chen Zixiu, I’ve realized that you judge people’s good and bad entirely by their looks, don’t you?”
Mountain Lord was different. He looked at a person’s inner qualities. Even an ice-block face could become a good friend. Unlike Chen Zixiu, who saw someone good-looking and could immediately chat with them. His heart was far too restless.
Chen Bai muttered, “So what if my worldview follows the person’s face? Isn’t there a saying that appearance reflects the heart? Someone who looks pleasing to the eye is nice to look at and benefits everyone. Isn’t that also a good deed?”
Qi Zheng immediately became spirited and said with a black face, “Could you be any more vulgar? If people heard that, who knows, they might call you some lecher.”
Chen Bai laughed. “Do I look like I’m afraid of being called that? Go ask anyone in Shangjing. Who doesn’t know that Chen Zixiu of the Court Commandant’s Estate is not only lustful, but also lusts after men? With so many debts already, one more makes no difference.”
After speaking, he looked at Qi Zheng strangely. “Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about my personality?”
My god. Had he given Qi Zheng some sort of illusion, making him think he was the kind of upright, meticulous gentleman?
That would really be a grave sin.
Qi Zheng: “…”
Damn it. Who could have thought that the aloof and noble Mountain Lord in his heart was actually a lecher? No wonder he still could not adjust.
In a bad temper, he said, “This is your first time meeting Lan Ruoyun, right? Do you know what kind of person he is?”
Chen Bai gave an “oh” and asked, “Could there be a story?”
Qi Zheng scoffed. “Sure enough, you know nothing, yet you chatted so enthusiastically with him.”
After saying that, he continued, “Lan Ruoyun has the title Dream-Borne Divine Lord. Everyone knows it is used to describe him as someone whose appearance is no less than a heavenly lord reflected in one’s dream. But very few people know that there is another truth behind the origin of this title.”
“When Lan Ruoyun was thirteen, he traveled all the way to Yan to study. At that time, although Lan Ruoyun was still young, he was already astonishingly handsome, like carved jade and painted railings, stirring people’s imagination.”
“At that time, Yan’s crown prince, Ruohong, was upright in character and beloved by all. But after seeing Lan Ruoyun once at a banquet, he could no longer eat or sleep properly. Even in his dreams, he was haunted by Lan Ruoyun’s image. He called him a dream-borne gentleman, a heavenly lord, and from then on sank completely, unable to extricate himself…”
Chen Bai listened in a daze. “Wait. Isn’t the current crown prince of Yan Crown Prince Ruoqing? Where did this Crown Prince Ruohong come from?”
Qi Zheng glanced at Chen Bai. “He was deposed.”
Chen Bai opened his mouth. “Don’t tell me it was because he was obsessed with Lan Ruoyun…”
Damn. This Lan Ruoyun was way too amazing. He had only been thirteen at the time, yet someone actually lost the position of crown prince because of him.
Qi Zheng looked at Chen Bai. “Do you understand now? The so-called Dream-Borne Divine Lord, once seen, ruins a person for life. This is the origin of Lan Ruoyun’s title. It was only after the title spread to Great Qian that people thought it sounded unpleasant and changed its original meaning. The common people are ignorant and think it is some kind of praise. If you went to Yan and asked around, Dream-Borne Divine Lord is used to describe a calamity who ruins the country and harms the people…”
In the end, Chen Bai’s eyes lit up. “Amazing, amazing. Had I known earlier, I should have invited Lan Ruoyun for a cup of tea just now and talked to him about his feelings.”
The veins on Qi Zheng’s forehead bulged.
Chen Bai curled his lip. “Lan Ruoyun is just a little good-looking. He didn’t do anything wrong, did he? Someone couldn’t control himself and then blamed another person for being too beautiful? That Crown Prince Ruohong had poor self-control. Though it is a bit miserable, he can’t blame others for it.”
It was just like those monarchs who destroyed their countries in ancient times. How many of them pushed their own sins onto women and made those women bear the infamy of destroying a nation? It was truly laughable.
At that moment, Chen Bai’s carriage curtain was suddenly lifted. “Apologies. Your discussion was too loud. I truly did not mean to overhear.”
The speaker was Meng Huanchao, who was traveling with them. Hearing someone discuss his colleague Lord Lan, he could not help joining in.
Meng Huanchao said, “Mountain Lord, do you know that Wei is famous throughout the world for its spies?”
Chen Bai froze. Why did he suddenly say that?
Meng Huanchao continued, “Although Great Qian’s spies are far inferior to Wei’s, it does not mean Great Qian has none. Back then, the rise of Yan’s Crown Prince Ruohong was also quite famous among the states. Some even said Yan’s future rested entirely upon Ruohong alone. It can be seen that Crown Prince Ruohong was indeed someone capable of bearing great responsibility. And it was precisely when Crown Prince Ruohong’s reputation was at its peak that Lan Ruoyun entered Yan and traveled to the Yan capital to study…”
“When Yan produced a crown prince who might lead them to strength, what would an enemy state do?”
This time, Chen Bai was truly stunned. Among Great Qian’s relations with the other states, the worst was with Yan. Otherwise, why would the Yan merchant assassin come to assassinate Great Qian’s king instead of anyone else? Great Qian’s officials did not even need to investigate the reason before directly holding the Yan royal family accountable. This was not without cause.
Chen Bai opened his mouth. “This… What does this have to do with Lan Ruoyun? He was only… only thirteen at the time.”
For some reason, his heart felt as if someone had gripped it. A chill rose from the bottom of his heart, making all the hair on his body stand on end.
Meng Huanchao smiled and said, “Lan Ruoyun entered the Yan capital on the king’s orders.”
He rather admired this colleague of his. No wonder the man later became the Lan Guard among the king’s Four Hidden Guards, second only to him.
With just one sentence, all the logic connected.
Chen Bai was not stupid either. At the very moment Crown Prince Ruohong was at his peak, he happened to meet Lan Ruoyun, who had been sent by the king to the Yan capital, and then happened to fall so deeply that he was deposed as crown prince. These were probably not coincidences.
Chen Bai’s body trembled. In other words, that empty-valley beauty like an orchid had already been a Great Qian spy at such a young age.
Qi Zheng snorted coldly. “Now do you know how shallow you are? Appearance reflects the heart? People deceive childish, ridiculous fools like you.”
Chen Bai did not refute him. Wasn’t that exactly the case?
Meng Huanchao also smiled. Wasn’t that exactly the case? Who said good-looking people must have simple backgrounds and kind hearts?
“Do you understand how dangerous it is now?” Qi Zheng asked condescendingly.
Chen Bai nodded like a pecking chick.
“Will you still randomly chat with good-looking people in the future? Good-looking people are unreliable.” Qi Zheng looked down on Chen Bai with disdain, as if to say, serves you right for being vulgar all day.
Chen Bai said, “…No, at any rate, Lan Ruoyun also rendered such great service to Great Qian. Although his methods were a little… you know, isn’t it improper for you to speak of a meritorious official like this?”
Qi Zheng glared. Oh? He still dared to argue?
“What do you mean, his methods were only a little something? If I told you that to this day, Lan Ruoyun still corresponds with Yan’s deposed crown prince Ruohong, what would you think?”
Chen Bai’s mouth opened wide. “Re… really?”
After harming someone so miserably, he was still entangled with him? Lan Ruoyun was truly too…
And what exactly was that Crown Prince Ruohong thinking? Most people would probably hate Lan Ruoyun to death.
Meng Huanchao added from the side, “Crown Prince Ruohong should have guessed that Lan Ruoyun was a Great Qian spy. He simply sank so deeply that he could no longer free himself. It must be said, Lan Ruoyun truly has some methods.”
To make everyone in the world fall for him, or to make one person sink forever—whose methods were more brilliant was truly hard to say.
Chen Bai sighed with emotion, sighing over Crown Prince Ruohong’s stubborn obsession, and sighing over how Lan Ruoyun could use a person so thoroughly and yet carry no psychological burden.
The carriage arrived in front of Qi Zheng’s residence. When they got off, Qi Zheng added, “If you don’t want to be walked around like a dog, stay farther away from Lan Ruoyun in the future.”
The corner of Chen Bai’s mouth twitched. Although the words made sense, why did they sound so strange?
Qi Zheng flicked his head proudly and entered the residence without looking back. “Let’s see if you dare not learn your lesson next time.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Fine. Fortunately, Qi Zheng had warned him. Otherwise, he really might have been fooled by Lan Ruoyun’s highly deceptive appearance. In the end, they were competitors now. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was the only way to win every battle. There could not be any mistake in understanding the opponent.
Meng Huanchao was better. His inside and outside were consistent. Gentle and humble, getting along with him felt like being with an old friend of many years.
Meng Huanchao, however, did not enter the residence. Instead, he said, “I’ll return to the academy now. It happens to be time to prepare the students’ lessons.”
Chen Bai nodded. See? The world’s greatest confidant really was different. They were clearly not going the same way, yet he had silently accompanied them for part of the journey. Who would not feel warmth in their heart? Who would not want to take such a person as a confidant? “Be careful on the road.”
After Chen Bai saw off the approachable Meng Huanchao, he finally entered Qi Zheng’s residence.
Qi Zheng was already waiting for him in the study. For some reason, Qi Zheng seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Chen Bai: “…”
Only after meeting more people did one realize what kinds of strange people existed in the world. Take Qi Zheng, for example. His moodiness had reached a baffling degree. On the road, he had clearly looked like he wanted to shoot anyone he saw. But now, in the blink of an eye, his mood had changed again.
As a result, Chen Bai’s eyes lit up. “Incredible, simply incredible. If I’d known earlier, I should’ve invited Lan Ruoyun for a cup of tea just now. It would’ve been nice to hear his thoughts.”
The veins on Qi Zheng’s forehead bulged.
Chen Bai curled his lips. “Lan Ruoyun is just a little good-looking, that’s all. It’s not like he did anything wrong, right? Some people can’t control themselves, and in the end, they blame someone else for being too good-looking? Crown Prince Ruohong had poor self-control himself. Though he is a little pitiful, he can’t really blame anyone else, can he?”
Just like in ancient times, when so many rulers who had lost their kingdoms pushed their own sins onto women, making those women bear the infamy of destroying a nation. It was truly laughable.
Just then, the curtain of Chen Bai’s carriage was suddenly lifted. “Apologies. Your discussion was too loud. I truly did not mean to overhear.”
The speaker was Meng Huanchao, who was traveling with them. Hearing someone mention his colleague Lord Lan, he could not help joining in.
Meng Huanchao said, “Mountain Lord, do you know that Wei is famous throughout the world for its spies?”
Chen Bai froze. Why had he suddenly brought this up?
Meng Huanchao continued, “Although Great Qian’s spies are far inferior to Wei’s, it does not mean Great Qian has none. Back then, the rise of Yan’s Crown Prince Ruohong was also quite renowned among the states. Some even said that Yan’s future rested entirely upon Crown Prince Ruohong alone. It can be seen that Crown Prince Ruohong was indeed someone capable of bearing great responsibility. And it was precisely when Crown Prince Ruohong’s reputation was at its peak that Lan Ruoyun entered Yan and traveled to the Yan capital to study…”
“When Yan produced a crown prince who might lead them toward strength, what would an enemy state do?”
This time, Chen Bai was truly stunned. Among Great Qian’s relations with the other states, its relationship with Yan was the worst. Otherwise, why would that Yan merchant assassinate no one else but Great Qian’s king? Great Qian’s officials did not even need to investigate the reason before directly holding the Yan royal family accountable. It was not without cause.
Chen Bai opened his mouth. “This… What does this have to do with Lan Ruoyun? He was only… only thirteen at the time.”
For some reason, his heart felt as if it had been gripped by someone. A chill rose from the bottom of his heart, making the hair all over his body stand on end.
Meng Huanchao smiled and said, “Lan Ruoyun entered the Yan capital under the king’s orders.”
He actually admired this colleague of his quite a bit. No wonder the man later became the Lan Guard among the king’s Four Hidden Guards, second only to himself.
With just that one sentence, all the logic connected.
Chen Bai was not stupid either. At the very height of Crown Prince Ruohong’s glory, he just so happened to meet Lan Ruoyun, whom the king had sent to the Yan capital, and then just so happened to sink into obsession until he was deposed as crown prince. These things were probably not coincidences.
Chen Bai’s body trembled. In other words, that empty-valley beauty, elegant as an orchid, had already been a Great Qian spy at such a young age.
Qi Zheng snorted coldly. “Now do you know how shallow you are? Appearance reflects the heart? People deceive childish, ridiculous fools like you.”
Chen Bai did not refute him. Wasn’t that exactly the case?
Meng Huanchao also smiled. Wasn’t that exactly the case? Who said that beautiful people must have simple backgrounds and beautiful hearts?
“Do you understand how dangerous it is now?” Qi Zheng asked from above.
Chen Bai nodded like a chick pecking rice.
“Will you still randomly chat with good-looking people in the future? Good-looking people can’t be trusted.” Qi Zheng looked at Chen Bai with disdain, as if to say, serves you right for being vulgar all day long.
Chen Bai said, “…No, at any rate, Lan Ruoyun also made great contributions to Great Qian. Although his methods were a little… you know, isn’t it somewhat improper for you to speak of a meritorious official like this?”
Qi Zheng’s eyes sharpened. Oh? He still dared to argue?
“What do you mean, his methods were only a little something? If I told you that even now, Lan Ruoyun still exchanges letters with Yan’s deposed crown prince Ruohong, what would you think?”
Chen Bai’s mouth opened wide. “Re… really?”
After harming someone so miserably, he was still tangled up with him? Lan Ruoyun was really too…
And what exactly was that Crown Prince Ruohong thinking? Most people would probably hate Lan Ruoyun to death.
Meng Huanchao added from the side, “Crown Prince Ruohong should have guessed that Lan Ruoyun was a Great Qian spy. He simply sank too deeply to free himself. It must be said, Lan Ruoyun truly has some methods.”
To make everyone in the world fall for him was one thing; to make one person sink forever was another. It was hard to say which method was more brilliant.
Chen Bai sighed with emotion, sighing at Crown Prince Ruohong’s stubborn obsession, and sighing at how Lan Ruoyun could use a person so thoroughly without carrying the slightest psychological burden.
When the carriage arrived in front of Qi Zheng’s residence, Qi Zheng added as they got out, “If you don’t want to be walked around like a dog, stay farther away from Lan Ruoyun in the future.”
The corner of Chen Bai’s mouth twitched. Although the words made sense, why did they sound so strange?
Qi Zheng flicked his head proudly and entered the residence without looking back. “Let’s see if you dare not learn your lesson next time.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Fine. Fortunately, Qi Zheng had warned him. Otherwise, he really might have been fooled by Lan Ruoyun’s extremely deceptive appearance. In the end, they were competitors now. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was the only way to win every battle. He absolutely could not misjudge the other party.
Meng Huanchao was better. He was the same inside and out, gentle and humble, and getting along with him felt like being with an old friend of many years.
Meng Huanchao, however, did not enter the residence. Instead, he said, “I’ll return to the academy now. It happens to be time to prepare the students’ lessons.”
Chen Bai nodded. See? The world’s greatest confidant really was different. They clearly were not going the same way, yet he had silently accompanied them for part of the journey. Who would not feel warmth in their heart? Who would not want to take such a person as a confidant? “Be careful on the road.”
After seeing off the approachable Meng Huanchao, Chen Bai finally entered Qi Zheng’s residence.
Qi Zheng was already waiting for him in the study. For some reason, Qi Zheng seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Chen Bai: “…”
Only after meeting more people did one realize what kinds of strange people existed in the world. Take Qi Zheng, for example. His moodiness had reached a baffling level. On the road, he had looked like he was ready to shoot anyone he saw. But now, in the blink of an eye, his mood had changed again.
He had actually sensed from Chen Zixiu’s words the terror of this so-called trade war.
A war without smoke might not be any less cruel than one with blades drawing blood.
Moreover, Yan had never experienced such a war. They could not possibly have any defensive measures.
Having no defenses meant they could be acted upon at will. Once the plan succeeded, even if Yan realized what had happened, they would probably only be able to face riots caused by the collapse of people’s livelihoods.
“The only problem is that we need to provide enough salt to destroy Yan’s entire salt sales system. Relying on our salt lake alone definitely won’t be enough. We’ll have to make use of the official salt from various regions.”
“The benefit is that while achieving our goal, we can also make a profit from selling salt. The downside is that we’ll have to hand over the new refined-salt extraction technique.”
If Qi Zheng could become Great Qian’s future king, then handing the refined-salt technique over to the court was no big deal. After all, the entire Great Qian would belong to Qi Zheng in the future.
But if Qi Zheng failed, they would suffer a huge loss.
This was another increase in the stakes. If they lost, they would truly have nothing left.
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng talked for a long time. During this, Qi Zheng even got up and closed all the windows. This matter was of great importance; not the slightest bit of information could be leaked. Chen Zixiu’s method had far too high a chance of success. If used well, it might not be limited to only three cities.
Great Qian and Yan had the worst relationship, and it could even be said that they were proper enemy states. Frictions between them were usually intense.
This time, Yan was probably going to be taught a lesson they would never forget.
“You said Yan values commerce heavily but has no commercial protection measures. Is this their greatest weakness?” Chen Bai ended this conversation with that question.
Qi Zheng: “…”
Who could have imagined that war could be fought like this? He truly wondered how Chen Zixiu’s mind had come up with it. This finally let him understand that a flexible mind could be far more terrifying than sheer martial strength.
Chen Bai’s mouth was a little dry from talking, so he began drinking tea again.
Qi Zheng looked at Chen Bai. “The tea is cold. I’ll have someone replace it with a fresh pot.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Since when had Qi Zheng treated him so well? Tsk, tsk. How rare.
“No need. It’s about time. I should return to the Court Commandant’s Estate, or if I disappear for too long, they’ll send people everywhere to look for me.”
Qi Zheng watched Chen Bai leave. “Aside from his improper conduct, Chen Zixiu’s talent and insight truly are…”
Before he could finish, Qi Zheng froze and hurriedly stopped himself. This glory belonged to his spiritual friend, Mountain Lord. Chen Zixiu at most… at most borrowed Mountain Lord’s light.
If Chen Bai knew what Qi Zheng was thinking, he would definitely mutter, split personality really is terrifying.
After tidying himself up, Chen Bai returned to the Court Commandant’s Estate. Unexpectedly, Chen Xiaobu was sitting on the threshold.
“Brother, where did you go? I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”
Looking at Chen Xiaobu sitting on the threshold and teasing his Dalmatian, Chen Bai froze. He had been waiting specifically for him. “What’s wrong?”
“We haven’t gone to the teahouse to listen to storytelling in so long. I wanted to go out and play today, but Mother said I couldn’t leave unless someone took me.”
He had pitifully waited on the threshold for a long time.
Chen Bai smiled. “All right. Let’s go to the teahouse now.”
They could order some food too. It was about mealtime anyway.
This was the kind of life a person should live—wandering around Shangjing, looking at the lively streets, listening to storytelling. How nice.
In Chen Bai’s eyes, Chen Xiaobu was truly very fortunate.
Chen Xiaobu’s mouth stretched into a huge grin. He reached into his sleeve and took out a small purse. “Brother, I’ll treat you to wine today. Yesterday, I made such a big name for myself that Mother stuffed my purse full. I’m rich now.”
The people of Shangjing now called him Young Master Bu. He loved hearing people call him that.
Chen Bai looked at Chen Xiaobu’s little purse, then took Chen Xiaobu’s hand and walked toward the carriage outside. “Good. Today, you’ll treat. We’ll go to the best teahouse in Shangjing and relax for the whole day. No matter who comes looking for us, we’ll ignore them.”
He had already told Qi Zheng everything that needed to be done. The rest depended on Qi Zheng’s actions.
Speaking of which, his cooperation with Qi Zheng seemed to consist of him talking while Qi Zheng took care of everything else.
Where else could one find such a cooperative partner? Tsk, tsk. If he had met a partner who came to him for every little thing and could not make decisions on his own, that would have been exhausting.
Chen Bai had never imagined that he would one day feel so at ease letting someone else handle matters. Speaking of which, Qi Zheng really could handle these things thoroughly. Chen Bai did not need to worry about them at all.
Chen Bai took Chen Xiaobu out to play for the whole day, buying a messy pile of little things and adding quite a few new trinkets to Chen Xiaobu’s toy box.
The next day.
Chen Bai was still hesitating over whether it was inappropriate for him to be this leisurely and leave everything to Qi Zheng.
As a result, the steward of Qi Zheng’s residence actually came, saying that Qi Zheng wanted him to make a trip over.
Chen Bai froze. What could it be?
When Chen Bai arrived, Qi Zheng said directly, “The court has sent envoys to Yan.”
“Lan Ruoyun is the deputy envoy.”
Chen Bai froze. “Lan Ruoyun still dares to go to Yan? Isn’t he afraid of being shouted at and beaten by everyone? And wouldn’t it be awkward for him to see Crown Prince Ruohong? Tsk, tsk. Just thinking about it feels like a battlefield of emotions.”
Of course, that was only a joke.
Chen Bai continued, “Lan Ruoyun is the deputy envoy? In that case, this mission to Yan is for the matter of the three cities. So this was the king’s plan. They should have some strategy to persuade the Yan royal family to cede three cities. When the time comes, Lan Ruoyun, as deputy envoy, will probably be the key figure. That would be equivalent to Prince Zhuo winning this round. It seems we must move faster—at least before they persuade the Yan royal family, we must achieve our goal.”
Lan Ruoyun could not possibly succeed so smoothly that he only needed to say a few words and the Yan royal family would cede three cities. They should still have enough time.
Chen Bai said, “This is indeed an unexpected piece of news, and it also lets us know their method. But do you know what they are relying on to persuade the Yan royal family?”
Qi Zheng shook his head. Just like their own strategy, it would certainly be kept absolutely secret. No one would be allowed to know.
Chen Bai could not figure it out either.
And when news came back some time later, Chen Bai had no choice but to praise him. This Lan Ruoyun was simply a divine person. No, even “divine person” was not enough to describe this calamity of a beauty who could ruin a nation and its people.
