CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: THIS IS BENEVOLENCE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS!

"Remember, this is a direct order from a noble in the Capital City. You must make the arrangements beautifully, or if the noble gets angry, no one can protect you!"

"Yes, I will remember!"

"Also, that kid knows some martial arts. Don’t let him catch you off guard!"

"Rest assured, sir. How good can a scholar’s martial skills be? We are bound to kill him. If we don’t kill him, we’d rather kill ourselves!"

"Hmm, the noble’s intention is to leave him paralyzed, but if you do kill him, that’s fine too. It’s all resolved once and for all, hahaha..."

A gust of wind blew by, dissipating the thin clouds in the sky, letting the bright and clear moonlight fall.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man dressed in casual attire stood with his hands behind him, his expression serious and eyes bright. Beside him stood a young man, slightly tilting his head in pride and arrogance, with a hint of roguishness. The laughter just now came from his mouth.

Two men in black were kneeling on one knee before them, listening to instructions.

"Take it!" The young man waved his hand, dropping a portrait in front of the men in black, "It’s this person. Right now, he’s staying at the Mingyue inn. Keep a close watch on him. As soon as he sets off to return, we’ll follow him. Once he’s alone, just... hehe..."

The young man grinned fiercely, a grin tinged with resentment.

"Understood!"

...

"Heir, Heir?"

"Cricket, cricket..."

After autumn, the crickets chirped even more joyfully. Qi Jingyu had half his body leaning through a doghole, his body slightly tilted upwards, neck stretched long, his bright black eyes round and glowing.

His courtyard was adjacent to several officials’ residences, and this doghole led to a Chief Historian’s backyard. Usually, kids would be making noise in his backyard during the day, creating quite a ruckus, but come evening, they’d go to rest, leaving this side quiet.

But tonight, there were people in the backyard, quite a few people!

Qi Jingyu saw the two men in black and realized the Chief Historian might be up to something. As expected, listening to their whispers, it was about killing?

Killing whom?

Curiosity got the better of Qi Jingyu, so he continued to peek. Just then, the wind blew, the moonlight turned bright, and he saw the young man dropping a portrait.

He looked at the portrait, his face showing shock!

The person in that portrait, could it be anyone other than that uncle?

These people want to kill him? Why? Also, they mentioned someone from the Capital City...

Qi Jingyu was puzzled for a moment, but he knew what he had to do next.

The guard whispered quietly, overwhelmed by the sounds of the crickets nearby.

It wasn’t until the middle-aged man and others finished giving instructions and left that Qi Jingyu pulled his body out of the doghole.

Only...

"Ah, ouch, my... my waist is stuck, help, I can’t move!"

"Heir, oh dear, the Heir’s body is stuck in the hole, quick, someone come!"

A commotion erupted on the Prince Mansion’s side, followed by a dusty and disheveled Qi Jingyu kneeling before Qi Junlian.

With tearful eyes, he looked at his father, "Father..."

"Humph! Crawling through a doghole, do you have any princely demeanor left?"

Qi Junlian wanted to throw the document in his hand but couldn’t bring himself to do it in the end. His body was frail; he only had this one son, whom he treasured dearly. What if he hurt his head?

He suppressed his anger and coldly questioned, "Why crawl through the hole?"

Crawling through a hole requires a reason; without one, there’s punishment!

Qi Jingyu’s big eyes rolled around, then he glanced around carefully. Qi Junlian frowned; seeing his son’s caution, was there something pressing? He immediately dismissed others around.

"Speak! No more playing tricks. If you can’t explain, you’ll be copying texts a hundred times!"

A hundred times... Qi Jingyu shrank his neck, whispering, "Father, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Chief Zhang from next door and several men in black."

Qi Junlian’s eyes narrowed, looking at his son, "Men in black?"

The men in black certainly symbolize trouble, indicating someone wants to stir things up.

Qi Jingyu nodded seriously, "Yes, I heard them say they’re planning to kill someone, and the target is... is..."

"Who?"

"It’s the uncle who escorted me back... Father!" He suddenly looked up and exclaimed loudly, his little face covered in dirt, filled with seriousness and determination!

"Father, you always taught me to repay kindness, to rule with benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and filial piety. I’ve always kept this in mind. Although the uncle and I met by chance, he took good care of me during the journey. I... I must help him! This is righteousness!"

With just the two of them left in the study, outsiders couldn’t hear them. Qi Junlian silently looked at his son; though the little one loved to play and be mischievous, he was indeed smart.

His playfulness was less a part of childlike innocence and more an act for outsiders, while his internal studies were flawlessly performed.

His concern was being too clever, drawing suspicion from the Emperor in the distant Capital City, so he acted mischievous as a facade...

This son!

Qi Junlian sighed quietly, feeling somewhat relieved yet worried for his son’s future.

"You want to help him, aren’t you afraid he might be a heinous man?"

"No, if he were bad, I would have been sold by him already!"

"..."

This reasoning was straightforward, Qi Junlian smiled wryly, waving his hand, "Alright, go ahead! But don’t let anyone find out you’re helping him, otherwise..."

Otherwise, he’d be implicated!

Not even knowing who plans to harm him yet lending assistance risks much, so the priority is to cover oneself.

Qi Jingyu understood this, nodding his head.

...

The morning sun shone brilliantly, Li Qingmu felt revitalized upon waking up. Ever since separating from his young wife, it was rare to feel this spirited.

Today, he planned to go to the government to retrieve his diploma, the token of his academic success. Once he collected this proof, he could return home in splendor, then wait for next year’s autumn examination, and the spring examination the year after.

Dazhou’s imperial exams rotated every three years—Scholar, Jinshi, Jinshi. Only by passing the first exam could one partake in the next, meaning if he didn’t pass the Scholar exam, he’d have to wait three years for another shot. Having ranked high this time, surely his family would celebrate, and then maybe show off a bit...

However, Li Qingmu was indifferent to all this. He just wanted to rush home to embrace his beloved wife...

He opened the door and stepped out of the guest room, coincidentally appearing alongside others from adjacent rooms, leading to rounds of congratulations.

"Brother Li, carrying a knapsack, why so urgent?"

"Fetching my exam diploma, then heading home."

"Oh, so hurried? Why not stay a while longer? Soon there’ll be a poetry gathering on Lingjiang River with many dignitaries. With your talent, you could make valuable connections, perhaps land a decent official position. Then come next autumn examination... haha, limitless prospects..."

"Thank you! But family matters press my time, I must bid farewell!"

"Leaving so soon? Ha, is the young lady at home too impatient? Hahaha..."

Behind him rose laughs and teasing; Li Qingmu neither confirmed nor denied, for indeed, he missed his dear wife!