Chapter 765 – Feng Zhen’s Peach Blossom Luck (Part 1)
“There are no corners that can’t be pried open in this world, only people who don’t put in the effort.” Jiang Pengji smoothly countered Feng Zhen’s words, “Just look around Wanzhou; it’s vast with too few people. Whatever needs doing, you must do it yourself. Otherwise, you’ll end up buried under paperwork sooner or later…”
She almost added: If you want to enjoy some downtime, hang out with beautiful ladies, and indulge in fine wines and delicacies, get to work and start recruiting the talent now!
Even if she didn’t spell it out, with Feng Zhen’s IQ, would he fail to grasp the deeper implications?
Exactly because he understood, he regretted it even more—
It was a grave mistake to have eagerly rushed over after receiving Wei Ci’s letter.
And now, here he was, plunged into an abyss of overtime, enduring Jiang’s relentless exploitation, with no real break all year round.
For a free-spirited dude, having no private time meant no chances for debauchery, no opportunities to meet all sorts of lovely ladies.
Life was dreary.
“However, this matter also relies on fate, you can’t force it…”
Feng Zhen weakly defended himself.
Recruiting common talents wouldn’t help; elite skills aren’t just radishes with legs you can buy at wholesale prices—it’s all about destiny.
Moreover, for the harmony of the Wanzhou group, Feng Zhen couldn’t just bring any riff-raff home, right?
If he dared to do so, would Jiang Pengji accept those haphazard talents?
“Sigh, sometimes I envy those who have good backgrounds and big families… at least they don’t have to stress about finding talent,” Jiang Pengji looked at the desolate streets and complained softly, “Take the Xu brothers, for instance, and here I am, barely better than the Bei brothers…”
In other respects, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t back down, but in terms of personal charm, she was merely a nameless wildflower by the roadside. No matter how hard she bloomed, it just didn’t compare to peonies or other fancy blossoms that attracted butterflies and bees… And that was really a pain in the neck.
Feng Zhen trailed two steps behind Jiang Pengji, chuckling at her complaints.
“Clearly, it’s the leader who’s keeping their talents hidden; how could it be that you’re below others?”
Feng Zhen wasn’t saying this to comfort Jiang Pengji; he was speaking the plain truth.
Jiang Pengji’s current situation was of her own making.
When it came to background, even if the Liu Clan of Hejian wasn’t a top-tier prestigious family, they were still in the second tier, especially with Liu Zhi as her capable father, laying a strong foundation for the next generation. The resources and advantages Jiang Pengji had were far richer than she realized.
As long as Jiang Pengji was willing to flaunt Liu Zhi’s name, tapping into the clan’s influence and using the resources at her disposal, how could there be a shortage of talent?
Let’s not even talk about outpacing the Xu brothers; surpassing Huang Song was more than feasible.
Isn’t this era all about leveraging family lineage and ancestral prestige?
Her lord held several powerful trump cards but stubbornly refused to reveal them. What was he supposed to do, then?
Not showcasing those strengths meant no one would notice her, depriving her of attention, resulting in aspiring scholars seeing no glimmers of hope for showcasing their skills or ambitions with her. Which fool would voluntarily pledge allegiance?
To put it simply, she clearly had the qualifications to ride the coattails of her family, yet she insisted on starting from scratch. Wasn’t that self-torture?
Not only was her lord torturing herself, but also dragging her subordinates into the suffering—that was truly heart-wrenching.
However, Feng Zhen seemed unreliable, yet his understanding was razor-sharp, clear as day.
Her lord’s refusal to borrow power from her father and clan was a blatant signal that she aimed to pull off something big.
Wanting to take down the aristocrats despite being one herself? Was this kid crazy?
Jiang Pengji wearily waved her hand, frowning, “I know what you’re going to say; since I chose this path, I’ll crawl through it even if I have to kneel. It’s tough for me alone, but aren’t you all here with me? Overall, we need people, so you’d better start poaching talent!”
After all that talk, the topic circled back to the original point.
Feng Zhen sighed—his body wasn’t up for swinging a hoe.
Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes, halted, and asked him, “So, what do you want to do?”
Feng Zhen pondered for a moment and then said, “Well, the imperial city has plenty of places for fun and relaxation. Since we’re here, wouldn’t it be a waste not to check out humanity’s wonders? I don’t mean anything by it; just want to see what’s out there.”
Jiang Pengji let out a chuckle.
“An old mast looking to broaden its horizons after sailing through countless ships… That’s the coldest joke I’ve ever heard.”
Not letting him go sounded like a good plan, but Feng Zhen clearly had an “I already have someone in mind, but if you don’t let me go have some fun, I’ll slack off on you” vibe, which made Jiang Pengji grit her teeth. If she let him go, who knew if Feng Zhen, once indulgent, would just refuse to leave?
Standing face to face on the street, they drew a crowd of curious onlookers.
Who wouldn’t look? These two were simply too eye-catching!
Jiang Pengji, dressed in women’s attire yet towering over all the men on the street, exuded an aura that not even mischievous kids dared approach.
Feng Zhen, donned in a green scholar’s robe, had a hint of elegance, but looked rather degenerate, giving off a vibe of ill-repute.
How could these two standing there not pique the curiosity of passersby?
“My lord, just agree already! We’ve set the time and place. If we wait any longer, those talents will fly away.”
Feng Zhen, acting as if he were made of rolled steak, found himself at a loss for what to do with Jiang Pengji.
“First strike, then report? You’ve really grown bold! Fine, let’s go together, so you don’t just charm people over and leave me to figure out the timing for a meeting.”
Feng Zhen instinctively replied, but as he looked at the tall and graceful back of his lord, he froze on the spot.
“My lord, are you really going dressed like that?”
Back when he didn’t know Jiang Pengji was a woman, they often snuck out for drinks while he was still recovering from Cold Food Powder, building a revolutionary friendship.
But now it was different; his lord was a lady, and going to the brothel like this didn’t seem appropriate at all!
Jiang Pengji retorted, “If I don’t go, who will settle the bill for you? If you get stuck there, don’t you dare use my name to get out of it.”
Feng Zhen secretly checked his empty purse, clicking his tongue—
Once Jiang Pengji had money, she never shortchanged her subordinates on salary, but it couldn’t resist Feng Zhen’s knack for spending; he was basically living paycheck to paycheck.
He really was hoping to get someone else to pay the bill.
Feng Zhen mumbled, “It just feels a bit off…”
Not only did he feel it was off, but the courtesans receiving them thought this duo was strange too.
It didn’t seem like a man taking a concubine out for a night of fun; whose concubine has such a terrifying aura?
It didn’t seem like a husband taking his wife out for a night on the town; whose wife would be more familiar with the brothel than her husband?
More like… a fierce mother taking her naive son out for a night of fun.
However…
The experienced courtesan shot a glance at Feng Zhen. With over a decade of experience in the business, she could tell Feng Zhen was no fresh novice; he was clearly a seasoned connoisseur. Such a pairing appearing here felt altogether peculiar.
