Soon, Dou Quan returned to the capital.

He informed Jing Yi of the contents of the imperial edict.

“His Majesty has already altered the edict. What it now says is for Prince Rong to return to the capital immediately.”

“What?”

Jing Yi was shocked.

Ordering Jing Rong to return to the capital?

This was undoubtedly the greatest threat.

He never would have imagined that His Majesty would issue such an edict. As expected, this matter of officials submitting memorials to establish him as Crown Prince had truly pushed the Emperor to desperation.

Dou Quan asked, “Your Highness, what should we do now?”

His eyes flashed with murderous intent as he said ruthlessly, “It seems that from now on… we must begin scheming. In any case, we absolutely cannot let Jing Rong return to the capital. We must use every means to stop him. Even if it means killing him, I will not hesitate.”

“Yes.”

“Wait.”

“Does Your Highness have further instructions?”

“That fool who’s always been with Master Ji—he didn’t go to the Imperial Bureau, did he?”

“Correct. He’s currently in Jinjiang.”

Jing Yi’s eyes suddenly flooded with overwhelming malicious intent.

He said, “Send someone to Jinjiang and bring that fool to me. If we cannot stop Jing Rong from entering the capital, we can at least use the fool as a chess piece when the time comes.”

How truly brilliant!

Dou Quan received his orders and immediately departed without delay.

Within the capital, treacherous currents swirled as an invisible war of gunpowder gradually unfolded.

At this time in Jinjiang.

Ever since Liu Qingping resumed his position as county magistrate, not a single murder case had occurred in all of Jinjiang. It was so peaceful that the entire yamen was quiet and still.

Even the bailiffs who usually stood guard outside had begun dozing off!

Wang San and Wei Wu sat on the threshold of the yamen’s main gate, sighing and lamenting.

“Boring, so incredibly boring.”

“Isn’t it though? Anyway, ever since Master Ji left, it’s not just the yamen—all of Jinjiang has become desolate. Before, we always complained about being busy, running around with Master Ji. Either someone had died somewhere or a corpse had been discovered there. But at least back then, we two could learn something following Master Ji. Now we’re idle all day with nothing to do. Sure, it’s quite leisurely, but our hearts just feel unsettled.”

“Me too,” Wei Wu said. “Yesterday when I passed by the morgue, I went in for a look. You wouldn’t believe it—there are spider webs growing inside.”

“Sigh…”

The two men spent every day sighing and lamenting outside the yamen.

Suddenly—

“Boom!”

Someone struck the drum!

The two men’s eyes immediately brightened. They sprang to their feet, overjoyed as they went to greet the visitor.

Oh my, finally someone had come to strike the drum to appeal for justice!

But—

The visitor was not someone appealing injustice, but Wei Yi.

He held the drumstick, standing before that drum.

The scene seemed oddly familiar.

He smiled faintly at the two men, his smile refreshing and clean, as scorching as the August sunlight at this moment.

“Young Master Wei? What brings you here?” Wang San asked.

He bowed deeply and said, “I’ve come to borrow books from Magistrate Liu.”

“Borrow books?” Wei Wu and Wang San exchanged glances and chuckled, speaking in a joking tone, “Young Master Wei, don’t you not know how to read? If you’re here to borrow books, will you even understand them?”

“Don’t you not even know the Three Character Classic?”

“The books in our magistrate’s study are all very profound works. Even Master Ji said they were difficult when he was reading them. You’d better not try.”

“How about I get you some children’s books instead?”

The two men had no intention of mocking or ridiculing.

Wei Yi found them quite amusing. The smile at the corner of his mouth grew even more unbridled. Ignoring them, he walked straight into the yamen.

Wei Wu and Wang San scratched their heads, looking at each other several times.

They muttered in puzzlement, “Why does Young Master Wei seem like a completely different person?”

“I feel the same way.”

But exactly what had changed? They couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

Liu Qingping wore casual clothes, holding a birdcage in his hand, amusing himself by teasing the bird.

The bird was probably getting somewhat irritated by his teasing, chirping incessantly, flapping its wings in the cage, jumping up and down.

“Look at you. This official feeds you so much every day, why won’t you just get fatter?”

“Chirp chirp!”

“Of all these birds, you’re the most active one.”

“Chirp chirp!”

The louder the bird called, the happier Liu Qingping became—it showed the bird was healthy!

“Magistrate Liu.” Wei Yi entered.

Liu Qingping set down the birdcage, surprised. “Young Master Wei, what brings you here?”

He took out a sheet of paper he had prepared from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, “I’ve come to borrow books from you. This is the list of books I want to borrow.”

“Borrow books?” Liu Qingping wore the exact same expression as those two men outside the yamen. Then, puzzled, he unfolded the paper that had been pressed into his hand. Written on it was a list of nearly ten books.

Immediately, Liu Qingping’s eyes widened as he asked, “Young Master Wei, these are all very profound works. Even this official might not understand them all. Are you certain you want to borrow these books?”

Wei Yi nodded.

“Everyone says that Magistrate Liu’s study has every kind of book, and that Magistrate Liu is full of learning and must have collected many fine books. So I came to try my luck, to see if I could borrow these. I also want to be like you—to read ten thousand volumes and become a clever person.” It must be said, when Wei Yi praised someone, he truly held nothing back.

And he spoke slowly and clearly.

What Liu Qingping loved most in his life was being praised by others, especially unreserved praise.

He was so pleased his gums showed. “Oh my, Young Master Wei, it’s been quite a few days, and your tongue has become much more eloquent!”

Heh—

As long as you’re happy to hear it.

Wei Yi smiled without speaking.

Liu Qingping said, “The books you’re looking for—I have all of them here. Come, follow me to the study. I’ll find them for you one by one.”

“Thank you, Magistrate Liu.”

Liu Qingping laughed cheerfully and leaned forward, saying, “Oh my, no need for thanks! You and Yunshu have a marriage engagement, which makes you family. This official and Yunshu are also family, so we’re all family.”

Who’s family with you?

Shameless!

When Wei Yi heard the words “marriage engagement,” his chest suddenly shook, though his face showed no ripples.

The two men entered the study. Liu Qingping worked very hard helping him find books, bringing over a ladder, climbing up and down, working with great enthusiasm.

“By the way, Young Master Wei, are you really reading these books yourself?”

“Mm.”

“How does this official recall that you used to not know how to read? Or did this official remember incorrectly?”

He rummaged around on the bookshelf, but for a long while received no response from Wei Yi.

Holding several books in his arms, he turned to look and saw Wei Yi standing before the desk, his expression solemn as he looked at the things on the table, opening a booklet that lay there.

On that small booklet were written several very elegant characters.