Today, the autumn skies are clear and refreshing. Lu Yuan, who had been away from the Capital City for several days, finally returned ho.
As he arrived at the entrance, he saw the tightly stationed Imperial Guards.
Yu Zichuan, sitting atop the carriage, exclaid, "Has the house been burglarized?"
Lu Yuan stepped off the carriage with a grave expression.
The Imperial Guards saluted him uniformly and said, "Greetings, Grand Commander!"
Lu Yuan glanced at them and responded with a hum before striding into the residence.
He first went to ng Qianqian’s courtyard.
Bai Yuwei was also present.
A flicker of peculiarity crossed his eyes as he sized up Bai Yuwei. "What are you doing here?"
Bai Yuwei, who had just been tricked by ng Qianqian, was fuming inside. She glared at Lu Yuan and retorted sharply, "Why not? You’ve been away for days, neglecting the household. Why should you care?"
Lu Yuan found her words utterly baffling.
He turned to Nanny Wan, who stood silently with a broom in hand.
Nanny Wan discreetly moved closer to him and whispered, "The young lady has been visiting daily of late."
Recalling how often Bai Yuwei had suffered in ng Qianqian’s hands, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "What’s gotten into you?"
Bai Yuwei: "..."
Bai Yuwei stord off in exasperation.
Not long after leaving the courtyard, Nanny Wan rushed after her, gasping for breath. "Young lady, wait! The young mistress has a ssage for you!"
Bai Yuwei turned around, raising her brows, "She regrets it?"
Nanny Wan chuckled awkwardly, "The young mistress said not to forget to make up for the lessons you missed a few days ago."
Bai Yuwei: "...!!"
Bao Shu and Tan’er were off playing hide-and-seek in the small garden.
Inside the room, only ng Qianqian and Ban Xia remained.
ng Qianqian was doing calculations.
"This isn’t right."
She shook her head, moved a miscalculated sheet of paper to the side, and grabbed a new one.
Ban Xia, considering fetching ng Qianqian a cup of tea, looked up and saw Lu Yuan at the door.
Surprise glead in her eyes. Just as she was about to greet him formally, Lu Yuan gestured for her to step out. Understanding, she tactfully withdrew.
"Ban Xia, peel an orange."
Having spent the morning on calculations, ng Qianqian’s frustration was clearly mounting.
Lu Yuan had just returned from outside and went to wash his hands.
Then, with his long, jade-like fingers, he peeled the orange on the table, carefully removed the pith, and presented the clean orange segnts to her lips.
She took them with delight.
"Sweet?"
"Sweet..."
Alard, ng Qianqian sprang up, staring blankly at Lu Yuan. "Grand Commander."
Holding the orange, Lu Yuan said casually, "You’ve been getting better at ordering around in just a few days."
ng Qianqian muttered softly, "I thought it was Ban Xia."
She rolled her eyes, quickly fetched a stool for him, and said, "Husband, have a seat!"
Lu Yuan gave a cold snort, just about to say, "Weren’t you calling Grand Commander just now?" But the words stuck in his throat as he reconsidered and swallowed them.
The two sat down.
Lu Yuan continued peeling oranges for her.
ng Qianqian asked, "Was your mission successful?"
While peeling the orange, Lu Yuan replied, "Caught Hai Pig, just sent him to the Ministry of Justice."
ng Qianqian exhaled deeply. "Good that you caught him."
Though she knew Hai Pig’s disappearance was to deliberately draw Lu Yuan away, there was still a slim chance that the Pri Minister might silence Hai Pig to cover his tracks.
It was worth the trip since they didn’t return empty-handed.
Lu Yuan handed her another segnt of orange, its pith ticulously removed. "What’s been happening at ho?"
ng Qianqian took the orange segnt. "Soon after you left, Grandfather received a letter from Prince Yu and took Mother and Cousin to Prince Yu’s fief."
"Yu’an City?"
"Exactly. And then that very night, people from the Pri Minister’s Mansion disguised themselves as the Wang Family’s coachn and abducted Bao Shu."
ng Qianqian recounted everything, from Lady Wang’s fall to the details of the incident, including her own speculations about it.
"Grandfather and the others won’t be in trouble, right?"
Though she managed to avert danger herself, she was still concerned that the Pri Minister might make a move against the Miao King.
Lu Yuan said, "The old man’s skills won’t let that happen."
The Miao King was a formidable martial artist, and few could pose a threat to him unless an army was mobilized for sheer manpower supremacy. However, such a large-scale operation would inevitably alarm the Governnt.
Tricking the Miao King into leaving the Capital City was likely the furthest they could go.
ng Qianqian smiled as she gazed at him, as though observing sothing new. "You seem to have a lot of faith in Grandfather."
Lu Yuan uncharacteristically didn’t retort, saying, "He is the Miao King, after all."
ng Qianqian continued, "You didn’t encounter any danger while capturing Hai Pig, did you?"
Lu Yuan hesitated briefly, "You an... Ji Li?"
ng Qianqian froze.
She had intended to ask whether the Pri Minister had made a move against him; how did this segue into Ji Li?
With an expression of deep grievance, Lu Yuan furrowed his brow. "You were right; I shouldn’t have given him that silver note... The relay station burned down."
The story began with Hai Pig’s disappearance.
Ji Li foretold the arrival of another Twelve Guards, leading him and Si Snake to search everywhere. However, they were always one step behind, leaving them no choice but to return to Fengshui Alley.
Upon finding ng Qianqian’s letter left for them, they learned Hai Pig was a traitor.
Si Snake imdiately set off to hunt Hai Pig down.
Then, the two encountered Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan intended to apprehend Hai Pig, while Si Snake insisted Hai Pig must pay with his life for betraying Chu Grand Marshal. The two almost ca to blows.
Ji Li managed to dissuade Si Snake.
As a token of gratitude, Lu Yuan gave Ji Li so travel money for returning to the Capital City.
ng Qianqian: "How much did you give him?"
Lu Yuan: "A thousand taels."
ng Qianqian drew in a sharp breath—one dared to give, and the other dared to take!
"Let’s get back on topic."
Looking unbothered, Lu Yuan refused to admit his wife’s earlier warnings might have been right. "Did Xun Qi inform you that all of my adoptive father’s foster sons are back in the Capital City?"
ng Qianqian recalled, "Yes, he did. But that evening’s gamble tested statents that couldn’t be verified—truth wasn’t the focus. So he might have been lying, including his claim that the Pri Minister controls four of the Twelve Guards."
Lu Yuan pondered, "I’ll find a way to confirm matters regarding the Twelve Guards. As for my foster brothers, it’s highly likely they’re indeed back in the Capital City—if not already here, then en route."
With the chaos stirred up, even luring the Miao King into the fray, ng Qianqian felt that unless the Pri Minister revealed all his cards, his ambitions were bound to fail.
Curious, she asked, "What are they like?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Old Seven specializes in cunning sches—a strategist for my foster father."
ng Qianqian remarked with surprise, "Shouldn’t that role belong to you? You’re smarter than Xun Qi."
Lu Yuan raised his brows, "ng Xiaojiu, are you complinting ?"
ng Qianqian: Is your focus a little off?
Lu Yuan coolly remarked, "My foster father and I don’t see eye to eye."
ng Qianqian realized, "That’s why he nad Xun Qi as Xun Seven, while you didn’t take up a number. The others must be called Xun Five, Xun Six, Xun One, right?"
Lu Yuan: "Mm."
ng Qianqian’s lips twitched.
It’s clear now—you are indeed the rebellious one.
While the other foster sons accepted the Pri Minister’s bestowed nas, Lu Yuan insisted on keeping his own. It seed he hoped that soday, his family might recognize him upon hearing his na.
Unwilling to discard his past, Lu Yuan remained unyielding to the Pri Minister’s attempt to ta him.
Yet, despite the distrust, the court was entrusted to him.
Theirs was a delicate ga of back-and-forth—impossible to sum up in re words. The balance and battles of wits were understood best by those involved.
ng Qianqian listened quietly.
Lu Yuan went on, "Old Six is skilled in chanisms and hidden weapons. The trap Old Seven used to ensnare you was likely made by Old Six."
ng Qianqian mused, "Sounds like the expertise of the Thousand chanism Pavilion."
Lu Yuan nodded. "Old Six was indeed an Outer Disciple of the Thousand chanism Pavilion."
After a pause, he added, "He was, however, of so significance, trained under the sa school as Chu Grand Marshal’s wife, though they didn’t know each other."
ng Qianqian blurted out, "Chu Grand Marshal’s wife is a direct disciple of the Pavilion. An Outer Disciple wouldn’t even have the qualifications to et her, naturally wouldn’t know her."
Lu Yuan handed her a few more carefully peeled orange segnts. "Old Six isn’t just your average Outer Disciple; he has a notable background. If you’re interested, I’ll have soone investigate."
"Sure."
ng Qianqian agreed without hesitation, noticing Lu Yuan’s aningful gaze upon her. She cleared her throat and calmly explained, "Know your enemy to win a hundred battles. I’m not doing this for myself—it’s to better counter the Pri Minister’s Mansion."
"What about Old Five?"
She deftly redirected the topic.
Lu Yuan shifted his gaze away. "Old Five is a rchant. He travels across nations, amassing wealth for my foster father."
ng Qianqian frowned. "If he’s moving across borders, he’s likely doing more than generating wealth—like gathering intelligence and broadening connections. What about Old One?"
Lu Yuan replied, "My eldest foster brother, elusive as he is, remains unknown even to . I’ve never t him or heard much about him."
ng Qianqian: "The Pri Minister is certainly surrounded by so impressive individuals."
Lu Yuan added, "One noteworthy aspect: apart from Old Seven, each foster son possesses extraordinary skills and martial arts mastery. Old Six and Old Seven are often inseparable. That night, Old Six was likely among Old Seven’s masked n. Had you entered that room, you’d probably have fallen prey to Old Six’s traps."
At this point, Lu Yuan felt a surge of relief. Luckily, it was her—anyone else might have been ensnared in Old Seven’s web of traps.
"By the way, there’s sothing I want to show you."
ng Qianqian opened the wardrobe, took out a small golden box, and placed it on the table.
"What’s this?"
Lu Yuan asked.
ng Qianqian replied, "Zhaozhao’s little treasury."
Lu Yuan’s expression froze. Has that little rascal amassed this much wealth already?
ng Qianqian continued, "The bigger treasury is at Tinglan Courtyard."
Lu Yuan’s body stiffened. She has an even bigger one?!
ng Qianqian usually refrained from touching the children’s belongings, but this matter was too significant not to inform Lu Yuan.
She first revealed a thick stack of silver notes, followed by a key and a sheepskin map.
"These were taken from Xun Yu’s carriage."
The image of the little rascal stuffing silver notes into the treasury flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind, causing his lips to twitch.
ng Qianqian’s eyes sparkled. "Ten thousand taels."
Lu Yuan: "..."
"Forget the silver notes for a mont. Look at this map." ng Qianqian handed him the sheepskin map. "I asked Bao Shu what this was, and he said ’want.’"
"’Want?’"
Lu Yuan pondered for a mont, eting ng Qianqian’s excited gaze and instantly catching on. "You suspect—"
ng Qianqian nodded intently. "Precisely, I suspect Xun Yu was referring to military funds!"
Lu Yuan took the sheepskin map, his lips curling into a smirk. "Now this is interesting. My foster father has been secretly raising a private army behind the court’s back. And his foolish son has carelessly divulged this monuntal secret."
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