Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Shou Zhe! Don’t Mess Around 1
Translator: 549690339 —
Two handsome young men, both bearing the demeanor of aristocrats, were staring at each other in disbelief, neither had expected to encounter the other here.
“Shouzhe, didn’t you say you wouldn’t be involved in the planning stage of this mission?” Asked the slightly older handsome man, none other than the Young Clan Leader of the Chen Clan, Chen Fangjie, with a touch of embarrassment.
‘I couldn’t set my worries aside, so I came to see for myself. What about you, Brother Chen?” Wang Shouzhe touched his nose, restraining his impulse to punch him, “Why are you here? Could it be…”
“It’s a misunderstanding, a real misunderstanding.” Chen Fangjie, breaking out in a cold sweat, hurriedly explained, “Firstly, in your plan, we needed someone who could impersonate the heir of a strong prominent family, I had a difficult time finding the right person, I found the task challenging, so I took it on personally. Secondly, to be honest, Brother Fanghua told me that Ms Luoxian was as beautiful as a celestial being, almost as if an exiled immortal had descended from heaven. Out of curiosity, I decided to participate personally in the mission to see for myself.”
‘Hmm- after I ask around, I will then decide if you are telling the truth or not.” Wang Shouzhe looked at him and mostly believed what he heard, then turned to Wang Mei, “Wang Mei, be honest, did this young master act disrespectfully towards you?”
To the Family Head,” Wang Mei quickly responded earnestly, “When this young master first met me, he was surprised for about three breaths, and afterwards, he turned his head away and dared not look at me anymore. Apart from that, there was no offensive behavior.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Fangjie finally breathed a sigh of relief, proving his innocence. Otherwise, he really did not know what his future brother-in-law, Wang Shouzhe, would do.
Soon after, he was surprised and asked, “Wang Mei? Could this be the real name of Lady Luoxian? She is actually Shouzhe’s subordinate, part of the Wang family soldiers?”
“What’s the matter? Is it because my family’s soldiers are not good enough?” Wang Shouzhe was seemingly half joking, “What about it? Do you, the ‘brother-in-law’, want my Wang family to offer a head of household in a dowry?”
Absolutely not, absolutely not.” Chen Fangjie, scared into a cold sweat, hurriedly continuously said, “Shouzhe, do not misunderstand, I, Chen Fangjie can swear to heaven that my heart belongs only to Luoyi. I would never be fickle and heaven can bear witness to it.”
A Young Clan Leader swearing an oath is not a trivial thing; from this, one could see how anxious he was.
Wang Shouzhe felt that he had harassed Chen Fangjie enough so he stopped and with a smile, folded his hands and said: “I naturally trust Brother Chen’s character. Please sit, Brother Chen. Wang Mei, serve the tea.”
Wang Shouzhe took his seat first, fully embodying the demeanor of a host.
Chen Fangjie wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, thanked Shouzhe and then took his seat across him. It was then that something felt off, as if he was actually the owner of the boat. Suddenly, the roles seem to have reversed.
Wang Mei, who was pretending to be as refined as a woman of noble birth, was obediently brewing tea at the side. Her movements were elegant and her demeanor, calm. She indeed had a unique charm.
“Family Head, please have tea.” “Young Master Chen, please have tea.” The conversation between the two men had made it clear to her that this slightly older man was the Young Clan Leader of the Chen Clan, and he was the future husband of Miss Luoyi.
Granted, he was quite handsome and held an impressive demeanor, but he was not as exceptional as the Family Head. As she poured her tea, she came to this conclusion.
“Shouzhe, when did you get such a household member?” After Chen Fangjie took a sip of tea and managed to calm himself down, he was still unable to suppress his curiosity, “Not only does she look breathtakingly beautiful and carry herself in an extraordinary manner, I can’t even see through her cultivation base. I don’t mean to imply anything, it’s just that I find it unbelievable.”
His inability to see through her cultivation base was correct, otherwise, wouldn’t the jade pendant-Restrain Breath Jade- that Wang Shouzhe had purchased for a thousand Qian gold, be a waste?
This little spiritual treasure was initially intended for Wang Shouzhe to hide his own cultivation base. But now, giving it to Wang Mei would maximize its use. Everything can be impersonated but the cultivation base was definitely not something that can be faked easily.
Just imagine, how could a girl from a noble family have a merely Level Three Vital Energy Refining Realm?
“Brother Chen,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, “Have you ever heard of the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’?”
“Don’t dare to, absolutely do not dare.” At this point, even though Chen Fangjie was curious, he had to suppress his doubts. Even if he had the guts of a thousand, he would not have the audacity to ask Wang Luoyi.
“On the contrary, this ship of yours isn’t too shabby.” Wang Shouzhe looked around and said with a smile, “This ship is luxurious, huh, there’s even a bedroom over there. Tsk, tsk. Brother Chen, you’re living a good life.” “Shouzhe, please stop joking. If I dared to build such a luxurious ship for my own enjoyment, my father would have broken my legs long ago.” Chen Fangjie, for the first time, felt the sharp tongue of his future brother-in-law, whose words were full of hidden threats, and could not help but smile bitterly. “This ship was borrowed from the young master of the Dantai Family of the East Sea King.”
“The Dantai family, the one that is hailed as the Eastern Sea King?” Wang Shouzhe was somewhat intrigued,” Brother Chen, you have a wide range of friends, you even managed to befriend the young master of the Dantai family.” Compared to the remote Hundred Islands Guard, the Eastern Sea Guard, the close neighbor of Changning Guard, had more interactions. The most famous among the prominent families of the Eastern Sea Guard was the Dantai Family of the Eastern Sea King. They were said to possess an unrivaled fleet that ruled the Eastern Sea.
Although the Chen Clan of Donggang was growing rapidly, when it comes to size and strength, it was far from comparable to the Eastern Sea King.
Chen Fangjie, sitting upright, carefully thought for a moment before saying, “I met the young master during a joint operation to eliminate a group of sea bandits.”
“The young master of the Dantai family is extraordinarily talented and is very much loved by the old ancestors of the Dantai family. However, he’s the second son of the direct line of the family. Shouzhe, you know that according to the traditions of large families with Profound Martial arts like the Dantai Family, they always favor the eldest son over the youngest.”
But the young master is full of spirit and does not want to live his life looking after certain clan properties just because he was born later than his siblings. Therefore, he is generous to people and has many close relationships. He is most likely to break away from the family in the future. This ship is just one of his personal vessels for inland waterways, which he lent to me since he didn’t use it often.”
As Chen Fangjie explained, the ins and outs became clearer.
The Chen Clan of Donggang, in terms of overall scale, was far behind the Dantai Family of the Eastern Sea. However, the future structure of having three spiritual platforms was already on the horizon. As the young clan leader of the Chen Clan, Chen Fangjie’s character, aptitude, and abilities were all first-rate, and his future prospects were limitless.
With a shared experience of fighting together, in addition to mutual needs. It was natural for a collusion – no, interaction – no, it could be considered a close relationship to form.
So Brother Chen, your plan this time is to impersonate the young master Dantai?” Wang Shouzhe raised an eyebrow and laughed, “Is it necessary to play such a big game? I merely sent a letter to Brother Chen earlier, seeking a clansman to pretend to be a seller from a power in the Eastern Sea. It’s only about selling a wave of grain, why such fanfare?”
“Shouzhe, when you entrust such an important task to me, how could I dare to slack off?” Chen Fangjie smiled, “Since you’ve entrusted this stage of the plan to me, how to make it work better is my own concern. You don’t have to thank me too much, just speak highly of me in front of Luoyi after the task is completed. Also, show a little extra kindness when pouring drinks at my wedding. Furthermore, the role Luoxian is playing is Miss Zhong of the Bai Dao Guard, isn’t it? Those who have the right to conduct large-scale trade with the Zhong Family are likely powerful prominent families. Also, posing as the Eastern Sea King will make the plan more smooth.”
Wang Shouzhe stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, “Isn’t there any risk in your impersonating a prince of the Eastern Sea?”
“I am merely conducting a trade that complies with Daqian Law with two nouveau riche bottom-feeder families, how could there be any risk?” Chen Fangjie said confidently, “Even if Dantai and jade become aware of it, they will just laugh it off. Would the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan really dare to verify it with the celestial families? What’s more impressive is how you, Shouzhe, could take advantage of the situation, elaborately setting up such a trap to bury both the Zhao and Liu Clans, I deeply admire your ingenuity.”
This was also one of the reasons why Chen Fangjie took Wang Shouzhe’s letter so seriously and put in such great efforts. Moreover, he was puzzled as to where Wang Shouzhe managed to get so much grain?
All signs indicated that this future brother-in-law was not a common lot, and the Ping’an Wang Family would likely flourish under his leadership.
As for the flourishing of the Wang Family, Chen Fangjie was naturally pleased to see it. Given the depth of the marital ties between them, they were naturally allies.
“That was only because the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan were not upright, giving me the opportunity. In this regard, I must thank Brother Chen for his personal support,” Wang Shouzhe raised his tea as though it were wine in tribute.
Mutual support, mutual support,” Fang Jie returned the gesture, laughing, By this time next year, you’ll have to address me differently. We’re all one family, no need to be so formal, Shouzhe.”
“I will accept your generosity then. Brother Chen, could you excuse us for a while? The head of my household, Wang Mei, and I have some secrets to discuss,” Wang Shouzhe raised his tea, indicating he would like to dismiss his guest.
What?
So unkind of him, this is the ship I borrowed.
Still, as the young clan leader carefully cultivated by the Chen Clan, he was ultimately a patient and composed man. Helplessly, he bowed, “I was feeling a bit stifled anyway, I’ll go enjoy some fresh air. Please, take your time, Shouzhe.”
With that, Chen Fangjie left the loft and went to the bow of the ship.
Even in the summer, the night breeze in Peace River was somewhat cold.
From time to time, Chen Fangjie would glance at the loft, and couldn’t help but wonder what Shouzhe was discussing with Wang Mei in the middle of the night, even going so far as to send him away.
Could it be?
Chen Fangjie’s heart jumped, could it be possible?
A little voice in his head said, why not? That Wang Mei, with her extraordinary temperament, seemed like an exiled immortal. The peculiarity of her origins was inadvertently given away by her every word and frown.
Such a splendid and unparalleled woman, who kept her deep talents hidden, could not possibly be from an ordinary household, let alone a soldier from the Wang Family?
And that Wang Shouzhe,
Had deliberately fabricated an ordinary soldier’s name—Wang Mei! Wasn’t that an obvious attempt to conceal?
Then their private meeting in the middle of the night?
Alright then.
I understand now.
The night wind mussed up Chen Fangjie’s hair.
Oh, Shouzhe, don’t mess around.
If Miss Liu finds out, it would be a huge problem indeed.