"Sir, are you alright?"
Qu Yang propped himself up with one hand on the table, the other pressing against his throbbing temple. "I'm fine. No one is to leave the Imperial City before the spring hunt."
"Sir, weren't we told to leave the Imperial Capital at dawn?"
Qu Yang looked at the speaker. "If you don't want to die, listen to me!"
Qu Yang felt a deep unease. He wanted to send a message to Murong Sheng Rui. Then he remembered why Murong Sheng Rui insisted on Xiao Man's marriage alliance. He must have already seen through her identity. Xia Hou Ying likely only suspected, lacking proof. However, His Majesty had been with that person day and night, naturally being most familiar with him. He had been too careless, actually believing His Majesty saw her as a substitute!
His Majesty had always disliked women, yet he suddenly risked his life for a woman, even using twenty border cities as a bargaining chip. He had never considered if there was another reason behind it. Stupid, he was truly stupid!
"Sir, did something happen?"
Qu Yang took a deep breath. "Nothing has happened yet, but it likely will soon. I hope... we can all return to Jinling alive."
Last night's battle had left the ground covered in corpses and blood, but by daybreak, there was no trace. Not even a drop of blood could be found. The common folk continued their peaceful lives, gathering and chatting, with teahouses still as crowded as ever.
Today, the storyteller had a new repertoire. First, the Prince of Qin was attacked and fell into a coma. Then, the Prince of Chu was assassinated and gravely injured. The Sheng Yu imperial family, which had seemed to have many heirs, now appeared somewhat depleted.
In such a short time, the Crown Prince committed suicide, the Prince of Qi was exiled, and both the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Chu were severely wounded. The storyteller, having heard tales from somewhere, declared that someone intended to disrupt the Sheng Yu dynasty, extinguish its vitality, and that the deaths of several princes were merely the beginning!
In Sheng Yu, the populace was not forbidden from discussing the royal family. People gathered in small groups, debating who possessed the ability to so severely wound both the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Chu.
Qin Ze Yan sat in a teahouse, listening to the storyteller. Whenever the tale reached a thrilling point, he would applaud and praise the narrator, leading the uninformed to believe he was merely a young master with nothing better to do.
Ling Xuan entered the teahouse and sat beside Qin Ze Yan. "Lord Qin, you have quite the leisure to be listening to stories."
"Unlike Commander Ling, who hasn't caught the killer of the Grand General, nor found the whereabouts of the Ninth Princess. And now, the assassins who attacked the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Chu are also at large, yet you have the leisure to listen to stories in a teahouse. If this continues, your father's official hat might not be safe."
Ling Xuan gritted his teeth. "I can't argue with you. Have you made any progress on the matter I asked for your help with?"
Qin Ze Yan placed a piece of paper on the table. Ling Xuan immediately took it and opened it. Only four words were written on it: "Deaf to the ringing of a bell." He frowned deeply. "What... does this mean?"
Qin Ze Yan peeled a peanut and said, "Do you know this idiom?"
"Of course."
"Good that you know." Qin Ze Yan popped the peeled peanut into his mouth. "What you need to do is 'deaf to the ringing of a bell'."
"You mean, we should just arrest someone to be the killer?" Ling Xuan asked incredulously. Had Qin Ze Yan been corrupted by the officialdom so soon after entering it?
Qin Ze Yan looked somewhat disdainful. No wonder Xiao Man said Ling Xuan wasn't very bright!
"The storyteller today has an interesting tale. I suggest you listen carefully," Qin Ze Yan said slowly. "Perhaps you'll glean something."
Ling Xuan's brow furrowed into a deep crease. He looked at the storyteller, who was gesticulating wildly on the stage. The man had fabricated a mastermind intending to overthrow the Sheng Yu dynasty, but these were all fictional. He couldn't possibly use this fabricated story to placate the Emperor, could he?
Wait, "deaf to the ringing of a bell"... Ling Xuan suddenly understood. "I'm leaving. I'll treat you to drinks another day!"
At the morning court, the Grand Secretariat submitted a memorial, suspecting someone was plotting to harm the imperial descendants and overthrow the Sheng Yu empire.
Xiao Man dozed off during the morning court. The Emperor called his name several times, but Xiao Man did not respond. Lord Chu, in a hurry, pinched Xiao Man, who woke with a start and quickly exclaimed,
"Is court dismissed?"
The Emperor's face instantly darkened. "Xiao Man, how dare you doze off during morning court?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your subject was not dozing off," Xiao Man said with a serious expression. "Your subject was merely thinking."
"You were thinking?" The old Emperor sneered. "Then tell me, what were you thinking about?"
"Your subject was thinking about the massacre of the Yun Qi royal family," Xiao Man said, looking up at the Emperor. "The Yun Qi royal family, initially, their imperial descendants were also targets of assassination. Those who died, died mysteriously; those who were injured, were injured. In the end, only Emperor Yun remained, and he was only saved by the painstaking efforts of the Dugu family. But once Emperor Yun's wings were full, he exterminated the entire Dugu family, causing the Yun Qi generals to defect, and their morale, as well as the people's, to plummet. A great nation was reduced several ranks."
The Emperor frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
"Your Majesty, the Dugu family held immense power. Even if Emperor Yun was a heaven-sent genius, he could not have wiped out the Dugu family so thoroughly. It is said that Emperor Yun was able to exterminate the Dugu family solely with the help of a mysterious force."
"A mysterious force?" The old Emperor was filled with doubt. "Do you know what kind of force it was?"
"Yao Yue Lou."
The words "Yao Yue Lou" were spoken, and the entire court buzzed with discussion. After all, Yao Yue Lou was ostensibly just an auction house, dealing in rare and exotic items not found elsewhere. Many officials had visited Yao Yue Lou.
"This Yao Yue Lou sounds somewhat familiar."
"Replying to Your Majesty, Yao Yue Lou is nominally an auction house. It used to have a branch in the Sheng Yu Imperial Capital, but it seems to have offended someone and was shut down. However, Yao Yue Lou's influence is deeply rooted, and it has likely already infiltrated the Sheng Yu court. Most of the esteemed officials present have probably had dealings with Yao Yue Lou."
"Replying to Your Majesty, Yao Yue Lou frequently auctions very novel items that cannot be purchased elsewhere. This old minister has also bid for items at Yao Yue Lou."
"This humble minister has also purchased items at Yao Yue Lou."
A group of ministers spoke about their transactions with Yao Yue Lou.
"Commander Xiao, we merely purchased items from Yao Yue Lou. On what grounds do you claim we are infiltrated by their influence?" someone retorted.
"Because anyone who has transacted with Yao Yue Lou will inevitably be thoroughly investigated by them. If one has committed no wrongdoings, it is fine. But if one has done anything shady, then your leverage will inevitably fall into the hands of Yao Yue Lou. When Yao Yue Lou needs you to serve them, they will use this leverage to threaten you."
Upon hearing this, those who had dealings with Yao Yue Lou turned pale. Who didn't have some dark secrets? If these secrets fell into the hands of Yao Yue Lou, and Yao Yue Lou demanded their service, would they comply or refuse?