Chapter 37: Truly an Extraordinary Book!

Pingcheng.

“Master, Du Gu Ru has recently gained great favor by the side of Prince Guangyang. Prince Guangyang is increasingly distancing himself from us—what should we do?”

Liu Lingzhu listened to his attendant’s words, his face expressionless.

Du Gu Ru and he occupied the same position; one trusted, the other naturally neglected.

The only solution is to eliminate the other.

“Every time Du Gu Ru comes to Pingcheng, you send people to follow her—have you discovered any improper relationship between her and Prince Guangyang?”

The attendant shook his head.

“It’s strange—Prince Guangyang hasn’t even held her hand. It’s as if he’s bewitched: every three days a small gift, every five days a large one. Why?”

“Hmph!”

Liu Lingzhu sneered, pulling a book from a nearby bookcase.

“I recently spent a fortune to acquire this extraordinary book from a master—it’s called The Green Tea Compendium! After reading it, I understand exactly how Du Gu Ru deceives Prince Guangyang.”

The attendant was confused.

“Could she have used a curse?”

“Fool!”

Liu Lingzhu snapped:

“All you ever think about are these lowly tricks.”

The attendant looked wounded.

“If not a curse, how else could Prince Guangyang be so affected? Master, you don’t know—he can’t go a single day without hearing from Du Gu Ru; he becomes like a soulless shell, rushing to send her gifts. Sometimes, just receiving one of her letters makes him happy for hours.”

“What did the letter say?”

“Nothing much—just the same few words over and over: ‘Safe, well, take care.’”

“How did Prince Guangyang reply?”

“He wrote a lot—I can’t remember it all.”

“This is recorded in The Green Tea Compendium!”

Liu Lingzhu gave a cold smile, flipped to the page, and said:

“The Green Tea Compendium names this condition ‘Lickdog Syndrome.’”

Liu Lingzhu shook his head, sighing:

“According to your description, Prince Guangyang is already in the late stage of Lickdog Syndrome.”

“Then what should we do? Should we call a physician?”

“Fool!”

The attendant was scolded again, his heart aching with grievance. Liu Lingzhu looked at him and sighed.

“This illness has no cure. No cure at all!”

“If there’s no cure, won’t we be cast out by Prince Guangyang?”

“Fool!”

“Master, what did I do now?”

Liu Lingzhu felt no sorrow—only excitement.

“With this extraordinary book, who cares about Prince Guangyang? Let him live or die as he pleases. Immediately order your men to scour the land for the most beautiful women—I will personally train them to master every secret of this book and make them serve me.”

“But we’re short on Qian Liang—even our salaries can’t be paid.”

“Sell off my properties, farmland, and furniture.”

“But then we won’t even have a place to live!”

“Don’t cling to those pots and jars—sell them all. If necessary, I’ll borrow money!”

At this moment, Liu Lingzhu’s entire state could be summed up in five words:

I’m going to build a career!

“The foundation of this great undertaking lies right here!”

“Your Majesty!”

As Yu Jin entered the room, Wang Yuanshen rose, dazed and hollow-eyed.

“Has Du Gu Ru sent a letter?”

Yu Jin raised his eyelids, struggling to grasp the meaning of those words.

Du Gu Ru?

But Yu Jin quickly regained his composure.

“It’s military intelligence.”

Wang Yuanshen’s vitality visibly drained away.

“The Eastern Theater Grand Commissioner has begun mobilizing troops, preparing to fight against Han Baling. But the situation is peculiar.”

In the past, whenever Wang Yuanshen heard military news, he would immediately rise—even at midnight—to handle affairs.

But lately, he had changed completely.

“We only need to transport grain and supplies. No need to ask about anything else.”

“Your Majesty, this battle concerns the safety of the northern frontier. If we lose, the Guanzhong region will be in chaos!”

Wang Yuanshen, hearing Yu Jin’s words, replied:

“Yuan Yu is a capable general—how could he possibly lose?”

“Our troops have been on campaign too long; they have no will to fight, their officers no heart for battle. All they care about is receiving Qian Liang—how can they stand against the tiger-wolves of the Six Garrisons? Han Baling hasn’t even appeared—he’s only sent his general Wei Kegu as commander.”

“Then where is Han Baling?”

“Rumors say the Rouran Khan, Yujiulu An Gui, has recently led his court southward—this may be connected.”

At this, Yu Jin was filled with dread.

“If the Rouran and the Six Garrisons collude, chaos will erupt at once—and the empire itself may collapse.”

At that moment, bells rang outside—the mail had arrived.

Wang Yuanshen sprang to his feet.

“Is it from the Du Gu tribe?”

“Yes!”

Wang Yuanshen ignored everything else, rushed over, and tore open the letter.

“The spring cold has killed many of our cattle and sheep. Newborn infants lack clothes and food; salt and iron are scarce—it’s heartbreaking. Send someone to open the treasury…”

“Your Majesty!”

Yu Jin shouted, halting him.

“The Pingcheng treasury is state property—how can it be used for private favors?”

Wang Yuanshen laughed.

“Why are you so upset? I never said I’d use the Pingcheng treasury—I’ll use my own princely private treasury.”

Yu Jin, seeing this Wang Yuanshen, was utterly baffled.

“Your Majesty, you were once a brilliant talent, raised in Luoyangcheng—what kind of women haven’t you seen? Why has Du Gu Ru stolen your soul?”

Hearing Yu Jin’s heartfelt words, Wang Yuanshen offered no rebuttal—only said:

“We read little of Qu Yuan’s Nine Songs or Song Yu’s Ode to the High Tang—yet we yearn for the divine beauty of the goddesses.”

“But those are only legends!”

“To you, they are legends. To me, the goddess walks before my eyes—she is my Du Gu Ru.”

As he spoke, Wang Yuanshen’s face grew vacant, and he began reciting softly, pouring out his feelings:

“If there be one, in the mountain’s bend, clad in liana, girded with vine—her gaze tender, her smile sweet, she loves me, graceful and pure. Riding a red leopard, followed by a patterned lynx, her cart of magnolia, adorned with cassia banners. She wears orchid, girded with duheng, plucks fragrant blooms to give to her beloved…”

“You’re truly…”

Before Yu Jin could finish, Wang Yuanshen remembered something else.

“Quickly prepare grain and supplies—send them to the Du Gu tribe at once!”

Wang Yuanshen’s guards, seeing Yu Jin present, felt awkward and said nothing.

“Ju Mi is no stranger—speak freely!”

“Your Majesty, you’ve been granting the Du Gu tribe every few days—our treasury is empty, and we’re even in debt to the city’s wealthy families!”

“Then borrow more from the city’s elite!”

…

Yu Jin stepped out of the pavilion, gazing at the distant landscape, shaking his head.

“That Du Gu Ru—she must be Mei Xi reborn, Da Ji returned, Bao Si incarnate!”

If this continues, what will become of us?

After his sigh, Yu Jin summoned his close attendant.

“Go to Ma Yi and deliver a letter for me to Li Shuang—ask him whether the position he promised me, always kept open on his side, still stands?”

“Lord, is there anything else you wish me to say?”

Yu Jin turned back, glancing at the small pavilion behind him—it looked ready to collapse at any moment.

“Nothing else—most importantly, hurry!”