Chapter 106
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Another mission? Why are they popping up so frequently today?!
Lin Qingyang felt increasingly overwhelmed, wondering if he was going crazy. He frantically recalled the plot in his mind.
Chief Steward Wang, Chief Steward Wang, where did this Chief Steward Wang come from?
The title sounded like someone from the palace, but he had absolutely no recollection of it.
It wasn’t his fault, though. If it wasn’t a significant event or an important character, how could he possibly remember? This kind of person, who seemed destined to be killed by the male lead right from the start, was probably just a disposable cannon fodder. Perhaps, in the original plot, it was merely a passage swiftly glanced over.
Lin Qingyang forced himself to calm down. He distinctly remembered that the mission in the first mission set was to assist the male lead in being a study companion. However, both he and Chu Lishu had already been confirmed as study companions. Why was there now a new mission in the first mission set? Could it be related to their roles as study companions?
Chief Steward—handling matters of eunuchs in the palace.
There weren’t many eunuchs who could be referred to as chief stewards, and Lin Qingyang had impressions of three of them, each overseeing different aspects of palace affairs within the Twelve Bureaus.
The most dangerous was Chief Steward Ning, who attended to the emperor personally. Then there was Chief Steward Sheng, responsible for the overall management of eunuchs and palace affairs. Lastly, Chief Steward Hai, who managed miscellaneous tasks and had the least power among the three. And this Chief Steward Hai was someone related to Chu Lishu… Hold on, Chief Steward Hai.
Lin Qingyang suddenly had a flash of insight. In the original plot, this Chief Steward Hai later became the chief eunuch by the male lead’s side, accompanying him until the end. Even when the male lead died, Chief Steward Hai survived. He was smart enough to recognize the situation, being cautious and cunning from the beginning when his weakness was exposed, all the way until the end when he served obediently.
Throughout, he was never the male lead’s confidant, always understanding his own status and never crossing the line. With the male lead’s assistance, he successively eliminated the other two chief eunuchs and eventually became the chief eunuch by Emperor Zhouqing’s side, naturally becoming an instrument of the male lead in disrupting court affairs and the harem.
Hunting down Chief Steward Wang, what did it have to do with this yet-to-be-met Chief Steward Hai?
On Xinyue’s side, seeing Lin Qingyang lost in thought without speaking for a long time, she inquired about what was going on. Lin Qingyang, thinking to first clarify the conditions, asked, “My friend has been gone for a while without coming back. I’m a bit worried. Could you help me investigate which room he’s in and who he’s with?”
“Your friend is a pervert. He asked four girls in one go!” Xinyue said disdainfully.
Lin Qingyang knew Xinyue had misunderstood, so he clarified that it was another person—the one who helped him uncover the truth in this room.
Xinyue was stunned, her expression immediately turning unpleasant. “Him?”
Lin Qingyang suddenly realized that things didn’t look good from the start. After all, at that time, Chu Lishu looked fierce with a mask on, and this girl hadn’t really seen him clearly.
“That… he is a good person, with upright character, courage, and intelligence. Most importantly, he looks super handsome,” Lin Qingyang quickly added.
Xinyue didn’t say much, just gave Lin Qingyang a suspicious look and then stood up, saying, “Fine, I’ll inquire for you.”
Meanwhile, Chu Lishu was in conversation with the three people he targeted.
“Although I may look young, my adoptive brother Liu Ziban has fully entrusted me to handle this matter. We have a complete sea route under our control, which can definitely resolve your urgent situation. If you sincerely want to cooperate, you need to show some sincerity. I don’t know who your master is, but I won’t negotiate with the three of you regarding profit. If you don’t respond today, we’ll consider this deal off. After all, it’s not a profitable business. We would rather go fishing at sea than engage in such unclear dealings.”
Chu Lishu calmly put down the teacup, and the three people in front of him were already sweating profusely. All three of them were in their forties or fifties, yet they were completely oppressed by the young man before them. Initially, they thought the negotiator was just a rich young man who could be easily deceived. Little did they expect him to be a tough character, breaking through all their deceitful words in just a few sentences, forcing them to make a decision.
If it weren’t for their recent bad luck, with several routes for selling tributes having issues, they wouldn’t be here trying to salvage the situation. When the investigating officials traced their activities following the clues, they still had those illicit goods in their possession. Such actions would lead to severe punishment for their entire families, so Chief Steward Wang urgently wanted them to quickly dispose of the goods.
With no other choice, they had to seek out people involved in shady businesses. So, not long ago, a piece of information reached their ears: someone was smuggling tea leaves overseas. Upon further investigation, coincidentally or not, it led them to the fallen ministers. People who were willing to risk their lives to make money were easier to control, and those who, like them, dared not show their faces, became their best current option.
The other party was no pushover either. After understanding the implied message, they made it clear that they must negotiate with the real master, or it wouldn’t be safe.
In their eyes, this cautious request undoubtedly originated from Liu Jingchen. The clever young man before them was likely just a spokesperson.
However, they did not expect even a spokesperson to be so difficult to deal with. Now that they were at a stalemate, they had no other options.
Seeing their cautious stance, Chu Lishu, showing impatience, stood up to take his leave.
The three men quickly intervened, trying to stop him. Just at that moment, there was a commotion at the door. The three men’s expressions changed slightly as they stood up and opened the door. A man in his thirties, fair-skinned and clean-looking, walked in.
“Why be in such a hurry, Young Master Liu? I’m here, aren’t I?”
Chu Lishu scanned the man from top to bottom and smiled faintly, “My sworn brother once said that anyone capable of doing this business must have a noble connection within the palace. May I ask how I should address you?”
“I’m surnamed Hai. You can call me Hai Gonggong*. Young Master Liu, please, we can take our time to discuss.”
Note: Gongong is term for enuch.
“Nice to meet you, Hai Gonggong. I may have been impolite.”
“Not at all. We’re here to make a fortune together. I wonder how Young Master Liu plans to divide the profits?”
Chu Lishu sat down casually but assumed a thoughtful expression, “Can Hai Gonggong really make decisions?”
This statement left all four people present stunned.
Hai Gonggong smiled apologetically, “Young Master Liu you must be mistaken. I certainly can…”
“Not necessarily. These three gentlemen didn’t show much respect when you entered. If they were in the service of a master, why would they behave this way? Moreover, my sworn brother mentioned that there are three renowned chief eunuchs in the palace, and none of them have the surname Hai. The list you provided is not simple. If there is no chief eunuch involved, we have some doubts about the authenticity of the goods behind this deal.”
Hai Gonggong’s expression changed, and the three men were even more shocked. They didn’t expect that this Young Master Liu had anticipated everything. His sworn brother had already informed him that they intended to let this Young Master Liu take charge. This Young Master Liu also had astonishing powers of observation, quickly seeing that Hai Gonggong was not their master.
Hai Gonggong was naturally astonished by Chu Lishu’s keenness, having sensed the exceptional qualities of this young man when eavesdropping earlier. Now, face to face, Chu Lishu’s intelligence was even more intimidating, and when his eyes stared, it seemed as if he could penetrate through people’s innermost secrets.
Hai Gonggong naturally dared not admit it. Just as he was about to offer a clever retort, he heard Chu Lishu say, “Forget it, I know you’re still suspicious. Let me show some sincerity first. We are willing to take only twenty percent of the profits.”
As soon as these words were uttered, the four individuals collectively widened their eyes. They had originally anticipated forty percent, considering the urgency on their part. Even settling for thirty percent would have been a good deal, but twenty percent was an unexpected windfall.
The three men became excited, but Hai Gonggong became suspicious. “Isn’t this taking advantage of you?” he questioned.
“Honestly, I wasn’t very willing to do this business, but my foster brother insisted. He emphasized that this is a long-term deal, a steady stream of goods, and as long as the seller is reliable, it ensures a secure source. Our fleet is originally traveling overseas, so engaging in this profitable and risk-free venture is like making a new friend. We might earn a bit less now, but it paves the way for potential future collaborations. However, at this moment…”
Liu Ziban’s sincerity was truly palpable, and his perspective seemed farsighted, adopting a stable and methodical approach. After all, if their speculation about the other party being a palace steward was correct, establishing good relations now would yield abundant benefits in the future. This displayed the shrewdness of a savvy businessman.
However, they were evidently hesitant at this point. If the other party turned out to be an ordinary eunuch without significant authority, they wouldn’t suffer such a loss. Moreover, since they had been concealing their true master, the lack of transparency made the other party uneasy about engaging in such a substantial business deal. It was a reasonable concern.
Even Hai Gonggong hesitated at this point, and could only say, “It seems that we were too abrupt. Please wait a moment, Young Master.”
Saying this, he went out to consult.
The other three hurriedly tried to please Chu Lishu, speaking well of the collaboration.
Chu Lishu, however, ominously remarked, “If this works out, it might be your last deal.”
The three didn’t catch on immediately, chuckling and saying, “Sure, sure.” If it succeeded, they wouldn’t have to hustle anymore. They would only be responsible for the onshore transport and whitewashing work, eliminating the need to go out for business dealings.
Not long after, Hai Gonggong returned alone. Chu Lishu’s expression remained unchanged, but he felt a bit impatient inside. As expected, the next moment, Hai Gonggong invited him to another room to meet someone. This deviated from the ideal scenario, where Chu Lishu had planned to gather all five people in this room before taking action.
However, Chu Lishu didn’t show any displeasure on his face. He politely followed Hai Gonggong to the adjacent room.
There were no guards at the door of the adjacent room, but upon entering, Chu Lishu saw two bodyguards, probably the private soldiers raised by Wang Rong. This was troublesome. They couldn’t assassinate Wang Rong in the palace, so they had to find a way to make him leave. Chu Lishu had already disrupted Wang Rong’s major source of income, forcing him to leave the palace.
Originally, the plan was to take advantage of the combined strength of him, Lu Yi, and Lu Shi to assassinate Wang Rong when he was off guard. This could be done silently and without alerting anyone, achieving a successful covert assassination. However, due to the coincidental onset of the side effects of his Tianxuan Pill and the timing of Wang Rong leaving the palace, both Chu Lishu and Lu Yi were incapacitated. Only Lu Shi remained, making it impossible to carry out the original plan. They had to resort to a more gradual approach.
The moment Chu Lishu saw Wang Rong, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. This Wang Gonggong had been responsible for taking care of matters concerning the imperial princes in the palace. He was very familiar with the former Crown Prince Yuan Ran. Moreover, this person possessed a special ability. It was precisely because of this ability that Chu Lishu had to eliminate him.
As Chu Lishu followed Hai Gonggong around a folding screen, he saw a corpulent figure sitting on a large couch, nearly covering one side completely. The white face was covered in horizontal flesh, with rouge smeared on it. It was evident that this person was a eunuch. The eyes were nearly squinted, giving a sidelong glance, and he held a smoking pipe in his purple lips. Dressed in luxurious silk, he cradled a nearly naked young man in his arms. The youth had a flushed face, tearful eyes, yet dared not shed a tear. Chu Lishu couldn’t discern what had transpired here while they were discussing matters in the adjacent room.
Chu Lishu raised his head nonchalantly, pretending not to recognize Chief Steward Wang, and performed a simple courtesy. “I am Liu Yang, the young master of the Liu family’s fleet. May I know the identity of this esteemed person?”
Wang Rong, after appraising Chu Lishu, couldn’t conceal his astonishment and said with a smile, “The Liu family unexpectedly took in such a charming adopted son. Young and already so capable, truly enviable.”
Chu Lishu’s eyes flickered with a cold light, but he maintained a smile on his face.
Hai Gonggong immediately stepped forward and said, “This is precisely Wang Rong, the Chief Steward Wang in the palace. I believe your elder brother should have mentioned him.”
Chu Lishu immediately showed a look of surprise and quickly bowed respectfully.
“Now that Young Master Liu has seen me, can we discuss the transaction properly?” Chief Steward Wang said.
“Is it… too crowded here?” Chu Lishu appeared hesitant.
Chief Steward Wang chuckled, pushing the young man in his arms aside and instructing him to stand aside. “They are all my confidantes. Young Master doesn’t need to worry. Come, let’s discuss in detail.”
With that, Chief Steward Wang took the initiative to walk to the table, wanting to get closer to Chu Lishu for business talks. After all, Chu Lishu’s appearance had already stirred his desires. Even if he couldn’t get hands-on, getting close, taking a sniff, and remembering his scent would be satisfying.
He had always liked such handsome youths. Therefore, any good-looking young eunuch around him had been taken advantage of by him. Those he favored would be kept close by his side, pampered at any time.
Soon, he approached within three steps of Chu Lishu.
Chu Lishu began to feel tense all over. Just as he hesitated whether to step back, a voice suddenly came from the doorway.
A guard walked in, and with his footsteps, a scent of blood wafted in.
Chu Lishu couldn’t help but frown, sensing trouble. He didn’t anticipate that these guards weren’t all stationed by Wang Rong’s side. Where were the others previously? Why did they carry the smell of blood? Did something go wrong with Lu Shi?
The scent of blood made Chief Steward Wang even more uncomfortable. His nose was much more sensitive than an average person’s, and he was on the verge of retching from the smell.
“What’s going on?” Chief Steward Wang asked, displeased.
The guard approached and whispered something in Chief Steward Wang’s ear. Chief Steward Wang furrowed his brow, waved his hand to dismiss the guard, and then pretended that everything was fine. He sat down at the table, smiling, and said, “No problem, let’s continue our discussion. Please have a seat, Young Master Liu.”
As Chu Lishu sat down, he observed Chief Steward Wang’s expressions. Suddenly, Chief Steward Wang’s expression changed in an instant. He stared at Chu Lishu, and without hesitation, Chu Lishu made his move. By the time the people in the room reacted, Chu Lishu’s knife was already at Chief Steward Wang’s throat.
“Long time no see, Chief Steward Wang.”
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
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Hello, could any reader answer my question? Are you able to access chapter 107? If anyone could give me a tip on how to access it I would be very grateful.