The Prime Minister’s Darling-Chapter 1544 - 750 Next Appearance (Part 3)

Gu Jiao’s question was not without basis; rather, she had deliberated on it thoroughly on the way there.

Before Gu Yan was injured by Nangong Li, the admission documents for Yan Country’s Academy had already been delivered into Monk Liao Chen’s hands.

In other words, he didn’t know that Gu Yan would be harmed, let alone that they would come to Yan Country to perform surgery on Gu Yan. From the beginning, he had hoped that they would come to Yan Country to study.

Or to be precise, it was for them to accompany Monk Liao Chen to Shengdu for their studies.

He even selected the Academy with great care.

Since Monk Liao Chen was especially attached to Gu Jiao, she was arranged to be at the Canglan Women’s Academy so that the two would not have to be separated.

And although Tianqiong Academy was affiliated with the outer city, it had the simplest student backgrounds, with no children from the eleven great families coming to study, with the exceptions of Mu Qingchen and Mu Chuan.

Moreover, Mu Qingchen seldom attended.

Their classes were also deliberately scheduled differently from Mu Chuan’s.

This greatly reduced their chances of encountering and clashing with noble families.

One could say that every arrangement was meticulously perfect.

Was he really sending Monk Liao Chen to study, or was he bringing him home?

Monk Liao Chen withdrew his gaze from the moon and turned around, his eyes landing on Gu Jiao’s youthful yet valiant face, "Before I answer your question, I have one of my own to ask."

Gu Jiao said, "I asked first."

Monk Liao Chen replied, "I know, so you can choose not to answer me."

Gu Jiao looked at him.

He said seriously, "Can you really bear the whole truth right now? If you can’t, then it’s better for you not to know."

...

Late in the night, a light drizzle fell over Shengdu.

When Gu Jiao returned to the National Master Hall, her clothes were faintly damp with raindrops.

Xiao Hen was waiting for her in the room.

Seeing her enter chilled to the bone, he quickly got a towel to wipe the moisture from her face and hair.

Gu Jiao said, "It’s nothing, just a little drizzle, and it stopped before it really started. Has Qingchen gone to sleep?"

Xiao Hen glanced towards the small figure behind the bed curtain, "He fell asleep before we reached the National Master Hall. How did things go on your end?"

Approaching the bedside, Gu Jiao looked at the little guy and said, "He went to the Xuanyuan Family’s place and is very familiar with it."

Xiao Hen thoughtfully asked, "Does he have a connection to the Xuanyuan Family?"

"I suspect very much so," Gu Jiao recounted her encounters with Monk Liao Chen to Xiao Hen.

Xiao Hen was silent.

He had already found Monk Liao Chen strange when he was eating dumplings, but he hadn’t expected Liao Chen to be such a skilled fighter, killing without a hint of mercy—a far cry from what one would expect of a compassionate monk.

Especially since he also knew the Xuanyuan Family’s spear technique—

"What about Qingchen?" Xiao Hen asked.

Gu Jiao replied, "I asked Qingchen too. He said if I can’t handle the actual truth, then it’s better not to know."

This endurance naturally didn’t refer to how much psychological impact one could withstand.

If Monk Qingchen really had ties to the Xuanyuan Family, given their current power, they might be unable to protect him.

So it was better not to know, to avoid unnecessary troubles.

...

On the long street, two figures sped along swiftly.

"Young Master! Young Master, slow down a bit!"

"Where’s that damn Monk? How did we lose sight of him in the blink of an eye!"

Mingyue Young Master stopped, gazing at the empty street ahead with displeasure, "Did you see where he went just now?"

The grey-cloaked Guard scratched his head, "It seems... this direction, right? We can’t have followed wrong!"

Mingyue Young Master said irritably, "How could he disappear if we didn’t follow the wrong person? Did he vanish into thin air? Is he a ghost?"

The Guard shrank his neck and said quietly, "Young Master, don’t speak about people in the daytime or ghosts at night; one might run into ghosts..."

Mingyue Young Master said coldly, "Children should not speak about ghosts and supernatural powers!"

"Meow—"

A stray cat’s cry came from the roof nearby, making both of them shudder!

The Guard, frightened, clutched Mingyue Young Master’s arm and whispered tremulously, "Young Master, this place is too eerie... It looks deserted and has been for many years... All haunted houses... and the kind where the spirits restlessly roam... Let’s go..."

Mingyue Young Master, trying to sound brave, said, "What, what restless spirits? Am I the kind of person to be scared of that?"

The Guard whispered more quietly still, as if fearing being heard by ghosts, "This is the old site of the Xuanyuan Family; this entire street was once theirs. They say on the day of their family’s execution, blood flowed like a river down this street, the resentment was too deep, even crows dare not come close. And I’ve heard... over the years, anyone who comes here ends up cursed... Even the night watchmen give it a wide berth!"

Mingyue Young Master felt a chill down his back, "You, you, you... stop with the hearsay!"

His feet involuntarily moved a step backward.

The Guard pursed his lips, "If Young Master insists on searching, then I will just have to risk my life and accompany you. You tell me, where should we start? Xuanyuan Family’s Residence is just ahead. Shall we climb the wall or break in?"

Mingyue Young Master swallowed hard and said firmly, "The dead should be respected! What’s all this about climbing walls and breaking in? Let’s go, let’s go!"

After speaking, Young Master Mingyue suddenly turned and hurried back, combining three steps into two as if a ghost was chasing him.

Duwei Prefecture.

Wang Xu had not returned home for several days in a row. The main reason was that one task followed another; he had just finished dealing with the demoted Princess and now had to handle the Little Princesses’ affairs.

Currently, the tough nut he had to crack was the old master of the Mu Family.

Although the old master of the Mu Family was a civil minister, his stubborn temperament was even worse than that of military generals.

Wang Xu couldn’t seriously torture him, after all, he was of advanced age and there was a fear that he might die under harsh treatment.

If the old master of the Mu Family couldn’t cope with the National Master, could he not cope with a mere Wang Xu?

No matter how Wang Xu interrogated him, he simply wouldn’t confess.

"It wasn’t the Mu Family who did it; the Mu Family also doesn’t know who bribed him. To frame my Mu Family like this!"

No matter how many times asked, the answer was always the same.

It was already dawn!

Wang Xu felt like his head was going to split in two.

"Guardsman Duwei, Your Highness Changsun has arrived!"

Outside the duty room, a guard reported.

Wang Xu hastily stood up, straightened his attire, and went out to pay his respects to Xiao Hen: "Your servant greets Your Highness Changsun."

Xiao Hen courteously lifted his hand: "Lord Wang, there is no need for such formalities. Have you not rested all night, Lord Wang?"

"Ah, yes, I was working on a case," Wang Xu said, "Please come inside, Your Highness Changsun."

Quite good at being a person.

Xiao Hen followed him to his duty room and sat in the main seat.

Tea was served by a servant.

Wang Xu asked, "May I enquire the reason for Your Highness Changsun’s sudden visit to the Duwei Prefecture?"

Xiao Hen looked at Wang Xu and said, "I have come for you. Great Lord Xiao is busy taking care of my mother and cannot leave, so I have come to ask about your injury on his behalf."

Wang Xu was moved by the sudden show of concern.

He bowed with his hands clasped and said, "Your servant is unharmed."

"Come to the National Master Hall in three days to remove the stitches," Xiao Hen said.

"Yes," Wang Xu respectfully replied.

Xiao Hen asked curiously, "Lord Wang, you seem to be frowning—Is the case not progressing smoothly?"

"This..." Wang Xu could not casually share the details of the case with outsiders.

Xiao Hen smiled: "Lord Wang, you have taught me martial arts for several years; although I have not mastered any of the moves, this is my personal failing, not Lord Wang’s. Considering the friendship between us, let me offer you some advice."

Wang Xu’s ears perked up.

Xiao Hen spoke indifferently: "His Majesty already knows the result; he only wants a detailed account. Just fill in the blanks, Lord Wang—there’s no need to be too strict about it."

Wang Xu frowned suspiciously: "What do you mean, Your Highness Changsun—"

Xiao Hen picked up a tea cup: "The Wang Family has informants in the Mu Family, right? Why not bring one out to testify against the Mu Family? That would settle it."

Wang Xu’s face changed: "Isn’t that making false testimony?"

So there really are informants, eh, Xiao Hen said calmly, "This isn’t making false testimony, this is exercising your power reasonably. ’One eats the ruler’s food, one bears the ruler’s concerns.’ What His Majesty wishes, is what his servant strives for."

...

In Shengdu, the month of June is never short of chit-chat over tea and meals. First, there was the return of the demoted Princess and the crown prince to the capital, followed by the consecutive troubles of the Mu and Han Families.

The consort Wan was put into the Cold Palace; it already seemed a minor matter compared to the loss of the Mu Family’s military tokens.

It was said that the Mu Family willingly surrendered them, but it was unclear what got into their heads. How could they easily give away military tokens that they had managed to secure with great difficulty?

Because of involvement in a bribery case involving a large sum, leading to severe losses in the national treasury, Mu Hong, the second master of the Mu Family, was stripped of his office and banished.

The Han Family was not faring any better.

People like Zhang Feng, who were promoted by the Han heir, were punished for their inadequate protection, which led to the abduction of the Little Princesses.

Zhang Feng and others were severely punished, and the Han heir was also stripped of his position as deputy commander of the Imperial Forest Army.

More fatally, someone reported to the monarch that the Han heir’s legs were disabled.

His Majesty sent Zhang Dequan along with the imperial physicians to examine the situation and found that Han Ye’s leg tendons were completely severed, leaving no possibility of recovery.

In the Jinluan Hall, His Majesty said sternly: "If the Han heir is no longer able to command the Hei Fengqi, then let us select a new leader for the Hei Fengqi!"

Prime Minister Yang, holding his tablet, asked: "Should we still choose from the Han Family?"

Isn’t that obvious?

Since the Hei Fengqi were awarded to the Han Family, it only made sense for a member of the Han Family to inherit the command.

However, consecutive incidents involving the Han Family had somewhat disappointed the monarch.

After pondering for a moment, His Majesty spoke earnestly: "The Han Family’s descendants are the first choice, but if someone surpasses them by far, they too could be the new commander of the Hei Fengqi!"

This news caused an uproar among the noble families.

The Hei Fengqi were the strongest cavalry in the Six Kingdoms!

They were determined to secure the position of the new commander!