Chapter 134: The Banquet (Part 2)

But when Little Seven approached him, Le Wuya let go of the chess piece.

No use overthinking it.

There was no way Xiao Liu could show up here.

Whether on the clan registry or as far as the world was concerned, Xiao Liu could only ever be the son of Imperial Consort Zhuang, with absolutely no ties to the Xi merchant family.

Xiang Zhi strolled over to stand beside Le Wuya, looking completely at ease, but instead of acknowledging him, he first bowed to Prefect Qiao, who stood next to Le Wuya: "Prefect Qiao."

Prefect Qiao, both flattered and startled, immediately returned the bow: "Seventh Prince, this won't do."

Xiang Zhi reached out to help him up: "My mother's family business has benefited greatly from your protection, Prefect Qiao. Please, don't stand on ceremony."

Prefect Qiao was a fourth-rank official, after all—not like Deputy Magistrate Sun of Nanting, who would beam and murmur assent at a single word of praise from a prince.

Once he got over his initial fluster, he resumed his humble bearing: "All the Xi family's glory and favor comes from the emperor's boundless grace. I was just doing my duty—I wouldn't dare take credit."

Unexpected guests arrived wave after wave—Feng Long's birthday had gotten almost too lively.

Feng Long stood to one side with hands clasped, his face betraying nothing while his mind was in turmoil.

The Seventh Prince was asking where he should sit, in the middle of all the prefects.

Was he really planning to sit here?

But that would break all protocol.

Given the Seventh Prince's status, he ought to be seated as an honored guest, waited on hand and foot.

As if reading his mind, Xiang Zhi smiled and waved a hand, making the decision for him: "Lord Feng, I have come specifically to offer my birthday congratulations, not to cause you any trouble or steal the spotlight. If my father were to learn of it, he'd scold me for bothering the local officials."

He gestured to the space between Le Wuya and Prefect Qiao: "Simply set a seat for me here. There's truly no need to make a big fuss."

"The prince's word is law—how would I dare refuse?"

Lord Feng raised a hand, and his keen-eyed steward immediately brought over a fine set of comfortable tables and chairs.

An array of fine wines, dishes, and refreshments came out one after another.

In the blink of an eye, everything was in place.

Xiang Zhi lifted his robes and sat down, looking straight at Pei Mingqi: "General Pei, will you stay here to drink with us?"

Pei Mingqi cast a reluctant glance at Le Wuya, then clasped his hands behind his back, acting all casual, as if the reckless young man who had come charging in moments ago wasn't him at all: "No. I'll go to the military officers' table. Commander Ling of the local garrison is an old acquaintance of my father's—I wonder if he showed up today to offer his congratulations?"

"Ah, what a pity. Commander Ling is occupied with military duties and sent his birthday gift to my place yesterday."

Pei Mingqi gave a reserved nod: "No matter. I'll stop by the Ling house after the banquet. I'm a soldier, so I won't sit with you civil officials—wouldn't want my rough ways to ruin your refined mood."

Having gotten through the pleasantries well enough, he turned back to Le Wuya, his hands itching as he once again reached out and flicked the right brim of his official hat with his knuckles, sending the black silk gauze wing fluttering like a crow's wing in flight: "I'm off."

Le Wuya replied in a light tone: "Safe travels, General Pei." *Get lost. So annoying.*

Pei Mingqi caught the meaning in his eyes at a glance, and even being scolded delighted him. He strode off with a leisurely stride, in excellent spirits.

Having chased off one, Xiang Zhi not letting up, turned to Qi Hongzhuang with a sweet call: "Sister Xiaoshu." *You can leave too.*

"Seventh Brother."

Qi Hongzhuang acknowledged him coolly, then continued asking Le Wuya: "Prefect Wenren, after you left Nanting, is our agreement still valid?"

"Of course it is," Le Wuya said firmly. "For every 'Endless Thought' sold, thirty percent goes to you, with payments every six months, deposited directly into your Rongfeng Money House account."

Qi Hongzhuang smiled faintly and downed her wine: "Much obliged."

With that, she set down her cup and walked over to Lady Feng: "My lady, sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we head in?"

With both troublemakers chased off, Xiang Zhi felt a huge sense of relief.

His gaze drifted, as if only now noticing Le Wuya, and he pretended to cover his mouth with his fan: "Ah, Prefect Wenren, fancy seeing you here. It's been ages."

Everyone present was no fool, and from the easy back-and-forth between the two, they could tell the pair were well acquainted.

The Seventh Prince probably didn't come just for the birthday.

County Princess Qi had wealth, General Pei had troops, and the Seventh Prince had power.

All three treated this newly appointed prefect with such warmth, and their words and looks hinted at rivalry.

What a tempting morsel—who wouldn't want a bite?

Watching this scene from afar, Mu Jiazhi sneered and gave a cold snort: "Lord Wei, it seems I spoke too soon. I'd say Prefect Wenren is way better at playing the social game than you."

He'll charm anyone, man or woman—what an appetite.

Wei Yixian was momentarily stunned, then went back to his usual smile: "Indeed. How else would he have become a prefect?"

He wasn't all that surprised.

Wenren Mingke's meteoric rise through the ranks had to be backed by real skill.

But whether it was the Seventh Prince or Pei Mingqi, both were merely passersby as far as Tongzhou went. No matter how capable they were, at best they could make other officials look at Le Wuya with more respect.

If anything truly happened, they'd be in the capital, too far to help, and could only watch from afar, helpless.

As for County Princess Qi—impressive as she sounded, at the end of the day, just a merchant.

Wealth without power was useless.

In the end, who would come out on top was anyone's guess.

...

On the other side, Xiang Zhi turned to Prefect Qiao and shamelessly explained his connection to Le Wuya: "Speaking of which, I'm the one who discovered this brilliant Prefect Wenren."

Sensing Le Wuya's gaze upon him, he added as if he'd just remembered something: "Oh, and my dear sixth brother, of course."

Prefect Qiao responded with perfect composure and by-the-book politeness: "His Highness has a sharp eye for talent, and Prefect Wenren is indeed a young prodigy."

Xiang Zhi: "Prefect Qiao flatters me. I am still young and know nothing of judging people—I just got lucky and stumbled on this treasure."

Prefect Qiao laughed heartily: "Rest assured, since this treasure means so much to Your Highness, we shall take good care of it on your behalf."

The surrounding officials chimed in with agreement, their words seeming sincere, but it was all just empty talk.

Xiang Zhi smiled and chatted on, completely unbothered.

Wasting breath on these dull folks, trading flattery back and forth, is just plain boring.

While Xiang Zhi was cheerfully socializing with others, his precious one was busy eating pastries, stealing glances at Xiang Zhi's table.

— That plate of osmanthus cakes—snow-white and soft—looked seriously delicious.

Sure enough, the second he looked away, that plate of osmanthus cakes landed right on his table.

Even while Xiang Zhi casually set the cakes in front of him, he kept chatting and laughing with Prefect Qiao like it was nothing.

...Le Wuya suspected the man had eyes in the back of his head, and was tempted to crack open that white jade hair crown to check.

It wasn't until he'd run out of things to say to Prefect Qiao that Xiang Zhi turned around with a sweet smile: "Prefect Wenren, does the food suit your taste?"

His timing was perfect—Le Wuya was mid-chew on a sticky half-piece of osmanthus cake, unable to get a single word out.

After a moment of eye contact, Le Wuya's eyes crinkled as he flashed him a carefree, radiant smile.

If Pei Mingqi were here to see this, he'd be over the moon, absolutely losing it.

Because in his past life, the carefree Le Wuya used to smile like this—sweet and obedient, purely to win people over.

Xiang Zhi's heart lurched. He quickly looked away and steadied his breathing.

Damn.

He'd never seen his teacher smile like that.

How utterly... stupid! So improper! Who gave him permission to smile at people like that?

"I just saw Prefect Wenren toasting with my Sister Xiaoshu—what a perfect pair, so well matched," Xiang Zhi said once he'd composed himself, teasing. "...Like you two were drinking the wedding toast."

Le Wuya swallowed his pastry and cut straight to the point: "Has the Seventh Prince never had nuptial wine? That's not how you drink it."

Xiang Zhi's face went rigid.

He clenched his jaw, barely holding back the bitterness rising in his throat, and sneered: "As far as I know, Prefect Wenren has never been married—so how would you know how to drink nuptial wine?"

"After crashing a few wedding nights with friends, you pick it up," Le Wuya said with a teasing grin. "Interested in Dayu wedding customs, Seventh Prince?"

Xiang Zhi ran his fingertip along the rim of his wine cup, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "My teacher never taught me that—how would I know?"

Le Wuya raised his teacup to his lips: "A teacher's not a wife—why would he teach that?"

Xiang Zhi's eyes went blank: "..."

Teacher.

Wife.

He got inexplicably pissed, swallowing his unspoken words and the wine in one rough gulp.

He might as well have been shooting the breeze with Prefect Qiao and the rest!

The guy opens his mouth and knows exactly how to piss him off!

Seeing Little Seven sulking in silence, Le Wuya reached under his robes and fiddled with the jade chess piece again.

Little Phoenix and Sister Qi had both gotten letters and been invited here to have his back.

Little Seven barely knew those two, and judging by what had just happened, it definitely wasn't Little Seven who'd called them here.

So it was pretty obvious who'd written those letters.

...He knew damn well this place wasn't Nanting.

A merchant's money, a general's power, even a prince's status—none of it could fully control what these officials did or thought.

And yet he'd still written those letters and invited them.

Imagining that person throwing on a robe, picking up a lantern, and writing furiously into the night, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Le Wuya's lips: "Seventh Prince, how's your 'good sixth brother' doing these days?"

The more Xiang Zhi thought, the angrier he got. He stewed over Pei Mingqi hugging Le Wuya at the door, then replayed the grand, flashy wedding of Qi Hongzhuang and Le Wuya in his head—he didn't even know which one to be mad about first.

And then Le Wuya, not satisfied with that, actually dared to bring up the person he hated most right to his face?!

He said flatly: "Not well. About to die."

Le Wuya didn't believe him: "Don't curse him like that."

"I'm not cursing him."

Seeing Le Wuya clearly didn't believe him, Xiang Zhi suddenly felt like being a little shit. He leaned in closer and dropped his voice: "A while back, a sudden downpour hit the capital, the Chaobai River overflowed, and the farmlands outside the city got flooded. He was sent by Father on official business—probably went days and nights without sleep, and his heart problem acted up..."

Feeling mischievous, he added some spice: "...He even coughed up blood."

Right then, Xiang Zhi suddenly felt something cold on his knee.

He looked down to see half a cup of warm tea had sloshed out of Le Wuya's cup, splashing right onto his knee and leaving a dark stain.

Le Wuya seemed oblivious, staring at the wood grain of the table, frozen for a moment: "How did he get a heart condition?"

Xiang Zhi stared at the tea slowly soaking into his robes.

From his knee, a wildfire started to smolder, creeping all the way up to his chest.

He knew it—that Le guy was biased!!

How could a teacher in this world be this biased?!

He'd been reborn, he didn't remember anything, so why was he still taking Sixth Brother's side?!