De Quan clearly thinks I cannot afford to offend him. Tonight, if I don’t let Lu Wenshu stay over, this old crafty servant will probably mention tonight’s matter to Emperor Father intentionally or otherwise after he returns. Tomorrow morning, during the morning court assembly, Emperor Father will probably say that I am petty-minded.

“What is Eunuch De Quan saying? How will Emperor Father be willing to give you a beating? Young Master Lu’s has truly encountered some hardships… Since you are already here, how can I refuse to play the host? Ming Lu, arrange a superior room for Young Master Lu. Better pick one carefully and make sure no other problems occur.” Pei Rumo instructed Ming Lu who stood by his side.

De Quan saw that he had achieved his objective and a brilliant smile appeared on his face. He quickly bade farewell to Pei Rumo, “Since this matter is resolved, this old servant shall not stay here and disturb Your First Highness any longer. The palace gates are about to be locked and I have to hurry back. I shall bid you farewell. Your First Highness doesn’t have to see me out.” Finishing his statement, De Quan immediately headed for the entrance.

Seeing that De Quan had walked far away, Pei Rumo withdrew his pretentious smile and addressed Lu Wenshu. “I am truly overwhelmed by Young Master Lu for thinking of me when you need help. Since things are already at this stage, there is nothing more for me to say. Young Master Lu, please.”

No one knew how sincere or pretentious Pei Rumo was.

Lu Wenshu resided in the First Prince’s residence with satisfaction but no one knew that the great fire was actually a self-guided act that he had conducted. After all, his goal was to live in the First Prince’s residence in order to grow closer to Bai Luochu. Of course he had noticed the frequency at which she visited the First Prince’s residence.

It might seem as if Lu Wenshu didn’t have any influence in the capital city, but he had actually planted his men in hidden places. These people wouldn’t appear in front of Lu Wenshu normally and would only appear during major incidents. They would usually use special message slips to relay their report to Lu Wenshu to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Early this morning, after Lu Wenshu finished his breakfast, he returned and saw a message slip on the table. He immediately knew that it came from someone observing the general’s residence. When he saw how often Bai Luochu was visiting the First Prince’s residence, he couldn’t sit still. She already hated him so much that she wished for him to turn into ashes and it was already busy enough dealing with Pei Qingfeng. Now, there was another Pei Rumo. If this carried on, he would die before he got his chance.

As such, Lu Wenshu couldn’t simply sit by and do nothing. He was still a ruthless individual. He knew that he couldn’t visit the First Prince’s residence daily as outsiders might assume that he had formed an alliance with the First Prince. Since that was the case, he had to find a reason to shift into the First Prince’s residence.

Consequently, Lu Wenshu chose the most dangerous method that involved burning down his house. But even if he was going to burn down the house, it had to be convincing. Even if it was convincing, someone had to persuade Pei Rumo on behalf of Lu Wenshu. After thinking through the consequences, Lu Wenshu picked the best candidate... De Quan. De Quan might just be a court eunuch, but he was actually the most favored court eunuch of the emperor. Even Pei Rumo would have to show him some respect. That was a good enough reason for Lu Wenshu to make use of him.

De Quan assumed that Lu Wenshu respected him and gladly accepted the invitation. He never expected that he was merely a tool for Lu Wenshu to achieve his goal.

Lu Wenshu wrote an invitation card to invite De Quan over for a chat and immediately started to prepare the things to start a fire. After all the preparations, dusk had already fallen. He hurried to the inn to buy a few dishes and jugs of liquor, putting on a show that he was sincerely treating De Quan to a meal.

When it was almost time, he used his spirit qi to knock over a candlestick. The flammable power had long been scattered around the room and the moment a spark appeared, the entire house would be engulfed by a sea of flame.

As for what happened next… 

“Master, did Lu Wenshu’s house really burn down?” Ming Lu noticed that Lu Wenshu was fine and didn’t feel a trace of heartache even though his courtyard was in shambles. He couldn’t help but ask Pei Rumo.

Pei Rumo wasn’t sure of Lu Wenshu’s intention and could only speak of his own conjuncture. “It should really be burnt down… No matter how capable he is, it is impossible for him to bribe Eunuch De Quan. But... it is hard to say if it is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster.”

“What should we do if Young Lady Luo Chu arrives tomorrow morning and encounters him?” Ming Lu asked another question. He didn’t know about the bad blood between Lu Wenshu and Luo Chu, but he didn’t wish for his master to be embarrassed in public.

Luo Chu?

 When Ming Lu suddenly mentioned this, Pei Rumo seemed to have remembered something.

Lu Wenshu was initially very friendly with Luo Chu. Could he have known that Luo Chu had been visiting my place frequently and came here to look for her? With his ability, it isn’t difficult for him to find out Luo Chu’s whereabouts for the past few days.

“If they encounter one another, so be it. Have you found the jade chess set that I asked you to look for in the warehouse a few days ago?” 

It would be good if they encountered one another. I will be able to learn of Lu Wenshu’s true objective. If he is truly here for Luo Chu, things won’t be too bad. At least he isn’t here to look for trouble.

Meng Lu responded to the question quickly, “In response to Master’s question, I have already found it and checked carefully. None of the chess pieces are missing. I have already used mountain spring water to wash it and the pieces are drying out in the shed. Tomorrow morning, this servant will pack it properly and make sure it is as good as new!”

“That will be good. It is already late… go back and rest up. I will return to my courtyard for a good night's rest. We still need to entertain Luo Chu tomorrow, right?” Pei Rumo finished his statement and headed straight for his room.

The next morning, when Bai Luochu left the general’s residence, the servants at the gate whispered to one another after seeing that she had left, “Hey, did you notice that Young Lady’s murderous aura is getting stronger these days? People might even think that she is going out to seek revenge.”

The other guard servant looked around to see if there was anyone around before replying, “Isn’t that right? Young Lady is behaving weirdly...”

“What are my two masters talking about? Why are you gossiping behind others? If I hear it again, I will get someone to cut off your tongues.”