Li Residence
Li Sinian looked at the letter that had arrived from the palace. It had been delivered with the carriage transporting the night soil.
The letter still carried a peculiar odor.
However, he paid no mind to what the letter might have come into contact with. He opened it, and upon reading its contents, his eyes brightened.
After a moment, he said, "Someone..."
Soon, a person entered and bowed. "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Dispatch someone to find Han Xi Chen's subordinates."
"Yes." As the person was about to leave, Li Sinian called out again. "Go to the teahouse and find the storyteller. Have him tell a story."
"Yes, my lord."
"Ensure your movements are not traced," Li Sinian said coldly from behind the retreating figure.
"My lord, rest assured."
After the person left, Li Sinian placed the letter in his hand over the candlelight, watching it turn to ash before finally relaxing.
"My lord, is it from Yao'er?" Madam Xu bustled in and asked Li Sinian. Seeing the ashes of the letter in his hand, she couldn't help but exclaim, "My lord... you burned the letter?"
"There are some things you shouldn't know," Li Sinian said coldly.
"Is Yao'er well? How is she?" Madam Xu pressed.
Li Sinian sighed at her words. "Not very well. Perhaps because Yao'er admires Emperor Yun, His Majesty doesn't seem to treat her kindly."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu cried with heartache. "I told you not to let her enter the palace! You insisted on believing her, and now look, she's suffering injustice, and there's no one to help her!"
"Madam..." Li Sinian stepped forward and patted Madam Xu's shoulder. "You care about Yao'er, don't you think I do too?"
"If you care about Yao'er, then you shouldn't have let her enter the palace! My lord, that's Yao'er, our pearl that we held in the palm of our hands!" Madam Xu sobbed.
Li Sinian sighed and embraced Madam Xu. "Madam, you should trust Yao'er. Over the years, there hasn't been anything Yao'er wanted that she couldn't obtain. Although entering the palace this time was more difficult than ever for her, I believe Yao'er will achieve her desires. Madam, you must also believe in Yao'er."
Madam Xu merely continued to cry. She didn't want her Yao'er to face danger, nor did she want Yao'er to become someone of high status. She only wished for Yao'er to find a good husband and live a peaceful life.
The next day
In the grandest teahouse in the capital, Qing Yi Teahouse, the storyteller clapped his wooden clapper, and silence fell over the entire venue.
The storyteller said, "Today, we shall tell a tale. A newly married couple... the wife was abducted. When the husband found his wife, she was already pregnant. Now, her seven-month pregnancy looks as though she is about to give birth. Esteemed patrons, guess whose child this lady carries, the husband's, or..."
Upon hearing this, a man burst into laughter. "Why is there anything to guess? It must be the child of the thief who abducted her!"
Suddenly, someone spoke up. "Sir, aren't you talking about the current Empress?"
Everyone present suddenly froze, as if a curtain had dropped. The silence was profound, but their expressions were filled with intrigue. Rumor had it that the Empress, married to the former Crown Prince of Xue Kingdom, now Emperor Yun, for less than three months, had been abducted. Upon her return, she was already pregnant. According to the Empress's maids, her seven-month pregnancy appeared as if she were about to give birth.
Although Emperor Yun had forbidden anyone to mention this matter, everyone suspected that the child was likely not Emperor Yun's.
"Sir, are you speaking of the Empress?" someone else asked.
The storyteller waved his hand. "The world is vast, how can you be so sure who I'm referring to?"
"If not the Empress, then who? I'm guessing it's the Empress."
The storyteller clapped his clapper again. "For the rest of the story, tune in next time." With that, he picked up his clapper and prepared to leave.
The crowd blocked his path. He, however, slipped out through the back door and quickly boarded a carriage where a man was waiting.
"My lord, everything has been handled," the storyteller said.
The man tossed him a bundle. "Here is your payment. Leave here quickly."
The storyteller picked up the bundle and weighed it. Seeing that it was heavy, he finally relaxed. "My lord, I shall take my leave now."
"You can take that carriage," the man said, jumping down from the carriage and departing.
The storyteller quickly opened the bundle. Inside, glittering gold ingots filled it. This money was enough for him to marry, raise a family, and live in comfort for the rest of his life.
"Where to, sir?" the coachman asked.
"Ping Dao." That was his hometown.
The storyteller leaned against the carriage and fell asleep. When he awoke, the carriage had stopped. He lifted the curtain and found himself in utter darkness. A wolf's howl made him tremble uncontrollably.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?" he screamed until his throat was hoarse, but only his echoes answered.
He saw beasts with glowing green eyes slowly approaching him. He quickly retreated into the carriage, his hand touching the ingots in the bundle. He was filled with regret. They wanted to silence him!
The sounds of beasts outside the carriage grew closer. Clutching the bundle, he looked at the gold ingots and suddenly picked one up and swallowed it.
After a long while, someone dispersed the wolf pack and approached. They lifted the carriage curtain to find the storyteller's corpse mangled. They stepped forward, picked up the bundle, gathered the gold ingots, and left.
Wen Yuxi listened as Wen Nuan recounted the events, his expression turning frighteningly grim. "It seems someone is deliberately targeting A Ning."
Wen Nuan nodded. "Indeed. However, my subordinates have investigated. The news did not originate from the palace. Li Yao Qin has been under our surveillance, and she hasn't leaked any information outside."
Wen Yuxi replied, "Do not let your guard down. The title of the capital's foremost talent was not earned by chance. If it were her, reaching this point would not be impossible."
That day, the only one who had overheard his conversation with A Ning was Li Yao Qin. Yet, no evidence pointed to Li Yao Qin. This could only mean two things: either Li Yao Qin was not responsible, or Li Yao Qin, under their surveillance, had managed to pass on the information without their knowledge.
"Have there been any movements from the Li Shangshu Residence?" Wen Yuxi asked.
Wen Nuan shook his head. "Only normal correspondence, nothing unusual."
Wen Yuxi chuckled. "This is truly the first time I've encountered such a difficult situation. The storyteller is dead, and the news spread somehow. It's truly bizarre."
"My lord, Emperor Yun has arrived!" Accompanied by the announcement, Xue Jing Yun, clad in a moon-white robe, walked in.
His refined and handsome face held a trace of coldness, likely from hearing the rumors concerning the Empress.
"You have time to visit me today?" Wen Yuxi raised an eyebrow as he looked at Xue Jing Yun.
"Wen Yuxi, have you heard about the matter being spread today?"
Wen Yuxi nodded. "We are investigating."
"Any leads?" Xue Jing Yun inquired.
Wen Yuxi shook his head. "None. Do you have any?"
Xue Jing Yun looked at him and asked calmly, "How long has it been since you last tidied up your Qianjin Tower?"
"What do you mean?" Wen Yuxi asked.
"You don't even know there's a traitor within Qianjin Tower?" Xue Jing Yun's icy voice was like a chilling frost, piercing to the bone.