Chapter 24: Numerous Princes

The gate guards confirmed Cang Yinyue's token and asked several more questions.

Ultimately, after casting a glance at the handsome-looking Six Doors "wanted criminal" Li Musheng, they recorded his information and allowed the two to enter the city.

Emerging from the spacious, long gate passage and stepping onto the bluestone-paved streets of Shangyang City, the rhythmic clatter of mule and horse hooves rang out clearly against the stone.

Soon, a surging tide of human voices rushed toward them.

Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue rode side by side down the street. As far as the eye could see, pedestrians were thick as a weave and traffic flowed like water; shops lined the roads with fluttering banners and flags, stretching endlessly into the distance.

"We'll eat first upon entering the city. I'll take the opportunity to report your situation to the Hidden Intelligence Bureau."

Cang Yinyue led Li Musheng to a highly prosperous restaurant. After ordering several dishes from a waiter, she left Li Musheng alone and disappeared into the restaurant's backyard.

Li Musheng did not mind. The Hidden Intelligence Bureau was known as the premier intelligence agency of Great Li, yet it possessed no official government office.

The undercover spies of the Bureau held countless various public identities, but their true identities were always revealed only in the shadows.

While waiting for the food and wine to arrive, Li Musheng sat in the private room, sipping the restaurant's free tea while keeping an ear out for the guests' conversations, whether they were boisterous or whispered.

In such crowded places, one could always hear interesting stories and explosive news, whether true or false.

...

"Have you heard? Another Seventh Prince has arrived at the 'Aurora Pavilion.' Tsk tsk, that makes the sixty-first prince to appear in the last month!"

"Tell me about it. I remember when I first heard someone had found the long-lost Seventh Prince, I was so curious that I went to watch in person. Turns out it was a mistake; he wasn't a real prince at all. Since then, so many 'princes' have appeared that I've become numb to it."

"In this world, some people just want to reach the heavens in a single step. If you ask me, those claiming to be princes should be charged with treason and executed publicly."

"You can't say that. What if you accidentally execute the real Seventh Prince?"

"I say we should just stop looking for any real princes. The one currently in the dungeon possesses world-shaking literary and martial talents; he is the true dragon of our Great Li. That prince who was supposedly lost among the commoners for twenty years is probably just an unlearned rogue or a beggar by now. Bringing him back would only bring shame to the Imperial Family."

"Shh! You certainly dare to speak! Careful, or the Imperial Brocade Guards will throw you in prison and take your head."

"What is there to be afraid of? My uncle used to serve by the side of His Highness the Seventh Prince. He told me many times that the Seventh Prince will surely be the bright... monarch... *cough cough*..."

A young gentleman dressed in a royal blue brocade robe was speaking with a flushed face while holding a wine cup, only to be hurriedly covered by another person's hand, causing him to choke on his wine and cough violently.

After such a shock, Zhang He cleared his head significantly. Realizing he had let his tongue slip in his drunken state, he quickly shut his mouth.

However, at that very moment, the door to their private room was suddenly kicked open.

A group of three stepped inside, led by a youth with a sinister countenance.

To the youth's side stood a woman in a green vine-patterned dress; she was beautiful, though her gaze was somewhat cold.

On the other side was a burly, tower-like man with a wide jaw and a tiger-like beard, standing over seven feet tall.

It was the burly man who had kicked the door. He swept his gaze across the five people in the room and barked in a deep voice

"I just heard someone speaking irreverently about the Prince and His Majesty. This is an act of high treason. All of you, come with me to the magistrate's office."

Hearing this, Zhang He was about to stand up to speak, but he was restrained by another man in green clothing beside him, who cupped his hands and said

"Brother, you must have misheard. We have been drinking here all along, discussing poetry and literature. We absolutely did not make any remarks regarding the Prince or His Majesty."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three and Zhang He reacted instantly, nodding repeatedly

"That's right, we were just drinking, chatting, and reciting poetry."

Then, a flash appeared in Zhang He's eyes as he turned to question them loudly

"And who are you? Why have you suddenly burst into our private room? Are you intentionally looking for trouble?"

The burly man let out a cold snort and said sternly

"You certainly are good at sophistry. We heard everything you just said loud and clear from across the way."

With that, he reached out to grab Zhang He, clearly recognizing Zhang He's voice as the one who had been speaking.

"You dare touch me? My uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue! If you harm me, you'll lose your head!"

Zhang He had some martial foundation; while shouting in anger, he hurriedly dodged backward.

But the man's hands, like iron pincers, were as fast as the wind. As he reached out, his body lunged forward in a flash.

Zhang He was clearly slower than his opponent. Just as he was about to be caught, the man in green beside him suddenly threw a punch. The wind from the punch was like a blade, striking directly at the burly man's cheek.

Sensing the threat of the punch, the burly man immediately abandoned his pursuit of Zhang He, tilting his head to evade the fist, and shifted his strike into a claw-like movement aimed at the green-clad man's chest.

Soon, the two were locked in a fierce exchange of dozens of moves.

The table full of delicacies and wine was overturned in the struggle, and the tables and chairs were shattered by the shockwaves of their punches and claws.

The sinister-looking youth and the woman in the green dress stood by the door, motionless.

Zhang He and the other three retreated against the wall of the room, not daring to interfere in the battle between the burly man and the man in green.

At that moment, after clashing blows with his opponent, the burly man suddenly delivered a side kick, slamming into a nearby wooden partition and knocking it down.

The private rooms of the restaurant were separated by several thick wooden panels. Once the wall was kicked, it collapsed with a roar, revealing the scene in the adjacent room.

"Didn't you say you were reciting poetry? Why don't you hear what the people next door have to say? What exactly did you hear just now?"

The burly man spoke in a muffled tone. After repelling the man in green with a single move, he quickly retreated toward the door.

Seeing this, the man in green's expression shifted, but he ultimately stopped his pursuit and instead stood beside Zhang He.

In the adjacent room, a woman was sitting. She didn't even glance at the collapsed wall, merely sipping her tea quietly.

"Miss, did you happen to hear these rebellious words from these profligates? We ask you to please testify."

The woman in the green dress took a step forward, proactively questioning the woman in the next room.

Seeing this, a flash of panic crossed Zhang He's eyes, and he hurriedly shouted

"My uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue!"

His meaning was clear: he intended to intimidate the woman in the next room into staying silent.

The woman in the green dress glanced at Zhang He, then produced a waist token and said

"Do not be afraid, Miss. We are from the Six Doors."

(End of Chapter)