Chapter 127: Gritting One’s Teeth

T/N: Author so generous this time, this chapter only 2.7k long, sparing me a 100 less words ;;;v;;;)

Luo Pei Shan expressed his pity towards Gong Qinwang.

Li Hong Yuan seemingly could tell what Luo Pei Shan was thinking, “Sir Luo can also pity Li Hong Yi too. After all, in his eyes, Qin Tian Ming is actually loyal to him. This probably is one of the few things that he’s pleased about.”

Luo Pei Shan fell silent. On the surface, being suppressed by this one to the point of suffocation, one could only take a roundabout path, but to also be undermined, schemed against, rectified, and framed by him in various ways in the dark, and at the same time, be unable to find the actual mastermind, instead violently fighting with others, with each and every one all sharpening their blades, preparing to sort this one out after ascending the throne, but unbeknownst to them, they were all being toyed with in his palm. In his eyes, perhaps they were just like dancing clowns, thinking back……wait……….

“Wangye, this old subject’s granddaughter falling of the cliff at White Dragon Temple, could it be that it was also your handiwork?”

“That was an accident.” Although that was an accident Ruan Fang Fei created to get him, Wan Wan and them ended up getting dragged into the mess. “How could this prince use Wan Wan’s life to play a joke? The assassination attempt actually had long been prepared for, but it just so happened to coincide with Wan Wan’s accident, thus it was shifted ahead of time, that’s all.”

A mouthful of old blood was stuck in Luo Pei Shan’s throat. It really was that anything can be used and taken advantage of by you. What accidental grace of saving his life, clearly was just this living Enma acting out a ‘bitter flesh scheme’, deliberately letting third girl spend time alone with him for a night. And if he really has his eye on Wan Wan, then based on this one’s shitty personality, for nothing to have happened at all, Luo Pei Shan refused to believe.

“At most it’s just hugging and kissing, prior to marrying, this prince won’t let Wan Wan lose her virginity.”

“Then this one really needs to thank wangye!” Luo Pei Shan spatted out through his clenched teeth.

“We’re all one family, no need to be polite.” Li Hong Yuan shamelessly said.

Who the hell is ‘one family’ with you? This one is unworthy! Luo Pei Shan finally understood how Le Cheng Emperor felt when being angered into a storm by this living Enma. He really want to violently beat him up! Getting a small advantage from his precious granddaughter, yet still dare to shamelessly say this kind of thing? This face really was even thicker than those of old foxes who have been mingling in officialdom for several decades. “Respectfully sending off wangye. The sky is dark, asking wangye to be careful in your steps.” Walking at night, be careful of running into ghosts.

Li Hong Yuan nodded his head, “This prince can assume this is Sir Luo showing concern for your future grandson-in-law?”

Luo Pei Shan returned him two cold snorts. Fortunately, Li Hong Yuan didn’t have the people he’d long sent to the Luo family several years ago when they were still living in Qi’an Fu, and also the numerous spies and informants of his hidden in the Luo Manor, in addition to the fact that the most trust person by Wan Wan’s side was once his person, all told to Luo Pei Shan. These things, if Luo Pei Shan were to find out about, perhaps he would really vomit blood in anger.

Li Hong Yuan’s face was truly too thick, completely unfazed, “An Yi……”

A certain someone that was guarding outside, upon hearing this, quickly entered, deferentially handing over a booklet. Master is a ghost child and whatnot, didn’t hear; his Majesty strangling master’s birth mother to death and whatnot, seemingly was just the breeze by one’s ear. The risk of being heavily valued was too big. Next time, how about consider switching places with someone else?

(T/N: An Yi should really think about how Eunuch Mu feels lmaooooo)

Li Hong Yuan accepted it and casually handed it over to Luo Pei Shan. “Sir Luo, have a look, this will help you gain control of the Ministry of Appointments.”

Luo Pei Shan, although was nearly angered to death by him, he still didn’t refuse this kind offer.

“Sir Luo only needs to worry about the matters in the Ministry of Appointments, everything else all don’t need to bother with, including Wan Wan’s marriage. When time comes, just naturally go with the flow and have the engagement cancelled.”

Luo Pei Shan watched Li Hong Yuan quickly disappear into the night and couldn’t help but think of two people, Chen Zheng Min and Sun Yi Lin. In the past, he even incessantly nitpicked them for ‘soon to steal away his precious granddaughter’, never giving them a good face, but now, he very much sympathized with them.

All say people become refined with age, so how could he not tell that they really had feelings for his precious granddaughter. Originally, to be able to get engaged with the girl one admired, this can already be considered having one’s wish fulfilled, just needing to wait another two years, and finish walking that last step. But, just when one was pleased with the spring wind, thunder descended from the clear sky.

Look at Chen Zheng Min, a successful candidate in the imperial exam, the flower snatcher, yet in the end? He wasn’t happy in the slightest. In fact, if he doesn’t recover, he might even ruin his future prospects. Without knowing the truth, one could only treat it as him having bad luck, but now, after learning the truth, this luck was indeed very bad. Being viewed as the thorn in one’s eye by that living Enma, isn’t that precisely eight lifetimes of bad luck?

Also there was Sun Yi Lin. Originally, he’d already lost all hope, but now, it was having lost, but then regaining again. Yet, he simply just didn’t know, this was all just flowers in the mirror, a moon in the lake. His joyous engagement was actually just a stepping stone in someone else’s predestined fate. Right now, perhaps he was still rejoicing, but who knows when this joy will turn into sorrow.

Right now, Luo Pei Shan exceedingly pitied them. They were actually all good children, just they fell for someone that shouldn’t have fallen for. If they didn’t fall for third girl, perhaps they won’t……………Wait, these feelings did ‘hurt’ the heart, but if they didn’t fall for her, then they may not necessarily be able to escape unscathed. My family’s girl was this good, why would you not fall for her? Luo Pei Shan felt that if even he had this kind of mentality, then standing from the perspective of that living Enma, who never behaved according to convention, perhaps he would think, someone that even this prince would fall for, you actually dare not fall for? Heheh, this final outcome may not necessarily be any better than ‘having fallen for Jing Wan’, perhaps, it might be even worse. All in all, as long as one was chosen to be that living Enma’s stepping stone, then one was just an unlucky bastard.

In Luo Pei Shan’s mind, Jin Qinwang should’ve prepared at least two more, and moreover, according to the previous two’s standard, afraid they were also all first-class handsome young scholars. Should say, Jin Qinwang was truly deeply in love with his family’s dear granddaughter? These people he picked, they were all the object of countless unmarried young maiden’s admiration. If for even the stepping stones, one all needed to pick the most outstanding ones, then truly, one had no choice but to acknowledge him. Even if, in actuality, these two marriage arrangements of Jing Wan’s, the groom side were all chosen by they themselves, but if a certain person is unsatisfied, afraid it would’ve already been ruined prior to the engagement.

Sigh………

Luo Pei Shan retracted his drifting train of thought, and returned to his desk, finally opening the booklet slowly. On it were all matters pertaining to the Ministry of Appointments. The more he read, the more shocked he was. In this Ministry of Appointments, at least half of the people were all loyal to Jin Qinwang, and from top to bottom, there were people in charge of all aspects. It can be said, although Jin Qinwang wasn’t in the Ministry of Appointments, the situation in the Ministry of Appointments, afraid, there was no one more clear of than him. Thus, even if they were all loyal to the same master, they themselves may not necessarily be aware of one another’s secret identity.

This time, Luo Pei Shan also pitied Rui Qinwang. Rui Qinwang has been in the Ministry of Appointments for nearly a year, expending countless energy and effort, yet in the end, never mind not achieving his anticipated outcome, those people he roped in, more than half were all Jin Qinwang’s people. How was this a power of support, this was clearly a power of destruction. Rui Qinwang is forever unable to obtain the truest thing. Everything he’s aware of were all nine parts true, one part false, and that falsehood, normally isn’t prominent, but in the most crucial moments, any false information all can make one fail within the sight of success.

If even the Ministry of Appointments was like this, then what about the other places? Luo Pei Shan didn’t believe Li Hong Yuan wasn’t involved.

However, towards Li Hong Yuan’s abilities, Luo Pei Shan was also increasingly fearful. Under the circumstances of having completely no advantages, and having no one to rely on, he was able to come this far alone, this was too terrifying. Becoming enemies with such a person, even if one had heaven defying luck, one still wouldn’t necessarily be a match for him. Moreover, for him to be able to come this far, his luck certainly wouldn’t be bad either.

He possessed all the heavenly conditions and earthly fortunes^[1], forcibly reversing ‘human circumstances’, and can be said to be triumphing in every battle.

Rui Qinwang, who he previously had thought to be not bad, instantly was compared into the dirt by Jin Qinwang. Even if one added all of them together, afraid, they still wouldn’t be able to beat him. If Jin Qinwang had Le Cheng Emperor’s support, then perhaps at present, he would’ve already became the officially crowned crown prince. Unfortunately, he was a ghost child!

Just…………the old man losing his horse, how does one know it’s not a blessing?^[2] If Jin Qinwang’s birth mother was still alive, then he would truly be a pampered son of the heavens, being loved and doted on by his parents, being fawned over by the various people surrounding him. Then, he perhaps will never be able to truly come this far.

Luo Pei Shan silently had the booklet burned. His precious granddaughter, in the future, will really marry this kind of man? And this man will really watch over just her for a lifetime, for an eternity? All say, what one can’t obtain was the best. Right now, Wan Wan still hasn’t married him, that’s why he schemed, that’s why he was able to stay pure, but what about in the future? After obtaining, perhaps that love originating from a dream will fade away little by little. Will he become the same as the other emperors, a harem of three thousand beauties?

Luo Pei Shan softly sighed. Facing this one, one could only do as he said, there was no room to resist.

However, Jin Qinwang, this person, was both patient and arrogant. This kind of person usually always kept their word. For things that he was able to declare, for the most part, he was all able to achieve. Perhaps that precious granddaughter of his really did have this kind of fortune.

After Luo Pei Shan thought through these things, his anxiety gradually settled down. Besides, for things that were already established, it was useless for him to worry over right now.

As for avoiding ‘ghost children’ as taboo, Luo Pei Shan rather never once cared in the slightest.

As he watched the booklet completely turn to ash, his servant boy hurriedly rushed in, kneeling onto the ground with a thud.

“This long, where all did you go?” Luo Pei Shan calmly asked.

“Old master, old master, this little one, this little one accidentally fell asleep, this little one deserves death, this little one………….”

“Enough, just get up, the time is late, go make preparations, and then go rest.”

“Yes.”

Afraid he didn’t fall asleep, but rather got drugged.

The next day, because there wasn’t morning court, Luo Pei Shan directly went to the Ministry of Appointment’s office. On the way, quite a few people all saw him calm and composed, not having the least bit of melancholy. Whether it truly was the case, or he was just forcibly putting on an act, one actually more or less could tell a little. Thus, quite a few people all looked to one another in dismay. What was going on? Yesterday, after morning court, they clearly sensed he was……………….

When he saw Li Hong Ming, the other party met him with a smile. Luo Pei Shan’s smile wasn’t lacking in the slightest either, however sincerely he needed to smile, was however sincerely he smiled. And when Li Hong Ming asked him to take care of him in courtesy, Luo Pei Shan’s reply was even more smooth.

Li Hong Ming’s face still carried a smile, but inside, he wasn’t that happy anymore, what happened here? Could it be that under circumstances unbeknownst to him, Li Hong Yi’s side had acted, not only clearing up the misunderstandings, this relationship even rapidly shot up in this short period of time?

As for the people on Li Hong Yi’s side, they were also endlessly depressed. Has Luo Pei Shan really leaned towards Li Hong Ming already, and right now, didn’t even bother covering it up anymore? Is he not afraid of offending both sides? Truly despicable! Thus, the two sides both decided to show him a little color. Want to take control of the Ministry of Appointments, it won’t be that easy!

[1] Basically saying he has favorable conditions in luck, like the saying ‘having the stars aligned’. This expression is commonly used in ancient times during battles.

[2] For recurring idioms I just add them to my historical notes page under miscellaneous.

T/N: I think one of the most amusing things about this battle for the throne is how everyone probably has already thought of how they are going to kill Li Hong Yuan once they ascend the throne, like he’s probably the first person they want to torture and kill, but little do they know……laff