Duan Ling rubbed his nose awkwardly. "In any case, as long as you’re okay, we can rest easy." As he spoke, he couldn’t help but stand on his toes to peer at the large rock behind Lu Zhan.

He saw that it was covered with a thick layer of leaves.

Duan Ling clicked his tongue in amazement. "Old Lu, when did you get so delicate? Piling up all these leaves... Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’ve had a beautiful lady keeping you company these past two days."

The corner of Lu Zhan’s eye twitched. He ignored him and walked straight toward the boat moored by the shore.

Watching his retreating figure, Duan Ling stroked his chin, lost in thought.

’Could it be? Did Old Lu really hide a beautiful lady here?’

At this thought, he looked all around.

But this deserted island had nothing but the jungle in the distance.

’So, don’t tell me Old Lu ran into a female ghost?’

Duan Ling shuddered and hurried to follow him.

Once on board, Duan Ling stammered, "Old Lu, these past two days... you didn’t run into anything... unclean, did you?"

Lu Zhan took the cloth Jiang Shi handed him to wipe his face. Hearing the question, he shot Duan Ling a cold glare. "I did."

Duan Ling was startled, a chill running down his spine. "You really did?"

"Wasn’t it you?" Lu Zhan said unhurriedly.

Duan Ling choked. "I’m being serious. After all, this island is completely deserted. You stayed here for two nights. What if some lonely ghost..."

"Confucius did not speak of uncanny things, feats of strength, disorder, or spiritual beings. Have you forgotten everything you’ve ever read?" Lu Zhan cut him off, his voice deep.

Duan Ling was a bit chagrined. "If not, then why did you gather so many leaves to cover that rock? You’re not the type who can’t handle a little hardship."

"I wanted to sleep a little more comfortably. Is that not allowed?" Lu Zhan retorted.

"Of course it is, but..." Duan Ling still felt something was off.

It couldn’t have been easy to gather those leaves, especially so many of them.

Knowing Old Lu, he would never do something that wasted so much time.

"Did you happen to meet some beauty when you fell into the river?" Duan Ling asked instead.

The corner of Lu Zhan’s eye twitched again. He changed the subject. "The ship that sank last time, how many casualties were there?"

"That ship was just bait to lure out the mastermind. There weren’t many people on board, and they were all excellent swimmers. There were no deaths, but a few were seriously injured. They’ve all been taken care of, though," Duan Ling replied.

"That’s good." Lu Zhan was relieved.

"Right, why was your ship blown up and sunk? Did the mastermind realize there was no treasure on board and blew it up in a fit of rage?" Duan Ling asked.

"Yes." Lu Zhan nodded.

Duan Ling said in shock, "But even if there was no treasure, the ship was filled with their own pirates! They actually disregarded the lives of their own men. How ruthless!"

"Their goal was always the treasure. As for the lives of those pirates, they couldn’t care less," Lu Zhan said.

Duan Ling nodded. "Those pirates have committed countless evils, murdering and robbing people. Being blown up by their own kind is no more than they deserve. But luckily, you kept two of them alive beforehand, and the treasure has been safely transported to the capital. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Speaking of which, your move was truly brilliant.

The mastermind would never have guessed that the large ship you were on had nothing but pirates and no treasure. You had already moved the treasure to a merchant ship.

I just didn’t expect them to disregard the lives of those pirates and blow up the ship directly. It’s a good thing you’re alright, or else I wouldn’t have known how to face your parents."

Lu Zhan took the teacup from Jiang Shi, took a sip, and asked, "Did you find the mastermind then?"

Speaking of that, Duan Ling sounded a bit defeated. "I followed your orders and lay in wait with my men to capture the mastermind. But after all these days of hard work, we only caught a few small fry who blew up the ship. We didn’t even see a shadow of the mastermind. It seems they’re even more cunning than we imagined. Could it really be a descendant of King Jin?"

"Even if it isn’t, it’s related to King Jin’s descendants," Lu Zhan said. "Otherwise, how would you explain the tattoos on those pirates?"

"That’s true," Duan Ling nodded.

"Has Miss Liu confessed?" Lu Zhan asked, changing the topic slightly.

Duan Ling frowned. "Those two pirates are tight-lipped and still refuse to reveal the mastermind. Miss Liu also said she wants to see Chen Jiu. By the way, Chen Jiu escorted your cousin back to the capital, so he should have arrived long ago. When he gets here, we’ll have him force a confession out of Miss Liu. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just have to make Chen Jiu sacrifice his good looks again. I think that Miss Liu has genuinely fallen for him."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt his plan was feasible.

’But I never would have guessed Chen Jiu had that kind of charm, enough to make a female pirate fall so deeply in love with him.’

"Chen Jiu isn’t coming," Lu Zhan said.

"Why not?" Duan Ling was stunned. "You’re used to working with Chen Jiu. Why not have him keep helping you here in Yangzhou?"

"Jiang Shi is here. That’s enough," Lu Zhan said flatly.

"How is that enough? Miss Liu is so tight-lipped, only Chen Jiu can get her to talk. Why won’t you let him come back to Yangzhou?" Duan Ling asked, confused.

"I have other arrangements for him." Lu Zhan didn’t want to say more and stood up, walking to the deck.

Duan Ling followed him out. "Other arrangements? You didn’t assign Chen Jiu to follow your cousin, did you?"

Lu Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the river’s surface without a word.

Seeing this, Duan Ling said in disbelief, "I was right? No, wait. Why would you have Chen Jiu follow your cousin? Is she in some kind of danger? But she’s a young lady who never leaves the house, what danger could she possibly be in? Old Lu, don’t tell me you’re afraid some other man will snatch her away, so you’ve got Chen Jiu keeping an eye on her?"

Lu Zhan ignored his string of questions and asked, "Has the new Magistrate sent by the Court arrived?"

Seeing that he wasn’t going to answer, Duan Ling took the hint and didn’t press the matter. "He arrived the day before yesterday," he replied.

Lu Zhan nodded. "Since things in Yangzhou are settled, we’ll head directly to Jiangning."

Duan Ling had no objections.

Lu Zhan’s gaze suddenly fell upon Jiang Shi.

He had never paid much attention to Jiang Shi’s appearance before, but looking closely now, he realized the man was indeed rather handsome.

Recalling what his cousin had said to him at the docks the day she left Yangzhou, his dark eyes narrowed slightly. ’My cousin likes Jiang Shi’s type?’

Sensing the Princely Heir’s scrutiny, Jiang Shi’s scalp tingled. He couldn’t help but ask, "Does the Princely Heir have any orders?"

Lu Zhan withdrew his gaze, lightly tapping his long fingers on the railing a few times. He said suddenly, "Jiang Shi, you’ve been with me for many years. After we return to the capital this time, I’ll have my mother arrange a marriage for you."

Jiang Shi was stunned. When he came to his senses, he hurriedly refused, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Princely Heir, but this subordinate doesn’t wish to start a family yet."

"You don’t want to start a family? You’re not getting any younger. How long do you plan on waiting? Or... is there already a young woman you admire?" Lu Zhan frowned, his handsome face showing his displeasure.