Chapter 9: 9.第9章 高手

After a long while,

The Fourth Prince, Tianqing Zhi, spoke slowly: "Miss Luo is quite right. Your money was earned through hard work, but in comparison, your money comes more easily. Furthermore, this flood has disrupted the canal transport; providing relief early is a good thing for you as well."

The Fourth Prince's voice was bone-chillingly cold, freezing people so much they didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

'Quite the smooth talker!' Luo Bingluan thought to herself, but she said aloud, "The Fourth Lord is correct; the canal transport is indeed very important to us merchants. However, it seems the government offices managing the canal should be the ones more concerned."

Hearing this, the Fourth Prince, Tianqing Zhi, gave Luo Bingluan a cold glance. 'Truly sharp-tongued!'

"Besides, our money does not come easily at all. Compared to those idle officials who only collect court salaries, we work very hard. This disaster relief silver cannot be provided by us merchants alone." After finishing, Luo Bingluan looked toward the Thirteenth Prince, Tianqing Zheng, and said, "Thirteenth Lord, since you are auditing the accounts today, I am sure you are aware that our Luo family has always followed the law. Over the years, we have even handed over a significant amount of unofficial funds to the imperial court and local governments. You cannot expect us to donate money only to leave us with no funds to conduct business, can you?"

The Thirteenth Prince's expression turned somewhat unsightly. 'The Luo family truly has no issues; moreover, whenever the imperial offices require funds for any matter, they always pay. Not only have they committed no faults, but they have even been meritorious.'

'Hmph, do they really think I'm easy to bully just because I'm a woman? I neither steal nor rob, so why should I be forced to donate just because I'm told to? And stop using that tactic of thinking we'll donate to absolve our family of wrongdoing. Let me tell you plainly, our Luo family has money, but it's not something we give to just anyone,' Luo Bingluan thought angrily.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy once again.

Luo Bingluan's words had placed the Fourth Prince in a passive position.

Luo Bingluan caught a glimpse of the joy on Master Zhao's face nearby and was instantly startled.

She suddenly remembered that he was one of the Eighth Prince's men; if the Fourth Prince suffered a setback, they would be happy. Moreover...

'Haven't I just provoked the future Emperor? I was far too reckless!'

Thinking of this, she looked at the Fourth Prince Tianqing Zhi's frost-covered face, feigned a light sigh, and said, "However, as the Thirteenth Lord said, this flood will affect our interests. As a merchant, Luan'er must naturally defend her own interests. Therefore, Luan'er is willing to offer two hundred thousand taels of silver in the name of the Luo family as a small token of our sympathy for the victims."

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out below. Master Zhao stared at Luo Bingluan with eyes wide in disbelief and shock.

The frost on the Fourth Prince Tianqing Zhi's face thawed slightly.

The Thirteenth Prince was even more incredulous.

Luo Bingluan smiled faintly, rose, and gave a slight bow. "The bank notes will be sent to the government office tomorrow. Luan'er has matters to attend to at home, so I shall take my leave first."

Having said that, she led Zhuque and Baihu away from the table and walked toward the door.

'Phew~ I was really too impulsive today. Offending the future Emperor is not a good thing, especially one known for being cold-blooded and ruthless!'

However, what Luo Bingluan did not notice was that as she rose and walked toward the foyer, the Fourth Prince, Tianqing Zhi, made a slight gesture with his hand toward the foyer...

Just as Luo Bingluan reached the foyer, she suddenly felt a gust of malicious wind rushing toward her side.

Subconsciously, Luo Bingluan unleashed a side kick that captured the very essence of Jeet Kune Do.

*Bang!*

"Watch out!"

At the same time, a person dressed as an imperial guard rushed over, attempting to block the object.

Unexpectedly, the object had already been smashed to pieces by Luo Bingluan's side kick. For a moment, the guard was left standing there in a daze.

Luo Bingluan turned around and looked toward where the Fourth Prince Tianqing Zhi was sitting.

Seeing that he was also looking at her, she thought, 'He's looking at me.'

"Is Miss Luo unhurt?"

Knowing in her heart that this was a deliberate test by the Fourth Prince, she couldn't help but sneer inwardly. "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Lord. Luan'er is fine. I shall take my leave."

With that, she walked away without looking back.

The Fourth Prince, Tianqing Zhi, gave her a meaningful look and left first, leaving only the Thirteenth Prince behind...

About an hour later,

"Fourth Brother, why did you leave me there all alone to hold up the scene?" The Thirteenth Prince, Tianqing Zheng, complained as he plopped down into a chair in Tianqing Zhi's room.

"Did the other merchants donate the full amount?" Tianqing Zhi asked.

Tianqing Zheng picked up the tea on the table and drained it in one gulp. "Once that Miss Luo from the Luo family arrived tonight, the situation spiraled out of control. I originally thought the whole thing was going to be a disaster."

"And the result?"

"The result? Heh! I didn't expect that Miss Luo would actually give us a hand. She donated two hundred thousand all by herself. After she left, the remaining merchants eventually scraped together another four hundred thousand. Hehe, Fourth Brother, that's a total of six hundred thousand taels. We exceeded the mission requirements."

"That is good," hearing his thirteenth brother's words, a rare trace of emotion appeared on Tianqing Zhi's face.

"By the way, Fourth Brother, what happened when Miss Luo was leaving? When I looked back, why did I see your personal guard standing next to her?" The Thirteenth Prince asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Seeing his brother ask, Tianqing Zhi spoke toward the shadows: "Come out."

Tianqing Zheng was startled. From the moment he entered until now, he hadn't noticed anyone else in the room.

A figure flashed within the room.

A man appeared beside the Fourth Prince, Tianqing Zhi; it was his personal guard, Yin Lang.

"Fourth Brother?" The Thirteenth Prince looked puzzled.

Tianqing Zhi ignored him and turned to look at Yin Lang. "How was it?"

"Reporting to Master, that young lady seemed to have sensed my presence even when she entered the door. Therefore, she was not surprised by my appearance when she left. However..."

Ignoring the confused look on the Thirteenth Prince, Tianqing Zhi asked directly, "However, what?"

"Reporting to Master, that young lady's breathing is long and steady, her footsteps are light, and her internal strength is very profound. However, this servant cannot discern which school or sect her lineage belongs to," Yin Lang replied.

"Oh? Even you cannot discern her lineage? Did she not just reveal a move?" Tianqing Zhi asked.

"Master, there is something you may not know. That lady's leg technique just now was rapid and powerful in both execution and retraction; it was withdrawn the moment it made contact, yet its power was immense. Among all the martial arts styles this servant knows, none possess such legwork," Yin Lang paused, unable to help but praise, "Seeing how young she is, if this leg technique was created by her, she could be called a martial arts prodigy."

Hearing this, Tianqing Zhi lowered his head in deep thought, it was unclear what he was contemplating.

After a long while,

Seeing that no one was speaking, the Thirteenth Prince couldn't help his curiosity and asked Yin Lang, "Are you saying that Miss Luo knows martial arts?"

"Reporting to Thirteenth Lord, she knows martial arts, and she is a master," Yin Lang replied respectfully.

"Huh? A master?" The Thirteenth Prince, Tianqing Zheng, felt his brain struggling to keep up. "But she looks so delicate and weak, and she doesn't seem very old, right? About the same age as me. Even if she has practiced internal arts since childhood, how much internal strength could she possibly have?"