Chapter 22 "Who wants to get your attention?! You..."
The newcomer was tall and slender, with fair skin and blue eyes, a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, and long, slightly curly hair tied up high, resembling a proud and beautiful little leopard.
Such a unique appearance... Ji Chengning tried hard to recall, and realized it was Jiang Linzhou, the ninth son of the Jingyang Wang family.
It is said that this seventh prince was born to the Prince of Jingyang and a barbarian concubine. Although he was quite handsome, he was disliked by the Prince of Jingyang because he resembled a barbarian too much.
"Young Marquis," Jiang Linzhou greeted him respectfully.
“Young Master Jiang,” Ji Chengning nodded, unable to resist glancing at Jiang Jiu a few more times.
Jiang Linzhou smiled and said, "Young Marquis, you are a new official, and all your colleagues feel very honored. We have specially booked a banquet at Yu Xie Lou. We wonder if you would do us the honor of joining us?"
Instead of using his official title, he addressed him as "Little Marquis," as if he were very familiar with Ji Chengning.
This "we" clearly refers to several prominent and respectable young men from noble families within the Qinglu Guard, such as... Ji Chengning thought, Mei Xuewu, the maternal grandson of the Grand Princess Rongxi, and Zhou Han, the fifth son of the Prince of Huai.
Everyone knows that the heir of the Marquis of Yongning has a rather philandering nature, so they specially found an extremely handsome person to invite him.
However, although Jiang Linzhou's eyes were smiling, a closer look revealed a hint of humiliation and irritation.
Ji Chengning smiled.
Her gaze shifted, landing on Jiang Jiu with a smile. "May I ask, Young Master Jiang, are you here alone as a persuader, or would you like to come to the Jade Leaf Pavilion with me?"
Jiang Qi felt her neck burning under his intense gaze and couldn't help but take a half step back.
This Ji Chengning is truly as rumored, indiscriminate in his lust for both men and women, shameless and promiscuous...!
Jiang Linzhou nearly ground his teeth to powder, barely suppressing his embarrassment, "Of course I will go with the young marquis."
His cheekbones were tinged with red, which made Jiang Linzhou's complexion appear even more pale, as if a light touch with a fingertip would draw blood.
Seeing that he was almost crying from being amused, Ji Chengning stopped him, saying, "Thank you all for your kindness, but I am not fully recovered from my illness and cannot drink alcohol, so I will not disturb your enjoyment."
Not going?
Jiang Linzhou's lips twitched twice, thinking that his attitude had displeased Ji Chengning, and he hurriedly called out, "Young Marquis."
The next second, he heard Ji Chengnin say slowly, "However, as I am new here, I should get along well with my colleagues and interact with them more."
Jiang Linzhou got goosebumps all over his body from the saccharine phrase "loving each other dearly."
“In that case,” Ji Chengnin pondered for a few moments, then raised his voice and said, “Lü Zhong.”
Lu Zhong hurried in, "My lord."
"Send someone to tell everyone that after the yamen is closed today, the director will be hosting a banquet for all colleagues at the Jade Leaf Pavilion. However, I am unwell and cannot attend in person. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest and don't stand on ceremony."
Finally, fearing that Lü Zhong might follow the old practice of using money from the treasury for expenses, he added, "All expenses will be paid from the Marquis's residence."
Lu Zhong and Jiang Linzhou were dumbfounded upon hearing this.
Jiang Linzhou had intended to get closer to the young marquis in private, but unexpectedly Ji Chengning invited everyone.
Lu Zhong was shocked by this spendthrift son!
He had never seen a superior invite all his colleagues to a banquet and pay for it himself. Moreover, this was an act of winning people's hearts. If Ji Chengning didn't go, what kind of people's hearts could he win? People would just think that Ji Chengning was a spendthrift who squandered money. Even if someone could be won over, it would only be a superficial friendship based on drinking and eating!
Ji Chengning didn't care about the turmoil in their hearts. Seeing that it was almost time, he nodded to them and left.
Jiang Linzhou's face was somewhat gloomy. Ignoring Lü Zhong's apologetic smile, he followed him out.
Lü Zhong was left alone, gazing up at the sky.
These two are all very difficult to please, yet you can't afford to offend them either.
He sighed deeply, then thought of the fine wines and delicacies at Yu Xie Lou, which offered some consolation.
Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Ji Chengning first instructed Chizheng to book the entire Yuxielou restaurant. The steward was overjoyed, beaming from ear to ear, and repeatedly said that such a small matter did not require the steward to make the trip himself. He also ordered tea and snacks, but did not mention them.
Lü Zhong then told everyone that the young marquis was going to host a banquet.
Although the guards of Qinglu were puzzled, since the young marquis insisted on inviting them, they did not stand on ceremony. After the yamen was over, they went to Yuxie Tower and ordered all kinds of sweet, crisp, rich, and savory wines. However, the young marquis had instructed them beforehand that, in case they drank too much and caused trouble, there would only be one jar of wine per table.
Even so, the next day, the manager of Yu Xie Lou sent over a list of nearly ten thousand items with great trepidation. Ji Chengning was too lazy to look at it and simply had it approved.
It's so extravagant it's astonishing.
Thus, news of the young marquis spending nearly ten thousand taels of silver to entertain his colleagues in one day soon reached the palace.
The emperor laughed for a long time after hearing this, until he was a little dizzy. He then took a sip of the ginseng soup that Qin Min had brought him and said with a forced smile, "Cheng Ning has grown up and can handle things now."
Qin Min could easily tell that His Majesty was making fun of the young marquis, and he also raised his lips in a smile.
The Emperor said, "It's all thanks to Jie's good teaching." He then laughed again.
When Ji Chengning arrived at the government office again this morning, dozens of people were already waiting outside. Seeing the young marquis getting out of the car wearily, a guard named Li Bi joked, "Since you've come so early, sir, you might as well sleep until the sun is high in the sky."
Ji Chengnin yawned. "How can I expect to enjoy the emperor's bounty for nothing?"
Everyone laughed again, and they ushered Ji Chengning in with a large entourage.
As Ji Chengnin walked inside, he casually asked, "What's the matter today?"
"Young Marquis is wise and brave. Just mentioning your name is enough to make the bandits flee in terror. There's nothing to worry about." Li Bi laughed and said, "I just hope that Young Marquis can enjoy peace and tranquility."
Even Ji Chengnin, who was thick-skinned, got goosebumps all over from these cheesy words.
Even if it was hypocritical, it was still the truth—there was really nothing that Lü Wei should do lightly.
Within the Qinglu Guard, even the lowest-ranking guards are of extraordinary origin. Their main task is simply to wear armor and fill in during celebrations, or to be transferred to patrol and deploy troops when there is a shortage of manpower in case of emergencies. Even city patrols are only conducted once every five days.
Moreover, these guards were just a bunch of spoiled brats who rode horses and played with dogs. When they got together, they were more likely to cause trouble. The people in the capital would hide whenever they saw guards in red armor, as if they were bandits. So they had even fewer opportunities to go on patrol.
As for the duties of the director, they are even simpler.
The director doesn't even need to patrol; he's only responsible for coordinating the palace and the imperial guards in case of emergencies. But the court is relatively stable now, and there hasn't been a so-called emergency in over a decade.
Therefore, Xu Jingen's previous job was extremely leisurely, and he only came to the government office to drink tea and amuse himself.
Now, the person who enjoys tea and making jokes has become Ji Chengning.
Lord Xu prefers witty and humorous subordinates with graceful figures, while Lord Ji has a particular fondness for beautiful women. As a result, the study is currently filled with guards around twenty years old with excellent looks, and the room is filled with brilliance, as if it were piled with jade statues.
Li Bi lowered his voice and smiled, "Have you heard about Young Master Xu, sir?"
Ji Chengnin half-lifted his eyelids. "What?"
"I heard that after Lord Xu was convicted, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day and often went on excursions." He lowered his voice even further and smiled mysteriously.
Ji Chengnin remained silent.
He had no interest in how Xu Jing'en lived a life of debauchery.
Seeing his listless expression, Li Bi quickly continued, "That brothel is not clean. I don't know what kind of aphrodisiac they used. I heard that after drinking and taking it, Lord Xu went mad and even used a silver knife for peeling oranges to sever his tendons in his feet and hands. The bed was covered in rotten flesh, and blood was flowing onto the floor. The scene... tsk tsk, it was too horrible to look at."
Has Xu Jing'en gotten into trouble?
Ji Chengning was somewhat taken aback, but he had absolutely no good feelings towards Xu Jing'en. If it weren't for Xu Shengjian's favor with the emperor, he would have been dead a thousand times over for what he had done.
"The person is dead?"
Li Bi said softly, "We used the best medicine and invited a royal physician from the palace to save his life. However, his injuries are too severe, and he will probably be bedridden for the rest of his life."
Ji Chengning waved his fan, gently fanning himself in front of his nose.
It's as if I can smell the strong stench of blood in the air.
Ji Chengnin frowned.
The drugs in brothels are mostly for arousal and flirting, and their effects are not significant. What kind of weird stuff did Xu Jing'en eat that could make him lose all his rationality and not even feel pain?
This matter is truly strange.
However, given his official rank and position, it would be extremely difficult for him to intervene in this matter. Ji Chengning thought to himself, "I should write a letter to His Highness the Crown Prince and ask him to pay close attention."
Seeing his somber expression, everyone assumed he was feeling nauseous and quickly changed the subject, filling the study with laughter.
Lu Zhong dutifully brought in tea and snacks.
After spending a few days together, the guards got to know Ji Chengnin's personality. The young marquis came from a high-ranking family and was extremely arrogant and disdainful of others. However, if you respected him, he would never make you lose face.
Moreover, he was bold and unrestrained, did not care about trivial matters, and was not easily angered. When he first arrived, he appeared stern, but it was just a show for the court, a new official making his mark. As a result, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed completely.
The Censorate was so angry that it impeached Ji Chengning, saying that he had not set an example as an official, not only was he a mere figurehead, but he had also corrupted the atmosphere of the Qing Lüwei. He was frivolous in his behavior, and as a man, he even wore face powder to the government office, which was really outrageous and unbecoming of an official.
Ji Chengning admitted to the former, but the latter made him cry out that he was wronged. He had long heard that the Censorate would make trouble even when it was unreasonable, and now he truly understood it.
Ji Chengning didn't even write a self-defense memorial. The next day, on his way to the government office, he bumped into Imperial Censor Li, who was impeaching him. The young marquis beamed and rushed forward to rein in his horse and block Imperial Censor Li's path.
Imperial Censor Li was startled. He had long heard that Ji Chengning was a good-for-nothing. Could it be that he was going to beat him up?
Even if the young marquis made things difficult for him, and Imperial Censor Li raised his chin in a show of defiance, he would never allow a mediocre official like Ji Chengnin to hold such a high position.
He looked up.
But then Ji Chengning reached out his hand, and the onlookers held their breath, fearing that he would pull out a knife. They all said, "Young Marquis, let it go."
"What do you mean?" Imperial Censor Li sneered. "Young Master Ji, others may fear you, but I do not!"
Before he finished speaking, Ji Chengning slowly pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, elegantly folded it three times, and then—wiped it vigorously on his face.
It only made her cheeks even redder, but not a single trace of makeup fell off.
Ji Chengnin was clearly retaliating against his comment about him wearing face powder. Seeing this, Imperial Censor Li was caught in a dilemma: whether to leave or stay. He didn't have the thick skin to back out, and he was so angry that his face turned purple.
Ji Chengning smiled and said, "I know I am naturally beautiful, and I must thank Lord Li for praising my face as fair as if it were powdered."
"You, you, you..."
"What about me?" Ji Chengnin chuckled and tossed the handkerchief into Imperial Censor Li's arms. "Oh, I see. You know you're ugly, so you're trying to take a different approach to attract the young marquis's attention." He cupped his hands in greeting. "Congratulations, you've succeeded."
"Who wants to attract your attention?! You...you have no shame!" Imperial Censor Li's face turned purple, he was so angry that he was about to vomit blood. Ji Chengnin's handkerchief smelled incredibly good, the fragrance kept wafting towards his nose, making it hard for him to breathe.
Ji Chengnin waved his hand, "Alright, Your Excellency is too sensitive, so I won't force you to admit it." He smiled, "Keep this handkerchief as a souvenir."
After speaking, he laughed loudly and left.
Li Yushi, a man of upright character, had never suffered such a humiliation. His face turned from red to white, and overwhelmed with anger, he staggered and fell off his horse with a thud.
"Li Lang?"
"Master Li?!"
The officials not far away had complicated expressions on their faces.
This matter is definitely not going to end well.
Sure enough, before afternoon, memorials impeaching Ji Chengning began to flood the Imperial Study.
Meanwhile, the person being impeached was leisurely having lunch.
Stir-fried seasonal bamboo shoots, steamed mandarin fish, stuffed water chestnuts with meat, pear with shrimp, and the main dish is glutinous rice. There is also a kind of steamed cake that I don't know the name of, which is snow-white and soft. There is also a bowl of loquat and bird's nest soup.
Ji Chengning picked up a piece of fish and was about to put it in his mouth.
But then they heard someone outside the door say, "Sir, I've brought you the roster."
Ji Chengnin put down his chopsticks. "Come in."
Lu Zhong pushed open the door and smelled the aroma of food even before entering the room. Although there was no spicy dish, it was not bland at all, and the aroma was so tempting that it made one's mouth water.
Lu Zhong's stomach rumbled slightly.
Ji Chengning met Lü Zhong's gaze and smiled, "They were all sent by my cousin. She was worried that I wouldn't be used to the food from the public kitchen. She always worries about these little things. Please excuse her."
Lü Zhong remained silent.
He admitted that the young marquis had a handsome smile and a gentle, lingering voice that was so pleasant it made one's ears itch, but—who asked?
Then Ji Chengnin asked enthusiastically, "Lord Lü, have you eaten yet?"
Before Lü Zhong could even speak, his stomach growled, answering for him.
The two looked at each other, and Lü Zhong gave an awkward smile, "Not yet."
I was already on the verge of saying "I'm too embarrassed to accept your offer" after he declined three times, but then I heard the young marquis say, "If you haven't eaten yet, go and eat quickly, don't delay your meal."
Lü Zhong: "...Yes."
Ji Chengning picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and put it in his mouth.
Today is the 14th.
Tomorrow is the fifth day of training for Qing Lüwei.
He knew that some people were cheating and shirking their duties, and some were even impersonating others to take advantage of the chaos. He had been holding back his anger, waiting for tomorrow to cut the bamboo shoot with his teeth.
"Click".
His eyes curved into a smile.
...
The next day.
Ji Chengning got up very early, and as soon as he arrived at the government office, he immediately ordered everyone to assemble at the training ground.
Qingluwei could barely be considered a military camp, so it had a training ground. The ground was flat and open, with compacted yellow sand on all sides. It was devoid of any spring scenery and had a desolate and murderous atmosphere. Just standing there made one feel weak in the knees.
Ji Chengnin greeted the sleepy faces with a warm smile, "Good morning, everyone."
The guards stared at him silently.
That's early indeed.
They thought the young marquis was just talking, and that the so-called training was just for show for the imperial court.
To everyone's surprise, it actually happened!
But then I thought, Ji Chengnin is not persistent, maybe it'll only last for a couple of days, I can just bear with it.
Ji Chengnin picked up the roster and flipped through it casually, causing everyone's hearts to race with each flip. "Is everyone here?"
Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this, realizing it was just for show. Someone quickly said, "It's all complete."
"All complete?" Ji Chengnin chuckled.
That's exactly what he was waiting to hear!
The man sensed something was off about his tone, but he forced himself to say, "Of course, how could I dare to conceal anything from you, Director?"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt a strong gust of wind suddenly hit his face.
He was startled and instinctively retreated hastily.
"Click".
When the thing landed, it turned out to be a roster.
"Now that everything is complete," Ji Chengnin smiled slightly, "where is Commander Mei Xuewu?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly.
They had anticipated that even with everyone present today, Ji Chengning would still find fault with them; this was an inevitable step for a new official, a combination of kindness and severity.
However, even if you want to punish an officer as a warning to others, you have to pick the weak ones to deal with, not the ones with the most barbed wire!
Mei Xuewu is the son of Princess Rongxi, who is the Emperor's elder sister. The Emperor treats her with great respect and extends that respect and affection to Mei Xuewu as well.
Everyone was filled with apprehension. For a moment, the vast training ground was silent, save for the howling wind.
Upon seeing this, Ji Chengnin's smile vanished instantly.
When he turned cold, he exuded a menacing aura that instilled fear in everyone.
How could this spoiled brat possess such a terrifying aura?
He said in a cold voice, "Where is Plum Blossom Valley?!"
A note from the author:
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Hehehe, the nutrient solution count has exceeded 1000, so a red envelope will be given out in this chapter, and there will be an extra chapter after the VIP chapter ends.
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