Chapter 233 Old Friend
This person is a bit bad. Even though I know his feelings, he never responds. But he always does things that touch him, making him fall deeper into it, again and again, becoming more and more unable to extricate himself.
How could there be such a bad person?
Lu Chenyang didn't notice his gaze. He was still thinking about the clerk he had just met: "This clerk is not bad. Do you think it's possible for me to use him for my own benefit?"
Lu Chenyang is an upright and compassionate person. To put it bluntly, he is too kind, so he deserves a ruthless person under him.
But the most ruthless person under Lu Chenyang's command is Zhao Xi.
If this minor official could be used by Lu Chenyang, he might be useful in the future.
Lu Chenyang disdains to be tortured into confessing, but he also cannot let people think that he is soft-hearted and easy to bully.
Yan Xing pondered for a moment and said, "If you like her, I'll find a way to get her back to you."
Lu Chenyang chuckled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness."
After the Fifth Prince was captured, Yan Xing became bolder and stopped hiding his whereabouts. The Emperor had already issued an edict to exonerate him, so why had he appeared in the capital so quickly? Who cared?
It was still early, and Yan Xing didn't want to part with Lu Chenyang so soon, so he offered to take him out for some delicious food.
Yan Xing said, "There are many delicious restaurants in the capital. Come on, I'll take you there today."
Although Lu Chenyang is also from Beijing, he comes from an ordinary family and is not fond of talking, so he really has no chance to come into contact with these things.
He followed Yan Xing out of curiosity, and Lu Chenyang took him to a wonton shop.
"The wontons here are especially delicious. They start making the broth before dawn, and it's incredibly fresh."
Yan Xing was talking to Lu Chenyang when he walked to the door of the store and met an acquaintance.
Or rather, two.
A luxurious carriage was parked in front of the store, and a man in brocade clothes was standing in front of the store. Lu Chenyang felt that he looked a little familiar, but he couldn't remember where he was.
But when the man saw Lu Chenyang and Yan Xing, his expression changed, obviously he knew them.
The man hesitated for a moment, then walked over.
"Lord Lu, Cheng... Cheng Xiao, what a coincidence, you are here for dinner too?" Zhao Qinghui looked a little embarrassed.
Lu Chenyang's reputation for having a photographic memory is well-deserved. He remembered it as soon as he approached.
This was Zhao Qinghui. When Yan Xing was convicted and exiled, Zhao Qinghui had come to disown him. Lu Chenyang had also taken the opportunity to extort several hundred taels of silver from him, which he later used to buy food and provide for the disaster victims.
There was also his sister, Yan Xing's childhood sweetheart, and it was said that the two of them were very close. Yan Xing even gave her a jade pendant as a token of love, which was later pawned by Lu Chenyang and used to buy food.
It can be said that Zhao Qinghui and his sister were Lu Chenyang’s first wave of financial backers.
Yan Xing's expression was indifferent: "Master Zhao, please call me Prince Yan. We are not familiar enough to call each other by our first names."
Zhao Qinghui's expression froze. He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, are you still blaming me? I had no choice back then. In fact, I've regretted it all these years. I've always thought about you and wanted to find a chance to say sorry..." He sighed deeply, his expression bitter. "Forget it. I was the one who did the wrong thing back then, so it's only right that you blame me."
This behavior made it seem as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Lu Chenyang sneered and looked at Yan Xing: "My Lord, didn't you say that Young Master Zhao came from a family of scholars and a noble family?"
Yan Xing didn't know what his intentions were, but the tacit understanding made him quickly cooperate: "Not bad."
Lu Chenyang sneered, "Why are you acting like an actor? I still remember when the Crown Prince was exiled from the capital, Master Zhao kept saying he was severing all ties with him, fearing any connection. How come you're acting as if you're the one severing ties with him now? This face-changing performance is more impressive than the actors in the troupe. I think if I don't give him a little money, it would be a waste of Master Zhao's talent!"
Zhao Qinghui's expression suddenly changed, his eyes filled with anger.
Lu Chenyang and Yan Xing didn't move, but after a moment, Zhao Qinghui calmed himself down.
The man before him was one of the most powerful ministers in Dagan, a figure even Emperor Qianyuan was wary of. How could he possibly offend him? And Yan Xing… the Second Prince was already the Crown Prince.
Who could have imagined that in just six years, the Zhenguo Mansion and the Second Prince would be able to turn the tide? In such a desperate situation, the Second Prince actually won and became the Crown Prince.
But it was too late to regret now. The Zhao family had chosen the wrong side and would have to bear the consequences.
Zhao Qinghui is very flexible.
Zhao Qinghui's expression shifted unpredictably, and he finally whispered, "I did something wrong, so it's only natural that Lord Lu and the Crown Prince are angry. But why humiliate me like this?"
Lu Chenyang chuckled, but his eyes were cold. "It's human nature to weigh the pros and cons and avoid danger. It's not wrong to not be able to share hardships. The Yan and Zhao families are close friends. I don't ask for help from Master Zhao, but you ignore our years of friendship and still add insult to injury. It's despicable. How can you say you are humiliating me now?" He added, "The prince didn't want to pursue the matter, but you came here to confuse right and wrong. Who are you pretending to be so?"
Lu Chenyang has never lost when it comes to coaxing or scolding people. He is a person who makes a living by talking!
At the beginning, Lu Chenyang was just a small county magistrate, but he was able to cheat Zhao Qinghui out of hundreds of taels of silver with just his mouth. Not to mention that he is in a high position now, and he doesn't even care about a small Zhao Qinghui.
Zhao Qinghui's face flushed crimson. Word of Lu Chenyang's words at the city gate soon spread throughout the capital. The Zhao family's reputation was severely criticized, and even Zhao Qingwan was implicated.
Later, the Zhao family took great pains to calm down the public opinion, and they have kept a low profile in recent years. This is why he was resentful and came to say hello. But he forgot that Lu Chenyang was not someone who could be easily provoked.
As they were talking, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a woman in her twenties walked out. She was wearing a blue dress and a white cape, and she had a beautiful face and a gentle temperament.
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