In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
These three days were rather peaceful in Lingge. Aside from a few rumors circulating, nothing major had happened.
As the sun began to set, a long procession of carts hurried over from the west, attracting countless gazes.
It wasn't because the convoy was guarded by a large army, nor because it was pulled by tall, fine steeds.
Quite the opposite.
This convoy had no oxen or horses pulling its carts, yet its iron wheels rumbled along.
There were no military guards around either. There was only a handsome, refined young man at the very front of the convoy, racing wildly forward in a wheelchair.
Such a sight.
Many had never seen anything like it in their entire lives.
Countless people along the road stopped to watch, clicking their tongues in amazement.
They wondered what the convoy was carrying. To dare let a young man with a leg ailment lead an entire convoy—weren't they afraid of bandits along the way?
SCREECH...
Just before sunset, the convoy barely made it to the west gate of Lingge City.
The young man in the wheelchair finally let out a sigh of relief. He set down his feather fan and used the sleeve of his Confucian robe to wipe the fine sweat from his temples.
Then, he looked toward the woman in martial attire at the city gate and wheeled himself over to greet her.
"Aunt, I have successfully completed my mission!"
"Xiao, you've worked hard!"
The woman in martial attire beamed, looking Zhuge Xiao up and down before praising him loudly, "As expected of a fine son of our Zhuge Family! To dare transport pill furnaces worth a fortune all the way from Ba Shu to Lingge, all by yourself."
Her words immediately captured the attention of everyone at the city gate.
They all gasped in unison.
'No wonder the procession is so grand. It's the Zhuge Family's convoy.'
'To entrust so many pill furnaces to one young man... what incredible daring! And what a cultivation level he must have!'
'The Ba Shu Zhuge Family is as formidable as the rumors say!'
Zhuge Xiao, however, flushed with embarrassment. He quickly used his feather fan to shield himself from the crowd's gazes and said in a low voice, "Aunt! Our iron carts are filled with mechanisms. No one would dare try to rob them. I just sat in my wheelchair the whole way and didn't do a thing."
Zhuge Wei Yue chuckled and whispered back, "It's all about building hype! Other people don't know that. Our Zhuge Family is all about making a show of things. Don't mind their admiring gazes. You deserve them!"
"Alright!"
Zhuge Xiao could only nod. He turned and pointed at the convoy behind him. "I began preparations the night I received your letter. I followed your instructions and didn't use a single live horse. In total, I used seven pieces of Silent Gold, all from my personal treasury. Could you... reimburse me?"
Zhuge Wei Yue's smile instantly froze. "We can talk about that later, yes, we can talk about that! You must be tired. Hurry home with your aunt. After you've washed up, you can accompany me to sign the contract."
"I don't understand business matters. I'll listen to you, Aunt!"
Zhuge Xiao started to turn his wheelchair. "Father instructed me that the first thing I must do in Lingge is pay my respects to Mr. Kan. You can go back first, Aunt. I'll go home on my own after the visit."
"What's the point of visiting some old man? Now that you're in Lingge, you're going to take over the business. Signing the contract is what's important."
"You can't say that. Elder Kan... Hey, Aunt! Why did you lock my wheels?"
With his wheels locked, Zhuge Xiao was instantly immobilized.
After just a moment of shock, he was thrown onto a carriage, wheelchair and all.
He rubbed his head and had no choice but to take out a token, instructing a servant to go and offer his apologies in his stead.
This time, Zhuge Wei Yue didn't stop him.
Only then did Zhuge Xiao sigh in relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and prepared to take off his loose Confucian robe.
But Zhuge Wei Yue stopped him again.
"Aunt?"
"The gentlemen of our Zhuge Family must always maintain their image. You can't just toss aside the feather fan and silk turban!"
"But it's the end of summer."
"'Feather fan and silk turban!' That's the look!" she insisted. "And you have a silk turban, and you have a feather fan!"
"..."
Zhuge Xiao fell silent, left with no choice but to flap his feather fan vigorously.
Only then did Zhuge Wei Yue nod in satisfaction. "That's how the gentlemen of the Zhuge Family should be. But you need to fan yourself more slowly in the future. If you go too fast, you'll fan away all your scholarly aura."
"..."
Zhuge Xiao choked for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Aunt! I've just arrived in Lingge. Is there anything I should be aware of? Father said the situation in Lingge is very complicated, and a single misstep could offend someone."
Zhuge Wei Yue thought for a moment. "There isn't much to worry about. Just remember two things. First, don't perform divinations or calculations on anything. Second, when something happens, don't overthink it. Don't worry about the family, and don't consider the power struggles behind the scenes. As long as you act solely based on your own interests, you'll never make a major mistake."
Zhuge Xiao pondered this for a long time but found he still didn't understand. "I'm afraid I'm too slow-witted."
"How can you be so dense? Let your aunt give you an example!"
Zhuge Wei Yue snatched his feather fan and began fanning herself nonchalantly. "Take this batch of pill furnaces, for example. The Ninth Prince has asked me for them privately, and so has Noble Consort Jing. Those two factions have a lot of personal grievances, and it might even be tied to the struggle for the throne."
"But none of that has anything to do with us. We only need to think about this one deal: we sell to whoever gives us more money."
"If they offer the same amount of money, we choose the one that will be better for our reputation."
"It might look like we've offended both sides, but in reality, we haven't offended either."
"I see..."
Zhuge Xiao seemed lost in thought. "So you're saying that this time, I just need to pick the strongest Prince's Mansion and do my best to get a spot for the War God Tower, right?"
The War God Tower.
It was said to be a relic from a previous dynasty.
A sacred place for opening the Physical Body Divine Treasure.
If he could enter the War God Tower when breaking through to the Physical Body Realm, his legs might truly be healed.
There was only one way to enter the War God Tower.
One must either establish their own mansion, or become a Mansion Official and exchange merit for entry.
Zhuge Wei Yue was greatly pleased. "You're teachable after all! With a mind that quick, you're not far from healing your legs."
"Then whose mansion is the strongest this year?"
"The Ninth Prince's."
"Then why don't we sell the pill furnaces to them?"
"Who I sell the pill furnaces to concerns *my* interests. Which mansion you join is *your* choice. Our interests are different, so why should they affect each other?"
"For even the two of us, aunt and nephew, to have to distinguish our interests so clearly... what profound wisdom!"
Zhuge Xiao hadn't fully grasped it yet, so he decided to ask about a lighter topic. "By the way, Aunt, has anything interesting happened in Lingge recently?"
Zhuge Wei Yue thought for a moment. "Interesting? Actually, I think there is one thing."
"What is it?"
"That Ninth Prince... a few days ago, he took a dump right in front of the Tenth Prince's Mansion. I don't know which scoundrel spread the story, but it's hilarious! HAHAHAHAHA..."
"..."
Zhuge Xiao looked at his long-lost aunt and felt that one person's joy is truly another person's sorrow.
'Lingge humor seems a bit hard to understand.'
'The Ninth Prince... truly an enigmatic man.'
...
On Pill Workshop Street, inside the Yonghe Pill Workshop.
"Despicable!"
"Foolish!"
Zhao Yong's expression was grim. That incident had happened so long ago, so how did it spread throughout all of Lingge overnight?
There weren't many people at the gate of the Tenth Prince's Mansion that day, mostly just relatives or servants of minor officials. Even if you gave them ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare gossip about members of the Imperial Family.
Therefore, there was only one possible culprit.
However, he had yet to find any proof.
Zhu Yan was somewhat confused. "Why would Zhao Ci do this? It's not particularly difficult to trace the source of street rumors. Spreading a funny story about Your Highness for a moment's amusement also tarnishes his own reputation. Isn't this a case of losing a thousand of your own to inflict eight hundred damage on the enemy?"
Zhao Yong snorted coldly. "Since childhood, that man has done nothing but walk dogs and play with birds, no different from a common street ruffian. His methods are just as low-class. Perhaps he truly believes that spreading these rumors will make me too ashamed to leave my mansion, miss the auction, and hand the pill furnaces over to him on a silver platter."
"Little does he know that this will only reveal his true colors to the people of Lingge, and it will come back to bite him a hundred, even a thousand times over in the future."
"Even less does he know that I have been immersed in politics and business since I was a child. My mental fortitude is far beyond his imagination. Mere rumors aren't even qualified to faze me."
Zhu Yan's face filled with respect. "Your Highness is wise!"
Zhao Yong stood up. "Let's go! The auction is about to begin. First, we'll secure this batch of pill furnaces. Then, we'll let Zhao Ci learn the meaning of 'consequences'!"
"Yes!"
Zhu Yan nodded solemnly and followed him downstairs, preparing to head to the auction venue.
But he never expected...
Just as they stepped outside, he saw two familiar figures.
He called out, "Your Highness, look quickly, isn't that Miss Luotang? Your Highness? Your Highness... where did he go?"
He glanced around. Where was Zhao Yong?
Zhu Yan: "..."
'So much for that mental fortitude.'
'But then again... '
'Who could possibly greet the woman they admire with a straight face while the whole city is gossiping about them soiling their pants?'
'Zhao Ci's move was truly despicable and foolish.'
'He can't really think he can snatch the pill furnaces with a trick like this, can he?'
'A dancing clown, only adding to the comedy.'