Chapter 183
Chapter 183: You’ll Protect Me, Right?
After Luo You left prison, he still had not gotten together with Zhou Huai and the others.
That was because Zhou Huai was still at the academy.
When a court rest day finally came, Zhou Huai came at once to the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor. He brought all of his monthly allowance and the extra ten taels of silver his mother had given him. He wanted to treat Luo You to a meal.
“…Invite everyone we know,” Zhou Huai said, acting rich and bold.
But they were all just kids and could not book the best private rooms. The private rooms were also too expensive and not worth it. The money had to be spent where it mattered.
Seven or eight boys of about the same age, all thirteen or fourteen, sat down in the main hall of the restaurant, and the whole table was covered with meat dishes.
They ate happily, talking and laughing loudly.
“Do you know if the hot spring villa on Little Bell Mountain is for sale?” Luo You suddenly asked.
Everyone burst out laughing when they heard that.
“It is just like the summer retreat villa on South Mountain. They are all in the hands of the great clans. You can’t buy them.”
“The price is so high that even if they weighed us all together and sold us, we still couldn’t afford it.”
“You’re dreaming.”
“Enough, shut up,” Zhou Huai barked. “What is wrong with asking around?”
A fifteen-year-old young master, the most knowledgeable among this group of idle rich boys, said: “It would cost more than ten thousand taels of silver. You really can’t buy one. Little Bell Mountain has only thirteen spring mouths in total, and they have all been built over.”
He went on: “There is one villa that seems to belong to Prince Jiang. Prince Jiang is in his fief and hasn’t returned to the capital for more than ten years. He might not want it anymore. Maybe that one could be sold. In the past, some noble households already had this idea.”
Luo You listened carefully.
This Prince Jiang was the Emperor’s uncle, not his brother.
They all talked more and more excitedly.
The other diners also heard a bit.
Two days later, Luo Ning’s steward nanny, Nanny Kong, met with brokers again and again, gently asking if they could find someone from Prince Jiang’s manor.
She wanted to use connections to speak with Prince Jiang’s manor.
This matter was soon noticed by people who were paying attention.
The wealthy and powerful clans all heard that Prince Yong’s intended consort wanted to buy a hot spring villa as part of her dowry, so she could show off in front of the future secondary consorts.
She had set her sights on the hot spring villa that belonged to Prince Jiang’s manor.
Zheng Jia’er, Pei Yu, and Third Miss Wang also heard about it. Even Cui Zheng Lan knew.
Cui Zheng Lan, who had not come by for many days, once again came to Wenqi Courtyard.
“You want to buy a hot spring villa just to show off?” Cui Zheng Lan asked her. “My family heard about it and even talked it over.”
“Where did this rumor come from? I never said that,” Luo Ning said.
“You might not know,” Cui Zheng Lan said seriously. “That Dharma Master Hui Neng from Fahua Temple used to be very close with Prince Jiang’s manor. If you really want the hot spring villa from Prince Jiang’s manor, why not go look for him?”
Luo Ning could not help laughing when she heard this: “Your brother told you to say that, didn’t he?”
“…Is it that obvious?”
“He has already figured out the whole web of connections. It has to be your brother’s doing. You would never care about that on your own,” Luo Ning said.
“My brother asked me if I wanted it. He wants to cut in ahead,” Cui Zheng Lan said.
Her own older brother had thought everything through for her, and she turned around and sold him out completely.
She really was a true younger sister.
Luo Ning laughed: “I don’t want it. But you can try to fight for it.”
“I don’t care,” Cui Zheng Lan said.
“Once you enter a prince’s manor, you need some leverage,” Luo Ning said. “My leverage is the principal consort’s investiture decree and seal. What about yours?”
“Didn’t you say you would protect me?” Cui Zheng Lan asked.
Luo Ning was left speechless.
“I don’t care. At worst, I will just quit. Running away from Prince Yong’s manor will definitely be easier than running away from home,” Cui Zheng Lan added.
“If your family catches you, they will only lock you up. If a prince catches you, you know that a deserter can only end up beheaded,” Luo Ning said.
Cui Zheng Lan shivered.
She felt that Prince Yong would really do such a thing.
“…I’ll go back and ask my brother,” she said unwillingly.
After she went home, Cui Zheng Lan went to find her brother.
That day, her brother was busy in the outer study, seeming to sort through some files.
Cui Zheng Lan knew that although he usually liked to have fun, he did have serious work. Sometimes, when he was busy, he worked until he could hardly tell day from night.
“Can the hot spring villa from Prince Jiang’s manor really be bought?” Cui Zheng Lan asked.
“Do you want it?”
“If we can buy it, I don’t mind,” Cui Zheng Lan said.
“I’ll ask people about it again,” Cui Zheng Qing said.
Prince Yong also heard about this.
He summoned Luo Ning to ask her about it.
Luo Ning then told him her plan honestly.
“This time, you must not hold back again. That man named Qiu Shi Dong must be removed,” Xiao Huai Feng said. His tone was very harsh, like he was giving an ultimatum.
“Yes,” Luo Ning said.
“Do you need this prince to help?”
Luo Ning had not planned to involve him. But he had asked and given an order, so there was no reason not to use his people.
She nodded at once: “I do. Thank you in advance, Your Highness.”
Prince Yong went to find Cui Zheng Qing and told him not to buy the hot spring villa from Prince Jiang’s manor. Instead, he was to stir up talk and spread the matter around.
“What are you two up to?” Cui Zheng Qing asked.
“Do not talk too much.”
Cui Zheng Qing could only fall silent.
Zheng Jia’er heard about this and was very stirred. Now that her third brother was dead, she would always be a head shorter in front of Luo Ning. With her wedding day drawing near, she did not have much time left.
Snatching the hot spring villa was a great chance for her to build up her prestige, teach Luo Ning a lesson, and press her down.
Zheng Jia’er went straight to find her father.
She cried and complained: “If we keep letting Luo Ning act so arrogant, I’m afraid my days after I marry into the manor will be even harder. I must get this hot spring villa.”
At first, the Duke of the Realm did not agree: “We cannot stir up more trouble.”
But later, he felt that he could not swallow this anger either.
His son’s death, he did not know exactly whose head to blame it on, but it was all because of the Luo family anyway.
Over a small matter, he could disgust Luo Ning and still not give the Empress Dowager any clear fault to pick on.
“Let me think about it,” he said to his daughter.
Zheng Jia’er knew there was hope.
If her father spoke like that, it meant he had already agreed. This hot spring villa would surely belong to her.
Among the noble young ladies, one Miss held a birthday banquet and invited many people, including Zheng Jia’er.
Pei Yu was also among them.
Pei Yu was also about to become Prince Yong’s secondary consort. She and Zheng Jia’er seemed to get along on the surface, but they were at odds in their hearts.
When the hot spring villa was mentioned, Pei Yu wanted it as well.
“Do you have any way?” Pei Yu said. “My family is quite close with Prince Jiang. My aunt is Prince Jiang’s sister.”
The aunt she spoke of was Grand Princess Jia Hong.
Her attitude angered Zheng Jia’er.
Zheng Jia’er was used to being arrogant. She sneered and said: “You think only your family has connections? Who doesn’t? My sister is the Empress.”
Pei Yu was provoked until her face turned red.
Zheng Jia’er was determined to take the villa, but she was afraid the Pei family would fight for it too, so she went again to pester her father.
For a moment, the Duke of the Realm did not even know whom to look for. He could not just send someone straight to Prince Jiang’s fief to ask if he would sell the hot spring villa.
After all, Prince Jiang had never said he wanted to sell.
If he offended him, this matter would become a dead end.
He needed someone to act as a go-between.
Qiu Shi Dong got the news.
In just a few days, the whole matter changed shape. It became a fight over the hot spring villa between Prince Yong’s intended consort and four future secondary consorts.
And Fourth Miss Zheng wanted to compete with Luo Ning head-on.
“Fifth Master, you are familiar with the Zheng family. Could you introduce me to the Duke of the Realm? I have a way,” Qiu Shi Dong said after he went to find Wang Tang Yao.
Wang Tang Yao sat quietly, his eyes dark: “You are interested in this too?”
“I have some connections and also want to get to know the Duke of the Realm,” Qiu Shi Dong said. “If Fifth Master helps me, I will be endlessly grateful.”
He set a brocade box on the ground and said: “This is a ten-thousand-tael silver banknote. Please accept it, Fifth Master.”
Wang Tang Yao was not interested in the silver banknote, but he was very ambitious about the smuggled salt trade in the Jiangnan region.
He was willing to support Qiu Shi Dong.
“I will make the trip for you,” he said, pushing the brocade box back. “I do not need this bit of silver from you.”