Chapter 103: Eloped with a Brothel Girl? Infiltrating the Inside (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chen Zhongyi continued, "He stayed at Qunfang Yuan for three days, then took a girl named Cui'er out for a stroll and never returned. Over at Qunfang Yuan, they all suspect the two of them eloped."

"Impossible! How could my Yu'er elope with a brothel girl!" Liu Yuheng blurted out.

Pei Shaoqing coughed, "Madam, it is better not to speak so definitively. After all, your understanding of Young Hero Ye is still stuck in his childhood. Love is the sort of thing that, once it goes to one's head, makes one capable of anything."

Of course, math problems excluded.

Although Liu Yuheng wanted to refute this, the thought that she had just been proven wrong left her without confidence for a moment. She bit her red lip with her pearly teeth, not knowing what to do.

"But even if he eloped with a woman, he shouldn't have failed to return to the sect, right?" A moment later, she frowned and said.

Chen Zhongyi said cautiously, "I observe that Madam Gongsun seems to hold a deep prejudice against brothel women. Could it be that Young Hero Ye was afraid of exactly that?"

Liu Yuheng opened her mouth, remaining silent.

After all, if Ye Yu really brought a brothel girl back, both she and Gongsun Yi would certainly be firmly opposed.

Could Yu'er really have eloped with someone?

Thinking of this possibility, her heart immediately felt incredibly sour and bitter, and her eye sockets turned red. It was like her own son, whom she had raised, deciding he didn't want his home anymore.

How could a mother's heart not be pained?

"Madam, do not worry. Think of the bright side; what if he didn't elope with someone, but met with some other accident? For instance, being kidnapped, or killed by an enemy." Pei Shaoqing hurriedly comforted Liu Yuheng.

If you live in the Jiang Hu, you always have to pay the price eventually.

Liu Yuheng: "............"

Chen Zhongyi was covered in sweat. My lord, if you truly don't know how to comfort people, you could just keep your mouth shut.

Seeing that Liu Yuheng's tears were already falling.

He hurriedly said, "Madam Gongsun, I will continue to arrange for people to search for Young Hero Ye. Right now, no news is already the best news."

"Thank you, Flag Chief Chen," Liu Yuheng said, choking back sobs.

Chen Zhongyi hurriedly declined, "If Madam wants to thank someone, thank my lord. I am just the one doing the work."

"Alright, alright, Old Chen, then hurry off and get to work," Pei Shaoqing waved his hand to dismiss him.

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave."

Pei Shaoqing stood up and walked behind Liu Yuheng, placing his hands on her fragrant shoulders, and said softly with a gentle expression, "Madam, do not worry too much. Flag Chief Chen is right; no news is the best news. I will keep a close watch and urge them to continue searching."

From this angle, with a slight tilt of his head, he could take in the beautiful scenery at Liu Yuheng's chest, the full, bountiful assets, white and firm, rising and falling slightly with her breathing.

"I have troubled you, Young Master," Liu Yuheng pursed her lips, lowered her head to thank him, and feeling the temperature of those large hands on her shoulders, she stood up unobtrusively to move away, "This concubine will return to the manor first to have the kitchen arrange tonight's menu."

Pei Shaoqing smiled slightly and replied, "Mm."

No sooner had Liu Yuheng left than the travel-worn Sun Youliang arrived at the entrance of the Hundred-Household Office on horseback.

"Flag Chief Sun has returned! Remember to treat us!"

"Greetings, Flag Chief Sun."

His colleagues saw him and greeted him enthusiastically.

"What Flag Chief Sun?" Sun Youliang was completely bewildered.

"The Hundred-Household has personally appointed you to succeed as Flag Chief."

Hearing this, Sun Youliang was struck by a massive wave of surprise that made his head swell. He stood there in a daze, the surrounding voices buzzing, unable to take any of it in.

After reacting, he immediately sprinted inside, rushed into the office, and knelt before Pei Shaoqing, saying with resounding force, "My lord, this subordinate has not failed your mission."

"Hahahaha! Mingde has returned. Quickly, please rise." Pei Shaoqing laughed as he stepped forward to help him up.

Sun Youliang remained kneeling, his face flushed as he said, "Many thanks to my lord for your promotion. This lowly one will surely serve with his life and sacrifice everything to repay my lord's kindness."

Lord Pei's kindness was like a high-interest loan.

One could never finish paying it back.

"Alright, alright, get up quickly. You've had a hard journey; have a cup of tea first." Pei Shaoqing said kindly, supporting him by both arms as he helped him up.

This time, Sun Youliang stood up accordingly.

Pei Shaoqing said with a smile, "You should know by now that I have already nominated you to the Thousand-Household for promotion to Flag Chief. Work hard, and do not lose face for me."

"Yes, my lord!" Sun Youliang nodded heavily.

Pei Shaoqing turned and walked toward his chair, saying nonchalantly, "You and Youcai are both my trusted and beloved generals. Regarding who to promote this time, I was originally a bit conflicted, so I asked Flag Chief Chen for his opinion."

"Finally, based on his advice and comprehensive consideration, I decided to promote you, Mingde, first. As for Youcai, there is no need to rush; there will certainly be opportunities in the future."

Although he did not say who Chen Zhongyi had recommended.

But Sun Youliang had already analyzed the reason for his own promotion from these words, combined with the usual distance between himself, Song Youcai, and Chen Zhongyi.

"You just got back, so I won't keep you. Go back early to bathe and rest," Pei Shaoqing took in his expression from above and said with a smile.

Sun Youliang cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate takes his leave!"

Just as he stepped outside, Song Youcai, who had heard the news, came up to meet him and punched him, "Treat us tomorrow night."

"Fine, Qunfang Yuan as usual. We won't leave until we're drunk," Sun Youliang laughed and agreed.

Song Youcai accompanied him as he walked out, sighing, "It's still you, the sour Cultivated Talent, who sees things clearly."

"Alright, my lord just said you will certainly have opportunities too," Sun Youliang comforted him.

Song Youcai said with a grin, "I never doubted that. When has my lord ever treated us unfairly? I'm just ashamed of my own shortsightedness and inability to see the situation clearly."

He and Chen Zhongyi had now returned to being mere nodding acquaintances, no longer calling each other brothers.

"That's good. I was afraid you would be confused and hold a grudge against my lord," Sun Youliang said earnestly.

"How could that be?" Song Youcai widened his eyes and shook his head repeatedly, pointing at himself, "Without my lord, what kind of person would I be? If my lord doesn't promote me in the future, it must be because I couldn't keep up. I will always be grateful and will never be an ungrateful wretch."

Sun Youliang smiled and patted his shoulder.

"But Old Sun, you're a Flag Chief now, big or small. Can you finally take revenge for the hatred of having your love stolen back then?" Song Youcai suddenly thought of this matter.

It wasn't just that his childhood sweetheart had been snatched away.

He had also been cut off from his path to the imperial examinations.

The smile on Sun Youliang's face vanished, and after a moment of silence, he shook his head. "Let's wait until you get promoted to the prefecture city one day. There's no need to specifically ask for leave to go to the prefecture city just for a little personal grudge of mine."

Song Youcai patted his shoulder in silence.

…………………………

After his shift ended, Li Kui, who had been listless lately, carried a few jars of wine to his old friend Zhao's house as he always did, sitting in the courtyard to drink alone.

Ever since Zhao died, he had done this every day.

It was both to lure the Xuanhuang Sect into the trap as Pei Shaoqing had instructed, and out of a genuine longing for his old friend.

But tonight, an uninvited guest arrived here.

A masked man descended from the sky. "Li the Cavalryman is truly a man who values loyalty and righteousness. If Zhao had a dear friend like you, he would be comforted even in the underworld."

"Who are you? State your name! Hiding your head and showing your tail, afraid to be seen—you must be a rat!" Li Kui, who appeared to be drunk, glared at the man and shouted.

The masked man did not mind, continuing to speak to himself: "But even if Li the Cavalryman comes here to drink heavily every night, what good does it do? Can it drink Zhao back to life? A real man, if his heart is not at peace, should avenge his dear friend."

"Hmph! Easy for you to say. What do I have to avenge him with? My third-rate martial arts? Or this drinking capacity?" Li Kui laughed, full of self-mockery.

The masked man said in a deep voice, "Zhao died because of our Xuanhuang Sect. We will never leave his revenge unavenged, but the time is not yet right. If Li the Cavalryman also wishes to avenge him, we can join forces."

"You are a rebel of the Xuan Sect!" Li Kui's drunken stupor seemed to vanish instantly. He stood up, took a step back, and drew his saber with a cold voice: "It was because of your bewitchment that Zhao died. Now you want to harm me too?"

"Bewitchment? Zhao was not a child; was he so easily bewitched? This was his choice from the bottom of his heart!" The masked man shook his head and said in a calm tone, "Li the Cavalryman, I have been watching you in secret for a long time. I only appeared because I felt you truly have affection and righteousness for Zhao. If you are unwilling, then forget it."

As his voice fell, he made a move to turn and leave.

"Wait!" Li Kui called out to stop him.

The masked man stopped his steps and turned around.

Li Kui said in a low voice, "I want to avenge Zhao, but I don't trust you. I don't want to be like him, someone who can be abandoned by you at any time."

"Trust is built slowly. We can both test each other slowly," the masked man said.

Li Kui remained silent. After a long while, he made his decision and asked, "How do I contact you?"

"If you have intelligence, go to Junlai Inn and tell the waiter you want to eat carp. The waiter will ask how many jin it weighs; you answer three and a half jin." As the masked man's voice fell, he reached into his bosom, took out a money bag, and tossed it over. "We never treat our own brothers poorly."

As his voice fell, he turned and leaped away, disappearing from sight.

Li Kui looked down at the money bag in his hand. After opening it, he discovered it was filled with small gold ingots. He did not know how many there were, but to him, it was a huge sum of money.

It was no wonder Zhao had been bewitched.

Which cadre could withstand such a test?

He did not rush to see Pei Shaoqing, but as always, continued to drink in Zhao's courtyard.

The masked man hid in the shadows and continued to observe Li Kui for nearly an hour before quietly leaving.

After arriving at the study of Wang Xianling in the inner residence of the County Government, he finally removed the mask from his face. It turned out this person was none other than Shopkeeper Ma, the Vice Branch Master of the Tongzhou Branch of the Xuanhuang Sect.

"Helmsman, Li Kui has already agreed to be our inside man, but he feels that Zhao was abandoned by us, so his trust in us is limited."

"That is nothing to fear. As long as there is an opportunity, trust can always be built. Moreover, unlike the profit-seeking Zhao, Li Kui values emotions more. There is a chance to develop him into our comrade," Wang Xianling said with a faint smile, shaking his head dismissively.

Shopkeeper Ma expressed his agreement. He also quite admired Li Kui, who valued loyalty and righteousness and dared to risk his head to cooperate with their Saint Sect to avenge his dear friend.

Wang Xianling took a deep breath and said, "If we can truly turn Li Kui into a member of the Saint Sect, we must also find ways to help him get promoted and become Pei Shaoqing's confidant so we can gather more intelligence. Just like this matter of the Shu Prince's rebellion, we were completely unaware."

It was only after learning of this matter that he realized the person Pei Shaoqing had asked the Saint Envoy to help capture last time was actually the Shu Prince Heir, and for this, he regretted it so much his guts turned green.

If they had known earlier that the Shu Prince had the heart to rebel, their Saint Sect could have made a great deal out of this matter.

Instead of being used by Pei Shaoqing for nothing.

Helping him achieve the merit of suppressing the rebellion.

It is estimated that the Shuzhou Branch will be held accountable by the Saint Palace for not obtaining relevant intelligence in advance.

"Yes." Shopkeeper Ma also felt regretful about this and brought up another matter, "By the way, Helmsman, the subordinate discovered a situation: the number of martial artists staying in inns in Tongzhou City today has increased significantly. This is very abnormal."

Using inns as strongholds—this was one of the benefits.

"Oh?" Wang Xianling frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Find out what is going on."

Tongzhou is a small city; it is normal for martial artists to pass through occasionally, but it is not right for so many to appear.

"Yes, this subordinate obeys!" Shopkeeper Ma replied.

(End of this chapter)