The night deepened, and Min He, like a ghost, sat upon the chair. Anything with vitality and yang energy would pass right through him, but lifeless items such as wooden chairs, he could still touch.
Thud, thud.
Suddenly, the door sounded.
"Grandfather, it’s ."
It was Min Ming’s voice.
A granddaughter—the old man remained seated and said:
"Co in."
Min Ming entered imdiately, offering a slight bow.
"Coming to see so late—sothing must be on your mind?"
The elderly man spoke cheerfully. It had been a long ti since seeing any of his grandchildren, and though he preferred his second daughter’s children over the eldest’s, he still wished to gaze upon them more frequently.
Min Ming gave a clever smile and replied softly:
"It’s not without purpose that I co to disturb you at this hour. Of course, there’s a matter—though I wonder if you’ll be willing to hear it."
Her tone was delicately warm and pleasing.
Min He naturally did not refuse, his curiosity piqued:
"What matter is it about?"
"It’s about Ning’er,"
Min Ming slowly uttered a na,
"And about Chen Yi."
As she ntioned that na, her voice grew unconsciously colder, sothing even she hadn’t noticed.
The forr Garrison Commander appeared perplexed, his brows furrowing as he pressed his palms against his knees.
"What do you an by this?"
"Tell , did Ning’er ever say to you..."
Min Ming did not answer directly, instead faintly asking:
"That Chen Yi has always been respectful of you?"
The old man was montarily stunned, his gaze filled with astonishnt, his hands pressing harder against his knees.
"Did Ning’er also say that Chen Yi, though disrespectful to the top ten martial artists, reveres you alone as a senior figure?"
Min Ming inquired again.
The forr Garrison Commander’s gaze grew increasingly confused. Sensing sothing was amiss, he quickly demanded:
"Explain clearly!"
"Grandfather, that West Factory Thousand Households, Chen Zunming—he has always harbored ill intentions. Not only has he stolen the Dragon Slayer martial arts from our family, but he also deceived Ning’er with sweet talk to take away her Pure-Mind technique."
Min Ming sneered coldly.
Having practiced martial arts for many years and now serving as a day-patrol envoy for King Yan in the underworld, Min He’s expression darkened. He contemplated briefly and then frowned:
"How could Ning’er make such friends?"
Seeing that the elder was already skeptical, Min Ming gently shook her head and sighed:
"Grandfather, how many false friends feign loyalty and sacrifice?
Min Ning’s disposition is straightforward; a few sweet words are enough to sway her heart. But as her elder sister, I can see clearly that he is not a good person. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen. So, I could only co to you. You know I have no other choice—how could I watch her leap into the pit?"
In the brothel, where Min Ming managed intelligence, she hardly ever entertained guests directly. Despite this, she’d long grown accustod to life’s fickle nature. Countless won placed their faith and trust in others, only to find themselves swept into fleeting dreams of joy, the promises of starting anew turning bitter. So spent all their savings to redeem themselves, only to end up selling their freedom back to the brothel. People delighted in claiming the unpredictability of Jianghu, yet the brothel proved far more so.
She wouldn’t let Min Ning plunge into such a pit.
Not to ntion Min Ning was ultimately disguising herself as a man. Chen Yi’s past actions and the threats he had uttered were etched deep in Min Ming’s mory. She wouldn’t say Chen Yi was unforgivably evil, but she was certain he wasn’t soone worthy of Min Ning’s unwavering trust.
Would he marry Min Ning? Escort her into his mansion with an eight-carriage palanquin and a ten-mile wedding entourage? Would he?
Min Ming couldn’t decide her own fate—her life was tied to the Wuyong Building, and in the end, she might still end up as a concubine.
But she refused to watch Min Ning leap into the pit of despair. Moreover, she couldn’t bear the idea that soday the sisters might end up like the mythical Emperor Yao’s daughters, consorts of Chen Yi, with him treating them as re brothel companions to hold and discard as he pleased.
"Ning’er doesn’t know how to judge people and has no defense against deceit. She’s grown up now and no longer listens to , so I must turn to you for help, Grandfather."
Min Ming’s voice carried a tily trace of sorrowful sobs,
"If possible, could you intercept Chen Yi tomorrow and give him a lesson? Let him abandon this notion. That way, you won’t risk Ning’er’s displeasure, and everything will return to how it was."
Even with all his years of cultivated restraint, Min He’s eyes rimd red as he listened to Min Ming’s heartfelt plea. Slowly, he stood up and said:
"Don’t be afraid. As a day-patrol envoy, I’ll summon a few ghostly subordinates to deal with him together and extinguish his thoughts."
Min Ming’s tears turned to a smile, her peach blossom eyes radiating joy. She spoke:
"Then I leave it to you, Grandfather."
"The only concern now is that Demon Extermination Day has passed, making it harder for subordinates to act without cause. We’ll need to borrow a pretext, though I’m unsure where one might be found."
Min He lowered his gaze in thought.
At this mont, Min Ming appeared prepared and said:
"Grandfather, you need not worry. I’ve heard that recently a group of demonic sect mbers has followed the Prince of Annan’s troops into the Capital Region—rumor has it they snuck into the capital a few days ago."
...............
Word had spread within the palace favoring lenient treatnt, and the cloud of suspicion hanging over the King of Jing’s Mansion began to dissipate.
During that coup attempt, the collaboration between the King of Jing’s Mansion and the Lin Mansion had been superficial, with the forr shrouded in secrecy while the latter acted openly. Now, lenient judgnt had been passed, sparing even remnants of the Lin Party from total eradication, and as a royal Vassal King, the King of Jing naturally remained mostly unscathed.
After several sleepless nights, the King of Jing finally had a proper rest today, feeling unusually cheerful. He was leisurely strolling with the Princess of Jing through the mansion’s garden, admiring the grove.
"That girl, Wei Ying, actually left her closed-door cultivation and went out today."
Walking along a bamboo path, the Princess of Jing ntioned Yin Weiyin’s movents, her astonishnt evident.
The King of Jing nodded slightly but eventually offered a bitter smile:
"I’d rather she stayed in cultivation. She’s caused quite a bit of trouble lately."
The Princess of Jing gave her husband a worried look.
"To be fair, it’s not entirely her fault; the bla lies primarily with ."
The King of Jing sighed as he spoke, reflecting on how everything stemd from that incident at the infant tower—the assassination. A single misstep had snowballed into a cascade of misfortune.
"Had I not been so foolish and acted recklessly, things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control, leaving her to make decisions in my stead. But no matter—it’s all resolved now. The Lin Mansion has fallen; the Empress Dowager isn’t pursuing the matter. In the end, through a twist of fate, Lin Ge Lao has been toppled."
The Lin Party was nearly obliterated—a tree toppled, scattering the monkeys. The cost had been imnse, but as though guided by fate, the party dedicated to stability, the Ding’an Party, ultimately erged victorious.
Yet that troubleso Chen Qianhu remained—a thorn embedded in the flesh of the King of Jing.
"Let’s leave this topic aside. Let’s talk about the children."
The King of Jing suggested.
The Princess nodded with a smile:
"She’s spent these years cultivating at ho, hardly ever leaving closed-door ditation, barely seeing her family. She doesn’t even recognize her younger brother, the one destined to beco the princely heir. But this year has been different—she’s gone out several tis, and I’ve noticed. Do you think her Taoist skills have advanced?"
The Princess adored her daughter, born in the latter years of her life, beyond asure—half her heart was devoted to the girl. Her son, who ca later, did not enjoy the sa fortune.
"She’s always been gifted; otherwise, Yu Zhen wouldn’t have taken her on as a disciple. Funny—it’s her day off today, but what could she be doing outside?"
The King of Jing seed puzzled.
The Princess chuckled and replied:
"Court officials take days off to rest at ho after attending court sessions, but what does she need such rest for? She doesn’t attend morning court—every day’s a day off for her."
The King of Jing contemplated her words for a mont and found them reasonable, though he was still curious,
"Do you have any idea where she’s headed?"
"My prince, where else could she go?"
The Princess smiled and mused:
"Surely she wouldn’t head to court during her day off?"
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