The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 92

Chapter 92: The Strategy of Deception

Lu Yu went to Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower as instructed.

Xiao Jinyu softly said, “Thank you!”

“You know what I’m going to do?” Gao Changgong asked instead.

Xiao Jinyu smiled.

“The Prince of Lanling is also a thoughtful person!”

Today, she only went to Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower as Xiao Jinyu. Afterward, she changed clothes with Fenghuang and went to Mount Fahua. If someone were to investigate, they would only find that she had been to Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower.

Gao Changgong’s intention in ordering Lu Yu to invite Lady Wei was already very clear.

This was a plan to shed one’s skin, a strategy of deception!

“Does the Prince know who is following and spying?” Xiao Jinyu asked again.

“Prince Chen Shuling of Shixing, or perhaps an envoy from the Zhou State. No matter who it is, knowing your identity will ultimately be detrimental to you.”

He answered calmly, as if all this was within his expectations.

“However, what puzzles me is that Emperor Chen Xu of the Chen State, the way he looks at you is quite unusual. Did you have any past connections?” He asked instead.

Xiao Jinyu shook her head with a wry smile, her words laced with sarcasm.

“Perhaps… he once killed someone from the Xie family and feels guilty.” She said.

Gao Changgong was slightly taken aback.

He naturally had heard of what kind of person Chen Xu was. Someone who would kill his nephew and the former emperor’s male favorite for the sake of imperial power and the throne was certainly not a good person. The number of lives he had taken was naturally not small.

Moreover, there had always been rumors of brothers fighting over power and wealth since ancient times. Wasn’t the struggle for imperial power within the Gao family of the Northern Qi the same?

Killed someone from the Chenjun Xie Clan?

But why did she care so much about the Chenjun Xie Clan, even going so far as to make a name for herself as a member of the Xie family?

And when he thought about how she single-handedly debated against a group of scholars on Mount Fahua today, her unshakeable confidence and willpower, her composure in the face of adversity, her scholarly demeanor that belonged to the Jin people’s spirit, even men in the world would rarely be able to match her!

Feeling his gaze, Xiao Jinyu raised her head and returned a smile, asking, “Does the Prince have any more questions?”

Prince of Lanling smiled and unconsciously moved closer, once again standing inches away from her.

“I have no more questions, but…” He whispered in her ear again, “I can consider the porcelain business you mentioned earlier.”

As if afraid of being overheard, he lowered his voice and gently turned his cheek, looking at her black and white eyes as clear as black jade, and said seriously:

“I, Gao Changgong, want to cooperate with you.”

When he said these words, Xiao Jinyu felt him getting so close that his breath was like a warm breeze on her cheeks. She only slightly raised her long eyelashes, and she was already facing his midnight-like eyes with a slight smile.

He was looking at her with a curious and expectant gaze, or perhaps “tempting” her…

Unconsciously, she also smiled slightly, as if she was not to be outdone, she asked playfully:

“Prince, are you seducing me?”

Prince of Lanling, who was used to being surrounded by infatuated young ladies because of his handsome appearance, rarely blushed…

✿✿✿

“Your Prince wants to see me? Why? And he wants me to bring a young servant boy the same height as that Northern Barbarian boy?”

After hearing Lu Yu’s request, Lady Wei felt a little nervous, suspicious, and even uneasy.

“Our Prince said that you owe him five thousand taels of silver, isn’t this request too much?”

“Does that mean that if I go, he won’t ask for the five thousand taels?”

Lady Wei was a little curious, even surprised.

Lu Yu couldn’t help but sneer disdainfully:

“You wish! It also depends on our Prince’s mood. If you go once, I’ve calculated it for you, at most fifty taels, that’s already enough, right?”

“What do you mean? Are you saying that I, this old lady, am only worth fifty taels?” Lady Wei shouted, her eyebrows raised.

Lu Yu secretly sighed, knowing he had misspoken, and quickly put on a smiling face:

“I was wrong, I was wrong, five hundred taels, okay? Our Prince sincerely wants to ask Lady Wei for help, please be kind and help us, I, Yu Juquan, will repay you in the future!”

Lady Wei, who was soft-hearted but not tough, finally agreed after Lu Yu’s soft pleas and begging. She put on a veil, took a young servant boy with her, and left Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower. She boarded Prince of Lanling’s carriage with Lu Yu and went straight to the embassy.

Along the way, two people who followed curiously wondered.

“What is Prince of Lanling asking the proprietress of Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower for? Could it be that he wants to do business with that middle-aged Lady Wei?” One of them asked.

✿✿✿

“Who knows? Not long ago, it was rumored that he liked men!”

“Anyway, let’s wait and see. The Prince said that our target is that Young Master Xie. As soon as we find him leaving the embassy, or any other suspicious person besides him leaving the embassy, we will immediately capture them!”

“Yes!”

✿✿✿

After Lady Wei entered the embassy, she was settled in a side hall. The table was filled with tea, water, and snacks for her to enjoy. Lu Yu only left one sentence, telling her to rest and drink tea here, and then he disappeared.

Unknowingly, Lady Wei had been drinking tea for half an hour and had run to the toilet several times.

It wasn’t until two hours later that Lu Yu finally arrived, and Lady Wei immediately flew into a rage.

“Your Prince is playing with me, isn’t he? He called me here and then didn’t show up, what does he want to do?”

“Shh—keep your voice down, our Prince hates noise the most. If you make any more noise, be careful, our Prince might get unhappy and kill you!”

Lady Wei quickly covered her mouth and stopped talking. Her mind immediately flashed with rumors about the debauched and tyrannical rulers of the Northern Qi Gao family. Although Prince of Lanling had a reputation for being benevolent and virtuous, he was still a member of the Gao family after all, and it was hard to guarantee that he didn’t have a hidden tyrannical nature.

Seeing that she was no longer complaining, Lu Yu achieved his goal and said seriously:

“Now I can take you to see our Prince!”

“Okay, okay!”

Following Lu Yu to the main hall of the embassy, Lady Wei saw Prince of Lanling dressed in black, sitting at the head of the hall, frowning and pondering something.

Seeing her arrival, he slowly opened his eyes, his clear gaze projected towards her, making it impossible to fathom his intentions.

But her whole body seemed to stiffen as if she didn’t dare to move.

Especially when facing such a handsome face like a god, any woman’s heartbeat would slow down by half a beat. Fortunately, she, Lady Wei, was past the age of a young girl’s spring heart, otherwise, how could she withstand it?

“Prince, what is the matter with you calling me here?” Seeing that he didn’t speak for a long time, she asked first.

Prince of Lanling glanced at her and suddenly said lazily, “I couldn’t sleep on this moonlit night, and I felt deeply lonely…”

He originally wanted to say that he had asked her to come and chat, but Lady Wei was startled and hurriedly said, “Prince, you’re not really interested in this old lady, are you?”

“Pfft—” Lu Yu choked on a mouthful of water, “Lady Wei, where did you get this mysterious confidence!”

“That’s good, that’s good!”

Lady Wei patted her chest and muttered to herself in a low voice, “Scared me to death, I thought he had gone astray!”

“What are you muttering about?” Lu Yu asked from the side.

Lady Wei quickly composed herself and smiled, “Nothing, nothing!”

At this moment, Prince of Lanling looked at her suspiciously and suddenly asked:

“Lady Wei, have we met before?”

“How is that possible? Prince, you grew up in the Qi territory since childhood, right? And I, Wei Qi, have never been to the Qi State, how could you have met me? I couldn’t have met you either!”

Lady Wei said in a series of words.

“Not necessarily…” Gao Changgong suddenly murmured, “Maybe I have indeed been in the Qi territory since I was six years old, but my memories before six years old are a bit blank, I can’t remember, but I seem to remember this Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower, it seems someone brought me here…”

Lady Wei was silent for a moment, then smiled, “Then I don’t know, that’s the Prince’s business, it has nothing to do with me!”

“Really has nothing to do with you?” Gao Changgong asked again.

Wei Qi lowered her head and shook her head firmly.

“Nothing to do with me, really nothing to do with me!”

Prince of Lanling stood up at this time, he walked to the middle of the hall, glanced at Lady Wei, and then stood with his hands behind his back.

“Alright, I’ve finished asking my questions, you can go back!”

Lady Wei was overjoyed and turned to leave, but then heard him change his tone and say:

“However, you can’t go through the main gate, and you can’t dress like this!” After saying that, he turned to Lu Yu and ordered, “Change her clothes, and then let Yang Zhi and Zhao Wu escort them back!”

“Yes, Prince!”