Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 738 - 461: Undermining the Foundation_2

Chapter 738: Chapter 461: Undermining the Foundation_2

"..."

Yuan Hao turned back to look at the golden-armored lady who was walking toward the base of the mountain in the snowstorm. His mouth opened slightly, but in the end, he swallowed the words he wanted to say.

Almost everyone in the upper echelons of Dayan was well aware that the marriage engagement between Prince Wu Yuan and the Third Young Master was merely for show, a political signal that had more symbolic than practical significance.

However, judging by the current behavior of the Princess, this marriage engagement now seemed to be more than just a political signal.

It surprised Yuan Hao.

A single trip to the Northern Frontier had caused such a change in Prince Wu Yuan, known for her battlefield prowess. In a way, the Third Young Master was truly remarkable.

Amidst his reflection,

The black-haired and golden-armored beauty had already vanished in the wind and snow at the top of the mountain, leaving only her leisurely voice drifting softly from below:

"Oh right,"

"If he truly dies, you can directly announce to the world that I am willing to remain a widow for your family’s Third Young Master for the rest of my life."

...

...

...

As one of the few entertainment options of the era, the pleasure districts, even during times of incessant warfare on the Northern Frontier, would still bustle with noise as soon as night fell in the streets of Di’an City.

However, within the noisy nightlife, the Xuan Yue Tower was relatively quiet.

As one of the top Hook Bars endorsed by the Imperial Family’s Commerce Guild, its high threshold effectively barred merchants and wealthy businessmen without political connections.

Enchanted by a special Formation, the soft melody of string music flowed through every corner of the elegant and uniquely-designed Xuan Yue Tower.

On the open-air balcony of the top floor, two men sat facing each other with a table in between, enjoying the glorious Autumn night view of the Imperial Capital and drinking casually, completely at ease.

While laughing and talking, Xu Yuan looked at the python-robed young man across from him and felt silent inside.

Dodging the limelight and finally coming out to indulge himself in the Hook Bar for a bit, using his new identity, he had unexpectedly run into this guy again.

Sometimes, Xu Yuan really thought he and Li Junqing must have had some unfathomable connection in a past life.

In the vast Di’an City, with so many top Hook Bars, they always managed to run into each other.

There he was, enjoying a performance at Xuan Yue Tower’s top floor with the entire venue booked, when Li Junqing, clad in his luxurious prince’s robes, entered uninvited and sat down for a chat as if it was the most natural thing to do.

Had it been before, Xu Yuan would most likely have told this freeloader to get lost, but with his current identity, he was not in a position to be so blunt.

In the box his father gave him, besides a lifelike Human Skin Mask, there was also a document of his new identity.

A son of the serving Vice Minister of War who had gone missing, found and brought back half a year ago.

Sometimes, he truly felt that his father was too good to them, his offspring.

Calculating the timing, his father must have started preparing this identity for him immediately after his assassination attempt, and to craft such an identity, his father must have put in a lot of effort.

As the second in command of one of the Six Ministries, the serving Vice Minister of War, while not as prominent as the Chief of Staff, was still an absolute core figure in The Imperial Court.

Assuming the identity of his son did not require too much restraint, but he could no longer act as unbridled as he had when he was the son of the Prime Minister.

Like now, he could use this identity to book entire venues in prominent places like Di’an City without concern, but he couldn’t outright dismiss the Third Prince’s presence.

The chilly night wind fluttered the two men’s clothes and long hair, with Li Junqing’s hair unrestrained, perhaps because he was not the sort to care about his appearance.

Of course,

Xu Yuan was the same.

But tonight, he meticulously tied up his hair because he was playing the role of a modest and upright young nobleman.

Since his father had gone to the trouble of preparing this identity for him, he naturally had to delve deeper into his role, master this role-playing, and avoid being recognized by acquaintances.

Although he wasn’t sure if Li Junqing had seen through him, it was enough that, on the surface, the other party showed no signs of recognition.

Due to the change in identity, the conversation between Xu Yuan and Li Junqing, although casual, lacked the previous heart-to-heart discussions, and the two spent the evening talking about court politics and some amusing anecdotes of the pleasure quarters.

They seemed to enjoy their conversation.

Of course, Xu Yuan felt that it was primarily because he was the host of the free-flowing banquet.

Until Li Junqing suddenly sighed and said,

"The assassination and death of the Prime Minister’s Third Young Master, and yet my Imperial sister was willing to choose widowhood for that prodigal son."

With the corner of his eye twitching slightly, Xu Yuan’s face showed a proper amount of puzzlement as he asked softly,

"A widowhood?"

Li Junqing glanced at the refined young master with sword-like eyebrows seated across from him and poured himself a cup of Pure Yang fine wine, unhurriedly. After downing it in one gulp and feeling a stream of warmth rising from his abdomen, he said softly,

"Although the news has not spread yet, judging by the time, your father, as a vital minister of the Imperial Court, should have received the message by now."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan’s expression turned slightly melancholic as he replied softly,

"The Crown Prince jests. I am but a son born to a concubine of my father. Though to compensate for the neglect over the years, he has not controlled my finances, all matters of power within the household are held by the principal and second branches. I would probably only learn of such information after it was published in the Imperial Court’s official gazette, had not the Crown Prince mentioned it."

Li Junqing raised an eyebrow and chuckled,

"It’s not a big deal. If Prince Xu is curious, I can solve the mystery for you, consider it as compensation for this meal."

Xu Yuan leaned forward slightly, probing in a soft tone,

"Oh? I have heard that the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion is quite the playboy. Even with a marriage arrangement, Prince Wu Yuan truly wishes to remain widowed for such a person? Could it be that the Third Young Master has some hidden talents?"

Hearing this, Li Junqing waived his hand dismissively and said with a light laugh,

"Prince Xu, you are overthinking it. It’s all due to the nature of my imperial sister. She has never cared for such things, and with this excuse, she can now comfortably remain unmarried for life."

At this response, Xu Yuan smiled inwardly.

He was quite pleased with Li Junqing’s answer. Although the other party enjoyed scheming against him at times, on significant matters of principle, he still knew how to preserve Xu Yuan’s dignity.

As he was pondering,

Li Junqing suddenly tapped the table lightly and looked into Xu Yuan’s eyes, saying quietly,

"Prince Xu, you were once adrift and have lived a leisurely life since entering the Imperial Capital. How do you find it?"

Xu Yuan was slightly startled by the question.

Li Junqing observed Prince Xu’s expression and asked with a smile,

"Considering your age and cultivation, you should have greater ambitions rather than wasting your time in brothels."

"...."

At these words, Xu Yuan’s expression turned grave, and he instantly understood why he encountered the Third Prince here.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked with slight hesitation,

"Your Highness means..."

"Perhaps, Prince Xu could suggest to your father that you enter the Imperial Court as an official. Should he be unwilling, I might be able to offer you some assistance."

"...."

Xu Yuan’s gaze became somewhat strange.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War was a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister; otherwise, his real father wouldn’t have felt confident about setting him up with this false identity as the other’s son.

With the current turmoil in the Imperial Court, although the Ministry of War didn’t have direct command over the troops, it did have power over logistics and military supplies.

If they could turn this disgruntled "son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War," at the very least, they could gain some inside information about the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

So, the meeting wasn’t coincidental.

Li Junqing had come explicitly to poach.

But why was it that every time someone tried to poach, it had to do with his false identity?

Seeing that Xu Yuan had been silent for a while, Li Junqing chuckled, shook his head, and continued in a soft voice,

"Prince Xu need not worry. The help I’m speaking of is not direct—and will certainly not put your father in a difficult position...."

"Third Prince, I recall that you haven’t set up your own office,"

Xu Yuan suddenly spoke out, interrupting the other, "So, is this... the will of the Crown Prince?"

A flash of surprise crossed Li Junqing’s eyes but was quickly replaced by a smile.

He liked conversing with smart people.

Taking out a jade token from the Sumeru Ring, he gently placed it on the table.

This time,

the words carved on the jade token presented by Li Junqing were not "Third" but the characters for "Yucheng."

Li Junqing slowly stood up, looking down at the courteous Prince Xu before him,

"If Prince Xu is interested, you may take this jade token to the Tianxun Chamber on the lower floor. My imperial brother and I will be waiting there."