This scholar is a bit cruel

Chapter 258 The Empress's gigolo
Three days later.

Lin Daiyu is now able to get out of bed. Although she still looks somewhat weak, she has been given a second chance at life.

Jia Tanchun and the others were both surprised and incredulous.

"That Sister Su is simply a miracle doctor..."

All the maids of the Jia family also found new places to live, staying in the Grand View Garden next door, where they could come and play from time to time.

However, the Jia family will no longer provide them with any food or allowance.

With Jia Zheng's tacit approval, Jia Tanchun also moved into the Grand View Garden and began to manage the entire garden, as well as the fields, shops, and other properties under Luo Zijun's name.

After receiving the silver, aside from taking out a small portion to cover the daily expenses of everyone in the Grand View Garden, the rest would be sent to Luo Zijun.

With the departure of Jia She and Jia Zhen, who were known for their extravagance and debauchery, the remaining assets of the Jia family were enough to barely support the remaining residents.

Without her official position and influence, Wang Xifeng could no longer earn extra income, so she had to be frugal and live frugally. At the same time, she began to personally manage the remaining businesses.

Meanwhile, Shi Xiangyun and some of her sisters moved into the Grand View Garden at the invitation of Jia Tanchun and Bai Qingtong.

Shi Xiangyun already suffered and was not loved at home. Now that the Shi family has suffered an even greater blow, if she does not leave soon, she will probably be sold off.

From then on, of the four major families in the inner city, except for the Bai family, the other three families completely declined.

During this time, Old Madam Jia often wept and sighed at home: "What a pity, if only we had brought that young master Luo to our Jia family back then, these two ducal mansions wouldn't have been destroyed by our hands..."

Jia Zheng couldn't help but say from the side, "If Lai Da hadn't harmed that family, things wouldn't have come to this."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Jia immediately scolded, "Are you saying it's my fault? Is it because I promised Granny Lai that Lai Da would be the steward of our Rongguo Mansion? You fool, you still don't understand the real reason. Even without Lai Da, the palace would still take action against us unless we, like the Bai family, find a favored patron. Besides, your elder brother and those scoundrels like Jia Zhen have done so many heinous things; this is retribution!"

Jia Zhen dared not defend himself.

Jia Tanchun then tried to persuade her.

Looking at her, Old Madam Jia's tone softened, and she sighed, "If it weren't for Tan Chun, everyone in our Jia family would be in jail. All these houses and fields would have been confiscated. Young Master Luo pleaded for us before the Queen Mother only because of Tan Chun."

Then he sighed and said, "It's my fault for being so short-sighted and lacking in courage back then. I looked down on Young Master Luo. If I had let Tan Chun marry Young Master Luo back then, he probably would have agreed immediately. We wouldn't be in this situation now."

Jia Tanchun smiled wryly, "Grandmother, you're overthinking it. Young Master Luo has no shortage of women like me. Not to mention Qing Tong and her sister, even the daughter of Vice Minister Liu is no less beautiful than me. And..."

In her mind, the image of that woman, dressed in a simple white dress, with a cool and aloof demeanor and beauty like a fairy, reappeared.

Inside the Grand View Garden, everyone was discussing it.

"If it weren't for Young Master Luo taking us in, we'd probably be homeless by now..."

"There's no one left in my family. If I'm evicted, I really don't know where I'd go. I might have starved to death by now..."

"We must do our jobs well in the future and live up to Young Master Luo's expectations."

Luo Zijun hasn't been to the Grand View Garden since she took her senior sister there last time.

It's mostly women living there, a real haunt, so it's not very convenient.

Of course, the main reason was that my senior sister said, "Next time you come here, you have to take me with you. Otherwise, hmph..."

So he couldn't be bothered to go again.

Everything in the Grand View Garden was entrusted to Jia Tanchun to manage. If there was anything to do, she would send Chu Jian or her sister-in-law to handle it.

He didn't want to bring his senior sister along anymore.

The last time he went there, his senior sister was sarcastic and sarcastic the whole way. No matter what kind of scenery she saw, such as maids, women, or beautiful pavilions and houses, she would make sarcastic remarks, which made him very embarrassed.

In fact, this is the result he wanted.

In his own way, he changed the fate of those people, at least ensuring they wouldn't suffer as tragically as described in the book, and that was enough.

As for the future, let's just let nature take its course.

The Jia family's affairs have come to an end. Next, he should focus on cultivating his divine soul to reach the Divine Transformation Realm, and then completely get rid of the White Snake's mission.

Then, he confronted Miss Bai and asked her to divorce him.

Once he regains his freedom, he will... marry the girl he loves, and then grow old with her.

Well, if life were like this, it would be quite wonderful.

However, there are always some unexpected events that disrupt his life.

The Wu-Chu allied forces have captured two cities on the border of Daliang and are beginning to advance towards Lin'an.

However, as he expected, when the Liang dynasty sent people to request reinforcements from the Yan dynasty, the general sent by the Yan dynasty to guard Luoyang only offered some comfort and perfunctory provisions, without sending any troops to provide support.

The Great Liang is now left all alone, facing the allied forces of Wu and Chu with high morale.

In the past few days, Luo Zijun has been going to the palace every day to discuss the next steps and preparations with the Queen and others.

Lin'an City has stockpiled a large amount of grain and gathered troops from all over the country.

The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in the city were all sent away ahead of schedule.

At the same time, all city gates were closed, and no one was allowed to leave the city without permission. Then, a search was launched within the city for spies sent by Wu and Chu.

On this day, Luo Zijun entered the palace again.

There was no one else in the study. The Queen stood alone in front of the wall, gazing at the map on it in deep thought.

After Luo Zijun came up behind her and greeted her, she waited quietly.

After a long while, the Queen looked at the map and slowly spoke: "I do not wish to exhaust all of Liang's soldiers and wealth in this war. Lord Luo, what is your plan?"

Luo Zijun respectfully replied, "Hasn't Your Majesty already made a decision?"

The Queen turned to him and said, “I have decided to preserve our strength, but I am now powerless to do so. The Imperial Capital has sent a military supervisor, and the Wu and Chu states are attacking very aggressively; they will be at Lin’an soon.”

Luo Zijun pondered for a moment and said, "At this time, Your Highness can negotiate with Yujing. Then, deliberately spread rumors that Daliang might not be able to withstand the attack and is preparing to surrender. As for that supervisor, he is now in Daliang, not Yujing, so Your Highness can manipulate him at will, and may even make him disappear."

The Queen looked at him and said, "If Yujing still doesn't agree to the conditions, and Luoyang doesn't send troops to rescue us either?"

Luo Zijun lowered her head and remained silent.

The Queen stared at him for a while, then came up to him. Her ample bosom almost touched his chest. She said in a deep voice, "At this point, is Luo Qing still hesitating? There is no one else here. I have already told you my thoughts. You should speak your mind now. You should know that if the Great Liang is gone, and I am gone, neither you nor the Bai family will survive."

Without further hesitation, Luo Zijun raised her head, met her captivating peach blossom eyes, and said, "If the situation is as Your Majesty describes, then I believe that our Great Liang can send people to negotiate with the Seven Kingdoms, and together... launch a pincer attack on Luoyang and storm Yujing."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

A satisfied look appeared on the Queen's face. She said, "That's what I think too. Since Yujing is ruthless, my Great Liang will naturally be ruthless as well. They want my Great Liang to use the entire country to help them fight, but they won't give us any benefits. Do they think we're fools?" Luo Zijun hesitated for a moment and asked, "What conditions does Your Majesty want to negotiate with Yujing?"

The Queen did not hide anything, and said with an arrogant expression: "The finances, military, commerce, etc. of the Great Liang are completely independent and made by themselves. No officials are allowed to be stationed in Yujing here. At the same time, the Queen's status is recognized."

Luo Zijun didn't say anything more.

The earlier ones were alright, since the finances and military of the various vassal states were mostly independent before. As for the later ones, recognizing her legitimate status as queen, I'm afraid that's...

A man cannot be king, let alone a woman.

Luo Zijun pondered for a moment and said, "Since Your Majesty has this idea, I think we should send someone to contact the King of Wu and the King of Chu now and secretly sign a treaty with them, so that the seven kingdoms can join forces to attack Luoyang and go straight to Yujing. Our Great Liang will never launch a sneak attack from behind."

The Queen frowned slightly: "Now?"

Luo Zijun nodded and said, "Yes, now. The best decision for the Seven Kingdoms Alliance to attack Luoyang together is for them to join forces, and they should know that. However, they fear that our Great Liang will join forces with Yujing to attack them from behind, which is why Wu and Chu want to quickly take over our Great Liang. If we send an envoy to persuade them, then the Seven Kingdoms Alliance will directly fight the army sent by Yujing. No matter who wins, they won't dare to attack us again, since both sides have suffered heavy losses, while our Great Liang has preserved its strength. If…"

"Actually, the best-case scenario is that the Seven Kingdoms Alliance weakens Yujing, and Yujing also weakens the Seven Kingdoms, and then the entire Great Yan falls into chaos, so that each vassal state can seek independence... At that time, our Great Liang may be the strongest one."

Luo Zijun spoke eloquently, and the Queen listened attentively, sometimes frowning, sometimes revealing a hint of excitement in her eyes.

It wasn't until evening that Luo Zijun drank her tea, took her leave, and departed.

The Queen stood alone in the study, looking at the map on the wall. After a long silence, she murmured to herself, "If the Great Liang can really become an independent country, then you will be the first female emperor of the Great Liang's... gigolo."

Luo Zijun was lost in thought the whole way, and instead of returning directly to the Bai residence, she went to Baoan Hall.

"Master, Senior Sister, I need to discuss something with you."

Upon entering the store and finding no customers, he immediately closed the door and said in a low voice, "Da Liang is in great danger. You need to find a way to leave here first."

As he spoke, he recounted the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms and the Queen's ambition to ascend the throne.

At this moment, his biggest concern was naturally his senior sister and master.

Upon hearing this, Su Dafang was utterly shocked: "The Queen wants to become king? She's a woman... Zijun, how can she trust you so much that she would even discuss such a treasonous matter with you?"

Su Qingling's gaze also turned coldly towards him.

Luo Zijun said speechlessly, "Master, let's not talk about anything else at this time. You and my senior sister need to leave quickly, taking my sister and brother-in-law with you. I will find a way to send you out of the city."

Su Dafang frowned and asked, "And what about you?"

Luo Zijun said, "I need to stay. Whether I succeed or not, I will escape and then come to find you."

Su Dafang looked puzzled: "Then why don't you come with us now?"

Luo Zijun paused for a moment, then said, "Master, the Bai family has been kind to me, and the Queen has also helped me avenge my family, so I must stay and help them. I am here alone and can escape at any time. My only worry is for you. Therefore, I hope you will leave first and go to a safe place."

Su Dafang sighed and said, "You said it yourself, the entire Great Yan is in chaos, where can we escape to?"

Luo Zijun said, "In the mountains, in remote areas, or in other countries."

He suddenly remembered a country and said, "The Kingdom of Women?"

Su Dafang was taken aback, secretly glanced at the counter, and then said nothing more.

Luo Zijun knew that her senior sister was in charge of this family.

He could only look behind the counter and say, "Senior sister, I still have a chance to send you out of the city. If we wait a few more days, it will be very difficult. You, Master, my sister, and my brother-in-law, go to a safe place and wait for me. I will come to find you then."

Su Qingling said expressionlessly, "What if you don't go?"

Luo Zijun said, "How could I not go? By the way, take Chu Jian and Xiao Huan with you too."

Su Dafang's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he held back.

Su Qingling lowered her head and fiddled with the abacus for a few moments, then said calmly, "I'm not leaving."

Luo Zijun stared at her for a while, then suddenly said, "Senior sister, if you're obedient, after I divorce Miss Bai, I'll come find you, and then... cough..."

He looked at his master, who was standing to the side with his ears perked up.

Su Dafang immediately glared at me and said, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there anything your teacher can't hear?"

Luo Zijun looked back at the counter and was about to speak when a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from outside, followed by someone knocking on the door.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

Luo Zijun immediately went over and opened the shop door.

A group of soldiers were standing outside the door. When they saw the shop door open, they said angrily, "What are you doing with the door closed in broad daylight? Register any adult men inside immediately. Hand over any elderly, weak, sick, or disabled people immediately."

As he spoke, one of the leaders tried to push Luo Zijun aside and barge into the shop.

But as soon as he placed his hand on Luo Zijun's shoulder, he was kicked away with a "bang".

The other officers and soldiers outside the door were furious when they saw this scene and immediately drew their knives.

The leader clutched his stomach, got up from the ground, and was about to curse and order his men to attack when he suddenly saw Luo Zijun take out two waist tokens.

"Bring your manager here. I am a member of the Bai family, and also an advisor personally appointed by the Queen. Everyone in this shop is my family. If you want to go in, you'd better ask your manager how many heads he has first!"

These words startled all the officers and soldiers.

The leader opened his mouth, then quickly walked closer and looked at the waist token in his hand.

The soldier didn't recognize the waist token given to him by the Queen, but he did recognize the Bai family's token. He immediately knew he had committed a grave offense and hurriedly knelt down, begging for mercy: "Young master, spare our lives! We were blind and didn't recognize your greatness, we offended you..."

He kowtowed repeatedly, while fearfully apologizing and begging for forgiveness.

"roll!"

Luo Zijun didn't waste words with them and told them to inform the other officers and soldiers that no one was allowed to enter the shop.

After the soldiers left, he closed the shop door again, looked at the counter and his master who had come from the backyard, and said, "The city is starting to descend into chaos. You need to leave here as soon as possible. Senior sister, you may not be afraid, but what about Master? The city is now searching house to house. What if..."

Su Qingling suddenly said, "Let's go stay at the Grand View Garden."

Luo Zijun: "???"

Su Dafang was taken aback upon hearing this, looked at the two of them, and asked in confusion, "What kind of place is the Grand View Garden?"

Su Qingling looked at the person coldly and explained, "Someone's harem."

(End of this chapter)