Jiuxi

Chapter 796 [Amidst the Flowers]

"Although there aren't many noble families like Tang Huai who dare to come to my house, there are indeed many men who secretly admire Wan'er. It was okay when we were in Jingzhou before, after all, it was an important military base, and no matter how arrogant the young man was, he didn't dare to act wildly there. Now it's different in the capital, even I can't shout for war and killing at every turn, I have to consider the impact."

Li Bingxue seemed to be speaking from inspiration.

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I heard that Li Yunyi also harassed Gu Wan'er?"

Li Bingxue's eyes flickered as she smiled and said, "You are well-informed."

"After all, it was a lively event at the market, so the news spread quickly. How could my people miss any information related to you?"

Lu Chen did not hide anything, and revealed his plan in the capital to Li Bingxue.

It is not that simple to establish a complete intelligence system. The training of personnel alone is extremely energy-consuming and requires countless amounts of money. There are only a few people in the world today who can accomplish this, except the emperor.

As a brave general on the battlefield, Li Bingxue was familiar with the ins and outs of this matter. He tilted his head slightly and said, "You are so busy that you definitely don't have time to take care of this matter. Sister Lin is not familiar with it, so it should be the work of Sister Wang?"

"Yes."

Lu Chen's eyes were filled with tenderness, and he continued, "She has been in charge of everything from scratch, and I have basically never intervened."

"I guess it's her."

Li Bingxue smiled and said with emotion: "To be honest, Sister Wang is also quite pitiful. At the beginning, she went south alone and suffered in an unfamiliar environment. In addition, you didn't understand romance at that time. Who could understand her inner panic and helplessness? Later, she wholeheartedly helped you deal with various troubles, and you were often leading troops outside, so she didn't even have a confidant to talk to."

Lu Chen finally understood the hidden meaning behind the words.

He looked at Li Bingxue with a little curiosity. It was rare for him to see her beating around the bush like this.

Li Bingxue couldn't hold on any longer, so she confessed, "I think with Wan'er's knowledge and personality, even if she can't be a helper to Sister Wang, she can at least help her relieve her boredom in her spare time."

As a courtesan who was once famous in the capital, Gu Wan'er was incomparable to ordinary women in terms of her skills in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and reading people's expressions.

"I didn't expect you two had such a good relationship."

Lu Chen did not give an immediate reply, but said, "This is also very interesting. It is said that the two of you have different personalities and it is difficult to get close to each other."

"When you asked me for help, I just thought it was a good deed. I originally thought that after I took Wan'er to Jingzhou, if she had other ideas, I would give her a gift to show my appreciation."

Li Bingxue looked very relaxed as she recalled the past: "In fact, I didn't expect that she would be able to settle down peacefully. Later, I gradually discovered that she was kind-hearted and could endure loneliness. During the years she stayed in the Li family, she was like a transparent person most of the time. She never made trouble and lived peacefully in her own world. If she was that kind of frivolous person, how could I care about her lifelong happiness?"

This is a true statement.

Li Bingxue has high standards. She will not bully the weak like a playboy like Li Yunyi, but there are not many people and things that can really make her care.

Lu Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Seeing that he was silent, Li Bingxue smiled and asked, "If Wan'er marries someone else in the future, how will you feel?"

"She is not an object. She has the right to decide her own life. If I arbitrarily deal with her fate, what is the difference between me and Li Yunyi?"

Lu Chen answered like this, but he still avoided Li Bingxue's question.

"You men..."

Li Bingxue rolled her eyes at him and said leisurely, "She just wants to follow you. Although she has recently said that she has given up this idea, she can deceive herself but not me. Otherwise, why would I say all this? Do you really think I am so generous that I have to push Yingying and Yanyan to your side? If it weren't for the sisterhood we have built over the years, I wouldn't even want to say a word."

Very fierce and vigorous.

Lu Chen looked at her with a smile.

"Don't play dumb."

Li Bingxue reached out and pinched his cheek.

She is probably the only one in the world who dares to do this.

Lu Chen sighed, "In this situation, refusing would be like being ungrateful, but accepting would seem hypocritical."

Li Bingxue couldn't help but laugh: "Who told you to be so kind to women? If you had let Wan'er go home, we would have gone our separate ways. It's too late to realize the trouble now."

"Isn't it because she took the initiative to remind me not to be fooled? Since she is kind to me, of course I have to pull her out of this pit of fire."

Lu Chen shrugged, then said calmly: "I want to talk to her in person."

"now it's right."

Li Bingxue stretched his arms slightly and said with relief: "After all, he is a man who has defeated Qing Yugong himself. It would be very cowardly to escape."

Lu Chen couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.

After a while, Lu Chen came to the southeast corner of the vast Duke's Mansion, where there was an independent courtyard.

Several maids who were sweeping the courtyard looked at the strange man who suddenly appeared. They were stunned at first, and then someone ran inside to tell him.

After a while, the maid Mo'er came out nervously and pleasantly, and led a few little girls to bow and said, "Greetings, Master."

Lu Chen remembered Mo'er and smiled, "No need to be polite. Is your daughter here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle voice sounded from the other side. "Gu Wan'er greets the Master."

Lu Chen looked up and saw Gu Wan'er bowing.

Even with light makeup, it still couldn't hide her beautiful face.

Lu Chen once said to Li Bingxue that although a woman like Gu Wan'er was beautiful, it was difficult for her to leave a deep and vivid memory on him. She was like an extremely exquisite vase, which was far less impressive and unforgettable than an exquisite article.

When they met again many years later, Gu Wan'er had already washed away all the makeup. Her face no longer had that signature decent smile, but instead she looked a little more embarrassed.

It's like adding a finishing touch to a painting, which finally makes it come alive.

Lu Chen said calmly: "Long time no see, came to see you."

Gu Wan'er was delighted and said sideways, "Sir, please come in."

The two of them walked into the main hall, and the maids served them snacks and fragrant tea before leaving obediently.

After Lu Chen sat down, he looked around. The three rooms were directly connected, with only a screen separating the two sides. It was quite spacious and grand.

The furnishings in the house do not seem luxurious, but rather simple and elegant. It can be seen that Gu Wan'er put a lot of thought into it, and it can also be seen that the Li family is friendly towards her.

As if she could see what Lu Chen was thinking, Gu Wan'er said slowly, "Some of the furniture here was bought with my own money, and some was given by Sister Li. She always said that it was not easy for me to save money back then, so I tried to save as much as possible."

"She's very kind to you."

"Yes, not only Sister Li, but also the Duke and Minister Li, and even everyone in this Duke's Mansion, are very kind to me."

"Is that why you don't want to leave?"

Lu Chen got straight to the point, his expression was quite gentle: "Do you know Tang Huai from the Marquis of Pingning Mansion?"

Gu Wan'er was not panicked, she nodded and said, "I know, Sister Li told me. Lord, I met Mr. Tang when I was in Fanlou, but it was just a meeting, there was no other entanglement. When he first came to my house, I asked Sister Li to tell him that I had no interest in him. Later he came a few more times, and Sister Li was not happy every time, but he just smiled, and because of the Pingning Marquis, Sister Li couldn't do anything too much."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, looked at this happy and angry face, and said slowly: "Do you remember what I said to you back then?"

"of course I remember."

Gu Wan'er nodded and said softly, "My Lord said that helping me is not for my reward. If it was a deal from the beginning, my Lord would pull me out of the fire pit, and I would marry him. This is fair. But my Lord doesn't have such an idea. If it still becomes a deal in the end, you will feel very unhappy, your mind will not be clear, and you will be at a disadvantage."

Lu Chen was a little surprised.

To be honest, he himself didn't remember it very clearly, but Gu Wan'er knew it like the back of her hand. It was obvious that she had always remembered the few contacts between them in the past few years.

"I guess Sister Li said something to the master just now?"

Gu Wan'er was so smart that she quickly guessed Lu Chen's intention, so she mustered up the courage to say, "Master, can you let me speak the truth today?"

"You said."

"Perhaps it is difficult for you to understand. We have only met a few times, so how could she be so determined to marry you? Actually, I didn't understand it at first, but I thought about it for a long time. It was probably because Wan'er lost her parents when she was young and lived in the world of prostitution. She was looked down upon and suffered from the coldness of the world. All she saw were hypocritical and malicious smiles. Until you appeared and saved Wan'er from the fire pit, without asking for anything in return."

Gu Wan'er's eyes were clear, and she smiled, "Besides, Master, you have accomplished so many great things at such a young age. Isn't it normal for a woman to admire you? But please rest assured, Master. Wan'er is not stupid. She knows her own identity very well and will definitely not have any unrealistic thoughts."

"If I let you enter the Lu family as Miss Li's companion, would you be willing?"

Lu Chen didn't beat around the bush. He said this and then stared into Gu Wan'er's eyes.

A companion may become a concubine, but her status at the beginning is definitely lower than that of a concubine.

Lu Chen certainly did not intend to humiliate the other party. He now had to consider the issue as comprehensively as possible. Taking in this former courtesan was not a big deal, but he absolutely could not bring trouble to himself and cause unrest in his family.

So this is the last temptation.

Gu Wan'er thought she had misheard and asked slowly, "Master, what did you say?"

Lu Chen repeated it again.

"I……"

Gu Wan'er lowered her head and clenched her hands together.

Lu Chen said: "Don't worry, you can think carefully."

"No." Gu Wan'er raised her head suddenly and said earnestly, "I do."

Lu Chen looked at the surprise in her eyes that could not be concealed at all, and said in a slow tone: "When that day comes, I will come to pick you and Miss Li up."

"Yes, my lord."

Gu Wan'er bit her lower lip lightly and smiled sweetly.

The room is filled with bright colors.

(End of this chapter)