Three Yin Soul Return Altar

No sooner had Lu XiaoWu finished speaking than someone at the banquet gave an indignant snort.

"A load of nonsense!"

Kong Zhenyuan of the Kong family shot to his feet and pointed at Lu XiaoWu, berating him. "What kind of madman is that Li Yan? Breaking into prison to seize a person, drawing his blade in the street and showing contempt for the law—he is plainly no different from a rebel! Only by swiftly mobilizing troops to surround and exterminate him can we set the record straight!"

"Prince De, you..."

He had only gotten halfway through when he realized something was wrong.

His impassioned voice echoed through the hall, but the chorus of agreement he had expected never came.

The vast banquet hall of Prince De's Residence was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

The officials from Jinan Prefecture kept their eyes lowered, while several gentry with ties to the Kong family quietly bowed their heads. Even the normally hot-blooded disciples of Mingde Academy remained silent.

Kong Zhenyuan's impassioned final note hung awkwardly in the air. He looked around, and his heart gave a hard thump.

This is bad. He secretly glanced toward Prince De at the head seat.

Prince De Xiao Hong slowly lowered his wine cup. His expression remained calm as he first glanced at the visibly uneasy Kong Zhenyuan, then looked toward everyone else. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly throughout the hall. "I have heard somewhat of this Li Yan."

He paused, then continued, "He is no ordinary roughneck from the martial world. The Chengdu upheaval, the danger in Luoyang, and even the disaster at the capital's academy were all resolved by him. The imperial court values his merits and treats him with courtesy. There must be a reason behind all