Until all the banknotes carried on this trip were scoured clean, Lian Chengyi left in a daze.
With his money pouch suddenly fuller, Lin Qingge happily stowed away the banknotes and then tilted her head upwards, saying, "Alright, come out!"
The next moment, a figure drifted down from the eaves of the house.
Finally, he unfurled his fan, striking a pose he considered dashing and elegant.
"As expected of you, esteemed sir. However, this student is a little curious, how did you discover me?"
Lin Qingge, to whom the question was posed, pointed to the crescent moon hanging overhead and then to the open space before them, uttering two words: "Shadows."
What Lin Qingge didn't say was that if there had truly been any unwelcome guests on the roof, Leng Ningyue in the adjacent room would have rushed out immediately. Since her Ningyue sister continued to stay in the room to accompany Lin Zimo with his studies, it meant that whoever was on the roof was likely one of their own, like An Yi or An Er.
On the other side, Hua Jinrong, who had instantly understood, habitually fanned himself, and the words of flattery flowed forth: "Your discernment is like a torch, sir. My respect for you is as ceaseless as the flowing river!"
"Master Hua, you come to find me so late. You wouldn't have just come to eavesdrop, would you?"
"How could that be? Didn't I promise to find two luminous pearls for you earlier? As soon as the items arrived, I dared not delay even a moment before bringing them to you."
After speaking, Hua Jinrong clapped his hands. An Yi and An Er, who had been waiting outside the courtyard, appeared before Lin Qingge, each carrying a brocade box.
Opening the lids of the brocade boxes and gazing at the football-sized luminous pearls emitting a faint, soft glow, Lin Qingge suddenly felt a pang of regret. She had indeed undersold herself!
Just as Lin Qingge was contemplating how to extort more money from Lian Chengyi.
A thousand miles away, in the capital.
Feng Qingchen, the Left Prime Minister, who had skipped the morning court on his first day in office, ordered his attendant to place the stack of memorials he was holding onto the imperial desk and said irritably, "Your Majesty, these are the memorials you need to review for the past two days. The top few are the detailed plans for the enthronement ceremony. Please see if there are any changes you wish to make."
The figure in imperial yellow, seated behind the imperial desk, did not rush to look at the memorials. Instead, he looked up at the newly appointed Prime Minister before him and said, "Feng Si, you have worked hard during this time."
"Your Majesty, since you know of my hard work, then quickly arrest that scoundrel Rong San! My demands are not high; being able to have a day of rest would suffice. Even a mule needs to rest and eat some grass when it's tired. I, on the other hand, have been correcting memorials day and night, listening to trivial and vexing matters. I don't know how much hair I've lost! If I continue like this, I might not only be the youngest Zhuangyuan Lang in the history of Da Xia, but also the only Prime Minister in the founding of Da Xia to have a bald head without becoming a monk!"
The figure in imperial yellow behind the imperial desk was first amused by Feng Qingchen's statement, then spoke to comfort him, "Don't worry, Rong San will be back soon, and Bai Er is with him."
Upon hearing this, Feng Qingchen's gloom vanished, and his entire face lit up with excitement: "Bai Er is also back? That's wonderful! Your Majesty, please quickly hand over my position as Prime Minister to Bai Er. I'll be content to remain the Minister of Personnel."
"Besides Rong San and Bai Er, I've found you an additional helper who will also be returning to the capital with them."
"A helper?" Feng Qingchen thought for a moment, then exaggeratedly slapped his forehead, "Could it be the one who composed those nursery rhymes? That person's methods of manipulating others are endless. If he comes, I might lose less hair!"
However, the figure in imperial yellow, upon hearing this, replied with a strange expression, "Let's hope so."
Feng Qingchen, somewhat puzzled and about to press further, noticed the lamp pillars on either side of the imperial desk and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, why are the two luminous pearls in the Imperial Study gone?"
The figure in imperial yellow, who had been sitting upright, stiffened slightly, and then said indifferently, "Oh, I found those two luminous pearls to be too obtrusive, so I ordered them to be put away."
"Luminous pearls can be used for lighting at night. Your Majesty has also been working tirelessly recently. For the sake of Your Majesty's eyes, it would be better to put the luminous pearls back out."
"Alright, I understand."
Meanwhile.
Within the imperial mausoleum near the capital.
After King Wucheng had violently shattered what was likely the nth teacup, a subordinate cautiously entered from outside the door. "Reporting, reporting to Your Highness, young master Lian has just sent word."
"Chengyi?" King Wucheng took the letter presented by his subordinate and read it at a glance. He was so enraged that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
After a long while, King Wucheng, having recovered his breath, sighed with self-reproach, "It's all my fault for always keeping Chengyi at the Northeast Great Camp and protecting him too well! But I never expected that, besides Yan Xiuping, that old fox, another little fox, Lin Jingxing, would pop up. Moreover, Lin Jingxing and I are incompatible. I didn't eliminate him last time, and now not only has the treasure map fragment fallen into his hands, but he has also backstabbed Chengyi. He has even been promoted to the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. No, this person must not be allowed to live! Issue my command: Spare no expense, and ensure he dies on the road to the capital! And his son! Also, contact Chengyi and have him cooperate with our people for an inside-and-outside pincer attack when necessary!"
"Yes!"
On the other side.
Unaware of the perilous journey ahead, Lin Qingge and her companions, after several days of meticulous packing, finally finished preparing their luggage. After waiting for another two days, Lin Qingge finally welcomed the officials taking over the position of Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture. On the night of the handover, their group officially embarked on their journey to the capital. Hua Jinrong found three carriages from somewhere, which were unassuming on the outside but spacious and comfortable within. Originally, Leng Ningyue, Yongning, Xu Siyun, and the other female companions were to share one carriage, and Lin Qingge, Murong Bai, Lin Yan, and others were to share another. However, before boarding, Leng Ningyue insisted on pulling Lin Qingge into her carriage. Seeing this, Yongning and Xu Siyun found it awkward to disturb the family of three and could only take another carriage with Xiao Cao. Hua Jinrong, Murong Bai, and Lin Yan occupied one carriage. The remaining Lu Mingxuan, Ye Shengxiao, and others, who were unwilling to ride horses, had to squeeze into a less-than-ideal carriage with Xiao Hei. The already cramped space became even narrower. Xiao Hei, unaccustomed to it, scanned the surroundings with its dog eyes before resignedly lying down. Yan Tinghao, Ling Han, and Lian Chengyi rode ahead, leading the way, while two luggage carts followed at the rear of the procession. A total of six carriages, with ox two and An Yi through An Wu serving as the drivers. The grand procession traveled for two days and two nights before finally exiting the territory of Fengtian Prefecture. This day, dusk had just settled. Before Lin Qingge and her companions could reach the next village where they could stay, as they passed through a mountain road, Ling Han and the other two leading the way suddenly reined in their horses simultaneously, looking warily towards the sides of the mountain road. The next moment, countless torches lit up on both sides of the mountain road.