IDWBE -Chapter 533 Seeking Advice

Zhu Rourong pursed his lips and said, “Even if you really want to get close to the Ye family, there’s no need to be so polite to that dog Zhang Shun. Don’t forget—he’s just the Ye family’s lackey.”

How degrading!

Although he and Butcher Jiang weren’t big figures—neither their wealth nor influence was extraordinary—they were still first-tier suppliers in the Liang Empire.

In Liang, anyone who wanted to expand the livestock business couldn’t avoid dealing with them.

Not even the Ye family.

Butcher Jiang wanting to expand his business was something Zhu Rourong didn’t oppose.

But going behind Zhang Shun and flattering him? That was something he simply couldn’t accept.

“You see? I told you not to say it, but you just had to say it—and so loudly too. Are you afraid others might not hear you?” Butcher Jiang sighed.

“The Ye family’s business is huge now. Use your brain a little—do you think we can just meet Ye Chen whenever we want? Let me tell you, just establishing a connection with Zhang Shun cost me a lot of effort.”

Zhu Rourong replied, “I know everything you said. In terms of ability, the two of us together still can’t compare with one Zhang Shun. But that doesn’t mean we have to lower ourselves before him. If you want to go, go yourself. I’m definitely not going.”

Before Butcher Jiang could respond, Zhu Rourong turned and left.

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

Jiang hurried after him and grabbed him at a corner.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t want to do business anymore?”

They had always been partners. If Zhu Rourong quit, what was he supposed to do alone?

Zhu Rourong shouted, “You’re right! I don’t want to do it anymore!”

“Don’t talk nonsense out of anger,” Jiang said, glaring at him. “A while ago, when I wanted to return to Sanhe to retire, you were the one who stopped me. Now you’re acting strange again?”

“Things are different now,” Zhu Rourong sighed. “What future is there in doing business? I’ve made up my mind—I want to become an official!”

That was the biggest realization he had gained from this recent experience.

A small man cannot go a day without money;
A great man cannot go a day without power.

Otherwise, he couldn’t even marry a concubine.

Thinking about it made him angrier and angrier.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Butcher Jiang asked, placing a hand on his forehead. “You’re not feverish, are you? Do you think you’re Wang Xiaoshuan? You think you can just become an official whenever you want? Look at our age. Isn’t it better to just earn some money peacefully?”

Zhu Rourong said angrily, “It’s because I’m getting old that I want to become an official!”

Otherwise, even if he became an official later, what would be the point of marrying a concubine then?

“Have you gone crazy?” Jiang said. “What exactly is going on with you?”

If Zhu Rourong hadn’t stopped him earlier, Jiang would already be enjoying retirement in Sanhe.

Now that he had regained his ambition, Zhu Rourong suddenly said he didn’t want to work anymore!

Of course he couldn’t accept that.

“Why don’t you understand?” Zhu Rourong shouted. “Can a man survive without power? I can’t even marry a concubine!”

“If I had power in my hands, would that tigress at home dare be so arrogant?”

At that time, everyone around him would become “good people,” helping mediate between him and his wife.

Instead of avoiding him like now.

Look at Shen Chu—his wife is extremely fierce, yet he still marries concubine after concubine.

Why?

Because he’s a great general. No matter how fierce the woman is, she can’t defy the heavens.

When things get messy, a bunch of “good brothers” help cover things up.

Unlike him—fighting alone.

“But becoming an official isn’t something you can just decide,” Jiang said.

“At least Wang Xiaoshuan had a primary school diploma!”

“If it were that easy, I’d do it too!”

Zhu Rourong snorted. “What about Mo Shun and Huang Daoji? Do they have primary school diplomas? If they can become officials, why can’t I?”

Jiang rolled his eyes. “Because they made major inventions and contributions! And they had the Prince’s approval. What contribution have you made that would earn Prince He’s approval?”

Zhu Rourong laughed proudly. “What do you think I’ve been busy doing lately?”

Jiang said impatiently, “Then just say it already! It’s getting late—we have to go reserve a private room at Chunxiang Restaurant. If we arrive too late, we’ll have to sit in the main hall—that would be embarrassing!”

Zhu Rourong waved his hand. “Didn’t you ask why I borrowed five thousand taels of silver two days ago? I’ll tell you now. I used the money to hire the Liang Imperial Academy of Sciences to research compressed biscuits and canned meat!”

“If those things are successfully developed, wouldn’t that count as a major invention? Wouldn’t that be a contribution?”

Jiang held his forehead. “You’ve gone mad! Those are just things Prince He mentioned in his storytelling. Why are you taking them seriously?”

Zhu Rourong replied, “The martial arts we practice—Huiyuan Skill, Lion’s Roar, Star-Absorbing Technique—aren’t they all from Prince He’s stories?”

Jiang lowered his voice. “That’s because the Chief Steward borrowed the names from Prince He’s stories to please him.”

Everyone in the Liang Empire knew one thing:

Prince He couldn’t do martial arts.

Not out of modesty—he truly couldn’t.

A random half-grown kid from the street could beat him easily.

“I don’t care whether you believe it or not,” Zhu Rourong said stubbornly.

“I believe it. Compressed biscuits and canned meat sound mysterious, but the principle is simple. Just seal minced meat inside a container so it doesn’t touch air. Then it will last longer.”

“Do whatever you want,” Jiang gritted his teeth. “But are you coming to the dinner tonight or not?”

“No.”

Zhu Rourong lifted his chin proudly. “No matter how impressive Zhang Shun is, he’s still just a lackey. I haven’t fallen so low that I need to lick his toes.”

“Hey!”

Jiang pointed at his back, speechless with anger.

---

That night, Su Yin used the fish Lin Yi had caught to cook a bowl of crucian carp soup.

“The tofu is overcooked,” Lin Yi commented after taking a bite.

Su Yin’s face instantly turned pale.

Fortunately, Lin Yi added another remark that made him feel better.

“But removing even such tiny fish bones so cleanly—it must have taken effort.”

“Young master should do such things,” Su Yin hurriedly replied.

Prince He loved eating fish—but hated fish bones.

Whatever Prince He disliked, he disliked as well.

Anticipating the Prince’s needs was the duty of a cook.

Removing fish bones without shredding the fish required incredible knife skills.

In Ankang City, Su Yin didn’t know who had the best martial arts.

But he knew who had the best knife skills.

Besides Zhu Rourong the butcher, there was no one else.

In terms of knife work, Zhu Rourong dared to claim first place—not only in Ankang City, but in the entire Liang Empire.

His skill resembled the legendary “butcher Ding dissecting an ox.”

When slaughtering pigs, he didn’t need helpers.

The pig could stand freely—one slash of the knife, and within a single breath the pig collapsed, bones and flesh perfectly separated.

Even more astonishing—

If a mosquito flew past, a single swing could slice its wings, head, and legs apart.

Prince He once lamented that such knife skills were wasted on a butcher.

But Zhu Rourong refused to become a chef.

Su Yin didn’t want to lose his job.

So the two reached an agreement.

Zhu Rourong taught him the “butcher’s knife technique.”

Although Su Yin hadn’t reached Zhu Rourong’s level yet, removing fish bones had become effortless.

He even thought about learning Yu Xiaoshi and A-Dai’s “Heaven-Crushing Purple-Gold Hammer” technique.

That technique would be perfect for making minced meat and soup.

“Walk a hundred steps after a meal, and you’ll live to ninety-nine.”

Lin Yi strolled through the garden shirtless, belly protruding, occasionally sipping wine.

“This Moxi wine really is good,” he admitted.

It was better than what he could brew himself.

Suddenly he heard someone crying.

When he walked over, he recognized the figure among the bushes—it was Jin Xiang.

“Why are you crying?” he asked.

“Ah!”

Jin Xiang jumped in fright and quickly knelt.

“Your Highness…”

Seeing her frozen in panic, Zixia became angry but still spoke gently.

“His Highness is asking you a question. Answer properly—don’t just cry.”

Since Mingyue became pregnant, most affairs of the household had fallen onto Zixia’s shoulders.

Prince He had personally instructed her to take care of Jin Xiang.

So why was Jin Xiang crying here?

If she really wanted to cry, she could have gone somewhere else.

Crying in the garden was obviously meant for the Prince to see.

And that would embarrass Zixia.

If she wanted to use schemes, she should at least do it skillfully.

Using such low-level tactics was just embarrassing.

“Your Highness, I’m fine,” Jin Xiang said, wiping her tears.

Lin Yi smiled. “Enough. Stop crying. There’s nothing worth crying about.”

He had grown up in the palace.

The more he saw, the deeper his understanding became.

Three women make a play. More than three inevitably leads to household intrigue.

Even in this small Prince He’s residence with twenty maids, open and hidden conflicts were everywhere.

Jin Xiang might be his woman now—but she was an outsider without official status.

Being bullied was normal.

If Lin Yi interfered even slightly, someone might end up dead.

The best solution was to stay neutral.

“Understood,” Jin Xiang said softly.

Zixia then held her hand with a smile.

“Good sister, if anyone bullies you, tell me. I’ll stand up for you.”

“Thank you, Sister Zixia,” Jin Xiang replied timidly.

But she shrank back slightly in fear.

Zixia’s brows furrowed.

Lin Yi watched everything carefully.

His understanding of Jin Xiang deepened.

This woman isn’t simple.

Her schemes were immature for now.

But with time, she might become an expert in palace intrigue.

---

In the following days, Ankang City experienced continuous drizzle.

Lin Yi personally inspected the potato and sweet potato fields outside the city.

Seeing the bare hills stripped by farming, he said nothing.

Talking about soil erosion or environmental protection was pointless.

Out of boredom, he went to the palace and played five-in-a-row with his father again and again.

“You lost again,” said Emperor Delong, tossing down the Go stones.

“You’re still better, Father,” Lin Yi sighed.

Whether playing Go or Chinese chess, he lost to everyone.

He had hoped five-in-a-row would help him redeem himself.

But he still kept losing.

Despair!

Emperor Delong suddenly said, “You have good courage. Zhen Sanbei is a good general.”

Lin Yi sighed. “If you’re not willing to sacrifice the child, you can’t catch the wolf. If you’re not willing to sacrifice your wife, you can’t trap the rogue. I simply had no one else to use.”

The emperor’s mouth twitched. “Such vulgar sayings!”

Lin Yi grinned. “Whether vulgar or not doesn’t matter. Language people can understand is good language. Otherwise, using elegant phrases that no one understands—what’s the point?”

The emperor snorted. “What will you do with the Moxi envoys?”

Lin Yi smiled. “I’d like to seek Father’s advice. How should you instruct me?”

The emperor said quietly, “You are all my sons. I want all of you to live—and live well.”

Lin Yi was confused.

Where did that come from?

“Father, I’m not very smart. Please speak plainly.”

“Send Prince Yong to Moxi.”

The emperor stared at him carefully.

Lin Yi forced a smile.

“That’s easy for you to say. Even if I agree, Third Brother might not. You know his temperament—he won’t surrender easily.”

The emperor said, “Go to Jinzhou yourself. Take my letter and persuade him to surrender. He’s smart. He won’t choose death.”

Lin Yi thought for a moment. “You brought this up so suddenly that I don’t know what to say.”

Shen Chu’s army had already surrounded Prince Yong.

Lin Yi had intentionally ordered encirclement without attack, keeping the situation in stalemate.

But the emperor’s sudden suggestion confused him.

Does this old man really care about his sons that much?

That doesn’t seem very scientific…

The emperor sighed. “With him guarding the frontier, the Liang Empire will be safe for decades. Besides, you know well that he is not your greatest threat.”

“Western Wilderness? Vajra Platform? Or the Silent Illumination Nunnery?”

Lin Yi asked.

The emperor replied calmly, “Just don’t repeat my mistakes with your brothers. I’m tired. You may leave.”

Lin Yi muttered while leaving, “Always speaking in half-sentences…”

He hated people like that.

Unfortunately, this one was the emperor, and he could do nothing about it.