Disobedient Minister Against Favors

Chapter 24 Investigative Action

Liu Yuzhen’s plan of sleeping was swept away.

He decided to go out for a walk when he suddenly found that the guards stationed outside had somehow multiplied. Densely packed guards could be noticed every five meters. Not to mention roaming around or climbing over the wall, even doing a simple stroll, countless guards would immediately tail him. The security was so tight that no one and nothing could be missed. It seemed that Emperor Yan was finally serious today.

The huge Imperial Palace was divided into three parts—the main room was in the middle, and two sub-rooms on the left and the right, respectively. Small and large pavilions, which he had never been to, were all carved with gold ornaments and extended to the garden behind the main room.

In the imperial garden, there were many dwarf plants with purple-red flowers, all of which reached a person’s waist and were all looking majestic. Next to the flower forest were sparse old trees. When Yuzhen had nothing to do, he liked to practice there.

Cicadas were heard, and the leaves of the trees blocked the light of the scorching heat.

Liu Yuzhen walked under the shade of a tree. He climbed the top of it in three or two steps and hung upside down from a thick branch.

His long black silky hair swayed softly. Although the wide-sleeved robe was cumbersome, it did not hinder his movements. If it weren’t for this cloth, he would look like a delicate and beautiful flower atop an old tree.

Liu Yuzhen’s mind was like kneaded paste. He thought of what Yuelan told him regarding the relationship between the Prime Minister and Prince Liu, and the man in white who said, “We will see each other again.” Who was that person? Liu Yuzhen’s heart was full of uneasiness.

He shifted his eyes. The guards encircling the tree below were tense that he somehow felt that his private and alone time was disturbed.

Feeling Zipei’s approach, Liu Yuzhen’s eyes narrowed. “Xiao Pei, what happened to what I asked you to investigate?”

Xiao Zipei knew that Yuzhen hated noise and disliked being imprisoned. Therefore he ordered everyone to retreat ten meters away from the tree. He walked slowly under its dense shade and looked up at him. “I’m still investigating. The Liu Kingdom is no better than the Great Yan. Although the domestic regime is stable, but because its border lies near the Zhao Kingdom, there have been many wars. If the princess is really there, I am afraid that it would be very unfortunate.”

“It doesn’t really bode well… But Princess Zhijun must surely be in Liu Ling’s hands. They’re planning on using her; therefore, she’s still safe. Trust my intuition, just follow the people who have been in contact with Liu Ling. We’ll definitely find some clues.”

“Even if she was really in his hands, unless there is conclusive evidence, we have no right to demand Liu Ling to hand over someone. If we want to be efficient, the only method is to let Prime Minister Liu convince Liu Ling.”

 He noticed Zipei said “Prime Minister Liu” and not “you”.

Yuzhen raised the corners of his mouth. Since Xiao Zipei didn’t reveal that he knew he was not the real Prime Minister and didn’t pester him on his true identity, Yuzhen naturally wouldn’t take the initiative to say it himself. “Xiao Pei, if you want to follow me, you must believe me. You even said once that no matter what my true identity was, you’ll still follow me.”

Zipei was stunned for a while, then felt annoyed at being exposed. “Yes, the Prime Minister’s senses are sharp.”

Of course. Xiao Zipei should never underestimate the person called “Falcon”.

Liu Yuzhen closed his eyes and pondered for a while. It was said that Yan Zhijun followed Yan Tenghua to fight for the throne in his early years—wandering from place to place and enduring hardships until she finally became a  princess. Yet, she did not enjoy living a monarch’s life. The so-called world was really unpredictable. Who could guarantee that suffering could easily be replaced with happiness upon being reborn from the ashes.

“We will send two teams to enter the Liu Kingdom. Any news that may be related to the princess will be reported to me immediately. Then we will set up a communication station every 500 miles along the road to ensure that the news arrives as quickly as possible, as well as to help the men stationed there to keep track of the news.”

“Yes.”

This manpower and material consumption would undoubtedly be large, and Emperor Yan would definitely know of it. But if he didn’t do this, if something really happened to Princess Zhijun, he would be a prisoner of Yan Tenghua for the rest of his life.

After Xiao Zipei left, Liu Yuzhen felt a strong sense of powerlessness pouring into his body. In the past, when he was in the team, everyone only had to rely on the vice-captain, codenamed Saintess, for the planning and calculations. That woman was notoriously ruthless and scheming.

She shot with her left hand and dropped bomb with the right, looking like a female demon on the battlefield. She could even design the most accurate and perfect attack route for them again and again, and every action ensured that all the team members could safely retreat as well.  

What was the name of the Saintess—oh, her name was Qinnai, Xia Qinnai…

With his eyes closed, the memory seemed to be a thousand years of time away—that distant—where time and space could hardly make him recall.

It had been a long time since someone called him “Falcon”. He liked that name. Except for the captain, everybody on the team called him with a lame codename such as “R”. In addition, the coolest ones were the team doctor “Devil May Cry” and the guard “Kamikaze”.

If those names were called out here in ancient times, he’s afraid he’d be considered a lunatic.

Liu Yuzhen laughed self-deprecatingly. Hoisting himself up, he leaned against the thick trunk of the old tree and closed his eyes again.

At the same time, Xiao Zipei walked quickly to the main hall where General Qinglin was waiting for him.

General Qinglin was the deputy general of the Northern Garrison. Although he came back bearing the good news, Emperor Yan left him for some unknown reason.

“General Xiao, do you really want to listen to Prime Minister Liu’s words and send troops to infiltrate the Liu Kingdom?”

“I am afraid that only General Qinglin can help him in this matter. Since Prime Minister Liu had already helped the Great Yan, why don’t you believe that he is looking for the Princess.”

“…Princess Zhijun.” General Qinglin stroked his beard.

“I thought that if we captured Prime Minister Liu, we would be able to find the Princess. But you have seen it too. After losing Princess Zhijun, the whole person of His Majesty has changed.”

Hearing what Xiao Zipei said, General Qinglin trembled. Emperor Yan was the youngest son of the previous emperor. After the eldest prince was found to be an illegitimate son and the child of the previous emperor’s brother, the regime was disrupted. Like a ghost, Yan Tenghua rushed back to the palace and took back the throne. Although the eldest prince was imprisoned, he still kept the powerful Imperial Uncle by his side.

But since the disappearance of Princess Zhijun, Emperor Yan’s character had become more and more irritable.

General Qinglin sighed. “If she comes back, she should be titled Princess Qinnai! This is the name that the late emperor made up himself.”

Xiao Zipei nodded. He had followed Yan Tenghua since he was a child, how could he not know all this? As long as he could find a clue to Princess Zhijun’s whereabouts, he would do his best to bring the princess back. “Exactly. Tell them that we’re looking for someone who is good at playing zither, and wears a pearl necklace and a bracelet with bells. I wonder if we can find her just by these clues alone.”

“Okay! I will send some troops to assist. I will follow General Xiao’s instructions.”

The two of them saluted each other and were about to leave when Zipei, with his keen sense of hearing, caught someone eavesdropping.  He rushed behind the column and saw a blue-and-white figure escaping very fast. He immediately gave chase only to witness the imperial guards stationed around who tried to stop the mysterious person, got thrown and wounded one after the other. The figure moved like lightning and quickly left the crowd. “Shit!”

Who dared to eavesdrop on the main hall inside the Imperial Palace? No, it was more important to ensure that Liu Yuzhen was safe first!

Xiao Zipei, who was chasing after the mysterious person, was feeling very conflicted. Should he give up or continue chasing the mysterious person?

Meanwhile, Liu Yuzhen was still on the tree, half-asleep. It was stuffy both inside and outside of the room. He thought that it would be great if there was an air conditioner or something. Although, if he wanted some ice, the servants would deliver it to him respectfully. He was just too lazy to move and was even more lazy to call people.

In a daze, he seemed to see Yuelan’s pretty figure approaching. He couldn’t help but want to beg for ice. After struggling for a while, he reluctantly called out. “Yuelan, I want ice.”

However, the response that came was a chill, so cold to the bones, as it crept into his body. When he looked down again, he was greeted by a pair of frightening eyes that were filled with murderous aura.

Liu Yuzhen shuddered and instantly woke up. Because he was only sitting on a branch, when he abruptly turned his body, he lost balance and fell down. He was falling fast and there was nothing to grab onto. “Ahhh!”

Damn it! Although the distance from here to the ground was only about ten meters, there was no guarantee that Prime Minister Liu’s beautiful body would not be damaged. He was already soft and weak, and with this one fall, it would definitely cost him all those days of hard practice. His heart turned cold. He could only protect his head as he prepared for the impact.

“Puff—” Liu Yuzhen noticed his body became weightless, like being held up by some powerful force. In a moment, a man’s figure flew over and hugged him tightly. His movement was swift and light at the same time. As he landed on the ground with him, air seemed to rise up and shake their clothes.

Liu Yuzhen was stunned. The stunning face, like that of a god, was arrogantly facing him. Leaves rustled behind him, adding endless splendor to the person’s appearance.

“Prime Minister Liu, is this your new trick of seeking death?”