“His Majesty isn’t a fan of him. If anything, he has his grandpa to thank. Speaking of Wondrous Warrior, he was involved in the contest for the throne; however, he never viewed His Majesty as a threat. To the contrary, he took His Majesty’s side. His Majesty broke down in tears when his corpse was wheeled back to the capital on a donkey cart. Apparently, Li Muye - the punk - is the spitting image of his grandpa in his younger days, so he reminds His Majesty of his grandpa. That’s why His Majesty is tolerant of Li Muye’s misconduct. By the sa account, it’s useless to detain him if he didn’t personally commit a cri. Right now, the most pressing matter is to find the iron seal,” Shen Yiren elucidated. “Do you suspect Zhao Xin of stealing it?”
Su Xiao affirmatively bobbed his head. “It must be him! Before he ca in, I dragged him into the back alley and pretended to demand a bribe, but he claid to have no money.”
“A shortage of money doesn’t make one a thief.”
“But he stated that he’d make it up to us once he found the iron seal.”
“…” Shen Yiren felt her head throb. She contemplated the information gathered thus far and then said, “That being the case… perhaps Li Muye is after Yongheng Bank’s seal, but soone by the na of Hong Jiu stole it from him after he got his hands on it.”
Hong Jiu: “I’m truly innocent, Sister-in-Law. All eight generations of the ‘Hong’ surna carr-”
Shen Yiren glared daggers at Hong Jiu. “Enough. I never suspected you. Not even louse would dare touch your blanket. What good would money do you?”
Given the thief claid to be Hong Jiu, they had to either have a grudge against Mount Daluo or Hong Jiu. In addition, as soone affiliated with Daren Academy, they could very well have soone higher up backing them. On top of that, they thieved it from Zhao Xin not long after he obtained it, bespeaking thorough calculations were made prior. They weren’t dealing with a simpleton.
Although Liu Shan n had Ming Feizhen and Hong Jiu in Daren Academy, Ming Feizhen couldn’t fight, while Hong Jiu was definitely flagged for surveillance.
Shen Yiren: “Yan Ling, Xiao Han.”
Tang Ye and Su Xiao: “Present.”
“Starting tomorrow, you two attend classes with Ming Feizhen.”
Su Xiao: “Eh? We have to study, as well?”
Tang Ye: “We are planning to win the martial arts and literacy imperial exams?”
“Obviously not. Ming Feizhen can take care of the exams. I’m sending you two in to investigate the case. The perpetrator is on Daren Academy’s grounds. Keep a low profile. Investigate from various angles. And find the culprit as soon as you can.”
***
Over thirty years ago, the mansion adjacent to the imperial court occupied a sizeable plot of land. Owing to the renovations and expansions it underwent, it beca the largest mansion in the capital.
On the grounds of Wondrous Warrior Sstate, even servants conducted themselves with the discipline of the many ard guards. If soone were to try infiltrating, they needed to be prepared to combat several guards every ti they turned a corner. One could make a strong case for it being harder to infiltrate than the abode of a veteran in the pugilistic world.
Because Li Muye’s father passed away early and he was an only son, His Majesty permitted Li Muye to inherit his father’s rank and “Northern Wondrous Prince” title. Though he lost his father at a young age, his wise mother not only raised him but also sustained the family’s operations. Additionally, she leveraged their family’s reputation in the military to nurture over a thousand capable martial artists. Their place beca the biggest, most famous ring in the capital when they started holding competitions for mbers of the martial world as a socialisation strategy. By extension, their ho beca the spot where the most information was exchanged. Information, of course, included martial arts knowledge.
Up to 70% of martial arts events in the capital started at Wondrous Warrior Manor, and a considerable portion of the martial arts community in the capital ca from there. They set up rings of various sizes across their ho ground for daily matches and classes. Unless one was talking about a huge sect, it was impossible to find a sect where as many martial artists were coming and going as at Wondrous Warrior Manor.
Like always, Li Muye only ever spared the martial artists a glance when he wanted to show his detest for them. He would always be seen with his brows together until he entered the inner section, where outsiders were prohibited entry.
Li Muye tried to silently enter the tranquil Buddhist hall and, in a soft voice, called, “Mother.”
The woman sitting inside paused her recital to turn around. Despite her son already being a grown man, ti couldn’t leave its mark on her. The woman who hadn’t seem to age a day since her thirties responded, “Mu’er.”
Li Muye, like his persona at Daren Academy was but a facade, hurried over to help his mother up. “I’m here, Mother.”
“Where did you co ho from?”
“I ca back from the academy.”
“Fool.”
Li Muye’s head dropped as though he was whipped.
Without looking at her son, she elaborated, “Her Majesty Empress Dowager has returned to the palace. Regardless of how busy you are with studying, you mustn’t forget to pay her a visit. Your father and grandpa’s reputations aren’t the only things keeping us afloat. Even with our guests, no matter how we grow, the most we could ever beco is a clan in the martial world. His Majesty’s protection is the reason we can sustain our affiliation as a mber of the imperial family. His Majesty treasures Her Majesty Empress Dowager; you mustn’t be complacent.”
“I understand. I shall pay Her Majesty Empress Dowager a visit tomorrow.”
“That’s more like it. Sadly…” For the first ti in the conversation, there was finally emotion in her voice, naly regret. “Sadly, you and Shen Yiren are at odds with each other, always quarrelling whenever you’re together. I would be ecstatic to have her as my daughter-in-law. Even without her family’s value to His Majesty, I can’t see what’s not to like about her. She is soone who can achieve greatness.”
“Mother, there is no point to discussing that topic. At the end of the day, her engagent to Song Clan is a sealed deal. Even if Song Ou has not done anything after so long, we cannot let a woman like her into our family.”
“Fool.”
While he did recoil, Li Muye exhibited no signs of changing his mind, which was an indication to his mother that anything she said next on the topic would go out the other ear. Hence, she told him, “There is no need to wait until tomorrow. Enter the palace today,” then shook his hold off her, prompting the nearby maids to co over and escort her away.
Li Muye only got up once his mother was out of sight.
“Her Ladyship is still as imposing as ever,” Master Qi remarked.
“Mother is right, just not direct enough. She may have the patience, but I don’t.”
“What are your orders?”
“Now that His Majesty has reclaid Huzhou, the Seven Champion White Princes are bound to make a move, which ans money is indispensible, yet that useless Zhao Xin had to go and lose the seal. I need to enter the palace today and will most likely stay, so I don’t have ti to deal with it. Hurry back to the academy. Find out which mongrel stole the seal and butcher him!”
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