Chapter 42

Extorting these two thousand silver taels was indeed a risky move. If things went wrong, it could put the Prefect in a difficult position.

If the political rivals in the court found out, there would certainly be another storm.

However, since Lu Qing dared to fabricate this matter, he naturally had the confidence to deal with the aftermath. Still, he was using the name of Prefect Liu Jun, and Lu Qing himself was taking the risk of being punished by the Prefect.

In short, a fifty-fifty split, Qin Xianyu felt, was very fair.

"What are you still standing there for? Get lost!"

Lu Qing looked at Magistrate Yuan and sternly shouted, "This matter isn't over yet. After the birthday celebration, I'll settle accounts with you."

Magistrate Yuan glanced at Young Master Chen, gritted his teeth, and had to leave in a flustered manner.

In terms of rank, Lu Qing was the commander of the imperial guards and the head of the Prefect's bodyguards. Dealing with a county magistrate was more than enough for him.

Young Master Chen's face alternated between green and red. He had prepared many contingency plans to break the marriage contract and force the Shangguan family into a corner. At the very least, he could have ruined the birthday celebration. However, Academician Su did not intervene, and his plan was foiled by the Prefect's confidant, Lu Qing. Even though he still had many contingency plans, with Lu Qing present, he did not dare to use them.

After the previous events, the banquet became rather dull, but the guests were carefully pondering the earlier incidents, finding a different kind of interest.

The gift from the Prefect was also very valuable, a red blood ginseng. However, with Qin Xianyu's hundred-year-old cold year grass, it seemed somewhat inferior.

Next, there was a somewhat unusual silence.

This birthday celebration was the grandest in the Shangguan family for generations and should have been the most glorious day of Old Master Shangguan's life. Unfortunately, after the previous events, it seemed rather gloomy.

The banquet ended, and the guests dispersed.

Lu Qing walked over and whispered, "I will force them to cough up the two thousand silver taels within three days, and we'll split it fifty-fifty. Additionally, I will also recover your more than two hundred silver taels. When the time comes, you can go back to the Taoist temple and check if anything else is missing."

Qin Xianyu nodded and handed something to Lu Qing, whispering, "This is the evidence they used to frame me."

"Black Tiger Iron Token?" Lu Qing glanced at it, then calmly put it away and said, "Actually, this item is not made of any extraordinary material, not even a treasure. However, it is a family heirloom of Mr. Lu, with a hidden story attached, which gives it some value. In reality, this item is only useful to the Lu family. Now that the Lu family is offering a reward of three thousand silver taels to recover it, as a government official, I must turn it in and cannot claim the reward."

After a pause, Lu Qing continued, "I will send someone to retrieve the Black Tiger Iron Token and claim the three thousand silver taels. I will send it to you in a few days."

Qin Xianyu nodded and said, "That's very good. Besides, I am alone, and you have a family. Let's split it evenly."

Lu Qing shook his head and said, "I am not short of money. In a few days, I will take another concubine, and the thousand silver taels I already have is more than enough."

A thousand silver taels, not to mention taking another eighth concubine, would be enough to take eighty concubines.

At this moment, a servant came over and said to Qin Xianyu, "Old Master Shangguan invites you to the study for a meeting."

Lu Qing nodded.

Qin Xianyu bid him farewell and followed the servant to the back hall.

Lu Qing looked at the front hall and saw the crowd surrounding Academician Su and Prince Qian, who had already left the Shangguan family's gate. He paused for a moment, then hurried after them.

Academician Su and Prince Qian bid farewell to the guests and got into the carriage.

"How do you feel?" Prince Qian smiled faintly in the carriage.

"Shallow to the extreme." Academician Su shook his head and said, "This Old Master Shangguan, born into a wealthy merchant family, despite the Shangguan family's recent rise to prominence, he is still just an old man from a wealthy family. Compared to those cunning old foxes, he is far inferior. As for this Young Master Chen, he is just a spoiled young man."

"Their schemes are still quite shallow and not thorough enough, especially that young man from the Chen family, who looks down on everyone."

After a moment of silence, Academician Su shook his head and smiled, "Perhaps I have seen too many plots and schemes in the court, which has raised my standards."

"However, that little Taoist..." Academician Su chuckled, "He is quite pleasing to the eye. If I had the time, I would really like to guide him onto the path of studying and serving the country."

Prince Qian also chuckled, not taking it seriously, and said, "The Chen family and the Shangguan family using him as a pawn was not a bad idea, but they underestimated him. It is said that both sides only sent people to make brief contact, nothing more. As you said, whether it's the Shangguan family or the young man from the Chen family, they are both too shallow."

"Actually, for ordinary people, a bit of money would be enough to make them take risks and become pawns. But this little Taoist has high medical skills and his own understanding of the world, so it's not surprising that he is not easily manipulated."

Prince Qian smiled and said, "If I hadn't anticipated this good show, why would I have invited you? With your status, how could a local magnate be worthy of your presence at a banquet?"

Academician Su smiled faintly and said, "Just for this?"

Prince Qian sighed and said, "Years ago, that old ghost's words shattered my mindset, and I was dejected for many years. It was this young man who woke me up. I heard that Lu Qing invited him to the capital, and the young lady from the Shangguan family is also in the capital. I invited you today just to let you see this little Taoist. If he has any difficulties in the capital in the future, I hope you will help him a bit for my sake."

Academician Su nodded and said, "I have heard about your story. Today, I saw the little Taoist, and I don't dislike him; in fact, I quite like him. In the future, I will take care of him in the capital."

The carriage suddenly stopped with a creak.

Academician Su frowned, about to scold the driver.

At this moment, a clear voice came from outside the carriage, "Lu Qing requests an audience."

Academician Su lifted the curtain and sneered, "We haven't seen each other for years. You, the commander of the imperial guards, have become the personal bodyguard of Prefect Liu Jun, and your arrogance has grown. How dare you block my carriage?"

Lu Qing only chuckled, then sighed, his face slightly serious. He leaped onto the carriage and whispered in Academician Su's ear, "The chief of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Yuan Shoufeng, has left the capital, and the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River has been stolen."

Academician Su was startled and exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

Under the protection of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the national treasure was actually stolen?

Even though the current national master, Yuan Shoufeng, has left the capital, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is full of talented people. How could the Immortal Map of the Mountain and River be stolen?

As far as he knew, there is still a sword immortal in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, not inferior to the chief, Yuan Shoufeng.