CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 95: XIANG YIN IS VERY SAD

At this moment, on the second floor of a teahouse ten zhang away from the county government, a young man stood with his hands behind his back and his head slightly raised, carrying a hint of conceit.

He looked in the direction of the government office and pouted slightly: "Not bad, winning back under such a disadvantage. I can see they have some skills!"

"Princely Heir, your subordinate doesn’t understand. Since they’ve already won, why send Cai Xiu? Isn’t this redundant?"

The young man was Qi Jingyu. He initially suspected Li Qingmu’s background, so he sent Shi Qin to investigate. Unexpectedly, a juicy story emerged, which he found amusing. Coincidentally, the story could grow from a small affair into a big one, and now it’s a tremendous harvest.

Qi Jingyu glanced at the subordinate following behind him, pouting again, regretting not bringing Shi Qin along. Otherwise, she would have analyzed the situation clearly.

"They are quite formidable, capable of predicting their opponent’s next move in advance, and thus formulating counter-strategies. He even wanted to play them, but their foundation is too shallow, making it difficult to achieve. At this moment, I gave them a push, took this favor, which can be leveraged in the future."

"Ah, I see. The Princely Heir is wise! But... if you’re to bestow a favor, shouldn’t you act earlier?"

Qi Jingyu glanced at the trusted guard beside him, thinking truthfully, if it weren’t for his excellent martial arts, along with his meritorious service while escorting his grandmother and father, fending off Empress Qi and others, he would have thrown this guy to some countryside to farm!

"If they can’t even overcome this minor difficulty, they are of little use!"

The guard froze, then nodded, "Yes, the subordinate understands!"

"Hmm!"

Qi Jingyu was in a good mood; being with someone dim-witted wasn’t so bad, at least it highlighted his intelligence.

"Princely Heir, look, they’re coming out!"

The guard, unaware of Qi Jingyu’s scorn for his intelligence, pointed at the Long Yue couple emerging from the government office, reminding him.

Qi Jingyu gently raised his chin and slowly sat down: "Have some tea!"

"Oh..."

At the government office entrance, Long Yue and the others had come out, and the people who had come to watch were also leaving.

"Thank you, Lord Cai!"

Li Qingmu cupped his hands towards Cai Xiu in thanks. Cai Xiu waved it off, responding softly, "No problem, this official cannot stand by and watch the slandering of the loyal, hmph, they were unlucky to bump into me!"

"Cai Xiu! Dare you spoil the noble’s plan, you will die a horrible death! Hahaha—"

Zhou Zhiqin, escorted by several government officials, was being taken to prison. Long Yue suggested she be sent to the male prison, and Cai Xiu actually agreed, driving Zhou Zhiqin mad with anger, cursing them all the way.

What awaits in the male prison? Some of those prisoners hadn’t seen a woman in decades, starved for affection, seeing a sow as a beauty, let alone her delicate self.

Once she entered the male prison, what awaited her was unspeakable horror...

Zhou Zhiqin knew it was the end for her, unlikely to emerge alive, so she dared to say all sorts of venomous words.

"You pair of adulterers, you dog official, you will all die, die, die, hahaha..."

"Shut her up!"

Long Yue commanded sharply, and a nimble government official immediately tore a piece of ragged burlap and stuffed it into her mouth.

"No, don’t grab me, I don’t want to go to jail! Sanlang, Lady Yue, save me, mother was wrong, mother was wrong!"

The next to be dragged out was Mrs. Li Zhou, who desperately cried out, even pleading with Li Qingmu and Long Yue, but both wore cold expressions with no intention of letting her go.

Seeing their demeanor, Mrs. Li Zhou felt a chill in her heart and then burst into loud sobs.

She wasn’t given any special treatment, being imprisoned in the women’s cell per normal procedure, but even so, staying long in such a dark, damp place would leave her a mere shadow of a human.

"Well, now that the matter is settled, this official shall take leave!"

"Safe travels, Lord Cai!"

"Ah, Lord Cai..."

Cai Xiu was straightforward. Once the case was resolved, he was set to leave, but Zhang Bingwen panicked, fearing for his official position, and hurriedly followed.

"Your matter has been noted by this official, act wisely!"

"Ah, my lord, I too was forced..."

Zhang Bingwen fell hard to the ground, crying wretchedly, with a heart full of desolation...

The crowd watched Cai Xiu walk away; Xiang Yin, having witnessed it all, couldn’t help but click his tongue, marveling at Li Qingmu’s good fortune. Things seemed to fall into place for him!

He was a bit puzzled though, how could he fail to approach such a prominent figure as Cai Xiu? That would certainly smooth his path in officialdom.

"A Mu, why not associate more with Lord Cai?"

The question was subtle, but being smart individuals, they understood the implication. Li Qingmu merely smiled and said nothing.

Xiang Yin was confused, believing someone like Li Qingmu wouldn’t miss such an opportunity, yet it was clear he didn’t intend to curry favor.

In officialdom, networking and forming alliances aren’t considered misconduct; they are essential practices.

He was just fretting over this when he saw Li Qingmu and Long Yue suddenly part ways, walking down the street as if searching for something.

"Hey, you..."

"Over there!"

Long Yue noticed first and then she and Li Qingmu ran directly toward a teahouse.

"Wait for me!"

Xiang Yin instinctively followed them, entering the second floor of the teahouse and into a private room.

The private room connected to a balcony, where an eleven or twelve-year-old boy sat leisurely sipping tea.

Upon entering, Li Qingmu cupped his hands towards the boy, "Thank you for your help, Princely Heir!"

What?

Xiang Yin felt his head being struck by a hammer, leaving him somewhat dazed.

What did Li Qingmu call this boy? Princely Heir?

What kind of creature is a Princely Heir?

He internally grumbled, his legs weakening a bit...

"Just a small favor!"

The boy’s fresh voice came from that side. He lifted the tea in his hand and gestured towards Li Qingmu before taking a sip.

Xiang Yin watched them communicate, his mind blanking. At this moment, he really wished he could dig a hole to crawl into.

Recalling earlier when he asked why Li Qingmu didn’t interact more with Cai Xiu, he only smiled. At the time, Xiang Yin thought it was peculiar, thinking someone so smart had made such a basic error. But on second thought... why would he need to engage with Cai Xiu?

He had directly bypassed Cai Xiu and connected with Prince Lingjiang’s Princely Heir!

He had grasped the thick thigh of Prince Lingjiang directly!

For a moment, Xiang Yin was overwhelmed with shame and silently lowered his head, a sorrowful emotion spreading, finally engulfing him entirely.

His horizons ultimately couldn’t match up to his...