Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Eloped with an Artiste? Going Undercover

"He stayed at Qunfang Garden for three days," Chen Zhongyi continued. "Then he took a girl named Cui’Er out shopping and never returned. Everyone at Qunfang Garden suspects they eloped."

"Impossible! How could my Yu’Er elope with a woman from a brothel!" Liu Yuheng blurted out.

Pei Shaoqing cleared his throat. "Lady Gongsun, it’s best not to speak in such absolutes. After all, your knowledge of Ye Yu is still rooted in his childhood. When it comes to love, people will do anything once they lose their heads."

’Of course, with the exception of math problems.’

Liu Yuheng wanted to object, but the memory of having just been proven wrong robbed her of her confidence. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do.

"But even if he did elope, shouldn’t he have at least returned to the Sect?" she asked a moment later, her brow furrowed.

Chen Zhongyi said cautiously, "Lady Gongsun, you seem to have a deep-seated prejudice against women from brothels. Could it be that Ye Yu was afraid of that very thing?"

Liu Yuheng opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

After all, if Ye Yu had truly brought a woman from a brothel home, both she and Gongsun Yi would have been vehemently opposed.

’Could Yu’Er have really eloped?’

At this thought, her heart ached and her eyes reddened. It was as if the son she had raised herself had simply decided he didn’t want his family anymore.

How could a mother’s heart not break?

"Lady Gongsun, don’t worry," Pei Shaoqing said, trying to comfort her. "Look on the bright side. What if he didn’t elope, but had some other kind of accident? For instance, maybe he was kidnapped, or perhaps murdered by an old enemy."

’That’s the price of running in the Jianghu.’

Liu Yuheng: "..."

Chen Zhongyi broke out in a cold sweat. ’My lord, if you really don’t know how to console someone, you could just keep your mouth shut.’

He watched as tears began to stream down Liu Yuheng’s face.

He hurriedly said, "Lady Gongsun, I will continue to have my men search for Ye Yu. For now, no news is the best news."

"Thank you, Standard-Bearer Chen," Liu Yuheng choked out.

Chen Zhongyi hastily deflected. "Lady Gongsun, if you want to thank someone, please thank Lord Pei. I’m just the one who carries out the orders."

"Alright, alright, Old Chen. Go on and get to it," Pei Shaoqing said, waving him away.

"Yes, my lord. I will take my leave now."

Pei Shaoqing rose and walked behind Liu Yuheng. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he murmured gently, "Lady Gongsun, don’t you worry. Standard-Bearer Chen is right: no news is good news. I’ll keep a close eye on the search and make sure they don’t give up."

From this angle, if he lowered his head just a bit, he had a perfect view of the magnificent scenery of her chest. Her full, ample conscience was pale and perky, rising and falling gently with each breath.

"You have my thanks, my lord." Liu Yuheng pursed her lips and bowed her head. Feeling the warmth of his large hands on her shoulders, she smoothly stood up to evade his touch. "I will return to the estate now and have the kitchen arrange this evening’s meal."

Pei Shaoqing simply smiled and replied, "Alright."

No sooner had Liu Yuheng left than Sun Youliang, covered in dust from his journey, rode up to the entrance of the Hundred Households.

"Standard-Bearer Sun is back! Remember, you’re buying!"

"Greetings, Standard-Bearer Sun."

His colleagues all greeted him warmly when they saw him.

"What ’Standard-Bearer Sun’?" Sun Youliang looked completely bewildered.

"The Hundred Households Commander has already chosen you to be the next Standard-Bearer!"

Hearing this, Sun Youliang was so stunned by the immense surprise that his mind went blank. He stood frozen in place, a buzzing in his ears that drowned out all other sounds.

Once he came to his senses, he sprinted inside, rushing into the main office. He fell to his knees before Pei Shaoqing and declared in a ringing voice, "My lord, I am fortunate to have not disgraced my commission!"

"Hahahaha! Mingde, you’re back! Quick, get up," Pei Shaoqing laughed, stepping forward to help him up.

Sun Youliang remained kneeling, his face flushed as he said, "Thank you for this promotion, my lord. I will serve you to the death to repay your grace."

’Lord Pei’s favor was like a debt to a loan shark.’

’It could never be fully repaid.’

"Alright, alright, get up," Pei Shaoqing said with a pleasant smile, taking Sun Youliang’s arms to help him stand. "You’ve had a long journey. Have some tea first."

This time, Sun Youliang allowed himself to be helped up.

Pei Shaoqing said with a broad smile, "You’ve probably heard by now. I’ve already nominated you to the Households Commander for promotion to Standard-Bearer. Do a good job. Don’t embarrass me."

"Yes, my lord!" Sun Youliang nodded firmly.

Pei Shaoqing turned and walked back to his chair, remarking casually, "You and Youcai are my most trusted men. I was struggling with who to promote this time, so I asked for Standard-Bearer Chen’s opinion."

"Ultimately, I took his advice into consideration and decided to promote you first, Mingde. As for Youcai, he needn’t worry. There will certainly be more opportunities for him in the future."

Although he didn’t specify who Chen Zhongyi had recommended...

But Sun Youliang put two and two together. Considering Pei Shaoqing’s words and how his own relationship with Chen Zhongyi compared to Song Youcai’s, he understood exactly why he’d been chosen.

"You just returned, so I won’t keep you. Go home, get cleaned up, and rest," Pei Shaoqing said with a gentle smile, looking down from his seat and taking in Sun Youliang’s expression.

Sun Youliang cupped his fist. "This subordinate takes his leave!"

The moment he stepped outside, Song Youcai, having heard the news, came up and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Tomorrow night, dinner’s on you."

"Deal," Sun Youliang agreed with a laugh. "Qunfang Garden, just like old times. We’re not leaving until we’re drunk."

As Song Youcai walked with him toward the exit, he remarked with a sigh, "It took a cynical scholar like you to see things clearly."

"Come on," Sun Youliang consoled him. "The commander just said you’ll have your chance."

Song Youcai grinned. "Oh, I never doubted that. Has Lord Pei ever mistreated us? I’m just ashamed of my own shortsightedness, for not seeing things for what they were."

He and Chen Zhongyi were now back to being mere nodding acquaintances, no longer acting like sworn brothers.

"Good. I was worried you’d get foolish ideas and start resenting the commander," Sun Youliang said earnestly.

"How is that possible?" Song Youcai’s eyes went wide as he shook his head and pointed to himself. "What would I be without the commander? If he stops promoting me in the future, it can only be because I’m not keeping up. I’ll still be eternally grateful. I’d never be an ungrateful bastard."

Sun Youliang smiled and patted his shoulder.

"By the way, Old Sun," Song Youcai said, the thought suddenly striking him, "now that you’re a Standard-Bearer, isn’t it time you got revenge for the love you had stolen from you all those years ago?"

It wasn’t just about having his childhood sweetheart stolen.

His path to the imperial examinations was cut off as well.

The smile vanished from Sun Youliang’s face. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Let’s wait until Lord Pei gets promoted and transferred to the Prefecture City. I can’t just take special leave and travel to the Prefecture City for a personal vendetta."

Song Youcai silently patted his shoulder.

..................

After his shift, Li Kui, who had been in a stupor for days, came to his old friend Zhao’s residence as he always did, carrying several jugs of wine. He sat alone in the courtyard, pouring and drinking by himself.

He had done this every day since Old Zhao’s death.

He was both following Pei Shaoqing’s orders to bait the Profound Yellow Sect and genuinely mourning his old friend.

But tonight, an uninvited guest appeared.

A masked man descended from above. "Li Tique, you truly are a man of loyalty and honor. With a friend like you, Old Zhao can rest easy in the netherworld."

"Who are you? State your name!" Li Kui, who appeared to be completely drunk, glared at the man and bellowed. "Hiding your face like that, you must be a spineless coward!"

The masked man ignored him and continued, "But what’s the point of you coming here to drink every night, Li Tique? Can you drink Old Zhao back to life? If a man can’t find peace in his heart, he should be seeking vengeance for his friend."

"Hah! Easy for you to say," Li Kui laughed in self-mockery. "What am I supposed to get revenge with? My third-rate skills? Or my ability to hold my liquor?"

The masked man’s voice was grave. "Old Zhao died because of our Profound Yellow Sect. We will absolutely avenge his death, but the time is not yet right. If you, Li Tique, also wish to seek revenge for him, we can work together."

"You’re a traitor from the Profound Sect!" Li Kui seemed to sober up in an instant. He shot to his feet, took a step back, and warily drew his saber. "Old Zhao died because you people led him astray! Now you want to drag me down with you?" he said, his voice cold.

"’Lead him astray?’" The masked man shook his head, his tone calm. "Old Zhao wasn’t a child. Was he so easily led astray? It was a choice he made from his own heart. Li Tique, I’ve been watching you for a long time. I chose to reveal myself only because I could see your genuine loyalty to Old Zhao. If you’re not interested, then let’s just forget it."

With that, he turned as if to leave.

"Wait!" Li Kui called out, stopping him.

The masked man stopped and turned around.

Li Kui’s voice was low. "I want to avenge Old Zhao. But I don’t trust you people. I don’t want to end up like him, someone you can just cast aside whenever you please."

"Trust is built over time," the masked man replied. "We can take our time testing one another."

Li Kui was silent. After a long moment, he made his decision and asked, "How do I contact you?"

"If you have intelligence, go to the Junlai Inn. Tell the waiter you want to order the carp. The waiter will ask what size you want. You answer, ’Three and a half pounds.’" As he spoke, the masked man reached into his tunic, pulled out a money pouch, and tossed it to him. "We never mistreat our own brothers."

With that, he turned, leaped away, and vanished from sight.

Li Kui looked down at the pouch in his hand. He opened it and saw it was filled with small gold ingots. He didn’t know the exact amount, but he knew it was a fortune to a man like him.

’No wonder Old Zhao was so easily tempted.’

’What official could withstand a test like this?’

He didn’t rush to report to Pei Shaoqing. Instead, he continued to sit in the Zhao family courtyard, drinking, just as he had been.

The masked man hid in the shadows, observing Li Kui for nearly two hours before finally departing in silence.

Only after arriving at the study of County Magistrate Wang, in the inner residence of the County Government Office, did he remove his mask. It was none other than Shopkeeper Ma, the Vice Squad Leader of the Profound Yellow Sect’s Tongzhou Branch.

"Squad Leader," he reported, "Li Kui has agreed to be our mole. However, he believes we abandoned Old Zhao, so his trust in us is limited."

"That’s not a problem," County Magistrate Wang replied with a small, unconcerned smile. "Trust can always be built, given the opportunity. Besides, Li Kui is different from the purely profit-driven Old Zhao. He’s a man who values sentiment, which means we have the opportunity to turn him into a true brother-in-arms."

Shopkeeper Ma agreed. He, too, admired the loyal and honorable Li Kui, a man willing to risk his life and cooperate with their Holy Sect to avenge his dearest friend.

County Magistrate Wang took a deep breath. "If we can truly turn Li Kui into a member of the Holy Sect, we must then find a way to help him get promoted. We need him to become one of Pei Shaoqing’s trusted confidants so we can gather more intelligence. Take the rebellion of King Shu, for instance—we were completely in the dark."

It was only after learning of the rebellion that he realized the person Pei Shaoqing had asked the Holy Envoy to help capture was none other than the Heir of King Shu. The regret was so intense he could have kicked himself raw.

Had they known of King Shu’s treasonous ambitions earlier, their Holy Sect could have exploited the situation to their great advantage.

Instead of being used by Pei Shaoqing for nothing in return.

And helping him earn the credit for suppressing it.

He figured the Shu State headquarters would probably be reprimanded by the Holy Hall for failing to obtain this intelligence ahead of time.

"Yes." Shopkeeper Ma shared his regret, then moved on to another matter. "By the way, Squad Leader, I’ve noticed something. There’s been a marked increase in the number of Jianghu folk staying in the inns around Tongzhou City today. It’s not normal."

’That was one of the benefits of using an inn as a base of operations.’

"Oh?" County Magistrate Wang frowned, and after a moment of contemplation said, "Go find out what’s going on."

Tongzhou was a small city. It was normal for a few Jianghu travelers to pass through, but a large influx was another matter entirely.

"Yes, Squad Leader! At once!" Shopkeeper Ma replied.

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