Chapter 6 The Sixth Young Master
Faced with a potential opportunity, Lu Huantang abandoned his usual charming and affectionate methods for dealing with girls, knowing that such tactics would certainly be ineffective against Jiang Linzhi, who was accustomed to the ways of the world. Remembering his identity as a guard, he respectfully knelt on one knee to serve as a stool, saying, "This subordinate is of humble status and dares not ride with Miss."
Footsteps came from inside the door. Jiang Linzhi grew anxious and whispered, "I can't get up there even if I step on you. I don't know how to ride a horse at all. Carry me up, hurry! People will be here soon!"
Lu Huantang was somewhat surprised, but before the footsteps arrived, he nimbly flipped over and carried Jiang Linzhi onto the horse.
The wind blew through Jiang Linzhi's hair, carrying a faint fragrance that brushed against Lu Huantang's face. The scent on Jiang Linzhi was exactly the same as the Xun Lingxiang on Qi Lingjun.
It's both good and bad.
If Lu Huantang could find out what Jiang Linzhi liked about Qi Lingjun, he could cater to her preferences and gain a foothold by Jiang Linzhi's side. However, Qi Lingjun was ultimately an obstacle.
Lu Huantang was calculating when they arrived at a secluded street. Jiang Linzhi pointed to a small stall under a locust tree and said, "Stop there!"
It was a wonton noodle stall, quite crowded, but mostly with porters and vendors doing heavy lifting; very few were dressed neatly or cleanly. The stall was filthy, and even the flagstones there were much dirtier than elsewhere.
An elderly man with white hair was cooking noodles at a leisurely pace. With each stretch and pull, the thin noodles were dropped into the pot and tumbled around.
Lu Huantang dismounted and was about to reach out to help Jiang Linzhi down when Jiang Linzhi, who had already jumped down impatiently, nearly collapsed to the ground due to her weak legs.
Lu Huantang reacted quickly, catching Jiang Linzhi to prevent her from falling under the horse's hooves. But in that moment, he discovered a not-so-secret secret—Jiang Linzhi's limbs were limp and she had no internal strength. She truly was the rumored good-for-nothing!
No wonder he can't ride a horse; with that little strength, he probably couldn't even hold the reins of this Akhal-Teke horse.
Jiang Linzhi finally stood up and looked up, meeting Lu Huantang's thoughtful eyes. Those eyes were deep, like a vast, distant mountain range, encompassing all things.
Lu Huantang was confident in his appearance, after all, he relied on this face to save himself a lot of trouble.
From his perspective, Jiang Linzhi's silver bird feather robe shimmered under the lamplight, like a reflection in water, fragile and delicate, giving her a frail beauty reminiscent of Xi Shi.
But the next moment, Jiang Linzhi, not caring about his image, shouted loudly to the shop owner from afar, "Uncle, one serving of the signature medium-spicy noodles!"
Then he turned to Lu Huantang and asked, "What do you want?"
The previous romantic moment vanished instantly. Lu Huantang took a step back, released his hand, and said, "Give me a signature noodle dish, medium spicy."
Lu Huantang had no particular taste in food; to him, food was simply for survival, and as long as one could live, it didn't matter whether it tasted good or bad. But he had to make an impression on her tonight; he couldn't just be a guard anymore.
This is essential, even more important than food.
After ordering the noodles, Jiang Linzhi lifted her skirt, spread her legs, and sat on a small stool, waiting for her noodles with absolutely no elegance.
Seeing Jiang Linzhi's luxurious clothes and beautiful face, the crowd couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Jiang Linzhi always traveled by carriage, so ordinary people had no chance to recognize her and simply assumed she was a handsome young man from a wealthy family.
Jiang Linzhi's gaze was entirely focused on the noodle stall, and Number Four did not notice the wolfish stares of the person next to him.
Lu Huantang glanced at them coldly, and only then did they stop their lewd and curious stares.
Lu Huantang took out a handkerchief and wiped the chopsticks, then wiped the table. The small handkerchief seemed to be covered with a layer of glue and a layer of yellowish-brown oil stains when he picked it up.
He had never been particularly interested in food, as long as it was clean and filling. Now that he saw that even cleanliness wasn't an issue, Lu Huantang lost all hope for this place.
Jiang Linzhi was completely unaware of what was happening. She swayed her body slightly with delight, her eyes glued to the old man pulling noodles.
The noodles arrived quickly, topped with tender fatty intestines, crispy stinky tofu, and bright loach mixed with chopped scallions and minced garlic. A layer of red oil with sesame seeds floated on the soup, and the aroma of spiciness mixed with Sichuan peppercorns wafted over, making one's mouth water.
Jiang Lin thanked him and gave him a piece of silver.
The old man nodded his thanks and didn't refuse. As if they were old acquaintances, he asked, "Little girl, is this your young master?"
Before Lu Huantang could explain, Jiang Linzhi nodded, somewhat smugly, and said, "Isn't it beautiful?"
The old man nodded: "Jun."
After exchanging pleasantries, the old man, his back hunched, went back to his work.
Thinking about the looks from those around him, Lu Huantang didn't ask any questions and handed the cleaned chopsticks to Jiang Linzhi.
Jiang Linzhi was also carefree. Without explaining anything to Lu Huantang, he immediately poked the crispy fried stinky tofu, soaked it in the soup, and started slurping noodles.
Even though he was very unwilling, in order to get closer to Jiang Linzhi, Lu Huantang still ate a bite of noodles from a street stall that he would not normally touch. Surprisingly, the noodles tasted pretty good.
Lu Huantang silently noted down Jiang Linzhi's preferences. Suddenly, Jiang Linzhi whispered, "I haven't asked your name yet. My name is Jiang Linzhi."
Even without an introduction, Lu Huantang knew her name.
"Lu Huantang".
"A name that encircles the four seas," Jiang Linzhi smiled and continued slurping his noodles.
But the next moment, with her mouth full of noodles, she mumbled, "Real name?"
“No,” Lu Huantang said directly.
A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Linzhi's eyes as he asked, "Wh...what?"
“This isn’t my real name. My real name is Lu Butang, the ‘not’ in ‘sitting without peeping into the hall.’ I changed my name because my senior brother died, so I’m using his name in his memory,” Lu Huantang said calmly, then smiled bitterly. “It’s also my real name, anyway, I’ll be using this from now on.”
Seeing that Jiang Linzhi didn't pursue the matter, Lu Huantang didn't continue. Seeing her sneezing and wiping her nose as she ate, looking comical yet innocent like a young girl, he suppressed a laugh and asked, "Want to rinse it with water before eating?"
Jiang Linzhi quickly stopped Lu Huantang from pouring water, sniffling, and said, "Then what's the point? It's only delicious when it's spicy!"
The rumors circulating were completely different from what he had seen over the past month. Lu Huantang felt that Jiang Linzhi was an unfathomable person and was convinced that he was just putting on an act for him.
Seeing the sweat on her nose and forehead, and her tongue lolling out like a puppy from the spiciness, I couldn't help but find it somewhat comical, and my wariness lessened a bit.
Ultimately, Jiang Linzhi was a spoiled little girl. Although she was of a higher generation, she was still young when the Jiang family was in turmoil. When the emperor and the regent were fighting for power, she quickly sided with the emperor and had him as her backer, so she lived a relatively stable life.
He was merely greedy and lustful, and had never experienced any major upheavals. The biggest wave he faced was the Jiang family turmoil of a few decades ago.
That was not just a disaster for the Jiang family, but a disaster for the entire Sui Kingdom.
She must have been used to those who fawned over others, which is why she kept someone like Qi Lingjun, who controlled her in every way, by her side.
Thinking of this, Lu Huantang roughly understood what Jiang Linzhi valued in Qi Lingjun. As long as he was different from those who dared not speak the truth, he could gain a foothold by Jiang Linzhi's side, and then he could also use Jiang Linzhi's power to get promoted and ennobled.
After the two finished their noodles, Jiang Linzhi bought a serving of hot, soft-fried twisted dough sticks from a street corner. Having made up his mind, Lu Huantang said, "Miss, eating too much at night will cause indigestion."
"This is for Lingjun." Jiang Linzhi held the twisted dough stick wrapped in oil paper, protecting it as if it were a precious treasure.
Lu Huantang smiled faintly, "Miss really cares about Mr. Qi."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Linzhi smiled slyly, "You don't understand. I brought him some food, so he was too embarrassed to scold me."
For a moment, Lu Huantang was taken aback. He realized that Qi Lingjun had it tough too, taking care of Jiang Linzhi like a child. But he was more worried about himself now. How could he win Jiang Linzhi's favor under Qi Lingjun's control? After a moment's thought, he said, "I accidentally injured Miss a few days ago. Whatever Miss needs me to do, I will do my best, even at the cost of my life."
"No, no, no," Jiang Linzhi raised her hand to stop him from making a declaration of determination. "Don't be willing to die for me. People live for themselves. Why don't you tell me what you would do for yourself? That way I'll feel more at ease keeping you by my side."
The tiger revealed its sharp claws, and Lu Huantang instantly came to his senses. How could he have thought a tiger was cute just now?
Jiang Linzhi continued, "If you answer that you don't like it, then consider that meal a farewell dinner, and go back to where you came from."
Even though she was smiling, Lu Huantang still broke out in a cold sweat.
It's true that he sneaked out, and it's also true that he was testing him. But the test was just something he did on the way to grab a late-night snack, and he might never be able to go back.
Lu Huantang pondered for a moment, then looked up and stared directly at Jiang Linzhi, his eyes brimming with pure and genuine ambition and desire, "to reach the pinnacle of power."
"Just my dynasty?" Jiang Linzhi was not deterred by the flames of ambition and took a step back. Instead, he felt it was not enough and began to fan himself with the large banana leaf of desire.
"Not enough." Lu Huantang, no longer hiding his true feelings, said firmly, as he was being fanned by the wind.
Currently, only the states of Wu and Sui remain in the world. Wu is vast and rich, while Sui is poor and remote. To have Sui attack Wu is nothing short of a pipe dream. Anyone who could say such a thing is somewhat insane.
But Jiang Linzhi smiled, looking at the sword beside him, "How is your swordsmanship?"
"Not bad, seventh on the Lone Goose List."
The Lone Goose Ranking is a ranking of martial arts skills in the world. Those who can make it onto the Lone Goose Ranking are not only above average, let alone those in the top ten.
Jiang Linzhi remembered that last year's seventh place was Cui Jiu from the Regent's Palace, so it seems this person beat Cui Jiu.
The two quickly returned to their residence. Jiang Linzhi hadn't said anything before leaving, and Lu Huantang felt somewhat uncertain. Tonight, he had been completely led by Jiang Linzhi.
After walking a few steps, Jiang Linzhi turned back and casually said, "You don't need to have a guard with you tomorrow. Someone will take you to a new place."
The fish has taken the bait.
Jiang Linzhi tiptoed back to her room. As soon as she opened the door, her newly adopted fox came up to her, whimpering and begging to be petted. Before she could cover the fox's mouth, she heard a voice from inside the room: "Is it comfortable not wearing a cloak?"
Jiang Linzhi chuckled and went around behind the screen, took out the soft braided rope he had been holding in his arms, and said with a smile, "I'll definitely wear it next time."
The oil from the soft twisted dough sticks had seeped through the outer oil paper, making it mottled and transparent, and a faint milky aroma wafted out.
No matter how delicious it was, Qi Lingjun didn't have the habit of having an extra meal at night. He wanted to ask the maid to take it away, but seeing Jiang Linzhi's expectant eyes, he still took a bite, chewed it carefully, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I will eat this tomorrow."
Jiang Linzhi suddenly leaned closer, and by the time Qi Lingjun reacted, she had already kissed away the crumbs from the corner of his mouth, sat back down, and said, "It's cold, it doesn't taste good anymore. If you still want to eat it tomorrow, we can go get some hot food."
As he spoke, he tossed the remaining twisted dough sticks to the fox that was nudging around nearby.
Qi Lingjun paused for a moment, then remained calm and quickly got back to business, saying, "If you want to test his loyalty, you can hand him over to me. It would be unwise for him to put himself in danger."
Jiang Linzhi said, "I'm bored too. Besides, someone as capable as him needs a bigger bait to get him hooked."
"Use the same way you treat men?" Although his tone was calm, something sounded strange to Jiang Linzhi.
Jiang Linzhi said, "It's clearly very useful."
Qi Lingjun finished tidying up the documents, placed the hot water bottle in the quilt, and said, "Remember to take your medicine after you bathe. I'll take my leave now."
The hot water bottle had just been filled. Jiang Linzhi knew that the kiss had made him feel the chill of the night. She smiled and called out to Qi Lingjun, tilting her head and saying, "Hey, aren't you going to stay here with me today?"
Qi Lingjun was respectful but did not answer her question. Instead, he said, "The memorial is on the corner of the table. You can take a look at it first. There are many things to discuss at tomorrow's morning meeting. You must not say anything wrong."
After reading twelve full pages, Jiang Linzhi collapsed onto the bed and cried out, "Heavens above, just give me a quick death!"
As Qi Lingjun turned to leave, a slight smile appeared on his lips, as if he were in a good mood.
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