Chapter 22, the Twenty-Second Side of Nanjin Screen

Jiang Linzhi had long wanted to extend this olive branch to Lu Huantang. He was no ordinary man; he couldn't stay cooped up in a gold mine filled with the stench of money every day.

Since the regent will definitely be in a difficult position anyway, it's better to put him in the open. The more people make things difficult for him, the more people will naturally help him.

Lu Huantang strode confidently to the center of the hall. Instead of taking the pen offered by the maid, he gently raised his hand, and the plum blossoms in the vase ten steps away fell into his palm as if they had eyes.

Lu Huantang swept his branches horizontally, his dress fluttering, making one feel as if they were riding the wind atop a mountain peak. His movements—pointing, stabbing, flicking, and parrying—flowed like water, like a rainbow or a dragon, one after another. Truly, "Swift as Yi shooting down nine suns, graceful as emperors riding dragons. Coming like thunderbolts gathering their fury, ending like the calm light of the sea."

After concluding a breathtaking display of skill, Lu Huantang picked up a silver wine pot from a nearby table, which landed smoothly on a plum blossom branch. With one hand pressed against the blade of his sword, he poured wine, while with the other, he swiftly used the flower branch to write a few powerful lines of characters on the hall's carpet:

We wash our soldiers on the waves of the Lop Nur River, and let our horses graze on the snowy grass of the Tianshan Mountains.

Wu's army used grain as a means of slaughter; throughout history, only the bones of peasants have been seen.

The flames of war never cease, and the battles never end.

In open field combat, one dies; a crow or kite pecks at one's intestines.

The moment this poem was recited, everyone was astonished. The Regent's faction only had one person of exceptional martial arts skills; they were unaware that Lu Huantang possessed such talent.

The royalists' eyes lit up, thinking they had gained another powerful general. After all, the royalists were mostly civil officials, and military generals were really scarce.

Since Fan Qi disappeared more than twenty years ago and the Wu Kingdom withdrew its troops, it has not launched any large-scale wars. However, the Wu Kingdom did not give up easily and often sent troops to probe or send people to find out Zhu Yan's secrets.

Lu Huantang knew the hardships the soldiers endured in battle and that they deserved respect and admiration; he would not allow a few gossipy people to trample on their virtues.

Lu Huantang bowed respectfully to the emperor from afar, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject accidentally spilled wine on the screen. I deserve to die." Everyone looked over, but there was no wine on the screen; instead, there were many small holes. When the candlelight shone through, the four large characters "Mountains and Rivers Forever" became visible, reflected around the hall.

This breathtaking scene prompted the Regent to be the first to applaud, and with a wave of his hand, he exclaimed, "A hundred taels of gold as a reward!"

The emperor was there, yet the regent proceeded with rewards and punishments first, showing utter disregard for the emperor.

The emperor was not one to swallow his anger, and laughed, "This reward is probably not enough. On this festive occasion of the New Year, how about I bestow upon you an official position? Then you won't have to keep calling yourself a commoner."

Before the Regent could say anything, Lu Huantang hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Regent, for the reward."

The gold was in hand, and the official position was in hand. For the Regent to object now would be petty. However, there's always a way to sabotage things. The Regent said, "I do indeed have an important position under my command. Previously, we lacked capable people, but now this opportunity has arrived. This is a great fortune for the nation."

The higher one's hat is worn, the more difficult it becomes to hold that official position.

Soon, the new official hat arrived, and the new seat was arranged. Far ahead of Jiang Linzhi.

The Regent raised his cup to toast the Ministry of Rites advisor, saying meaningfully, "Lord Zhang, this poem is far superior to your literary talent in my opinion."

In this contest, no one won. Jiang Jinyi could give away an official's hat just as easily as he did the same. The Ministry of Rites advisor was so shocked that his palms were sweating profusely, leaving a deep mark on his official robes. He dared not answer.

The emperor has just acquired a talented general. How can a group of scholars help this general, and what will they lose in a territory they are completely unfamiliar with?

The banquet livelyened again, and Lu Huantang quickly began toasting the officials. The alcohol made him sluggish, and his hands trembled slightly, not out of fear of what lay ahead, but out of excitement and anticipation. The more challenging something was, the more worthy it was of Lu Huantang.

Jiang Linzhi was drowsy from the warmth of the hall. She gave Lu Huantang a reassuring look and got up to go out for some fresh air. As she passed through a dimly lit passageway, she was suddenly blocked by Jiang Jinyi.

Jiang Jinyi gave the leading eunuch a look that made him back, and said to Jiang Linzhi, "His Majesty trusts you, so you're going to use that trust to give your male favorites preferential treatment?"

As soon as the eunuch left, the patrolling soldiers disappeared. Sure enough, the palace was full of his spies. Jiang Linzhi laughed and said, "Your Highness smells so jealous."

Jiang Jinyi grabbed Jiang Linzhi by the neck, pinned her against the wall, and said coldly, "I warned you before, stay out of politics. Use money to settle the people, and I can guarantee you won't be assassinated again."

"I only recommended him to the Regent because I saw his abilities. Your Highness now holds absolute power, and the world might fall into your hands before you know it." Jiang Linzhi narrowed her eyes, looking at him with a charming gaze, her hands gently stroking his strong forearms, then slowly moving upwards.

"Capable? What capabilities?" Jiang Jinyi sneered. "A stray dog, he has ulterior motives and can only fool you."

"Naturally, it's the ability on the bed." His hand reached Jiang Jinyi's firm chest.

Jiang Jinyi restrained the erotic fantasies in his mind, disgustedly let go, and left after uttering the words "utterly dissolute."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Linzhi grabbed Jiang Jinyi and suddenly said in a serious tone, "The three great families of Wu have embezzled 30% of the snuff bottles from private dealers. The prices are low, which has squeezed out the government-sold ones."

This practice has existed since the beginning of the snuff bottle trade. Initially, the amount involved was small, and it was mainly for the amusement of high-ranking officials and nobles. What does Jiang Linzhi mean by saying this now? Moreover, how can he interfere in the affairs of the Wu Kingdom?

Jiang Jinyi thought to himself, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You know about my private dealings with the three major families, right?" Jiang Linzhi asked frankly.

Jiang Jinyi's eyes sharpened. This matter was originally one of his trump cards to bring down Jiang Linzhi, but she had casually revealed it herself. What exactly was she trying to do? He quickly glanced around and hissed, "Insolence!"

Seeing Jiang Jinyi's expression, Jiang Linzhi understood the answer and continued, "There are so many snuff bottles in Sancheng. They want to hoard a large one. On the surface, they can't sell them and won't buy from us anymore. The smugglers will then drive down the price as much as possible, forcing us to give in. The profit difference is equivalent to half a year's military pay. We absolutely cannot give in, and we absolutely cannot be trapped."

"This is your own business, you brought it upon yourself, so you must resolve it." Although Jiang Jinyi was deeply shocked, not expecting such a far-reaching issue, his expression remained cold. "Or perhaps I can help you, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted. Jiang Linzhi said, "Your Highness doesn't need to help with such a trivial matter. I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't even think about pulling me away from His Majesty's side this year. If something happens to me, the snuff bottle will be in trouble, and the entire Sui Kingdom will be in turmoil. Your Highness must always distinguish between public and private matters."

Touched on his recent lapse in composure, Jiang Jinyi gritted his teeth and scoffed, "I don't need your reminder." He then turned and left.

Jiang Linzhi called out to Jiang Jinyi from behind, "It's cold this year, and Your Highness's old injury is hard to heal. It would be best if you wore a thicker knee brace."

The departing figure walked even faster, and soon disappeared around the corner of the palace wall.

Jiang Linzhi continued walking forward and unfortunately saw several young men surrounding Nan Jinping by the deserted Mirror Lake.

Rumors circulated that Nan Jinping was a womanizer, and those young men had lost all sense of propriety in their words and actions. Looking at their lewd behavior, Nan Jinping angrily shouted, "Who do you think you are? Get out of here!"

"Stop pretending. If you can find male prostitutes, why can't you have some fun with us?" The group took a few more steps closer, and even the finest clothes couldn't hide the filth in their eyes.

"Just because I, the princess, enjoy playing doesn't mean I can let you play with me as you please. Take a piss and look at yourselves. Apart from these brocade robes, what kind of human beings do you have?" Nan Jinping rebuked sharply.

The young master thought she was playing hard to get and reached out to touch Nan Jinping's face.

Suddenly, there were four splashes as the four people fell into the frozen lake. The ice shattered instantly, and their legs became stiff and unresponsive from the cold. They thrashed about like cats that had fallen into the water.

Startled, Nan Jinping finally came to her senses, looked at Jiang Linzhi, and sneered, "I don't need your kindness."

Jiang Linzhi stopped talking, glanced at the frozen shore, picked up the headdress that Nan Jinping had just lost during her struggle, and turned to walk out of the palace.

Nan Jinping glanced at the terrified expressions on the four people's faces, lifted her skirt and followed, saying, "If you don't save them... don't come looking for me if something happens."

Jiang Linzhi calmly replied, "Mirror Lake is remote. Those few people just drank too much and accidentally fell into the water. I was questioned by the Regent, and you were waiting outside the palace to argue with me. What does that have to do with you and me?"

"Who's waiting for you? Don't flatter yourself," Nan Jinping turned her head and snorted. "I... I just think you don't know any manners and will definitely get lost in the palace and bump into others, just to watch the show."

"Whatever you want." Jiang Linzhi didn't care that he had left himself a weakness.

After a long silence, Nan Jinping spoke first, "Hey, that guy you... the one you brought with you today, he's not exactly a gentleman." Nan Jinping's eyes darted around, pretending to mention it casually.

“Nan Jinping,” Jiang Linzhi suddenly spoke, a sly smile on his face, “is he no good?”

"It's not that it's impossible, to be honest, he's quite good. Hey, are we talking about that kind of thing? I mean his character, you know. He's all sweet talk and looks like a womanizer. He can sleep with a stranger right after meeting him. Can he be reliable?"

Jiang Linzhi chuckled as he looked at Nan Jinping's indignant expression.

Nan Jinping stopped her rambling comments. "What are you doing? What are you laughing at?"

"Does the princess think my judgment is worse than yours?" Jiang Linzhi raised his chin slightly, glancing at Nan Jinping provocatively.

“Those people just now, they came up to me on their own, what does it have to do with me! You unlucky things!” Nan Jinping hurriedly defended herself.

Jiang Linzhi followed her lead and said, "With the maids and nannies around you, they always like to look at others first, making judgments and saying how superior they are, but they forget to look in the mirror first. It's not your fault, but if you let them all dare to come near you, then you are incompetent. Don't go looking for those random advisors."

The following words were utterly merciless, causing Nan Jinping's face to flush red and then pale.

With the palace gates in sight, Nan Jinping had already spotted Lu Huantang, who had been standing there for who knows how long. She scoffed inwardly at his pretentious act and said fiercely, "Tch! You have the nerve to talk to me like that? Be careful you don't even know how you died."

She walked away angrily, and as she passed Lu Huantang, a playful thought struck her. She deliberately touched his chest lightly and said with a coquettish smile, "See you another day~"

Lu Huantang reacted even faster, taking a step back to avoid Nan Jinping, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Respectfully seeing off the Princess."

Ignoring Jiang Linzhi, Nan Jinping said directly to Lu Huantang, "Why be so polite? If you want to see me, you can come anytime. Our relationship is closer than others'." Nan Jinping deliberately emphasized the words "others," as if she wanted to plaster those words on Jiang Linzhi's face. After speaking, Nan Jinping's gaze flickered, and she turned away shyly, leaving behind a lingering, rich fragrance in the air conditioning.

“Miss…” Lu Huantang began somewhat awkwardly.

Jiang Linzhi placed his hand in his, saying nonchalantly, "From today onwards, you are Lord Lu. Let me enjoy the privilege of you helping me into the carriage one last time."