Lotus ponds and arched bridges, pavilions and towers, young noblen fanning themselves and reciting verses, young ladies moving with graceful, swaying steps. Beneath the night sky, a hundred ornate lanterns blazed, and through the garden, the sounds of strings and flutes mingled with the chiming of silver cups.
Hu Rui'an and his two companions stopped outside the covered walkway, while the gatekeeper who had brought them hurried toward the crowd of rry guests.
Very shortly, the gatekeeper ca to a stop beside a young nobleman in a purple brocade robe, and bending respectfully, leaned in to murmur a few words at his ear.
The purple-robed young man turned his head and looked in the direction of Hu Rui'an and the others, narrowing his eyes slightly, then gave a gentle nod and said sothing.
Hearing this, the gatekeeper imdiately bowed and withdrew, then stepped quickly back to Hu Rui'an, lowering his head respectfully and saying, "My Young Master invites Commissioner Hu to join him for a word."
Hu Rui'an furrowed his brow, his expression turning sowhat unpleasant, and said coldly, "I ca here to see Deputy Commander i. If he is not available, I have no need to et with anyone else."
With that, he turned to leave, but the gatekeeper quickly said, "My Master is currently unwell. For the past several days, all affairs of the estate have been handled by the Young Master on his behalf. The Young Master has extended an invitation and said that Commissioner Hu may discuss any matter with him."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an's expression shifted. He stopped walking, turned his head toward the gatekeeper, and asked, "Deputy Commander i is ill? Since when?"
"Approximately a month or so ago. The Master overexerted himself with Tianjin Guards affairs and unfortunately fell ill with a cold."
The gatekeeper kept his head lowered as he replied, but Hu Rui'an naturally did not believe a word of it.
The man was a Heaven-Human expert of considerable standing. How could a common cold lay him low and leave him unable to manage his affairs?
This was either a deliberate excuse to brush him off, or the man genuinely could not function, though the reason was certainly not a cold.
With that thought, sothing suddenly stirred in Hu Rui'an's mind.
A month ago was precisely when the haunting incidents at the Tianjin Guards office had begun. Could it be that i Yan himself had been caught up in that affair?
Hu Rui'an stood in quiet contemplation for a mont, and in the end decided to stay and et with the i family's young master.
Even so, what Hu Rui'an had not anticipated was that when the young master i Yanyu t with him, he actually brought up the matter of the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards failing to advance toward Lan Province on his own initiative.
"Commissioner Hu, this was truly not a case of my father defying orders. It was just over a month ago that a haunting incident occurred at the provincial Tianjin Guards office, and the office lost a number of people. Even my father was severely injured."
i Yanyu in his purple brocade robe poured wine for Hu Rui'an, his expression deeply helpless, saying, "After receiving Commander Fu's orders, my father did intend to make preparations, but because of his injuries he simply had no capacity to lead and command the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards."
"So the weight of the matter fell on my shoulders, and since my abilities are limited and the various Suppression Commissioners of the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards do not recognize my authority, the whole affair has been extrely difficult to set in motion, and matters have been left in this state until now."
After hearing the i family young master's explanation, Hu Rui'an kept his expression steady, though internally he did not believe a word of it.
He glanced at the wine on the table before them without any inclination to drink, and simply said, "I am aware of the haunting affair at the Tianjin Guards office. I wonder how Deputy Commander i's current injuries stand?"
"If it would be convenient, I could go and pay Deputy Commander i a visit, and perhaps I might be of so help."
Hearing this, i Yanyu poured himself a cup and drank it, then shook his head, saying, "I thank Commissioner Hu for the kind thought, but the external injuries my father sustained have largely healed. The difficulty is that his spirit and mind have been further damaged, and he has been unconscious for several days now, truly unable to receive guests."
As he spoke, i Yanyu clasped his hands toward Hu Rui'an in a gesture of apology, and Hu Rui'an waved a hand in dismissal, though a flash of keenness passed through his eyes.
The other man had conveniently gone for the ploy of being unconscious, which was quite a convenient excuse. That way, even if he tried to force a eting with i Yan it would be nearly impossible to arrange, and even if he sohow managed it, there was nothing he could do with an "unconscious" man.
At this point, Hu Rui'an gave i Yanyu a look, thought for a mont, and said, "Since you ask, I will not conceal it from you. We ca directly from the Tianjin Guards office just now, and we personally encountered the haunting as well. Could Young Master i perhaps shed so light on what is behind it?"
The mont those words fell, i Yanyu's expression visibly shifted. He looked Hu Rui'an over and then glanced at Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong behind him, and asked with a peculiar expression, "Surely Commissioner Hu is not pulling my leg? You and your n actually encountered the thing at the Tianjin Guards office?"
Hu Rui'an gave only a quiet nod, offering no further elaboration.
Seeing this, i Yanyu said nothing, but stared at Hu Rui'an as if trying to read whether the man was telling the truth.
After a while, he shifted his gaze toward the assembled noblen and ladies still making rry in the garden around them, and said in a low, asured voice, "Honestly, I was rather hoping you were trying to deceive ..."
As he spoke, he paused, then suddenly turned his head with narrowed eyes, saying, "Otherwise, Commissioner Hu, I am afraid you and your people may not survive until tomorrow."
The mont those words landed, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong standing behind Hu Rui'an had their expressions turn rather unpleasant at once.
Hu Rui'an, however, kept his composure, and said coolly, "I would not say that for certain. Deputy Commander i managed to survive the haunting incidents. There is no reason to say we cannot do the sa."
Hearing this, i Yanyu gave a gentle shake of his head, poured himself another cup, and glanced at Hu Rui'an, saying, "Commissioner Hu may not know the full story. The reason my father managed to walk away from those ghosts alive is owed almost entirely to my mother. If it had not been for her..."
i Yanyu left the rest unsaid.
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an's expression changed slightly.
The reason i Yan's standing and position was so far beyond anything Hu Rui'an could match ca down to two things, when it ca to it.
One was that the man's elder sister was the Queen Consort herself. As the undisputed brother of the Queen Consort, even Commander Fu in person would have to offer him a degree of deference.
The other was the man's wife.
i Yan's wife, Mu Qingxia, known throughout the martial world as "Lady Cainong," cultivated the Rainbow Divine Technique, a shifting and spectacular art that had allowed her to move freely and without opposition throughout the martial world.
And of even greater significance, she was the beloved daughter of Mu Tianxing, the Martial Saint of Yuming Mountain.
The standing of the Martial Saint Mu Tianxing in the martial world needed no elaboration, and as his son-in-law, i Yan commanded considerable prestige throughout the martial world in his own right, with factions large and small all giving him a degree of respect.
The mother i Yanyu spoke of was naturally Lady Cainong.
If she had acted to help, then there was truly no way Hu Rui'an could compare with i Yan in that regard.
At this point, i Yanyu caught Hu Rui'an's reaction from the corner of his eye, and a flicker of amusent passed through his gaze, though he controlled himself well enough not to show it, saying, "In any case, I have said all there is to say. Whether you believe or not is up to Commissioner Hu."
Then he paused again, saying, "Of course, if Commissioner Hu is already frightened, you are welco to stay at the i Residence for the ti being. I cannot help you deal with those ghosts, but staying at the i Residence is at least safer than anywhere else in the provincial city."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an reined in his inner feelings and gave i Yanyu a look.
In that mont, the image of a certain person floated up in his mind, and his entire bearing beca calm once more. He said in a steady voice, "I thank Young Master i for the offer, but it will not be necessary."
i Yanyu studied Hu Rui'an for a mont, and a trace of surprise passed through his eyes, as though he could not quite understand where the man's confidence was coming from.
Even so, Hu Rui'an had no intention of explaining, and simply changed the subject, saying, "Back to the matter at hand. Even with Deputy Commander i seriously injured and unconscious, I find the situation deeply regrettable, but the Commander's orders cannot go unheeded."
"Sheng Province borders Lan Province, and there is still ti. I have one and only one purpose in coming here, and I carry an express commission from His Highness the Eighth Prince. I must see the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards mobilized toward Lan Province."
As he spoke, Hu Rui'an looked toward i Yanyu and said, "If Deputy Commander i is unable to accomplish this, then I will assu command of the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards myself. When I ca, Commander Fu had already issued his personal written order: anyone who defies the mobilization is to be executed without exception."
"So I ask that Young Master i give a firm answer tonight. Can the Sheng Province Tianjin Guards be mobilized to advance toward Lan Province within two days?"
Hearing this, i Yanyu was briefly taken aback, then his eyes narrowed.
Even so, he did not answer Hu Rui'an's question directly, but instead said with a look of genuine surprise, "Commissioner Hu is actually traveling together with the Eighth Prince whom His Majesty has just acknowledged. I did not anticipate this."
Since Li Musheng's identity had been officially recognized, news that Great Li had gained an Eighth Prince had already been sent by fast ssage to every part of the empire.
It had even spread through neighboring countries' intelligence channels, and all four surrounding kingdoms were by now beginning to circulate the news.
i Yanyu had naturally known about this for so ti. What he had not expected was that this Eighth Prince who had grown up among the common people, whose identity had only been acknowledged a handful of days ago and who had not yet even established himself in the capital, would already be involved in Tianjin Guards business so quickly.
"Commissioner Hu, I wonder where the Eighth Prince is currently staying?"
i Yanyu looked toward Hu Rui'an and asked, but Hu Rui'an gave him a glance and said, "Young Master i, please do not change the subject. With the i family's power and reach in the provincial city, finding out where we are staying would be child's play. I ask that you first answer this official's question."
Hearing this, i Yanyu's expression remained even. He thought in silence for a mont, then clasped his hands and said, "This is not sothing I can decide on my own. I will need to consult with my mother and the various Tianjin Guards commissioners. In that case, why not allow to give Commissioner Hu a formal answer tomorrow in person?"
Hu Rui'an's gaze shifted slightly, but rather unexpectedly, he did not refuse. Instead, he gave a nod and said in a steady voice, "Very well."
With that, he had no desire to linger further, and rose to his feet, taking Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong with him as he bid farewell and left.
But at the very mont he turned to go, he suddenly looked back, fixed his gaze on i Yanyu, and said, "A word of caution for Young Master i. The affair in Lan Province is of the gravest importance. I trust you will all know what is best for you."
Then he said nothing more, led Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong back the way they had co, and disappeared from i Yanyu's sight.
The young master of the i family watched the three of them go, drinking his wine in silence without a word.
Before long, i Yanyu seed to sense sothing and suddenly turned his head, looking toward an old man who had appeared at so point beside the table.
Had Hu Rui'an been present to see this man, he would have recognized him at once. It was none other than the old man who had been pushing the cart of tea sacks earlier.
"Master Mu is back?"
i Yanyu picked up the wine jar beside him with a perfectly natural air, stood to pour the man a cup, and asked, "How did things look at the Tianjin Guards office?"
The old man shook his head, took the cup, and sipped at it, saying, "I happened to run into three unfortunate ones."
The mont those words fell, i Yanyu's gaze shifted slightly, but he said nothing further.
As though those who were already as good as dead had no further discussion value in his eyes.
...
Coming out of the i Residence, Hu Rui'an, who had originally planned to go to the Zhu family next to see Governor Zhu Ziming, suddenly found himself without the heart for it.
"Never mind. Let's go back to the Murong estate."
Hu Rui'an called out to Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong and urged his horse forward.
Hearing this, the two of them quickly spurred their horses to follow.
"Commissioner, we only have two days. Why did you agree to that young master of the i family's request?"
Wu Shang had watched the entire exchange between Hu Rui'an and i Yanyu, and now gave voice to the question that had been on his mind.
But before Hu Rui'an could answer, Cheng Zhong riding alongside him suddenly furrowed his brow and said, "From what I observed, that i young master seed quite confident that the three of us would not survive until tomorrow."
Hearing this, Hu Rui'an looked back at him, then said, "Precisely. And whether we can survive will be the key to how things proceed from here."
The mont those words fell, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged a look, both clearly not entirely following Hu Rui'an's aning.
Seeing this, Hu Rui'an noticed the puzzlent in their expressions and explained, saying, "From my observations, the claim that i Yan was seriously injured by the haunting affair is almost certainly true. Otherwise that young master would not be so confident we would not survive until tomorrow."
"As for the reason they have not mobilized the Tianjin Guards toward Lan Province, I do not believe a single word of the excuse given. With the authority of Commander Fu and the Great Li imperial court behind those orders, once they were properly transmitted to each location, would any Suppression Commissioner below dare defy them?"
"So I believe there is more to this than ets the eye, and all of it seems to be connected to the haunting affair at the Tianjin Guards office..."
At this point, Hu Rui'an stopped without finishing.
It was plain that he was staking everything on uncovering the truth behind the haunting at the Tianjin Guards office.
And if he wanted to find that truth, he had to live through tomorrow first.
Before tonight's experience, he might still have had so confidence in himself. But after having been driven out of the Tianjin Guards building by the ghost shadow and the laughter, and after learning of i Yan's condition from i Yanyu, he genuinely had no confidence in his ability to deal with those ghostly entities.
Even so, the fact that he himself was not up to it did not an no one was.
He did not have a wife who was the daughter of a Martial Saint like i Yan did. But behind him he had Li Musheng, that Eighth Prince who had sent Shen Juesheng flying with a single punch.
Though the Eighth Prince was not particularly fond of getting involved in things, what if the trouble ca looking for him directly?
"Hmm... I imagine His Highness would not actually stand by and watch a ghost strangle to death?"
When push ca to shove, Hu Rui'an found himself not entirely certain of even that.
After returning with Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong by horse to the Murong estate, they went without a mont's pause back to the courtyard where they were staying.
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