My lord, spare his life!

The prefect of Chesi County became interested.

Normally, when he bestowed a gift upon Lu Yuan, a woman of exceptional beauty, she would only be happy for a short while, at most coming to express her gratitude the next day; she had never been in a good mood for several days in a row. He was very curious to know what kind of gift could make his adopted daughter so happy.

"A gift? What kind of gift could possibly please my son?"

Knowing that the old man still had spies around him, Lü Yuan didn't hide anything and told the truth: "It's a suit of armor."

"Armor? Your father has given you plenty of these things, and I've given you divine weapons, luxury carriages and fine horses time and time again, but I've never seen you so happy." The Prefect of Chesi County feigned dissatisfaction.

Lu Yuan didn't mince words: "Is my godfather a beauty?"

Six words left the Prefect of Chesi speechless.

His lips twitched violently, and even the aide sitting quietly to the side, serving as a backdrop, stared at Lü Yuan in astonishment, seemingly never expecting such an answer. The aide also subconsciously looked at his lord. Over the years, the Prefect of Chesi had indulged in wine, women, wealth, and power, living a life of ease. Indeed, his physique was no longer as robust and upright as it had been in his youth. Even his once angular, square face had gradually become more rounded, giving him a more kind and gentle appearance. Overall, he could be described as "upright."

However, being upright and "beautiful" are completely unrelated, especially the kind of beauty that Lu Yuan likes. From what he knows, Lu Yuan's aesthetic is quite consistent; the hard criteria for the beauty he likes are that she be handsome, dashing, tall, and well-proportioned, with strong arms, a broad back, and a slender waist, and she must be sensible, charming, and good at serving others, preferably also talented. However, he occasionally changes his tastes.

"Fine, fine, fine, you really are hard to change." The prefect pointed at Lü Yuan, his eyes wide, and said with a mixture of anger, rage, and amusement, "You've grown tired of the beauty your father gave you, and now you've set your sights on that envoy? This woman... is indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace."

Prefect Che Si recalled Xiao Sui's face.

I immediately empathized with Lu Yuan.

If he were Lu Yuan, he would also prefer Xiao Sui's face.

His adopted daughter wasn't interested in the precious armor given by the beautiful woman, nor was she pleased by the armor itself. Clearly, her true intentions lay elsewhere; she was after the person who gave her the armor. As for the fact that both his adopted daughter and Xiao Sui were women, his adopted daughter wasn't even as high-ranking as Xiao Sui.

If a person isn't attracted to lust, then what is?

If you want something, blame someone else for possessing it; if you want it, you have to take it. If it belonged to you, would you bother to steal it? So, ultimately, blame "someone else" for possessing something you can't control, not the person who forcibly takes it.

The most important element is "color"!

It's not about whether the owner of this "color" is male or female.

The Prefect of Chesi thought for a moment and then warned his adopted daughter in a low voice, "My son, this woman is an envoy; you must not force her."

For others, force can be used to take them, but for Xiao Sui, we have to consider our ally and use some tricks to please her and make her willing to be with us.

Lu Yuan also let the old man misunderstand.

She followed up by asking, "Did your godfather offer any advice?"

"I've never met a woman in my life who requires so much thought, how can I possibly advise you?" After saying this, Prefect Che Si looked at his advisor, hoping for some advice. The advisor shook his head with a dark face, so he could only vaguely say, "Just, put in a little more thought."

Lu Yuan sighed, "But the Queen lacks nothing."

Prefect Che Si thought for a moment and said, "Is there anyone in this world who lacks nothing? It's just that my son doesn't know. Take those high-ranking officials and nobles, for example. They're used to eating delicacies every day, so when they eat some simple porridge and side dishes, they find it refreshing. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Yuan was overjoyed, bowed in thanks, and withdrew.

Watching her cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Prefect Che Si's smile was one of indulgence and doting. Only after she had completely left the prefectural residence did his smile gradually fade, and he murmured to himself, "It's good that she likes women. We've given so many gifts to men, we're getting tired of giving them..."

The aide jumped to his feet: "Does the lord believe this to be true?"

Prefect Che Si: "What's the point of talking about whether it's true or false? Last time, when the prefectural government held a banquet to test her, didn't she drunkenly enter the guest quarters where that envoy was staying and not come out all night? She even called for water halfway through. This time, they specially gifted her a set of precious armor as a response."

His people couldn't monitor what was happening inside.

But one thing is certain: there is some progress between the two.

Prefect of Chesi: "Perhaps it's time to settle down. Whether it's settling down or not, it's best if the Lu family line ends."

All the other members of the law family are dead.

The one left behind, Lu Yuankong, is a talented but frivolous playboy who only cares about beautiful women; he can simply be the most handy tool in Lu Yuankong's hands.

Other things are best avoided.

The advisor wanted to say something more, but the prefect silenced him with one hand.

The latter had an extremely cold expression.

"Tell me, what's most important for the prosperity of a family?" Without waiting for his advisors' reply, the prefect continued, "People! If Lu Yuan were a man, as long as he could still have his manhood, he could find many women to bear him children, just to stall and wear me down. But she's a woman! The only woman in the Lu family! Do you know how precious her time is? Every year she delays is one less year, one less child bearing the Lu surname. Look at her all these years! Has she given birth to even a single child?"

"The men bestowed by the lord cannot impregnate any woman." He handled this matter himself, making sure it was done perfectly and flawlessly, so that even the beauties who were sent away were unaware of it.

The prefect of Chesi sneered, "What cat doesn't steal fish?"

Does Lu Yuan only favor those he bestows upon?

If she wanted, she could have any of the soldiers in the camp who were good-looking, and she could have any of them as she pleased. Could this advisor really be chasing after people and wiping them out one by one?

The aide asked, "What does the lord mean?"

"Either she can't have children, or she doesn't want to. If she's pregnant, how can she still party every night? It would interfere with her enjoyment. Which one do you think she is?" Lu Yuan hadn't gotten pregnant, which was the main reason he was at ease.

People in this world don't live long.

People seize every opportunity to reproduce.

If Lu Yuan truly remembered the hatred that wiped out the Lu family, she wouldn't have wasted so many years. Children need time to grow; a tender child cannot grow up without the protection of an elder.

She has no children to date.

The aide said, "She might still have a chance to deceive everyone."

"You mean those orphans she treated well?" Prefect Che Si sneered, then retorted, "Do you think I didn't send people to investigate?"

During the years when Lu Yuan was most suspected, every orphan was investigated.

Prefect of Chesi: "But you—"

The aide asked, puzzled, "My subordinate?"

The prefect asked, "Didn't you have any ulterior motives in treating her so harshly?"

The last time they set a trap to test Lü Yuan, they couldn't get him to reveal anything unusual, which shows that Lü Yuan is indeed fine. On the contrary, his advisor has been wary of Lü Yuan for years. At first, it could be said that he was being loyal to his lord, but now, after being repeatedly checked, what does that mean?

The prefect of Chesi County noticed something unusual.

Could it be that love has turned into hate?

Staff member: "..."

"A person's love and hate are such a convenient thing to exploit." In storybooks, men and women need logic in their words and actions, but real people don't. Lu Yuan took his leave from the prefectural government and went to inspect the military camp. He only returned home after finishing his military duties, as there were important guests to receive. "Once you get involved, even the most outrageous behavior becomes normal."

Xiao Sui was speechless.

"...How could a set of armor cause so much trouble?"

Lu Yuan: "That old man's staff has hated me for a long time, and he keeps a close eye on everything that happens."

Xiao Sui: "Because of loyalty to the emperor?"

"Because they hate me."

"You didn't sleep with him, did you?"

"No, I only drove his uncle to his death."

Xiao Sui: "..."

The human uncle was driven to his death, and all he got was a single "just"?

Lu Yuan smiled and filled Xiao Sui's wine cup.

Her eyes shone brightly with undisguised admiration for Xiao Sui, like two dazzling pearls in the night. Lu Yuan truly hadn't expected Xiao Sui to present her with such a grand gift upon her return: a set of armor—a set of armor she had waited for for many years!

When I'm in a good mood, I'm more inclined to drink.

When people drink too much, they naturally become more demanding.

She leaned closer to Xiao Sui across the table, her hot breath, reeking of alcohol, filling the space between them: "Good Xiuying, the armor you gave me is fine, but it lacks a suitable divine weapon to match. The mountain counties are unlike the outside world; this place has fertile soil but no mineral deposits. A weapon capable of cutting a hair in two is even rarer. Xiuying comes from a prestigious family, with great wealth and power, how can you be so stingy with this?"

"Greedy! Who asks for things so readily like you?"

Lu Yuan laughed and said, "It's only because of Xiu Ying that I took the initiative to ask for it. If it were anyone else, I would have just drawn my sword and snatched it. A good-for-nothing who can't guard the treasure should give it up and let someone with the ability guard this huge fortune."

Xiao Sui scoffed, "Banditry."

Lawyer Yuan: "These days, extortion and plunder are rampant."

Xiao Sui seemed to have no way to deal with this person's shamelessness, so she had no choice but to admit: "I do have a few divine weapons in my collection, but I don't know if they will suit your taste. I'll have someone fetch them later."

Lü Yuan: "The more the better, the more the better."

The two men toasted each other, their drinking spirits high.

"It's a pity to have fine wine but no beautiful women to accompany us." She sent someone to the inner courtyard to fetch two beauties to entertain them. Before Xiao Sui could politely decline, she spoke first, "Hey, have the two of them come out and perform a dance. Putting everything else aside, just looking at their beauty is enough. How can any other mortal be even one in a million compared to the Queen?"

Perhaps she was in a really good mood, because she played her sword and sang again.

Xiao Sui's business in the mountain counties is booming.

The prefect of Chesi County turned a blind eye to this.

Those lowly, short-lived demons who sell their human skin for exorbitant prices, scrambling to snatch a piece of human skin, are acts of extravagance that he despises. However, he is happy to see Xiao Sui use her earnings to make a profit by trading with him, allowing him to amass a fortune.

The quantity of human skin sold is not large, but the unit price is high.

Blankets have a low unit price, but they have a large number of buyers.

No one knows how this blanket was made; its rarity alone makes it worth pursuing for the wealthy. Whether collected for appreciation or shown off to others, it's an excellent choice.

The goods that Xiao Sui brought this time sold out very quickly.

There's still a long line of customers paying deposits.

Xiao Sui had no choice but to write a letter to urge the delivery of the goods.

Fortunately, the trade routes through the Dongfan Mountains were both hidden and convenient, and a round trip wouldn't take long. During this time, Lü Yuan continued his life as usual, training soldiers, handling military affairs, drinking, enjoying beautiful women, and fulfilling his filial duties to his adoptive father.

On this day, Lu Yuan noticed that his adoptive father was in a bad mood.

Upon inquiring about the reason, the Prefect of Chesi finally erupted in anger.

With a single palm strike, he shattered the table into dust from a distance.

He angrily exclaimed, "The Imperial Clan Court and the Imperial Clan Bureau are going too far!"

"What did the two prefectures do to anger our godfather so much?"

The Prefect of Chesi said, "The two prefectures have gone back on their word."

Zhang Yang had the financial means, and Xiao Sui, the top salesperson, was hardworking, so they naturally had plenty of funds at their disposal and were on a shopping spree. However, these deals were mostly negotiated with Che Si County, but Che Si County didn't have enough goods to deliver, so they had to source them from elsewhere. Some of the goods were from old reserves, some were pre-ordered from other counties last year or the year before, and some were loans from the past.

As a result, the two prefectures of Zongzheng and Zongren tried to renege on their debts.

Not only did they refuse to deliver the goods at the original price, but they also refused to return the portion of aid that Chesi County had lent them years ago. It wouldn't be accurate to say they refused to return it, since they had nominally delivered the goods, but then sent their own people to intercept and seize them en route.

Now they're turning around and blaming the people in Chesi County who were supposed to be there for the goods, saying that the loss was due to their carelessness and that they shouldn't be blamed.

If needed, they can help contact other suppliers.

However, the price will be based on the current market price.

The Prefect of Chesi County wasn't a three-year-old child; he could tell something fishy was going on the moment he saw it. But the thing was, the item was lost within Chesi County itself: "Do you think I don't know whether there are bandits of this size in the county? These damned soldiers!"

They're robbing us by force!

It's clear they're just envious of the windfall that Che Si County has made recently.

They were envious when they found a big spender who lacked everything, wanted everything, and accepted everything without much haggling.

It's also possible that they simply didn't have any goods to offer, and the Prefect of Chesi County was pressing them for repayment, so they decided to go all in and take this opportunity to forcibly settle old scores.

Either way, it's infuriating.

Lu Yuan frowned: "Whom does Godfather intend to send to handle this matter?"

The Prefect of Chesi said, "I intend to send you."

This was something he had already planned for.

Lu Yuan was close to Xiao Sui, the envoy from the Eastern Frontier. Others might question the delay in delivery, but Lu Yuan's words were different. Among his group of adopted sons and daughters, Lu Yuan was the one he used most effectively, and also the one who carried out his orders most thoroughly.

He felt at ease letting Lu Yuan handle it.

Others aren't that capable; they'd just waste their time.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan indeed showed no resentment. She immediately clasped her hands in acceptance of the order, took the military tally, and went to the military camp to mobilize troops. Before that, she had a request: she hoped her adoptive father could take good care of the young guest in the manor and prevent anyone from causing trouble.

A relieved smile appeared on Prefect Che Si's face. He joked, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You not only love to eat alone, but you're also very protective of your food. Don't worry, no one dares to mess with you."

Having received the promise, Lu Yuan smiled, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and withdrew.

Once the troops were assembled, they set off immediately that same day.

The prefect of Chesi sighed, "If anyone else had even a fraction of her filial piety, why would I like her so much? None of the others are as considerate as she is!"

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