Chapter 43
With a plop, the pig whip fell into the water.
Lu Hanzhi cleared his throat, casually grabbed a towel beside him to wipe his hands, and stood up. “Why are you so silent?”
Every time Yuwen Min showed up, he managed to startle him.
Yuwen Min, however, glanced at the large basin of pig whips in front of Lu Hanzhi and remarked, “I think you’re just too engrossed.”
Lu Hanzhi pointed at the porcelain basin at his feet and replied, “Braised pig whip! It’s really delicious! Will you stay for dinner and try some?”
Yuwen Min’s brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly. His face was filled with disdain as he said, “I have no need for such things.”
Lu Hanzhi deliberately put on a look of surprise, glanced toward Yuwen Min’s midsection, and couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. “…Impressive, Your Highness.”
Yuwen Min: …
He was utterly helpless against this Xiao Langjun. He had come today for serious business, yet now, for some reason, he found himself sulking.
The strangest part was that he had no idea why he was sulking.
Before long, Lu Hanzhi led Yuwen Min to the main hall. Luan Feng quickly brought him some water and even handed him a fragrant soap made from rare pearl dragon saliva incense.
Lu Hanzhi never compromised on his own comfort—naturally, he only used the best.
After washing his hands, Lu Hanzhi returned to his room and changed into a dark-colored casual robe.
The outfit added a touch of composure to his already strikingly handsome features, setting him apart from the light-colored, ornate clothes he usually wore.
In fact, after transmigrating into this book, Lu Hanzhi had a whole new set of clothes made. He really couldn’t stand the original Xiao Langjun’s wardrobe—too delicate, too feminine.
Beautiful, sure, but utterly uncomfortable to wear.
He straightened his hair, which had become a bit messy from preparing the braised dishes, and asked, “What brings Your Highness here today?”
Yuwen Min replied, “I came to inform you that the strategy tyou proposed last time has succeeded.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
Shocking news for his entire family—what did he mean by that?
Yuwen Min continued, “Barring any surprises, within three days, the imperial edict granting marriage will be delivered to the Crown Prince’s residence.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
Wait a minute—Your Highness, I was just casually suggesting a way to give the Crown Prince some trouble and make Su Wan’ning’s marriage less smooth.
And… you actually pulled it off?!
He couldn’t make sense of it and asked, “How… did you do it?”
Yuwen Min answered, “It was simple. The Grand Princess’s wet nurse… is one of my people.”
Wow. For a ruthless ruler like him, planting spies was a minor trick.
Lu Hanzhi nodded in admiration. “And then?” Simply placing a spy—was that enough to get County Princess Zhaoyun betrothed to the Crown Prince?
Yuwen Min replied, “I only had her monitor the situation. Whether it succeeded or not was up to the Grand Princess herself.”
Lu Hanzhi was still puzzled. “Then how did Your Highness convince the Grand Princess to marry off her daughter to the Crown Prince?”
Yuwen Min explained, “It was easy. Princess Mingxi was already a victim of imperial power balancing the court. She didn’t want her daughter to suffer the same fate. But if she was destined to be a sacrifice, then she might as well become the one who holds absolute power over the world.”
Lu Hanzhi suddenly understood. The Crown Prince was destined to be the future emperor. If her daughter became the Crown Princess, she would eventually become the Empress.
If she were instead married to Prince Chu, she would only be a consort to a mere prince—still obligated to bow and pay respects to the Empress.
There was no denying that those in the heart of power were truly cunning and shrewd.
If he were in her place, he would also choose to marry the Crown Prince over Prince Chu.
After all, not everyone knew that the Crown Prince was nothing more than a piece of meat Su Wan’ning had placed neatly on a platter.
Lu Hanzhi nodded. “Impressive, truly impressive. So, what’s Your Highness’s next move? Regarding my second brother and Prince Chu’s situation…” After all, in another two months, Prince Chu’s belly would no longer be something that could be hidden.
He wasn’t like Lu Hanzhi, who had conspired with the maids and servants in the household to hide the truth. Since Xiao Langjun never stepped outside, the secret had been tightly kept.
It wasn’t until an unexpected premature birth that the truth slipped out. The midwife had to be secretly summoned in a hurry, but because the matter was so covert, she had to crawl through the doghole to enter the estate. Unfortunately, Lu Haozhi happened to witness the entire scene.
Yuwen Min thought for a moment and said, “Keeping it hidden any longer is out of the question. Previously, Eldest Brother used poor health as an excuse to avoid taking a concubine. But among the four adult princes, he’s the only one without a consort or a favored concubine. Even I already have a child.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Could we not bring that up?
“Eldest Brother is already twenty-two. If he refuses any longer, it will definitely arouse suspicion.”
This was indeed a tricky issue. The matter of the Eldest Prince’s marriage felt like a never-ending battle—defeat one opponent, and another one appeared.
Lu Hanzhi asked, “…Your Highness, I wonder, has there ever been a case in Great Zhao’s history where a prince became a Langjun?”
Yuwen Min replied, “Yes. The third son of the founding emperor was born on a yin month and yin day, which clashed with the Grand Duke’s fate. The Imperial Astrologers observed the stars and feared that this prince’s existence might bring misfortune to the country. He was born under a yin fate, yet had a male body—an imbalance of yin and yang…”
As he spoke, Yuwen Min suddenly looked at Lu Hanzhi with admiration and said, “A brilliant strategy, Wang Fei. I shall see to it immediately.”
Lu Hanzhi: Meow meow meow???
What did I do? I didn’t say anything!
But Yuwen Min was already gone in a flash. He swung onto his horse and rode away, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.
That man did everything in such a whirlwind manner. The moment he saw an opportunity, he wouldn’t waste a second.
Lu Hanzhi couldn’t be bothered to play cat-and-mouse with this future tyrant. He stepped out and instructed the servants, “Load the cooked dishes onto the carts and deliver them to the two newly opened shops. Has Zai Yu already given you the addresses?”
The servants in charge of transport responded, “Yes, Young Master. We’ll head out immediately.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded in satisfaction. With three shops already up and running, all that was left was to restock them and boost sales.
Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to take a carriage and check in on his own shops.
He had been meticulous in selecting their locations, and the storefronts were designed with refined elegance.
His first stop was the shop in the Eastern Market. As soon as he arrived, he spotted a large, pot-bellied man holding onto Zai Yu, speaking animatedly about something.
Zai Yu looked troubled, furrowing his brows as if unsure how to respond.
Lu Hanzhi quickly got off the carriage and approached. “Zai Yu, what’s going on?”
Zai Yu immediately said, “Perfect timing, Young Master. Shopkeeper Shi, my young master is here. If you have any business, you can discuss it with him. I don’t have the authority to make decisions.”
The shopkeeper, a man weighing at least two hundred pounds, had a belly that rivaled that of a woman about to give birth.
At a glance, Lu Hanzhi could already tell—this man was definitely a chef.
Sure enough, the moment Shopkeeper Shi saw him, he enthusiastically stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “Ah, Shopkeeper Han! I’ve heard so much about you!”
Ah, was this how people in ancient times greeted each other?
Lu Hanzhi returned the greeting and asked, “Shopkeeper Shi, I’ve also heard of you. What brings you here today?”
Shopkeeper Shi beamed with a broad smile and said, “Ah, I’m a straightforward man, so I’ll get straight to the point. I own a restaurant business with branches all over the capital, called Shizhen House. Today, a distinguished guest visited my establishment and ordered our signature dish—Braised Five Treasures. You may have heard of it; in the capital, it’s quite a famous delicacy! But to my surprise, the guest ended up preferring the braised dishes from your shop.”
Hearing this, Lu Hanzhi thought to himself, Is this guy here to start a rivalry?
But then, the shopkeeper shifted his tone and continued, “Actually, I came here to discuss a business opportunity. You see, many of our guests have been stopping by your shop after dining at mine to buy some of your braised dishes. This creates inconvenience for them, having to visit two places. But if we collaborate, it could benefit us both. I propose that Shizhen House sells Han Ji’s braised foods alongside our own dishes. Of course, I will ensure that our menu clearly states that the braised dishes are from Han Ji, so your brand remains intact. After all, your reputation itself is already a powerful endorsement.”
Lu Hanzhi pondered for a moment. This proposal wasn’t bad at all.
His pig farm had already begun expanding. Apart from the twenty-plus piglets recently born, he had also acquired another batch for rearing.
Additionally, some pigs were ready for slaughter.
Even if he ran out of his own pigs, he could always source more externally.
And even if these sales weren’t counted toward his grand development plan, money was still money.
Lu Hanzhi had never believed that having too much money was a problem. Since a business deal had landed right in his lap, why wouldn’t he take it?
So, he gladly accepted Shopkeeper Shi’s proposal and said, “In that case, let’s find a teahouse and discuss the details.”
Two hours later, both Shopkeeper Shi and Lu Hanzhi walked away with a signed agreement, each heading back to their own businesses.
For the first batch, Lu Hanzhi purchased twenty pigs, processed them into various cooked dishes, and delivered them to Shizhen House. He also sent a promotional poster to each of its branches.
The poster’s design was… a mix of childlike charm and randomness, but the large characters were clear as day: New Arrival – Han Ji’s Braised Delicacies!
Before long, Han Ji’s braised dishes were selling like crazy, and Lu Hanzhi instantly completed the second phase of his business plan.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, he happily collected his rewards and began to shop.
The supermarket had recently stocked a new batch of snacks!
Lu Hanzhi was absolutely craving them—potato chips, popcorn, jerky, and little sausages!
He used up five exchange points in one go, handed an unopened rice cracker to Ah Chan, and then settled in to enjoy his feast.
After tearing off the packaging and tossing it into the system’s recycling bin, Lu Hanzhi happily indulged in his snacks.
Ah Chan, meanwhile, bit down on the unopened rice cracker, making little crunching sounds. But without any teeth yet, he simply couldn’t break through the packaging.
He gnawed on it patiently for a long time, not getting frustrated, just stubbornly chewing away.
Lu Hanzhi finally couldn’t stand watching anymore and helped him open the package.
He had assumed Ah Chan wouldn’t be able to bite into it, but the moment the rice cracker entered his mouth, there was a faint crunching sound.
Startled, Lu Hanzhi quickly pried open Ah Chan’s tiny mouth and, sure enough, spotted a small, sharp tooth just beginning to emerge.
His face lit up with excitement. “Wow! Ah Chan, you’re growing teeth! Not bad, not bad! Now you’ll be able to eat more from now on.”
Ah Chan looked up at his father, utterly confused. He didn’t understand most of what was said, but the last part—”eat more”—was something he definitely grasped.
So, he reached into the pile of snacks, grabbed a bag of potato chips and a wafer, and stuffed them into the pocket of his little belly wrap.
Lu Hanzhi: …
Huh, where did this little foodie get his appetite from?
Staring at the pile of snacks in front of him, he couldn’t help but wonder—could it be from him?
Lu Hanzhi sighed in distress. Did children really take after whoever raised them?
But his worries never lasted more than three minutes. Soon enough, he was back to munching on his potato chips.
Lu Hanzhi went crunch crunch, and little Ah Chan echoed him in a softer crunch crunch—a father-son duet that was oddly harmonious.
At that moment, a knock came at the door, followed by Luan Feng’s voice. “Young Master, are you awake? The master has come to see you.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
Author’s Note:
Lu Hanzhi: What’s my plastic father coming to see me for?
Lu Siwei (clutching his leg, crying): Son! Daddy knows he was wrong!
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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Thank you for the update! I’m loving this novel so far 😊