Chapter 308 - 244: Less Empty Talk, More Concrete Action

Chapter 308: Chapter 244: Less Empty Talk, More Concrete Action

Wasn’t that the once-illustrious Prince Yu, Yan Rui?

Though Jiang Feng was only a second-rank Martial Artist, he was extremely well-connected. To put it bluntly, the man knew people everywhere. That was how he had seen Yan Rui a few times in the past.

’But didn’t he run off to the Huangpu Guard and then disappear along with the commander of the Black Banner Camp, Zhang Pengcheng?’

’Did he come back because he saw the situation stabilizing?’

Jiang Feng’s thoughts raced, but his face remained impassive.

"I was wondering who it was. So it’s Lord Yann!"

Jiang Feng didn’t address him by his title of ’Prince,’ but instead called him ’Lord Yann’.

At that moment, Yan Rui recognized Jiang Feng as well.

He had an excellent memory; even if he had only met someone once, long ago, he could still recognize them in an instant.

"Jiang Leader, would it be convenient for you to let me see Master Wu?" Yan Rui said, clasping his hands.

Jiang Feng was about to refuse, but then it occurred to him that Master Wu might want to see the prince, so he nodded.

"Very well. Please follow me!"

Led by Jiang Feng, Yan Rui and the old eunuch entered the Xu family residence, one walking behind the other.

By now, Xu Kai’s injuries had improved greatly; he could at least get out of bed.

He grew curious when he saw Jiang Feng lead two people in.

"Feng, who are these... ah?"

Xu Kai cried out in shock as the courtyard lanterns illuminated the faces of the two people behind Jiang Feng.

"Pri... Prince Yu?"

Yan Rui gave Xu Kai a slight nod but said nothing, continuing to follow Jiang Feng directly into the rear courtyard.

"This is Master Wu’s residence. Please wait a moment while I go announce your arrival," Jiang Feng said, turning back to them.

Yan Rui smiled faintly. "Thank you for your trouble."

Jiang Feng turned and left.

The old eunuch was filled with resentment.

’Usually, my master is the one who summons others. Now, he’s the one waiting in a courtyard to be summoned.’

’It’s a complete reversal of the natural order.’

However, he only dared to entertain these thoughts in his mind, not letting the slightest hint of them show on his face.

Just as he was grumbling to himself, a calm voice suddenly emanated from the room.

"Come in."

Yan Rui took a deep breath, straightened his robes, and strode into the room.

He was immediately greeted by a wave of warmth, a rare and welcome sensation for Yan Rui, who had been freezing outside all day.

Then he saw Wu Liangchen sitting at a table, watching him with an inscrutable half-smile.

A thought flashed through Yan Rui’s mind.

’He truly is the man who turned all of Great Yan upside down. Wu Liangchen’s presence feels even more profound and steady than the last time I saw him.’

He stepped forward, clasped his fists, and performed a deep bow. "Yan Rui greets Master Wu!"

Wu Liangchen remained completely unmoved, accepting the bow with calm composure before speaking coolly.

"To what do I owe the honor of a visit from Your Highness, Prince Yu?"

Yan Rui fell silent for a moment. He clearly hadn’t expected Wu Liangchen to leave him no room for pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase.

’This was fine, too. It saved them the trouble of beating around the bush.’

He looked up, his gaze fixed on Wu Liangchen, and spoke slowly. "Master Wu, I returned to the capital today to find the streets overflowing with people. When I inquired, I learned that it was you who opened the national treasury to distribute money and grain to the commoners."

"That’s right, I did it. Is there a problem?" Wu Liangchen raised an eyebrow slightly and asked.

"There is no problem, of course. But there is one thing I don’t understand and would like to ask you."

"Go on."

"Now that you’ve emptied the treasury, have you given any thought to what comes next?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wu Liangchen asked lightly.

"The national treasury is fundamental to the realm’s security. Now that you’ve given it all away, what will you do if foreign enemies invade our borders?" Yan Rui asked, his voice grave and his expression solemn.

Wu Liangchen fell silent.

The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense.

The old eunuch was so scared he kept wiping away his sweat.

’With Wu Liangchen’s power, he could kill the two of them with a mere flick of a finger, leaving them without even a proper burial.’

Yet he didn’t dare intervene, so he could only stand behind Yan Rui, steeling himself for death.

Just then, Wu Liangchen suddenly started to laugh.

His laughter was filled with contempt and disdain.

"A good question. Pity it’s completely misguided."

Then Wu Liangchen looked up at Yan Rui, his tone growing cold. "Let’s not even talk about foreign invaders. Let me ask you one thing: before, when disaster struck all over Great Yan, when the dead littered the fields, when refugees were everywhere, when people resorted to eating their own children—what did people like you do? Did a single copper plate or a single grain of rice from that treasury ever serve its purpose?"

Yan Rui was immediately stumped. After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally said, "But those were natural disasters. I’m talking about a foreign invasion..."

"What? In the eyes of His Highness Prince Yu, are the innocent people who starved to death less important than a potential foreign invasion that might never come?" Wu Liangchen said coldly.

Now it was Yan Rui’s turn to be silent. But after a moment, he spoke again. "I admit there’s some truth to what you say, and I don’t want to see the tragedy of people eating their children either. But if foreign enemies invade, the entire nation will be lost. The people might suffer even more then."

"Enough!" Wu Liangchen suddenly shouted, then shook his head with a look of complete disappointment.

"Honestly, Yan Rui, when we met before at the Jufu Pavilion in the Huangpu Guard, even though I didn’t agree with what you said, you at least earned a sliver of my respect."

"But now you’re trying to fool me with these far-fetched, high-sounding principles. Do you really take me for an idiot?"

Faced with Wu Liangchen’s mockery, Yan Rui’s face paled. He was about to speak but was cut off.

"I know what you’re going to say, and frankly, I’m not interested in grand notions of national duty. I’ll tell you this: a nation is made up of its ordinary people. When those people have all starved to death, every other justification is just a pathetic excuse."

"I know you’re not convinced. You probably even think that this money flowing into the commoners’ pockets is as good as throwing it in the river. But this is the only way for the people at the bottom to see any real benefit. As for everything else... it’s all bullshit!"

Having said this, Wu Liangchen stood up. "I’ll leave you with one last piece of advice: talk less about empty ideals and think more about actual, living people."

After saying this, Wu Liangchen asked Jiang Feng, "Is the intelligence confirmed?"

"It’s been confirmed!"

"Let’s go!"

With that, Wu Liangchen turned and left, leaving the master and servant stranded in the room.

Yan Rui looked down, speechless.

The old eunuch finally recovered his wits and said cautiously, "Master, don’t be angry. That was all treasonous nonsense, not even worth refuting. Why don’t we leave?"

He was afraid that if Yan Rui stayed any longer, something else might happen.

At that, Yan Rui finally raised his head. He glanced in the direction Wu Liangchen had left, his expression exceedingly complex.

There was anger, shock, but more than anything, there was confusion.

He couldn’t understand where Wu Liangchen had gotten such ideas—ideas that had refuted him so completely he was left speechless.

He had originally planned to use this approach to win Wu Liangchen’s support and thereby regain his chance to return to the political stage.

Instead, he had completely botched it.

He let out a slow breath and said wearily, "Let’s go."

The old eunuch was delighted. "Right away, Master! Watch your step, the road is slippery from the snow."

And so, the master and servant left.

Wu Liangchen, for his part, couldn’t have cared less.

He had no intention of killing Yan Rui; there was no point in killing such a person.

It was better to let the bloody reality of the world teach him the truth.

He had already arrived at the Jiang family residence, where he met with Jiang Minghai.

Jiang Minghai smiled at him. "Just as we predicted. After laying low for a while, He Chang’an finally couldn’t help himself."

"My men who were tailing him sent word today. They said He Chang’an suddenly booked a banquet at the Anxiang Pavilion, claiming he was going carousing to blow off some steam, but I feel there’s something fishy about it."

To an old hand like Jiang Minghai, brothels and taverns were the most motley of places, and therefore the easiest places to conceal one’s activities.

So there was definitely something wrong with this Anxiang Pavilion.

Wu Liangchen nodded. "Has He Chang’an set out yet?"

"He just got in his carriage and is on his way to Anxiang Pavilion," Jiang Feng said immediately.

"Let’s go. We’ll wait for him up ahead!"