The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 164 My cousin likes Jiang Shi's type?

Duan Ling touched his nose awkwardly. "Anyway, we're relieved that you're alright." As he spoke, he couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to look at the large rock behind Lu Zhan.

It was covered with a thick layer of leaves.

Duan Ling clicked his tongue, "Old Lu, when did you become so delicate? You even laid out so many leaves. Anyone who didn't know better would think you had a beautiful woman keeping you company these past few days."

Lu Zhan's eye twitched slightly, but he ignored him and walked straight towards the boat moored on the shore.

Watching him walk away quickly, Duan Ling stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Could it be that Old Lu is really hiding a beauty here?

Thinking of this, he looked around.

But this wild bird had nothing but the nearby jungle.

So, could it be that Lao Lu encountered a female ghost?

Duan Ling shuddered and quickly followed.

Once aboard the ship, Duan Ling stammered, "Old Lu, you haven't encountered anything unclean these past two days, have you?"

Lu Zhan took the cloth Jiang Shi handed him to wipe his face, and upon hearing this, he gave him a cold look, "Yes."

Duan Ling was startled, a chill running down his spine. "Did we really run into each other?"

"Isn't it you?" Lu Zhan said calmly.

Duan Ling choked for a moment, "I'm serious, this island is deserted, and you've stayed here for two nights. What if there are any wandering ghosts..."

"Confucius said, 'You did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' Have you wasted all your reading?" Lu Zhan interrupted him in a deep voice.

Duan Ling said somewhat sullenly, "If you didn't have any, then why did you collect so many leaves to pave that stone? You're not the kind of person who can't endure hardship."

"Can't I sleep better?" Lu Zhan retorted.

“Of course, but…” Duan Ling still felt something was off.

Those leaves weren't easy to pick up, let alone so many.

Based on his understanding of Lao Lu, he would never do something that wastes time.

"Did you encounter some beautiful woman when you fell into the river?" Duan Ling asked instead.

Lu Zhan's eye twitched slightly, and he changed the subject, asking, "How many casualties were there in the last shipwreck?"

"That ship was originally intended to lure the mastermind out. There weren't many people on board, and they were all excellent swimmers. Although no one died, several were seriously injured, but they have all been taken care of," Duan Ling replied.

"That's good." Lu Zhan was relieved.

"By the way, why was your ship sunk? Was it because the person behind it realized there was no treasure on board, and in a fit of rage, blew it up?" Duan Ling asked.

"Yes." Lu Zhan nodded.

Duan Ling exclaimed in shock, "Even if there's no treasure, those river bandits are being held captive up there. They don't care about the lives of their own people; they're really ruthless!"

"Their goal is the treasure; they don't care about the lives of the river pirates," Lu Zhan said.

Duan Ling nodded. "Those river bandits committed numerous atrocities, killing and robbing countless people. They deserved to be killed by their own people. Fortunately, you spared two survivors beforehand, and the treasure was successfully transported to the capital."

Speaking of which, your move was truly brilliant. The person behind it all would never have imagined that there was no treasure on your ship other than pirates; the treasure had already been transferred to a merchant ship by you.

I never expected they would disregard the lives of those pirates and blow up the ship. Luckily you're alright, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain it to your parents.

Lu Zhan took the teacup from Jiang Shi, took a sip, and asked, "Did you discover the mastermind behind this at the time?"

Speaking of this matter, Duan Ling was somewhat frustrated. "I followed your instructions and led men to lie in ambush in the shadows to capture the mastermind behind it all. But after working so hard for so many days, we only caught a few small fry who bombed the ship. We haven't even seen a shadow of the mastermind. It seems that the mastermind is more cunning than we thought. Could it be that he is really a descendant of the Prince of Jin?"

“Even if it isn’t, it’s still related to the descendants of the Prince of Jin,” Lu Zhan said. “Otherwise, how do you explain the tattoos on those river bandits?”

“That makes sense,” Duan Ling nodded.

"Did Liu Niang confess?" Lu Zhan asked in turn.

Duan Ling frowned. "Those two bandits are very stubborn and still refuse to reveal the mastermind. That Liu Niang even said she wants to see Chen Jiu. By the way, Chen Jiu sent his cousin back to the capital, so he should have arrived long ago. When Chen Jiu arrives, let him interrogate Liu Niang. If that doesn't work, let him use his body to his advantage. I think Liu Niang seems to be really interested in Chen Jiu."

The more he thought about it, the more feasible his method seemed.

However, he hadn't realized that Chen Jiu possessed such charm that a female bandit could fall deeply in love with him.

“Chen Jiu won’t be coming,” Lu Zhan said.

"Why?" Duan Ling was taken aback. "You're used to using Chen Jiu, so why don't you let him continue to come to Yangzhou to help you?"

“Jiang Shi is here, that’s enough,” Lu Zhan said calmly.

"That's not enough? That Liu Niang is so stubborn, only Chen Jiu can pry her open. Why don't you let Chen Jiu continue to come to Yangzhou?" Duan Ling asked, puzzled.

"I have other plans." Lu Zhan didn't want to say more, so he got up and walked to the deck.

Duan Ling followed him out. "Other plans? You didn't mean to send Chen Jiu with your cousin, did you?"

Lu Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the river, without saying a word.

Seeing this, Duan Ling said incredulously, "Did I really guess right? No, why did you let Chen Jiu follow my cousin? Is my cousin in any danger? But what danger could a girl who never leaves the house be in? Old Lu, you're not afraid that my cousin will be kidnapped by another man, so you had Chen Jiu keep an eye on her, are you?"

Ignoring his barrage of questions, Lu Zhan asked, "Has the newly appointed prefect sent by the imperial court arrived at his post?"

Seeing that he didn't answer her question, Duan Ling wisely kept quiet and replied, "I arrived the day before yesterday."

Lu Zhan nodded. "Now that things are settled in Yangzhou, let's go straight to Jiangning."

Duan Ling had no objection.

Lu Zhan's gaze suddenly fell on Jiang Shi.

He hadn't paid attention to Jiang Shi's appearance before, but now that he looked closely, he realized that Jiang Shi was indeed quite handsome.

Thinking of what his cousin had said to him at the dock on the day she left Yangzhou, his dark eyes narrowed slightly. His cousin liked Jiang Shi's type.
Noticing the prince's scrutiny, Jiang Shi felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Highness have any instructions?"

Lu Zhan withdrew his gaze, tapped the railing lightly a few times with his long fingers, and suddenly said, "Jiang Shi, you've been with me for quite a few years now. After we return to the capital this time, I'll ask my mother to find you a marriage partner."

Jiang Shi was taken aback. After realizing what was happening, he hurriedly refused, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I do not wish to get married at the moment."

"Don't you want to settle down? You're not getting any younger, how long do you think you'll wait? Or do you already have a girl you like?" Lu Zhan frowned, his handsome face displeased.

(End of this chapter)