The interrogation ended, and the prisoner was acquitted and released on the spot.
Rong Juan was happily chatting with the System in his mind when he suddenly noticed the Chief Superintendent walking toward the exit, followed by his subordinates. He naturally tagged along.
The mission was simple, but he had to stay alive until the new Emperor ascended the throne.
Going back to the Prime Minister’s manor meant being extremely careful about what he ate and drank to avoid being poisoned. He’d also have to go head-to-head with the mistress of the house in a game of domestic intrigue.
Just thinking about it was exhausting.
System: [A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Little Rong, this is my favorite episode of yours.]
Rong Juan: “…Pick a time and update your software version for me.”
“A cunning rabbit has three burrows,” and he was about to secure another one.
Up ahead, a subordinate sternly stopped Rong Juan from advancing further.
“Godfather.” Rong Juan looked at the tall, thin back and called out familiarly.
The Chief Superintendent didn’t turn his head but slightly glanced sideways to order Bu San: “Take him to live at Yuzhong’s place.”
Rong Juan didn’t know what “Yuzhong” was, but he estimated he was moving for the fourth time.
The System, too lazy to update, cheered for him again: [Little Rong, you’re amazing. You’ve changed sleeping spots four times in one day!]
From the Prime Minister’s manor to the inn, then down to the prison, and now moving again.
After all this switching, he was bound to land in a cozy nest eventually.
Rong Juan was also very satisfied. If the max score was ten, he’d give this migration a nine.
At least there was a carriage for the one-way trip. Who would walk over five hundred meters if they could ride?
The Superintendent Bureau’s horses were far superior to ordinary ones; they were fast and steady.
With the Chief Superintendent’s order, Bu San had no choice but to personally escort Rong Juan.
Seeing this dandy sitting without any proper posture made Bu San uncomfortable all over; he had an urge to straighten him out.
Rong Juan shifted into another boneless position, frowning deeply.
Perhaps because the weariness between his brows was too obvious, and considering his poisoning, Bu San felt a bit of compassion. It was normal for someone poisoned with a rare toxin to look sickly.
He offered a reminder: “General Xie will return to court the day after tomorrow at the latest. He is very strict about rules. Don’t wander around under his nose if you have nothing to do.”
General?
Rong Juan realized: “So Yuzhong is a person.”
“…”
Hearing the admiration in Bu San’s tone, this person was clearly no ordinary mortal.
Since it concerned his future landlord, it was necessary to learn a bit about him.
Bu San initially thought Rong Juan was being insulting, and his face darkened. But seeing him ask repeatedly, he realized the other party genuinely didn’t know.
“Are you even a citizen of Liang?” he asked sarcastically.
Rong Juan replied earnestly, “I am a dandy of the Liang Dynasty. I eat, drink, and play every day, ignoring everything outside my window.”
He humbly asked for information about the landlord again: “Please, let me be a functioning human!”
Bu San’s temple had throbbed more than once today.
Rong Juan fished for information blatantly and soon had a preliminary understanding.
“Yuzhong” was this General Xie’s courtesy name.
Xie Yanzhou went to war at fourteen and gained command within just two years, achieving illustrious military merits. Now in his early twenties and unmarried, news of his return had the palace preparing a banquet in advance, where many nobles and officials would bring their female relatives.
However, this young god of war hadn’t had completely smooth sailing. His father died in battle when he was seven, and his mother passed away from illness soon after.
Later, he was adopted by the Chief Superintendent, who had been a fellow student of his father. After surviving countless dangers on the battlefield, his talent gradually revealed itself.
“The borders are constantly unstable. The Wurong people are skilled in warfare; even the late Emperor had to bow his head to them several times.”
Bu San’s tone grew colder as he spoke: “General Xie advocates war, while Prime Minister Rong advocates peace. The Right Prime Minister’s obstruction has delayed military opportunities several times.”
Rong Juan heard the mockery.
Hating the house and its crows—anyone related to the Prime Minister’s manor would be a thorn in the side of all the soldiers.
With Xie Yanzhou returning triumphantly, it would be a miracle if Rong Juan had an easy life.
The carriage stopped. The heavy black gates slowly opened, and a steward carrying a lantern walked out.
Bu San jumped down, gave a few instructions, then shot Rong Juan a “good luck” look before driving away without looking back.
Rong Juan followed the steward.
The lantern provided limited light, and dark clouds obscured the moon. The entire residence was vast and empty.
The front courtyard had been converted directly into a drill ground, and the back was large enough to race horses. It completely lacked the lived-in feel of a home.
The servants were pitifully few, and judging by their posture, they all seemed to be martial artists.
“You will live in the West Courtyard. Don’t run around to other rooms,” the steward instructed rather coldly.
Rong Juan swore, “You can trust my character.”
The General’s manor was cool and quiet, a divinely chosen sanctuary for slackers. He wouldn’t leave even if they paid him.
After the steward left, Rong Juan glanced around his new residence.
Probably because the General was returning soon, everything had been cleaned. He washed up briefly, yawned, and lay on the bed. “Shutting down early. Tomorrow morning, we have to go collect debts while lying down.”
System: [What?]
The System received no response.
Rong Juan fell asleep the second he finished speaking.
The next day, except for a few individuals, everyone was up early.
The Emperor held a morning court, while the commoners worked.
Today’s court session was exceptionally exciting—a once-in-a-decade spectacle.
The officials had long heard about the good show coming from the Prime Minister’s manor.
The Right Prime Minister’s son, acknowledging a father in the street, accidentally gets involved in a murder case and then reveals he was poisoned with a lethal toxin. Each event on its own was enough to cause an uproar!
Great Liang once abolished the Prime Minister system, but since Emperor Wen, it has been reinstated.
Under the current Emperor, things were different. The Prime Minister’s power was split into two.
The Right Prime Minister, Rong Chenglin, held high status and power, while the Chief Superintendent held a position equivalent to the Left Prime Minister. The authority of the Secretariat Director was constantly being reduced.
The two high officials had been rivals for years, one advocating war and the other peace, fighting incessantly.
When discussing the juicy secrets, the officials wished they could communicate via lip-reading.
Grand Tutor Su approached the Chief Superintendent proactively for the first time, looking solemn. “Are the rumors true?”
The Chief Superintendent nodded.
“Good. Good job, Rong Chenglin.” Learning his daughter had nearly married a man with one foot in the grave, Grand Tutor Su was so angry he hadn’t slept all night. If it had happened, his daughter would have been labeled a husband-curser.
All discussion ceased abruptly.
Bells and drums sounded outside the hall, and the officials respectfully welcomed the Emperor.
The current Emperor did not inherit the late Emperor’s demeanor. He looked ordinary but had an approachable air.
He put on a gentle appearance. As soon as he sat on the Dragon Throne, Grand Tutor Su stood up, intending to impeach the Right Prime Minister directly.
The Emperor, still lingering in the tenderness of his concubines from the night before, didn’t say whether he would handle it. Instead, he looked at the Chief Superintendent first, his expression exaggerated. “Congratulations to my beloved subject on gaining a noble son.”
The entire court fell silent for a moment.
Apart from the Prime Minister, the current court was the Emperor’s echo chamber.
Since the Emperor had spoken, and the Right Prime Minister wasn’t present, the officials of his faction didn’t dare contradict the Emperor directly.
After a long pause, the ministers could only bite the bullet and step forward, chorusing, “Congratulations to the Chief Superintendent on gaining a noble son.”
The Chief Superintendent seemed to have anticipated this. Standing at the front of the ministers as usual, he could clearly discern everyone’s thoughts amidst the congratulations, including the Emperor’s.
It was just another attempt to smooth things over and maintain the balance of the court.
Previously, the Right Prime Minister had overshadowed him, so now the Emperor was elevating him.
The Chief Superintendent found it somewhat boring and suddenly became curious about what that unpredictable young man was doing today.
…
The sun was three poles high, and the “noble son” hadn’t gotten out of bed yet.
He finally crawled up when the sun was about to burn his butt. He ate leisurely, then hired twenty carriages and went out.
The carriages were parked neatly outside the Prime Minister’s manor.
Hearing the news, the Right Prime Minister’s wife, Zheng Wan, hurriedly brought people out to see what was happening. In just one day, she had experienced great joy and great sorrow.
Heaven knows how happy she was hearing Rong Hengsong had been taken to the Superintendent Bureau, only for things to reverse that very night.
Now the rumors were getting uglier, and people in the streets were already calling her a “poisonous woman.”
At this moment, Zheng Wan was incredibly grateful that her husband and son were not in the capital, giving her some buffer room.
“Song-er.” Facing the returning young man, she forced a smile and avoided the main issue. “You have suffered.”
She walked over and said with feigned concern, “You can’t believe everything the Superintendent Bureau says. They’ve done plenty of sowing discord before.”
Rong Juan nodded along. “Mother has treated me extremely well since childhood. I know in my heart.”
Seeing that he was as easy to fool as when he was a child, Zheng Wan relaxed, and her tone became firmer.
“The people I sent to pick you up said the Superintendent Bureau placed you somewhere else. If your father finds out, it will be terrible. You must quickly…”
Rong Juan ignored her attempt to use his cheap dad to pressure him and interrupted, “I found a famous doctor and am currently undergoing treatment outside. We can discuss the rest when Father returns.”
Seeing Zheng Wan about to speak again, Rong Juan said meaningfully, “The doctor says my body is weak, and I could collapse at any moment.”
The more he spoke, the more worried he looked. “If I return to the manor and something happens to me, people who don’t know the truth might think you did something. That wouldn’t be good—”
“I’m doing this for your own good.”
Zheng Wan froze.
The wet nurse behind her also shuddered. She had to admit, his logic was sound.
With his frail appearance, he really might just drop dead anywhere.
Having finished performing the deep mother-son bond, Rong Juan revealed his true intentions. “The famous doctor said that to cure this illness, I need a large amount of rare treasures to sustain my life. So, I came back specifically to retrieve some.”
Zheng Wan felt something was wrong, but hadn’t reacted before Rong Juan ordered the steward to lead the way to the storehouse.
Bypassing the corridor, they reached the manor’s restricted area.
The Right Prime Minister didn’t shy away from accepting gifts. In recent decades of the Liang Dynasty, some places had even started openly selling official positions.
It took two servants to push open the heavy doors. Piles of treasures and jade shone with golden brilliance.
Rong Juan witnessed, for the first time, what it meant to raid a house for three days.
He first had a maid bring a chair and lie on a rocking chair in the courtyard himself.
The sunlight was just right today, perfect for sunbathing. Scattered shadows fell on his cheeks as Rong Juan half-closed his eyes and directed, “First, bring some deer antlers…”
The maid instinctively looked at Zheng Wan, who had rushed over.
It was just a few medicinal ingredients.
Zheng Wan thought about it and nodded.
That nod was met with a lion’s open mouth!
“Three boxes of Blood Lingzhi, ten thousand-year-old ginseng roots, a hundred catties of Cordyceps,” Rong Juan opened his “bloody basin of a mouth,” rattling off drug names endlessly: “Cistanche, Golden Whip Seven, Eight-cornered Lotus, Iron-skin Dendrobium…”
The servants couldn’t even keep up with carrying things.
The angle of the sun shifted little by little. Although it didn’t involve much gold or silver jewelry, watching a corner of the storehouse being emptied, Zheng Wan finally couldn’t take it anymore.
She gritted her teeth. “Song-er, all medicine is partly poison. Eating so many medicinal ingredients will do you only harm and no good.”
Rong Juan explained earnestly, “The doctor specifically emphasized that these must be used as a medical primer. Otherwise, how could I know all these names?”
An unlearned dandy indeed couldn’t suddenly know so many names overnight, especially rare herbs.
“When people outside learn that Mother parted with so many treasures just to exchange them for the hope of extending my life, they will surely be moved.”
He paused, then said playfully, “If something happens to me then, others will know you did your best.”
Having transmigrated so many times, he continued to rattle off the names of dozens of precious herbs without repeating himself.
In addition, Rong Juan asked for some furs, precious incense, etc., claiming he couldn’t catch a cold and needed to calm his nerves daily.
Twenty carriages were finally stuffed full. Rong Juan rose listlessly and randomly pointed to two servants to follow him.
“That’s it for now. I’ll come back if I need more.”
Pretending not to see the woman’s gaze that wanted to swallow him alive, Rong Juan acted rigorously and quickly called someone over.
“Eh? Isn’t there space on the roof of the carriage? Quick, cover it with two mink coats.”
Don’t let the carriage catch a cold in this hot weather.
Zheng Wan completely lost control of her expression, but just then, noise came from outside.
With nowhere to vent her anger, she said unkindly, “Go see what they are arguing about?!”
Many dignitaries lived in this district of the capital, and noise was strictly prohibited, especially mixed with drums and music.
The wet nurse walked out quickly and soon ran back to report.
She seemed to have heard some other news, whispering while looking at Rong Juan with schadenfreude.
On the other side, Rong Juan only had eyes for his convoy and didn’t listen carefully.
Having achieved his goal, he waved his sleeves and walked away with a stride that said, “I’ll be back next time.”
…
Cheers thundered on both sides of the outer city. Great Liang had been weak for many years, the treasury was empty, and civil officials advocated peace, once nearly ceding territory for survival.
This great victory was significant. The people’s excitement was almost uncontrollable as they lined the streets to welcome the army.
“The Wurong were defeated; we really vented our anger this time. I heard General Xie led his personal guards to raid the enemy camp, burned their provisions, and cut off the head of the southern Wurong tribe leader.”
“His Majesty is delighted. By Imperial grace, the General is allowed to bring a thousand extra personal guards back to the capital.”
Seeing this, a scholar said sourly, “Xie Yanzhou is the Chief Superintendent’s adopted son. They are birds of a feather.”
“The current Emperor favors military generals too much; it is truly worrying.”
Compared with his illustrious military merits, Xie Yanzhou killed too many people, often criticized by scholars and poets.
Especially his famous Silver Armor Army—wherever they went, mountains of corpses and seas of blood often followed, terrifying the enemy.
Amidst the disparaging remarks, the army finally entered the city, and clouds obscured the sun.
Under the towering city walls, only a row of heavy-armored soldiers could be seen. Shadows cast by their helmets made them look expressionless. The elite soldiers in front scanned the high ground occasionally to prevent ambushes.
The entire army marched solemnly. The commoners, who were about to throw flowers, unconsciously lowered their arms.
When the young General rode past the long street, one hand resting on his saber, his hair occasionally swayed in rhythm with the horse.
The scholar who had spoken out earlier didn’t even dare to look directly at the person on the warhorse when he saw the dried blood on the iron hooves.
Behind them, prisoner carts carried captives covered in blood, speaking unintelligible Wurong language, seemingly cursing.
Xie Yanzhou did not look back. His scabbard briefly left his hand and struck the rusty iron bars. The horse was startled but was urgently reined in by his subordinate.
In that moment of looseness and tightness, the prisoner bit off a small piece of his tongue due to inertia. The scene was horrifying.
The atmosphere on the street fell completely silent.
After the army had gone far, the crowd was left with palpitating hearts.
The army had actually arrived a day ago, but had to request an edict before making arrangements.
The Emperor had granted permission for Xie Yanzhou not to enter the palace immediately to face the Saint; a banquet would be held in the palace tomorrow.
As the onlookers dwindled significantly, an officer finally spoke: “General, the Superintendent sent a message saying the court has approved the budget for the second half of the year. Additionally…”
The officer paused, speaking quickly and oddly: “The Superintendent has adopted another son, who is currently staying in your residence.”
The specific reason was unknown, but hearing that the Prime Minister’s son was staying at the General’s manor, the surrounding soldiers felt disgust more than shock.
Although stationed at the border for years, they had heard of this Prime Minister’s son’s notoriety. Cruel nature, bullying men and dominating women, condoning evil servants to oppress the people… there were soldiers in the camp who had joined the army only after being bullied, with nowhere to turn for justice.
A trusted aide sneered, “Do you want to find a way to…”
Xie Yanzhou raised his hand to stop the report, unwilling to waste time discussing unimportant matters, and signaled for him to continue detailing military affairs.
The officer quickly solemnized his expression and spoke seriously about the military pay.
The army didn’t delay on the street for long. Xie Yanzhou only took a portion of his personal guards back to the manor, while the remaining two thousand heavy troops escorted the prisoners directly to the capital garrison.
As they neared the manor, the sound of heavy carriage wheels suddenly came from ahead.
The officer reflexively stopped talking and reached for the weapon at his waist.
The others also looked up alertly in unison.
One look, and many eyes showed surprise.
Ahead, carriages from unknown origins were moving mightily like a river. Because they were overloaded, they moved exceptionally slowly.
The convoy had arrived at the General’s manor entrance first. The hired grooms were busy unloading, moving boxes worth cities into the residence like flowing water.
“Be careful.” A servant who followed from the Prime Minister’s manor directed, “Do you know how expensive the things inside are? You couldn’t afford to pay for it even if you sold yourself.”
“Move that box faster; the medicinal herbs can’t stand the sun.”
“Get someone else to help lift; can one person carry a hundred catties of Cordyceps?”
Even the large chests were inlaid with gold and silver. At a glance, it stretched for miles; the “ten miles of red dowry” for a wealthy marriage was nothing compared to this.
Under the stunned gazes of the soldiers, a very cold, white hand slowly extended from the carriage with the mink-covered roof, lifting a corner of the curtain.
A young man wearing a loose red robe got out, lazily holding a jade pillow he had just swiped.
Facing the fluttering mane of a horse, Rong Juan’s carriage just happened to stop right in front of Xie Yanzhou’s steed.
He choked and almost sneezed on the spot.
Rong Juan took a step back and abruptly saw the serious, iron-blooded general in front of him.
So the landlord is back.
Bringing his flowing stream of treasures, his eyes curved into a smile immediately, and he took the initiative to greet him: “Hello, General.”
Author’s Note:
Rong Juan: Got looks, got money, super rich and handsome.