Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1004: The Young Master and the Young Mistress

Jiao Wan’er nodded slightly and replied softly, “During this period, various factions have sent people to Yangzhou to win over Li Kexiu. Aside from some weak forces that have no hope of success, there are still five countries’ envoys left, namely from the Qing, Jin, Mongolia, Liao, and Southern Song.”

“Li Kexiu is still officially a minister of the Qing court. The Qing court is aware that he has other intentions, so they sent a high-ranking official, Suo Etu, to come personally. After hearing that Li Kexiu had met with him a few times, he hid among the Green Camp under the pretext of rampant water bandits, leaving Suo Etu waiting at the Daotai Yamen while the officials from Jiangsu-Zhejiang kept visiting him, making it difficult for Suo Etu to act against him even though he knew Li Kexiu was playing tricks.”

“The envoy from the Jin Dynasty entered the city today, apparently someone named Tang Kuo Bian. I heard he holds a high position in the Jin court and is the most powerful minister there. However, he doesn’t have many guards with him; all these invaders are brawny but simple-minded, not understanding the principle that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. He doesn’t seem worried about being ambushed here with so few guards. Hey, Chief, why do you look so pale?”

Song Qingshu felt a wave of frustration, thinking to himself, ‘I am the one you just called “brawny but simple-minded.” However, he couldn’t explain the situation to Jiao Wan’er and had to respond to her casually.

Jiao Wan’er continued, “The envoy from the Jin Dynasty has also been arranged at the Daotai Yamen. This time, the people from the Qing and Jin are gathered together, one trying to appease Li Kexiu and the other trying to incite him. I wonder if they will end up fighting among themselves.”

As a former subject of the Ming Dynasty, she naturally held no good feelings toward both the Jin and Qing nations.

“Cough, cough~” Seeing Jiao Wan’er getting more and more excited, Song Qingshu hurriedly interrupted, “Alright, alright, I understand the situation with the Jin and Qing. What about the others?”

Jiao Wan’er looked at him in confusion, thinking, ‘Aren’t the biggest enemies of our Golden Serpent Camp the Jin and Qing?’ But she had no idea that the Jin and Qing were now part of their own interests.

Not wanting to go against Song Qingshu’s wishes, she continued, albeit with some doubt, “The Mongolian and Jin-Qing nations are sworn enemies, so their envoys certainly wouldn’t dare to enter the city with the same fanfare as the Jin and Qing envoys. Instead, they disguised themselves and blended in. Li Kexiu secretly arranged for them to stay at the residence of a salt merchant named He. That He salt merchant is a well-known wealthy man in Yangzhou, and his residence is magnificent. By arranging for them to stay there, Li Kexiu is showing his regard for them.”

Song Qingshu quickly asked, “Do you know who the Mongolian envoy is?”

Jiao Wan’er shook her head, “The Mongolian group is mysterious and intentionally conceals their identities. If it weren’t for a fortunate piece of information, we wouldn’t even know they had entered the city. Now, there are probably very few people in Yangzhou who know their exact location. Moreover, after they moved into He’s residence, their skilled subordinates surrounded the entire mansion like an iron barrel, not even allowing a fly to enter. I didn’t want to sacrifice the lives of my brothers, so I gave up on investigating.”

“Well done; we must avoid unnecessary sacrifices. I’ll personally handle the Mongolian side later.” Song Qingshu’s mind flashed with the beautiful face of Zhao Min, wondering if this time the Mongolian envoy would be her.

He quickly shook his head. The last time Zhao Min left Daxing Prefecture, she clearly stated that she was going to investigate the whereabouts of Murong Jingyue, so how could she come to Yangzhou as an envoy?

“The Liao Dynasty’s envoy doesn’t have such good treatment. It seems Li Kexiu didn’t deliberately arrange their accommodations, forcing them to rent the Yue Lai Inn in the southern part of the city.” Jiao Wan’er couldn’t help but feel a bit schadenfreude, after all, they were here to compete with the Golden Serpent Camp for Li Kexiu.

“The Liao Dynasty is now in decline, so it’s expected that Li Kexiu would neglect them.” Song Qingshu smiled and asked, “What about the Southern Song?”

“Li Kexiu seems to be quite attentive to the Southern Song envoys as well, arranging for them to stay at the famous Chan Zhi Temple in Yangzhou. The peony flowers there are particularly renowned, and combined with the serene environment, it can be considered one of the sights of Yangzhou,” Jiao Wan’er replied.

“It seems Li Kexiu indeed leans towards the Mongols and the Southern Song,” Song Qingshu thought to himself. Given the current internal and external troubles facing the Qing, along with the rise of the Golden Serpent Camp, which had severed the Qing’s territory in half, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region was destined to change hands. Li Kexiu’s best options were the neighboring Southern Song and the most powerful Mongols.

“Wan’er, who is the envoy from the Southern Song?” Song Qingshu continued to ask.

“I just happen to know this,” Jiao Wan’er smiled slightly, “The chief envoy sent by the Southern Song is Lu You, the Director of the Privy Council, accompanied by the owner of Guiyun Village, Lu Guanying, and his wife, Cheng Yaojia.”

“Lu You?” Song Qingshu’s expression suddenly became very interesting. After all, he was a big figure from the literature textbooks of his past life. Especially for fans who had been mocked countless times by the national football team, they often joked that when the Chinese men’s football team finally won a championship, their descendants must burn paper to inform Lu You, reminiscent of his famous line, “On the day the royal army pacifies the Central Plains, do not forget to inform my ancestors during the family ritual.”

“Chief, do you know him?” Jiao Wan’er asked curiously.

Song Qingshu shook his head, “I don’t know him, but I’ve admired him for a long time and have always wanted to meet the True Immortal.”

Coming back to his senses from the admiration for his idol, Song Qingshu suddenly wondered, “It’s strange, although the Director of the Privy Council is a significant official for common folks, it seems a bit light in weight from the perspective of the higher-ups. The envoys sent by the Qing and Jin Dynasties are all high-ranking ministers, and while I don’t know about the Mongols, they must also send someone of high status. The Southern Song only sent someone of this middling rank, which seems a bit dismissive.”

It should be noted that within the Southern Song’s official system, the position of Director of the Privy Council was not considered particularly important. There were several superior positions above it, such as the Privy Council Minister, the Minister of Privy Council Affairs, the Deputy Minister of the Privy Council, and others, before reaching the Director of the Privy Council. It was hard not to feel that the envoy team sent by the Southern Song was not of sufficient stature.

“How did Lu Guanying and his wife from Guiyun Village get involved with the Southern Song court?” Song Qingshu recalled something. Guiyun Village had previously been a bandit group on Taihu Lake, and now they had transformed into government officials. This was quite strange.

Jiao Wan’er smiled, “In the past, our Golden Dragon Gang was also active in Jiangsu, so we know a thing or two about Guiyun Village. Their village master is surnamed Lu and is a member of the Shanyin Lu clan, which is the same clan as Lu You. Moreover, Lu Guanying and his wife have always been close friends with Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Over the years, they have been dedicated to resisting foreign invaders, so with these connections, it’s not surprising they could enter the Southern Song court.”

“I see, the Shanyin Lu clan…” Song Qingshu suddenly understood. Shanyin was another name for Shaoxing in Zhejiang from his past life, which had a famous scenic spot called Shen Garden, witnessing the tragic love story of Lu You and his former wife, Tang Wan. In that previous world, it had brought many lovesick men and women to tears.