Chapter 5 The Fifth Pawn
After the winter snow had covered the capital city two or three times, Qi Lingjun finally sent someone to fetch Lu Huantang. This whole thing kept everyone in suspense, a performance that Jiang Linzhi had mastered to perfection.
If it were just one more day, most people would probably have given up and left. Lu Huantang knew this was Jiang Linzhi's trick, but he still couldn't help but worry.
Upon entering the Jiang residence, Lu Huantang was led to the stables.
Lu Huantang "wanted" to be a pawn, and Qi Lingjun actually arranged for him to be a pawn.
He usually raises and harnesses horses; in essence, he's just a groom.
No matter how humiliating it was, Lu Huantang could only grit his teeth. If he didn't take this path, he could only join the army. Back then, the Regent Prince relied on the kindness of his deceased mother and spent thirteen years in the army before finally rising through the ranks and standing in the court with General Xie's head.
How many years will it take him, who has no power or influence?
The Sui Kingdom claims to reward and punish based on military merit, but in the end, it's still a society based on personal relationships, and he can't afford to wait.
Lu Huantang didn't say a word and started shoveling horse manure.
On the second morning after taking office, the morning light was frozen on the bluestone road by frost. The porter selling wonton noodles had dry grass wrapped around his feet to prevent him from slipping, but his feet were already frostbitten and cracked.
The State of Sui was far less prosperous than the State of Wu. Half of the money from the sale of snuff bottles went to the soldiers on the border, and the other half to the high-ranking officials and nobles. Ordinary people could not benefit from snuff bottles unless they earned military merits themselves. They might even have their fields forcibly sold by the newly rich, leaving them hungry and homeless.
Lu Huantang quickly finished his heavily oiled and salty breakfast and started harnessing the horse to the carriage a long time ago. Only after a month of this process was he qualified to accompany the carriage as a guard.
During this time, besides working, he also figured out the layout of the Jiang residence.
On the first day of the escort, Lu Huantang and his four guards stood in the cold wind and waited for a full incense stick's time. Lu Huantang's feet seemed to be frozen to the ground, and Jiang Linzhi, who was still dazed, was finally carried out of the house by Qi Lingjun.
The other three, unfazed, immediately followed the carriage, rushing to protect it.
Lu Huantang found it strange because Jiang Linzhi's complexion didn't look like that of a healthy person.
The cold wind stung my face like a piece of skin being ripped off, and my stiff limbs were numb and painful from the sudden movement. In the short time it took to travel from the Jiang residence to the Capital Chamber of Commerce, my face had already become numb from the cold.
As soon as the car stopped, Jiang Linzhi slowly got out, yawned widely, and strolled into the building with Qi Lingjun.
Lu Huantang raised his hand and touched his ear, his fingers stained with mottled red marks resembling peeling paint.
There was a teahouse right next door, but the others remained waiting, not moving an inch. Lu Huantang couldn't move no matter how cold it was, and they only hurried back after Jiang Linzhi came out.
Upon returning to the manor, a guard noticed that his ears were cracked from the cold and kindly brought him a box of horse oil. Then, patting his sleeves, he said, "Newcomer, the autumn and winter winds are like knives. Remember to wear more clothes and apply more oil in the future. Also, you must move your hands more often so that you can draw your sword quickly. Be careful not to die without even knowing how."
This was the first person Lu Huantang spoke to after arriving at the Jiang residence. After all, everyone knew he came from the Regent's side and didn't want to cause trouble.
Lu Huantang accepted the kindness, "Thank you, brother. Have you been doing this for a long time?"
"No need to be so polite. My name is Uncle Liu. I came out after my family fell on hard times, and I've been working for two years, three months, and fourteen days."
"Does he remember the time so clearly?" Lu Huantang thought to himself.
Liu Bo seemed to see through Lu Huantang's doubts and boasted, "Don't think this is a short time. This is the longest. The person who used to be in this position just died in the fall."
Suddenly, Uncle Liu pointed at Lu Huantang's throat, his rough fingers applying slight pressure, bringing the oppressive feeling from that day right to his fingertips.
Lu Huantang almost instinctively retaliated and broke his hand, but he restrained himself and simply turned his head away.
Liu Bo's expression was serious. "An arrow pierced his throat. Because the rain blurred his vision, he didn't even have time to raise his sword. It was just a finger's width away. I reacted quickly, and Miss told me to go and deliver the message, so I survived."
It was roughly about what happened in the village last time, before Lu Huantang and the others arrived. This wasn't just some casual conversation; it was a bloody reality.
Jiang Linzhi, who had accomplished little yet controlled half of the nation's wealth, was naturally a target of public criticism. If she died, the emperor would lose his money. Moreover, with her death, her snuff bottle would become like a sheep among wolves, available for everyone to take a sip.
When the topic turned to snuff bottles, Uncle Liu began to talk at length, his expression inexplicably proud, for these were the lifeblood of the Sui Kingdom.
Fifty or sixty years ago, the State of Sui did not have the Zhu Yan Hua (a type of snuff bottle maker) for making snuff bottles. Due to its barren land and sparse population, it could not stop the invasion of the State of Wu. It lost territory year after year and paid tribute to the State of Wu year after year.
Until a lowly soldier from the Sui Kingdom, who narrowly escaped death, discovered the Crimson Flower on a cliff. This Crimson Flower was the origin of all the events of the past hundred years.
When the people of Sui discovered that rosy cheeks could temporarily increase a person's strength and intelligence, they destroyed farmland to reclaim wasteland, made white medicine, and sold it to the State of Wu, which immediately saved the industry and agriculture that had been almost crushed by the State of Wu.
The main reason why they didn't use them themselves was that the Sui state was too poor at the time, and they bought almost all the good things from the Wu state to get a good price.
In the Wu Kingdom, social hierarchy was strict, and for children from poor families, the only way to rise in society was through the imperial examinations. Therefore, the snuff bottle, which allowed people to perform exceptionally well, was undoubtedly their magic weapon for success.
As if by divine intervention, after a mere six months of popularity, the true nature of snuff bottles was finally revealed.
Smoking snuff bottles too much can lead to addiction, dementia, and eventually, complete loss of mobility, turning a person into a rotting worm on the bed.
By the time the state of Wu discovered this, it was too late. Four or five out of ten commoners smoked snuff, while high-ranking officials and nobles even used snuff bottles to entertain guests and display their wealth.
Despite generations of efforts by the Wu Kingdom, they could not ban it or develop the white medicine. So they could only control and sell it by the government, just like salt and iron, in order to reduce the number of people who used it.
Of course, this snuff bottle is temporarily irrelevant to Lu Huantang; given his current social standing, he has no access to such things. However, both of his former masters are vying for the rights to sell and manufacture this snuff bottle, so he must think of Jiang Linzhi's future in advance.
Jiang Linzhi was just a merchant. The regent was not the only one who wanted to kill her. There were also the powerful and wealthy who couldn't get a share of the medicine, as well as the desperate criminals who were ruined by the medicine and had their families destroyed.
Jiang Linzhi is still alive simply because she holds the complete secret of snuff bottle making. Thinking this, Lu Huantang asked, "Have you found out who the assassin was last time?"
“They’re just a few lowly commoners whose land was taken from them. They said they couldn’t kill the local gentry, so they changed their minds and decided to kill the young lady,” Uncle Liu said with an incredulous sneer. “What were they thinking? It’s not like the young lady took their land. If they were really capable, they could have killed a powerful figure like Commander Wu of the Imperial Guard and risen to power overnight. Since they have no money or land to live on, they might as well take a gamble.”
Hearing his half-sour, half-envious complaint, Lu Huantang chimed in, "Then why can't we wait for the young lady in the shop over there instead of freezing in the wind?"
"I heard this too. Back then, Master Jiang and his wife were considerate of their servants, letting them wait for them in the side hall while they drank tea. Only one child passed by on the road, and the guards didn't pay any attention. As a result, as soon as the two got into the carriage, it exploded. The coroner couldn't even piece together a complete body," Uncle Liu sighed. "That child swallowed the explosives. It was really ruthless, such a small child. Later, the eldest young lady wanted to burn the Crimson Flower. After that, the second young lady took power, and everything she used could not be out of sight."
Having lost her parents at a young age and betrayed them in her youth, Lu Huantang lowered his eyes. This little girl was not as useless as she seemed.
For the next month, Lu Huantang paid even closer attention, but all he saw and heard was Jiang Linzhi's extravagant lifestyle: the cushions in her carriage were woven from the fur of six hundred foxes down to the fingernail's width, and her toilet paper cost the equivalent of an ordinary family's annual income. There seemed to be nothing else of note.
Lu Huantang listened to Liu Boban's envious and jealous tone when he talked about the Jiang family, but never offered any comment. Firstly, he had no particular thoughts on it, and secondly, he was afraid that Liu was there to spy on him.
Jiang Linzhi seemed to have forgotten about the time bomb here, and never mentioned Lu Huantang again.
The next time Lu Huantang saw Jiang Linzhi was a month later, in the evening. The winter days in Sui Kingdom were exceptionally long. Lu Huantang had just finished applying horse oil when Uncle Liu mentioned that there would be a cold snap that night. Fearing that the horse would get cold, Lu Huantang went back into the stable. Just as he was about to cover the horse with a blanket to keep it warm, he saw a person lurking around the stable.
Years of vigilance made him instinctively grip the hilt of the sword, and when the man appeared around the corner, he instantly placed the sword against the man's neck.
Shock and panic froze the girl in place, making her forget to utter a sound.
Lu Huantang immediately sheathed his sword, ignoring the dirt on the ground, and knelt down, saying, "I have frightened Miss, please punish me."
Jiang Linzhi had been on guard behind him the whole way, but he never expected to run into Lu Huantang.
She was startled, wondering which assassin it was, but when she saw the blood-soaked man from that day, and glanced at the sword he had already sheathed, she immediately straightened up and adopted the air of a master, "Why aren't you resting so late?"
"The matter at the stables isn't finished yet," Lu Huantang said respectfully.
"Go and fetch me a horse; we'll go through the back door."
"Curfew is approaching, is Miss trying to sneak out?"
Jiang Linzhi quickly hissed, looked around warily, and took two steps toward Lu Huantang. "This is my own residence. Why would I sneak away? I'm doing this openly and honestly, and I just don't want to disturb anyone."
She was putting on quite a show; if it weren't for her evasive eyes, Lu Huantang would have believed her even more. However, he suppressed his laughter and, mimicking her serious demeanor, said, "Yes, Your subordinate obeys."
Lu Huantang led the horse out the back gate, preparing to close the gate and continue tidying up, but Jiang Linzhi grabbed him and said, "Why are you running? Come with me."
Lu Huantang thought Jiang Linzhi wanted him to run in front of the horse, but Jiang Linzhi stretched out his arms to him and said, "You lift me up, and then you can get on too."
There was no regard for the boundaries between men and women, which seemed to be Jiang Linzhi's habit of frequenting brothels every day. Lu Huantang had heard about the deeds of this royal merchant who controlled most of the wealth of the Sui Kingdom. In her early years, countless young men pursued her, but she chose one who was already engaged. When that man thought he was about to rise to prominence, his whole family suffered, and now the grass on his grave is half a person tall.
This is only one in a thousand who are manipulated, and just one of the millions of ways to die.
But the way she opened her arms, waiting for him to hug her, was undeniably alluring. People who appear so carefree, even frank, are often the most dangerous.
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