Chapter 113: Let the Past Drift Away on the Wind; When the Song Ends, People Part Ways!

After Li Yi’s speculation, the entrance to the secret passage was finally found—right beneath the floor at the restroom’s threshold. Of course, that was just the entrance; it had nothing to do with the restroom itself, as the tunnel led in a completely different direction!

At the tunnel’s entrance:

Li Yi said, “Uncle Li, the secret passage entrance has been found. I won’t go down; whether they have escaped by now or not, it makes no difference for me to go down!”

Li Er nodded, looking at the tunnel entrance with satisfaction. After months of effort, this matter was finally coming to an end.

“Zhijie, Jingde, take your men down! I grant you full authority to act according to the situation—life and death shall not be considered!”

The two generals responded excitedly, “Your Majesty, rest assured!” It had been a long time since they last fought a battle. Though this was only a minor skirmish, barely worthy of the name, at least it would quench their thirst for action.

“Oh, two uncles, keep Li Yuanchang’s steward alive if possible. I have use for him!”

“Don’t worry!” With that, the two led their troops down into the secret passage.

“Yi, what do you want with that steward? You’re not thinking of revenge, are you?” Li Er was in a good mood and for once joked openly.

Li Yi scoffed, “Me, petty? Not at all! I’ve always been wholeheartedly loyal to the Tang. Don’t be fooled by my youth and personal concerns—uh, I mean official business! Uncle Li, if I’m not mistaken, the steward by Li Yuanchang’s side is likely that master of disguise. I don’t know how you intend to punish him, nor do I care. I just want to learn his skills before any punishment is decided; otherwise, it would be a waste of talent!”

Li Er laughed heartily at that. “You little rascal, you make stealing skills sound so grand! Fine, I agree. If you manage to capture the steward alive, I’ll lend him to you for a while. Hmm! And you said something quite right—though young, you’re capable. It’s time to give you some real responsibility!”

The moment Li Er spoke, the ministers’ expressions shifted. Responsibility? This was clearly a promotion in disguise! But it was meaningless to them; Li Yi had long deserved recognition. Whether for this case and the last one he solved, or for proposing reforms in banking, charity, and commerce, as well as innovations in salt production and pork curing, Li Yi’s merits were undeniable. Li Er had been waiting for a perfect conclusion to officially reward him, silencing all criticism, especially given Li Yi’s youth. After all, since Li Yi’s rise and perhaps fall were tied to the Azure Dragon Gang, the time had come.

The ministers were surprised and envious, but Li Yi was not having it. “Uncle Li, don’t get excited! Responsibility? What are you up to? I’m only fifteen! You can’t just exploit child labor! You know how busy I am; I’m drowning in work. Besides, those few soldiers of mine are at a critical stage. You don’t want them anymore?”

The ministers were speechless. What kind of busy fifteen-year-old was this, training soldiers no less? Surely a joke.

But Li Er thought differently; he had high hopes for those few soldiers.

“Hahaha, right, I almost forgot. All right, I get it. Don’t worry, I won’t overwork you!”

Li Yi finally relaxed. “By the way, speaking of which, I assigned four people to tail Li Yuanchang. Why haven’t I seen them?”

As soon as Li Yi said this, Duan Zan spoke up, “Your Majesty, before you arrived, we indeed caught four suspicious individuals.”

Li Yi sprang up sharply. “What? Caught? Damn! Where are they?”

With a wave of his hand, Duan Zan had Jiang Lichen and the other four brought forward.

Li Yi ordered their release but glared at them. “I need a reasonable explanation!”

Number Two, Jiang Lichen, replied calmly, “Reporting, Instructor, Team Two followed Li Yuanchang under your orders. When we arrived here, we found them missing, so we suspected a hidden mechanism in the women’s restroom. We tried to inspect but unfortunately encountered Lord Duan’s guards. We intended to flee but feared causing chaos that might let the suspects escape, so we had no choice but to follow them.”

Li Yi asked, “Why didn’t you reveal your identities?”

Jiang Lichen replied, “Reporting: first, the idea of a secret passage in the restroom is so bizarre no one would believe it; second, we have no evidence proving our affiliation with you. To protect our rights, we chose silence to avoid alerting the enemy.”

After Jiang Lichen’s explanation, the ministers and even Li Er’s expressions changed. These were ordinary soldiers? Look at their reasoning, adaptability, and composure! This was no mere soldier—it was a general in the making! Only then did everyone understand what Li Yi meant by those few soldiers. At this moment, many gazed at Jiang Lichen and the others with burning admiration. Li Jing, Duan Zan, and others already contemplated how to request troops from Li Yi.

Li Yi said, “Hmm! You do have a reason, but just being discovered while tailing is enough to mark today’s work as unsatisfactory. Write up your lessons learned and submit them to me tomorrow. Also, double the training workload starting tomorrow morning! Chang Dong, take the team back!”

The order was clear; the nine men quickly and neatly formed a squad. Following Chang Dong’s command, they jogged off in perfect formation.

Their swift, precise movements impressed everyone anew. It seemed these soldiers were no simple scholars.

Li Er’s gaze lingered on the nine, then he was about to order a withdrawal. Suddenly, news arrived: Chou Gu had committed suicide in her room.

Li Er and Li Yi rushed to the scene and found Chou Gu dead from asphyxiation. Strangely, though her body bore no wounds and was still warm, her breathing had ceased. Li Yi suddenly thought of a possibility but dared not be certain.

For reasons unknown even to Li Er, he handed over the matter of Chou Gu to Li Yi. Reluctantly, Li Yi placed her body in the room, intending to handle the matter once all else was settled.

An hour later, Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde returned, bringing with them Li Yuanchang’s corpse, the alive steward, a group of henchmen, and an initial loot estimate exceeding one million strings of cash! Li Yi laughed heartily and held a grand feast for the ministers, unusually earning even Wei Zheng’s approval.

As night fell, everyone dispersed. Li Er returned to the palace, leaving Li Yi alone in Chou Gu’s room.