Chapter 116 - A Double Edged Sword 4
Chapter 116 – A Double Edged Sword 4
Mu restaurant, Ningzhuo
Mu Chen gave them a half now and gestured Inside, "please go in, the Mu Family's representatives are waiting".
"Thanks" the couple replied and walked past him. Lu Yaozhu took the lead while Su Liya followed closely.
There were two people seated on one end of the table as they came in, one was a woman while the other was a male. They were familiar with the attractive young man seated next to the young woman dressed in green. The young man looked up grinning as they walked in, when Wu Yao asked him to accompany him to meet a new ally, he never expected the new ally to turn out to be the governor and his wife.
He caught Wu Yao's eye and smiled. His little Yao Yao has been keeping secrets from him and big ones at that. He didn't know what game his Yao Yao was playing but it seem like it would be interesting.
The surprise of seeing a young lady as opposed to the already greying old master Wu could compare to the surprise of seeing a familiar face seated next to the unfamiliar young lady. Lu Yaozhu paired but continued forward, "Magistrate Li! What a pleasant surprise".
Li Sichan watched the governor and his wife take a seat opposite them, "You too governor".
Magistrates Li Sichan was the youngest magistrate in the history of Ningzhuo and the third son of the Li family. The Li family was a new noble family that was formally a merchant family that dealt in ice and iced produce trade.
(New Noble family as the name implies are families that only recently received noble titles due to the contribution of certain members of the family. A new noble family usually get their titles from the Emperor, either from successful political appointments of members of the family or from their daughters marrying into the palace as consorts)
Ningzhuo is one of the coldest regions in northern Wei and is known for its cold weather which is why trading in ice was once of the most successful businesses in these parts. Ningzhuo was northern Wei's biggest supplier of ice and the Li family are one of the merchant families in the trade.
The Li family was a mid-level merchant family but was promoted to a fourth-ranked family during the previous generation after the head of the family, Old master Li Hong earned the highest scores in the Imperial examination in the entire northern region.
Li Hong was made the censor of Ningzhuo, a fourth-ranked official in charge of the northern region. Li Sichan like his grandfather was the highest scorer in the imperial examination and was made the magistrate of Ningzhuo. Li Sichan was known to be fair and just in his job and unlike the other local officials wasn't corrupt. He never abused his power and was regarded as a protegee.
The young lady seated on the other side of the table finally spoke, "Thanks for coming over governor Lu, Your Highness. I trust that you didn't face any difficulty on your way here?"
Lu Yaozhu was the one who answered, "No we didn't. I wasn't expecting to run into someone other than old master Wu. You are?"
"I failed to introduce myself, I apologise. I am Wu Yao, the Eldest master's niece. The Eldest master couldn't make the journey, If you don't mind, I will be representing him".
"That is perfectly understandable young mistress Wu, I trust the eldest master's judgement.
Wu Yao didn't notice any insincerity in Lu Yaozhu or his wife but to be safer, she decided to drag their conversation a little. "They say that trust is built from sharing a meal. Governor and your Highness, please let us have a meal together"
"Okay"
Wu Yao rang the bell by the side and Mu Chen came in to take their orders. Wu Yao asked the couple if they had any dietary restrictions before ordering a set of hot dishes. Hot and spicy dishes combined with warm wines were more preferable in the winter because they warmed the body and chased away the chill.
Su Liya noticed that the interaction between Wu Yao and Li Sichan seemed very intimate but according to Mu Chen, magistrate Li was still unmarried. Based on the strict rules of this time such interaction between an unmarried man and woman was scandalous and could be disastrous to the young ladies reputation.
Because of the obvious double standards, when these scandals broke it was only the woman that receive the brunt of it all. Most people would hide such a relationship, was Wu Yao trying to test them and see how they would react to this. How was amusing, Miss Wu's methods were rather interesting.
Wu Yao didn't say anything throughout their lunch and neither did Su Liya. She took a cup of plain tea from her maid, a tall young lady in brown and rinsed her mouth after eating, the table was cleared as soon as they were done. Throughout the dinner, Li Sichan brought up a few dinner conversations to improve the ambience.
Su Liya wasn't familiar with the magistrates so apart from saying a few words, she was silent and instead discreetly studied the young lady. The young lady also did the same, she finally broke the silence as the dishes were cleared.
"I don't like playing games, Governor Lu. I prefer to be blunt and from what I heard, I know that neither do you. My uncle is now old after going through the events of a few years back, his health has taken a tow. I received a lot of letters from your wife and while I am interested in a collaboration with you. How can I be sure of the sincerity in your actions?"
Lu Yaozhu looked forward and answered, "You can't be sure of our sincerity miss Wu but you must admit that there are more benefits for you and your family than losses in associating with us. We both share a common enemy, so even if you don't trust us, we can still work together in taking down the Sun and the Lau family"
Wu Yao's lips twitched a little but she maintained her neutral expression. She hadn't expected such a blunt action from a seasoned courtier like Lu Yaozhu. Usually, these court officials will just go round around with their words nerves hiring any point and instead try to sell her on the benefits.
That was how Minister Sheng spoke when he approached their Wu Yi company to help him handle this governor. Although her mind wasn't in killing this general, she had for some time toyed with the idea of joining hands with the Imperial family for her Wu family's benefits but as expected the Imperial family betrayed them.
She discovered not long after minister Sheng's impromptu visit that he had approached another group under Deputy Sun. Minister Sheng must have noticed the uncertainty in her answers and went to their rivals. That had annoyed her for some time but after meeting with the governor and his wife, she was starting to appreciate hold out a little.
Working with the Imperial family male looked profitable on the outside but a smart person knew that it was like a double-edged sword. There was no escaping harm no matter the decision one took. If the plan works out, you will be praised and receive a lot of gifts but if the plan fails, you become a cannon fodder set up to take a fall for the glory of the Royal family.
"You are just like the rumours said, how surprising" Wu Yao chuckled and glanced at the quiet woman beside the governor. Princess Qin was in her observation a poisonous beauty, she was as beautiful as she was dangerous. She looked from the governor to the Princess and back then whispered to Li Sichan "What an unusually pair, you two make".
Li Sichan winked at her and replies "that is what the men say about us too. I guess we are all destined to meet".
Wu Yao side-eyed him, snorted and muttered "idiot!"
Li Sichan didn't respond and just laughed softly, "Governor Lu, I heard about your injuries. I hope you are healed".
Lu Yaozhu was surprised to hear the younger man mention his injuries. They had hidden it well, how is Li Sichan aware of his injuries. Except there was a spy among his men. Lu Yaozhu glanced coldly at the door and replied "I am well".
Li Sichan noticed the change in Lu Yaozhu's expression and smiled, "governor Lu doesn't have to worry about your men, they are still as impenetrable as before but the same can not be said about Deputy Sun's private army. I have never seen such a loose mouthed bunch".
Lu Yaozhu didn't feel relaxed by his reply and just nodded but already made plans to check through the tanks of his men carefully. Nothing killed a general as quickly as a compromised Army.
Li Sichan couldn't tell what Lu Yaozhu was thinking because of his usual poker face and continued "Deputy Sun has been making a lot of underground plans, General. I fear that he has joined hands with the Shi and Sheng family. You must already be aware that the account records you have are fake"
"We know but I am curious who has the original records?"