Going with the flow of human relationships

  Feng Lun introduced him to Yuwen Zhi, the second son of Yuwen Shu, a prominent figure in the imperial court and the Left Feathered Forest Guard General. He was also a young rich man who had become a fifth-grade official before the age of thirty and was responsible for the construction of the Fen Yang Palace.

  Yuwen Zhi gave him a haughty greeting and then ignored him completely.

  After the banquet, Feng Lun had Pei Qiantong brought to the study. When Pei Qiantong first entered the study, Feng Lun was sorting through a wooden box containing hundreds of paintings and IOUs for sold artworks. Seeing him arrive, he put away a contract with Zhang's signature in the box, stood up to greet him, warmly putting his arm around his shoulder, and spoke some encouraging words about his limitless future prospects. He led him to sit down in a chair beside the desk and had someone pour him a cup of tea.

  Then Feng Lun's tone changed and he asked: "I heard that Dugu Sheng broke into your mansion and severely injured you, is this true?"

  Pei Qiantong knew that Feng Lun's eyes and ears were all over Luoyang, so he didn't dare to hide the truth. He hastily nodded in agreement and told him everything about Dugu Sheng breaking into his mansion and asking for Zhang Shi's sale contract.

  "Are you feeling better?"

  "Thank you for your concern, Lord Feng. It's nothing now."

  "That's good." Feng Lun suddenly asked: "By the way, what was the name of that tofu Western dish you mentioned earlier?"

  "Zhang E." Pei Xiantong saw Feng Lun ask about Zhang's family, and his face had a difficult expression. "Feng sir, this matter is probably going to end like this, please forgive me. General Dugu Sheng seems to have some connection with this woman, if we touch her, it will be hard to explain to General Dugu."

  "Zhang E?" Feng Lun fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something and walked over to the desk, sat down, and began flipping through a volume of scriptures. As he flipped through the pages, a subtle, enigmatic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and without lifting his head, he said: "Lord Pei, you don't need to concern yourself with her affairs anymore; I will personally explain everything clearly to General Dugu."

  Pei Qiantong was deeply moved and said: "Thank you so much, Lord Feng. As for my transfer to the position of Jianmen Zhige, I would like to ask Lord Feng to put in a good word for me with His Majesty."

  "Don't worry, I will recommend you to the Emperor tomorrow at court. If nothing unexpected happens, the appointment will be issued in a month's time. Today there are many guests and I am busy with social obligations, please forgive me if I have not been attentive enough, Lord Pei."

  Pei Qiantong smiled and said: "I dare not, I dare not, it's too much trouble for Lord Feng. If Lord Feng has no other business, I will take my leave first."

  "That official won't be sent, come on, send Lord Pei."

  After Pei Qiantong left, Feng Lun put down the case files in his hand and picked up the contract from the wooden box on the desk. He muttered to himself: "It's actually the descendant of an old acquaintance, Dugu Sheng this old scoundrel. When he was 40 years old, he didn't even come when I sent out invitations for his birthday celebration. This time, he probably can't help but acknowledge my kindness."

  As he spoke, he ordered the guards at the gate: "Someone, prepare the sedan chair!"

  ……

  The residence of General You Tunwei.

  Dugu Sheng held a deed of sale with Song Lao's painting and seal, took a closer look, put it back on the table, and remained calm.

  Feng Lun sat on his right side, sipping tea with a leisurely expression.

  "Lord Feng has personally visited, I'm afraid I didn't welcome you from afar, and for the slow response, please forgive me. I heard that today is Lord Feng's 40th birthday, and I should have prepared a thick gift, but unfortunately, these past few days have been chaotic with bandits rising up, and defense duties have been busy, really can't spare any time. I thought of visiting another day, but didn't expect Lord Feng to personally come, what instructions do you have?"

  "I dare not, I dare not. General Dugu is a noble and busy person, how could I, Feng Mou, dare to make demands? This time, I actually came because I heard that General, you entered the Salt Union's Pei Mansion for a tofu-selling woman, injured the Du Shui Envoy Pei Qiantong, and startled the Emperor. That's why I, Feng Mou, came to ask about it. I heard that this woman is named Zhang E, don't know if it's true or not?"

  "If Lord Feng has come to gather information, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep you company any longer." Dugu Sheng stood up.

  Feng Lun sat still, smiling and said: "Feng Mou checked the official records of the Ministry of Justice and found that the daughter of Zhang Heng, the former Imperial Censor-in-Chief who was beheaded by the Emperor, was also named Zhang E. I had a few dealings with Zhang Gong back then, but when he got into trouble, his family disappeared without a trace. At that time, I was just a minor official of the 6th rank and although I wanted to help, I was powerless. Now that his daughter Zhang E has suddenly appeared in Luoyang, I remembered this and came to confirm with Dugu Gong."

  Du Gu's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his head to stare at Feng Lun.

  "General Dugu, don't misunderstand. This time I came, it's not to make things difficult for General Dugu. The matter from ten years ago, if I wasn't familiar with Lord Zhang Heng, even if the name Zhang E was mentioned, I wouldn't have remembered that she is actually the daughter of an old acquaintance."

  Dugu Xuan sat down again and asked faintly: "Lord Feng, what is your intention for coming this time? Please speak clearly."

  Feng Lun burst out laughing: "General Dugu is indeed a straightforward person, and I, Feng, will not beat around the bush either. Actually, this time I came to find General Dugu because I have in my hands a deed of sale with Zhang E's personal signature, which was sent to my mansion by Pei Qian Tong a month ago. According to the laws of Great Sui, she is already a concubine in my household. You also know that recently Western Tujue invaded our border, killing and looting our people, at a time when we are facing internal and external troubles. The Emperor plans to send me as an envoy to negotiate with Western Tujue. I have seen Zhang E before, she is indeed a stunning beauty who can captivate one's heart at first sight. If we can offer her to the Khan of Tujue, I believe the border conflicts will be resolved satisfactorily."

  Du Gu's voice was cold and stern: "With the great prosperity of Sui, it has actually come to the point where we have to use a woman as a marriage offering in exchange for peace talks. Lord Feng, you are indeed a great contributor!"

  Feng Lun smiled and said, "General Dugu's military prowess is renowned, his bravery unmatched. It's only natural that he would look down on my humble plan. But when two countries are at war, the upper class fights with words, while the lower class fights with swords. If we were to engage in mutual attacks, countless soldiers would die or be injured, and civilians would be forced to flee, leaving their homes behind. If I can exchange a few dozen women for years, even decades of peace, allowing our people to live in tranquility, then I, Feng Lun, am willing to bear the weight of eternal infamy!"

  "Lord Feng has such high awareness!"

  "I dare not, this time I came not to debate with General Wei about the way of governing the country and bringing prosperity to the world. In ancient times, there were Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, one civil and one military, who complemented each other and maintained the stability and prosperity of Zhao for decades. Now, we have Dugu Xiong and General Wei as pillars of the state. I do not dare compare myself to Lin Xiangru, but nor do I wish to clash with General Wei due to differences in opinion, affecting the peace and prosperity of Great Sui. I hope that we can seek common ground while maintaining our differences, and work together to assist His Majesty, creating a prosperous era..."

  Feng Lun said a string of nice words, then suddenly changed his tone: "Feng Mou knows that the Dark Guard General and Zhang Gong are old friends, so he definitely doesn't want to see her orphaned daughter become a plaything for men. Therefore, he personally brought her contract to sell herself to Dugu Dark Guard General, to show that Feng Mou has no intention of opposing Dark Guard General. Please also ask Dark Guard General to understand Feng Mou's kind intentions."

  Dugu Xing stared at Feng Lun for a long time before sighing and saying, "Lord Feng, you didn't come just to ask me for a favor this time, did you?"

  Feng Lun stood up with a smile: "I only came for this matter, and I know that the Dark Guard General is busy with official duties, so I won't disturb him. I'll take my leave now."

  Du Guo Sheng was stunned for a moment, he couldn't guess what Feng's intention was behind this move, and he couldn't help but feel that this person was unfathomable. He stood up: "I'll see Lord Feng off."

  "I dare not trouble General."

  After seeing off Feng Lun, Dugu Sheng returned to the hall alone, picked up the contract on the table, and was silent for a long time. He sighed: "No wonder this person is so young and has such an important position, doing things without any mistakes, with deep and profound strategies. I really don't know if he is a blessing or a curse for the Great Sui."

  After finishing speaking, he took Zhang's sale contract and turned into the study.