Chapter 79: Great Zhou’s Infernal Affairs, New Name, The Heir is Coming
Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Great Zhou’s Infernal Affairs, New Name, The Heir is Coming
Inside the public office, the blood on Pei Shaoqing’s face had been wiped away, but the stains on his clothes couldn’t be dealt with.
He was now lounging in a chair, his legs propped uncouthly on the desk, a handkerchief draped over his face.
"This subordinate, Li Kui, pays his respects, Your Excellency!"
After entering, Li Kui immediately knelt in salute.
"I hear you and Old Zhao were close. Friends for many years," Pei Shaoqing said lightly. With the handkerchief covering his face, his expression was impossible to read.
Li Kui trembled, the color draining from his face. He hurriedly bowed his head. "Please, Your Excellency, understand! I was indeed friends with Old Zhao, but I knew nothing of his collusion with the Profound Sect traitors! I have no intention of following in his footsteps."
"I know. Why so nervous?" Pei Shaoqing tossed the handkerchief aside, swung his feet off the desk, and rose to stand before Li Kui. "Old Zhao is dead. They’ll certainly want to cultivate another informant, and as Old Zhao’s closest friend, you’re an excellent candidate in their eyes."
"Rest assured, Your Excellency! If those Profound Sect traitors truly dare to approach me, I will report to you at once so they can be captured and killed!" Li Kui declared, raising his head with determination.
"No, no, no." Pei Shaoqing shook his head and smiled slightly. "I want you to cooperate with them."
"Your Excellency?" Li Kui looked utterly stunned.
Pei Shaoqing continued, "Over the next few days, you will handle Old Zhao’s funeral arrangements. Then, from time to time, drown your sorrows in wine, grumble in private, and act as if you can’t get over Old Zhao’s death.
If the Profound Sect traitors do approach you, you must pretend that you think I am too heartless, and that you’re willing to cooperate with them to avenge Old Zhao—not for gold or silver. That way, they’ll trust you more."
Old Zhao had said he could be a double agent, but Pei Shaoqing knew that Old Wang must have known that he’d already figured it out.
So there was no use in keeping Old Zhao alive.
He was going to plant someone himself.
"Your Excellency, I’m afraid I can’t do it. I might ruin your plans instead," Li Kui said, looking troubled.
Pei Shaoqing placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in slightly. "You can do it. Handle this assignment well, and I personally guarantee you the position of a squad leader."
"Thank you for the promotion, Your Excellency! I am willing to go through fire and water for you!" Li Kui’s confidence surged, and he accepted the mission without a moment’s hesitation.
Pei Shaoqing laughed heartily. "I knew it. There isn’t a single man in service who doesn’t want to get ahead."
With that, he waved his hand.
Li Kui bowed again before turning to leave.
"Let’s go, Sister Shuang. We should go home and rest too."
Pei Shaoqing said, stretching languidly.
Upon arriving home, Liu Yuheng, dressed in a jade-green long dress, came to greet him. "Young Master, you’ve returned. Please go bathe and change first. I’ll have the kitchen set the table now."
"Mm, thank you for your hard work, my lady," Pei Shaoqing said with a slight nod. Afterward, he and Ye Hanshuang returned to their respective rooms.
After entering her room, while waiting for a servant to bring hot water, Ye Hanshuang took out the book Pei Shaoqing had given her earlier that day.
She unwrapped the package, full of curiosity and anticipation.
The moment she saw the cover, her face flushed red.
A pair of stark-naked men and women were entangled with each other.
The book’s title was *Women’s Secret Play Painting*.
She opened it, and the first illustration inside made her blush beet-red. It was exactly what she had done for her brother that afternoon.
Only the position was different.
Beside it, there was text explaining the techniques.
"So this sort of thing looks simple, but it’s actually so profound," Ye Hanshuang murmured to herself.
’Reading is always rewarding. That saying is absolutely right.’
’Did brother give me this book hoping I’d learn everything inside and then use it all on him?’
’I absolutely cannot disappoint my brother!’
She devoured the knowledge in the book like a starving person, her eyes wide with revelation, and even tried to imitate the poses.
She studied diligently and practiced with tireless relish.
「In the rear residence of the County Government Office」
County Magistrate Wang had already learned from Shopkeeper Ma that Old Zhao had been beheaded by Pei Shaoqing.
"Your Excellency, why would Pei Shaoqing set such a trap to lure out Old Zhao? There must be a traitor among us," Shopkeeper Ma said, his face grim.
County Magistrate Wang, of course, knew he himself was the reason.
But he had also long suspected that there was one of Pei Shaoqing’s men in their branch. Otherwise, how could he have arrived so conveniently during the incident with the Kaiyang Saint Heir and ended up reaping all the benefits?
So, after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Find a way to investigate internally. See if you can root out this mole. Also, find a replacement for Old Zhao as soon as possible."
"Yes," Shopkeeper Ma replied.
County Magistrate Wang asked, "Any news of the Saintess?"
"None." Shopkeeper Ma shook his head.
County Magistrate Wang sighed and waved him away.
Shopkeeper Ma bowed and turned to leave.
He left the County Government Office through the back door and walked toward an inn that had been open for a long time called Junlai Inn.
This was a backup safe house they had prepared in advance.
As for the Juyuan Inn, from now on it would be nothing more than an inn used to earn money for the Holy Sect, just as Junlai Inn had been before it was activated.
Shopkeeper Ma had barely left when the Holy Envoy entered County Magistrate Wang’s study. "Captain Wang, Tongzhou is only so big. With no news of the Saintess for so long, do you think it’s possible she has met with misfortune?"
"With Her Highness’s power, there aren’t many people in Tongzhou who could kill her," County Magistrate Wang disagreed. After a long pause, he exhaled. "I’ll think of another way to search for her."
’Oh, Saintess, Your Highness...’
’Where in the world are you?’
「Meanwhile, in the dungeons of the Pei Mansion.」
"Do you like today’s meal?" Pei Shaoqing asked nonchalantly as he fed the Shaking Light Saintess.
The Shaking Light Saintess smiled faintly and replied, "To answer Young Master, the food is very much to this servant’s taste."
On the surface, she had become much more obedient.
"Eat it all. Don’t waste any," Pei Shaoqing said, holding out a finger with a grain of rice stuck to it before her.
The Shaking Light Saintess bit her lip, then broke into a smile. She extended her soft, fragrant tongue and deftly curled it around his finger, sweeping the grain of rice into her mouth.
"Interesting." Pei Shaoqing tossed the chopsticks aside, grabbed a pinch of rice with his bare hand, and held it out to the Shaking Light Saintess.
The Shaking Light Saintess was furious. Making her eat a grain of rice that had accidentally fallen on his hand was one thing; making her eat rice he had deliberately grabbed with his hand was another entirely. The latter carried a clear sense of humiliation.
But she was helpless. Knowing what he wanted to see, she repeatedly extended her tongue to lick the rice from his hand.
’You bastard! You’d better hope you never fall into my hands, or this Saintess will make you wish you were dead!’
Suddenly, her expression changed.
Because Pei Shaoqing had pinched her tongue.
"Youn’ Mas’er..." she cried out indistinctly.
’So soft, so smooth, so alluring,’ Pei Shaoqing thought, reluctantly releasing her. Looking at the now-empty bowl, he stood up and said, "You call me Young Master, but I call you Your Highness, the Saintess. Isn’t that a bit improper?"
Their terms of address needed to establish a master and a subordinate.
"But this servant has no other name. Shaking Light is this servant’s name," the Shaking Light Saintess said softly.
Pei Shaoqing smiled. "From now on, I’ll call you Yao Nu."
The Shaking Light Saintess’s face fell. Her delicate fists clenched, but she forced a smile. "Yes."
"Well then, Yao Nu, rest early. Staying up late is bad for your health," Pei Shaoqing said with a chuckle before turning to leave.
The Shaking Light Saintess’s expression turned cold. She stared gloomily at his back, wishing she could flay him and rip out his bones.
Only after hearing the sound of the door closing did she dare to curse "bastard" under her breath, her teeth clenched in rage.
...
「Two more days passed in a flash.」
「Jin Guan City, Shu Royal Mansion.」
"This son pays his respects to Father Prince and to Mother."
Early in the morning, the Heir, Yan Sichen, went as usual to respectfully pay his morning respects to King Shu and the Princess of Shu.
King Shu was his biological father.
But the Princess of Shu was not his biological mother.
His mother had a difficult childbirth when he was born. King Shu chose to save his son, and later remarried.
That was the current Princess of Shu, who, after marrying King Shu, had given birth to two sons and two daughters.
"You may rise," King Shu, Yan Wen, said indifferently.
Because his princess consort had been whispering in his ear for years, and because this eldest son valued martial arts over literature and was quite unruly—unlike his second son, who was gifted in letters and more like him—he was not fond of him.
"Thank you, Father Prince." After rising, Yan Sichen bowed and said, "If Father Prince has no other orders, your son will take his leave."
Only after he left did the still-charming Princess of Shu speak her first words. "My Prince, I’ve been married into this family for so many years and I haven’t treated him poorly. Look at him, does he even show me any respect? He didn’t even ask if I, his mother, had any instructions for him. He just turned and left."
"My dear consort, calm down, calm down. I’ll have a good talk with him next time," King Shu cooed, holding his wife.
The Princess of Shu looked resentful, her eyes red and shimmering with tears. She spoke pitifully, "He disrespects me like this even while you are here. When he inherits the throne, I’m afraid this servant, our two sons, and our daughters will not even have a single tile over our heads. This servant could just die with you, but what about our poor children!"
"That won’t happen, it won’t, my dear consort. I will definitely not let that happen." King Shu’s eyes darkened. In truth, he had long considered deposing the Heir.
One reason was that he preferred his second son.
The second was his wife’s years of pillow talk.
The third was that he was self-aware enough to know he was biased between his eldest and second sons. Therefore, once the eldest son inherited the throne, he would surely retaliate against his favored second son.
However, unless the Heir committed a major offense, he couldn’t be deposed just on the King’s say-so. Thus, he was also waiting for the right opportunity.
After acting out the scene of a filial son and a benevolent father, Yan Sichen’s face turned cold and intimidating the moment he stepped outside.
"Big Brother!"
A young man of similar age and appearance approached to greet him.
"Second Brother, are you off to pay respects to Father Prince and Mother?" Yan Sichen put on a gentle smile.
Yan Sikun smiled and replied, "Yes. Big Brother is always the first one here. It makes me look lazy by comparison."
"Alright, you should hurry along. Father Prince and Mother are having their morning meal," Yan Sichen said, stepping aside to let him pass.
Yan Sikun nodded and walked past him.
The moment they passed each other, both their faces turned cold simultaneously.
Yan Sichen left the Prince’s Mansion and rode to a private residence of his. As soon as he entered, a middle-aged man came up to him and said in a low voice, "Heir! The reinforcements sent to Tongzhou have returned. There was an incident."
"Another incident?" Yan Sichen was furious.
The middle-aged man said, braving the pressure, "The first wave was killed by the Jing’an Guard. The second wave also suffered losses at their hands, but... they captured one of our men alive."
"What!" Yan Sichen’s expression changed drastically.
The middle-aged man hurriedly said in alarm, "Please rest easy, Heir. The Hidden Guards are all loyal to you, and their families are all in Jin Guan City. They would never dare to speak recklessly."
"This Pei Shaoqing... his skills have really grown since leaving the capital." Yan Sichen’s expression was uncertain. After a long moment, he said, "I have to go to Tongzhou myself to get our man back."
The captured man must be retrieved. Also, he needed to probe Pei Shaoqing to see what he already knew.
"Heir, isn’t that too dangerous? Why not let this subordinate go instead?" the middle-aged man quickly advised.
Yan Sichen shook his head slightly. "I’ve had a few dealings with Pei Shaoqing in the capital. That guy is arrogant, conceited, and doesn’t know his place. He’s utterly unrestrained. Only if I go personally can I guarantee we get our man back safely.
Besides, I am the Crown Prince. He is merely the son of a marquis, not even an heir himself. Without evidence, forget about whether he would dare to do anything to me—the key is, he doesn’t have the power to do anything to this Crown Prince."
Dealing with a minor figure like Pei Shaoqing...
He was confident he could handle him with ease.