Chapter 87: Welcome Back, My Lord

A sharp knocking sound roused Long Chen from his weary sleep.

Xuan Yi and Qing Yue were each clutching one of his arms as they slumbered on, their exhausted faces strangely content.

Long Chen slowly withdrew his hands and eased out from under the blankets. On the chair beside the bed lay two sheets, both changed out the night before.

One could only say the two beauties had been starved of affection in the palace for far too long; only after both sheets were thoroughly soaked did they finally settle down.

Long Chen lifted his hand and looked at his fingers with a pitiful expression.

Pretending to be a eunuch was suffering enough; his fingers had taken the brunt of it.

Once he had control of the Eastern Zhou court, his fingers would be free at last, and the burden would be handed over to his younger brother to fight for himself.

With an exasperated shake of the head, Long Chen unlocked the door. Zhang Qian and Xiang Ning were waiting outside.

"What is it?"

Long Chen stretched lazily.

Zhang Qian asked with concern, "Are you all right? You look terribly drained."

Xiang Ning came forward and felt at Long Chen's waist. "Does it hurt? Feel sore?"

Long Chen found it amusing. His fingers were tired—what did that have to do with his waist?

These palace maids only half understood things; they had no real idea what caused weakness in that area.

"I'm fine. They're the ones in trouble."

Long Chen turned and pointed at Xuan Yi and Qing Yue.

Looking at the soaked sheets on the chair, Xiang Ning said with obvious distaste, "Let them wash them themselves. I'm not touching those."

Zhang Qian said, "Enough talk. The princess wants you over there. News has come from Southern Liang."

Long Chen washed up at once, changed his clothes, and then went to Di Luoxi's sleeping chambers.

Inside, Di Luoxi sat wrapped in a fox-fur cloak, warming herself by a brazier.

Only then did Long Chen remember that people in this era actually did not know how to heat an underfloor bed.

As he stepped inside, Di Luoxi looked up with a lewd smile. "Where are they? Too exhausted to get up? You didn't go easy on them, so they can't even walk now. Who's supposed to work?"

Smiling, Long Chen sat beside Di Luoxi and slipped his hand beneath the fox-fur cloak. "It's so cold. The inside of the princess's clothes is the warmest."

Di Luoxi handed him a memorial and said, "Shangguan Wei is dead. He killed himself."

Long Chen drew his hand back and took the report, reading it carefully.

It was news sent back by spies in Southern Liang. It said that after Shangguan Wei returned to Jinling, Li Chengdao summoned him. After Shangguan Wei had paid his respects to the throne and gone home, he changed into his court dress and slit his own throat in his room.

Long Chen was not surprised. He knew Shangguan Wei well enough. After such a crushing defeat, with everything he had built ruined, he could no longer bear the shame.

"Did Li Chengdao drive Shangguan Wei to his death?"

Di Luoxi felt that Li Chengdao was narrow-minded and would naturally not let Shangguan Wei off.

So Shangguan Wei had, in truth, been put to death by Li Chengdao's hand.

"No. Shangguan Wei couldn't face the shame and killed himself. It has nothing to do with Li Chengdao."

"Li Chengdao may be petty, but with the Long Family Army gone and Murong Xiao killed, only three of Southern Liang's Five Tiger Generals remain. He won't make another move against Shangguan Wei."

To judge a person's conduct, one must not only look at temperament, but also at their position.

Li Chengdao was indeed small-minded, but he was also the emperor of Southern Liang. From the perspective of the court, he would tolerate Shangguan Wei, because keeping him alive still had value.

Thus Long Chen concluded that Shangguan Wei no longer wished to live, and that Li Chengdao had nothing to do with it.

Di Luoxi nodded. "That makes sense. With only two of the Five Tiger Generals left, the south should stay quiet for a while."

Long Chen was unconvinced. "Losing great generals doesn't mean the nation has lost its strength. There are still experts at the Martial Emperor level. We can't be careless."

Di Luoxi grinned and hugged Long Chen, her slender hand slipping beneath his robe. "With little Long Long here, I don't worry."

Long Chen had no answer for that.

Xuan Yi and Qing Yue entered the sleeping chamber in small, careful steps. Di Luoxi raised her own grasping hand and said, "You can walk already?"

Xuan Yi and Qing Yue smiled shyly. "We slept all night. Of course we can walk now."

Di Luoxi held Long Chen again and asked, "What time did you go to sleep last night?"

Long Chen glanced outside and said, "I've been away from the capital for too long. I'm going to take a look at the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue."

With that, he rose immediately and fled the sleeping chamber.

Outside, Zhang Qian followed after him.

"Weren't you the one who said those two would be with me from now on?"

Long Chen found it odd. Yesterday the three of them had argued all day, and in the end Zhang Qian had been pushed aside. Why was it still Zhang Qian today?

He had only asked casually, but to his surprise Zhang Qian instantly bristled.

"Lord Long, you're too heartless. I've slept with you for a whole year, and every inch of me has been... Now that you're bored of me, you want someone else. Are you really this much of a scoundrel?"

Long Chen stopped in his tracks. Seeing Zhang Qian's red-rimmed eyes, he felt truly ashamed.

Zhang Qian was a seasoned battlefield general, with a will of iron; yet now she had been angered to tears.

"That's not what I meant. I was just asking offhand. Having you beside me is the best. Those two aren't as big as you, and you know exactly what I love most."

Long Chen made a circular motion with both hands in a clumsy attempt at comfort.

At the corner, Xiao E and Xiao Daiyu came over carrying some things, just in time to see Long Chen carefully rubbing and soothing her.

"Oh my! What is Lord Long doing? In broad daylight, too!"

Xiao E raised her sleeve as if to hide her eyes, yet she had conveniently left them exposed, seeing everything plainly.

Xiao Daiyu giggled. "Indeed. Under the bright sun and clear heaven, how could he dare flirt with a decent young lady like that?"

Zhang Qian had been furious already, but with those two little troublemakers stirring things up, her face turned bright red. She slapped away Long Chen's wandering hand and laughed angrily, "You two little hussies, haven't you been fooling around in your room? Next time I see you, I'll strip you both and send you to Lord Long!"

Xiao E and Xiao Daiyu slipped away with smiling faces.

"All right, don't be angry. I'll keep you with me from now on. With something this big, how could I bear to give it up?"

With no one around, Long Chen reached out again, but Zhang Qian covered herself and stopped him. "If someone sees us again, what will you do? Hurry up and get to work."

The two of them arrived at the Ministry of Works, where Vice Minister Xu Ming came out at once to greet them.

"My lord."

Long Chen nodded and went into the main hall to sit down. Xu Ming presented the ministry's accounts from this period, and Long Chen reviewed them one by one.

"Well done. Even while I was away, production never fell behind, and the quality stayed consistent."

Xu Ming bowed deeply. "It was all arranged by Your Lordship. This humble one merely followed the established order."

Before, Xu Ming had not been convinced. Now, however, he admired Long Chen to the core.

He could invent things, calculate accounts, and wage war as well. Xu Ming had even heard that Long Chen had killed Shangguan Xiu and Shangguan Mu despite being a level below them, and it had left him deeply shaken.

The entire Ministry of Works was abuzz with speculation that Long Chen was actually a master at the Martial Emperor level, merely biding his time and concealing his true cultivation.

"Good is good. I will report your contributions to His Majesty."

That was not mere politeness. Anyone who performed well, Long Chen would report.

A leader could not be selfish and monopolize a subordinate's credit; there had to be room for promotion.

"Thank you, my lord."

Xu Ming was delighted.

"I have two things here. Make them according to these drawings and formulas."

Long Chen took out a booklet. It contained the things he had invented during this period, as well as a new business venture in cooperation with the Heaven Society.

Xu Ming accepted the booklet, skimmed through it, and nodded. "This subordinate will get to work at once."

After Xu Ming left, Long Chen departed the Ministry of Works and went to the Ministry of Revenue. Duan Shuangshuang and the ministry officials came forward to pay their respects.

"Welcome back, my lord."

Duan Shuangshuang, who had originally been somewhat cold, was now especially warm and enthusiastic.

As expected, women all admired battlefield heroes.

"There's no need for such formality. Show me the latest accounts."

Long Chen sat in the chief seat. Duan Shuangshuang brought over the ledgers, and Long Chen examined them carefully.

"Have members of the Dragon Gang and the Heaven Society come here?"

Long Chen set down the account book and asked.

Duan Shuangshuang replied, "Yes, my lord. Since you were away, I told them to wait until you returned before arranging a meeting."

Long Chen said, "Make an appointment with the Heaven Society. We'll meet in seven days."

Duan Shuangshuang accepted the order and immediately sent a message to the Four Directions Tower.