Chapter 120:
Jiangnan, Qingzhou City.
Lu Ziyan came to Qingzhou this time by imperial decree to investigate a case, and since it was out in the open, his whereabouts were not hidden in the slightest.
With this Killing God descending, and coming here as the Imperial Envoy, the officialdom in Qingzhou City was naturally thrown into panic. If one is upright, there is naturally no fear of a crooked shadow, but who in officialdom dares say they are not stained with even a speck of dirt.
In short, all hoped the case would be concluded early, sending off this great Buddha.
From the first day he arrived in Qingzhou, local officials moved swiftly upon hearing the news, warmly welcoming and attentively hosting him.
On Lu Ziyan’s side, unlike his past tendency to shout for beatings and killings at every turn, this time he was much more refined. At least on the surface, he still gave face to the various officials in Qingzhou City.
Facing invitations from all sides, though he did not accept every one, he was not coldly icy to the point of giving no consideration at all. Every few days he attended a banquet, and over several months, he had actually built a superficial rapport with several prominent officials in Qingzhou City whose names carried weight.
As for what happened behind the scenes, no one knew, and no one would naively let their guard down.
After all, Lu Ziyan had numerous staff and countless retainers, with plenty of people at his disposal. No one could grasp his bottom line. In just two years since entering officialdom, the high-ranking officials and ministers who died by his hand numbered no fewer than two hands’ worth, and thus the title Killing God came about.
Now that the year-end was approaching, Lu Ziyan had been in Qingzhou for nearly three months. This Southern county city, with its four seasons like spring, had reached the coldest period of the year, with bone-chilling chilling air.
Yet several window sashes in the room were all wide open. Lu Ziyan sat steadily by the desk, holding a seal in hand, pressing his private seal onto a letter.
Footsteps sounded from outside. Ming Jian walked in holding a gold-embossed invitation and bowed in salute. “Young Lord, this is the invitation sent by Chen Wen, inviting you to gather at Guangyue Tower tonight, saying it’s a send-off for you.”
Tomorrow was the day they set off back to the Capital City. This embezzlement case of disaster relief funds had, on the surface, already been concluded, with over a dozen officials arrested—a major case that could shock the court and the public.
Taking it back to the Capital City to report would be enough to record a merit.
It was a situation where all were pleased.
Now that this Killing God was leaving, Chen Wen, as the Prefect, naturally sent him off with joy.
Lu Ziyan did not pause his actions. After the seal was pressed, he let the ink dry, folded the letter paper, and said, “Send it back to the Capital City.”
Ming Jian took it, respectfully acknowledging, then said with concern, “For tonight’s trip to Guangyue Tower, will you go?”
“Why not go,” Lu Ziyan said. “Rest assured, even if Chen Wen already suspects something, until he is certain he will surely die without a doubt, he dares not make a move against me.”
Once he made a move against him, whether they could even keep him was uncertain. Even if he truly fell here, the matter would only blow up bigger.
Though the Great Khan Dynasty showed signs of sunset in the west, quelling this bit of internal trouble was no more than child’s play.
…………
Jiangnan was prosperous. Even after experiencing a chaos at the beginning of the year with countless disaster victims, the suffering was borne by the lowly commoners at the bottom, while the great families behind vermilion gates still enjoyed song and dance, reveling in luxury and dissipation.
Places of pleasure abounded in Qingzhou City, and Guangyue Tower was the largest flower house in the city.
Lu Ziyan arrived under the moonlight to attend the banquet. As soon as he appeared, he was welcomed into the second floor by two waiting subordinates.
Compared to the girls of the Northern Region, the young ladies of the South were more alluring and graceful, with all varieties of beauties available. Tonight, to send off Lu Ziyan, nearly all the renowned stunning beauties of Qingzhou City were gathered here, serving these official lords.
After Lu Ziyan took his seat, Prefect Chen clapped his palms twice, and over a dozen dancers with graceful figures and light postures entered to perform.
The lead dancer wore an ornate dance skirt veiled in a layer of light gauze over her face. Her slender willow waist swayed lightly, and aside from the curves of her chest faintly appearing and disappearing with her dance, there was no other exposure.
Compared to the dancers beside her who were clad only in light gauze, she stood out even more.
After the dance ended with the music stopping, the lead dancer had a sheen of thin sweat on her forehead. She gracefully bowed before Lu Ziyan, her delicate hand removing the light gauze pinned at her ear, revealing a strikingly beautiful face. Panting slightly, she said, “Xi’er pays respects to Lord Lu.”
Her breath was like orchid, her voice like an oriole, her posture charming and lovely, yet without the worldly air of one accustomed to the winds and moons—not like a prostitute from a pleasure house, but more like a young lady delicately raised in some family’s back courtyard.
Lu Ziyan’s hand holding the wine cup paused, then slowly set it down. The woman was very perceptive; she lightly raised her lotus arm, took the wine pot, and poured him a full cup. Then, raising the wine cup high with both hands, she parted her red lips lightly and said, “Xi’er has long heard of Lord Lu’s name even from the boudoir. Today, I am fortunate to meet you. A toast to Lord Lu.”
The sleeves of her dance attire were wide. As she raised the cup high over her head, two sections of snowy white arms were revealed, with a red mole on the inner side of her right elbow particularly striking against her fair skin.
Lu Ziyan’s gaze inadvertently swept over it, his brows slightly raising. Then he heard the host, Prefect Lord Chen, say from beside him, “My humble daughter has long admired Lord Lu. Today she insisted on coming. If Your Lordship does not disdain…”
“Oh?” Lu Ziyan seemed somewhat surprised. “She is actually the precious daughter of Lord Chen’s family?”
“Indeed,” Lord Chen stroked his beard and laughed. “Speaking of it, my little daughter’s birth mother shares some connection with Your Lordship. Why not let her tell you herself.”
Lu Ziyan nodded indifferently.
Chen Xi’er held up her aching arm and said softly, “Xi’er’s birth mother comes from Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate, the younger sister of the Marquis’s Wife.”
Lu Ziyan’s fingertip lightly tapping the table paused slightly.
The daughter born to a girl from Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate—by seniority, this was Madam Zheng’s niece, Wanwan’s cousin.
How could she come to a place like this to dance.
But with a turn of thought, he recalled that Chen Wen did indeed have a concubine from Qu Cheng Marquis’s Estate in his back courtyard. However, due to her birth mother’s status being too lowly—not even entered into the clan registry—the Zheng Family did not acknowledge this daughter.
Unexpectedly, after entering Chen Wen’s back residence, she gave birth to a daughter, and now the daughter was being offered up.
Lu Ziyan had seen plenty who offered him their daughters, but this was the first time in such a setting.
A faint mocking curve appeared at the corner of his lip. Finally, he lowered his gaze to seriously look at the young lady bowed to the ground—but with just one glance, his gaze suddenly froze.
Seeing this, Chen Wen laughed. “Does Lord Lu feel she looks familiar? A niece resembling her aunt is not uncommon.”
A niece resembling her aunt is not uncommon, but Xie Wanning’s daughter looking like her mother was even less so.
By this calculation, those at the table with quick reactions had already tasted the flavor.
So it turned out that Lord Chen’s family’s concubine’s daughter resembled this Killing God’s former fiancée.
Thus, there was this scene of offering a daughter in a flower house.
Separated by a few months, the matter of Lu Ziyan rushing back to the Capital City under the stars and moon, breaking into the wedding chamber to beg his fiancée, had already spread throughout the Great Khan lands.
Who did not know of his unobtainable desire.
This affection was perfectly targeted with the right medicine.
All eyes were focused here.
The smile at Lu Ziyan’s lip had already vanished. Expressionless, he said, “Raise your head.”
His tone was low and deep. Chen Xi’er’s delicate body trembled, and she slowly lifted her face.
Made the list, short by about forty votes. A sister suggested using money power, but I thought about it and decided against it—don’t want an unfair win.
Also, lately in the comments section, I’ve finally seen some who like Lu Ziyan. Really rare.
Giving everyone a heads-up: the subsequent plot will only get more explosive, with even bigger twists.
Pure love warriors who want sweet pampering, go read the previous book Favoring Concubines and Neglecting the Wife—it’s solidly sweet, solidly pampering.
The one before that, Sealed Heart and Locked Love, was already hard for pure love warriors to stomach, with an explosive plot. I got burned out writing that one, so I started the little sweet cake Favoring Concubines and Neglecting the Wife.
After tasting too much sweetness later on, wanting something stimulating gave birth to this book Concubine Exclusive Favor.
I guarantee that in this book, on the emotional front, the female lead holds absolute dominance, standing invincible.
