Chapter 134: Luzon Tian Luo, the Four Great Meritorious Officials

"You and your aunt are worlds apart!"

With a gentle side step to avoid Li Wan'er's approach, Lu Sheng frowned and spoke softly to her.

Just moments before, upon hearing of Consort Yue's legendary deeds, he had indeed felt a glimmer of interest in the descendants of this remarkable woman.

However, upon seeing Li Wan'er in person, that interest vanished instantly.

Not only did this woman pose seductively the moment they met, but the impure and chaotic vital energy she carried told Lu Sheng clearly that not only was her martial prowess lackluster, but she had also been intimate with goodness knows how many men.

The mere thought of this filled Lu Sheng with instant revulsion, extinguishing any lingering interest completely.

"Oh, young master, are you really not interested in me?"

"The secret arts of the Yin-Yang Sect will guarantee your satisfaction!"

Seeming entirely unperturbed by Lu Sheng's clear disgust, Li Wan'er swayed her upper body and continued to press closer to him.

Ever since Lu Sheng defeated Lu Yunfei more than two months ago, accompanied by rumors of his striking good looks, Li Wan'er had set her sights on him.

Yet for those two months, Lu Sheng had consistently declared himself in closed-door seclusion. Even with the desire to get close, Li Wan'er had never found an opportunity.

Attending this gathering at the Hundred Flower Garden today was partly due to her sect's instructions, but driven far more by her own curiosity.

True enough, upon laying eyes on Lu Sheng's handsome visage, her heart had immediately been stirred. Especially when drawing close to him and sensing the surging, mighty vital energy within his body, it drove home a singular thought to her—

She simply had to make this man her own!

"Step aside, I have no interest in a woman reeking of chaotic impurities!"

As Li Wan'er indulged in her pleasant daydreams, she suddenly felt as though an invisible wall of air stood between herself and Lu Sheng, blocking her advance. Then, she heard those exact words fall from his lips.

"Reeking of chaotic impurities, you..."

Grasping the true meaning behind those words, a wave of profound humiliation surged from the depths of Li Wan'er's heart. Her face flushed scarlet, and casting all decorum aside, she opened her mouth to unleash a torrent of abuse.

Yet the moment she parted her lips, a strange, uncanny force enveloped her, rendering her entirely unable to move her jaw.

"How dare you seal my voice! Fine, Lu Sheng, just you wait!"

Grinding her teeth together as if she might shatter them, Li Wan'er caught sight of surrounding gazes turning toward them. With an angry stamp of her foot, she turned and stormed away in bitter resentment.

***

"This..."

Staring dumbfounded at this sudden turn of events, Lu Yun希 never imagined that despite everything he had told Lu Sheng about the woman, Lu Sheng would treat Consort Yue's niece with such absolute ruthlessness.

Was he not afraid that this woman would stir up trouble and ruin his plans?

"How many men are held under this woman's skirts?"

Having hurried over quickly, Lu Yun希 had barely managed to catch breath before hearing Lu Sheng's question.

Hearing this, he hurriedly replied:

"Li Wan'er is exceptionally beautiful and happens to be Consort Yue's niece. Although she belongs to the Yin-Yang Sect, countless people are more than willing to associate with her."

"Aside from the sons of the current Emperor, many young men from the Yun generation, such as Lu Yunfei and Lu Yunyi, count themselves among her admirers."

"Once she stirs them into action, they are bound to make things difficult for you!"

With these words, Lu Yun希 filled Lu Sheng in on the background of Li Wan'er.

As it turned out, Consort Yue's younger brother—Li Wan'er's father—had risen to prominence entirely on the coattails of his exalted sister. Capitalizing on this, he took numerous wives and concubines, single-mindedly intent on breeding even more striking children so as to climb higher by attaching themselves to powerful nobles.

Among all his children, Li Wan'er bore the most striking resemblance to Consort Yue.

Growing up in such an environment and subsequently being taken in by the Yin-Yang Sect, it was easy to imagine just how unrestrained and dissolute Li Wan'er had become as she matured.

Throughout the entire capital city of Yujing, the influential nobles known to have had romantic entanglements with her numbered no less than several dozens—

Gathered together, these individuals undoubtedly constituted a formidable faction!

The mere thought filled Lu Yun希 with deep apprehension, prompting him to advise Lu Sheng:

"Your Highness, perhaps it would be wiser to offer her a slight apology, and wait until the enfeoffment ceremony has concluded before avoiding her!"

"Apologize? Apologize for what?" Retorting with a question of his own, Lu Sheng said, "She is merely a relative by marriage; there is no need to pay her any mind."

"Now, let us go meet the hosts of this gathering!"

Prompting Lu Yun希 to point the way, Lu Sheng strode forward toward Lu Yunxiang and the others—

He truly wanted to see which of these gathering organizers might be connected to the Yin-Yang Sect and had deliberately lured Li Wan'er here.

***

"Prince Jin, whatever brings you to our humble circle?"

"Could it be that Li Wan'er failed to entertain you properly, prompting you to seek amusement with us instead?"

Upon seeing Lu Sheng approach, one of the bolder young women among Lu Yunxiang's circle called out to him.

Judging by the way she cast him a flirtatious glance, it was evident that Lu Sheng's peerless good looks had already captured her attention.

However, having just shaken off Li Wan'er, how could Lu Sheng possibly harbor any interest in her? With an intrigued gaze fixed upon Lu Yunxiang, he remarked:

"You must be Lu Yunxiang? No wonder! No wonder!"

"No wonder what?" rebuked the woman sharply, having received a cold shoulder.

Ignoring her entirely, Lu Sheng chuckled heartily, took a deep breath through his nose, and said, "With a fragrance as enchanting as this, it's no wonder you were given such a name!"

Then, turning to Lu Yunxiang, he asked, "Lady Yunxiang, would I be fortunate enough to invite you aside for a quiet word?"

He was attempting to invite Lu Yunxiang away with him.

"Prince Jin! Please conduct yourself with dignity!"

Blushing fiercely under Lu Sheng's bold demeanor, Lu Yunxiang lowered her head shyly and whispered under her breath.

From the look of her, she had not the slightest intention of leaving with Lu Sheng.

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, a tall and rather haughty young woman stepped forward abruptly. Spitting a small mock-disgust toward the ground, she addressed Lu Sheng:

"You obnoxious men! Sister Yunxiang is certainly not going to pay you any mind!"

"Come, let us go over yonder!"

With that, she linked arms with Lu Yunxiang and walked toward the distant side of the Hundred Flower Garden.

***

"Interesting! Truly interesting!"

"This Yin-Yang Sect is worthy of being deeply rooted within the Lu family clan!"

Watching the retreating figures of the two women, Lu Sheng made no move to stop them, looking on with an expression of amused detachment instead.

If his judgment was not mistaken, the earlier Li Wan'er, the Lu Yunxiang from just now, and the woman who had just whisked her away were all members of the Yin-Yang Sect.

"It seems the Yin-Yang Sect has gone to great lengths to lure me in!"

"That old incident concerning my teacher certainly weighs heavily upon me!"

Musing to himself, Lu Sheng turned to Lu Yun希 and inquired:

"And who does this particular young lady belong to?"

Stepping closer, Lu Yun希 lowered his voice to answer: "That is Tian Manyin, a daughter of the Duke of Cheng, the Tian family."

"She is recognized as one of the most brilliant young women of her generation in Yujing City."

Having witnessed Tian Manyin whisking Lu Yunxiang away, even someone as slow-witted as Lu Yun希 could tell that something was amiss.

Therefore, despite lingering doubts regarding some of Lu Sheng's actions, he did not dare to voice any direct questions.

"The Tian family of the Duke of Cheng... the current Prime Minister belongs to this household, does he not?"

Walking onward, Lu Sheng posed the question.

Based on the gossip and casual remarks he had overheard in the marketplace over the past few days, the reigning Prime Minister indeed seemed to share the surname Tian.

Unless Yujing City harbored a second prominent aristocratic family bearing the Tian name, she had to belong to that very household.

Nodding in confirmation, Lu Yun希 replied:

"Indeed. Prime Minister Tian Shuping is the current head of the Tian family and holds the hereditary title of the Duke of Cheng."

"Alongside the Luo family, the Tian lineage traces its ancestors back to the Grand Masters who followed Emperor Jing into founding the dynasty. Together with the Lü and Song families, they are revered as the Four Great Founding Meritorious Clans."

Lü, Song, Tian, and Luo—these four families possessed ancient lineages deeply intertwined with the Great Jing imperial court, their forebears having served as the Grand Masters who established the empire alongside Emperor Jing.

Consequently, though these four houses experienced political ebbs and flows across generations, their influence had never been severed, wielding tremendous clout within the imperial court of Great Jing.

Nodding thoughtfully, Lu Sheng continued his conversation while threading through the manicured gardens alongside Lu Yun希, exchanging pleasantries with the young talents who had gathered within the Hundred Flower Garden.