Chapter Twenty: You Really Are a Marvel, You Little Fool!

“Ha ha! It’s rare to see such filial piety from you! Very well, I agree to this as well! Now, tell me your third request!” Li Jing finally revealed a smile, clearly satisfied with Li Yi.

“Well, the third isn’t so much a demand as it is a request. Whether you grant it depends on your own feelings. I would like permission to reside alone in a mansion. There’s no other reason—I’ve simply grown accustomed to solitude. If I suddenly live somewhere lively, I fear I’ll suffer from sleepless nights,” Li Yi said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Ahem! Such a trivial matter need not be discussed with me! Ask your grandmother. If she consents, I have no objection!” Li Jing’s cheeks flushed, a touch of awkwardness showing—so he too is afraid of his wife? Is being henpecked a tradition among the Tang people? Hmph! I, for one, am not afraid—well, mine is love!

“Ahem!” Noting Li Yi’s peculiar gaze, Li Jing’s face darkened. The others flushed, clearly holding back laughter, especially Fang Xuanling, whose eyes seemed to hold a hint of camaraderie in adversity.

Li Yi quickly suppressed his smile, straightened his posture, and knelt down, respectfully bowing three times before Li Jing. Looking up, he said, “Grandson Li Yi, courtesy name Wen Yong, pays respects to Grandfather. May Grandfather’s blessings flow like the endless Eastern Sea, and his longevity match the eternal pines of South Mountain!”

“Good, good! My grandson, you have suffered much. Stand up!” Tears streamed down Li Jing’s face—tears of happiness this time.

“Brother Apothecary, your grandson’s literary talent is something extraordinary! Wen Yong, tell us—who is your master? I’d truly like to know what kind of great person could cultivate such a brilliant disciple!” Fang Xuanling said enviously to Li Jing. He looked at Li Jing’s grandson, then at his own son, and sighed—best not to compare.

“Oh, right! Your Majesty, here is my master’s letter!” Li Yi, reminded by Fang Xuanling, realized he had not yet introduced his teacher. He hurriedly handed the letter to Li Er.

Li Er impatiently opened the letter—he had been waiting for this. He glanced through it rapidly, then exclaimed, “You are a disciple of Daoist Wang Yuan Zhi of the Longguan Sect? Ah! I should have guessed it sooner. Who else but Daoist Wang could produce such an outstanding disciple?”

“Daoist Wang?” Everyone present was a close confidant of Li Er; naturally, they knew who Wang Yuan Zhi was—a legendary sage, skilled in astrology and divination, steeped in profound Daoist arts! The crowd’s gaze toward Li Yi changed once more.

Li Yi thought for a moment and knew what had happened. He smiled awkwardly and said, “Well, my master said my six senses are not pure, too attached to the mundane world, so he never taught me Daoist arts—only some martial skills, poetry, and classics.”

With Li Yi’s explanation, the others’ gaze returned to normal. A clever adversary is already daunting; if he also possessed the ability to foresee the future, it would be best to simply retire from contention—and dealing with such a person would be worse than suicide.

“Oh, right! Your Majesty, here is the memorial from Prefect Li!” Li Yi took out the memorial, deftly shifting the subject before things became problematic—most importantly, he was hungry! He had only eaten a bit of dry food all day; his stomach was protesting fiercely.

“Quickly! Bring it forth!” At Li Yi’s words, everyone’s expression tightened—they knew the main business had arrived.

Li Yi handed the memorial to Li Er, who studied it carefully, reading for a full half hour.

“Wen Yong, I must say, you rascal are truly a prodigy!” Li Er remarked with heartfelt admiration, passing the memorial to the ministers.

The ministers gathered eagerly to read it together. Seeing Li Er’s expression, they could no longer restrain themselves. Although it was somewhat disrespectful, they couldn’t worry about that now.

Li Yi stood aside, enduring his hunger and boredom, inwardly crying out in distress.

***

Li Er closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the memorial, then opened them and saw Li Yi’s condition. He instantly understood, beckoning to Li Yi and pointing at the pastries before him.

Li Yi was startled, pointing to himself as if to say, “Me? Is it really for me?”

Li Er nodded, unable to suppress a smile, and Li Yi’s eyes filled with grateful tears. He lunged forward like a hungry tiger, grabbing the pastries and devouring them. Li Er even handed him a cup of water, and Li Yi, moved, ate with renewed vigor.

A quarter of an hour later, the ministers finished reading the memorial and looked up incredulously at Li Yi—who was still wolfing down food, utterly ignoring decorum. The sight was so strange, they struggled to associate the famed investigator Wen Yong with the glutton before them.

“Ahem! Wen Yong, that’s enough!” Li Er coughed lightly, reminding him.

“Just a moment, I’m not done yet!” Li Yi was still deep in his meal, not thinking of anything else.

Li Jing, seeing this, flushed with embarrassment and stepped forward, kicking Li Yi to bring him back to his senses—he realized he had once again caused trouble.

Li Yi quickly wiped his mouth, straightened up, and donned an innocent expression as if nothing had happened. “Your Majesty, what would you have me do?”

Seeing Li Yi’s shamelessness, Li Er wanted to kick him as well, but remembering he was the emperor and needed to maintain dignity, he restrained himself and said irritably, “The memorial is detailed, but some matters remain unclear. Tell me your thoughts.”

“Oh! Your Majesty refers to the token, the handkerchief, and the letter mentioned in the memorial?” Li Yi said, handing over the three pieces of evidence to Li Er.

“Yes, indeed! Tell me what you have discovered.” Li Er examined the items, listening as Li Yi explained.

“Your Majesty, Prefect Li’s memorial only indicates that a dark force is plotting against the Tang Dynasty. The rest is less significant. The real clues lie in these three pieces of evidence. First, this handkerchief—aside from the lotus motif, there is little else. Yet I could detect, from its faint sweat scent, a subtle fragrance of rouge.”

Li Er, intrigued, sniffed the handkerchief and found a trace of that delicate perfume. “Remarkable! Without careful examination, one would never notice.”

“Heh, I’m just particularly sensitive to such things. Besides the fragrance, there are many faint, messy fingerprints on the handkerchief, proving it was in Li Zihao’s possession for quite some time, and he often fiddled with it. Despite such handling, the scent remains, indicating it was a cherished item used by a woman for years. Only a woman constantly surrounded by heavy rouge could leave such a lasting fragrance. And there’s only one place such women are found.”

“Hm? Brothels! Wen Yong, you mean the brothels?” Fang Xuanling interjected. A seasoned veteran, his nose might not rival Li Yi’s, but with such clear hints, it was obvious.

“Yes, exactly—the brothel. Thus, I surmise this clandestine force has a base among the brothels.”

“To deduce so much from a single handkerchief—unprecedented! Today my eyes are truly opened,” Changsun Wuji exclaimed. He was skilled in calculation, but even he was astonished by Li Yi’s reasoning—and there was a hint of unease.

“Indeed! Not only Wuji, even I have never seen such a thing!” Li Er added, though his delight was clear—after all, Li Yi would be working for him in the future.

Li Jing said nothing, but the pride in his eyes gave away his feelings.

***

“Quite impressive! If only you could be a bit more proper.” At such a moment, only Wei Zheng could utter these words in all of Tang.

Li Er and Li Yi’s eyelids twitched—they were both victims, after all.

Li Er coughed and said, “Wen Yong, tell us if you have any further discoveries. And no need to call yourself ‘commoner’—as the grandson of Apothecary, you may address me as Uncle Li.”

Li Jing was startled—does this not confuse the ranks? He immediately knelt, protesting, “Your Majesty, this cannot be!”

“Sigh, Apothecary, what are you doing? Get up—let’s each mind our own role, it matters not,” Li Er waved his hand.

Seeing Li Er’s insistence, Li Jing acquiesced—since Li Er gave him face, he had to oblige.

“Ahem… Uncle Li!” Li Yi called out, his gaze growing solemn.

“In fact, when I found the handkerchief, I didn’t think this secret force was so formidable—until I discovered the token, then I realized the gravity of the situation!”

“Hm? Where is the token? Isn’t this the book?” Li Er, seeing Li Yi’s expression, sensed the matter was truly complex.

“Your Majesty, open the book and you will see.”

Li Er opened the book—its middle had been hollowed out, and inside was a token.

“Ha ha! My virtuous nephew, you truly… To find such a hidden item!” Li Er praised while examining the token. “Hm? This is… Outrageous!” He slammed the table in fury.

Everyone looked—Li Er’s token bore a dragon motif on the front, and the character ‘Hao’ on the back. This was why Li Zihao had surrendered upon hearing of the token. Li Er’s rage stemmed from the fact that any force using the Azure Dragon as its emblem could only have one aim: rebellion.

“But why would such an important token be with Li Zihao? Is he one of the leaders?” Wei Zheng was first to spot the issue.

“No! He likely isn’t. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so easily killed by Wen Yong. The reason he had the token is only one—an initiation offering,” Fang Xuanling mused aloud.

“Wen Yong, continue!” Li Er calmed his anger, but he now seemed even more formidable.

“Yes! If the matter were so simple, it would be easily handled. Even if they controlled the brothels, the situation wouldn’t be dire—we could trace and uproot them. But Li Zihao, in his final moments, revealed that the organization behind him was so powerful it could inflict irreparable harm on the Tang Dynasty. This is not something a mere brothel could achieve. Therefore, on the night of Li Zihao’s death, I searched his room—and indeed, I uncovered a shocking secret!”