Chapter 50
So, in the end, they didn’t follow through with their original plan to burn the enemy’s medicinal storage.
Instead, they found a way to sneak in and investigate the situation.
Yuwen Min discovered that the stored herbs were enough to supply a large-scale military campaign.
Meanwhile, Lu Hanzhi noticed that besides regular medicinal herbs, there were also many poisonous plants used for sorcery and witchcraft.
These toxic plants were classified as controlled substances to prevent their misuse.
However, due to their hallucinogenic properties, they were also an excellent natural painkiller.
As a result, certain designated pharmacies were allowed to sell them.
And the Lu family happened to be one of the licensed medicinal suppliers in the capital.
Judging by the quantity of these toxic plants, it looked as if the Lu family’s entire medicinal stock had been emptied.
Su Wan’ning was truly remarkable. Transporting such a large quantity of medicinal supplies from the Lu family’s storage without anyone noticing—without even a reported loss or any unusual activity—just by making routine purchases little by little, was indeed a feat.
Lu Hanzhi increasingly felt that he was about to uncover the trump card the female lead was hiding.
Right now, his only advantage was that she was in the light while he remained in the shadows.
He knew she possessed a golden finger, but she had no idea that he had one too.
On the way back, Lu Hanzhi carefully analyzed the situation.
It was unlikely that Su Wan’ning, like him, was also a transmigrator. And even if she was, they were probably not from the same era.
However, her methods were ruthless and experienced, suggesting that she had seen much of the world.
No, not just the world—she must have witnessed its darker sides as well.
From this analysis, the female lead was most likely a reincarnator.
And not just any reincarnator—at the very least, she must have been over thirty years old in her previous life.
But no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out what a young lady from a renowned family of miracle doctors could have gone through to become so ruthless.
Lu Hanzhi pondered the whole way back but eventually gave up when he couldn’t make sense of it.
That night, he returned straight to the estate. After Yuwen Min dropped him off, he rode back to Prince An’s residence at full speed.
Having been out the entire day, Lu Hanzhi was too exhausted to go to Prince Chu’s residence to pick up Ah Chan and collapsed into bed as soon as he got back.
However, Lu Xuzhi, experiencing his first night taking care of a child, had clearly underestimated Ah Chan’s separation anxiety. At first, Ah Chan had fun playing with his second uncle and aunt, but when midnight came and he couldn’t see his father, he started wailing.
And for such a normally soft and obedient child, his crying was truly unbearable.
No matter how Yuwen Jue tried to comfort him, it was useless.
Left with no other choice, the two husbands had to hitch up the carriage in the middle of the night and send Ah Chan back.
Lu Hanzhi was half-asleep when Luan Feng woke him up, saying that the young master had returned. That’s when he finally remembered that he had left his child with his second brother and sister-in-law.
Failing as a father, he immediately threw on an outer robe and rushed out to pick up Ah Chan. As soon as he stepped into the hall, he saw Ah Chan’s big eyes, red and swollen from crying. The moment he spotted his father, he twisted his little body and threw himself into his arms.
Lu Hanzhi’s heart ached instantly. He stepped forward and took Ah Chan into his arms. The little boy let out a few whimpering sounds, rubbing his tiny face against Lu Hanzhi’s neck.
Prince Chu was just as distressed. He sighed, “He had half a bowl of sweet rice porridge for dinner, so he’s probably hungry by now. But once he starts crying, he refuses to eat anything—he just wants his father.”
Lu Hanzhi’s heart melted completely. He patted Ah Chan gently and, hearing the little boy sucking on his thumb again, immediately knew he was looking for his bottle.
So, he ordered Luan Feng and Qin Se to prepare rooms for Prince Chu and his second brother, then carried Ah Chan back to his own chamber.
He mixed up a full bottle of milk powder, and Ah Chan, holding onto it with both hands, sucked on it with such force that he ended up sweating all over his forehead.
Throughout the process, Lu Hanzhi’s lips were curved into a smile. At this point, Ah Chan had already taken root in his heart—he had truly fallen in love with this baby.
Ah Chan must have been exhausted from all the crying. Though he was starving, he didn’t even finish the bottle before falling asleep with it still in his hands.
Even in his sleep, his foodie nature showed—his tiny mouth kept instinctively sucking.
Lu Hanzhi wasn’t in a hurry. He simply held Ah Chan until he finished the entire bottle before carefully laying him down.
He placed Ah Chan on the inner side of the bed, took off his outer robe, and lay down beside him.
The next morning, before Lu Hanzhi even got out of bed, he was woken up by a commotion in the courtyard.
Ah Chan, probably tired from staying up late the previous night, was still sound asleep.
So, Lu Hanzhi got dressed and went outside.
The courtyard was lively, packed with dozens of people.
Zai Yu was talking with a young man. When he saw Lu Hanzhi, he immediately came forward and said, “Young Master, you mentioned before that we needed workers. Now, all of a sudden, this many people have come saying they want jobs. Should we take them in?”
Lu Hanzhi glanced over and recognized them—it was the group of refugees he had encountered in the northern outskirts the day before.
The leader of the refugees recognized him immediately and stepped forward with a cupped fist, asking in surprise, “Benefactor? It’s you?”
Lu Hanzhi returned the gesture and replied, “Yesterday, I had some matters to attend to, so I couldn’t personally bring everyone back. I’m planning to open a dried meat and cooked food processing workshop, which will also handle delivery services. If anyone needs work, you are welcome to stay. The conditions I previously offered in the northern suburbs still hold.”
The refugees were so moved that they were on the verge of tears. They had never imagined that such a god-like person could exist in this world.
Not only had he treated and saved them, but he was also offering them a means to make a living.
Lu Hanzhi had no intention of being seen as some great philanthropist, so he made his stance clear from the start: “The work will definitely be tough, but wages will be settled monthly, with payment guaranteed between the first and fifth of each month. Meals and lodging are provided, and family members can also stay, but those receiving food and shelter will need to pay a small living fee. Outstanding workers will receive bonuses, and any work exceeding four hours will be compensated with overtime pay. If you find these conditions acceptable, you’re welcome to stay.”
The refugees bowed repeatedly in gratitude before being led away by He Ming to arrange their accommodations.
Fortunately, if the estate had anything in abundance, it was rows upon rows of brick houses, so settling a few dozen people was no problem at all.
Though the conditions weren’t particularly luxurious, to the refugees, these were practically mansions.
They had been born into poverty and had endured harsh conditions along the way, surviving on the streets and in the wilderness. Seeing these neat rows of brick houses moved them to tears of joy.
He Ming took a register and assigned everyone their rooms, carefully recording their details.
By now, Lu Hanzhi had also gained a clearer understanding of the management structure: Qin Se and Zai Yu were in charge of external affairs, while Luan Feng and He Ming managed personnel and internal matters.
When it came to running errands, Zai Yu and Qin Se were excellent.
However, for personnel allocation and household affairs, He Ming and Luan Feng were the more capable ones.
Before long, He Ming returned to report to Lu Hanzhi, saying, “Everything has been arranged, and as you instructed, we distributed all the unused old bedding and clothes from the estate’s warehouse to everyone. They are incredibly grateful to you, saying they would work like oxen and horses to repay your kindness.”
Lu Hanzhi merely smiled and said, “There’s no need for that. Just do your work properly.”
Afterward, he assigned Zai Yu to plan a location nearby for the food processing plant.
There were plenty of vacant houses on the estate, so Zai Yu selected two larger brick buildings to serve as the factory site. That very day, he picked a dozen strong young men to help him select and slaughter pigs.
In fact, having them slaughter pigs immediately served a purpose—once the pigs were butchered, Lu Hanzhi arranged for everyone to enjoy a hearty feast of fresh pork dishes.
For impoverished villagers, such a spectacle was unheard of.
Those who knew the estate’s customs understood this was just a routine event, but to outsiders, it seemed as if they were being treated like honored guests.
The sight of the slaughter feast left men, women, and children alike staring in disbelief.
Not only was there meat, but also vegetables, blood sausage, and rich, oily broth, with an endless supply of soft white steamed buns.
Even during New Year’s celebrations back home, they wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a feast!
Was this benefactor foolish or naive? Providing such lavish meals to mere laborers—was he not afraid of bankrupting himself?
But Lu Hanzhi, who had a keen sense for business, knew the truth: only when workers were well taken care of would they be willing to put their heart and soul into their work.
He was building factories to earn more money, after all.
The few storefronts he had before were too small.
Even with Shizhen House’s nine branches in the capital serving as a brand, supply still couldn’t meet demand.
If he wanted to earn more, he had to scale up.
And with a larger operation, he would naturally need more workers.
Right now, he required a huge labor force, and the rubble-strewn areas of the northern suburbs happened to have an abundance of people in need of work.
Moreover, his goal was to rescue the displaced people of the northern frontier.
Under Su Wan’ning’s control, they had become little more than puppets.
They were nothing more than tools for Su Wan’ning to build her reputation, hardly even considered human anymore.
But in the end, they were just ordinary people. Su Wan’ning couldn’t subject them to psychological manipulation every single day, so there were always opportunities for Lu Hanzhi to exploit.
He simply stationed a few refugees there, instructing them to recruit anyone in need of work.
Over time, word of the good life in the southern suburbs spread through the northern slums.
Moreover, whenever laborers who had worked for a while returned, they were dressed well, their faces fuller with nourishment.
Everyone had wandered down from the northern frontier together, so why was it that some were now living so comfortably?
After asking around, they discovered that the wages and benefits in the southern suburbs were remarkably good!
Everything in life was a matter of comparison. While their current circumstances provided food and safety, the monotonous, unchanging days of mere survival were still terrifying.
So after discussing among themselves, people began traveling in small groups toward the southern suburbs.
However, at that moment, Su Wan’ning remained unaware of what was happening—she had more pressing matters to attend to.
In just three days, the Crown Prince was to be wed. At last, he had stopped avoiding her and had come to her, humbly apologizing with self-punishment.
As the Crown Prince had predicted, the gentle and magnanimous “little fairy” Su Wan’ning, of course, chose to forgive him!
After all, as the heir to the empire, wasn’t it only natural for him to take another wife?
She considered herself of humble birth, unworthy of the Crown Prince, and had never dared to covet the position of his primary wife.
However, she and Zhaoyun had always been as close as sisters. After such an unfortunate event, Zhaoyun must be feeling devastated. As her sister, she had to comfort her.
Gazing at his obedient and tender “little fairy,” the Crown Prince couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms, caressing and kissing her, even feeling an urge to claim her completely.
But the little fairy, blushing, shyly dodged him, using the excuse of going to console her dear sister. She then left for the Princess’s residence.
Meanwhile, inside the Princess’s residence, County Princess Zhaoyun sat alone in her chamber, holding a handkerchief embroidered with an autumn scene of falling leaves, weeping softly. She murmured to herself, “In this lifetime, I am destined never to stand by Brother Min’s side. Yet, I cannot abandon my mother and seek solace in the next life. It’s not that I am unwilling to return this handkerchief—it’s just that heaven has already treated me so unfairly. Keeping this one token by my side is the only small comfort I have left.”
This handkerchief was the very one that Lu Hanzhi had instructed Yuwen Min to leave at the Princess’s residence that day.
Lu Hanzhi knew that Zhaoyun liked Yuwen Min. Since it belonged to him, the Princess would surely keep it close.
So, he had exchanged it for something resembling a talisman and placed it inside the handkerchief, hoping to help her ward off misfortune.
At that moment, the voice of a maid came from outside the door. County Princess Zhaoyun quickly put away the handkerchief and concealed her sorrow, asking, “What is it?”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
Support Ciacia’s translation temple on Kofi—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the Han’er Tier to purge them with advanced chapter access (up to 5!) before the masses even blink.
