Arrogance has never been celebrated, yet when Zhu Zan spoke the word, he made it sound like an honor.
The young man sitting next to him also slapped the table loudly.
"Exactly, and we're still at the common seats," he said.
As they spoke, the man upstairs had already vacated the room, without showing any anger; instead, he bowed and nodded to the three men below like a waiter.
"It seems he's quite the big shot," one of the young men remarked while raising his eyebrow.
"In the capital and we don't know such a prominent figure?" Zhang Baotang added.
Sifeng, seeing the waiters descend the stairs, simply raised his hand.
"Come here," he called out.
The waiters naturally recognized these individuals and hurried over without dallying.
"What can I do for you, Fourth Master?" one asked with a smile.
"Who's that guy?" Sifeng demanded, pointing to the second floor.
The waiter's expression became complex.
"It's... it's..." he stuttered, seemingly afraid to speak.
Zhang Baotang kicked him.
"Speak up," he scolded.
These were individuals he could not afford to offend either, the waiter thought as he covered his buttocks in pain.
"It's Gatekeeper Jiang Peng from the West City Gate," he said.
Upon hearing this, the young men at the table burst into laughter.
"A gatekeeper?"
"Seriously?"
"When did the capital become like this?"
Everyone laughed and joked, leaving the waiter embarrassed and somewhat uneasy.
"Who does this kid rely on?" inquired Zhu Zan, who had been silent until then.
The waiter looked even more uncomfortable, hesitating again.
"You can't speak?" Zhu Zan raised an eyebrow. "Looks like he's connected with someone we know?"
The young men at the table paused, and the waiter seemed to change his expression slightly.
It seems that the waiter's hesitation wasn't from fear of the man upstairs but rather reluctance to let them know who he was.
Why should the waiter be afraid? Clearly, he feared that knowing would lead to conflict.
Realizing this, the young men became even more irritated.
"Out with it, damn it," Sifeng slammed the table.
"It's Thousand-Man Commander Lu," the waiter reluctantly revealed.
The young men immediately raised their eyebrows.
"So, it's him," they said.
"No, wait," Sifeng interjected. "Thousand-Man Commander Lu is too proud; how could a minor gatekeeper get close to him?"
"Fourth Master, you're not aware," the waiter lowered his voice. "He wouldn't normally approach Lord Lu, but he got lucky."
He said with a wink.
"He recently bought a concubine who caught Lord Lu's eye."
Sifeng was drinking his wine, and upon hearing this, he spat it out in disgust.
"That's truly disgusting—what a joke," he said.
The other young men also looked shocked.
"Absolutely true; the other day, Thousand-Man Commander Lu saw the concubine delivering food to the gatekeeper and took a liking to her, and the gatekeeper sent her to him that night," the waiter said. Despite the fear, gossip like this was enjoyed by many.
The young men exchanged looks.
"Fond of another man's wife?" Sifeng commented.
"Not necessarily. Isn't there that girl who used to sell tea?" another young man added.
Sifeng clucked his tongue.
"Decadence," he remarked with a feigned sigh. "Who would have thought, such a hardworking kid like Lu, born into hardship, would end up just as corrupt as us."
Was that a compliment or a criticism? The waiter was confused.
"That's not right," Zhu Zan stood up, pretending to be heartbroken. "Such a good kid, working for His Majesty, and now he's corrupted by those beneath him."
Innocent?
Who's innocent?
The waiter was even more puzzled, but seeing the other young men also stand up, rolling up their sleeves and clenching their fists, he knew what they were going to do.
He knew that once Duke of Chengguo's heir and Thousand-Man Commander Lu crossed paths, trouble would ensue.
Since he couldn't afford to provoke either family, Gatekeeper Jiang ducked away.
Soon, rowdy noises erupted from the restaurant, followed quickly by many people running out.
"They're fighting!"
People on the street immediately crowded around. Before they could go inside to see clearly, they saw three men being thrown out of the restaurant, their clothes stripped off, leaving them in only their underwear.
The crowd erupted in laughter.
"Isn't that Gatekeeper Jiang?"
Someone else recognized him and shouted out.
With that comment, one man who had been trying to cover himself hurriedly shielded his face with his hands and ran away amidst the laughter.
The excitement quickly spread through the streets, and by nightfall, it reached a mansion.
Inside the luxurious room, a circular table was set for two. A young man in a casual blue robe, Lu Yunqi, sat opposite a brightly dressed woman in her twenties, his new favor.
Unlike his detached exterior, under the lamp's light, Lu Yunqi's features seemed softer. He reached out with his chopsticks to offer the woman a bite.
"Try this," he suggested.
The woman opposite him looked unsettled, seemingly pleased yet fearful.
"Yes, thank you, sir," she responded.
"Call me Lu Yunqi," Lu Yunqi said, drawing back his chopsticks.
There were likely very few who dared to address Thousand-Man Commander Lu by his name directly; the woman's body trembled slightly.
"Lu, Lu Yunqi," she stammered, finally calling out with a quivering voice.
Lu Yunqi looked at her and smiled.
"Ah," he responded.
The woman, with her mouth slightly open, looked at the man opposite her who was smiling; his smile blossomed on his porcelain white face, brightening up the whole room.
My heavens, who could behold Lu Yunqi, the smile of Thousand-Man Commander Lu, a smile like this.
A soft knocking sound emerged from outside the door.
The woman saw the smile fade from Lu Yunqi's face like receding tides, quickly reverting back to his previous expressionless and chilling gaze sweeping over her.
Her heartbeat ceased for a moment, and she hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
She heard someone enter.
"My lord, Jiang Peng has arrived," the newcomer said.
Hearing the name Jiang Peng, the woman's heart beat a few more times, a flicker of unease crossing her face.
"What does he want?" Lu Yunqi asked, leisurely continuing his meal.
"He didn't say anything specific; he just mentioned he wanted to meet you," the man reported.
Lu Yunqi picked up a brocade handkerchief from beside him, wiped the corner of his mouth, and threw the handkerchief to the ground.
"I don't want to see him anymore," he declared.
The man obediently left with not another word, while the woman sat at the table clutching her hands tightly, her peripheral vision falling on the brocade handkerchief on the ground.
Not wanting to see him, what does that mean? Was it like being discarded like this handkerchief?
"How about it? Can't bear it?" Lu Yunqi's mellow voice rang in her ears.
That pleasant voice made the woman jolt up in fright.
"No, no, it's not like that, my lord," she quickly said.
"Call me Lu Yunqi," Lu Yunqi instructed, looking at her.
The woman bit her lower lip.
"Lu, Yunqi," she said with a trembling voice.
A smile once again appeared on Lu Yunqi's face.
"Don't be afraid; it's alright, take a seat," he said.
The woman sat down, terrified, and watched as Lu Yunqi picked up his chopsticks.
"Lu, Yunqi," she called out bravely.
Lu Yunqi raised his head to look at her, his expression even more pleased.
"Hm? What is it? Speak," he invited.
Oh my goodness, who would have thought Yama Lu could speak to someone like this, the woman thought to herself, and now the person enjoying this treatment was herself.
It was herself.
Originally, she thought being a little with the gatekeeper was enough to fly up the branches, but fortune had turned so dramatically that she had ascended to heaven in one step.
The woman took several deep breaths.
"I... I don't harbor any other feelings for Jiang Peng anymore," she said boldly, "Please don't be angry, my relationship with him…"
Before she could finish, Lu Yunqi laughed.
"I know," he interrupted her, catching her off-premises and passed some food to her with his chopsticks, "Eat up."
The woman's breathing quickened, her eyes bright with overwhelmed joy.
"Yes, yes," she could only keep repeating, hastily eating her food with her chopsticks.
Lu Yunqi watched her with a smiling face, yet under the lights his smile seemed increasingly sorrowful.
.........….
Inside a tavern at the night market, Zhu Zan and others were drinking at scattered seats when someone hurried over and whispered a few words to Zhang Baotang.
"Thousand-Man Commander Lu has thrown Jiang Peng out of the capital," Zhang Baotang announced.
Sifeng laughed loudly.
"Not bad, not bad," he looked around, "Lord Lu recognizes his errors and mends his ways, which is great merit; he will still make a good official."
Everyone laughed together.
Only Zhu Zan rubbed his chin, looking displeased.
"Still not satisfied," he muttered.
The laughter ceased.
"How about we strike this lad another stealthy blow?" Sifeng suddenly proposed.
The lad in question was naturally Thousand-Man Commander Lu.
The old man selling wine at the side strained his body to move away, as if even hearing this conversation could bring trouble.
Striking Thousand-Man Commander Lu? They dared to think of such things.
"We could strike, but this lad is as timid as a mouse, never leaving his home without being surrounded by a crowd," Zhang Baotang commented earnestly, "Opportunities, are hard to come by."
Sifeng sighed.
"Yes," he admitted, and took a sip of wine, "How I miss those days, when we could just hit him."
Everyone laughed again, except Zhu Zan, who did not join in.
"You don't miss it, Second Brother?" Sifeng asked.
Zhu Zan picked up a wine jug, took a sip, glanced at him, and smiled slightly.
"I do," he confessed, "I really want to beat him up once again, just like before."
After saying that, he downed his drink in one go, his gaze wandered towards the river, his smile fading under the reflection of the river lanterns, his expression flitting between light and dark.
But what of that, the past can never be returned to.
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Thanks to Purple Star Qi Yue, Jing San Shao, 96 Jin Waiting for Me, Mozart's Light, Ye San Mo Ricardo, Ice of the South, cheery5512 for the rewards and Ling Jiu (deep bow).
Have a happy weekend.