Meng Qing shook his head, “This prince has no desire to compete. I hope the Taishi will help me support my second brother.”
Bao Taishi coldly said, “I’m afraid the Third Prince will be the first to suffer after helping him rise to power.”
In his heart, Meng Qing actually agreed with Bao Taishi. As a veteran of the court, Bao Taishi saw the situation extremely clearly. However, his mission was to help Luo Ye ascend the throne, so he had no choice.
Meng Qing shook his head, pretending not to believe Bao Taishi’s words, and continued to persuade him. Yu Wenxin also tried to persuade Bao Taishi.
Bao Taishi simply said, “When one gets old, one becomes stubborn. I will not change my mind. If the Third Prince truly has no desire to compete, I might as well retire and return to my hometown.”
As the leading military general, Liu Taiwei’s style was completely different from Bao Taishi’s. Initially, he completely ignored Meng Qing standing nearby and only spoke to Yu Wenxin.
Meng Qing made a slight probe, but Liu Taiwei coldly replied, “I don’t speak to cowardly turtles.” He had long seen through Meng Qing’s identity but simply did not want to talk to him.
Liu Taiwei had heard about the Third Prince Luo Zhan’s poisoning, which turned out to be fake. He thought the Third Prince was using the pretense of poisoning to hide in his residence while secretly maneuvering and trying to win over officials, an approach he despised. Liu Taiwei was old but still resolute, and his temperament became more intense with age. Considering his status as an elder, he directly satirized the Third Prince. Now, in his view, the Second Prince seemed more ambitious and spirited, and his actions were more to his liking.
Meng Qing smiled and stopped asking.
Yu Yi woke up. She didn’t move her body but slightly opened her eyes to survey the room. When she had fallen asleep, there were two maids in the room; now, only one remained. As she had slept for a long time, the maid was not constantly watching her and had not yet noticed she was awake.
Yu Yi covered her arm with a blanket and opened her terminal, seeing Meng Qing’s message: Hard work, my dear. Here’s a comforting kiss, please receive it before getting up. Following was an emoticon of a little boy kissing a little girl. She couldn’t help but curve her mouth and replied with a silent message: Awake. How are things on your end?
Lin Bai had sent her a memory package while she was sleeping, containing all information about Yi Ya Zi and his published works on military strategies, battle formations, and political theories. Yu Yi opened and began studying it. She believed these materials would help her blend in at Luo Ye’s residence without issue.
She waited a while, and seeing no reply from Meng Qing, she sat up from the bed.
The maid heard the movement and came to ask, “Miss Yi, are you awake?”
Yu Yi nodded, “Awake.”
Another maid brought food and asked, “Miss Yi, would you like to eat something?”
Looking at the meal, Yu Yi still felt no appetite and reluctantly drank some soup-like liquid, then told the maid, “This maiden would like to see Master Pan.”
The maid soon returned, saying, “Master Pan is resting.”
Yu Yi wanted to go out, and the guards did not stop her but followed her closely. Yu Yi did not make things difficult for them, only walking in the courtyard. She found an open space and asked the maids and guards to stay away. Though puzzled, they complied, positioning themselves at four corners to surround her.
Yu Yi acted as if she didn’t notice, standing straight, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes and reviewing Yi Ya Zi’s Five Form Fist in her mind before executing it.
After completing the set of punches, applause rang out from a corner of the courtyard. Yu Yi looked towards the source and saw Pan Xian, quickly stepping forward to bow, “Master Pan.”
Pan Xian praised, “Miss Yi’s skills are excellent. It seems you’ve truly learned from Yi Ya Zi.”
Yu Yi shook her head, her face showing sadness, “My senior brother understood this set of fist techniques more deeply than I. He was the one who truly inherited my father’s teachings.”
Pan Xian sighed, “General Xiang was indeed unfortunate… The deceased has passed, and the living must take care of themselves. Miss Yi, please accept my condolences.” After a pause, he asked, “What did Miss Yi wish to see me about?”
Yu Yi said, “This maiden wants to ask Master Pan where my senior brother’s memorial hall is located.”
Pan Xian led Yu Yi towards the memorial hall. On the way, Yu Yi added, “My father does not yet know about my senior brother’s murder. After the burial, I will return to inform my father.”
Pan Xian thought to himself that the Second Prince had just that morning said he wanted to keep Miss Yi in the residence. After some thought, he said, “Does
“
Yu Yi was stunned, lowering her head, “This maiden is alone, with no relatives or connections in the capital. How could I find the murderer?”
Pan Xian said, “Miss Yi cannot find the murderer alone, of course.”
Yu Yi looked up and asked, “Does Master Pan have a clue about the murderer?”
Pan Xian extended his hand, slightly curling his thumb, and pointed with his four fingers in a direction, “It’s this person.”
Yu Yi furrowed her brow, and after a while, she showed a look of sudden realization, but quickly became dejected: “But he is powerful and influential. I’m afraid a commoner like me can’t even enter his residence.”
Pan Xian said: “Miss Yi can be at ease. The Second Prince is deeply grieved by the General’s murder. He will definitely help Miss Yi seek revenge. However, this matter cannot be rushed and requires careful planning.”
Yu Yi nodded solemnly.
Pan Xian felt relieved in his heart; it seemed Yi Yao had been persuaded to stay. As for careful planning, how long that would take was up to them.
Yuwenxin then arranged for people to investigate the General’s murder. “
Meng Qing entered the washroom and first opened the terminal to check messages. Seeing only one message from Yu Yi, he felt calm before even reading the content. A message meant she was safe, and the lack of vibration indicated no urgent situation.
Opening the message, she only said she was awake and asked about his condition. Meng Qing pushed aside the jade tablet’s pattern and asked via lip language: “My wife, is it convenient to talk?”
Yu Yi had just left the memorial hall, with Pan Xian having left earlier. Hearing the voice in her earpiece, she replied via lip language: “I just paid respects at the General’s memorial hall and am now on my way back to my quarters.” Since the memorial hall was in a secluded courtyard of Luo Ye’s residence with few people around, it was safe to speak.
“Did Pan Xian try to keep you?”
“Yes, he kept urging me to stay, using the pretext of avenging the General.” It was already expected that Luo Ye would want to keep Yi Yao, which was one reason why Yu Yi chose to impersonate her. She then asked: “What did you do after waking up?”
Meng Qing briefly recounted how he had woken up and disguised himself as Yuwenxin’s attendant to go to Luo Ye’s residence. He laughed: “Actually, I was only a few hundred meters away from you in a straight line, but you were fast asleep.”
Yu Yi raised an eyebrow: “Do I snore?”
“
“Don’t you know? Oh right, of course you wouldn’t know. You not only snore, but quite loudly too.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. One day I’ll record it for you to hear.”
“You’ll probably record someone else’s snoring and claim it’s mine.”
“My dear, you’re so silly. I could just download a snoring sound file and add a few of your sleep-talking lines. Why would I need to record someone else’s snoring?”
“You’re the silly one for saying that yourself.”
