Chapter 105
Chapter 105: Remnants Reappear
Within a courtyard of the Heavenly Brocade Guard Headquarters, Pacification Commissioner Yu Jin placed several letters onto the stone table beneath the pavilion. He then raised his head to look at Li Mu Sheng.
“Your Highness, urgent letters have arrived from the Imperial Palace, the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and even the Right Chancellor. Their messengers are currently waiting in the front hall for a reply from our Heavenly Brocade Guard.”
To capture the culprit responsible for the murder of Concubine Ji, every group—from the Six Gates and the Shadow Spy Division to the local constables and the Imperial Capital’s soldiers—was obeying commands to scour the entire city.
Only the Heavenly Brocade Guard remained utterly indifferent, as if blind to the matter. Instead, more than half of their forces were quietly leaving Shang Yang City.
Naturally, this angered people like the Third Prince, who kept sending messengers to Commander Fu Qi Wen, urging action. Li Mu Sheng, however, had promised Fu Qi Wen he would handle these pressures, and thus, all these letters were now passed to him.
Li Mu Sheng glanced at Yu Jin casually, waving his hand.
“This is simple enough. Respond in my name. Tell them the Heavenly Brocade Guard is too busy helping me search for the Fire Qilin and has no time for this matter. If they’re displeased, they can come find me directly.”
Yu Jin’s eyes flickered subtly at those words. This Eighth Prince had just arrived at the Imperial Capital and held virtually no foundation here. Yet, astonishingly bold, he openly defied powerful figures like the Second Prince, even disregarding edicts from the Imperial Palace.
If Commander Fu were facing such commands from any of these influential forces, he certainly would never dare ignore them. However, for the Eighth Prince, who seemed wholly unconcerned, the Second Prince and the others truly couldn’t openly confront him.
But if things went on this way, the Eighth Prince would certainly offend influential factions, making his future days in the capital challenging.
Thinking of this, Yu Jin shook his head slightly. [But that’s none of my business.]
He bowed respectfully, gathered the letters from the stone table, and said, “Understood, Your Highness. I’ll follow your instructions and handle these people.”
Li Mu Sheng waved dismissively, entirely unconcerned. He hadn’t taken the matter seriously at all. Agreeing to Fu Qi Wen’s request was merely a convenient excuse to have him help search for the Fire Qilin. After all, the person everyone in the capital sought was Li Mu Sheng himself. [Why should I worry?]
After Yu Jin departed, another guard of the Heavenly Brocade Guard escorted Cang Yin Yue into the courtyard.
Li Mu Sheng had previously ordered that Cang Yin Yue could see him without announcement, so as soon as she arrived at the headquarters, a guard led her here.
Today, however, Cang Yin Yue seemed somewhat different.
She wore a long gown of pale moonlight-white silk, gently trailing the ground. As she walked gracefully from the curved corridor, her figure delicate and elegant, the jade tassels on her hairpin chimed softly. Yet, she still wore the familiar plain white veil covering her face.
Standing before Li Mu Sheng, after the guard retreated, Cang Yin Yue gazed at him.
“Your Highness, since you’ve helped erase the mark on my face, I wanted you to be the first person to see me without this veil.”
At this moment, her exposed brows appeared as if painted with ink, slightly trembling beneath long, shadowed lashes. Her voice was calm yet carried noticeable nervousness.
Hearing her words, Li Mu Sheng straightened his posture and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Miss Cang is indeed loyal and honorable.”
Cang Yin Yue slightly raised her delicate eyebrows but said nothing more. She slowly reached up and gently removed her veil.
The silvery-trimmed silk slipped down gracefully, like lifting the delicate covering of frost from glacial ice, revealing a face pure and beautiful as untouched snow.
Sunlight filtered gently into the pavilion, softly blushing her cheeks like the faintest touch of dawn. Her nose was refined, lips cherry-red, eyes captivating like clear autumn water.
Cang Yin Yue folded the veil neatly, tucking it gracefully into her sleeve, brushing the dark strands of hair back from her shoulders, and smiling at Li Mu Sheng.
“Is Your Highness satisfied?”
Li Mu Sheng recovered from his slight daze, stroked his chin thoughtfully, and replied solemnly, “With Miss Cang’s beauty, I was indeed too conservative earlier. The line of suitors wouldn’t just reach the gates of Shang Yang City—it’d likely stretch all the way to Shun’an City!”
At this, the corners of Cang Yin Yue’s eyes and mouth curved into a joyful smile.
Every woman delighted in sincere praise. Yet somehow, Li Mu Sheng’s compliments seemed especially pleasing to her heart.
“Your Highness, revealing my face was a minor matter. There’s another important issue I came to report,” she continued, her smile quickly fading into seriousness.
Li Mu Sheng studied her for a moment and nodded slowly. Admiring beauty was delightful indeed, but Cang Yin Yue clearly focused her heart on greater matters, sometimes lacking a bit in gentleness.
“Then speak,” Li Mu Sheng said, gesturing for her to sit.
Cang Yin Yue, however, shook her head, meeting his gaze earnestly.
“Yesterday’s events at Marquis Cang Yuan’s estate and Concubine Ji’s murder drew almost all attention from the Six Gates. Thus, almost no one noticed the Qing Shan House case.”
As she spoke, she drew a yellowed paper letter from her sleeve, handing it to Li Mu Sheng.
“But last night, the Six Gates agent investigating the Qing Shan House clues made significant progress. I intercepted this message.”
Li Mu Sheng raised an eyebrow as he took the letter, quickly scanning it. His expression darkened slightly as he narrowed his eyes.
“It hasn’t been long since the Great Qi remnants caused trouble at Aurora Pavilion. Instead of hiding quietly, they dare to make another move?”
Cang Yin Yue shook her head slowly, thoughtful. “That’s uncertain. Perhaps due to Concubine Ji’s murder, most forces, including the Six Gates, are distracted, giving the Great Qi remnants an opportunity to cause trouble unnoticed.”
Li Mu Sheng considered her words thoughtfully. “Miss Cang, you came to me hoping I’ll join you?”
“Yes,” Cang Yin Yue nodded earnestly. “Right now, nearly all of the Six Gates is focused on finding Concubine Ji’s killer, so they’re short-handed.”
“Moreover, possibly because I belong to Marquis Cang Yuan’s family, the Six Gates are secretly watching my moves. With the Divine Constable away, I can’t openly interfere.”
“I know Your Highness possesses formidable martial skills and is eager to find the keys to Great Qi’s hidden treasures. Therefore, I intercepted the message, deciding that we could investigate this matter ourselves.”