Chapter 38 The Thirty-Eighth Spy

Under the blazing sun, Lu Huantang felt anxious and irritable, but he had to appear respectful on the surface because he was Jiang Jinyi's spy planted next to Jiang Linzhi.

The punishment was real, but the rejection of those who talked back was a pretense. From beginning to end, Lu Huantang was the Regent's man. Jiang Jinyi, who admired talent, would not easily abandon such a capable and intelligent person.

Therefore, the gold mine was something Lu Huantang deliberately told Jiang Jinyi about. Jiang Jinyi had always known that Lu Huantang was lying about his mother's body. In the end, it was all an act between the two of them, cutting off the biggest pillar supporting Jiang Linzhi, leaving the Jiang family on the verge of collapse. Jiang Linzhi would either be devoured to the bone or buried under the rubble.

There are no safe havens on either side.

Lu Huantang clenched his fist and said respectfully, "I have failed in my duties. It will take some time to find out the secret recipe for making snuff bottles. The Crimson Flower will bloom soon, and we will definitely be able to find it then."

Less than a month after Zhu Yan blossomed, Jiang Jinyi scrutinized Lu Huantang. To be honest, Lu Huantang had changed too much, exuding the pressure and arrogance of a ruler, yet this change seemed perfectly natural on him, as if it were simply who he was. This feeling of being out of control made Jiang Jinyi doubt Lu Huantang's loyalty. He smiled faintly and said, "You wouldn't be thinking of turning this fake relationship into a real one, would you?"

Lu Huantang dared not take the risk. If he truly betrayed Jiang Jinyi, Jiang Jinyi wouldn't need to lift a finger; he could simply spread the word, and Jiang Linzhi's suspicions would be enough to kill him. Upon hearing this, Lu Huantang immediately knelt on one knee to pledge his loyalty, saying, "Your subordinate can distinguish between having meat to eat for a lifetime and having meat to eat only once."

Seeing his obsequious appearance, Jiang Jinyi felt relieved and said with a gentle smile, "With your current status, you don't need to kneel anymore. Get up quickly." Just as Lu Huantang was about to get up, Jiang Jinyi patted Lu Huantang's shoulder forcefully, pressing him down so that he couldn't stand or kneel. "Also, it's okay to play with women, but make sure you know who has played with her before, and think twice before you act."

No matter how harsh the words were, Lu Huantang had to endure them. He straightened his knees slightly and knelt down again. A respectful voice came from behind his obedient and loyal mask: "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I will remember it forever."

When Jiang Jinyi could no longer be seen on the long bridge, Lu Huantang calmly stood up, dusted off his clothes, looked ahead coldly, and gave a disdainful snort.

That night, Jiang Linzhi couldn't take it anymore. The water in her body boiled and evaporated repeatedly, only to stick back in. She was like a fish in a muddy swamp, using her own moisture to protect herself, drinking poison to quench her thirst—a suffocating madness. She pushed at the culprit in front of her, her voice hoarse, "Lu Huantang, you son of a bitch!"

“Calling me ‘Grandpa’ is useless. You might as well call me ‘husband’,” Lu Huantang said in a deep voice, which made Jiang Linzhi’s heart itch. He held her slender hand and let it roam down his strong chest, coaxing her with his body, “Be good, call me ‘husband’.”

Jiang Linzhi forgot whether her husband had called her that, but after her red face was flushed, she called him "Master" many times.

At the fusion of body and soul, his body seemed to open a door, and blinding white light shone into his dusty interior. Lu Huantang brushed away the strands of hair that Jiang Linzhi had stuck to his face. Each strand clung to Lu Huantang's heart, and his heartbeat slowly calmed down. "No matter what I do, I will protect you."

The person beneath him, with seductive eyes, tilted her head back to meet his moving lips and murmured, "Don't be so sentimental, it's too cheesy."

Knowing she was always good at ruining the mood, Lu Huantang chuckled and carried her to the bathroom to wash up.

"What!" Nan Jinping frowned, throwing the lychee in her hand to the ground. The maids in the room were so frightened that they knelt down. "They're engaged? Jiang Linzhi and that gigolo? Ah? That gigolo!"

The maid who came to deliver the message had never seen the princess so angry. Most of the time, she was just a little unreasonable, but there was nothing particularly reason for her to get angry. Today, she seemed genuinely upset. The maid was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "This servant dares not speak nonsense. They are handing out wedding candy in front of the Marquis's mansion."

It seems to be a fact now. Nan Jinping slowly sat down, gave a cold laugh, and unconsciously rubbed the outside of her index finger with her thumb.

Suddenly, she let out a nervous giggle, thinking to herself: It seems that Jiang Linzhi has been blind and deaf all these years. Such a man is certainly good to work with, but he is definitely the worst choice to marry.

Jiang Linzhi, Jiang Linzhi, you've finally met your match.

Until a soft "snap" was heard, Nan Jinping stopped thinking, looked at Shui Cong's broken nail, reached out to ask someone to help trim it, and said: "It's pretty, but it's not strong enough. Come on, let's go trim it for her."

A man arrived at the Jiang residence in a large entourage, only to find the servants bustling about, ignoring them completely. Nan Jinping didn't care, and went straight to the innermost part of the residence. She pushed open the door and immediately launched into a sarcastic remark at Jiang Linzhi, who was eating melon seeds: "Oh, you still have time to eat melon seeds? Be careful you don't end up not being able to bring back a single thing you moved there."

Jiang Linzhi gestured with his chin toward the chair next to him, indicating that she should sit down. He then reached out and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, handing them to her and saying, "Sit down and let's talk."

Few young ladies from noble families eat melon seeds loudly and inelegantly. Nan Jinping took the melon seed with disdain and handed it to the maid beside her, who then pulled it out. She said, "Don't say I didn't warn you. I've been with this man, and he's probably been with other women too. He's obviously a womanizer. Besides, he has no one at home, so he's hard to control. Furthermore, he now holds an official position; what can a mere merchant like you do to him?"

If this goes on, they could bring up eight or ten more reasons, Jiang Linzhi interrupted, "Are you worried about me?"

One sentence silenced Nan Jinping. She was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red. She stood up and pointed at Jiang Linzhi, cursing: "Worried about you? Ha, don't flatter yourself. Who do you think you are? This princess would worry about you? You're too presumptuous."

Jiang Linzhi calmly nodded as he ate sunflower seeds, seemingly agreeing with her words.

Seeing this, Nan Jinping became even angrier and said, "You were so clear-headed when you were scolding me, but you became confused when it came to yourself. Let me tell you, you'd better be more clear-headed or you'll be looked down upon by me." After saying that, she got up and left.

The maid peeled the melon seeds and presented them with both hands.

Nan Jinping angrily pushed him away, and said indirectly, "All you do is eat, eat, eat! You don't even know you're being fattened up like a pig." With that, she lifted her light red skirt and stormed out.

Jiang Linzhi smiled and continued eating sunflower seeds.

Inside the sedan chair, Nan Jinping unbuttoned the two buttons on her collar, took a few deep breaths, and twisted the handkerchief in her hand fiercely: "I'm so angry, so incredibly angry! This is simply outrageous!"

A maidservant served almond tea and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, you have always disliked Miss Jiang. Why bother yourself with trouble because of her? She may not appreciate your kindness anyway."

Nan Jinping thought and thought, finally recalling the unprecedented pleasure she had experienced that night and the cold bed she woke up in the next day, and felt resentful. She was always the one dumping others, never the other way around. She was determined to have some fun with Lu Huantang, so she said, "What do you know? She stole my fiancé, so I'll steal her fiancé too, and that'll be even."

Then, realizing his own words were unbelievable, he added, "This is about dignity; you little girl wouldn't understand."

The maid thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I heard that Lord Lu went to the border to avoid Miss Jiang. She must have some leverage over him this time. Why don't you seize this opportunity and challenge her?"

"What? Tell me in detail!" Nan Jinping suddenly became excited, spilling sweet tea on her hands.

The maid hurriedly wiped her clean and recounted the hearsay, embellishing it with her own words. She added a speculative touch at the end, "Lord Lu was powerless and insignificant back then. I heard that even after entering the room, he resisted fiercely and simply left Miss Jiang there. Later, it was Mr. Qi, fearing he would lose favor, who introduced him to the Emperor, which is why he went to the border!"

Nan Jinping thought this was true, and she laughed heartily, "Finally, she's met a man she can't handle! It's really hard for her to pretend she doesn't care, hahaha."

After Nan Jinping finished laughing, she leaned gently against the side and said, "Finally, I've found something to do. Even Jiang Linzhi has his shortcomings."

Nan Jinping secretly made up her mind that she must win this man over!

That afternoon, after leaving the palace, Lu Huantang was invited to the tea room by the servant of the Prince of Nanyang.

Lu Huantang was unsure why the Prince of Nanyang had requested a meeting, given his consistent neutrality, but it was certainly a good opportunity to win him over.

Guided by the servant, Lu Huantang entered the room. The aura behind the screen clearly belonged to a frail woman. Lu Huantang frowned and cautiously went around to the back of the screen. Sure enough, it was a woman—she wore a long, fitted dress with crimson cherry blossoms, which accentuated her graceful figure.

The person in the tea room was not the Prince of Nanyang, but Nan Jinping.

Upon seeing Lu Huantang arrive, Nan Jinping greeted him with a charming smile, dismissed the maids, and personally poured tea.

Lu Huantang feigned an air of having entered the wrong place and met the wrong person, saying, "Your Highness invited me here; is something keeping you from coming here?"

Nan Jinping pushed a cup of tea over and said, "No, it was I who invited you here in my father's name."

Lu Huantang bowed and asked, "What instructions does the Princess have?"

Nan Jinping asked tentatively, "Don't you recognize me, sir?"

It seems this means they want to rekindle their past relationship.

How could she not recognize him? But seeing that Lu Huantang didn't look up at her, Nan Jinping knew that he had something to hide, so she covered her mouth and chuckled, "Don't just stand there, sit down."

Lu Huantang sat down, only looking down at the teacup on the table.

Nan Jinping made no attempt to conceal her gaze as she looked Lu Huantang up and down, saying, "That day I thought you were just an ordinary merchant, but I never imagined that after a year, you would become a favorite of His Majesty."

Lu Huantang declined, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. I only hold an insignificant position. Your Highness is the pillar of the court."

Mutual flattery is meaningless, Nan Jinping suddenly said, "It's all my fault for being insignificant, it's normal that you don't like me. Now that I'm befriending you, I wonder if you'll still remember me?"

Lu Huantang nodded apologetically: "Your Highness is too kind. I dare not presume to do so."

Despite being indirectly rejected, Nan Jinping wasn't angry. Instead, she immediately adopted a pitiful expression, as if tears were about to fall, and said, "I didn't consider the interests of the court. I just felt that you, sir, were to my liking, and thus I wanted to befriend you. If you have any reservations... then just pretend... just pretend I didn't say anything today."

Nan Jinping had truly mastered the art of feminine charm, never mentioning their previous intimate encounter to avoid appearing promiscuous and further alienating Lu Huantang. At this moment, she was alluring yet refined, charming yet naive, inspiring affection in anyone who saw her.

However, Lu Huantang was also a master in this field. If he could use Nan Jinping to win over the neutral and worldly Prince of Nanyang, it would indeed be a good thing. But Nan Jinping's visit this time was clearly for personal matters, which was a bit troublesome. While going along with the situation, he also distanced himself from the official duties, saying, "That's not what I meant. If the princess doesn't mind my lack of experience and reputation, I am certainly willing to do my best for the Prince of Nanyang in the court." As he spoke, he picked up the cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.

The two chatted about this and that. When Nan Jinping left, she accidentally knocked over a heater and bumped into Lu Huantang's arms.