knife

Chapter 379 Reconciliation
"Brother Li!" Han Zheng cupped his hands in greeting, "I apologize for any offense I may have caused you before, Brother Li, please don't take it to heart!"

Li Dachui returned the greeting with a smile, glanced at the cabin behind him, and lowered his voice to ask, "Brother Han, do you like this Miss Jiang Jiang?"

Unexpectedly, Li Dachui was so direct. Han Zheng blushed immediately and stammered, unsure how to respond. Seeing the other's expression, Li Dachui couldn't help but feel amused.

She's still a novice after all!
"I do like her, but Jiang Jiang is a bit distant with me, and seems more interested in a generous guest like Brother Li!" Han Zheng said through gritted teeth.

Li Dachui patted Han Zheng on the shoulder with a smile: "Brother, you're overthinking it!"

"How can you say it's overthinking? Brother Li doesn't know Jiang Jiang's personality. She's both willful and stubborn. Once she's made up her mind about something, she won't turn back!"

“This Miss Jiang Jiang looks like she comes from an extraordinary background. I bet she’s not the daughter of some merchant family!” Li Dachui said, leaning closer to Han Zheng.

"Brother Li, how did you figure that out?" Han Zheng asked, taken aback.

"You know about this, Brother Han!" Li Dachui laughed. "I know about your background, Brother Han. Manager Xiao told me not to offend you and to keep a good relationship with you. Otherwise, if I go to Chu, Brother Han will cause me a lot of trouble!"

Han Zheng chuckled: "It's not surprising that Manager Xiao knows my identity; it's probably because Master Jiang told him. But I'm not that petty. Even if Brother Li and I have a grudge, I won't cause you trouble for no reason. We have to give Manager Xiao face, right? By the way, why do you think Jiang Jiang isn't from a merchant family?"

Li Dachui chuckled inwardly. "Look at what this guy's saying, he doesn't want to cause me trouble? He's probably already plotting how to get back at me!"
“Even though I come from beyond the Great Wall, I know that the rules of Southern Chu are very strict. Brother Han is from a prominent family in Chu. Your father is an important minister in the court and is deeply trusted by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Brother Han, you are also the eldest son of your family. Without the approval of Prefect Han, how could you have chased a merchant’s daughter all the way from Ruyin County to Luoyang, especially when this woman was so rude to you?”

Han Zheng's face turned pale.

"So, this woman must have an extraordinary background. If Brother Han manages to win her over, it could be very helpful to the Han family and to your future prospects. That's why Prefect Han tacitly allowed you to follow her all the way. Am I right or wrong?" Li Dachui said.

Han Zheng bowed in admiration and said, "Brother Li has a discerning eye. Since you've seen through it, I won't keep it a secret. However, I really can't reveal Jiang Jiang's true identity."

"It's alright, it's alright!" Li Dachui waved his hand and said, "I'm just a passerby in Brother Han and Miss Jiang Jiang's lives. Once the boat reaches its destination, we'll part ways."

"I think Jiang Jiang is very interested in you!" Han Zheng was still a little nervous. "Given her personality, if she's really interested in you, you'll be even less likely to escape her grasp once you get to Nan Chu!"

Li Dachui laughed heartily, stroking his long beard, then pointed to Han Zheng's handsome and refined face, and said with a smile, "Miss Jiang Jiang comes from a wealthy family, so naturally she's surrounded by many sons of noble families like you, Young Master Han. She's probably used to and tired of their scholarly and aristocratic airs, so even if someone like Young Master Han comes into her life, she doesn't find it surprising at all. It's like an extremely precious peony; although it's rare in the world and mortals rarely see it, Jiang Jiang sees it every day and naturally finds it utterly ordinary. But suddenly, she sees a pine tree growing amidst the raging cold wind, and naturally, she'll be curious."

"Just curiosity?"

“Of course!” Li Dachui laughed, “After the initial curiosity, you’ll find it’s nothing special. Only when you look at a peony like Young Master Han’s will you realize how precious it is!”

Han Zheng nodded thoughtfully: "Brother Li is right! It seems that Brother Li is very experienced and has seen a lot in life!"

Li Dachui stroked his full beard and laughed, "You're a few years older, a few years older! Young Master Han, when it comes to pursuing women, whether they're ordinary people or noble ladies, proud women or common women, there's one thing that's always the same: you can't be too eager to cling to them. In business terms, chasing after someone isn't a good deal!"

"Brother Li, do you have any guidance for me?"

"Brother Han, do you have any wine?"

"Fine wine and delicacies, whatever Brother Li needs, I, Han, can get them immediately. Even if I don't have them, I'll have them stop the ship and buy them!"

"But we've just set sail, so it's not a good time to dock. Let's just have a few drinks today, and I'll have a chat with you!"

"It's my wish, but I don't dare to ask for my ear!"

The two walked arm in arm, chatting and laughing, toward Han Zheng's small cabin at the stern of the ship.

At the bow of the boat, Jiang Shiyuan watched the two figures from behind, lost in thought. This Li Bao is quite capable. He managed to subdue Han Zheng, such a difficult young master, with just a few words, making him as obedient as a brother.

Those who have honed their skills through the trials of the martial world are indeed extraordinary!

The door creaked open, and Jiang Ping came out.

"What are you looking at? Hey, how come these two have gotten along so well in just a short time?" She stared wide-eyed at the two people in front of her with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Jiang Shiyuan smiled and said, "Han Tan's eldest son can't be too bad, no matter how bad he is. He was just jealous out of love and lost his mind a bit before. He will naturally understand when he calms down, so he came back to make amends. As for this Li Bao, he is really not simple. Not only is he smooth and shrewd, but his disguise skills are not something that ordinary people can learn!"

"Did he disguise himself?" Jiang Ping's eyes widened.

“The beard is all glued on,” Jiang Shiyuan laughed. “This person’s disguise skills must have been taught by a master. If he hadn’t put on a big beard, I really wouldn’t have noticed.”

“Go back and pluck that big beard off his face!” Jiang Ping laughed. “Let’s see if it hurts! So, Li Bao is definitely not his real name.” Jiang Shiyuan shook his head repeatedly. “Don’t be silly. This person is only one step away from entering the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. It’s already rare to see such a person in the martial arts world. Moreover, if these swordsmen from beyond the pass were to actually fight, even I might not be their match.”

"Why?"

“Because they really crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood,” Jiang Shiyuan said.

"I've heard that the armies outside the pass are formidable. I originally came to Luoyang this time to see the might of Linghu Ye's army, but unfortunately, no battle broke out!"

“Linghu Ye still wants to win over Zhang Quanyi, so he will avoid fighting if possible!” Jiang Shiyuan said. “However, in my opinion, Zhang Quanyi will never side with Linghu Ye, so they will inevitably have a battle in the end. At that time, no matter who wins or loses between the powerful army outside the pass and the last powerful army that the Great Qin court has painstakingly trained, it will be entirely beneficial to our Great Chu!”

"Outside the pass!" Jiang Ping looked up to the north, her eyes somewhat unfocused. "I really want to see what's so magical about that place."

“Princess, you can’t be reckless! If you really run off to the border, I’ll be done for!” Jiang Shiyuan said with a bitter face.

"Don't worry, I was just saying!" Jiang Ping said with a smile. "Go find the Zhu brothers, Zhu Chi and Zhu Cheng. They have close ties with the area outside the Great Wall and must know a lot of information."

"Absolutely!" Jiang Shiyuan felt a great weight lifted from his heart and nodded repeatedly with a smile.

With this little devil on board, he was trembling with fear. He only hoped to get home safely this time and hand the little devil over unharmed; that would be a blessing from heaven.

Luoyang City, Ziwei Palace.

Zhang Quanyi looked up from behind the big case and saw a man in black walking in.

The man was thin, with sunken cheeks and prominent dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for a long time.

"Your Highness!" The man in black bowed respectfully.

“Serious, come sit down!” Zhang Quanyi said, pointing to a chair in front of the large table.

Although He Bing was dead, the Black Ice Guards who escorted him still delivered the imperial edict and jade tablet that the court had given to Zhang Quanyi to Luoyang.

Zhang Quanyi accepted it without hesitation.

He is now the King of Lantian.

The emperor died, the crown prince died, and Wei Zhengdao installed an eight-year-old emperor in Chang'an. Zhang Quanyi still submitted a memorial, expressing his recognition of the legitimacy and orthodoxy of Chang'an.

Of course he had to admit it, otherwise the legitimacy of his title would be gone.

In his dealings with He Zudao, Zhang Quanyi profited immensely. The original wealthy and noble class in Luoyang was completely wiped out by him and He Zudao working together.

With He Zudao's departure, Zhang Quanyi completely filled the huge power vacuum in Luoyang. With an army of 50,000 and control of several major granaries such as Luokou, he was confident that he could expand his army by another 50,000 within one to two years, given his expertise in training troops.

Having food in hand means peace of mind.

Linghu Ye kept sending people to persuade him, but Zhang Quanyi knew very well that he and Linghu Ye were not on the same path. He had offended the powerful and noble families badly. In addition to the families in Hedong and Luoyang, the number of families who had died at his hands was countless.

If I really follow Linghu Ye, will I have any future?

Playing along with Linghu Ye is just a way to buy time.

As long as the other party feels there is still hope of persuading them, they will not risk engaging in a decisive battle with them.

If possible, I still hope that Wei Zhengdao can stand firm.

Zhang Quanyi still had feelings for the Qin Dynasty.

As long as there is even the slightest hope, he is still willing to serve the Qin Dynasty.

Wei Zhengdao truly couldn't hold out any longer. He would rather abandon Luoyang and head south to find He Zudao than seek refuge with Linghu Ye.

The deaths of the Crown Prince and He Bing cast a huge shadow over Zhang Quanyi's heart. He always felt that an invisible hand was controlling everything, but he couldn't find any clues, which made him extremely uneasy.

(End of this chapter)