Duke of Zhenguan

"Hey kid, can you ride a horse?"

"I know a little!"

"Cheng Jiu, give him your horse!"

"You call that riding a horse?"

Watching Lin Chuan clumsily flip onto the horse, Cheng Yaojin asked with disdain.

"I used to ride a nag..."

Lin Chuan, thick-skinned as ever, offered a brief explanation with a smile.

I did learn how to ride a horse when I traveled to Inner Mongolia in my past life, but those horses were very docile and couldn't compare to the warhorse I was riding, which kept kicking its hooves.

"Ha, let's go!"

Cheng Yaojin tightened the reins and guided the horse forward.

To accommodate Lin Chuan, Cheng Yaojin and his two guards controlled their mounts and drove slowly.

After walking for a while, Cheng Yaojin asked curiously:

"Kid, does your family have any past ties with the Yan family?"

"No, it was when Master Yan ate noodles at a noodle shop last month that we had the good fortune to meet. After we got to know each other, Master Yan felt that I hadn't studied enough and asked me to study at the Yan family's school..." Lin Chuan explained.

"You've become Yan Shilang's apprentice?" Cheng Yaojin asked in surprise.

"No, that's not true. Besides, the young man is quite familiar with Yan Qiju!"

Lin Chuan shook his head without explaining why.

"It's all the same, no wonder Minister Yan stepped in to help you!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"How did the General know it was Minister Yan who came forward?" Lin Chuan asked curiously.

"Ha, who in the court doesn't know that Vice Minister Yan and Vice Minister Wen of the Ministry of Personnel are very close friends? And besides the Yan family, who else in the Ministry of Works can find any shady dealings in the records?" Cheng Yaojin sighed.

Lin Chuan paused, then asked uncertainly:

"Does the General mean that the Yan family's mathematical skills are very impressive?"

"You're quite the expert, being acquainted with Yan Qiju? He's renowned among scholars for his knowledge of classics and mathematics, and is revered as a master of mathematics. Isn't that impressive?" Cheng Yaojin said speechlessly.

"I haven't heard Master Yan mention it..." Lin Chuan shook his head with a wry smile.

No wonder Yan Xiangshi's expression was somewhat off whenever the Yan family disciples talked about mathematics; the problem lay here.

Lin Chuan didn't want to hide this from Cheng Yaojin, who had helped him, so he smiled and said:

"General, actually I'm quite good at math too!"

"Not bad? How does it compare to Yan Qiju?" Cheng Yaojin asked casually.

"More or less..." Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Cheng Yaojin subconsciously tightened the reins in his hand, turned to look at Lin Chuan, and asked in surprise:

"Really almost the same?"

"Almost there!" Lin Chuan nodded.

Cheng Yaojin seemed to be deep in thought, and asked softly:

"So, is that why Yan Qiju won't accept you as a disciple?"

"Maybe!" Lin Chuan nodded.

"Didn't you used to work at the docks with your father? When did you learn arithmetic?" Cheng Yaojin asked.

"I learned it myself, but how did you know I've been working at the docks with my father all this time, General?" Lin Chuan asked with a surprised look.

Cheng Yaojin paused, then said in an annoyed tone:

"Chu Rou is going to the noodle shop every few days. How can I feel at ease if I don't investigate?"

"Speaking of Madam, General, have you heard about those rumors? I always felt that someone was behind it all..." Lin Chuan said softly.

"You're not entirely stupid, kid. Someone is definitely pulling strings behind your back!" Cheng Yaojin nodded approvingly.

Who is it?

"Li Cang, the Duke of Leping County!"

Lin Chuan had never heard of it before, so he figured it must be Cheng Yaojin's enemy and didn't ask any further questions.

Cheng Yaojin glanced at Lin Chuan and then said:

"You don't know Li Cang, the Duke of Leping County, but you must know Zhou Si, right? Zhou Si originally planned to steal your family's brewing recipe and present it to Li Cang, but you tricked him and sold the recipe to Qunfangge instead!"

Behind the Qunfang Pavilion is the Duke of Xue, and the magistrate of Chang'an County happens to be a protégé of the Duke of Qi!

"You're really lucky, kid. Although Duke Xue is greedy and lustful, he's still a man of his word. He deserved his bad luck that Thursday!"

Lin Chuan was dumbfounded. He had always thought that only he, Chen Qi and Tian Hu of Qunfang Pavilion knew about the brewing recipe. He never expected that even Cheng Yaojin knew about it!

Seeing Lin Chuan's bewildered expression, Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but burst into laughter:

"Haha, you little rascal, are you wondering how I knew about this?"

Lin Chuan nodded.

"After Duke Xue obtained the recipe, the first batch of wine he brewed was sent to the palace. His Majesty rewarded him with many things and even exceptionally increased his fief by two hundred! Many people know about this!" Cheng Yaojin explained.

That's it!

Wouldn't that mean I've offended Li Cang, the Duke of Leping County?

After all that talk, it turns out that Madam Cheng was implicated because of him. Lin Chuan awkwardly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Cheng Yaojin.

"So it turns out I've dragged Madam into this mess..."

"Boy, you really have to thank me for this! If Li Cang hadn't been related to the Emperor Emeritus, I would have chopped him down long ago for daring to scheme against my daughter!"

"But you don't need to worry, kid. Last time I chopped Li Cang's steward in half with one stroke. That fellow was scared half to death and is still seriously ill in bed. He won't be bothering you for a while!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"I am extremely grateful!" Lin Chuan cupped his hands in thanks to Cheng Yaojin.

Cheng Yaojin glanced at Lin Chuan and asked with a smile:

"You think you can just dismiss this old man with a simple 'thank you'?"

"Of course not, General. Whatever your orders, I will do my best!" Lin Chuan said sincerely.

"Heh, that's more like it. I'm a soldier, and I'm more interested in what you did to Zhou Si!" Cheng Yaojin said casually.

In an instant, Lin Chuan felt a cold sweat break out all over his body, but he managed to keep his face calm as he said to Cheng Yaojin:

"General, you jest..."

"Don't worry, only I should know about this! The military officer who patrolled the streets that day was my subordinate. If he hadn't mentioned it by chance, I wouldn't have known that you had such abilities!" Cheng Yaojin waved his hand.

Lin Chuan paused for a moment, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Cheng Yaojin:

"General, find a few reliable men, and I'll tell them how to make this!"

Arriving at Huai De Fang and reaching the main gate of the Duke of Su's mansion, Cheng Yaojin looked at Lin Chuan, who had remained silent the entire way, and asked with a smile:

"Thinking of staying away from this old man?"

"General, you flatter me!" Lin Chuan shook his head.

Although he was a little uncomfortable, Lin Chuan could accept that Cheng Yaojin, given his status, could directly ask for it.

"Boy, this stuff is too dangerous. For you, it's far more dangerous than the brewing recipe."

"If you want to keep it hidden, then keep it safe and don't let anyone know. If you do take it out, it's best to give it to someone who isn't afraid of danger. You don't need me to teach you the principle of 'possessing a treasure is a crime,' do you?" Cheng Yaojin said in a deep voice.

Lin Chuan suddenly realized that even Cheng Yaojin knew he had burned Zhou Si to death with gasoline, but did the magistrate of Chang'an County know? Did Li Shimin know?

Having understood this, Lin Chuan realized Cheng Yaojin's good intentions, dismounted, and bowed to Cheng Yaojin.

"Thank you for the reminder, General!"

"Once the product is finished, I will present it to His Majesty for you!" Cheng Yaojin reached out to help Lin Chuan up and said with a smile.