White-Robed Chief

“Fa Yuan is here.” Chu Li declared all of a sudden.

He disappeared in a flash, then reappeared at the main entrance of King An’s Imperial Residence. Fa Yuan, in his gray monk robes, arrived right at that moment. Upon seeing him, Fa Yuan gave Chu Li a palm salute, “Brother Chu.”

Chu Li looked at Fa Yuan’s expression closely and asked, “Is it good news?”

Fa Yuan smiled and nodded. “We were fortunate to have made it in time. Their martial arts have not been crippled.”

“Seems that our luck’s not bad,” Chu Li said.

If three people’s martial arts were crippled, Chu Li would, of course, have to seek justice for them, Fa Yuan could not allow such things to happen to three Tempest Temple disciples.

“Do you want to let them out?” Fa Yuan asked.

“There’s no hurry,” Chu Li replied.

Fa Yuan laughed and said, “What do you have in mind, Brother Chu?”

Whilst conversing with Fa Yuan, Chu Li brought him inside King An’s Imperial Residence and entered his own little courtyard. There, Fa Yuan saw Lu Yurong. “Miss Lu.” Fa Yuan put together his palms.

Lu Yurong put her palms together too. “Monk Fa Yuan, you haven’t left Fairy’s Capital?”

“I’m currently cultivating in Mercy Temple.” Fa Yuan gave her a slight smile.

“You don’t plan to leave Fairy’s Capital anytime soon huh?” Lu Yurong said.

Fa Yuan smiled and said, “Fairy’s Capital is a conducive environment, you can’t blame a little monk like me for being a little greedy.”

Lu Yurong frowned and looked at him. “Don’t tell me you Tempest Temple people are planning something again?”

“Oh Miss Lu, that’s a bit harsh isn’t it.” Fa Yuan shook his head and smiled. “Tempest Temple will not take part in the inheritance of the throne.”

Lu Yurong was an incredibly smart person. At that instant, she finally understood why Chu Li knew about the matter of installing a crown prince. She let out a scoff and said, “You Tempest Temple people really have your hands stretched deeply. Even news from inside the Forbidden Palace could not escape you. I’m impressed!”

Fa Yuan made a palm salute.

“Fa Yuan, you can help send the Ning brothers to the Public House,” Chu Li said.

Lu Yurong knew everything about the three Ning brothers. She expressed her shock and said, “Chu Li, what you’re doing is an act of betrayal to the Secret Guardian’s Hall! If the Emperor finds out, he will not spare you. Once a secret guardian, always a secret guardian. You must be careful! ”

Chu Li scoffed gently, “Once a secret guardian always a secret guardian? Utter nonsense. Wasn’t I cast out from the Hall anyway?”

Lu Yurong found it hard to hold her laughter. “How on earth did you offend the Emperor?” she asked.

Chu Li said, “His Majesty’s mind is unfathomable… Fa Yuan, can you do it?”

“Sure.” Fa Yuan nodded and smiled. “In three days, your people will be sent to the Public House, and I won’t let anyone find out.”

Chu Li expressed a word of gratitude.

 “If anyone finds out, especially Gu Yan, the Emperor will surely hold you accountable,” Lu Yurong warned. “Don’t let the Emperor relegate you to Imperial Mausoleum guard duty again. Though I must admit, that would be interesting to see!”

She smiled sweetly, secretly wishing for that to happen.

If that happened, she would not need to worry about Chu Li causing her problems anymore.

Chu Li said, “Don’t worry, they will remain outside the Public House, so nobody will find out about them… at least, as long as you guys don’t spill the beans! Yurong, don’t mess around!”

“Relax.” Lu Yurong smiled sweetly.

She turned to Fa Yuan, “Monk, you Tempest Temple people have always been neither friendly nor aloof to the Emperor. Do you guys have an issue with His Royal Highness?”

Fa Yuan shook his head and said, “King Jing is a brilliant ruler.”

“Very well then.” Lu Yurong said.

Chu Li laughed and said, “Yurong, you have been working hard enough as a staff officer. Why burden yourself so much? In my opinion, at this time, you should already be retiring with glory and return to the Ren Public House, to avoid being caught in any further conflict.

Lu Yurong frowned at him.

Chu Li explained, “After all, you are a woman. If word came out that His Royal Highness King Jing’s chief of staff is a woman, it would cause dissent amongst the people.

Lu Yurong fell silent.

Chu Li smiled. “Right now, I don’t see many who can threaten King Jing, so it’s not helpful for you to be so anxious now. Once something really goes awry, and when you prove yourself capable of turning the tide, only then will your skillset and importance truly be showcased. Otherwise, King Jing does not know how to cherish you. Maybe he’s trying everything to chase you away now because he thinks you’re annoying. Who knows.”

Lu Yurong responded angrily, “What are you implying?”

“I’m just worried that because you’re so capable, it might invoke wariness in your superiors.” Chu Li smiled and said, “There’s an old saying; when all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten. King Jing is the next Emperor, so you should not lower your guard when you’re around him. Don’t think that your safety is guaranteed just because he’s your uncle. In fact, you should be more cautious instead!”

Lu Yurong is very quick-witted. With her by King Jing’s side, it would be difficult for Chu Li to plot anything, as she would see through it all. Therefore, it would be good if she could be made to leave. Alternatively, it would be good to instigate any sort of distrust between Lu Yurong and King Jing, in hopes that it would cause a rift to break out in the future, affecting the overall situation.

Lu Yurong was quick on her feet as she immediately got what Chu Li meant. She scoffed, “Your words contain bad intentions!”

Chu Li smiled and said, “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“Hmph, save it.” Lu Yurong scorned.

“Miss Lu, pardon me but I also think what Brother Chu said is sensible,” Fa Yuan said.

“Forget it, I don’t have time for this nonsense from you two.” Lu Yurong waved away, gently levitating over the top of the wall and disappearing.

…

When Lu Yurong returned to King Jing’s Imperial Residence and went to the backyard, she saw Consort Jing sitting in a gazebo reading a book. She entered the kiosk and greeted, “Aunt.”

Consort Jing was dressed in a colorful dress. Although her beauty had slightly faded with time, she was still gorgeous, in addition to her demure and elegant temperament. Her dignified and calm appearance had a kind of aura that can make people feel at ease.

Gently, she lowered her book and smiled, “Where have you been?”

“King An’s Imperial Residence.” Lu Yurong sat opposite to her.

Princess Fei Jing said, “I heard that Lil Lu went to challenge Head Chief Chu?”

“Yes.” Lu Yurong chuckled softly. “He had no idea who he was messing with. He thought Chu Li’s reputation was unearned.

“So who won?” Consort Jing asked.

Lu Yurong shook her head and smiled, “Aunt, why don’t you guess.”

“He couldn’t beat Head Chief Chu?”

“Not even one move.”

“He’s so far behind?”

“A huge disparity. in fact, he couldn’t even handle half a move!” Lu Yurong shook his head and said, “Now, he finally understands that people don’t simply worship others, and reputation is not so easy to obtain.”

“This will hurt Lil Lu very much.” Consort Jing sighed, “Yurong, you need to take care of Lil Lu more.”

Lu Yurong responded angrily, “Although he is a talent, uncle doesn’t have to hold him in such high regard, right?”

“Yurong, you’re not that young anymore.” Consort Jing said.

Lu Yurong was clever. Upon hearing the words of Consort Jing, she immediately responded while raising an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me, you want me to marry him?”

“Your uncle thinks he’s a suitable match for you.” Consort Jing said.

Lu Yurong smiled and said, “Him? A match for me?… my uncle has overvalued him!”

“Your uncle did not expect that he could not handle even one move from Head Chief Chu. He thought that he could at least draw a tie.” Consort Jing smiled wryly and shook her head. “The fault is not on Lil Lu, but Head Chief Chu, who is way too powerful.”

“I just came from Chu Li’s place, and Fa Yuan was there too.” Lu Yurong said. “Tempest Temple already knows that the Emperor intends to elect a crown prince.”

“Tempest Temple is truly omnipresent, they have eyes and ears everywhere.” Consort Jing said.

She sighed quietly.

Yurong had always had high standards. In this world, the only young men that she could accept were Chu Li and Fa Yuan. To always be in their presence, how was she going to look up to other men who were not on par with their standards?

It was a pity that Chu Li had a wife, and Fa Yuan could not marry.