latelenovela Chapter 103 (Reading Comprehension)
Chapter 103 (Reading Comprehension)
Chapter 103, 103 Accompanying Reading
"I want the little fool from the Marquis's mansion to be my study companion..."
Chunyu Yang was completely taken aback by Chunyu Jingxuan's words. He paused for a moment, his gaze turning serious: "Do you know that the young master of the Marquis's mansion is born mentally challenged and knows nothing of reason?"
“Xuan’er knows, elder sister… Miss Ye told me about it.” Chunyu Jingxuan observed Chunyu Yang’s expression and said cautiously, “I can now practice boxing, and I can protect him.”
Recalling that Chunyu Jingxuan had stayed in Ye Pianran's courtyard some time ago when he ran away from the palace, Chunyu Yang's expression softened: "Why do you want to have him accompany you?"
This way, he would have an excuse to go to the Marquis's residence and see his elder sister more often. Chunyu Jingxuan bit his lower lip and remained silent, but his thoughts were written all over his face.
Looking at his face, which bore an eight-tenths resemblance to the deceased princess, and those incredibly bright eyes, Chunyu Yang was momentarily lost in thought, and the flame in his heart, which had been extinguished, suddenly flickered back up weakly.
“This matter is not up to my father; the Marquis’s approval is also required,” Chunyu Yang said.
So that means Father doesn't object to the proposal? Chunyu Jingxuan was overjoyed, but he still tried to remain calm and said, "Father is right. Shall we go to the Marquis's residence to visit him tomorrow?"
Chunyu Yang said, "Okay."
Chunyu Jingxuan bowed respectfully to Chunyu Yang, saying happily, "Xuan'er thanks Father for his kindness!"
Just then, the voice of Zhong Ping, the steward of the Prince's mansion, came from outside the study: "Is Your Highness in the study? Zhong Ping has something to ask of you."
Chunyu Yang summoned a guard to escort Chunyu Jingxuan back to the backyard. He glanced at Zhong Ping and said, "Come in."
Zhong Ping entered the study, closed the door tightly, then took a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Chunyu Yang, and said:
"Your Highness, these are the results of your investigation. They are all sects in the martial arts world that use spiders as their symbol. Please take a look."
The investigation into the identity of the assassin from Qionglin Garden finally yielded some results. Chunyu Yang's expression turned serious as he pulled out the list and rubbings from the letter and examined them carefully.
Zhong Ping found that there were thirteen sects in the martial arts world that used spiders as their symbol. Of these, only three were well-known in the martial arts world, while the rest were insignificant sects.
Chunyu Yang pondered for a moment and then asked, "Among these sects, which one is most skilled in lightness skills and poison application?"
Zhong Ping shook his head and said, "No, none of them."
"Are there any sects that are very close to the capital?" Chunyu Yang asked.
"These sects are scattered in various states and counties, and their headquarters are quite a distance from the capital. Even if you travel at full speed without stopping, it will take at least two days to get from their headquarters to the capital."
"Have you searched every sect in the world and confirmed that nothing has been missed?" Chunyu Yang asked.
Zhong Ping said, "Yes, everything has been checked and nothing has been missed."
The investigation reached a stalemate once again. Chunyu Yang sat in his chair with a furrowed brow, mentally reviewing all the clues he and Shu Wenda had uncovered at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, they first captured a assassin in Qionglin Garden. After the banquet, Shu Wenda took the assassin back to the Ministry of Justice prison, intending to investigate the Jianghu forces behind him. However, someone beat them to it, not only destroying the assassin's mark but also killing everyone who had seen the mark, leaving only a vague clue given by Shu Wenda.
He had already discovered through Ye Bijun that there was an organization called "Ronghualou" that was hiding in the capital and was skilled in using poison. However, the symbol of Ronghualou was a nine-petaled lotus, which was completely different from the information provided by Shu Wenda. So the clues ended there.
If they had arrived at the Ministry of Justice prison sooner that day, perhaps they could have gotten there before the assassins who had infiltrated the prison…
Wait a minute! Assassin—
Suddenly, Chunyu Yang remembered the Ronghua Tower assassin who had stopped him that night, severing his arm but also severely injuring him. That eerie silver hook, and that elusive, ghostly lightness of movement—all these indicated that he was the one who had infiltrated the Ministry of Justice prison, destroyed the marks on the assassins, and killed the painter and the prison guards!
His gaze turned icy, and Chunyu Yang called out loudly, "Night Sky!"
A dark figure silently landed inside the room, and Ye Cangqiong knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate is here!"
"Do you know who the assassin in the martial arts world is, who uses a silver hook as a weapon, has first-rate lightness skills, and is also skilled in using hidden weapons?" Chunyu Yang asked in a cold voice.
Without a second thought, Ye Cangqiong replied, "The only assassin in the world who uses silver hooks as weapons, is skilled in using hidden weapons, and possesses top-notch lightness skills is Ji Linchuan!"
"Ji Linchuan? Who was his master?"
Ye Cangqiong said, "Ji Linchuan came from the Eighteen Water Fortresses of Yingzhou. He became famous in the martial arts world for slaughtering his entire sect. He is cold-blooded and ruthless. As long as you pay him, he will go anywhere and kill anyone. He is the most hated and feared assassin. However, after slaughtering his sect, he disappeared from the martial arts world. No one knows where he went or who he is loyal to now."
Chunyu Yang's ability to describe Ji Linchuan's features so clearly shocked Zhong Ping: "Your Highness, could it be that you haven't returned to the manor these past few days because you encountered this Ji Linchuan?"
“Not bad,” Chunyu Yang said. “Zhongping, I have one more thing to ask you.”
Zhong Ping's expression turned solemn, and he said, "Your Highness, please give your orders."
"Investigate Ronghua Tower with all our might, wipe out all of Ronghua Tower's strongholds, capture Ji Linchuan and the leader of Ronghua Tower alive, and kill anyone else who disobeys!"
Capture Ji Linchuan and the owner of Ronghua Tower alive? Could it be that Ji Linchuan is actually working for Ronghua Tower? Zhong Ping immediately bowed and accepted the order: "Yes, Your subordinate will take care of it right away!"
Zhong Ping left in a hurry, and Ye Cangqiong originally intended to continue to hide in the darkness and guard as usual, but Chunyu Yang suddenly called out:
"Night Sky".
"Your Highness, is this subordinate present?" Ye Cangqiong replied. "Does Your Highness require any further instructions?"
"I remember you have a junior sister under your tutelage, don't you?" Chunyu Yang asked. "What is her personality like? How skilled is she? Has she submitted to anyone?"
Ye Cangqiong said, "Junior Sister is straightforward and hates evil. Her martial arts are no less than mine. She is still in the sect and has not submitted to anyone."
“Very good. You should immediately set off back to your sect and ask her if she is willing to go to the capital with you and submit to the Northern Martial King’s Mansion,” Chunyu Yang said.
Night Sky: "Yes!"
——※※※——
The next day, Chunyu Yang kept his promise and took Chunyu Jingxuan to the Marquis of Anshi's residence.
The sudden visit of the Prince of Beiwu and his young heir surprised and delighted Marquis Anshi. He hurriedly ordered tea and pastries to be prepared, and Marquis Anshi personally went out to greet them, warmly inviting the Prince of Beiwu and his son to the main hall for reception.
"What brings the Third Prince and the Young Master here today?" Marquis Anshi asked with a smile.
Chunyu Yang didn't beat around the bush, but stated his purpose directly: "I have come today to discuss something with you, Marquis. My son is now of school age, but the palace is deserted, and he is quite lonely. Therefore, I would like to find him a playmate. I have heard that you have another son, Marquis, who is about the same age as my son. When my son visited your residence last time, he got along very well with your son. I think the two of them would be a good match. What do you think, Marquis?"
"This..." Marquis Anshi hadn't expected Chunyu Yang to come for this matter. He was naturally eager to establish a connection with the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion, but...
"Your Highness, to be honest, my youngest son was born with some kind of mental disability due to an accident at birth. To this day, he only recognizes a few close people. I'm afraid he won't be a good playmate for the heir apparent," said Marquis Anshi.
Chunyu Jingxuan put his hands behind his back and said crisply, "Your Excellency can rest assured, this young master does not mind."
Marquis Anshi was in a dilemma. While the Third Prince and the young heir didn't care, if something were to happen to the heir because of his mentally challenged son, the Marquis Anshi's mansion would likely be held responsible. After thinking for a moment, Marquis Anshi said:
“I would naturally be happy to let my youngest son keep the heir company, but he has grown up by my wife's side since childhood and has never been separated from her. I'm afraid I must get my wife's approval before I can give Your Highness an answer.” After saying this, he called for Steward Ye and said to him:
"Go to Lanxin Courtyard and invite the Madam and the young master here. Tell them that the Prince and the young heir have arrived and wish to see the young master."
"Yes." Butler Ye acknowledged the order and turned to leave.
Chunyu Jingxuan's eyes lit up, his gaze fixed intently on Butler Ye's departing figure. If his older sister knew he was coming, would she have come with the little fool?
To Chunyu Jingxuan's disappointment, when Gongsun Yuan carried Ye Yankang into the main hall, there was no one else behind her except for a nanny.
Gongsun Yuan, accompanied by Ye Yankang, bowed to Chunyu Yang and Chunyu Jingxuan, then sat down next to Marquis Anshi. Marquis Anshi explained Chunyu Yang's purpose to Gongsun Yuan, and asked in a consultative tone, "Lanzhi, what do you think of this..."
Yesterday, Chunyu Yang helped their Lanxin Courtyard resolve the matter of the assassin and the dead cat. Gongsun Yuan hadn't even had a chance to thank him before he left. She was already wondering how to repay this kindness when, unexpectedly, fate presented her with this opportunity. After only a moment's hesitation, Gongsun Yuan agreed:
“As long as Your Highness and the young prince don’t mind that my son is slow-witted, I would be very happy for him to have someone to accompany him. He will never grow up if he always stays by my side. Perhaps he will become sensible when he is separated from me and grows up.”
As she spoke, Ye Yankang, who was leaning against her, kept sucking his finger and staring quietly at Chunyu Jingxuan with his big eyes. His clear eyes were pure, without a trace of impurity, just like when he was born. Even being stared at like that did not make him feel uncomfortable, but only made him want to cherish him more.
Chunyu Jingxuan's heart softened immediately, and he said in a clear voice, "You don't need to worry. The Prince's mansion is heavily guarded. I will send people to protect him properly."
"In that case, I thank the young master on behalf of my son," Gongsun Yuan said with a smile.