FID – Chapter 985

Chapter 985: All the Same Breed

Looking out through the open window, a hazy, misty scene unfolded.

Near and far, the view resembled ink-washed mountains fading into the distance, and the newly washed red walls and dark-tiled roofs seemed wrapped in a thin veil of mist. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Liu Yusheng couldn’t help but walk to the window, reaching out to catch the fine, almost weightless threads of rain, feeling a subtle chill creeping into her palm.

Her lips curved into a gentle smile. “So this is what they mean by the misty rain of Jiangnan. It truly is a rare and beautiful sight.”

Turning back, she looked at the man sitting at the table, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her. “Feng Qingbai, have you ever been here before?”

“No,” he answered. Seeing the smile on her face, the corners of his lips lifted. “If you like it, I’ll accompany you to stay here for a few days on our way back from the Northwest.”

“I never thought that even the mighty King of Nanling hasn’t been to all the territories under his own kingdom. How do you manage to command respect in court?”

Feng Qingbai raised a brow. “Shengsheng, are you even stepping on your own man?”

The woman lifted her lips in a light, melodic laugh, softening the lines of his sharp brows and eyes.

Leaning against the window, the beauty’s playful smile and shifting gaze seemed like a living painting in anyone’s eyes.

Across the street at a teahouse, Zhu Xian’s gaze locked onto that slender, graceful figure by the window, a dark glint flashing in his eyes as he teased, “Manyu, is that the beauty you were talking about?”

Su Manyu and the other young nobles seated around her all turned to look, catching sight of the delicate, lovely figure leaning against the window on the second floor of the inn.

Following that figure, a faint splash of purple could be seen. Su Manyu’s eyes flickered slightly. “No, this woman may be beautiful, but she isn’t the one I saw. Moreover, she has her hair neatly done, dressed as a married woman. She must already belong to someone. Young Master Zhu, you’d better not be reckless.”

“Reckless?” Zhu Xian slammed the table, laughing loudly. “Who in all of Cangzhou doesn’t know what kind of man I, Zhu Xian, am? A married woman, so what? Haven’t I had my share of women before?”

Zhu Xian, in Cangzhou, was like a prince, feared and envied by all. There was nothing he hadn’t thought of, and nothing he wouldn’t dare to do.

Su Manyu withdrew her gaze and quietly warned, “I saw her descend from a luxurious carriage, accompanied by her husband. Since she can afford such a carriage and an upscale private room, her family background probably isn’t weak. Young Master Zhu, you may be dominant in Cangzhou, but there are always those above your level. Be careful, lest you provoke someone you can’t handle.”

“What a joke! Is there someone I can’t provoke? I’ve never met such a person,” he scoffed. He was just curious at first, but her words now stoked his competitive and domineering instincts. “Even outside Cangzhou, few would dare provoke me!”

The other young gentlemen nearby listened, teasing and jeering, adding fuel to his ego.

“Manyu, your worries are unnecessary. Who is Young Master Zhu? The leading young master of Cangzhou, our Cangzhou Prince! Is there anywhere in Cangzhou he can’t go, or anything he can’t do?”

“Who wouldn’t fawn and flatter Young Master Zhu when they see him? Who does he need to fear? Saying such things makes you lose points in his eyes!”

“And as for ‘there’s always someone above’—with Young Master Zhu around, what threat could possibly rise in Cangzhou? All of us here follow him unquestioningly, and when needed, we obey his orders completely!”

The side chamber instantly filled with flattery and compliments, and Zhu Xian’s smile grew even more smug.

Su Manyu didn’t speak again. She lowered her gaze to sip her tea, her expression calm and unreadable, as if her earlier warning had truly been just a polite reminder.

Beside her sat several other young ladies from noble families, who exchanged subtle glances, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

They were all from the same social circle; no one was unaware of anyone else’s true nature.

As the daughter of the magistrate, Su Manyu held the highest status among Cangzhou’s young noblewomen. Outwardly she seemed gentle and proper, but the cunning and ruthlessness she wielded behind the scenes could send chills down anyone’s spine. None of the other noblewomen dared offend her.

If Zhu Xian was a venomous snake ready to strike at any moment, Su Manyu was a bee wielding its stinger.

They were cut from the same cloth.

The only pity was that the young woman by the window of the inn across the street somehow had drawn Miss Su’s ire, and now she was using this method to ruin her.

Knowing full well that Zhu Xian was arrogant and overbearing, and hated being underestimated, Su Manyu deliberately phrased her remark as a ‘reminder’ to provoke his rebellious nature. Naturally, Zhu Xian would not let the young woman across the street off so easily.

Soon, Zhu Xian summoned his attendants and gave them a few instructions.

The crowd of onlookers grew even louder, a group of local rich second-generation scions, all wearing expressions of excitement and anticipation.

Meanwhile, in the private room on the second floor across the street, the innkeeper had just brought up the dishes with the help of his servers.

All of them were the inn’s signature dishes, and he also carried a jar of wine.

Seeing the familiar jar, Liu Yuzheng laughed, “Innkeeper, you actually sell nourishing wine here too?”

The innkeeper hurriedly replied, “This is our exclusive wine, produced in Xinghua Village, Yuzhou, a famous spirit! We only sell ten jars a day, and today this is the very last one. I saw that you guests have such refined manners, so I thought you might appreciate it and brought it up for you to see. Do you want to keep the jar? If not, I’ll send it next door.”

“We’ll keep it.” Liu Yuzheng couldn’t help but chuckle. The innkeeper sure knew how to talk. Refined manners—he was probably just judging them by their fine clothing and apparent wealth.

Hearing Liu Yuzheng’s confirmation, the innkeeper happily placed the wine on the table. “Please, enjoy, esteemed guests.”

Once the innkeeper left, Liu Yusheng poured the wine from the jar while laughingly asking Feng Qingbai, “Guess if this really is the last jar?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “I’d guess he says it’s the last jar every time he brings wine to guests.”

Liu Yusheng laughed again. He claimed it was the last jar, but even guests who might have hesitated because of the high price would be tempted to keep it. 

That’s marketing.

“Liu Ya, have some too. This is brewed at our Xinghua Village winery. You haven’t tried it yet, have you?”

“Wei Zi, stop standing there. Come eat with us. Why do you always need to be called?”

From the private room, the young woman’s voice rang out, making the place lively.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the main hall, the innkeeper had just sent a waiter to fetch a few more jars of the nourishing wine from the winery when a squad of soldiers burst in with intimidating force, heading straight upstairs. When the innkeeper caught sight of the person walking casually behind them, his heart sank and a chill ran through him.

Immediately, he thought of the two beautiful women in the upstairs room.

Summoning courage, the innkeeper greeted the man following the soldiers. “Greetings, Young Master Zhu. I—I don’t know what this is about. Why would you personally come here with men?”

Zhu Xian cast a sidelong glance at the innkeeper and smiled coldly. “If I’ve brought the officials, it’s naturally to arrest a wanted criminal. You’re a businessman; don’t meddle in things you shouldn’t.”

The innkeeper paled and didn’t dare speak again. The previously bustling hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone in Cangzhou knew Zhu Xian. He was arrogant, bullying men and women. He has a long list of misdeeds, but no one dared cross him!