Qiao Mu was clearly far calmer than Xiao Yingtao. She said: “Someone at court has accused the Ninth Prince of colluding with people from Ye Ming Palace. The Emperor has now issued an edict sealing the Ninth Prince’s manor, though he did not actually issue a kill-on-sight order against the Ninth Prince himself. The one who gave that command was Nanmeng Rong.”

Feng Jiu’er had more or less anticipated this much. But Emperor Qiwen had backed Nanmeng Rong in everything — so whether the command came from Emperor Qiwen or from Nanmeng Rong, it amounted to the same thing.

“Jiu’er, where is the Ninth Prince right now? Is he together with all of you?” Xiao Yingtao could not hold back any longer.

Feng Jiu’er gave a nod, but did not reveal the specific location. Some things — the more people who knew, the greater the danger.

It was not a question of trust. It simply was not appropriate.

“I cannot stay here any longer. I have to go.” Every additional moment here brought another unknown risk — and moreover, Mu Mu’s condition right now demanded that she return at once. She could not afford to delay further.

As for the Ninth Imperial Uncle — one by one, they were all urging him to leave. Jiu’er knew that everyone was only doing it out of concern for him.

But she had already confirmed it now. Mu Mu was the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s own brother. The Ninth Imperial Uncle could not abandon Mu Mu — if he did, he would spend the rest of his life in regret.

These two chains had to be brought back immediately. Emperor Ji and Ye Luosha had to be made to understand the bond of blood between them.

Whatever the road ahead might hold — at the very least, let them acknowledge each other first.

“Qiao Mu, there are a few things I need you to help me arrange.”

Jiu’er exchanged a few brief words with Qiao Mu. Once the searchers outside had moved on, she left at once.

But she had barely passed through the rear gate of the Imperial Academy when she sensed a cold presence closing in at her back.

Whoever it was seemed to have been following her for some time already. Had they been watching her from the moment she was still inside her room at Mingyue Courtyard?

Jiu’er’s heart lurched. She spun around and drove her palm forward in a cutting strike.

The person behind her made no move to dodge or avoid it. Instead it was Jiu’er herself who pulled the strike back at the last instant, when she nearly landed it.

She was already injured from earlier — the blow Emperor Ji had dealt had disrupted her breath energy, and now the force of the recalled palm drove back against her, sending a tremor through her system that nearly damaged her heart meridians.

The person strode forward, and a large hand came to rest on her shoulder. A surge of mellow inner energy poured immediately into her body.

In mere moments, it had settled the chaotic energy within Jiu’er back into calm.

“Seventh Prince?” The one who had been following her turned out to be none other than Zhan Luori.

She was lucky it was him. Had it been a true adversary — someone of this caliber tracking her so closely — Jiu’er feared she would not have escaped today.

“Who hurt you?” She had taken an internal injury, and yet she had returned here alone. Did she not fear being discovered?

“The Imperial Academy is not as simple as you imagine. Concealed experts are everywhere. Wounded as you are, if you had encountered a skilled opponent, you would certainly have been no match.”

Concern flickered briefly in his eyes: “Where is the Ninth Imperial Uncle?”

If the Ninth Imperial Uncle were with her, how would he have let her go off on her own like this?

That the Ninth Imperial Uncle was not at her side — could it mean…

“The Ninth Imperial Uncle is all right, but I cannot tell you where he is right now.” Jiu’er knew what he was worried about.

Zhan Luori was visibly displeased — and a little hurt: “You don’t trust me?”

“It is not that — but Seventh Prince, we are temporarily sheltering in someone else’s place. Because it is not ours, it truly is not convenient to disclose it. Please do not be upset.”

Whatever the circumstances, that was Ye Luosha’s stronghold. Bringing their entire group there had already unsettled Ye Luosha greatly.

To then reveal the location to someone else on top of that would be, for Ye Luosha, a genuinely enormous loss.

As long as they were safe where they were, that was enough. Any trouble that could be avoided, she would avoid.

Zhan Luori finally gave a nod, his displeasure fading. He simply did not like feeling distrusted — but if disclosing the location would truly cause trouble for others, he had no wish to do that either.

“Then the Ninth Imperial Uncle…”

“Trust me. The Ninth Imperial Uncle is safe right now, without question. Though, I am worried about what comes after…”

Even without her saying it, Zhan Luori understood.

The situation outside was unstable, and countless people wanted the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s life. Unless he never appeared at all, the moment he showed himself, he would draw nothing but enemies.

“I currently have fifty thousand National Protection Army troops under my command. If the Ninth Imperial Uncle wishes to leave the capital, I can arrange an escort to Phoenix City at once.”

Everyone knew that the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s armies were garrisoned inside and outside several great southern cities. The moment the Ninth Imperial Uncle returned to his troops, there would likely be no force in all the land capable of threatening him.

Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Your fifty thousand National Protection Army troops — setting aside whether they are all truly loyal to you, even among those who are, there will certainly still be some with divided loyalties.”

“Seventh Prince, your footing in the imperial capital is not deep. I do not wish to see you sacrifice everything here in the capital for the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s sake.”

“Everything here in the capital was never truly mine to begin with. That fifty thousand National Protection Army was never truly mine either. Losing it would not pain me.”

What Zhan Luori said was genuine. That fifty thousand National Protection Army had been drawn from the Crown Prince’s two hundred thousand Dragon City Army.

He could not understand what his imperial father’s intent had been. If it was meant as some form of compensation, the compensation was far too generous — entirely unlike the image of his father he held in his heart.

Jiu’er could more or less guess what he was thinking, though none of that mattered now. Right now, what mattered most was arranging what came next.

“Seventh Prince, do not mobilize your troops yet. I suspect Emperor Qiwen gave you the National Protection Army for reasons of his own.”

It was not that she wished to sow discord between father and son. But every Emperor had his private calculations.

“Right now, whether your National Protection Army is reliable — whether it can be trusted — is still an unknown.”

Zhan Luori’s cheeks grew a shade warmer. This, too, he was well aware of himself — but for now, there was nothing he could do about it.

“Seventh Prince, you have your own people. What I need are people who are loyal to you alone.”

“I do — though not many.” Compared to fifty thousand National Protection Army troops, those few thousand were almost negligible.

“I do not need many — only enough to provide covert escort when the Ninth Imperial Uncle is ready to leave the capital and make for Phoenix City.”

“You mean the Ninth Imperial Uncle is here in the capital right now?” If that were truly so, why had no one been able to find him until now?

Zhan Luori had assumed the Ninth Imperial Uncle must have already left the city.

“He is here — but do not ask too many questions for now. I will have Long Eleven get in touch with you. And remember — do not mobilize your National Protection Army. Proceed exactly as before.”

“Then I…”

“Keep searching — you must. Do not let anyone see through you.”

If he simply gave up the search, that would certainly invite suspicion.