RWNEFE -Chapter 103 Successfully Entering Longgu Stronghold!

On the other side, Zhou Qiwou was happily seeing Zhou Ruyuan off. Over the years, Zhou Ruyuan had taken countless amounts of gold and silver from her. If she weren’t still counting on him to help her return to the capital, how could she possibly have been willing to give it up?

Zhou Ruyuan’s maternal grandfather had once been a famous General of the Western Suppression. Although he had now handed over part of his western power, he still had many trusted followers in the northwest. Zhou Ruyuan’s uncles all held official posts at court—some as civil officials, some as military officers—and even the Imperial Guards who protected the capital had men loyal to them.

In her eyes, the Second Prince had the greatest chance of success among all the princes. As long as she helped Zhou Ruyuan, it would be a meritorious act of supporting the future emperor. Zhou Ruyuan had already privately promised that once he ascended the throne, he would confer upon her the title of Grand Princess Who Stabilizes the State—second only to the emperor, above ten thousand others.

When that day came, she would make all those who had once mocked her suffer a fate worse than death.

Just as she was immersed in these beautiful visions of the future, a guard hurried in with urgent news.

“Your Highness, the Second Prince has returned.”

Zhou Qiwou was stunned. Hadn’t he rushed off in extreme urgency to handle disaster relief?
Why had he come back?

“What? All the disaster relief silver was replaced with stones?” Zhou Qiwou staggered back in shock, collapsing into a grand chair.

Zhou Ruyuan said coldly, “I was cautious every step of the way. After disembarking, I had the relief funds stored in a warehouse at the docks and posted heavy guards. Aunt, as far as I know, the docks are private property of the Princess’s residence. Now that the relief silver is gone, how do you explain this?”

Zhou Qiwou’s tone rose sharply. “Are you suspecting me?”

Zhou Ruyuan pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache throbbing, and sighed. “It’s not that I suspect you. The relief silver was switched at the Tianjin docks. Someone is trying to frame both of us!”

Zhou Qiwou was already in complete disarray and instinctively turned to look at Yuan Lang beside her.

Zhou Ruyuan took everything in, silently cursing her stupidity, and continued, “If we don’t come up with a countermeasure in time, the Shen family will be our fate!”

Zhou Qiwou’s heart skipped violently, plunging straight into the abyss.

“If Aunt doesn’t believe me, you can send people to inspect the docks. I suspect this is a trap set specifically for the two of us!”

Clenching the armrest tightly, Zhou Qiwou demanded angrily, “Who did it?”

Zhou Ruyuan replied in a deep voice, “Any adult prince could be responsible. Aunt, you don’t know how much effort it took for me to secure this disaster relief assignment among all the princes. Those people must be grinding their teeth in rage, wishing they could tear me to pieces!”

Yuan Lang gave Zhou Qiwou a slight nod—what Zhou Ruyuan said was not unreasonable.

Since ancient times, the dragon throne had always been dyed red with blood. Which ruler who sat upon it did not have the lives of blood relatives on his hands?

Zhou Qiwou panicked.

“Then what should we do?”

Seeing that Zhou Qiwou was utterly at a loss, Zhou Ruyuan finally revealed his purpose. “We must quickly make up the missing relief funds and pretend nothing was stolen!”

Zhou Qiwou exclaimed, “Then hurry and raise it!”

Zhou Ruyuan said, “It’s not that easy. All my assets are in the capital. If there’s even the slightest movement on my end there, it will reach my brothers’ ears immediately. If we want money, we can only rely on you, Aunt.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qiwou nearly fainted.

Her?

That was several million taels! Even emptying her entire Princess’s residence wouldn’t cover it!

“Aunt, although I can’t use my assets in the capital, I’m willing to put everything you compensated me with toward the relief funds.”

Zhou Qiwou’s face turned as dark as if it had been smeared with soot. That sentence did little to ease her mood.

It was only right for him to put those things up—after all, he had failed in escorting the relief silver.

He never should have come to Tianjin. What rotten luck!

“I’ll also need Aunt to gather some grain. Once I return to the capital, if anyone stirs up trouble, I can openly tell Father Emperor that this was Aunt’s donation to the court, made to ease His Majesty’s burdens!”

Zhou Ruyuan was no empty-headed fool. The fact that he had secured the post of Imperial Disaster Relief Commissioner proved it. He had struck right at Zhou Qiwou’s sore spot.

Wasn’t Zhou Qiwou desperate to return to the capital as a golden branch and jade leaf, second only to the emperor? Now that such a chance to shine was placed before her—would she take it or not?

“Let me think about it!” The sum was truly enormous. If she really took it out, her Princess’s residence would be gravely damaged.

“Very well, Aunt. I’ll wait for your reply—we don’t have much time!” Zhou Ruyuan thought to himself that whether or not he would actually speak up for the Third Princess after returning to the capital, she would still cough up the silver.

All he needed to do now was wait at the docks for the money to be delivered. As for why he didn’t stay in the Princess’s residence—he found it filthy!

An hour later, Zhou Ruyuan received Zhou Qiwou’s reply and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, while Zhou Ruyuan and Zhou Qiwou were locked in their tug-of-war, Shen Lanxi had already landed at Longgu Bay.

By the time Zhou Ruyuan received Zhou Qiwou’s response, Shen Lanxi had just had her identity verified and was escorted into the sea bandits’ lair—Longgu Stronghold.

“You’re Mister Yuan?” The Longgu Stronghold’s chief, One-Eyed Dragon, looked Shen Lanxi—disguised as Yuan Lang—up and down.

Just like the rumors, he thought. A pretty boy raised on soft rice.

“Greetings, Chief Kun!” Shen Lanxi glanced at Cheng Zheng, who immediately lowered his head and presented a brocade box.

“This is a gift our Princess specially asked me to deliver to the chief.”

Cheng Zheng opened the box. Inside were ten night-luminous pearls, each as large as a child’s fist!

Kun Cha’s eyes went wide on the spot.

Shen Lanxi smiled and said, “Place these pearls in your room at night, and it will be as bright as day. These were originally tribute items. Our Princess said it would be a waste to give them to others—better to give them to the chief instead. From now on, our two sides will shine together, long and enduring, just like these pearls!”

Kun Cha knew that tribute items were meant for the emperor. Now that Zhou Qiwou was sending such things to him, it showed how important he was to her—and that she was trying to curry favor with him. Feeling secretly pleased, he immediately found Shen Lanxi and the others much more agreeable.

“I heard from Third Brother that the Third Princess also prepared grain for us?”

Shen Lanxi replied respectfully, “Disasters are raging outside. Our Princess worries about the brothers on the island. Even if the people on shore can’t eat their fill, the brothers on the island must!”

Kun Cha said arrogantly, “That’s right! We’ve gone through life and death for the Third Princess. Go back and tell her—if she treats us well, we’ll treat her well. Next time a big shipment passes by, my brothers will definitely draw their blades and sell their lives for her!”

Shen Lanxi began flattering him. “Chief Kun is truly a heroic man—forthright, bold, and magnanimous. We scholars can’t help but admire you!”

Kun Cha was so pleased by the flattery that he nearly lost his bearings. Still, anyone who could sit in the position of stronghold chief was ruthless and not easily fooled. After the polite exchange, he immediately asked,

“Didn’t you say there was a shipload of grain? Where is it?”

Shen Lanxi replied, “When I was on the way here, I don’t know if the ship struck a hidden reef. When it reached the entrance to the bay, no matter what we did, it wouldn’t move.”

She sighed and continued, “Originally, I planned to come together with the main ship. But now I had no choice but to take a small boat ahead to report the situation.”