Chapter 44: Li Zhi

"Understood, you must be wondering why I haven't fainted?"

Li Musheng seemed to have guessed the thoughts within the two men's hearts, waved his hand and said:

"Don't wait, that thing has no effect on me. Even if you wait until tomorrow, you won't get the result you want to see."

Having said that, he turned his head back and ignored the two men.

The Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu and the Commander Miao Miao Qianshi Song Shanyue looked at each other, and at this moment, Li Musheng suddenly seemed to think of something.

He left the railing, turned around, walked to the front of the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu, stopped, raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Have you seen that Noble Consort Jing before?"

Hearing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked up and stared at Li Musheng's face for a while, remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said:

"This humble one has naturally seen Noble Consort Jing. She is a benevolent and kind master, treating the servants in the palace quite well."

Upon hearing these words, Li Musheng lightly clapped his hands and said:

"In that case, it is much easier to handle."

Speaking, he pointed to his own face and asked:

"Then you must be clear that I am probably, very likely, the true Seventh Imperial Prince?"

Hearing this, Commander Miao Miao Qianshi Song Shanyue looked at Li Musheng in surprise, then looked at Sun Changyu with some suspicion.

Although he held a high position in the Tianjin Guard and had entered the palace to pay homage to Emperor Yuanwu many times, he could absolutely never enter the Emperor's harem.

Therefore, he had not seen that Noble Consort Jing and did not quite understand the meaning of Li Musheng's words.

At this moment, Sun Changyu, the head Grand Eunuch of the Zhi Dian Jian, his expression changed rapidly for a while, hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth to say:

"Young Master indeed bears some resemblance to Noble Consort Jing, but..."

Hearing this, Li Musheng directly reached out to stop the other party and said:

"There is no 'but', and there is no need to wait a few more days to waste time. We might as well go straight to the point; you go find someone who can make a decision."

"If my identity as the Seventh Imperial Prince can be verified, then everything will be fine. If not, well... just consider this trip a waste."

Hearing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu was stunned, seemingly not expecting Li Musheng to be so direct, and for a moment did not know how to respond.

Li Musheng did not urge him, but simply watched the other party with composure.

Although he did not care too much about the matter of his identity as the Seventh Imperial Prince, to be honest, resolving the identity issue sooner would indeed be beneficial for the upcoming opportunity to find the Tianqi Secret Treasury key and achieve Wu Gong transcendence.

At this time, after hesitating for a while, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu finally opened his mouth and said:

"The matter Young Master speaks of is beyond my authority to decide, but I can report it on your behalf. As for whether this can proceed, it depends on the decree of Empress Wang."

Emperor Yuanwu has been in seclusion cultivating for over a month now; the affairs of the Aurora Pavilion are fully handled by the current Empress Wang. Li Musheng had heard of this situation long ago, so he was not surprised.

"Then go and seek instructions; I will wait here."

Li Musheng nodded slightly, then turned around and leaned against the corridor railing again, admiring the scenery on one side while continuing to ponder the creation of the "Life and Death Talisman" Wu Gong.

Hearing this, the Grand Eunuch Sun Changyu agreed with a sound, nodded slightly to Song Shanyue at his side, then hurriedly turned and left.

Seeing this scene, Commander Miao Miao Qianshi Song Shanyue's expression changed for a while; he looked at Li Musheng once but said nothing more, and immediately followed suit and left.

At the same time, the Great Li Heavenly Prison.

The thick walls cast with bluestone and molten iron were impregnable, and the guards inside and outside the prison were extremely strict.

A middle-aged man passed through a dark, damp corridor emitting a musty, rotting smell; torches on both sides of the narrow corridor flickered weakly, casting mottled shadows behind him.

With his arrival, heavy, cold iron gates were opened one by one; some ragged prisoners huddled in the surrounding cells opened their empty eyes and curiously looked at the newcomer outside the iron bars.

But the middle-aged man walked straight to a cell at the deepest part of the Heavenly Prison and stopped.

The cell before him was different from the others, which were damp and messy; on the contrary, it was very tidy and clean.

A straw mat covered the floor, a dim oil lamp burned on a small wooden table, and sitting cross-legged before the wooden table was a young man wearing prison clothes.

The young man had handsome features and Bai Xi skin; although he was a prisoner detained for several months, his disheveled hair was utterly unsoiled, and instead, his spirit was complete and his Qi abundant; between the eyes that opened suddenly, a hidden sharpness seemed to flash.

"Your Highness, that person has appeared."

The middle-aged man bowed to the young man, stood bent over, and passed a scroll through the gap in the cell door.

Li Zhi flicked his fingers, true Qi surged out creating a clear breeze; as it brushed the scroll, it slowly unfurled, revealing a portrait of a young man on the scroll, and the person in the portrait was none other than Li Musheng.

"He really does resemble that Noble Consort Jing."

Li Zhi spoke lightly, flicked another finger, and the flame on the lamp was drawn by the force, falling onto the scroll; in the blink of an eye, it burned it to ash.

"Where is he now?" Li Zhi turned his gaze to the middle-aged man outside the cell.

"In the Aurora Pavilion."

The middle-aged man answered, then raised his head slightly and asked:

"Your Highness, should we take action to eliminate him?"

Hearing this, Li Zhi slowly shook his head and said:

"No need. Many people are watching the Aurora Pavilion. The news that he is the true Imperial Prince should spread soon. Whether he lives or dies from now on is his own business; it has nothing to do with us."

Having said that, Li Zhi no longer paid attention to this matter and instead asked:

"What is the situation with the Ministry of Revenue?"

"The Minister of Revenue has temporarily held off the pressure, but now everyone is in fear for their own safety; it is hard to guarantee that no one below has ulterior motives. Among them, Zeng Wenhe, the Vice Minister of the Right of the Ministry of Revenue, shows a tendency to defect to the Second Imperial Prince."

The middle-aged man frowned, a hint of killing intent appearing in his eyes, then said:

"The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue need Your Highness to take charge sooner; your subordinates all hope Your Highness can be released from prison as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Li Zhi waved his hand:

"When I can get out depends on Father Emperor's mind. However, this is only a matter of time; there is no rush for now."

Speaking, he took out a letter he had written long ago from his sleeve, shook it lightly, and the letter flew toward the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man raised his eyes, his hand swept through a lingering afterimage, and caught the letter.

At this moment, Li Zhi sat down again before the small table and said:

"Deliver this letter to the person in charge at the address written on the envelope. As for any additional matters, there is no need to do more; you need only restrain the others and wait quietly for me to be released from prison."

The middle-aged man immediately bowed deeply, tucked the letter away, and seeing that Li Zhi had no further instructions, stepped back a few paces to take his leave.

And not long after the middle-aged man departed, a dim shadow emerged silently from beneath the flickering torchlight.

"Your Highness, the Head of the Bureau sends his regards through me."

The shadow, black as ink, revealed no form, yet a voice issued forth.

(End of this chapter)