Chapter 261: Overestimating Your Abilities! (Seeking monthly tickets)

Lou Yuxue was unaware that Chen Yi was hiding nearby and eavesdropping.

However, she was indeed thinking about Chen Yi at that moment.

To be precise, it was "Liu Wu".

Of course, Lou Yuxue's thoughts were not on questioning "Liu Wu" for killing Lü Jiunan and delaying the meeting between General Star and King Lando.

Instead, he was considering the deal they had previously discussed.

“Since the Pavilion Master still decided to recruit him after learning that he killed Lü Jiunan, then my cooperation with him can continue.”

"But...it just so happens to be at this time..."

In fact, after receiving the deposit, Lou Yuxue had already used Mingyue Tower's channels to contact grain merchants in Jingzhou, Youzhou, Yanzhou and other places.

A preliminary estimate of 50,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain has been finalized.

However, there is still a significant shortfall in the 300,000 shi of grain that "Liu Wu" desired.

It wasn't that Lou Yuxue couldn't find more, but rather that she knew the culprit behind the rising grain prices in Shuzhou was the "Jizhou Merchant Guild".

Fifty thousand shi of grain was already the limit of what she could buy through her channels.

If they buy more, the news will probably reach the ears of the people in the Jizhou trading company.

At that time, even if she is in charge of Mingyue Tower, and even if she uses the excuse of making a little money, she will not be able to bypass Jizhou Trading Company.

They didn't even need to show their faces; as long as the leader of Mingyue Tower sent a message, she would obediently hand over the grain.

Alternatively, she could cooperate with the Jizhou Merchant Guild in their operations in Shuzhou.

After all, Mingyue Tower was originally dominated by the Jizhou Merchant Guild.

Therefore, after Lou Yuxue left the tailor shop, she did not return directly to Chunyu Tower.

Instead, they went around in circles and blocked Cui Qingwu's carriage.

"Luanfeng, let's talk."

Huan'er, who was driving the carriage, looked her over and frowned, saying, "Lady Tiger, it's late, my young lady should rest."

At this moment, Cui Qingwu, who had heard the voice, said from inside the carriage, "It wouldn't hurt to hear what she has to say."

"For the tigress, who is usually so cold to us, to come and intercept us in the rain, it must be a big deal."

Lou Yuxue nodded noncommittally, "Let's talk in private."

"No need for all that trouble, get in the car."

"I don't want to miss my rest time because of your matter."

Just as Lou Yuxue was about to get into the car, she heard Cui Qingwu say with a hint of disdain:

"Put your raincoat, straw hat, and boots outside the carriage so they don't get my vehicle dirty."

Lou Yuxue's eyelids twitched, "...Okay!"

She immediately took off her raincoat, straw hat, and boots and placed them under the feet of the driver, Huan'er, before lifting the curtain and sitting inside the carriage.

A warm light hangs down from the ceiling, illuminated by candlelight.

Inside the small carriage, carpets imported from the Western Regions shimmered with golden light and were as soft as tiger skin.

Cui Qingwu, unlike her previous indifference in front of the general, leaned lazily against the jade pillow, her body veiled by a light gauze, her hazy figure vaguely visible.

Lou Yuxue glanced at it, sat cross-legged on the outside, and said, "I have a request."

Cui Qingwu propped Zhen's head up with one hand, looked at her with clear eyes, and said with a half-smile:

"It's surprising to hear the word 'ask' from your mouth."

"Even when you asked me to find a hiding place, you didn't use this word."

"What's wrong, Lady Tiger? What's gotten into you?"

Lou Yuxue ignored her teasing and said directly, "I need to purchase 200,000 shi of grain."

Cui Qingwu was slightly taken aback. "Two hundred thousand shi? What are you going to do with so much grain?"

"Grain prices in Shuzhou have been rising recently, and I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to make some money."

This was the most suitable reason Lou Yuxue could think of, and it wouldn't expose her cooperation with "Liu Wu".

Cui Qingwu asked thoughtfully, "Is it really that simple?"

She clearly didn't believe it.

Just as she said—the tigress was always indifferent to her and would never speak to her unless it was something important.

Just to make money... that's a rather ridiculous reason.

“It’s that simple!”

Lou Yuxue said with certainty, "We are still 70,000 taels of silver short of what we promised to give the hawks. We can take advantage of the food shortage in Shu Prefecture to make some money."

Cui Qingwu's heart skipped a beat. "I can agree, but I want 20% of the profit."

"At most 10%."

"This rise in grain prices in Shuzhou won't last long, so I just want to get in and out quickly and not make much money."

After a pause, Lou Yuxue snorted, "If those grain shops didn't have the 'Jizhou Trading Company' backing them, I wouldn't have come looking for you at all."

Upon hearing this, Cui Qingwu gave her a deep look.

If that's the case, then there's a good chance it's true.

The merchants of Jizhou are the most greedy, and it is indeed in line with their style to commit such a disastrous act against the country and the people in Shuzhou.

"I agree."

"The food will be delivered to you within ten days."

Thank you.

Just as Lou Yuxue was about to leave, Cui Qingwu called out to her, "What do you plan to do about Liu Wu's matter?"

"You mean 'inviting him to join the White Tiger Guard'?"

"You know perfectly well why you would willingly let him join you after he embarrassed you so much."

It's not that it's impossible.

Lou Yuxue thought to herself, but said with an unchanged expression, "Neither of us can refuse the orders of the Pavilion Master, can we?"

“That Liu Wu embarrassed me at Yunfan’s place before, I don’t want him to join the White Tiger Guard.”

"You want to disobey?"

"It's not that it's impossible... Never mind, I can compromise."

"How about you teach him a lesson for me?"

Lou Yuxue said irritably, "Not very good."

"I advise you not to have such thoughts, it's not worth it."

Are you crazy?

Not to mention that "Liu Wu" hasn't agreed to join the White Tiger Guard yet.

Even if she agreed, based on Lou Yuxue's understanding of him, that bastard would never let himself be manipulated.

Besides, what could she possibly use to teach "Liu Wu" a lesson?

In terms of martial arts cultivation, she couldn't compare.

Poisoning or using witchcraft would have almost no effect on a master physician.

Or perhaps we could use our status as White Tiger Guards to pressure him?

Not only will it have no effect, it will also invite his retaliation.

Moreover, now that the Pavilion Master has personally ordered Liu Wu to join the White Tiger Guard, who knows what kind of status he will be given?

Iron flag officer, silver flag officer, or gold flag officer?

Anything is possible.

Unless Lou Yuxue has lost her mind, she would never do something so unwise.

Cui Qingwu said, "This won't do, that won't do, do you still want that grain?"

"One thing at a time."

"you……"

At that moment, Huan'er, who was driving the car, knocked on the carriage.

"Miss, we have arrived at Tingyu Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Cui Qingwu swallowed the words in his mouth, sat up, and said, "You can leave now."

This place is too close to Tingyuxuan.

She didn't want to ruin her image in Chen Yunfan's eyes because of some insignificant person.

Lou Yuxue, unaware of her thoughts, got up, walked out of the carriage, dressed herself neatly, jumped off the carriage, and disappeared into the rainy night.

Huan'er watched her walk away and said with slight displeasure, "Miss, that woman really doesn't know her place."

Cui Qingwu hummed in agreement and lifted one side of the curtain to take a look.

"Later, inform Uncle Zhao and tell him to keep an eye on the movements at Mingyue Tower."

Although Lou Yuxue's reasons were reasonable, she was still somewhat skeptical.

After thinking it over, she decided to give one more instruction.

Huan'er responded with a "yes" and drove into Tingyuxuan.

As the two passed by the central courtyard, Cui Qingwu listened intently and a smile appeared on his face.

"parking."

"Miss?"

"It's so late, Brother Yunfan is still cultivating. I'll go take a look."

"yes……"

Cui Qingwu walked gracefully into the training ground with an umbrella and immediately saw Chen Yunfan practicing in the rain, with Chunying and others beside him.

"Brother Yunfan, how long have you been cultivating?"

Ning Yu and Niu Shan bowed respectfully but did not reply.

Chunying stepped forward and bowed, replying, "Miss Cui, the young master has been cultivating ever since he returned from the Provincial Administration Office."

"Three hours?"

Cui Qingwu recalled for a moment that Chen Yunfan was cultivating when she left earlier.

By this point, they had been cultivating continuously for three hours.

Thinking it over, she instructed, "Chunying, make a bowl of ginger tea for Brother Yunfan to warm him up."

Chunying hesitated for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave.

Ning Yu glanced at it sideways, her expression strange.

If he remembered correctly, Chunying had already brewed ginger tea.

Niu Shan, standing nearby, shared the same question, "Brother Ning, just now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Yu covered his mouth and said, "Watch the young master practice his sword and learn from him."

It's only because Cui Qingwu is here that he's taught Niu Shan a lesson.

Not long after.

Chunying returned with the ginger tea, and Cui Qingwu took it, smiling as she called out to Chen Yunfan:

"Brother Yunfan, it's already past 1 AM, why don't you take a break?"

Chen Yunfan paused, then swung his hand and unleashed a sword beam that cleaved through the rain.

Click.

On the training ground, steel and stone snapped instantly.

Seeing this, Cui Qingwu smiled and praised, "Brother Yunfan's swordsmanship is progressing rapidly. I believe he will soon break through to the perfect realm."

"Perfect?"

Chen Yunfan sheathed his sword, pursed his lips, and said, "It's still a long way off."

It was obvious that Chen Yi had already broken through to the perfect realm of spear technique long ago.

So much time has passed, his strength must have increased significantly.

Cui Qingwu didn't understand why he was in such a hurry, so she thought for a moment, took the towel, and went to greet him.

"Wipe yourself off, then drink this bowl of ginger tea."

Chen Yunfan did not refuse and took the towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

As he sipped his ginger tea, he casually asked, "Just got back?"

Cui Qingwu said with a smile, "I'm going to go and take a look at the newly brewed Langjiu being bottled at Yunqinglou."

Chen Yunfan nodded noncommittally, "It's getting late, let's get some rest."

"good."

After Cui Qingwu left.

After washing up, Chen Yunfan sat back on the bed and called Chunying over.

"Have you received a reply yet?"

"I was just about to report to you, young master, but the white-robed prime minister has already sent the letter to the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions. I estimate that a reply will arrive in a few days."

Chen Yunfan said "Oh," picked up a book, and asked listlessly:

Has anything happened in the city lately?

Chunying thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "There's not much new information."

"Ever since Liu Wu and Liu Lang killed the bandits from Vaishsa Kingdom, the government has been searching the city, but there has been no progress so far."

"It would be strange if those good-for-nothings could find any talent."

As Chen Yunfan read, he muttered to himself, "So what if they find the person?"

"Can you beat him?"

"How could they possibly handle a gunslinger who has reached the pinnacle of martial arts?"

Hmph, only I can win over Yi-di!

Looking at the expression on his face, Chunying felt that something was off.

But after thinking about it carefully, she didn't feel that anything was wrong, so she continued:

"Young master, you should also get some rest."

"Lord Yang invites you to his residence for a gathering early tomorrow morning."

Chen Yunfan put down his book and pondered, "To be honest, I really can't figure out why he contacted me this time."

"Young master, have you forgotten? The annual examination."

"Annual examination?"

"Yes, I heard that a few days ago, Mr. Yue Ming specifically sought out Lord Yang to offer his suggestions regarding the new regulations for the annual examinations."

"I suspect he summoned the young master to discuss this matter."

Chen Yunfan looked enlightened. "I see."

"The educational official who submitted the memorial to the emperor to revise the new regulations will surely receive Liu Hong's approval."

"Old Yang probably fears that if he brings it up, he will offend Liu Hong, so he wants me to be the one to take the lead."

Chunying nodded. "Young Master, what do you plan to do?"

"I agree."

"The rules for this year's annual examination are strange and unusual. It's hard to say what kind of bad intentions that old fellow Liu Hong might have."

"Besides..."

Chen Yunfan stopped talking, lay back on the bed, and groaned as he said:

"Besides, Yi-di will also be participating in this annual examination."

“If he is tricked, he will lose his scholar’s ​​degree.”

Chunying covered her mouth and laughed, "Isn't that even better? Then Young Master Yi can pay his respects."

"Hmm? Are you looking down on me?"

"If I were to defeat Brother Yi, I would do so honorably and fair. How could I possibly resort to such underhanded tactics?"

“Young master is right, I was wrong.”

"It's good that you know you're wrong. I'll punish you by making you finish the official business in my study."

"No rest until you've done your job well."

Chunying was both angry and amused, but seeing that he had already covered himself with the blanket, she could only agree and turn to leave the room.

I took a few steps.

She paused, a strange glint in her eyes.

"beat?"

"Is there anything Young Master Yi does that surpasses the young master's?"

"Young Master wouldn't want to compete with Young Master Yi in calligraphy, would he?"

That's really... a bit overestimating themselves...

...

Spring Rain Tower.

Lou Yuxue returned to the quiet room and was about to close the door when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

"You... Liu Wu?!"

The newcomer was Chen Yi, dressed in a black cloak. Standing outside the quiet room, he looked at Lou Yuxue, who had a surprised expression, and said with a smile:

"We meet again, Miss Yuxue."

Lou Yuxue let go of her hand and snorted, "I don't want to see you, you bastard."

She was already used to Chen Yi's elusive nature, so seeing him now wasn't surprising.

Chen Yi walked into the quiet room, unconcerned, and closed the door, saying, "If you really don't want to see me, why bother buying food from that Miss Cui?"

Lou Yuxue frowned. "You were following me?"

She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly pointed at Chen Yi and demanded, "Did you go to the tailor shop again?!"

Chen Yi sat down at the table with an air of nonchalance and waved his hand, saying, "Don't be so surprised. Didn't you already know that I knew something about your White Tiger Guard?"

"So, you already know that the Pavilion Master wants to invite you to join the White Tiger Guard?"

"I know."

"and you……"

"I refuse."

Chen Yi looked at her with a half-smile, then changed the subject: "But I'd like to hear how you're going to persuade me."

Lou Yuxue rolled her eyes at him and sat down opposite him.

"Since you don't want to join, no amount of persuasion will work."

"How will I know if I don't try? Maybe I'll change my mind."

"To join my White Tiger Guard is to pledge allegiance to the Pavilion Master and the Emperor, and to accept orders that often involve risking one's life..."

Before Lou Yuxue could finish speaking, Chen Yi waved his hand repeatedly.

"Forget it, forget it. Your White Tiger Guard has too high a threshold. I really can't afford to be a match for you."

Loyalty and such are fine, but they're just empty words.

But those transfers and such things would only add a lot of trouble to his leisurely life.

Besides, there's nothing he wants in the White Tiger Guards, so joining them would be a losing proposition.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi said, "Without further ado."

"Besides asking when that batch of grain will arrive in Shu Prefecture, I have another matter that I need your help with."

Lou Yuxue's expression softened slightly. "Before we get down to business, shouldn't you explain why you killed Lü Jiunan and Ge Muxiao?"

"Do you know how many things their deaths have affected?"

"If Lord General finds out about this, do you know what kind of punishment I will receive?"

Chen Yi removed his mask, looking completely unfazed, and said with a smile:

"If you're worried about these things, why bother hiding them for me?"

"You... Humph!"

Lou Yuxue felt suffocated.

She shouldn't have covered for that bastard, and she shouldn't have gone to Cui Qingwu to discuss purchasing grain before he arrived.

Chen Yi knew that she had indeed taken some risks, and said seriously:

"I promise you, once that batch of grain arrives, I will tell you about Lü Jiunan and Ge Muxiao."

"Before that, I need you to spread the word."

Lou Yuxue's expression softened, and she asked, "What's going on?"

"Not many, only two."

"Firstly, King Lando intends to lead the Peacock King's Banner to attack Shu Prefecture."

"Secondly, the son of Muhag, the Left King of the Barbarians, is in Shu Prefecture..."

(End of this chapter)