Chapter 80: Peace Between the Two

There had been too many upheavals in the Liu Residence, leaving everyone anxious and fearful. Xiao Zhi's eyes widened in shock, Uncle De's hand gripped the armrest tightly, Er Hu was panting heavily, and Farmer Jia glanced nervously around.

The one who appeared was Han Chong, carrying a wooden box in his hands.

"Brother!" Xiao Zhi sprang from his seat in surprise, and Han Chong, upon seeing Xiao Zhi, felt a wave of relief. He stepped forward and embraced him tightly—the two brothers were reunited at last.

Han Chong then handed the wooden box to Physician Du, who took from it an exquisitely crafted flower, dazzling and colorful, leaving everyone in the hall utterly astonished.

Han Chong was utterly exhausted; making fake flowers was no easy task. He had actually tracked down a seller of counterfeit flowers, someone who, in his leisure, collected all sorts of blooms, preserving them from decay and drying them to keep them lifelike. Each flower looked nearly identical to the real thing.

Next, the city's finest dyers, following Luo Gan's instructions, worked through the night to craft the imitation winter flower. By accident, other dyes were spilled into the vat, resulting in a vibrant array of colors—something never seen in the mortal world.

After all the commotion, Han Chong couldn't help but feel uneasy. What did making flowers have to do with saving Xiao Zhi? Examining the flower closely, he realized that despite its extraordinary craftsmanship, it was not as valuable as a hundred taels of gold.

Snow began to fall from the sky, settling on the leaves blanketing the ground, making it impossible to distinguish between mud and foliage. Luo Gan counted the fallen leaves, feeling deeply moved.

Beside him, Yan Shan grew increasingly anxious—the desperate situation showed no sign of improvement. Was Luo Gan making plans or simply at a loss? Even though Yan Shan understood him well, he dared not ask.

"Yan Shan... since Zhang Ji Feng has gone to the prefecture, that's a signal. Nothing else matters; Bamboo Zhang is still being held inside."

Yan Shan sighed. In the power struggles among officials, every step must be taken with caution.

"President, I think we should just go all the way!" Yan Shan spoke with conviction.

Luo Gan looked at Yan Shan, hoping he would offer something useful.

"I believe that when two strong sides clash, ultimately—"

"Get to the point!" Luo Gan cut off his rambling, making him appear unusually irritable for someone normally calm.

"Uh... just give the item to one person, and tell the other that it was stolen by them."

Luo Gan retorted, "Physician Du made the fake flower. According to the plan, it should be delivered to Wang Ge Mao, and by now, it ought to have arrived."

"But Magistrate Wang doesn't have any leverage over us, yet he's released all our guild members! That's a conspiracy."

"Yan Shan!" Luo Gan shouted angrily, "Do you suspect there's a traitor in our Bamboo Grove Guild? These are people we see day in and day out!"

In truth, Luo Gan had long suspected that the smooth release of everyone was problematic. He felt a cloud of doubt within—sometimes, when things go too smoothly, it's not a good sign. Descending is slippery, and most accidents happen due to complacency.

"I'll go to the prefecture for you, President, and clarify that Bamboo Zhang, who was arrested, is of no use!"

"Foolish! If you go recklessly, at best both of you will be imprisoned; at worst, you’ll both lose your heads!" Luo Gan slapped his thigh, clearly thinking this was a terrible idea.

"It's not a direct confrontation. I intend to feign surrender, and I'll need someone to cooperate, using an excuse to extract Bamboo Zhang."

"Impossible! That dog official Lu is no fool—how could he be so easily deceived?"

"Don't worry. Let me go. Now that both sides are wounded, each wants a resolution—they want to profit, not to continue suffering losses."

"Could it be that you..."

Luo Gan gazed into Yan Shan's eyes, noticing a bright clarity in the young man's gaze.

During this period, Zhang Ji Feng had been the most proactive, stationed in Wang Ge Mao’s office, constantly reminding himself to endure a little longer. One day, a scholarly-looking man came to see him, claiming to be from Prefect Lu’s side, and Zhang Ji Feng’s life changed.

As the saying goes, adversity breeds innovation—one must not cling stubbornly to a single path. Thus, Zhang Ji Feng switched allegiance to Prefect Lu, who promised him promotion and the chance to topple the incompetent Wang Ge Mao. Why not take advantage?

If the one suffering now wasn't Li Bu Er but rather Short Huang, Zhang Ji Feng would have been much more satisfied. Within the small office, there were only a handful of positions, and who wouldn’t covet them? Zhang Ji Feng had planned to use pretext to get rid of Short Huang, but unexpectedly, the fellow escaped and brought back reinforcements, forcing Zhang Ji Feng to abandon his plan.

But he couldn’t return empty-handed—how could he face Prefect Lu or claim any reward? Zhang Ji Feng racked his brains and, beside Sima’s residence, spotted a frozen morning glory. An idea struck him; he wrapped it up and took it away.

In the prefecture, Prefect Lu rested his chin in his hand, chewing cherries and pondering endlessly.

On his desk lay two flowers: one, a frozen morning glory brought by Zhang Ji Feng. Anping County had been frozen for months, with not a single flower in bloom—how had this morning glory survived? Zhang Ji Feng claimed it was the great treasure.

The other flower was half real, half fake, delivered by a shopkeeper. Old Hu, standing to the side, was brimming with confidence, certain that his flower was the great treasure and that there would be no problem.

A servant announced that someone was waiting outside, but Prefect Lu was impatient and not in the mood.

"Send him away! I’m not in the mood!"

"But it’s someone from the Bamboo Grove Guild—they say it’s urgent..."

"Bamboo Grove? Those bastards still have the nerve to come? Send him in!"

Old Hu and Zhang Ji Feng looked uneasy, their nerves stretched tight.

Old Hu said, "Prefect, my task is complete. Should I step out for now?"

Seeing Old Hu unable to contain himself, Zhang Ji Feng quickly echoed, "Yes! Perhaps we should step out for now?"

Prefect Lu waved them off, seeing nothing amiss.

"Wait! It’s no big deal! You two are about to be promoted and wealthy—are you still afraid of such minor matters?"

Old Hu’s anxiety deepened; he felt he could hardly breathe, worried his identity might be exposed. Zhang Ji Feng, meanwhile, struggled to respond.

"Prefect, I...I...really, it’s inconvenient..."

Prefect Lu’s gaze was fixed on the door, eager to see Luo Gan and figure out how to get the damned flower from the cunning commoners.

The clerk left, and soon Yan Shan arrived at the door, about to step forward when the clerk blocked him.

"The prefect said! Get in there!"

Yan Shan was momentarily stunned, seeing Prefect Lu on the dais, watching with keen interest, flanked by Old Hu and Zhang Ji Feng. Both men, with nowhere to retreat, stood stiffly—Old Hu dared not utter a sound, and Zhang Ji Feng tried to appear confident, though he was quite ill at ease.

Prefect Lu said nothing, simply stared at Yan Shan. Yan Shan carried no mental burden; with a twist of his body, he rolled right into the hall between Old Hu and Zhang Ji Feng.

His entrance broke the previous silence with uproarious laughter, though only Zhang Ji Feng and Old Hu could not join in.

Yan Shan rose and immediately noticed the two flowers on the table, understanding their significance.

"And who are you? What brings you here?"

"Yan Shan, at your service, bringing joyful news to the Prefect."