Consort of a Thousand Faces

Wei Mohai ordered his subordinates to wait by the Water Caltrop River before heading onto the Dragon Boat by himself. Stopping in front of Yun Ruofeng’s room, he knocked on the door.

 

Yun Ruofeng was sitting at a chair in the room while sipping a cup of tea, silently observing as Ning Anlian slept on the bed. When he heard the knocking on the door, he set the teacup in his hand down on the table before opening the door to find Wei Mohai with an anxious expression.

 

Yun Ruofeng knitted his eyebrows together and closed the door. “You failed?”

 

“This subordinate has failed. Please punish me, Prince Yun.” Wei Mohai put his fists together and bowed.

 

Yun Ruofeng waved his hand and raised his head to look at the crescent moon in the sky. “The moon has always been full during the state banquets of past years. Given that it’s a crescent moon this year, we should expect things to be unusual. It’s impossible for everything to go smoothly.”

 

At this moment, Yun Ruofeng chuckled. “Tomorrow will be the third day of the state banquet. There will definitely be people trying to stir up trouble while the drumming goes on. Send extra guards to the Water Caltrop River tomorrow, and make sure that anybody with a scholarly aura is barred from getting close..”

 

“This subordinate will obey. As for the Literary Association, everything had been going smoothly, but it seems like someone had warned them in advance. They were ready, and a skilful young man who liked to drink stood in our way; his drunken punches extremely skilful. Finally, there was another person who hid in the darkness, waking up the surrounding civilians as soon as we arrived.”

 

A glint flickered across Yun Ruofeng’s eyes. “What did the person in hiding look like? Were they male or female?”

 

“This subordinate didn’t see; the situation was chaotic, and it was impossible to make out their appearance and gender. This subordinate didn’t even hear their voice.” Wei Mohai slowly stated with a serious expression.

 

The corners of Yun Ruofeng’s mouth were raised. “Interesting, anyone able to hide their voice and appearance from you must be skilful indeed. Such a person will definitely appear tomorrow, and this Prince will find out who exactly they are.”

 

A vicious glint flickered across Yun Ruofeng’s eyes as he spoke, disappearing a moment later and being replaced by his usual gentle aura.

 

“Go and deploy some guards to the Water Caltrop River immediately. Apart from this, the nearby streets will also need to be inspected carefully.”

 

“Yes, this subordinate understands.” Wei Mohai bowed and left the boat.

 

Left alone, Yun Ruofeng turned to look at the boat that Ning Lianchen was resting in before slowly getting up and beginning to walk towards it.

 

When Yun Ruofeng reached Ning Lianchen’s room, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. There wasn’t any sound from the inside, but he knew that Ning Lianchen would not be asleep.

 

Shortly after, footsteps sounded from behind the door before it slowly opened. “Prince Yun, what are you doing visiting this Emperor in the middle of the night?”

 

Yun Ruofeng raised his hand and tried to push Ning Lianchen aside to enter the room; in response, the latter immediately stood firm and blocked him. “Prince Yun, we’ll talk outside.”

 

“What, are you hiding someone here?” Yun Ruofeng looked towards the bed curtain that had been lifted up and raised his tone, his intentions laid bare.

 

Ning Lianchen’s voice became softer. “Grand Tutor Liu’s daughter is on the bed. Prince Yun, you should know why she is in this Emperor’s room.” At this moment, Ning Lianchen turned and walked outside the room. Since Yun Ruofeng needs to talk to me about something, he will naturally follow me if I exit the room.

 

Seemingly consenting, Yun Ruofeng shut the door behind him. “The Liu Residence was burnt down today, and no one escaped. Your Majesty, shouldn’t you explain why Grand Tutor Liu’s daughter is with you, and why you left the dragon boat by yourself?”