CHAPTER 687: CHAPTER 338: HE REMEMBERED THIS DEBT - PART 2

"Your Highness, if anything happens to you, my Prince will skin me alive." His Prince really treasures his younger brother, the Tenth Prince.

"Don’t worry, I’m really fine." Zhao Yao changed the subject and asked, "Was the group that came with me found?"

"I wanted to tell you about this earlier, but I forgot," Mr. Fan quickly replied. "The people who came with you are fine; they’ve been looking for you."

"Are they all okay, no injuries?"

"No injuries, they’re all safe." Mr. Fan asked, "Your Highness, should I notify them for you?"

Zhao Yao thought for a moment and said, "For now, don’t notify them. Let them continue looking for me." Only when his people continued searching for him would Li Jiao and his group believe he was missing. "By the way, who are the people who have detained me?"

"Your Highness, I couldn’t find anyone named Li Jiao."

"Couldn’t find them, huh." Zhao Yao mused, "Li Jiao must be a fake name. Are there any noble families in Jinling with the surname Li?"

"There are no noble families in Jinling with the surname Li, but the Salt Gang has people with the surname Li."

"The Salt Gang?"

"Yes, there are three major Salt Gangs in Jinling: the Li Family, the Fang Family, and the Song Family," Mr. Fan explained to Zhao Yao. "Among them, the Li Family is the largest. Although not a noble family, the Li Family has been salt merchants for generations in Jinling, and their status is no lower than that of the noble families."

Zhao Yao asked again, "How is the Li Family’s relationship with the noble families?"

"Your Highness, in Jinling City, the Cao Group and the Salt Gang have very good relationships with the noble families, as if they wear the same pair of pants," Mr. Fan sneered. "They always collude, ruling Jinling City with an iron fist."

"Is there anyone named Li Jiao in the Salt Gang’s Li Family?"

"No."

"Does the Li Family have anyone particularly famous?" Although Li Jiao was a fake name, the person’s manner was not typical of an ordinary family. Since there was no Li in the noble families, it might be the Salt Gang’s Li Family.

"Your Highness, the Li Family is quite famous in Jinling City. There’s no one in Jinling City who doesn’t know them."

Zhao Yao thought so too. Being one of the Salt Gangs, the Li Family was undoubtedly well-known in Jinling City.

"What I mean is, does the young generation of the Li Family have anyone very famous?"

"Yes, there is...," Mr. Fan began to explain everything he knew about the Salt Gang’s Li Family to Zhao Yao. After listening, Zhao Yao found no mention of Li Jiao.

Wait, he remembered Li Jiao saying he was a scholar preparing for the imperial exams.

"Is there anyone in the Li Family particularly famous for their studies..." Zhao Yao hadn’t finished speaking when he thought of the Great Genius of Jinling, Li Jue. However, Li Jiao and Li Jue didn’t look alike.

"Everyone in the Li Family are salt merchants; no one is exceptional at studying."

"What about Li Jue?" Although Li Jue didn’t look like Li Jiao, when he thought about it, their builds were quite similar.

Previously, at Mr. Meng’s place, Zhao Yao had seen Li Jue. When Mr. Meng was seriously ill, Li Jue and others would visit him from time to time.

"You mean Great Genius Li Jue?"

"Yes, what about him?" Zhao Yao remembered that Li Jue seemed not to be from a noble family but had scholarly origins.

"The identity of this Great Genius Li is complicated."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yao immediately asked with curiosity, "How is it complicated?"

"On the surface, Great Genius Li is the son of Mr. Li from the Jinling Academy, but he’s actually not Mr. Li’s son. He’s the son of the Salt Gang’s Li Family."

"What, the son of the Salt Gang’s Li Family?" Zhao Yao was taken aback. "His true identity is the son of the Salt Gang’s Li Family, so why is he seen as Mr. Li’s son at the Jinling Academy?"

"As you know, Great Genius Li is very talented. If his identity were that of the son of the Salt Gang, he couldn’t become an official. So the Li Family had him become the son of Mr. Li from the Jinling Academy." The court had decreed that the children of the Cao Group and the Salt Gang could not become officials, as these groups were not considered legitimate.

The Li Family, having wealth, had bought office during the previous dynasty, but when the Great Zhou was established, they lost those positions. In the previous dynasty, the offices they bought were not minor, and they wielded power, living flamboyantly. Not being able to hold office suddenly was hard for the Li Family to accept.

To have a family member become an official again, the Li Family decided to send their brilliant youngest son to be someone else’s son.

Mr. Li of the Jinling Academy wasn’t from the Li Family, but since they all shared the surname Li, it was most fitting to give their youngest son to him as a son. Surprisingly, the youngest son did not disappoint them. He was brilliant from a young age and became a renowned Great Genius in Jinling City.

"So that’s how it is, the Li Family really is quite calculating." Zhao Yao hadn’t expected this additional layer to Li Jue’s identity. "Do many people in Jinling City know of Li Jue’s real identity?"