Chapter Fifty-One: Born Rivals

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The gentle sunlight tried its best to warm the leafless old pagoda tree in the small courtyard, as well as the three young men sitting on the little bench beneath it, but all in vain. The tree looked on the verge of death, and the listless youths exuded such a sense of desolation that the entire courtyard seemed steeped in utter decay.

“Boss Hu, you were once a notorious river pirate with a price on your head. Zhou Liuzi could squander a fortune in the pleasure quarters, a veritable local tycoon. And if I, Lu Liaoliao, returned to Jinshui Town, becoming a wealthy man would be no problem at all. But since coming to Chang’an, why have we all become so poor?” Lu Liaoliao gazed at the blinding white sun in the sky and spoke in a dispirited tone.

“Young master, you’re asking the right person. Where are there more officials than anywhere else in the Great Tang? Of course, it’s Chang’an. We’re not even the worst off here—there are plenty poorer than us.” Boss Hu firmly believed the theories handed down by his late father.

“Heh, they all say this is a golden age, that the Tang Empire’s wealth fills the world. But such riches belong to only a select few.” Lu Liaoliao shook his head, clearly uninterested.

“Oh, right, Zhou Liuzi, you did well the other day. I’ll be sure to reward you,” Lu Liaoliao turned to the wooden-faced Zhou Liuzi on the bench.

“It was nothing. I just didn’t want to see you lose face as a man,” Zhou Liuzi replied blandly.

Lu Liaoliao was momentarily speechless. Rare was the occasion when the three of them—master, servant, and brother-in-arms—could sit and chat, yet the conversation simply couldn’t continue.

“Zhou Liuzi! Have you always been so boring?”

“Young master, when have you ever met an assassin with a sense of humor?” Zhou Liuzi’s tone remained flat.

The courtyard fell silent. Three pairs of eyes stared dumbly at the bare trunk of the old pagoda tree, each lost in thought.

“Young master, something’s wrong! The young madam is quarreling with guests in the main hall!” The little maid, Ping’er, came rushing in, breathless.

“Guests? What guests? Where’s my grandfather? How did the young madam end up receiving them?” Lu Liaoliao asked urgently.

“The old master is seeing patients and has no time for visitors. These two guests came to see you, young master, and since they were both ladies, the young madam went out to greet them. In no time at all, they started arguing,” Ping’er replied anxiously.

Lu Liaoliao hurried to the main hall, where he found Tang Xiaoqi and Lu Jiu standing with their backs to each other, refusing even to look. Qing’er’s eyes were red with anger, and the moment she saw Lu Liaoliao, she glared at him with hatred.

“Well, Lu Liaoliao! You called me a little mongrel—don’t think I’ll ever forget it!”

Lu Liaoliao’s heart skipped a beat. This was not good. He glanced cautiously at Tang Xiaoqi and Lu Jiu; both looked extremely displeased, though he had no idea what had happened between them.

“I didn’t expect Ninth Young Master to come. What can I do for you?” After some hesitation, Lu Liaoliao addressed Lu Jiu respectfully.

“I came to discuss business with you, of course. But who would have guessed you had a tigress at home—so fierce, lashing out at others for no reason!” Lu Jiu said, fuming.

“You think wearing men’s clothes could fool me, you little fox spirit? Even if you bring along a little mongrel that bites, I’m not afraid of you!” Tang Xiaoqi stood tall with her hands on her hips, towering over Lu Jiu as she scolded.

“It’s all a misunderstanding!” Lu Liaoliao hurried forward to explain, feeling utterly exhausted.

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“Hmph!” Tang Xiaoqi snorted coldly and turned away from Lu Liaoliao.

Lu Jiu, a formidable presence in the business world who had even managed to bring Gu Xihua and Lu Liaoliao to heel, was clearly out of her depth in the midst of this clash between women. Shaking with anger, she could only point at Tang Xiaoqi, lost for words.

“Qing’er, let’s go! There’s no reasoning with this shrew!” she declared.

“Lu Liaoliao, you’d better come clean! Which courtesan have you been seeing behind my back? Not only have you been sneaking around, you’ve brought her right into the house! And the gold you’ve been hiding in your books—was that for this fox spirit?” Tang Xiaoqi’s eyes were red as she confronted Lu Liaoliao, not caring that Lu Jiu and her maid hadn’t yet left the hall.

Lu Jiu staggered, nearly stumbling. Once outside the Hall of Nurturing Life, her face was pale and her hand trembled as she spoke: “Find out everything about that shrew. If I catch any dirt on her, she won’t get away with it.”

Lu Liaoliao stared at Tang Xiaoqi for a long moment before saying, “Tang Xiaoqi, oh Tang Xiaoqi! I am a scholar of some standing, yet I barely have a hundred coppers to my name when I go out. Never mind frequenting brothels, I can’t even afford a meal with my fellow scholars from Yangzhou. How could I possibly know any courtesans?”

“Then what’s the meaning of all that gold you’ve hoarded in secret?” Tang Xiaoqi asked, full of suspicion.

Lu Liaoliao coughed twice, his eyes flickering to Boss Hu and Zhou Liuzi before he spoke earnestly, “Xiaoqi, look—Zhou Liuzi and Boss Hu aren’t exactly young anymore. They’ve left everything behind to follow me; how can I not worry about their future? Little Ping’er is barely twelve, not even grown, and this shameless Boss Hu is always eyeing her, even buying her treats now and then. This can’t go on. I’ve been saving up to help them both find wives, so they can finally settle down.”

Boss Hu’s eyes widened in feigned innocence as he glanced between Lu Liaoliao and Tang Xiaoqi. Buying treats for Ping’er was merely a pretext; the real reason was to have her report on the young master’s movements and whether he was hiding any money elsewhere.

“I’m being wronged! Every time I see Ping’er, I just think of my little sister back home. How could I have those filthy thoughts? Young madam, you must judge fairly and stand up for me!”

Zhou Liuzi, for once, smiled faintly. Since when did Boss Hu have a little sister? This scoundrel was no fool. He turned to Lu Liaoliao and bowed.

“Your kindness is noted, young master. I wouldn’t expect to marry a beauty like the young madam, but someone at least as lovely as Miss Qing’er would suffice.”

With the two of them stirring things up, Tang Xiaoqi momentarily forgot her interrogation of Lu Liaoliao and sighed softly, “The Hall of Nurturing Life has made a fair bit of money lately. Grandfather is even thinking of arranging matches for several of the senior uncles. But this courtyard is too small. The official in the neighboring compound will soon be leaving for a provincial post, and the place will be vacant. Even with all the gold you’ve hidden, it’s not enough to buy the property.”

“If there’s no other way, you could sell some of the jewelry the uncles gave you,” Lu Liaoliao suggested, relieved.

Tang Xiaoqi nodded, then suddenly asked, “But who is this androgynous enchantress? Why does she keep seeking you out?”

Women’s logic often moved too quickly for Lu Liaoliao to follow.

“If you want to know about her, she’s no ordinary woman. She’s the ninth daughter of the God of Wealth in the Tang Empire, and she runs the largest merchant guild in the land—the Four Seas Trading Association. She saw the unlimited potential in our ‘Spirit-Nurturing Pill’ and came to discuss a partnership.”

“Hmph! No wonder she’s so arrogant—claiming to be as beautiful as me, from a better family, and far more capable. If she really wanted to steal my man, wouldn’t it be effortless?” Tang Xiaoqi snorted angrily.

“Oh, you’re overthinking it. A woman like her, born under a lucky star, wouldn’t look twice at a penniless nobody like me. Besides, how could an ordinary enchantress compare to your vast heart? I’m not interested in her at all.” Lu Liaoliao’s words carried a double meaning, a wry smile playing on his lips.

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Tang Xiaoqi understood full well what Lu Liaoliao meant and, flustered, struck him lightly. “Hmph! I don’t believe it’s that simple.”

Lu Liaoliao sighed inwardly. Indeed, it wasn’t so simple. What they wanted to steal was the mind of her man, not his body.

With her doubts unresolved, Tang Xiaoqi finally left. Lu Liaoliao sipped his tea and said to Zhou Liuzi at his side, “By all rights, having such a beauty for a wife should make me the envy of all, blissfully happy—so why does life feel so exhausting?”

“Heaven’s misfortunes can be endured, but those you bring upon yourself, you cannot escape. Young master, you have only yourself to blame. Beautiful women are natural adversaries; your days ahead will only get harder.” Zhou Liuzi spoke with the air of a philosopher, gazing sympathetically at the beleaguered Lu Liaoliao.

“In this bustling world, all is for profit; in this jostling world, all is for gain. The poor live by their labor, the toilers by their wits, the rich watch the trends, and the wise create circumstances. In the endless schemes and calculations, you surpass me; but in seeing the big picture and shaping events, I am not your equal. That’s why I asked you to be my adviser.”

In a lavish private room at Celestial Immortal Pavilion, Lu Jiu glanced at the languid Lu Liaoliao draped across a chair, unbothered by his intentionally slovenly display.

“Have you found the two key figures for this matter?” Lu Liaoliao asked idly.

Lu Jiu smiled faintly, offering no answer.

“How much will I be paid?” Lu Liaoliao sat up, full of hope.

“With a wife as broad-minded as yours and me being so ordinary, what reward could I possibly offer?” Lu Jiu replied with a dark expression.

Lu Liaoliao was stunned. In less than three days, word of what he’d said had already reached Lu Jiu’s ears—was she truly so well-connected?

“I sent two courtesans from Jiangnan to entertain your two attendants. What is there you can’t find out?” Lu Jiu lifted her glass and sipped her wine.

“Wang Liuli, you’re going too far!” Lu Liaoliao was incensed.

“Is it worse than what your tigress of a wife did?” Lu Jiu retorted indifferently.

“You can’t expect me to work for nothing.” Lu Liaoliao’s tone grew meek.

“Interest. This time’s reward is just interest. Isn’t that what you told your two followers?” Lu Jiu remained calm.

“Afterwards, give Xihua a day off. That’s my final demand.” Lu Liaoliao surrendered completely.

“Agreed!” Lu Jiu downed her glass in one swift motion.