Chapter 24: Cao Hu Loses His Composure

  A refreshing bath lasted for nearly an hour before Lu Haoshan finally emerged, slightly tired.

  Life is short, so enjoy it while you can. With a beautiful woman in front of him, Lu Haoshan was not polite at all. Now he's pretending to be someone else, but who knows when he'll get caught? As long as he can enjoy himself, that's all that matters. Next to Lu Haoshan stood Chen Zi, a delicate flower who had just been nourished by the "dew" and was now even more beautiful and charming.

  "Master, Miss Ziyu"; Liu Jinchu hastily greeted them with a bow.

  Now Hou Yu is Chen Ziyu's only woman, and recently she has also been favored. As Liu Jinchu's long-time follower, he naturally had to be very respectful to her, this was Lu Haoshan's private requirement for him.

  Do the play thoroughly.

  Lu Haoshan looked at the pile of gifts and casually asked, "Have they all been counted?"

  "Mr. Liu Jinzhu hurriedly said: 'Everything has been calculated clearly, these gift boxes contain small yellow fish (gold bars), silver ingots, copper coins, jewelry and accessories, fruit and pastries, etc., with a total value of 128 taels in cash, the others have not been counted, they are all here, Master, please take a look.'"

  The benefits of being an official are numerous. In terms of salary, it's only 30-40 taels per year, but now with just a casual turn, you can easily get over 100 taels of silver into your account, which is equivalent to three or four years' worth of salary. Not to mention the gifts that haven't been counted yet. Historical records show that after the mid-Ming dynasty, officials embezzling funds became a common practice, and it's indeed hard to resist, no one wants to miss out on silver.

  Before the Chinese New Year, he went to inspect and found out that it was Cao Hu who suggested this, with the intention of abolishing Chen Gui's left and right arms, it is said that every year Chen Gui would rush to inspect, originally the benefits were so rich.

  Of course, if Chen Gui went to collect these benefits, he would still have to submit a share to the county magistrate, unlike Lu Haoshan, who was the nominal emperor of Jiangyou County and could eat alone without sharing a single penny.

  "Take whatever you like," Lu Haoshan said generously.

  This Chen Zhi is not bad, beautiful, with a good figure, charming and seductive, with high cooperation in bed, Lu Haoshan is very satisfied with her performance, and also has to give her some sweet treats, after all, the contract is in his own hands, hers is also his own, besides, she is Chen Gui's pawn, isn't she also his own pawn?

  "Yes, thank you, Master, for the gift." Chen Zi thanked him and walked over to the pile of gift boxes, picked up a jade bangle and two pearl hairpins, and bowed to Lu Haoshan, saying: "I've chosen them, thank you, Master, for the gift."

  Chen Haoshan frowned and said: "This is also too little, these accessories are not many good ones, Jinzhu, take thirty taels of silver to give to Ziyu as pocket money, keep the food that can be eaten, and exchange the food that cannot be eaten for cash and store it well."

  "Yes, young master."

  Chen Ziwu heard this and a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes. It was rare for a master to be so generous. To know that the annual salary of a county magistrate was only 30 or 40 taels, others would consider it a great favor if their master rewarded them with one or two taels. These thirty taels were almost Lu Haoshan's annual salary, but he didn't even blink an eye when rewarding himself. Such generosity was truly rare. Chen Ziwu quickly thanked him.

  However, Chen Zhi still hadn't forgotten her mission. After receiving the silver, she said softly: "Master, it's almost New Year's, but the backyard is empty and quiet. Why don't I buy some lanterns, couplets, and other decorations to add a festive atmosphere? What do you think, Master?"

  "En, it's still better to let Ziyu handle this matter. Whatever silver is needed, just ask Jinzhu for it. By the way, why not have Jinzhu accompany you? It would be good for him to carry some things too. I've been busy running around for a few days and was thinking of taking a rest, so I won't go."

  "I dare not trouble the master"; Chen Zili hastily said: "The master only has Jinzhu as a long-time follower. If both the maid and he leave, there will be no one to serve the master. The maid can call two yamen runners to escort her, and let Jinzhu stay by the master's side to attend to him."

  Chen Zitao found out that it was Cao Hu who leaked the news to County Magistrate, and naturally had to go back to report to Chen Gui. If Liu Jinzhu followed behind, he might not be convenient, so he hastily refused upon hearing this.

  Lu Haoshan didn't insist either. In fact, he had already guessed what she wanted to do. He nodded and said: "Alright, you decide what to buy. By the way, Chinese New Year is approaching soon, get yourself a new set of clothes too."

  "Yes, sir."

  Soon, Lu Haoshan returned to his room to rest, Liu Jinchu put away the gifts, and Chen Zi took a cook named Xi Shu out for a stroll.

  Not long after leaving the county government office, Chen Zi secretly handed a note to the fat shopkeeper at the silk store. In less than two minutes, the note was passed into the hands of County Magistrate Gui.

  After reading the above content, Chen Gui slapped the paper on the table with a "pa" sound and gritted his teeth: "Damn it, Cao Hu is an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. How come, as soon as he heard that Lu had a backer, he quickly wagged his tail and went over?"

  "Cao Hu is a person who, according to the fortune teller, has a rebellious bone at the back of his head. No wonder so many people call him Cao Wei Yan. Hehe, indeed it's hard to know a person's heart from their face, and even harder to paint a tiger's bones. Be careful, sir." Added Zhou Da Yuan with a smirk.

  Zhou Dayuan and Cao Hu, one managing the household and the other in charge of the three classes of rapid archers, can be said to be Chen Gui's civil and military officials. Although they usually don't have any conflicts, Zhou Dayuan is a scholar, while Cao Hu is a martial artist. On the surface, they are polite to each other, but in reality, they both look down on each other and sometimes show signs of competing for favor. If one side encounters difficulties, the other will be very happy to add "fuel to the fire". Now that Cao Hu has secretly curried favor with the new county magistrate and snatched away Chen Gui's lucrative position, this household official naturally won't let go of this opportunity.

  Chen Gui's face was as calm as water, and he said coldly: "This old man has his own plans, don't say any more."

  "Yes, sir." Zhou Dayuan knew his words had touched Chen Gui's sore spot and decided to stop there.

  Chen Gui suddenly shouted loudly: "Second Chen!"

  "Old Master." Chen Gui's personal attendant immediately stepped forward to receive orders.

  "Tell him I said so, and have Cao Hu come over for a drink after he gets off work."

  "Yes, sir."

  After Chen Er retired, Chen Gui sat down, picked up a cup of tea and sipped it lightly. Zhou Dàyuan took a look at this as a sign of being sent away with tea, and it seemed that his old superior had set up this "Hongmen Banquet" without intending for him to participate. He hurriedly said: "Sir, there are still some things in the accounting room. If there's no other instruction,

  The little man then took his leave.

  "Go ahead." Chen Guidan said calmly.

  Chen Gui's mood is a bit off right now. In fact, anyone who knows that their subordinate has betrayed them will not be in a good mood, let alone someone they consider to be their left and right arm.

  Night falls, the streets are somewhat deserted, cold winds blow up a few fallen leaves, lanterns sway in the cold wind, the street is quiet and empty. Although it's almost New Year's, but in this cold season, it's naturally more comfortable for families to stay in their warm homes. Besides, the harvest was average, barely enough to get through the year, let alone next year's prospects. With bandits rising up everywhere, who knows what will happen tomorrow? On such a cold day, no one wants to be out and about.

  However, the sky was colder and darker, but the warm bed of Cuiguan's red card in Cuiguan Garden was even more tempting. Cao Hu still had to ride his horse alone to County Magistrate Chen's house. Chen Gui was not only his former superior but also the one who promoted him. As long as he spoke, Cao Hu would have no excuse to refuse. Although he was not very willing, he still had to attend the banquet on time.

  Unconsciously, they had arrived at the Chen residence. Cao Hu lightly pulled on the reins, stopping the horse, and gazed at the two large characters "Chen Residence", momentarily losing his train of thought.

  There are his own benefactors here, and also the first love he has been thinking about day and night. Every time he comes, he feels touched once again. That high threshold is for Cao Hu a door to wealth and nobility, but also a passage leading into his own heart's regrets. Each time he arrives here, there is a very complicated feeling in his heart.

  "Hey, it's Captain Cao coming! Come on, I'll hold your horse for you." At this time, the gatekeeper saw that Cao Hu was arriving and hurried over to hold his horse for him.

  "Go, feed him well." Cao Hu returned to his senses and casually tossed a silver bean to the gatekeeper, shouting loudly.

  Normally I don't use these rewards, but since Chinese New Year is approaching, it's better not to be stingy with this small amount of money. As the saying goes, "it's easy to get past the King of Hell, but hard to get past his subordinates", sometimes these little things can have a big impact.

  "Alright, Master Cao, rest assured that your horse will be well taken care of with the best feed." The gatekeeper, having received his reward, hastily replied.

  Cao Hu nodded and walked in without needing anyone to show him the way, familiar with the route.

  It's almost New Year's, and Cao Hu thought with a hint of delight that Brother Chen wouldn't be rewarding himself, would he? As Chen Gui's right-hand man, Chen Gui was quite generous to his subordinates, especially now that the New Year was approaching, it was only proper to show some appreciation. The other day, when accompanying County Magistrate to inspect the countryside, he might not have had a chance to do so, and now he had specifically called him over, yes, that must be it. After all, he had performed quite well this year, and Chen Gui had been full of praise for him.

  Yeah, not bad, Cao Hu thought with relish: the other day when he went to the countryside with County Magistrate Lu, he made a fortune, and now Chen Ge is giving him another sum, this year can be a prosperous one, yeah, that little servant girl Xiangxiang is quite good at serving people, why not tell her to redeem herself and serve him exclusively? Suddenly, Cao Hu's eyes widened, his mouth agape, his feet seemed stuck in the mud, unable to move for half a day, as if he had been immobilized by a spell.

  Woman!

  A woman walked towards him with a high bun, an oval face, a slightly plump figure, and a pair of bright single-lidded eyes that looked very spirited. She was wearing a silver-red silk shirt with a white collar, a green-edged gold-red heart-shaped armor, a white silk skirt with a pink flower pattern, and a pair of high-heeled shoes made of red gauze. She looked like a peach blossom in human form. Cao Hu stared blankly for a moment, while the woman who was walking towards him also looked surprised to see him. In an instant, their eyes met, and it seemed as if they had a thousand words to say, but neither of them spoke.

  It was still the woman who reacted first, lowering her head and saying in a low voice: "Officer Cao."

  Cao Hu's ears were filled with sound, and he couldn't help but say: "Yunniang, I...". Before he could finish speaking, the woman interrupted him:

  "General Cao, please restrain yourself, I am now a married woman, you should address me as Madame Chen or Mrs. Chen Li."

  Something's up at home, it's delayed again, sorry.