Naturally, Liu Rushi’s first choice was still to support the First Prince’s ascension.

However, if the First Prince ultimately failed to ascend the throne, at least… they must obtain an alliance signed by the Second Prince!

Now that Dongyi Nation was being dishonest, by all rights, they should fight! They must fight!

But fighting would have to wait until after the national gamble was concluded.

Having been entrusted with this important mission by His Majesty, he must spare no effort to stabilize the Dongyi Nation and absolutely could not allow any accidents.

Seeing Fan Yugan blinking as he stared at him, Liu Rushi asked: “Since there are no difficulties, why are you looking at me like that?”

Fan Yugan chuckled and asked: “My lord, does this count as sacrificing myself for the nation? Can I… request funds from Minister Liu?”

Lu Fenglang: “…”

Liu Rushi was stunned for a moment, then seeing Fan Yugan’s playboy demeanor, he also laughed and nodded: “That truly is hard work, sacrificing yourself for the nation! Go to my attendant for the silver!”

“Excellent!” Fan Yugan bowed to Liu Rushi. “This student will go change clothes and then visit Dongyi Nation’s pleasure quarters!”

“Remember to bring guards!” Liu Rushi was somewhat worried.

“My lord, rest assured. Playing the playboy… this student is quite skilled at it!” Fan Yugan said with a smile.

That very night, Fan Yugan brought guards and swaggered off to Dongyi Nation’s most famous pleasure quarter, claiming he wanted to… observe Dongyi Nation’s local customs and culture. He spent lavishly and generously, even competing with Dongyi Nation’s noble playboys for courtesans, behaving exactly like the playboy he had been in the capital city.

When Liu Rushi brought Lu Fenglang and Fan Yugan to Dongyi Nation, initially, Dongyi Nation truly didn’t know what these three were about.

But Tianfeng Nation was supposed to help Dongyi Nation figure out these three people clearly. Therefore, after this morning’s court audience with the Great Zhou envoys, Dongyi Nation learned the identities and temperaments of the three main figures in this Great Zhou diplomatic mission.

Liu Rushi needn’t be mentioned… he was an important minister in the Great Zhou’s court and a famous figure.

However, even Tianfeng Nation knew little about Lu Fenglang, since she had previously been kept in the inner chambers, and Tianfeng Nation’s reach couldn’t extend into Grand Marshal Lu’s mansion.

Fan Yugan was easier to investigate – he had previously been a famous playboy in the capital city, then after his father’s crime landed him in prison, he had reformed and studied diligently for the imperial examinations. Now that he had come to Dongyi Nation, he was frequenting pleasure quarters again. It seemed that changing mountains and rivers was easier than changing one’s nature. Coming to Dongyi Nation, where the mountains were high and the emperor far away, his old habits had resurged, so others didn’t take it seriously.

For three consecutive days, Fan Yugan wandered the pleasure quarters. Dongyi Nation had many such establishments, and Fan Yugan sought novelty and excitement, sometimes visiting two or three places in one night, claiming he wanted to see more beauties and learn the Dongyi language together with them.

When Fan Yugan encountered those playboys from Dongyi Nation’s capital, he was also generous, ostentatiously treating them without restraint. Perhaps due to kindred spirits, Fan Yugan quickly became close with some Dongyi Nation playboys.

Naturally, some playboys were deliberately approaching Fan Yugan under family orders, hoping to extract information from him.

Fan Yugan played the role of a guileless playboy extremely convincingly. When others asked questions, he would first keep his mouth sealed, but after drinking too much and being plied with more questions, he would put his arm around someone’s neck and whisper secrets, then pat their chest repeatedly, urging them… saying he was telling them because he considered them brothers, and they absolutely mustn’t tell a third person!

Therefore, through these playboys who had befriended Fan Yugan, Dongyi Nation learned quite a bit… of what Liu Rushi hoped to convey through Fan Yugan’s mouth.

After lingering in the pleasure quarters for three days, Fan Yugan finally encountered the Second Prince on the fourth day. Moreover, he brazenly competed with the Second Prince for a courtesan, and then… seeing the actual person, he grinned sheepishly and apologized, saying if he had known it was the Second Prince, he would never have competed with him for a woman.

It was just that he would probably return to Great Zhou soon, and would have to be tightly constrained again, so he was indulging himself a bit more. He asked the Second Prince for forgiveness.

The usually violent Second Prince looked at the swaying, unsteady Fan Yugan, raised an eyebrow, and unexpectedly didn’t get angry. He even had someone help Fan Yugan up, generously saying: “It’s just wanting to hear a prostitute play the qin! One person listening… two people listening – it’s the same. Minister Fan has come from afar as a guest. If you would honor me… why not listen together!”

“Wonderful!” Fan Yugan was helped upstairs without a care in the world and sat with the Second Prince to listen to the courtesan play the qin. He even shamelessly criticized the courtesan’s poor playing and personally took over to play a piece called “General Bai’s Military March.”

Though Fan Yugan was a drunk man, his hands moved with the speed of wind and thunder. Even though he wasn’t using a pipa but a qin, he played out that great river’s rolling, vast killing intent, making the Second Prince look at him with new eyes.

The Second Prince was fond of Qin music, and Fan Yugan remembered this very clearly.

Although Fan Yugan was a playboy, he had, after all, once been a young master of a noble family, so Qin… was not beyond his abilities.

However, Fan Yugan still had to thank that Western Liang dancing girl called Na Kang for being able to compose such a piece filled with killing intent. Unlike the lingering, tender musical styles of these pleasure quarters, it appeared uniquely distinctive.

Since the Second Prince was fond of Qin music, he naturally looked at Fan Yugan with new eyes. Just as he was clapping his hands and preparing to praise lavishly, he saw Fan Yugan swaying, and before he could even stand up, he toppled over to one side without any struggle, and just like that… fell asleep.

“Your Highness!” The Second Prince’s guard glanced at Fan Yugan, then turned to the Second Prince and said: “He seems to have fallen asleep!”

The Second Prince tapped the table with his finger intermittently, signaling his guard to test whether he was truly drunk or faking it…

The guard patted Fan Yugan’s face: “Minister Fan! Minister Fan?”

Fan Yugan waved his hand, wanting to brush away the guard’s hand, but couldn’t even hit the target, and let it fall heavily. His breath reeked of strong alcohol, and he mumbled something with his tongue thick, which the guard couldn’t understand clearly.

The guard turned and nodded to the Second Prince.

The Second Prince’s gaze fell on Fan Yugan’s face, studying him deeply, then said: “You… escort Minister Fan back!”

“Yes!”

Soon, the unconsciously drunk Fan Yugan was escorted back by the Second Prince’s guard.

Liu Rushi and Lu Fenglang rushed over upon hearing the news, only to see the thoroughly drunk Fan Yugan placed on the bed by the Second Prince’s guard.

“Minister Liu, this student said Fan Yugan was unreliable. We shouldn’t have brought him to Tianfeng Nation initially. He’s just a troublemaker. Without His Majesty keeping him in check, no one can control him!” Lu Fenglang stepped across the threshold, frowning and muttering, seemingly not realizing the Second Prince’s guard was still there. Before finishing her words, she pressed her lips together and stood behind Minister Liu without speaking further.