After a whole day of exertion, Jiang Shouzhong had not fished out any useful information.
Visiting and investigating was not an easy task. Although he held clues in his hand, unraveling the mystery amid layers of fog naturally progressed slowly.
Listening to the hunger growling in his stomach, Lu Renjia clenched his fist and thumped his slightly sore and tired lower back, saying wearily, "Alright, let's call it a day. I really can't take it anymore, I need to rest."
With a stack of interview records in hand, Jiang Shouzhong taunted:
"Weren't you the one who said you could easily handle those vixens at Spring Rain Building? You're already giving up?"
"Can you compare what happens in bed with what happens beneath it?"
Lu Renjia crossed his arms and, like a hedgehog touched in a sensitive spot, huffed, "Now let's go to Spring Rain Building and find a few girls to see just how tough I really am."
"Fine, let's go then."
Jiang Shouzhong put down the interview records in his hands.
"Uh... You're really going?"
Seeing the seriousness in the other man's deanor, Lu Renjia was sowhat stunned.
Zhang Yunwu apologized, "Jiang, I'd better not go, Zhao Di is waiting at ho for to have dinner."
As Lu Renjia, who was considering an excuse, suddenly had a lightbulb mont, "Right! My sister-in-law has stewed an old hen today, and she said she'd wait for us."
As he spoke, he firmly grabbed Jiang Shouzhong's arm and dragged him towards Zhang Yunwu's ho, "Let's hurry up, don't keep sister-in-law waiting too long. Let's fill our bellies before anything else."
"Coward."
Jiang Shouzhong chuckled sarcastically.
Upon arriving at Zhang Yunwu's house, just as the three n stepped through the courtyard gate, a petite figure suddenly darted out from inside the house, like a little bird spreading its wings, and flew into Zhang Yunwu's broad embrace.
"Daddy!"
The little girl, about six or seven years old, had cheeks rosy with health, like apples ripened in the sunshine, looking quite adorable.
This girl was indeed the daughter of We Zhaodi, who now changed her surna to Zhang and was nad Zhang Yue'er.
"Daddy, Mom hit !"
The little girl's eyes welled up with tears, presenting a pitiful look of being wronged.
We Zhaodi, usually gentle and virtuous, now had a stern face, holding a rolling pin and stepping out of the house. She stared coldly at the tattletale girl, her voice filled with anger, "Co here!"
The little girl desperately shook her tiny head and hid behind Zhang Yunwu.
Looking at his upset wife, Zhang Yunwu confusedly asked, "What's the matter, Zhao Di? Why did you hit Yue'er?"
"Ask her, what good deed she did!"
We Zhaodi's face turned ashen.
Zhang Yunwu turned back to look at the little girl, "Yue'er, did you cause trouble?"
"No... No, I didn't."
Zhang Yue'er avoided making eye contact, stamring.
Seeing We Zhaodi approaching with the rolling pin and his father unmoved, the little girl turned and flung herself around Jiang Shouzhong's legs, pleading, "Uncle Jiang, save ! Mom is going to beat to death!"
Jiang Shouzhong picked up Zhang Yue'er, smiled, and gently pinched her small nose, "Tell , what bad thing did you actually do?"
Seeing her daughter finding a sanctuary, We Zhaodi stopped in her tracks, speaking helplessly and angrily:
"This girl actually bullied that young master from the Xu family restaurant and even cracked his head open. If it wasn't for the teacher speaking up for her, that family would have almost called the authorities."
At those words, Jiang Shouzhong looked bemused.
He knew of the Xu family restaurant, and that young master was indeed a spoiled brat, big-boned and well-built, two years older than Zhang Yue'er.
Zhang Yue'er, with her small fra, could bully him?
Zhang Yue'er pouted unhappily, "He spoke ill of Mom, and I couldn't stand it, so I hit him."
"And you're still talking?"
We Zhaodi raised the rolling pin.
The little girl quickly wrapped her arms tightly around Jiang Shouzhong's neck, "Uncle Jiang, run!"
Lu Renjia waved his hand and laughed, "Well, if she hit him, she hit him. It's normal for children to fight with each other, and Yue'er usually isn't a girl who starts trouble. It must have been that boy's undue comnts. She can't stand to hear her mother being insulted, so it's understandable that she hit a little too hard."
Ever since mother and daughter were driven out of that ho, idle gossip had never ceased, especially after marrying Zhang Yunwu, the behind-the-scenes whispers were almost incessant.
Children's words may be guileless, but they can also be quite hurtful.
We Zhaodi bit her lip, silent and downcast.
"Co on, Xiao Yue'er, let Uncle Jia hold you, let's see if you've gotten any fatter lately."
Lu Renjia reached out with a beaming smile to hold the little girl.
However, she shrank back into Jiang Shouzhong's embrace, looking quite disdainful, "Yue'er doesn't want you to hold her."
Jia, feeling slighted, pretended to be angry, "You ungrateful girl, after all the sugar chestnuts and pastries Uncle Jia has bought for you."
"Those were all bought by Uncle Jiang for ."
Zhang Yue'er made a face.
"Alright, alright, if that's what you say," Lu Renjia said, whimsically pulling a doll out from his cloak, "Since it was all Uncle Jiang who bought them, I might as well throw this doll away."
As he said that, he pretended to be about to throw it away.
Upon glimpsing the doll, the little girl's eyes glead.
She wriggled out of Jiang Shouzhong's arms like an eel and lunged for Lu Renjia, "Don't throw it, don't throw it, Uncle Jia, please, Yue'er wants the doll... "
"Then tell , who bought you all those pastries and sugar hawthorns before?"
"Hehe, it was Uncle Jia."
"So who has been the kindest to you?"
"Uncle Jia has been the kindest to ."
Watching the two frolic, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.
A faint warmth perated the modest courtyard, sketching a scene of happiness for the less fortunate.
However, when Jiang Shouzhong's gaze landed on the cloth doll, a familiar sharp pain once again assaulted his brain.
What had been a warm scene was suddenly drenched in a mist of blood.
He vaguely saw flashes of the cloth doll, lying in a pool of blood in broken fragnts.
Jiang Shouzhong's head spun, his vision blurred, a wave of nausea struck him, and his heart felt as though it was being twisted by an invisible hemp rope.
"Mr. Jiang!"
The clear call of the little girl awakened the man.
Jiang Shouzhong looked down.
Zhang Yue'er held up the cloth doll in her hand triumphantly, showing it off to him.
The young girl's cute face bead with a radiant smile, in stark contrast to the bloody illusion just monts before, creating a strong and surreal sense of disjunction.
"Yue'er is amazing, isn't she?"
The girl's eyes curved like crescent moons.
Jiang Shouzhong cast aside the clutter in his mind and smiled, reaching out to pat her small head, "Amazing. One day, Mr. Jiang will buy you one too, a bigger cloth doll."
"Mm-hmm, Mr. Jiang is the best."
The little girl nodded excitedly.
Lu Renjia muttered discontentedly, "Little traitor, switching allegiances so quickly."
After being teased by Jia, We Zhaodi could no longer reprimand her daughter and called everyone to co inside for a al.
Jiang Shouzhong looked up at the old red lantern swaying in the cold wind, sowhat lost in thought.
The lingering pain in his head slowly faded.
He had the vague sensation that soone was watching him intently, the gaze searing.
Jiang Shouzhong turned his head to look.
Through the window of the small hut where Ms. Zhang slept, there seed to be a blurry figure standing still.
With the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared.
The man frowned.
Entering the house, Jiang Shouzhong deliberately opened the door of the inner room to have a look. In the dim room, only Ms. Zhang was sleeping quietly, with no sign of anything unusual.
—
In the Capital, atop the high floor of the Astronomical Observatory.
Upon this white jade stone-built tower of extravagant design sat an elder.
The elder had the youthful face of a child but hair as white as a crane's. He was dressed in dark blue robes and sat curled up in the center. With sword-like brows raised high, his eyes were half-closed, and in front of him, a slowly rotating Bagua phantom spun.
Below the phantom was a square pond.
Wisps of Yuan Qi condensed into a halo in the square pond, rippling outward in beautiful circles.
"Master Astronor."
Crown Prince Zhou Wei, adorned in an exquisite jade-white robe, ascended the stairs and respectfully stood in front of the elder.
This elder, tasked with observing, maintaining, and nurturing the Empire's destiny, was descended from a renowned strategist of the Horizontal Alliance, who had assisted the founding Emperor of the Dazhou Dynasty in annihilating four states and quelling the rebellion of six kings.
He was acclaid as a significant figure who could provoke fear in all the feudal lords with his anger and bring peace to the world with his contentnt.
However, as the Central Plains stabilized and the state's governance systems gradually took shape, the second Emperor of Dazhou began to push away the Horizontal Alliance, deeming their ideas as potential threats to stability.
Thus, the once-renowned Horizontal Alliance gradually faded into obscurity, alongside the Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist schools.
The Astronor before him, though born of the Horizontal lineage, was apprenticed at a young age to a renowned family of debaters, acquiring the art of argunt. Later, by a fortunate combination of innate talent and opportunity, he beca a disciple of the Yin Yang Sect.
Later, he was taken as a disciple by the previous Master Astronor.
Now he held the position of Master Astronor of the Empire.
Even for him, the Crown Prince, let alone the Emperor, a respectful deanor was required in this man's presence.
"The Crown Prince should seek out Li Guanshi."
The astronor stated blandly.
Zhou Wei was surprised, "Will it succeed?"
The astronor let out a faint smile and waved away the mist over the pool, his voice serene, "One must always try."
"Very well."
Zhou Wei harbored no doubts.
It was this elder, through the use of a secret technique, who had transferred the "Majestic Heavenly Luck" and "Dragon's Vein" from others to him, securing his position as the Crown Prince.
He obeyed every command from the other man.
At least... for now.
As his white robes fluttered and he stood tall and graceful like a jade tree, the Crown Prince, favored by the saints of the Confucian and Martial families, gazed out over the Capital from atop the high building, shining bright as the moon and capturing all attention.
"The feeling of standing high above, it's truly marvellous."
Zhou Wei murmured with his eyes closed, "Ye Zhuchan, you could have had the chance to stand here. Why did you not wish to?"
"Scum!"
The Crown Prince cursed softly.
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