Chapter 43: Concubine Jing

Aurora Pavilion.

Li Musheng, having nothing to do in the daytime, leaned against the corridor railing, admiring the scenery in the courtyard below while attempting to create a martial art similar to the "Death Talisman."

Although creating his own Wu Gong was no difficult task, creating a martial art from scratch still required some thought.

At this moment, Li Yuanling, who had been following him, watched him curiously for a while before speaking:

"You must be careful. Although the Aurora Pavilion appears guarded as tightly as an iron bucket, there are actually many spies hidden in the shadows."

Li Musheng turned to look at her, then suddenly asked:

"Tell me, if I report you to that Commander of the Tianjin Guard, will they kick you out immediately?"

Hearing this, Li Yuanling's face darkened; she furrowed her light eyebrows and said:

"Don't be like this. I truly want to stay and protect you. You don't know how much my godmother missed you before she passed; her spirit in the heavens would never want to see you come to harm."

Upon saying this, Li Yuanling suddenly realized she seemed to have said the wrong thing and immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

Li Musheng showed a strange expression and asked:

"What do you mean by that?"

"I clearly remember that before the matter of the real and fake Imperial Prince occurred, wasn't that Concubine Jing accompanied by the Seventh Imperial Prince in the Heavenly Prison?"

Li Yuanling blinked her eyes, then waved her hands repeatedly, saying:

"You heard wrong. What I meant was... was..."

Seeing the other party stammering and unable to find an excuse for a long time, Li Musheng shook his head:

"If you don't want to say it, then don't. I won't force you."

Then, he turned his head back, gazing blankly at the distant Red Lotus Pond, continuing to ponder the key points of creating the Death Talisman martial art.

Seeing this, Li Yuanling breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, upon seeing that Li Musheng seemed to care nothing about the matter, a deep sorrow arose in her eyes again.

After a while, Li Yuanling spoke softly:

"Actually, godmother knew long ago that Li Zhi was not her biological son; she just never revealed this matter, telling only me."

As she spoke, she gazed tenderly at Li Musheng and said:

"Before godmother passed, she lay in bed for a whole day without saying a word, but I knew she wanted to see you one last time before dying, but... she never got her wish before she died."

At this moment, Li Musheng turned around, looking at Li Yuanling with red-rimmed eyes, and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he sighed lightly and said:

"So, does this mean you were the one who exposed the fake Imperial Prince matter?"

Hearing this, Li Yuanling shook her head:

"Godmother did not allow me to do so; she only wanted you to live peacefully as an ordinary person, which is also why she never sought you out."

"Although I do not understand, I never went against her last wishes, so this matter was not done by me."

Li Musheng frowned slightly:

"Then who did this matter?"

"I am not clear; the case from twenty years ago is still under investigation and has yielded no results to date, but I feel this matter was likely done by Li Zhi's enemies."

Li Yuanling voiced her guess, but since she had not participated in the matter herself, her knowledge was extremely limited.

To this, Li Musheng merely pondered for a moment and did not ask any further questions.

At this time, Li Yuanling spoke softly with determined eyes:

"You need not overthink the past; since you have returned to the Imperial Capital, I will definitely fulfill godmother's last wish and let you live peacefully."

Then, the expression on her face suddenly became serious as she continued:

"Godmother lived in seclusion and rarely showed her face, but there must be people in the palace who have seen her, so after you appeared in the Aurora Pavilion, someone must be able to recognize your true identity just like I did."

"You must know that the people in the Aurora Pavilion are all those who wish to become or believe themselves to be the Seventh Imperial Prince; the powers behind them are extremely complex, and it is hard to guarantee that no one will take a desperate risk and attack you."

Speaking to this point, Li Yuanling paused, suddenly seeing Li Musheng gazing blankly at the pond below again; she instantly became angry, wiped the remaining tears from the corner of her eye, and shouted softly:

"Are you even listening to me?"

Li Musheng glanced at her from the corner of his eye and said:

"Of course I am listening, but do not worry unnecessarily; it is proper for you to return peacefully and be your Princess."

Just then, two figures suddenly descended from the sky, appearing behind Li Yuanling in the blink of an eye.

One of them wore a Dragon Fish Robe; his build was imposing and tall, with some white hair at his temples, but his face was resolute, giving a sense of great strength.

The other was a white-faced man with no beard, wearing a neat and ironed crimson eunuch robe, with black hair combed smoothly and hanging over his shoulders.

His fingers were slender and long; as he raised them slightly, he unconsciously formed an orchid finger.

"Your Highness the Princess, this is not a place you can come to; please follow this servant back to the residence."

Sun Changyu, the Grand Eunuch and leader of the Direct Hall, bowed deeply, and the Commander Song Shanyue beside him did the same.

At this moment, Li Yuanling glared at Li Musheng with a face full of shock and anger, saying:

"Did you really report me?"

Li Musheng turned back and smiled, saying:

"Did you think I was joking with you?"

He had told Xiao Anzi about Li Yuanling's cross-dressing this morning; it was just that the Tianjin Guard might have needed to seek approval from above, so their action was a bit slow.

"Ah... ah..."

Li Yuanling was clearly furious at this moment; she turned around and roared at Sun Changyu and Song Shanyue:

"Get out of my way, all of you! I am staying right here and going nowhere!"

Hearing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu shook his head gently and said:

"If Your Highness the Princess insists on this, please forgive this servant for being disrespectful."

"Dare you touch me?"

Li Yuanling's face darkened, but the next moment, she shook her head vigorously, felt dizzy, and then slowly collapsed toward the ground.

Seeing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu hurriedly supported her and said to those behind him:

"Someone, escort Her Highness Princess Huarong back to her residence."

In an instant, several young eunuchs carrying a small sedan chair rushed up the stairs from below, took Li Yuanling from Sun Changyu's hands, and hurriedly carried her away.

At this moment, only Sun Changyu, Song Shanyue, and Li Musheng remained on this corridor.

After a while, Li Musheng glanced at the two and asked:

"Do you still have business?"

Hearing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu and the Commissioner Song Shanyue exchanged a glance, a hint of strangeness appearing in their eyes.

Just now, the sleeping and calming powder they used on Li Yuanling was called "Yin Xiang Xian."

This substance causes no harm, but it induces instant unconsciousness; even a Wudao Sect Grand Master cannot escape it, and only a Grand Master-level expert can resist it with powerful true qi.

Yet Li Musheng clearly inhaled the Yin Xiang Xian, but from beginning to end, he was completely unaffected.

(End of this chapter)