Second Prince: QAQ
A peculiar gurgling sound arose.
Since everyone in the courtyard knew martial arts, they grew curious and looked toward the source of the noise.
The Second Prince’s face turned red as he covered his stomach.
“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a hungry person before?” The Second Prince growled in annoyance and embarrassment.
Upon further thought, Mo Li realized they had spent the entire day in the palace, and aside from some candied fruits Meng Qi had taken from Wenyuan Pavilion, they hadn’t eaten anything. He and Meng Qi, with their profound internal skills, hadn’t felt it, but the Second Prince obviously couldn’t bear it any longer.
In fact, the Second Prince hadn’t eaten anything decent for two days and nights.
When Lu Zhang suddenly ordered the city gates to be sealed and the palace searched, the Second Prince was hastily gathering his followers, with no time to bring food. This was a palace coup, not a military campaign; if they couldn’t succeed quickly, there was no hope, and failure meant death. What need was there for provisions?
Though hungry, enduring it for a while was possible.
Additionally, the Second Prince was under tremendous stress, focused solely on killing Lu Zhang, and didn’t think to satisfy his basic needs. Once they left the imperial palace and entered Peony District, relaxing and enjoying the bustling scene, the Second Prince suddenly realized he was starving.
“You—”
The shopkeeper had a sudden realization.
Given Master Meng’s capabilities, it was impossible for anyone accompanying him to go hungry. Their weary appearance, accompanied by a young man who seemed to be from a privileged background but knew nothing of martial arts, could they be the treasonous fugitives pursued by the imperial guards?
Meng Qi looked at him with a nonchalant smile, causing the shopkeeper to swallow the words he was about to say.
“Guests who enter are guests indeed. My humble establishment has not treated you well, I hope Master Meng can forgive us.” The shopkeeper bowed respectfully, very considerately taking into account both Meng Qi and Mo Li.
The old man with a wolf-head birthmark suppressed his anger and said coldly, “So, you are the former dynasty’s imperial teacher that has been widely talked about in Yongzhou recently? I wonder what kind of internal skill you practice to maintain such youthful looks.”
His tone was mocking, almost directly accusing Meng Qi of being an impostor.
However, his martial skills were genuine.
He had knocked down all of the old man’s followers in one encounter, acknowledging that he was no match, but he would not consider bowing in submission.
The old man turned to the shopkeeper and said, “Does Fengxing Pavilion want to see us off by presenting dishes without serving them?”
“No, no, everyone who comes is a guest.” The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, smiling awkwardly, “The inspections in the district have loosened a lot recently, and it’s expected that Peony District will return to normal soon. The secret chamber underground is a place where our Fengxing Pavilion hosts esteemed guests for confidential discussions, not intended for living. Why don’t all of you rest in the small building for now? There’s no need to worry about safety; our pavilion has many secret passages and chambers that the imperial guards won’t be able to find.”
“Is that so?” Meng Qi was interested.
The Second Prince also quietly breathed a sigh of relief; during his rebellion, he had led people through secret passages into Wanhe Hall, only to encounter an ambush with gunpowder. The horrific scenes still haunted his mind, and he really didn’t want to enter any underground passages for a while.
At that moment, Mo Li spoke, “Then please lead the way. It would be troublesome if the imperial guards were drawn here by our group staying in the courtyard.”
The walls of civilian homes were not very high; although one couldn’t see inside the courtyard from the outside, simply finding something to stand on would make it easy to peek over the wall.
Thus, they could neither afford a fight nor could they risk raising their voices.
The old man glared hatefully at Meng Qi; with all his men lying on the ground, he couldn’t leave. Since neither could reveal their identity, he had no choice but to endure.
The shopkeeper, smiling obsequiously, bowed and said, “Old Wolf, please wait a moment. May I first escort Master Meng inside?”
This chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion, with his back turned to Meng Qi and Mo Li, looked towards the old man with a bitter expression, as if to say dealing with such formidable individuals was beyond his capacity as a mere businessman, effectively silencing the old man’s mocking remarks.
A supreme master was not something anyone, not just Fengxing Pavilion, could afford to provoke.
The old man had no choice but to hold his breath, taking the opportunity to check on his followers’ injuries to turn his head away. The shopkeeper, overjoyed, quickly led Meng Qi towards the small building.
Meng Qi had only sealed his followers’ acupoints with internal energy; even if left unattended, as the circulation of qi and blood in their bodies resumed, they would recover in the time it took to burn a stick of incense.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief, his expression gradually improving.
The Second Prince, holding his stomach, followed Meng Qi obediently, not daring to fall behind.
Mo Li, after pondering for a while, scrutinized the old man before entering the small building.
Fengxing Pavilion was located within Peony District, ostensibly not a place that sold information. In reality, it was a bookstore named Fengyue Zhai.
From the name alone, it was clear that it didn’t sell serious literature.
Romance stories, illustrated books, and explicit drawings.
The most serious books in Fengyue Zhai were likely music scores and tea manuals, catering to the needs of Peony District.
Business was usually good; those with money to spend leisurely in Peony District wouldn’t hesitate to buy the latest erotic romance stories or read popular erotic poems. After all, not everyone was literate; when seeking pleasure, one couldn’t just drool and utter a single word of praise. To keep up with friends over wine and meat, or to flirt with the girls from the music and dance academies, one needed to be well-versed.
This led to a situation where some of Fengyue Zhai’s books could only sell a few copies a month, while others needed constant reprinting.
The yard and small building behind the shop were where the books were printed.
Popular books were printed with engraved plates, quickly and well, while less popular or newly released stories were printed with movable wooden type. People from Fengxing Pavilion disguised themselves as bookshop workers, with registered households and clean backgrounds, moving in and out of the shop without raising suspicion.
Mo Li initially approached the shop with Meng Qi because they noticed the shopkeeper and the workers knew martial arts, and Meng Qi mentioned the shop had a well-built secret tunnel beneath it.
Upon closer inspection, the pattern on the Fengyue Zhai signboard resembled the large seal script for Fengxing Pavilion.
Peony District, Fengxing Pavilion… a fool and his money are soon parted!
Meng Qi casually entered, and subdued the workers, while Mo Li naturally strolled around the backyard and the small building, checking the surroundings and making the people of Fengxing Pavilion fall asleep without realizing it.
The small building housed many open illustrated books waiting for the ink to dry.
Meng Qi was aware of what kind of shop this was, situated near the pleasure quarters, and wasn’t bothered; Mo Li saw them when he entered and wasn’t bothered either.
After all, in the eyes of those dragon veins, a few inaccurately drawn nude figures were hardly worth noticing.
But the Second Prince was different.
He glanced at the stack of books as he passed by and was immediately shocked.
The strict rules of the imperial palace and the pathetic life of a Qi dynasty prince meant that apart from a couple of life-sized dolls and a bland book of explicit drawings sent by the Imperial Concubines’ Chambers according to protocol before marriage, Lu Min had never seen such explicit materials.
So, these drawings could depict people outdoors!
So, the faces on the books could be fully drawn? And with expressions?
So, these acts could be done not just on a bed… wait, is this drawing depicting a swing?
The Second Prince’s face suddenly flushed red; he almost stumbled away from the pile of books, appearing dazed.
“I seem to recall he mentioned his wife betrayed him?” Meng Qi was very surprised, even using a secret transmission to speak to Mo Li, “A man who’s been married, how can he act like a green youth?”
Mo Li shook his head, puzzled as well.
The shopkeeper secretly observed them, very surprised by Lu Min’s reaction. Which family’s noble son hasn’t seen these illustrated books? Even with strict family education, one inevitably sneaks a peek at some point. Although young, this person didn’t seem like a naïve youth inexperienced in worldly pleasures.
Strange, he wore unfamiliar clothes with marks left by armor, easily associated with the palace. Perhaps he was a prince who instigated a rebellion and forced the palace, but—shocked by a few pages of explicit drawings to the point of not walking straight?
This must be a fake prince!
Muttering to himself, the shopkeeper soon began to look at Mo Li differently.
—The further they walked, the clearer it became that everyone inside the small building was sprawled out asleep, unaware, demonstrating a skill even more profound than Meng Qi knocking down all his enemies at once.
So, was the person with a faint scent of medicinal herbs on him the real Master Meng?
Fortunately, this was Fengxing Pavilion, and the shopkeeper was the chief steward of the number one intelligence organization in the jianghu, lacking nothing in terms of information. The shopkeeper quickly thought of a piece of news, mentioning that the Prince of Golden Phoenix Villa had offended a high-skilled individual dressed as a doctor in Yongzhou.
Not merely disguised as a doctor, since indeed, many people in the jianghu had encountered this doctor wearing a hat that obscured his face, who had cured their illnesses, calling him a divine physician was not an overstatement.
Coincidentally, rumors about this doctor surfaced around the same time as those about the former dynasty’s imperial teacher.
With a judgment in mind, when the shopkeeper led them to the second floor, twisted a hidden mechanism on the wall revealing a very elegantly arranged room, he greeted them with a smile, “Master Meng, Doctor, please see if this place meets your satisfaction.”
He then demonstrated the entrance mechanism, proving it could be opened from both outside and inside.
“Indeed, worthy of Fengxing Pavilion,” Meng Qi nonchalantly nodded.
His words held a double meaning, both acknowledging the room and signaling to the shopkeeper he had not mistaken their identity.
The room was small but divided into three sections.
The outer room was fully furnished with a low screen, tables, and a couch, even featuring a chessboard.
The middle section was for changing clothes, and the last contained a step-up bed and a small couch against the wall.
The step-up bed, a craftsmanship of the south, was exquisite. Despite its small size, both the bed and step had carvings, draped with a canopy made of biyun fabric infused with sleep-inducing Nanhé fragrance.
The Second Prince couldn’t help but yawn.
Tired as he was, he knew all too well there was no place for him on that bed.
With a sense of unspoken grievance, the Second Prince’s gaze fell on the narrow couch, which only allowed for side sleeping, pondering how not to roll off it.
“What are you waiting for, pay up,” Meng Qi reminded.
The Second Prince belatedly pulled out some banknotes, struggling to ask, “Isn’t this for renting a house?”
“With the imperial guards around, where else can we rent a courtyard?”
“Then… how much?”
The Second Prince took out a few thin banknotes, eventually and painfully handed over a five-tael note to the shopkeeper.
Fengxing Pavilion’s chief steward was speechless.
Certainly, he had guessed wrong; how could a prince be so stingy!
Though he thought this, the shopkeeper still smiled broadly, respectfully accepting the banknote as if it were five hundred taels, which improved the Second Prince’s mood considerably.
“What should I call our esteemed guest?” the shopkeeper ventured to ask.
“Whatever you see fit,” the Second Prince Lu Min waved dismissively, “I can’t be bothered to come up with a name, nor do I want to put in the effort.”
The shopkeeper, wiping sweat from his brow, cautiously looked at Meng Qi.
But then Meng Qi turned to Mo Li, and the shopkeeper realized who was really in charge.
“Got any food? Don’t care what, just send something over, and bring a bucket of water. Hot water would be best, but it’s not a problem if not,” Mo Li said naturally.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. Were they really treating Fengxing Pavilion as an inn?
“No, I mean to ask…” the shopkeeper again wiped sweat, gesturing with the banknote and forcing a smile, “Fengxing Pavilion trades in information. Of course, you can stay here for a few days, but you’ll need to buy information. That’s how we do business.”
“What kind of information can I get for five taels?” Meng Qi asked emotionlessly.
“…”
Obviously, it would be insignificant information.
But the shopkeeper couldn’t say that, instead offering a placating smile, “It depends on what the esteemed guests are interested in.”
Mo Li casually asked, “Who is the old man outside with the wolf-head birthmark?”
The shopkeeper was taken aback, evidently not expecting such a question since this information wasn’t valuable. Someone as distinctive as the wolf-head old man could easily be recognized unless one wasn’t from the jianghu.
“That is Sha Qiancheng, leader of the Qing Wolf Riders, known as Old Wolf in the jianghu. He was a bandit outside the border years ago and encountered Ning Changyuan, the world’s number one swordsman. His men were killed, and only he, knowing the path to an oasis, survived by luck. After entering the border, he vanished from sight and later…”
The shopkeeper lowered his voice and made a gesture, “It’s said he sided with the one from the southwest.”
“King Tianshou?” Mo Li frowned.
The grand disciple of Ancestor Qingwu joined King Tianshou, and so did the Holy Lotus Sect. It seems King Tianshou has indeed rallied many from the jianghu.
“Why would Sha Qiancheng, who should be in the southwest, come to Taijing? To plot a rebellion?” Meng Qi pondered.
The shopkeeper hurriedly explained, “It doesn’t seem so. He came to buy information about Emperor Li’s tomb, either interested in the treasure or looking to recruit jianghu masters for King Tianshou.”
Meng Qi purposefully asked, “The grand disciple of Ancestor Qingwu is also serving under King Tianshou. Why couldn’t he get the information about the emperor’s tomb from Ancestor Qingwu and had to come to Fengxing Pavilion to buy it?”
“The imperial teacher jests. Not all five fingers are the same length, and even parents favor some children over others. These people each have their own schemes, keeping secrets from each other.”
“Hmm.” Meng Qi continued to muse.
Holding the five-tael banknote, the shopkeeper was in a quandary, neither able to leave nor stay, finally asking Mo Li in a low voice, “Does the doctor have any other requests?”
“Can you find a set of silver needles for acupuncture? The best set!” Mo Li casually pulled out a twenty-tael note.
The Second Prince’s eyes nearly popped out.
The shopkeeper: “…”
Maybe he should just consider himself an innkeeper!
The chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion hurried off; he still had King Tianshou’s underling, Sha Qiancheng, who once roamed the northern deserts, to deal with. After all, this former bandit leader had given three hundred taels of silver and ten gold ingots, wanting to track down a senior who had disappeared from the martial world.
Food was quickly delivered.
Three bowls of dough drop soup, a large bowl of cabbage leaf soup, a bowl of boiled cabbage—no meat or even a hint of oil in the soup.
The Second Prince nearly dropped his chopsticks, raging, “I gave you five taels of silver! Even the best inn in Taijing wouldn’t charge that much for a night in their best room, and you serve this swill to the followers of this… this imperial teacher?”
Second Prince: QAQ
A peculiar gurgling sound arose.
Since everyone in the courtyard knew martial arts, they grew curious and looked toward the source of the noise.
The Second Prince’s face turned red as he covered his stomach.
“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a hungry person before?” The Second Prince growled in annoyance and embarrassment.
Upon further thought, Mo Li realized they had spent the entire day in the palace, and aside from some candied fruits Meng Qi had taken from Wenyuan Pavilion, they hadn’t eaten anything. He and Meng Qi, with their profound internal skills, hadn’t felt it, but the Second Prince obviously couldn’t bear it any longer.
In fact, the Second Prince hadn’t eaten anything decent for two days and nights.
When Lu Zhang suddenly ordered the city gates to be sealed and the palace searched, the Second Prince was hastily gathering his followers, with no time to bring food. This was a palace coup, not a military campaign; if they couldn’t succeed quickly, there was no hope, and failure meant death. What need was there for provisions?
Though hungry, enduring it for a while was possible.
Additionally, the Second Prince was under tremendous stress, focused solely on killing Lu Zhang, and didn’t think to satisfy his basic needs. Once they left the imperial palace and entered Peony District, relaxing and enjoying the bustling scene, the Second Prince suddenly realized he was starving.
“You—”
The shopkeeper had a sudden realization.
Given Master Meng’s capabilities, it was impossible for anyone accompanying him to go hungry. Their weary appearance, accompanied by a young man who seemed to be from a privileged background but knew nothing of martial arts, could they be the treasonous fugitives pursued by the imperial guards?
Meng Qi looked at him with a nonchalant smile, causing the shopkeeper to swallow the words he was about to say.
“Guests who enter are guests indeed. My humble establishment has not treated you well, I hope Master Meng can forgive us.” The shopkeeper bowed respectfully, very considerately taking into account both Meng Qi and Mo Li.
The old man with a wolf-head birthmark suppressed his anger and said coldly, “So, you are the former dynasty’s imperial teacher that has been widely talked about in Yongzhou recently? I wonder what kind of internal skill you practice to maintain such youthful looks.”
His tone was mocking, almost directly accusing Meng Qi of being an impostor.
However, his martial skills were genuine.
He had knocked down all of the old man’s followers in one encounter, acknowledging that he was no match, but he would not consider bowing in submission.
The old man turned to the shopkeeper and said, “Does Fengxing Pavilion want to see us off by presenting dishes without serving them?”
“No, no, everyone who comes is a guest.” The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, smiling awkwardly, “The inspections in the district have loosened a lot recently, and it’s expected that Peony District will return to normal soon. The secret chamber underground is a place where our Fengxing Pavilion hosts esteemed guests for confidential discussions, not intended for living. Why don’t all of you rest in the small building for now? There’s no need to worry about safety; our pavilion has many secret passages and chambers that the imperial guards won’t be able to find.”
“Is that so?” Meng Qi was interested.
The Second Prince also quietly breathed a sigh of relief; during his rebellion, he had led people through secret passages into Wanhe Hall, only to encounter an ambush with gunpowder. The horrific scenes still haunted his mind, and he really didn’t want to enter any underground passages for a while.
At that moment, Mo Li spoke, “Then please lead the way. It would be troublesome if the imperial guards were drawn here by our group staying in the courtyard.”
The walls of civilian homes were not very high; although one couldn’t see inside the courtyard from the outside, simply finding something to stand on would make it easy to peek over the wall.
Thus, they could neither afford a fight nor could they risk raising their voices.
The old man glared hatefully at Meng Qi; with all his men lying on the ground, he couldn’t leave. Since neither could reveal their identity, he had no choice but to endure.
The shopkeeper, smiling obsequiously, bowed and said, “Old Wolf, please wait a moment. May I first escort Master Meng inside?”
This chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion, with his back turned to Meng Qi and Mo Li, looked towards the old man with a bitter expression, as if to say dealing with such formidable individuals was beyond his capacity as a mere businessman, effectively silencing the old man’s mocking remarks.
A supreme master was not something anyone, not just Fengxing Pavilion, could afford to provoke.
The old man had no choice but to hold his breath, taking the opportunity to check on his followers’ injuries to turn his head away. The shopkeeper, overjoyed, quickly led Meng Qi towards the small building.
Meng Qi had only sealed his followers’ acupoints with internal energy; even if left unattended, as the circulation of qi and blood in their bodies resumed, they would recover in the time it took to burn a stick of incense.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief, his expression gradually improving.
The Second Prince, holding his stomach, followed Meng Qi obediently, not daring to fall behind.
Mo Li, after pondering for a while, scrutinized the old man before entering the small building.
Fengxing Pavilion was located within Peony District, ostensibly not a place that sold information. In reality, it was a bookstore named Fengyue Zhai.
From the name alone, it was clear that it didn’t sell serious literature.
Romance stories, illustrated books, and explicit drawings.
The most serious books in Fengyue Zhai were likely music scores and tea manuals, catering to the needs of Peony District.
Business was usually good; those with money to spend leisurely in Peony District wouldn’t hesitate to buy the latest erotic romance stories or read popular erotic poems. After all, not everyone was literate; when seeking pleasure, one couldn’t just drool and utter a single word of praise. To keep up with friends over wine and meat, or to flirt with the girls from the music and dance academies, one needed to be well-versed.
This led to a situation where some of Fengyue Zhai’s books could only sell a few copies a month, while others needed constant reprinting.
The yard and small building behind the shop were where the books were printed.
Popular books were printed with engraved plates, quickly and well, while less popular or newly released stories were printed with movable wooden type. People from Fengxing Pavilion disguised themselves as bookshop workers, with registered households and clean backgrounds, moving in and out of the shop without raising suspicion.
Mo Li initially approached the shop with Meng Qi because they noticed the shopkeeper and the workers knew martial arts, and Meng Qi mentioned the shop had a well-built secret tunnel beneath it.
Upon closer inspection, the pattern on the Fengyue Zhai signboard resembled the large seal script for Fengxing Pavilion.
Peony District, Fengxing Pavilion… a fool and his money are soon parted!
Meng Qi casually entered, and subdued the workers, while Mo Li naturally strolled around the backyard and the small building, checking the surroundings and making the people of Fengxing Pavilion fall asleep without realizing it.
The small building housed many open illustrated books waiting for the ink to dry.
Meng Qi was aware of what kind of shop this was, situated near the pleasure quarters, and wasn’t bothered; Mo Li saw them when he entered and wasn’t bothered either.
After all, in the eyes of those dragon veins, a few inaccurately drawn nude figures were hardly worth noticing.
But the Second Prince was different.
He glanced at the stack of books as he passed by and was immediately shocked.
The strict rules of the imperial palace and the pathetic life of a Qi dynasty prince meant that apart from a couple of life-sized dolls and a bland book of explicit drawings sent by the Imperial Concubines’ Chambers according to protocol before marriage, Lu Min had never seen such explicit materials.
So, these drawings could depict people outdoors!
So, the faces on the books could be fully drawn? And with expressions?
So, these acts could be done not just on a bed… wait, is this drawing depicting a swing?
The Second Prince’s face suddenly flushed red; he almost stumbled away from the pile of books, appearing dazed.
“I seem to recall he mentioned his wife betrayed him?” Meng Qi was very surprised, even using a secret transmission to speak to Mo Li, “A man who’s been married, how can he act like a green youth?”
Mo Li shook his head, puzzled as well.
The shopkeeper secretly observed them, very surprised by Lu Min’s reaction. Which family’s noble son hasn’t seen these illustrated books? Even with strict family education, one inevitably sneaks a peek at some point. Although young, this person didn’t seem like a naïve youth inexperienced in worldly pleasures.
Strange, he wore unfamiliar clothes with marks left by armor, easily associated with the palace. Perhaps he was a prince who instigated a rebellion and forced the palace, but—shocked by a few pages of explicit drawings to the point of not walking straight?
This must be a fake prince!
Muttering to himself, the shopkeeper soon began to look at Mo Li differently.
—The further they walked, the clearer it became that everyone inside the small building was sprawled out asleep, unaware, demonstrating a skill even more profound than Meng Qi knocking down all his enemies at once.
So, was the person with a faint scent of medicinal herbs on him the real Master Meng?
Fortunately, this was Fengxing Pavilion, and the shopkeeper was the chief steward of the number one intelligence organization in the jianghu, lacking nothing in terms of information. The shopkeeper quickly thought of a piece of news, mentioning that the Prince of Golden Phoenix Villa had offended a high-skilled individual dressed as a doctor in Yongzhou.
Not merely disguised as a doctor, since indeed, many people in the jianghu had encountered this doctor wearing a hat that obscured his face, who had cured their illnesses, calling him a divine physician was not an overstatement.
Coincidentally, rumors about this doctor surfaced around the same time as those about the former dynasty’s imperial teacher.
With a judgment in mind, when the shopkeeper led them to the second floor, twisted a hidden mechanism on the wall revealing a very elegantly arranged room, he greeted them with a smile, “Master Meng, Doctor, please see if this place meets your satisfaction.”
He then demonstrated the entrance mechanism, proving it could be opened from both outside and inside.
“Indeed, worthy of Fengxing Pavilion,” Meng Qi nonchalantly nodded.
His words held a double meaning, both acknowledging the room and signaling to the shopkeeper he had not mistaken their identity.
The room was small but divided into three sections.
The outer room was fully furnished with a low screen, tables, and a couch, even featuring a chessboard.
The middle section was for changing clothes, and the last contained a step-up bed and a small couch against the wall.
The step-up bed, a craftsmanship of the south, was exquisite. Despite its small size, both the bed and step had carvings, draped with a canopy made of biyun fabric infused with sleep-inducing Nanhé fragrance.
The Second Prince couldn’t help but yawn.
Tired as he was, he knew all too well there was no place for him on that bed.
With a sense of unspoken grievance, the Second Prince’s gaze fell on the narrow couch, which only allowed for side sleeping, pondering how not to roll off it.
“What are you waiting for, pay up,” Meng Qi reminded.
The Second Prince belatedly pulled out some banknotes, struggling to ask, “Isn’t this for renting a house?”
“With the imperial guards around, where else can we rent a courtyard?”
“Then… how much?”
The Second Prince took out a few thin banknotes, eventually and painfully handed over a five-tael note to the shopkeeper.
Fengxing Pavilion’s chief steward was speechless.
Certainly, he had guessed wrong; how could a prince be so stingy!
Though he thought this, the shopkeeper still smiled broadly, respectfully accepting the banknote as if it were five hundred taels, which improved the Second Prince’s mood considerably.
“What should I call our esteemed guest?” the shopkeeper ventured to ask.
“Whatever you see fit,” the Second Prince Lu Min waved dismissively, “I can’t be bothered to come up with a name, nor do I want to put in the effort.”
The shopkeeper, wiping sweat from his brow, cautiously looked at Meng Qi.
But then Meng Qi turned to Mo Li, and the shopkeeper realized who was really in charge.
“Got any food? Don’t care what, just send something over, and bring a bucket of water. Hot water would be best, but it’s not a problem if not,” Mo Li said naturally.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. Were they really treating Fengxing Pavilion as an inn?
“No, I mean to ask…” the shopkeeper again wiped sweat, gesturing with the banknote and forcing a smile, “Fengxing Pavilion trades in information. Of course, you can stay here for a few days, but you’ll need to buy information. That’s how we do business.”
“What kind of information can I get for five taels?” Meng Qi asked emotionlessly.
“…”
Obviously, it would be insignificant information.
But the shopkeeper couldn’t say that, instead offering a placating smile, “It depends on what the esteemed guests are interested in.”
Mo Li casually asked, “Who is the old man outside with the wolf-head birthmark?”
The shopkeeper was taken aback, evidently not expecting such a question since this information wasn’t valuable. Someone as distinctive as the wolf-head old man could easily be recognized unless one wasn’t from the jianghu.
“That is Sha Qiancheng, leader of the Qing Wolf Riders, known as Old Wolf in the jianghu. He was a bandit outside the border years ago and encountered Ning Changyuan, the world’s number one swordsman. His men were killed, and only he, knowing the path to an oasis, survived by luck. After entering the border, he vanished from sight and later…”
The shopkeeper lowered his voice and made a gesture, “It’s said he sided with the one from the southwest.”
“King Tianshou?” Mo Li frowned.
The grand disciple of Ancestor Qingwu joined King Tianshou, and so did the Holy Lotus Sect. It seems King Tianshou has indeed rallied many from the jianghu.
“Why would Sha Qiancheng, who should be in the southwest, come to Taijing? To plot a rebellion?” Meng Qi pondered.
The shopkeeper hurriedly explained, “It doesn’t seem so. He came to buy information about Emperor Li’s tomb, either interested in the treasure or looking to recruit jianghu masters for King Tianshou.”
Meng Qi purposefully asked, “The grand disciple of Ancestor Qingwu is also serving under King Tianshou. Why couldn’t he get the information about the emperor’s tomb from Ancestor Qingwu and had to come to Fengxing Pavilion to buy it?”
“The imperial teacher jests. Not all five fingers are the same length, and even parents favor some children over others. These people each have their own schemes, keeping secrets from each other.”
“Hmm.” Meng Qi continued to muse.
Holding the five-tael banknote, the shopkeeper was in a quandary, neither able to leave nor stay, finally asking Mo Li in a low voice, “Does the doctor have any other requests?”
“Can you find a set of silver needles for acupuncture? The best set!” Mo Li casually pulled out a twenty-tael note.
The Second Prince’s eyes nearly popped out.
The shopkeeper: “…”
Maybe he should just consider himself an innkeeper!
The chief steward of Fengxing Pavilion hurried off; he still had King Tianshou’s underling, Sha Qiancheng, who once roamed the northern deserts, to deal with. After all, this former bandit leader had given three hundred taels of silver and ten gold ingots, wanting to track down a senior who had disappeared from the martial world.
Food was quickly delivered.
Three bowls of dough drop soup, a large bowl of cabbage leaf soup, a bowl of boiled cabbage—no meat or even a hint of oil in the soup.
The Second Prince nearly dropped his chopsticks, raging, “I gave you five taels of silver! Even the best inn in Taijing wouldn’t charge that much for a night in their best room, and you serve this swill to the followers of this… this imperial teacher?”
