"Phew... I feel refreshed."
"Kep...♡♡Thank you for the meal...♡♡"
Ah, that felt good.
Now that I'm in perfect physical and mental condition, I'll head to the merchant right away. I still want to cum, but I'll do that after we finish talking.
"Then let's go, Gyou."
"Yes♡♡ Mmm...♡♡ I'm full♡♡"
While stroking his stomach, Gyou swallowed the pubic hair that had stuck to his mouth.
But why did the merchant come to me... did he come to sell something, or do he want to do business in my castle?
But, if that's the case, I could have just told Oohoshi, and there's no need for him to go out of his way to come and see me and pay me a lot of money... Hmm, I don't know. I guess I have to leave this sort of thing to Oohoshi.
"Insomuch♡♡Haa――♡♡Insomuch♡♡Haa――♡♡Insomuch――♡♡Haa――♡♡"
"Gyou've been breathing heavily for a while now, are you okay?"
"Shhh--♡♡Ahh--♡♡It's okay♡♡I'm just smelling the semen that's inside the mask♡♡"
"Can you hold off until I'm done? Shall I wait in the bedroom?"
"N-no, I'll come ♡♡ I can hold on, so it's okay ♡♡ Sniff...♡♡ Haa...♡♡ Ha, smells good ♡♡"
Are you sure it's okay?
You won't attack a merchant while you're talking to him, right? You have to be aware of the time, place and occasion, otherwise the merchant will get confused.
Hmm? Oh, Ohoshi is already here.
"Lord Guren"
Please arrive early.
You're the busiest out of all of us, but you're amazing.
"Are you okay? You have other work to do, right? You didn't have to come."
That's a lie. I really wanted you to come. I'd be in trouble if you didn't come.
"If Lord Guren calls, I will rush to his aid with priority above all else. It is only natural for a subordinate."
"I see, thanks Ohoshi. I'm counting on you."
"Mmh...♡♡Thank you!!"
My head feels nice and smooth.
I'll pretend I didn't hear the voice and go inside the room. Now, I wonder what kind of person this merchant is who came to see me.
Feeling somewhat carefree, I opened the door to find a man and a beautifully dressed woman waiting inside.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Lu Buwei, a traveling merchant spanning the Three Kingdoms. It's an honor to meet you, Lord Guren."
Oh? You're young. About the same age as me?
"Thank you for your kind consideration. As you know, I am Guren. By the way, is that Lu Buwei? Is that you... the woman?"
"Yes. My fiancee's--"
"My name is Zhao Ji."
"Oh, Princess Zhao. She's very beautiful. She's like a jewel."
Huh? She's so beautiful. She's just as beautiful as Gyou.
...Hmm? Ah, Gō's eyes are really fixed on something. No, wait a minute. When did you start wearing a sword?
Hey, don't be so tense, you idiot. Hey, stop looking at Oooshi.
"Guren-dono, what about you people?"
"Hmm, hmm? Ah, these guys are my bodyguards. Don't worry about them. Anyway, let's get straight to the point. You must have something to do with me, and you went to the trouble of paying 300,000 yen to come and see me, right?"
Sit in the chair provided in the room.
"Lu Buwei, sit down too. It's too hard to stand."
"Thank you very much. I'll take you up on your offer."
"Ah, Zhao Ji should sit down too."
"No, I'm fine standing."
"You said that—Ah, yes. I understand."
Every time I react to a woman, I feel pressure coming down from behind.
A little bit is fine.
Gyou, you know I'm a womanizer. There's no need to get so angry just because I told you... If I talk to Zhao Ji any more, Gyou might actually kill the person, so I'll move on with the conversation.
"Well, let's get straight to the point... Lu Buwei, what business did you come to see me for? You're not here to do business in my castle or sell me anything, are you?"
"Yes, that's true. But first, please accept this as a token of my gratitude for meeting you."
With that, Lu Buwei took out a large box. A jingling sound could be heard coming from inside.
"this is?"
"This is a jewelry box. It's just a box for storing valuable items. There's nothing inside."
No, it was obvious there was something inside.
This guy is stupid.
Look, when you open the box, inside you'll see -- wow, there's a ton of jewels inside.
You've got to be kidding me. Where did you get all this? The jewels in this box alone will be worth over 100 billion in the 21st century.
"These are jewels you've never seen before. They were brought over from a country even further than China--"
"No, that's enough of an explanation. I know the name and value."
"...I understand. Guren-dono, would you please accept this box?"
...This is clearly a bribe, and a huge one at that.
With 300,000 gold and this jewel, I could live a life of leisure... no, for the next five generations. Is there anyone in China who owns such a large amount of jewels? No, probably not. Even if there is, it would probably only be royalty.
And then there's Lu Buwei's question about whether or not to accept it... is there something you want me to brush off?
Did he commit a crime? Kidnapping or something? No, he doesn't give off the typical criminal vibe. So, is that what he's about to do...? Merchants are almost as devious as civil servants.
It looks like I'm getting into some trouble. Should I decline?
No, but a gem like this... it's almost impossible to get your hands on one. It's too precious to throw away. If I were to get my hands on it... I'd have to start by building a network.
It will take decades to collect all of these gems...
I can't figure it out no matter how much I think about it. Let's hear what he has to say first.
"...Let's hear it, Lu Buwei. We'll decide whether to accept it or not after that."
"Thank you. Well then, I'll get straight to the point. I'd like you to back me up."
"...Backing?"
That's unexpected.
I thought it might be a crime.
"In that case, it doesn't have to be me."
"No, it has to be at the Guren Hall."
"...Why is that?"
"It would take a long time to explain, but the truth is, I want to become a civil servant."
Civilian?
"Lu Buwei, do you want to become great?"
"Yes, to put it simply, that is true. However, I am of low status. Even if I become a civil servant, it will be difficult for me to get promoted."
"There are all kinds of things like sabotage and assassinations. Many of the civil servants are of noble status. It's a shitty place where you can get killed just because you're of low status."
"Yes. Therefore, I would like you to back me up, Guren-den. If you back me up, the civil servants won't lay hands on me so easily. Of course, I will give you a gift every month as a token of my appreciation. Please feel free to ask me anything."
…Hmm, I don't really understand, but basically, you don't want the other civil servants to get in the way of your career advancement, so you want my backing, right?
That's a pretty weak reason to want backing.
If it was that much, I feel like someone else would be fine. If I gave them 300,000 yen, there would be plenty of people who would back me up.
"Having Guren-sama as your backer is a weak reason. Isn't there another reason?"
Oh? Ohoshi responded.
I agree. Gyou is glaring at Zhao Ji. His hand hasn't left his sword, and he hasn't returned to his position where he can slash at any time.
"I'm speaking with Guren-dono right now. The guards are—"
"It doesn't matter. He's the brains behind my army. Things will go more smoothly with him than talking to me."
"However..."
"This is my castle. You're just a guest, so don't talk back. Got it?"
"...I'm sorry. I acted a little too out of it."
"Oh, so what's the answer to the question, Lu Buwei?"
Maybe that's an exaggeration.
The hierarchy needs to be clear. I can't let a mere merchant look down on my subordinates as a general.
"As the guards of the Guren Palace said, there is another reason."
"What is that?"
"...Another reason is that Gurenden has almost no connections with civil servants."
Huh? What do you mean?
Is the reason you want me as your backer because you don't have any connections with civil servants? ...I don't understand that at all. Rather, it would be better to back someone who does have connections with civil servants.
It allows for a lot of flexibility.
"Oh, I see."
Huh? Ohoshi, did you understand what I meant?
I don't know... but what about Gyou... Yeah, he's smiling at me. Cute. Maybe he wasn't listening.
When I urged Ohboshi to speak with his eyes, he nodded once and began to speak.
"It's likely that Lu Buwei is trying to form a faction and gain power."
"Power?"
"Yes. If Lord Guren could back Lu Buwei, many people would gather, including some from prominent families. Otherwise, there would be no reason to go to the trouble of seeking Lord Guren's backing, and no reason to pay a large sum of money to meet him."
"What do you think, Lu Buwei? Is it correct?"
"...That's impressive. As the guards of the Guren Palace said, I intend to form a faction and gain power."
Is it right? Ohoshi is amazing.
He's gaining power... Hmm, but Lu Buwei is still just a merchant and not a civil servant, right?
Even if he were to use me as his backing to gather people and form a faction, if he wanted to gain power he would have to advance in the civil service...
It will take years to get promoted to a certain level, right?
"However, I am not a civil servant at the moment, but just a merchant. I am well aware that I am not worthy of the backing of the Guren Palace."
"That's a problem that goes beyond forming a faction. You can become a civil servant, but… do you have any plans to raise your rank?"
"Of course."
"What's the plan?"
When I asked him that, Lu Buwei paused for a moment before speaking. What he said could hardly be called a plan.
He invests all of his money in the prince Zhichu, who is being held hostage in the state of Zhao, and raises Zhichu's fame. After that, he contacts Lady Huayang, the wife of the heir to the state, Prince Anguojun, and proposes that she adopt Zhichu.
And once Zichu had successfully succeeded to the throne, he would be made prime minister...
It's not really a plan...it's a gamble.
What if Zichu, who is being held hostage in Zhao, betrays them? I'm sure Anguojun has more than 20 children... I don't know Zichu's position in the line of succession to the throne, but could he become the crown prince? Isn't that a slim chance?
It would be impossible unless all of Zichu's brothers died or were named successors.
Hmm... It's not like there's anything wrong with backing Lu Buwei, but I don't think Da Xing would be happy about it.
Gyou is... well, yeah.
I think he'd say anything is fine as long as it's good for him.
"What should I do..."
Lu Buwei's plan is essentially a gamble.
It's a silly thing that everyone laughs at, but this guy is convinced he can do it seriously.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to me. Seeing his confident expression, which hasn't changed since we first met, I can't help but think, "Maybe this guy can do it?"
No matter how much I thought about it, I was too indecisive to make a decision, so just as I was about to turn my attention to Da Xing to decide what to do, Lu Buwei spoke first.
"I heard that Guren-den likes color."
"Oh? Well, I like women."
"Two years then."
"...?"
"I'll lend you Zhao Ji for two years. During that time, you can use her as you like. I'm sure you'll like her."
…Seriously? Hahaha, seriously. He's crazy.
Would he offer up his woman just to have me as his backer? That's crazy. Seriously, that's crazy.
Was Lu Buwei a masochist? Or was he just power-hungry? It's clear he wanted it so badly.
Well, what should I do...to be honest, I want Zhao Ji.
She's cute and beautiful, and a threesome with her would be amazing. Just thinking about it makes me hard. If she lends me for two years, I could have one or two children... or maybe three if I'm lucky.
Ah, I'm getting horny. I want to rape Zhao Ji right now... but I'm sure Gyou would never allow it...
I looked at Gyou and saw that he was thinking about something. Ah, our eyes met.
"Guren, lend me your ear."
"Hmm? Got it."
What is it? Ah, haa... Your breath is warm and feels good...
"Zhao Ji, you want to hold me, don't you?♡♡"
"...yes"
"That's fine. You can hold Zhao Ji♡♡"
"picture!?"
A surprised voice came out of my mouth without thinking.
Are you kidding me? Seriously? Really?
You were exuding so much pressure just now...huh? Why? I'm scared, won't you stab me in the back while I'm holding Zhao Ji? I don't want to die yet, you know? I'll get worried if you don't tell me the reason.
"Wh-why?"
"...Right now, I need to rest my body and refrain from conceiving Guren's child, right?♡♡"
"Yeah"
"But, Guren, you really want to impregnate me, right?♡♡ And you seemed unhappy that you couldn't cum inside me during sex♡♡"
"...Yeah"
"It'll be two years before I can conceive Guren's child♡♡, and it'll be two years before I can borrow Zhao Ji♡♡ Wouldn't that be just right as a replacement?♡♡"
"Oh, really."
Wow!! It's so warm!!
And it's so gentle!! I love it!! I love you so much!!
"But there's a condition ♡♡"
"Hmm? What? You can say anything."
"Well, first of all, for the past two years, you can release all the semen that you would have released into my uterus into Zhao Ji♡♡ But you have to give me all the semen that you release into Zhao Ji's mouth and ass♡♡ Secondly, even when Zhao Ji comes, you have to keep flirting with me as usual♡♡ Just like you've been doing every day for the past three years, from morning till the next morning♡♡ And next, don't pay too much attention to Zhao Ji♡♡ If you pay too much attention to her, I'll kill her♡♡"
Eek...scary...
He whispered something murderous into my ear.
"Well, what will happen to me if I don't protect you?"
"Kill me and I'll die too♡♡ Ah, but if you want to cum inside me, you can do it too♡♡ Just be affectionate and don't pay too much attention to Zhao Ji♡♡ You can do that, right Guren?♡♡"
"Y...yes. I can...I can."
Ugh, it feels heavy.
I had such muddy feelings for him. I felt like I had learned something I shouldn't have known.
Kill her and then die... that's scary. I feel like she'll really stab me in the back. Anyway, as long as I follow the conditions, I can do whatever I want with Zhao Ji, so I'll try to think positively.
Yeah, stay positive. Stay positive.
I feel like one day I'll do something irreversible.
"Lu Buwei"
"yes"
"I will gratefully accept this jewel box."
"!! ...Then――"
"Yeah, I'll be your backer."
When I said that, Lu Buwei's smile deepened.
And then he bows his head deeply.
Maybe it's because it's been a while since I last used my brain, but I have a headache. My dick is rock hard, and I need to quickly relieve my sexual desire along with the pain with Zhao Ji. I've never held such a beautiful woman anywhere other than Gyou.
I'm looking forward to what happens after Lu Buwei returns.
"Thank you, Guren-dono. Please look forward to the gift of thanks. I will definitely prepare something that will satisfy you."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it, Lu Buwei."
"Yes, thank you. Well then, I will be heading home. It looks like things will be busy at Gurenden as well."
"Ahaha, sorry for making you worry."
"No, no, not at all. Zhao Ji, please be careful not to be disrespectful to the Red Lotus Palace."
"Y-yes..."
...Huh? Zhao Ji's eyes look dead, don't they? Or am I just imagining it?
Perhaps Zhao Ji doesn't know that she's being used as a bargaining chip? ...It seems like I've once again realized something that would be better off not being aware of...
S-surely that's not the case? Right? Someone please tell me it isn't.
"Guren-dono. I will visit you again once I become the chancellor, so please look after me."
"O-Okay... I get it. Ah, I just wanted to ask--"
"Well then, I'll be off then."
Ah, he's gone home...
All of a sudden, the atmosphere became awkward. What should I do?
Well, I have to say something for now.
"Then Zhao Ji, let's go to the bedroom."
Damn, my appetite came out first.
It was only a few seconds after he spoke that he realized this.