Transmigrated as the Villain: Punching the Protagonist Group and Stepping on the Domestic Abuser - Chapter 14

Things are valued when they are rare. The dishes at Fusheng Pavilion were diverse, featuring sweet, sour, salty, and savory flavors alike, which deeply favored the nobles and powerful figures of Jinjing. Consequently, business flourished so much that shopkeeper Xu Xing recruited two more chefs. Rong Se did not keep his skills secret either; after confirming that both men had clean backgrounds, he actively imparted his recipes, knowing full well that he could not possibly spend all day acting as a chef in the restaurant.

Compared to the business of Fusheng Pavilion, the affairs of the imperial court gave Rong Se far more headaches.

At night, when thousands of homes were lit with lanterns, the Yunsong Study was also illuminated. The lampshades were made of colored glaze, making the entire room bright and clear.

Yun Chu presented a gold-stamped invitation and reported, “Master, the young master of Lord Qiu’s household is hosting a banquet at Fusheng Pavilion, inviting many noble young masters of the capital. The invitation was delivered right to our manor.”

The civil officials of Great Jin were roughly divided into the Three Ministries, Six Boards, and Nine Imperial Courts. Among them, Cao Lun served as the Director of the Palace Secretariat, responsible for drafting imperial edicts and acting as a close minister to the Son of Heaven. Xi Yan served as the Director of the Secretariat, commanding the Six Boards, while the post of Spokesperson in the Chancellery was temporarily held by Cao Lun as well. Logically speaking, state affairs should be decided by them, but the various offices and courts executing the work below, especially the major officials of the Nine Courts, had been infiltrated one by one by Rong Se’s confidants. As a result, even though Cao Lun thoroughly detested Rong Se, the power in his hands was still insufficient to overthrow him.

The Lord Qiu mentioned by Yun Chu was Qiu Sinan, the Minister of the Court of the Guard, which was one of the Nine Courts. His son Qiu Zihan naturally followed his father’s lead and was a man under Rong Se’s command.

“I am not going.” Rong Se frowned slightly, calculating inwardly.

The Court of the Guard managed military equipment and imperial ceremonial guards, frequently serving in the imperial presence. As recorded in the original book, although there was no subordinate relationship between the Nine Courts and the Six Boards, they kept each other in check, with constant friction over political views, eventually leading to a state where they were as irreconcilable as fire and water. The late Marquis of Dingbei, Liang Hangzhou, had supported Emperor Yuanguang in securing the imperial throne. After Emperor Rong Xu ascended the throne, Liang Hangzhou became a veteran minister of three reigns, naturally being viewed as part of the old faction like Cao Lun. Radical factions loyal to the Prince Regent, led by Qiu Sinan and others, could be described as locked in a life-or-death struggle against them.

Even the death of Liang Hangzhou back then was a trap painstakingly plotted by Qiu Sinan.

The Qiu father and son failed to see the big picture when it mattered most, nearly allowing the Xiongnu to breach Jinjing. This clearly exceeded partisan strife, and furthermore, the father and son bullied their superiors and subordinates while running amok in the court. Because they worked for Rong Se, such dirty water as accepting bribes was naturally splashed onto the original owner himself.

What disgusted Rong Se the most, however, was that this Qiu Zihan spent all day bragging about his literary fame, putting on a facade of a deep and affectionate scholar, when in reality he was not only purely gay, but also lusted after the original owner’s excessively stunning appearance.

The original owner did not know, but Rong Se knew!

The more Rong Se thought about it, the tighter his frown became, until he suddenly asked, “The young lady betrothed to Qiu Zihan is the younger sister of Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Yu Qingzhou, correct?”

Upon hearing the name Yu Qingzhou, Yun Chu’s expression shifted slightly as he nodded and said, “Indeed.”

Rong Se asked, “Has the wedding date been set?”

“It is set. Did Master forget? Young Master Qiu even sent you an invitation,” Yun Chu said. “It is scheduled for the sixth day of the third month next year.”

It was currently mid-July. Rong Se let out a breath of relief, nodded, and said, “Mn, reply for me and say that I am tied up with official duties and have no time.”

Yun Chu acknowledged the order, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Since Master knows who leaked the message to the Marquis of Dingbei, why did you press the matter down and leave it unmentioned?”

Rong Se merely smiled and said, “Consider it me wanting to give him one more chance.”

Yun Chu nodded, just as he was about to withdraw.

Rong Se called out to him, “Yun Chu.”

Yun Chu paused, lowering his head to ask, “Does Master have further instructions?”

Rong Se quietly gazed at him with a gentle expression. “Whatever I promised the two of you brothers back then, this Prince remembers all of it.”

Yun Chu had long since grown accustomed to his master’s unpredictable temperament and ruthless coldness, and he had maintained constant vigilance toward his master’s gradual approachability in recent times, not daring to let his guard down in the slightest. Yet upon hearing these words so abruptly, he still could not help but stand frozen in stunned bewilderment.

That winter, he and his brother were stranded in Jinjing and caught up in a capital murder case, making execution certain. Just as they were being dragged off to the official yamen, they encountered a young master clad in brocade and fine furs.

The biting wind was fierce and bone-chilling. The youth in green robes, as beautiful as a seductive ghost, sat inside an exquisitely luxurious carriage, lifting the side curtain to tell them, “Give your lives to this Prince, and I will help you exact your revenge.”

Driven to desperation, the two brothers did not need to deliberate long before accepting. Eight years had passed since, and their great revenge remained unavenged.

“State affairs are all intertwined,” Rong Se said softly. “Officials protect one another and collude together; it takes more than a single cold day for three feet of ice to form. Wanting to break this deadlock is by no means a matter that can be achieved overnight. Yun Chu, wait a little longer with patience. Since this Prince made a promise to you two brothers, I will definitely fulfill it.”

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, gentle yet resolute. Yun Chu had never heard such words before; in the past, his master would only issue unquestionable commands while they simply had to obey. This was the first time his master had used such a mild tone to solemnly explain to him that their revenge was still remembered.

Yun Chu quickly recovered his composure, gazing at the master who was even a year younger than himself, then lowering his eyes to conceal the turbulent emotions surging within his heart.

Before he could speak, Rong Se softly added, “I have kept you waiting too long.”

Yun Chu was speechless for a long time before he rasped out, “Thank you, Master.”

The next day.

Qiu Zihan hosted a banquet at Fusheng Pavilion specifically to entertain the Prince Regent. Most of the invited guests came solely to carve out a promising future for themselves through Rong Se. Since the Prince Regent refused to attend, the number of noble young masters attending the banquet immediately dwindled by more than half. The ones who remained were all close associates of Qiu Zihan, attending merely to support him and save face.

In the private pavilion, with neither of the day’s main hosts present, everyone looked at each other in awkward silence.

Qiu Zihan’s usually refined and proper eyebrows and eyes were somewhat gloomy at the moment. He had deliberately made a big fuss and invited prominent dignitaries of Jinjing, relying on the fact that his Qiu family stood in the same boat as the Prince Regent’s Mansion. If Rong Se did not want to offend the Qiu family, he wouldn’t dare refuse to give him this face.

Who could have anticipated that when Rong Se said no, he truly did not come? Yet he had already spread the word, and this banquet had to be set up regardless, leading to this thoroughly awkward situation!

Those who played closely with him were all scholars who fancied themselves well-read. Though of modest birth, their personalities were arrogant, and quite a few of them only pursued studies because of family poverty. Seeing Qiu Zihan’s unpleasant expression, someone immediately stood up to voice injustice on his behalf: “This Prince Regent is simply too arrogant! Truly, sitting in a position of high power and great influence, he doesn’t regard people like us in the least, and he has even let down Yunyi’s painstaking goodwill!”

Scholars were always like this. Regardless of how many drops of ink they actually had in their bellies or whether they could write brilliant essays, everyone could recite a couple of melancholy poems. The pride and reputation of a righteous scholar had to be maintained at all costs.

As soon as these words were spoken, others chimed in successively: “Indeed, to treat Yunyi this way is simply too much. Regrettable! Truly regrettable!”

Among them, quite a few were surely aware of Qiu Zihan’s lingering romantic intentions toward Rong Se. While Great Jin did not embrace homosexuality, brothels and pleasure houses were never short of delicate young men. Which of the literati and poets had never visited such places of romantic leisure?

Be it beauties or handsome companions, as long as one’s skin was thick enough, any lustful intent could be brushed off as love at first sight.