Chapter 131 - Sven Scum
The capital city was renowned for its exorbitant land prices, particularly in the vicinity of the Imperial City.
Zuo Shaoqing had become financially strained after acquiring a farm in the outskirts and renting a storefront downtown. Now, someone had unexpectedly granted him the choice of any house within Wu Steel Manor, leaving him feeling as if he had suddenly become wealthy overnight.
However, what followed was an even greater psychological rollercoaster. It appeared that the Treasure Pavilion needed to open as soon as possible. If Supervisor Ke possessed even half of his former abilities, he could replenish his finances within a few years.
The door was knocked, and Lu Zheng responded, “Come in.” Two robust young attendants entered behind the butler, each carrying two stacks of papers.
Lu Zheng had been absent for several days, causing a pile of official work to accumulate in the house, enough to fill two large chests. The steward had sent over all the urgent and vital official documents throughout the night.
The butler instructed the attendants to properly store the documents and then reported, “Master, Jiang's Mansion sent an invitation before nightfall. It's an invitation for you to visit their mansion in five days.”
When Lu Zheng learned it was a message from Jiang Che, he glanced at Zuo Shaoqing and inquired, “What kind of event is it?”
“Lord Jiang has celebrated his sixtieth birthday this year. This servant has already prepared the gifts.” Saying so, he presented a red paper gift voucher with both hands.
Lu Zheng accepted the gift and examined it. Family affairs were managed by the old mistress, and the butler was her most trusted aide, especially when it came to selecting gifts.
After reading it, Lu Zheng handed it to Zuo Shaoqing. His natural demeanor earned Zuo Shaoqing high regard from the butler.
Usually, a lot could be inferred from a gift voucher, including the deep friendship between the two families and the wealth of the family.
Zuo Shaoqing had already begun to assimilate into his role and didn't hide anything intentionally. He pondered the gift list carefully and thought, “In my previous life, Jiang Che mentioned that he and Lu Zheng were childhood best friends. Otherwise, Lu Zheng wouldn't treat the Jiang Family's patriarch's birthday with such reverence.”
Word had it that the Jiang clan's patriarch had an affinity for precious jade, and all the gold and silver in the Jiang Family treasury from years ago had been exchanged for jade and antiques, nearly pushing the Jiang Family to financial ruin.
The most valuable gift on the list was the one he shared with Tian Yu. Though it was precious, it couldn't be considered rare. Clearly, it wasn't meticulously prepared.
“What are you looking at?” Lu Zheng sat beside him and embraced him from behind.
Zuo Shaoqing nudged him discreetly, attempting to caution him about the presence of outsiders. However, as he raised his gaze, he discovered the butler gazing at the floor, and the two Wu steelers had stealthily departed without his notice.
He cleared his throat and responded earnestly, “These are all valuable items. My vision is limited, but in my estimation, they don't even compare to the rare and ancient books Master Lu has painstakingly collected.”
Lu Zheng chuckled and casually tossed the gift list to the butler, saying, “Just follow his instructions. And find two attractive and capable bookkeepers for Vice Minister Jiang; I believe he'll appreciate that.”
Contemplating Jiang Che's proposal to exchange the two attendants for Zuo Shaoqing, a steely resolve shone in Lu Zheng's eyes. Anyone daring to challenge him would have to gauge their own capabilities.
Zuo Shaoqing's heart skipped a beat. Feigning curiosity, he inquired, “Is Vice Minister Jiang also inclined toward men? Could it be that in my previous life, some of those male attendants in Jiang Che's establishment had some connection to Lu Zheng?”
This sensation was truly remarkable. In his previous life, he had been akin to a male attendant sent to the Jiang Mansion, but in this life, he was the one receiving such a gift.
In his past life, he had been unfamiliar with the people in the Jiang Mansion's establishment. Despite his frailty, he had still held the pride of a scholar.
The days had been arduous and seemingly interminable, and he wondered how he had endured those six years.
It was regrettable that Zuo Shaoyan exuded a strong masculine aura; otherwise, he might have explored the experience of being an attendant.
Lu Zheng rested his chin on Ye Zichen's shoulder, inhaling the fragrance wafting from Ye Zichen's neck. He spoke in a low voice, “He's merely a rogue.”
Zuo Shaoqing pushed his head away and inquired with lowered eyes, “If someone were to send you an attractive and capable male attendant in the future, would you accept it too?”
Lu Zheng's eyelids twitched, thinking Zuo Shaoqing had learned about the proposal to send the handsome youth to their doorstep. He quickly shook his head and replied, “I have no need for a male attendant!” Observing Zuo Shaoqing's continued serious expression, he added, “You're more than sufficient!”
Zuo Shaoqing remained unaware that, upon their arrival through the front entrance, several handsome young men had been delivered in various pretexts.
These individuals believed they had uncovered Master Lu's secret inclinations and eagerly sought to gain his favor.
Regrettably, the guards had promptly expelled these “gifts” before they could even ascend the manor's front steps. All those who came bearing these “gifts” were blacklisted by Liu Tie, who intended to double his “repayment” just like Vice Minister Jiang.
Zuo Shaoqing couldn't help but smile at Lu Zheng's words. While he might have doubted anyone else, he had complete trust in Lu Zheng.
His trust wasn't solely based on Lu Zheng's character but also on past experiences that demonstrated Lu Zheng's integrity.
Seeing Zuo Shaoqing's mood improve, Lu Zheng turned to his butler and gave instructions, “Carefully select the individuals who will be sent over. Let them know that if they perform well over the next three years, I guarantee them a comfortable life for the rest of their days.”
The butler understood that these individuals were not just ordinary recruits. He promptly acknowledged the order and prepared to carry it out.
After the door closed, Zuo Shaoqing turned to Lu Zheng and inquired, “Are you planning to infiltrate Jiang's Mansion with two insiders?”
Lu Zheng responded, “Do you think our guild is so careless as to send spies?”
Zuo Shaoqing pondered for a moment and understood that Lu Zheng's actions were meant to expose spies, as the true infiltrators must be deeply concealed.
Their roles were to create diversions within Jiang's Mansion and possibly have an unexpected impact.
Lu Zheng remarked, “The Jiang Family… Jiang Che may appear as a scholar, but he possesses cunning qualities. Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned Zhan Yuanfeng's trust.”
“Such individuals can either be easily exposed and eliminated, or they could engage in conflict. Otherwise, they become like persistent flies, incessantly bothersome without causing harm.”
Zuo Shaoqing rubbed his chin, reflecting on his previous perception of Jiang Che as an elegant and attention-seeking individual who pursued his goals relentlessly.
In his past life, Jiang Che held significant official positions, including High Scholar. However, his current demeanor presented a different aspect.
Lu Zheng observed Zuo Shaoqing's contemplative expression under the light, his eyebrows raised slightly, and his lips pressed tightly together. Even though he couldn't discern his eyes clearly, he could sense the aura of uncertainty emanating from him.
He cherished the real and authentic Zuo Shaoqing, not this distant and enigmatic version of him. It was as if he were wrapped in a translucent veil, making him seem unreal.
Lu Zheng took Zuo Shaoqing's hand and guided him to the desk, where he placed a brush before him and gestured to the towering stack of documents. “These are all for you. Don't hesitate to ask if there's anything you don't understand.”
Zuo Shaoqing remained bewildered, gazing at the two neat stacks of papers on the desk. He hesitated and inquired, “Are these all meant for me?”
He had assumed that Madame's remark about assisting the butler was a casual one. Little did he anticipate being handed this responsibility even before the person had arrived in the room.
He swallowed nervously and regarded Duke Zhen with admiration. If the matriarch of Duke Zhen's household handled so much every day, it must have been a challenging task for her to manage all these years.
Lu Zheng nudged him and asked, “Feeling overwhelmed?” Pointing to the pile on the right, he added, “This half is yours, the other half is mine.”
Consequently, in this spacious and tranquil study, two men worked feverishly. The sound of pen tips on paper created a distinctive rhythm in the dark of night.
With no prior experience as a butler, Zuo Shaoqing could only approach these matters as if they were state affairs. In fact, the few family matters he had dealt with just now were no less complex than state affairs.
As he opened a lengthy list of properties, Zuo Shaoqing's hand trembled, almost causing ink to blot the pristine Xuan paper. Staring at it with wide eyes, he muttered under his breath, “Even if I worked for ten years, I still wouldn't come close to Wu Steel Manor.”
Lu Zheng set aside a document delivered from the navy station. Seeing that Zuo Shaoqing hadn't touched his pen in a while, he leaned over and asked, “What's the matter? Is there a problem?”
Zuo Shaoqing mechanically pointed at the list in his hand and said, “These…”
Lu Zheng glanced down and smiled slightly, saying, “Ah, those are the spoils of our recent expedition.”
“Spoils?” Zuo Shaoqing was aware that Lu Zheng had been dispatched to deal with navy-related matters, but he assumed it was primarily reconnaissance work. How many war spoils could he have obtained in just a few days?
Every expression on Zuo Shaoqing's face seemed vivid and engaging to Lu Zheng. Seeing Zuo Shaoqing's evident curiosity and indecision, Lu Zheng couldn't help but chuckle.
He calmly explained, “This time, they encircled and wiped out an old nest of sea bandits. All of these items were plundered from their island.”
“You don't need to turn these over to the treasury?”
“Hand over items to the treasury only to let those corrupt officials embezzle them in various ways? Is Grandfather that foolish?”
Zuo Shaoqing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Could such an audacious act be carried out in broad daylight? Had Master Lu's esteemed reputation been tarnished by the Censor?
Lu Zheng rose from his seat and approached a bookshelf. He delicately turned a book in front of Zuo Shaoqing, causing two adjacent bookshelves to slowly swing open, revealing an unremarkable-looking wall.
Lu Zheng rapped on the wall thrice, and suddenly, a square secret compartment materialized on the smooth surface. He retrieved an account ledger and approached Zuo Shaoqing.
“Record the inventory you have in your possession here. These will serve as the naval military expenditures.”
Zuo Shaoqing accepted the hefty account book and couldn't help but feel its substantial weight. In that moment, he reconsidered his prior thoughts. How could he have assumed that Master Lu had an affinity for wealth?
Even the wisest monarch could not completely eliminate corrupt officials, especially given that Emperor Tianfeng had just ascended to the throne, lacking the time to establish firm court regulations.
Lu Zheng's decision to leave the funds behind made practical sense. If they had been deposited in the national treasury, it would have been far more complicated to withdraw the funds for the construction of a water management system.
Just as Zuo Shaoqing was commending Lu Zheng's sagacious choice, the elderly man chimed in, “Why the long face? I've already stored your share in the warehouse. If you wish, you can inspect it right away.”
“Pata!” The account book slipped from Zuo Shaoqing's grasp, falling to the floor. He took a deep breath, retrieved the book, and decided to cease his self-reflection.
He diligently transcribed every item into the ledger, and after completing less than half of the task, he couldn't resist asking, “What exactly did you leave behind?”
Lu Zheng, finally shedding his pretense of indifference, looked smug as he casually replied, “They are trifles of little value.”
Zuo Shaoqing's face lit up with a grin. He set aside his pen, embraced Lu Zheng's neck, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. He murmured, “As long as it's a gift from you, I'll cherish it in this lifetime.”
Lu Zheng was quite pleased with his reaction and nodded nonchalantly, saying, “It's no big deal if you don't like it. I just didn't want to be empty-handed when dealing with the court's corrupt officials.”
Zuo Shaoqing smiled bashfully and remarked, “Why bother sending them gifts? They won't hold power for long, after all.”
His statement was no exaggeration. In his recollection, the first individuals Emperor Tianfeng had ousted were several senior officials guilty of corruption. They had long been immersed in riches, and among those who frequented the imperial court, only a few had clean hands and consciences.
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