137. Solving a Husband's Dilemma with a Wave of the Hand

In the study at Chuyun Terrace in the Creek Garden of the Shen Estate, Lu Jin paced back and forth, his face as gloomy as water.

Yuan Fang stood off to the side, not daring to utter a word. At this point, it was an established fact that his master was, without a shadow of a doubt, the genuine second-in-command of the river bandits. But what on earth was the point of it all?

"Back then, I happened to be trapped right in the middle of the bandits' lair, so I had no choice but to play along to survive. Yet this man Lu Wei is truly a man of honor; in private, he secretly sent someone to notify the estate, which is how I found out your young mistress was gravely ill. Later on, I thought keeping such a connection alive might come in handy just in case we ever needed it."

"Now the Great Liang dynasty is in turmoil, and the Bairong forces have already broken through. That connection has become even more necessary." Lu Jin still offered an explanation to Yuan Fang; after all, he still needed to make use of people.

"Master, even so, what can we possibly expect from a band of river bandits? Now it's just brought trouble right to our doorstep." Yuan Fang had only just learned that the Bairong army had invaded, as the Shen family's intelligence channels were by far the fastest. Very few people in Jianglin City knew about it yet.

"Never underestimate river bandits. In times of chaos, how many heroes and valiant figures arise from the grass roots?"

That statement was true enough, but how could one be certain that Lu Wei would ever amount to anything? Still, Yuan Fang did not speak further, as his master was already worried sick.

Lu Jin was indeed deeply troubled. This could be considered the third genuine crisis he had faced since crossing over into this world.

The matter was simple, consisting of two main issues. The first was how to preserve the bandit faction. This happened to coincide with the current timing; with national troops mustering to guard the capital, it was virtually certain that Jiangzhou could not remain unaffected. As long as they could weather these few days, the situation should loosen up.

The difficulty, however, lay in the second issue: Ma Su had been captured by government soldiers. At present, all that was known was that he had been intercepted and ambushed by government troops in the Yunmeng Marsh some seven or eight days ago. Ma Su had stayed behind to cover their retreat, had been surrounded, and was ultimately captured. To this day, whether he was dead or alive remained unknown, which detachment of troops had captured him was unknown, and where he was imprisoned was even more obscure.

A lack of precise information was one aspect; the other, more serious problem was that Lu Jin possessed almost no usable resources of his own. Despite jumping around quite a bit during this period, looking back, he realized that everything he had built was essentially an independent system detached from the broader society of Great Liang, bearing little actual relation to the dynasty itself. When faced with a situation like this, he was completely helpless. Stripped of the Shen family's backing, Lu Jin realized he was still nothing at all, and was virtually powerless to deal with this crisis.

Should this matter be disclosed to the Shen family? And how would the Shen family view it? Lu Jin felt that rescuing such a person would certainly pose no problem for the Shen family, but asking the Shens to help release one or several river bandits was, in itself, a rather bizarre proposition.

Yet, keeping it a secret from the Shen family left him with almost no way out—he did not even know where the man was being held, let alone how to rescue him.

"I'm going to the Creek Garden!" After much deliberation, Lu Jin decided he must tell Shen Yanxi first.

Mutual concealment was the greatest danger between husband and wife, and he had no wish to keep secrets from his wife. Moreover, on another level, Lu Wei was their benefactor; had he not sent someone to notify the family, the two of them would not even be husband and wife today, and whether they were dead or alive would remain unknown.

Therefore, the immediate step was to tell Shen Yanxi and listen to her perspective.

***

In the Cloud-Viewing Tower at the Creek Garden of the Shen Estate, Madam! When Lu Jin arrived at the Cloud-Viewing Tower, he saw his wife sunbathing downstairs alongside Shen Yanyun and Tantai Yue, various items spread out across a wide carpet.

This was certainly mistimed. Why on earth had Shen Yanyun run over here again?

"Husband!" Seeing her husband approach, Shen Yanxi hurriedly stood up from her recliner, a smile blooming across her face.

Following the deep affection and intimacy shared by the couple the previous night, the lingering grievances in Shen Yanxi's heart had vanished. Naturally, it was not that Shen Yanxi was so superficial as to let everything go simply because of marital intimacy. Most importantly, she had a husband who constantly kept her in his thoughts—one who had even hurried back in the middle of the night out of fear that she would worry. If she were to continue overthinking after that, she would truly be acting overly sensitive.

Lu Jin naturally took Shen Yanxi’s outstretched hand, her smile overflowing with tenderness.

"Elder Sister and Miss Tantai are here as well," Lu Jin greeted them naturally.

"Yes, just soaking up the sun with Xier," Shen Yanyun said with a smile.

"It is indeed good to get more sun; staying indoors all the time isn't very healthy," Lu Jin chatted casually.

"Nanquan is probably here to see Xier about something. Will we be in the way if we stay here?"

"Not at all. I just need to discuss a few things with Xier. Elder Sister and Miss Tantai should feel free to do as you please."

After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Jin took Shen Yanxi by the hand and led her inside the room.

"Shuqing, have the other maidservants step outside. I need to discuss something with your young mistress," Lu Jin said, looking at Shuqing. For now, the fewer people who knew, the better. As for the personal maidservants—well, since they were already so close, hiding things from them would only hurt their feelings.

"Madam, I truly am the second-in-command of the river bandits," Lu Jin confessed to Shen Yanxi as soon as the maidservants had withdrawn.

"Pfft! Greetings, Second-in-Command Husband!" Shen Yanxi’s face broke into a radiant smile, completely baffled as to why her husband would make such a random remark out of nowhere.

"You must know about my involvement with the bandits, Madam. Back then..." Lu Jin recounted the actual circumstances and his reasoning once again to Shen Yanxi.

As she listened, Shen Yanxi gradually grew serious.

"Take Lu Wei, for instance. Although he is a river bandit, he is genuine and values righteousness. If he hadn't truly regarded your husband as a brother, there would have been no future for the two of us."

"What my husband says is true. Brother Lu is indeed our benefactor as a couple, and a benefactor to the Shen family as well," Shen Yanxi said solemnly.

"Furthermore, even back then, I worried that these troubled times might worsen. Having established that connection with Lu Wei, I thought that maintaining it well might eventually prove useful. You are well aware of the current situation, Madam, and my predictions are mostly accurate. I have no wish to abandon Lu Wei's network, not only because of fraternal loyalty, but also to retain a fallback option," Lu Jin continued.

"The man who came yesterday was delivering a message. Now they have suffered heavy losses due to the government suppression. However, I am not overly concerned about that part; with the Bairong invasion happening now, the military forces in Jiangzhou will inevitably be redeployed. Once we weather this period, things should improve."

"The real trouble is that several of our brothers have been captured by government soldiers. Whether they are dead or alive remains unknown..."

"Ah, so my husband really is the genuine second-in-command. This humble wife offers her respect," Shen Yanxi teased with a smile.

"I'm glad you aren't upset that I kept it from you at first, Madam."

"You worry too much, Husband. I can fully understand your thoughts. Besides, your reasoning is sound, especially in these turbulent times. Your foresight far surpasses that of ordinary people..."

Lu Jin could only rely on this little bit of capability; otherwise, he would have had no way to survive in this fictional dynasty.

"So your hurried arrival was entirely because of this matter?"

"Indeed." Wasn't this matter big enough? He was genuinely at his wit's end.

"Madam, do you think we should inform Father?" Lu Jin's current inclination was to tell Shen Hao and let him handle it. In principle, the family did indeed owe a debt of gratitude.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Husband. Let me handle it. Siqin, go summon the steward."

The maidservants, who had been listening in stunned silence, finally snapped back to their senses. This was extraordinary—their master really was a river bandit!

Siqin hurried off to fetch the steward, and the atmosphere in the room livened up once again.

"Now that you know your master is a river bandit, are you scared, Huanyan?" Lu Jin joked.

"This servant isn't frightened at all. Even if Master is a river bandit, he's a good one," Huanyan replied with a smile while pouring fresh tea.

"Let's keep this matter strictly among us in this room; don't let word spread outside," Shen Yanxi instructed.

The maidservants promptly acknowledged the command.

After a short while, Siqin returned to the hall accompanied by Steward Uncle Su.

"Young Mistress! Master!" The steward bowed respectfully upon seeing the couple.

"Uncle Su, take my calling card along with the bandit brother who was captured last night, and take a few men with you to see Nanmen Yue. Find out where the recently captured bandits are being held, and bring back anyone whom that bandit brother recognizes."

"Understood, Young Mistress." Uncle Su accepted the calling card from the maidservant and withdrew.

"Husband?" Having finished giving her instructions, Shen Yanxi turned around only to find her husband staring blankly.

"Huh? Oh, Uncle Su is leaving just like that?" Lu Jin asked, still in a state of shock.

"Rest assured, Husband. As long as they haven't been executed, they will surely be brought back to you. Just wait here for the news," Shen Yanxi said softly.

Lu Jin's mind went numb. What was the point of him struggling and stressing out over it? All his hard work couldn't compare to a single word from her. Such was the tragedy of being an ordinary person.

"Madam, will this cause any problems? Won't Nanmen Yue suspect our family?" Lu Jin asked.

"Nanmen Yue is already one of our people; what is there to suspect? Would the Shen family throw Jiangzhou into chaos? Nanmen Yue will handle everything properly, so you can rest easy, Husband." Seeing her husband wearing that dazed expression again, Shen Yanxi smiled even more brightly. She simply adored how foolishly endearing he looked.

"..." Lu Jin truly didn't know what to say. He had been racking his brains in anxiety, yet the issue was resolved just like that?

"Should I go along and take a look..." Lu Jin muttered as he stepped down from the couch and started toward the door. Ordinary bandits aside, why were they holding the third-in-command?

"Come back, Husband!" Never expecting her husband to be so impatient, Shen Yanxi called out sharply.

"Huh?" Startled by the shout, Lu Jin immediately halted in his tracks.

Shen Yanxi let out a soft chuckle, quickly rose to her feet, pulled her husband back, and made him sit on the couch once more.

"Just sit quietly, Husband. The steward will bring them back himself. That sort of place is not somewhere you need to visit," Shen Yanxi soothed.

Just as Lu Jin was about to explain his reasoning, he heard Shen Yanxi continue:

"Since you are the second-in-command, Husband, you should all the more remain right here and wait. I know you are sincere and open-hearted, Husband, but the art of governing subordinates—regardless of their status—requires a balance of both benevolence and sternness. You rescuing them is a tremendous act of kindness. Having them come to the Shen Estate to pay their respects to you will appropriately establish your authority."

Shen Yanxi was actually reluctant to lecture her husband in this manner; she loved him precisely for his sincerity and straightforwardness. But since her husband harbored ambitions of surviving and establishing himself in these turbulent times, she could not simply watch him rely solely on impulsive passion and raw sincerity. The ways of the world and human hearts were complex, and not everyone possessed genuine loyalty. She feared that someone might betray him down the road, and she didn't even dare to imagine how her husband would cope if that happened.

Her husband was not incapable; it was just that he often failed to gauge the proper measure of things, frequently acting purely on impulse and mood.

Only then did Lu Jin understand why Shen Yanxi had stopped him from going. Of course! Why were imperial palaces built with such imposing grandeur? Aside from the emperor's residential needs, the atmosphere projected by such architecture was a form of intimidation. Through solemn buildings and regulated rituals, people naturally developed a feeling of awe. Stripped of all that, wasn't the person sitting on the dragon throne just an ordinary human being?

If he sat right here while the bandit brothers entered this Creek Garden, unaccustomed to such luxury as they were, which of them wouldn't be awe-struck? Without having to grovel or bare his heart, Lu Jin could plant a deep sense of reverence directly into their minds.

"Your advice is spot on, Madam. Your husband has taken it to heart." Lu Jin hurriedly pulled Shen Yanxi into his embrace. Having a good wife was truly of utmost importance to a man. Today's events had vividly demonstrated the truth of that.

Shen Yanxi felt a momentary flicker of worry as to whether her husband would resent her for offering such guidance. But seeing the sincere smile on his face, her mind was set at ease, and she wrapped her delicate arms around his neck.

After all, her man was extraordinary.