Chapter 9: 009 Appears

“Shh, it’s me!”

That voice—it was Luo Shang!

“You!” Tang Meng was greatly startled.

“I noticed you just now. What are you doing here?” Luo Shang glanced at the ripples on the surface of the lake, finding them nothing out of the ordinary, and didn't pay much attention.

Tang Meng regained her composure, cast a glance at the lake, and without saying a word, turned to head deep into the flower bushes, with Luo Shang following closely behind.

Due to professional needs, she had cooperated with Luo Shang several times, and their friendship was quite good. However, this man was far too upright and stubborn; dealing with certain matters alongside him could be quite troublesome!

“Has Seventh Young Master discovered some clues?” Luo Shang asked very seriously. Unlike that Li Xiu, he had never doubted Tang Meng's abilities.

“Has Lord Luo not discovered them as well?” Tang Meng successfully led him away before turning around. She hadn't originally intended to inform the Prime Minister, but he had gone and thoughtfully sent the person straight into the palace.

“Lord Li has been looking for you all morning,” Luo Shang teased. With his thick eyebrows and large eyes, his smile was truly bright and sunny.

“Haha, I was wondering why my guard was following Lord Luo instead,” Tang Meng replied with an equally sunny smile. Although she was a woman, her disguise as a man was not a bit inferior to a real man.

“Let’s place a bet on when that Jade-Faced Wooden Fox will appear.” What Luo Shang cared about most was still this matter.

“Don't trouble yourself with this. The Emperor has already placed full responsibility for this case in my hands this morning,” Tang Meng said, her smile still appearing harmless.

“Arresting the culprit is also my duty; I came specifically to assist you!” Luo Shang said very earnestly. He had always admired Tang Meng.

Suddenly, the sound of splashing water came from behind. Tang Meng cried out in her heart that things were going wrong. Immediately after, shouts also erupted from the direction of Ninth Miss's boudoir ahead.

“The Jade-Faced Wooden Fox has appeared! Someone, come quickly!”

“Chase him! Don't let him escape!”

...

Luo Shang and Tang Meng had no time to say anything; they both leaped forward toward the direction of the shouting. The guards lying in ambush outside the houses all revealed themselves, and the originally silent Prime Minister's residence instantly became a scene of chaos.

In the Eastern Palace, a faint fire burned quietly in the brazier, and a room full of maids in black stood with their hands lowered.

Ling Siye leaned leisurely against a soft couch, his eyes slightly narrowed. In a few more hours, Tang Meng should be arriving.

“Master, the person has been brought,” a maid in black reported softly.

“Bring him in.” Only then did Ling Siye rise lazily. How could that child be so weak? He had been unconscious for an entire day before finally waking up.

The young boy walked in alone. As soon as he entered and saw Ling Siye, he grew timid and did not dare to step forward.

“Are you afraid of me?” Ling Siye asked thoughtfully.

The boy did not dare to speak, but he nodded honestly. That kind of fear, being so close to death, was something even an adult would fear after experiencing it once, let alone a five-year-old child.

“I saved you, and yet you are still afraid of me?” Ling Siye asked very seriously.

The boy was somewhat stunned. It was rare for him to have guessed wrong; wasn't this noble young master before him the "bad person" his father and mother spoke of?

Seeing the boy's conflicted expression, Ling Siye couldn't help but laugh, then asked, “What is your name?”

“Si... Ye,” Xiao Ye answered timidly.

As soon as the words fell, Ling Siye's eyes instantly turned cold.

“From now on, your name is Wuqing (Heartless). Remember, it was this Crown Prince who saved you. From now on, you are a servant of the Eastern Palace.”

The boy understood only halfway, but seeing Ling Siye's cold and stern eyes, he hurriedly nodded.

The Crown Prince... so he was the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince wouldn't be a bad person, right?