Chapter 165

Lotus pond curved bridges, pavilions and towers; young masters in splendid robes waved fans and recited poetry, young ladies adorned with dangling hairpins moved gracefully; under the night sky, a hundred ornate lanterns illuminated the garden, where music of qin and se harmonized and silver spoons tapped against cups.

Hu Rui'an and the other two stopped outside the corridor bridge; the gatekeeper who led them hurried toward the noisy crowd.

Soon, the gatekeeper arrived beside a young master clad in purple brocade robe, bowed respectfully, and whispered a few words into his ear.

The purple-robed young master turned his head, glancing toward Hu Rui'an and the other two; his eyes narrowed slightly, then he nodded gently and spoke something.

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper immediately bowed and withdrew, then hurried back to Hu Rui'an's side, bowing low.

"My young master requests that Lord Hu come over for a chat."

Hu Rui'an frowned, his expression darkening; he coldly said:

"I came here to meet Vice Prefect Mei Da Ren. If Mei Da Ren is not here, there is no need to see anyone else."

Saying this, he turned to leave, but the gatekeeper spoke again:

"My lord is unwell; these past days, all affairs in the mansion have been entrusted to the young master. He just instructed that Lord Hu may discuss any matter with him."

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an's expression shifted; he halted and turned to ask:

"Is Mei Da Ren ill? When did this happen?"

"About a month ago, my lord caught a cold from overwork with Tianjinwei matters," the gatekeeper replied, head bowed.

But Hu Rui'an naturally did not believe this.

The man was a practitioner of the Heaven-and-Mortal Realm—how could a mere cold incapacitate him?

Either this was an excuse to evade responsibility, or he was truly unable to manage affairs—but the cause certainly was not a cold.

At this thought, Hu Rui'an suddenly had an insight.

A month ago was precisely when the Tianjinwei ghost incident occurred—could Mei Yanyu also be involved?

Hu Rui'an pondered for a moment, then decided to stay and meet the Mei family's young master.

Yet what Hu Rui'an did not expect was that Mei Yanyu, the Mei family's young master, brought up the matter of the Shengzhou Tianjinwei's failure to depart for Lanzhou himself.

"Lord Hu, this is not due to my father defying orders; over a month ago, a ghost incident occurred within the Shengzhou Tianjinwei headquarters—many Tianjinwei officers died, and even my father suffered deeply."

Mei Yanyu, clad in purple brocade, poured wine for Hu Rui'an; his expression was deeply weary. "Ever since receiving the Commander's order, my father intended to prepare everything, but due to his injuries, he was utterly incapable of commanding the Shengzhou Tianjinwei."

"So the burden fell upon me—but I am shallow in talent, and the regional commanders of the Shengzhou Tianjinwei do not recognize me; thus, execution has been extremely difficult, and the matter has dragged on until now."

After hearing the Mei family young master's explanation, Hu Rui'an's face remained calm, but inwardly he did not believe a word.

He glanced at the wine on the table but had no intention of drinking; he merely said:

"I've heard rumors of the Tianjinwei ghost incident, but how is Mei Da Ren's current condition?"

"If convenient, I'd like to visit Mei Da Ren—perhaps I can offer some assistance?"

Upon hearing this, Mei Yanyu poured himself a cup of wine and drank it, then shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Hu, but my father's external wounds have mostly healed—yet his spiritual soul has worsened. Since a few days ago, he has been unconscious and cannot receive visitors."

Mei Yanyu bowed apologetically to Hu Rui'an, who waved his hand—but beneath his eyelids, a flash of sharp light passed.

A simple coma—what a convenient excuse. Now, even if he wanted to force a meeting with Mei Yanyu, it would be nearly impossible; and even if he did meet him, what could he do to a man who was "unconscious"?

At this moment, Hu Rui'an looked at Mei Yanyu, thought for a moment, and said:

"To be frank, we just came from the Tianjinwei headquarters—we personally encountered the ghost incident. Could you tell us what happened?"

At these words, Mei Yanyu's expression visibly changed; he studied Hu Rui'an and the two men behind him, then asked with a strange gaze:

"Lord Hu, are you mocking me? You truly saw the ghost within the Tianjinwei headquarters?"

Hu Rui'an merely nodded slightly, offering no further explanation.

Seeing this, Mei Yanyu fell silent, staring at Hu Rui'an as if trying to discern truth from his face.

After a while, he shifted his gaze to the still-boisterous young masters and young ladies in the garden, and said softly:

"Honestly, I hope you're lying to me…"

He paused, then suddenly turned back, eyes narrowed:

"Otherwise, you three will not live to see tomorrow!"

At these words, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong standing behind Hu Rui'an instantly paled.

But Hu Rui'an's expression remained unchanged; he suddenly said:

"I doubt it. Mei Da Ren survived the ghost incident—why can't we?"

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu shook his head gently, poured himself another cup, and glanced at Hu Rui'an. "Lord Hu may not know the truth—my father survived those ghosts largely thanks to my mother. Otherwise…"

Mei Yanyu stopped there, saying no more.

Upon hearing this, Hu Rui'an's expression changed.

Mei Yanyu's status far surpassed Hu Rui'an's for two main reasons.

One was that he had a sister who was a queen mother—unquestionably the imperial uncle; even the Commander himself had to grant him some respect.

The other was his wife.

Mei Yanyu's wife was Mu Qingxia, known in the martial world as "Lady Rainbow Cloud." Her Rainbow Divine Technique was unpredictable and dazzlingly magnificent; she once roamed the lands, dominating all with this divine art.

More importantly, she was the beloved daughter of Martial Saint Mu Tianxing.

The Martial Saint Mu Tianxing's status needed no explanation; as his son-in-law, Mei Yanyu was also highly renowned in the martial world, and nearly every faction granted him some deference.

The mother Mei Yanyu referred to was none other than Lady Rainbow Cloud.

If she had intervened, then indeed Hu Rui'an could not compare.

Watching Hu Rui'an's reaction, Mei Yanyu's eyes flickered with mockery—but he concealed it well, saying:

"I've said all I can. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, Lord Hu."

He paused again, then said:

At this moment, Mei Yanyu, who had been watching Hu Rui'an's reaction, had a glint of amusement flash through his eyes, but he kept it well hidden and said:

"In any case, I've said all I need to say. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, Lord Hu."

Saying so, he paused again and said:

"Of course, if my lord Hu is already afraid at this moment, you may stay temporarily at the Mei Manor. Although I cannot help my lord Hu resolve those ghosts, staying at the Mei Manor is still safer than staying elsewhere in the prefectural city."

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an suppressed the emotions in his heart and cast his gaze upon the Mei Yanyu before him.

For a moment, the figure of someone surfaced in his mind; suddenly, he became calm again and said in a deep voice:

"Thank you, Young Master Mei, for your kindness, but we do not need it."

Mei Yanyu sized up Hu Rui'an for a while, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes, as if he did not understand where Hu Rui'an had gained such confidence.

However, Hu Rui'an had no intention of explaining; instead, he changed the subject and said:

"Returning to the matter at hand, although my lord Mei is severely injured and in a coma, which I deeply regret, the Commander's orders cannot be disobeyed."

"Sheng Prefecture and Lan Prefecture are adjacent; you still have time. I have only one purpose, and I am also entrusted by Imperial Prince Eighth: on this mission, I must order the Tianjin Guard of Sheng Prefecture to move to Lan Prefecture."

Saying this, Hu Rui'an looked at Mei Yanyu and said:

"If my lord Mei cannot do it, then I will take over the Tianjin Guard of Sheng Prefecture. When I came, the Commander had already issued a personal handwritten order: anyone who disobeys the transfer order will be executed on the spot without mercy!"

"Therefore, Young Master Mei, please give a definite answer tonight: can the Tianjin Guard of Sheng Prefecture be ordered to advance to Lan Prefecture within two days?"

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu was slightly stunned, then narrowed his eyes.

However, he did not answer Hu Rui'an's words; instead, he said with considerable surprise:

"My lord Hu, this journey is actually with that Eighth Imperial Prince newly recognized by Your Majesty; this is something I did not expect."

Ever since Li Musheng's identity was recognized, the news that the Great Li Imperial Family had gained an Eighth Imperial Prince had long been transmitted to all parts of Great Li via flying letters.

Even through the channels of spies from neighboring countries, this news was now beginning to spread throughout the four surrounding kingdoms.

And Mei Yanyu naturally knew of this matter long ago; he just did not expect that this Eighth Imperial Prince, who had been lost among the common people, had only had his identity recognized a few days ago, had not yet established a foothold in the capital, and was already involved in the affairs of the Tianjin Guard so quickly.

"My lord Hu, I wonder where that Eighth Imperial Prince is now?"

Mei Yanyu looked at Hu Rui'an and asked, while Hu Rui'an glanced at the other person and said:

"Young Master Mei, do not change the subject. With the power of your Mei family in the prefectural city of Sheng, knowing where we are is easy; please answer my lord's question first."

Hearing this, Mei Yanyu's expression remained normal; he thought silently for a while, then clasped his hands and said:

"This matter is not something I can decide alone; I need to discuss it with my mother and the various lords of the Tianjin Guard. How about this: I will personally give my lord Hu an answer tomorrow."

Hu Rui'an's eyes shifted slightly, but surprisingly, he did not refuse; instead, he nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Very well."

Having said this, he had no intention of staying longer; he rose and, accompanied by Wu Shang and the other two, took his leave.

However, in the instant he turned around, he suddenly looked back, gazing at Mei Yanyu and said:

"I will remind Young Master Mei of one thing: the matter of Lan Prefecture is of great importance; I hope you will conduct yourselves wisely!"

Then, he said no more, and, accompanied by Wu Shang and the other two, left along the path they had come, disappearing from Mei Yanyu's sight.

And this young master of the Mei family merely watched the direction in which the three had departed, drinking by himself without speaking.

Not long after, Mei Yanyu seemed to sense something; suddenly, he turned his head and looked at an old man sitting by the table, who had appeared there at some unknown time.

If Hu Rui'an had seen this person, he would certainly not have been unfamiliar, for the other party was precisely the old man who had previously pushed a cart of tea bags.

"Has Mu Lao returned?"

Mei Yanyu very naturally picked up the wine pot by his side, stood up, poured a cup of wine for the other person, and asked:

"Is there any situation at the Tianjin Guard headquarters?"

Hearing this, the old man shook his head, took the wine cup, took a sip, and said:

"I did encounter three unlucky souls."

Upon hearing these words, Mei Yanyu's eyes shifted slightly, but he said nothing more.

It seemed that for those destined to die, there was already no value in discussion in his eyes.

Outside the Mei Manor, Hu Rui'an, who had originally planned to go to the Zhu family to meet the Prefect Zhu Ziming, suddenly became disheartened.

"Enough; let us return to Murong Fu."

Hu Rui'an finally called out to Wu Shang and the other two, then spurred his horse forward.

Hearing this, Wu Shang and the other two hurriedly followed.

"My lord, we only have two days; why did you agree to that young master of the Mei family's request?"

Wu Shang had witnessed the entire conversation between Hu Rui'an and Mei Yanyu; now, he voiced the doubts in his heart.

However, before Hu Rui'an could explain, Cheng Zhong, who was riding beside him, suddenly frowned and said:

"I observe that the intention of that young master Mei seems to be certain that the three of us will not survive until tomorrow."

Hearing this, Hu Rui'an turned back, glanced at the other person, and said:

"Exactly so; whether we can survive will become the key to the progress of events that follow."

Upon hearing these words, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged a glance, yet both clearly did not quite understand Hu Rui'an's meaning.

At this moment, Hu Rui'an saw the doubts in their hearts and explained:

"From my observation, the fact that that Han Meiyan suffered deeply from being injured due to the haunting should not be false; otherwise, that young master of the Mei family would not be so certain that we will not survive until tomorrow."

"As for the reason the other party refuses to order the Tianjin Guard to move to Lan Prefecture, I do not believe it for a moment. With the authority of the Commander and the Great Li court, as long as the orders are issued without obstruction to all places, how would those prefectural pacification commissioners below dare to disobey?"

"Therefore, I feel there must be some hidden truth in this matter, and all of this seems to be related to the Tianjin Guard's haunting incident..."

Saying this, Hu Rui'an did not continue further.

Clearly, he had bet all his chips on the truth of the Tianjin Guard haunting incident.

And if he wanted to find the truth, he must survive until tomorrow.

Before, he perhaps still had some confidence in himself, but ever since experiencing the ghostly shadows and laughter in the Tianjin Guard headquarters, and learning of Han Meiyan's situation from Mei Yanyu.

He now had no confidence to deal with those ghost-like things.

However, just because he himself could not do it did not mean no one else could.

Although he did not have a wife who was the daughter of a Martial Saint like Mei Yan, behind him stood Li Musheng, a prince whose single punch could send Shen Juesheng flying.

Although the Eighth Imperial Prince did not care much for managing affairs, what if the trouble came knocking?

"Hmm... surely the Prince would not stand by and watch me be strangled to death by a ghost?"

With the situation at hand, Hu Rui felt somewhat uncertain again in his heart.

After riding back to Murong Fu with Wu Shang, he returned without delay to the courtyard where he resided.

(End of this chapter)