Their voices were clear and melodious, like celestial music, as soothing as the drip of a clear spring, washing the heart and lungs. They repeated the song, enchanting all who listened. After several recitations, the childish singing stopped. A child climbed out of the carriage, holding a wooden box with both hands, offering it to Lord Ye An with a clear voice, “A painting titled ‘Shan Shui Yao’, may the young master accept it.” Since Xia Xia had known the young master, she rarely saw him show surprise. However, at this moment, she genuinely saw… the young master was indeed—slightly moved. The look of surprise on the young master’s face flashed by, and he accepted the wooden box from the child, then turned and headed back to the mansion. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet his posture naturally exuded a commanding presence, causing the onlookers to instinctively make way. Holding the wooden box, Lord Ye An paused briefly as he passed Wu Renqing, “Renqing, I should have invited you to stay in Cangzhou for a gathering, but with the New Year approaching, there are many affairs to handle. We’ll have to wait for another time.” Wu Renqing waved his hands, laughing, “This trip has been rewarding, I should return home. No need for formalities, Zixuan.” As the gates of the Jun Mansion closed, the crowd erupted in discussions, each curious about what “Shan Shui Yao” was. Inside the Jun Mansion, Lord Ye An summoned the chief steward Cang Qianlang to his study, uttering just three words: “Summon the Leopard Guards.” Cang Qianlang, taken aback, hesitated for a moment before asking, “Young Master… are all four Leopard Guards to be summoned?” “All of them.” “Young Master, may I ask what the matter is?” Cang Qianlang, showing a trace of doubt, whispered, “The old master once said that all four guards should not be summoned unless it’s an emergency.” Lord Ye An’s slender fingers lightly brushed the wooden box, then he brought up an seemingly unrelated topic, “Qianlang, did you notice anything unusual when the Wu Men Escort Agency came to deliver the gift?” “Yes. In front of our mansion, several high vantage points were rented out. I roughly estimated that during the gift presentation, there were at least fourteen different martial sects from the north and south watching from the shadows.” “Indeed, nothing escapes the eyes of Chief Steward Cang in Cangzhou.” Lord Ye An praised, “But you’ve missed some clues.” “What does the young master mean?” “Have you heard of the Heavenly…” Lord Ye An paused, leaving the sentence unfinished, “Forget it, I’ll put it this way. Now, both the underworld and the righteous paths likely have their eyes on our Jun Mansion.” After saying this, Lord Ye An did not elaborate further, leaving even the well-versed Cang Qianlang puzzled. “You may leave for now. Let me have some quiet time.” Cang Qianlang withdrew. In the quiet study, Lord Ye An pondered for a long time before opening the rosewood box. Xia Xia, waiting outside with dinner, had waited for a long time. There was no movement from inside the study, and through the window, she could see the silhouette of the young master, sitting at the desk for a full hour. The master hasn’t eaten, so she couldn’t either. The scent of food made her increasingly hungry, and she felt quite forlorn. Disturbing the young master would get her scolded, but waiting would starve her… Oh well, either way, it’s a kind of death. She cleared her throat and said directly, “Young Master, it’s time for dinner.” There was still no response from inside. She elongated her voice and called again, “Young Master, dinner…” “Come in.” Xia Xia quickly pushed the door open, seeing Lord Ye An putting away what looked like a scroll, then he said, “Set it down.” A maid brought in water, and after Lord Ye An washed his hands, he instructed Xia Xia, “You sit down and eat too.” “I’m not hungry,” Xia Xia said with a sense of righteousness, though her mind was already thinking about sneaking to the kitchen once the young master was done eating. “Not hungry? You didn’t seem that way a moment ago with all your complaints.” Uh… After dinner, when the maids had cleared away the dishes, Xia Xia stayed in the study to serve. Noticing the young master’s less stern demeanor, she softly asked, “Young Master, do you have some leisure now?” “What is it?” “If the young master has leisure… perhaps we could chat to pass the time.” Lord Ye An glanced at her, “I think you’re not here to entertain me, but to satisfy your own curiosity.” Caught, Xia Xia stammered, “Young Master… I am curious.” Lord Ye An sipped his tea without responding, and Xia Xia, not daring to speak further, stood by silently grinding ink. After a cup of hot tea’s time, a soft “click” sound came from outside the window, likely a stray cat passing by. Lord Ye An put down his pen, instructing Xia Xia, “You don’t need to attend to me here anymore. Go rest.” Xia Xia responded with a small “yes” and a yawn, about to leave, when Lord Ye An instructed, “Take my cloak before you go.” Xia Xia, already quite sleepy, responded with an “oh” and left. Once her footsteps faded, another “click” came from outside the window. “Come in.” A shadow flipped into the room, dressed in night-walking attire, their face obscured. The person bowed to Lord Ye An, saying in a deep voice, “Young Master, Xuanwu has arrived as summoned.” “I didn’t expect you to be the first to arrive.” Lord Ye An gestured for him to dispense with formalities, “I assume you’ve been in Cangzhou these past few days?” “Yes.” Xuanwu replied, “The young master summoned the Leopard Guards because of the gift from the Wu Men Escort Agency, correct?” Lord Ye An suddenly smiled, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already gathered information on this mysterious gift-giver, haven’t you?” “Yes, without your instructions, Xuanwu ordered our men to start collecting clues from the moment the Wu Men Escort Agency entered Cangzhou.” “And?” Xuanwu paused, seeming disheartened, “There are absolutely no clues.” Lord Ye An, however, smiled in understanding, “Very good. Xuanwu, no need to be disheartened. This lack of clues is the best clue itself.” “Young Master…” Lord Ye An waved his hand, signaling him to stop speaking, then slowly said, “Let me ask you, if this mysterious person were an old friend of our Jun family, sending these grand gifts out of sentiment, would you make such a public display if you were the giver?” “Perhaps. Such a public display would greatly enhance the prestige of the Jun Mansion.” “Then why would this person send the gifts?” “To… maintain the relationship.” “Then, here lies the first contradiction. If the goal is to maintain a relationship, why leave no trace of clues?” Lord Ye An paused, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes, “As for the second point… do you know what this gift-giver truly intends to deliver?” “A beauty, fur clothing, ‘Shan Shui Yao’.” “None of those. The reason the gift-giver sent Wu Renqing from the Wu Men Escort Agency to deliver the gifts personally is because Wu Renqing and I have a deep friendship, making it hard for me to refuse. The beauty and fur clothing are just a facade.”
A sharp gleam like a blade flashed through the prince’s dark eyes. “These two items are merely used to draw the attention of the entire city, whetting everyone’s appetite, making them all eager to see the third item.”
“Thus, on the third day, when ‘Shanshui Yao’ was brought into my mansion, everyone in the martial world, whether they should know or not, became aware of it.” The prince smiled faintly, “So, the one who sent these gifts has brought us a big trouble.”
“According to the prince’s analysis, this… is actually a grand conspiracy?” Xuanwu was taken aback, “But, prince, if you had already seen through it, why didn’t you refuse those generous gifts?”
