Chapter 036
Chapter 36: Hua Rong
After leaving the grand hall, Li Yuan Ling brought Li Mu Sheng to her room in Aurora Pavilion.
“Let’s speak plainly,” he said. “Who exactly is Miss Li?”
Li Mu Sheng casually sat down on a stool, leisurely observing the handsome young man before him.
Li Yuan Ling remained quiet for a moment, then sat opposite Li Mu Sheng. She poured tea from the pot on the table into his cup, resting her chin on her hand.
“How much do you know about the Seventh Prince?” she asked.
Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Which aspect of him does Miss Li mean?”
“For instance, do you know what kind of person his mother was? Or perhaps, do you know he has an elder sister who is currently Great Li’s Eldest Princess? And how familiar are you with his maternal family?”
Hearing this, Li Mu Sheng looked thoughtfully at her for a while before saying, “Could it be that you are Great Li’s Eldest Princess?”
Li Yuan Ling rolled her eyes, replying, “She wouldn’t come to see you. That Eldest Princess is busy trying to rescue that fake prince imprisoned in the palace. A few days ago, she even knelt for several nights in front of Tian Qian Palace.”
Li Mu Sheng’s gaze flickered with curiosity. “Then who exactly are you?”
“You guess!” Li Yuan Ling’s eyes sparkled expectantly.
Li Mu Sheng stroked his chin thoughtfully and narrowed his eyes. “I’d guess you must be the naturally charming, peerlessly beautiful Princess Hua Rong.”
Li Yuan Ling appeared startled at first, but soon her face brightened with delight, nodding happily. “Correct!”
She blinked, pleasantly surprised. “And your way of speaking is quite delightful.”
Li Mu Sheng wore a knowing expression. Naturally, he had heard Cang Yin Yue mention details about the Seventh Prince during their journey to Shang Yang City.
The Seventh Prince’s mother was Consort Jing, though she had passed away three years prior. He indeed had an elder sister, the Eldest Princess, who oddly seemed unconcerned about her real younger brother and instead deeply cherished the fake prince. She had repeatedly pleaded with Emperor Yuan Wu to release him and constantly sought ways to rescue him.
Apart from her, the Seventh Prince also had a sworn younger sister, originally the only daughter of Prince Zhen Nan of Great Li. After Prince Zhen Nan and his wife perished a decade ago in the battle of Tian Qiu City, Consort Jing adopted the girl. Emperor Yuan Wu, honoring the couple’s contributions, officially granted her the title “Princess Hua Rong.”
Consort Jing deeply loved her adopted daughter, treating her exactly like her own child. That was why Li Mu Sheng had guessed the young woman’s identity. Princess Hua Rong’s real name was Li Yuan Ling, closely matching the name of the person in front of him. Moreover, given her personality, it indeed made sense she would come to Aurora Pavilion to see her sworn elder brother, whom she’d never met before.
Still, Li Mu Sheng curiously studied her for a moment and asked, “You seem very certain that I truly am the Seventh Prince?”
Li Yuan Ling nodded seriously. “From the moment I saw you, I was certain you must be my sworn elder brother. Not only do you resemble His Majesty slightly, you look even more like my foster mother.”
She stuck out her tongue playfully, adding, “When you mentioned your good looks earlier, those obviously came from our foster mother.”
At this, Li Mu Sheng touched his face thoughtfully. He recalled that Cang Yin Yue had also strongly believed he was the Seventh Prince, likely because she trusted her own expertise. But probably, his appearance was another factor. Considering this, Li Mu Sheng grew a bit more convinced about his identity. After all, inheritance was a reliable thing everywhere.
“All right. Now that you’ve seen me, you can return to wherever you should be. Leave Aurora Pavilion as soon as possible; this place is too troublesome.”
Li Mu Sheng waved his hand casually, rising to leave. Now that he confirmed Li Yuan Ling’s identity, there was no reason to stay longer. Frankly, Li Mu Sheng had little interest in his identity as the Seventh Prince and the complex relationships it brought. His true goal in Great Li Imperial Capital was still to pursue martial dao supremacy.
“You’ve finally met your younger sister, but you’re not excited at all? You don’t even want to stay and talk to me?” Li Yuan Ling suddenly stood, blocking his way, looking puzzled.
Li Mu Sheng glanced at her and shrugged. “Miss Li, everything happened too suddenly. You must give me some time to adjust. Things should be taken slowly.”
Gently pushing her hand aside, he walked out without hesitation.
Li Yuan Ling turned around suspiciously, watching Li Mu Sheng leave. She felt he was brushing her off, despite his words about needing time to adapt. After all, she hadn’t seen any surprise or happiness in his expression.
“I won’t leave! I will stay here to protect you on foster mother’s behalf!” she called after him.
Li Mu Sheng waved his hand without turning around, climbing the stairs and returning to his own room.
Closing the door behind him, he glanced at the young armored guard under his bed. The guard’s eyes flickered as if he had something to say.
Li Mu Sheng merely shook his head calmly. “I gave you a chance earlier, but you didn’t take it. Now it’s too late. Wait until nightfall; you’ll have a tough time then.”
With that, Li Mu Sheng ignored him. Even if the guard spoke now, Li Mu Sheng wasn’t sure he’d trust anything said. It was better to leave it to Cang Yin Yue rather than wasting his own time.
Soon, Aurora Pavilion buzzed with activity again. Not only did the Heavenly Brocade Guard arrive, but so did a large group from Six Gates. The Directorate of Palace Halls’ chief eunuch and the Commanding Commissioner of the Heavenly Brocade Guard personally took charge, overseeing all matters within Aurora Pavilion. Guards were completely replaced, security intensified several times over—so thorough that not even a fly could sneak inside.
The young men in Aurora Pavilion underwent another meticulous inspection. Only after confirming nothing was amiss did Aurora Pavilion quiet down temporarily.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Brocade Guard and Six Gates went full force pursuing the escaped armored guard. Not only had he caused deadly trouble, he also inflicted Bei Qi Dark Qi on ten young men at Aurora Pavilion. Worse, Yu Jin, An Quan, three other Steward Grand Eunuchs, Ji Fei Yun, and Gong Li Shan had also fallen victim to his poison. Though Yu Jin and the others suppressed the poison using their own Qi, it remained a significant threat. The armored guard had to be captured to fully resolve this problem.
Still, none of these matters greatly concerned Li Mu Sheng.
Gradually, the daylight faded, and night finally fell.