Chapter 348 My mind seems particularly sharp today.
The Lu family was also an old household in the capital, and decades ago, one of its members even became a second-rank official. However, the family later declined, its connections and resources dwindled, and in several generations, only one person passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), who is now the highest-ranking official in the Lu family, Lu Peichen, the fifth-rank Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
The Lu family, which had fallen into decline many years ago, was naturally not close to the Chu State Duke's Mansion, which was at the center of power in the capital. The carriage rumbled towards the Lu family's residence, and Jiang Chengye sat inside, thinking about how to negotiate with them later.
He knew that the Lu family wanted to get benefits from the Duke of Chu's mansion, but the real power in the Duke of Chu's mansion was in the hands of his good daughter. In order to avoid being scolded by his daughter, he felt that it would be best not to agree to anything at the time. If all else failed, he would use his daughter's name to pressure them.
Having made his decision, Jiang Chengye leaned back against the sedan chair, humming a little tune. He thought that after returning from the Lu family, he would visit his wife again, ostensibly to discuss the Lu family's affairs. Perhaps if his wife heard that he had handled things well, she would invite him to stay for a meal.
Thinking of this made him even happier, and he hummed the tune even more cheerfully. Just then, the carriage suddenly braked sharply, and he almost fell forward, his good mood instantly vanishing.
"How dare you drive like that?" He lifted the curtain and yelled at the coachman. He saw two people tearing at each other in front of the carriage. He recognized both of them. One was Ren Guanfei, the cousin of the Earl of Qingshan, and the other was Xiang Xinping, the half-brother of the Marquis of Chengen.
These two men were notorious playboys in the capital, and Jiang Chengye had spent a lot of time with them before. Seeing them fighting, he laughed and said, "Did you two lose a bet, or is it for a woman?"
Upon hearing his voice, Ren Guanfei and Xiang Xinping stopped their fighting and turned to see Jiang Chengye's amused expression. Xiang Xinping, the half-brother of the Marquis of Chengen, looked at Jiang Chengye and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you."
"I've been busy with things at home, haven't had time to go out," Jiang Chengye replied casually, then asked the two of them, "Why did you two start fighting?"
Xiang Xinping snorted and glanced disdainfully at Ren Guanfei, saying, "He redeemed Xiao Taohong from Zuixinlou a while ago, and when he didn't have enough money, he took a hundred taels from me, saying he'd pay her back in a while. But ever since then, this guy has been avoiding me. I finally ran into him today, and when I asked him for the money, he said he didn't have any. If you don't have money, why are you going to the restaurant?"
Xiang Xinping glared at Ren Guanfei, whose face flushed red and remained silent. Even though he was a playboy, it was still very embarrassing to be publicly accused of owing money and not paying it back.
"What are you going to do?" Xiang Xinping asked Jiang Chengye.
Jiang Chengye opened his mouth to answer, but then, thinking that someone might be watching him and setting a trap, he swallowed his words. Seeing Ren Guanfei's flushed face, he suddenly had an idea.
Ren Guanfei looked at him warily after hearing this and remained silent. Although these playboys didn't care about factional grudges when they played together, they were still wary of each other when trouble came up.
The Qingshan Marquis's Mansion and the Chu State Duke's Mansion are mortal enemies. Although he and Jiang Chengye may play around together, he is definitely wary of him.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Chengye snorted and turned to Xiang Xinping, saying, "Come with me to do something. I'll treat you to drinks later."
After hearing this, Xiang Xinping glanced at Ren Guanfei and said with a grin, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Chengye briefly explained what he was going to do, and then said, "It's just to scare the Lu family."
"Hehe, you want your brother to go with you to boost your morale, right?" Xiang Xinping chuckled and said, "No problem, after all, I am a member of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion."
Jiang Chengye glanced at Ren Guanfei out of the corner of his eye and said to Xiang Xinping, "Then thank you in advance, brother. I won't treat you unfairly. I'll give you one hundred taels of silver afterward."
Xiang Xinping's eyes widened in surprise, then he put his arm around Jiang Chengye's shoulder like a good buddy and chuckled, "Good brother, just watch how I perform in a bit. I guarantee that the Lu family won't dare to utter a single word."
Jiang Chengye patted him on the shoulder, "Okay, let's go. We'll talk about collecting the debt later."
Xiang Xinping then remembered the debt. He turned his head and glared at Ren Guanfei, saying, "I'm busy right now. You'd better go and raise the money, or I'll go to the Qingshan Marquis's mansion and cause trouble."
Ren Guanfei was so angry at what he said that he wanted to disappear into the ground. Even a playboy has his pride. But he stood there without moving, and looked at Jiang Chengye and said, "Just a bluff?"
Jiang Chengye understood the psychology of some people; he knew that the more he ignored him, the more eager the man would become. If he paid attention to him, the man might become suspicious again. So he gave a nonchalant snort and turned to get into the carriage.
But as soon as his foot touched the stool, his sleeve was grabbed. He turned around and saw Ren Guanfei's ingratiating face. "Brother Jiang, bring your brothers along too."
Jiang Chengye snorted again, "Didn't you say you weren't going?"
"This... this is just a momentary lapse of judgment, brother," Ren Guanfei continued with a fawning smile.
Jiang Chengye knew when to stop, but he still said nonchalantly, "Bringing you along is just to intimidate people with your status. Don't you dare back down later."
"Brother Jiang, you know me, I'm an expert at this kind of thing." Ren Guanfei chuckled, then cautiously asked, "Then... the money...?"
"If it works out, I'll give you a hundred taels of silver today." After saying this, Jiang Chengye looked pained and couldn't help but say, "If I weren't strictly controlled, I wouldn't be spending so much money."
Who keeps a close eye on him? Of course, it's his own daughter. Ren Guanfei felt contempt for him when he heard this, but he pretended not to hear it and still had a fawning smile on his face.
“My carriage is spacious, you can all get in. I’ll give you some more instructions.” Jiang Chengye said as he got into the carriage. Ren Guanfei and Xiang Xinping exchanged a glance, snorted, and then got into the carriage one after the other.
Jiang Chengye's attendant, who had been standing guard nearby, seemed to understand something, yet also seemed not to. Meanwhile, the four hidden guards, witnessing this, all thought to themselves that their master seemed unusually sharp-witted today.
Regardless of what everyone thought, the carriage started moving. Jiang Chengye repeatedly instructed Ren Guanfei and Xiang Xinping to just scare the Lu family and not cause any real trouble. If something serious happened, he wouldn't cover for them.
Ren Guanfei and Xiang Xinping both reiterated that they were very familiar with this kind of thing and knew the gravity of the situation. To put it bluntly, these spoiled brats were best at bluffing.
“It’s good that you understand,” Jiang Chengye said in a candid manner. “We may seem powerful, but we are all under the control of higher-ups. We can’t go too far in our actions.”
Ren Guanfei and Xiang Xinping both chuckled and nodded, thinking to themselves that the most frustrated playboy in the entire capital was none other than Jiang Chengye. His daughter had surpassed him to inherit the title, and he was still completely controlled by her.
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