Poaching

In that instant, many things flashed in Li Qingyan's eyes, but they all vanished the next moment.

That guy is dead?

After a brief silence, Li Qingyan turned around and sat back on the shattered boulder. Her red lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak, exhaling a puff of white mist.

The collapsed, majestic palace lay prostrate on the ground like a dead beast, its remains buried by the falling snow.

Li Qingyan stared intently at the black-armored general standing in the snow for a long time:

You're saying... he's dead?

Yuan Hao did not answer immediately, but carefully considered his words. After speaking, he observed the other party's expression.

Although he was a madman, it didn't mean he wasn't good at reading people.

The Prince Wu Yuan before me seemed somewhat disoriented due to the deaths of the Three Dukes.

As he pondered, the sound of metal armor scraping against metal echoed from the snow-covered mountain peak. Yuan Hao slowly lowered his head and whispered:

"According to information coming from within Di'an City, the Third Young Master has indeed been assassinated."

"Hmph."

Upon receiving another affirmative answer, Li Qingyan's rosy lips suddenly curved into a smile.

She almost laughed, a laugh that was so absurd it was almost laughable.

Although that guy's cultivation level was very weak, he seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious veil.

Every excavation, every encounter, reveals something new about him.

When Li Zhaoyuan launched his assassination attempt on the two men, it was he who provided the information that allowed them to escape from the Barbarian Tribe army.

In that vast, dark Underground Palace filled with Strange Ghost, and amidst the pursuit of the sainted Barbarian King, it was he who saved the two of them.

Now, suddenly telling her he's dead?

Will that guy die?

How could that guy possibly be dead?

Li Qingyan slowly raised her eyes and looked up at the sky.

The former glory and the clamor of the Ice Spirit Palace's destruction have all faded into desolation with the falling snow.

In the stillness, Yuan Hao averted his gaze and prepared to leave for the time being.

His Highness Wu Yuan clearly needs some quiet time alone. As for the remaining matters that haven't been explained, he can wait in the military camp at the foot of the mountain until the other party comes down before reporting them.

"."

The iron boots trod silently through the snow. Yuan Hao prepared to turn and leave, but after taking only one step, he heard a deep female voice behind him:

"You've come all this way not just to inform me of this matter."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yuan Hao's eyes, but he quickly understood.

In recent days, the war in the Northern Border has been protracted. As they both belong to the Great Yan Dynasty, the Black Scale Army and the royal army have cooperated more than once. Therefore, he is not a woman who can be swayed by emotions towards this cold and ruthless Wu Yuan.

Slowly turning around, Yuan Hao looked at the stunningly beautiful woman sitting on the boulder, considered for a moment, and said softly:

"Yes, but Your Highness..."

"I do not believe it."

Li Qingyan interrupted Yuan Hao, sat on the boulder, crossed her legs, rested her chin on one hand, and gently tapped her index finger:

"I did not believe he was dead until I saw Xu Yuan's body with my own eyes."

"After all,

"Using fake death to escape seems like a pretty good option for that guy, don't you think?"

Upon hearing this, a strange light flickered slightly in Yuan Hao's eyes.

In fact, he had such doubts, but these were not things he should concern himself with. As a sword, he only needed to obey orders.

"I dare not presume to know the truth about this matter. Besides delivering the news of the Third Young Master's death, the Prime Minister also instructed me to personally hand this item to Your Highness."

While speaking,

Yuan Hao reached into his robes and pulled out a three-centimeter-long Black Box from the lining of his black armor.

Upon seeing this object Li Qingyan raised her eyebrows slightly, lifted her fingertips, and the Black Box was instantly captured from a distance.

With slender fingertips pressing on the latches on both sides of the small black box, a "click" was heard.

The small black box was opened, and a neatly folded special document came into Li Qingyan's view.

Looking at the document, Li Qingyan's beautiful eyes narrowed involuntarily.

engagement.

This is the marriage contract she and that guy signed with their fingerprints in the presence of her father, the emperor, and the prime minister, before Li Capital.

Yuan Hao's voice came softly, and he whispered:

"His Excellency the Prime Minister instructed me to convey that the Third Young Master has been assassinated, and this marriage will proceed according to Your Highness's wishes."

"."

Li Qingyan stared at the signature and handprint at the end of the marriage contract for a few breaths, then put it back together and threw it back to Yuan Hao.

"I don't need this. You should take it and return it to the old Prime Minister."

"."

Yuan Hao caught it without thinking, but his brows furrowed unconsciously.

He didn't understand what the princess meant.

The Prime Minister's decision to return the marriage contract to Prince Wu Yuan was already a way of freeing him; otherwise, even if the Third Young Master were to die, the Prime Minister's Mansion could still demand that he remain a widow for life based on this marriage contract.

The prime minister returned the marriage contract to the other party, allowing the royal family to directly break the contract, thus giving the other party a chance to part amicably.

Meeting Yuan Hao's puzzled gaze, Li Qingyan slowly stood up from the boulder and walked straight down the mountain:

"As I just said, unless I see your Third Young Master's body with my own eyes, I will not believe this."

As she passed the black-armored general standing there, Li Qingyan's soft, rustling voice drifted over:

"I will order the troops to break camp and head south tonight. If you have nothing else to do, then I will not keep you. The war is tense right now, and Li Zhaoyuan has made some unusual moves. If you, as the commander, are away from the army for too long, it may cause unnecessary trouble."

"."

Yuan Hao turned to look at the golden-armored woman walking towards the foot of the mountain in the wind and snow. He opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the words he wanted to say.

The upper echelons of the Great Yan were almost all well aware that the marriage agreement between His Highness Wu Yuan and the Third Young Master was just a show, a political signal with more symbolic than practical significance.

However, judging from the princess's current behavior, this engagement seems to be more than just a political signal.

This surprised Yuan Hao somewhat.

A single trip to the Northern Border has brought about such a change in this Prince Wu Yuan, who was once a warrior on the battlefield. In a sense, the Third Young Master is truly remarkable.

Amidst sighs,

The figure in golden armor with cascading black hair had vanished into the snowstorm atop the mountain, leaving only her serene voice drifting gently from below:

Oh, by the way,

"If he is truly dead, your Prime Minister's Mansion may directly announce to the world that I am willing to remain a widow for your Third Young Master for the rest of my life."

As one of the few forms of entertainment in this era, even with the constant warfare in the Northern Border, the Misty Willow Alley throughout Di'an City remained bustling with activity as soon as night fell.

However, amidst the hustle and bustle of the night, the Mystic Moon Tower remained relatively quiet.

As one of the top brothels endorsed by the Imperial Clan Chamber of Commerce, its high entry requirements directly exclude merchants and wealthy businessmen without political background.

Enhanced by a special array, gentle string music flowed through every corner of the elegant and unique Mystic Moon Tower.

On the rooftop open-air balcony, two men sat facing each other, with a table between them. They enjoyed the bustling autumn night view of the Imperial Capital while chatting and drinking, completely at ease.

As they chatted and laughed, Xu Yuan looked at the smiling young man in the python robe opposite him, his heart filled with silence.

After finally getting out of the limelight and managing to relax in a brothel under his new identity, he ran into that scoundrel again.

Sometimes, Xu Yuan really wondered if he and Li Yunqing had some kind of karmic entanglement in their past lives.

In the vast Di'an City, with so many top-tier brothels, they actually managed to run into each other.

Halfway through listening to music in the private brothel on the top floor of Mystic Moon Tower, Li Yunqing, dressed in a magnificent prince's robe, pushed open the door and sat down to greet him in a very familiar manner.

In the past, Xu Yuan would most likely have kicked this freeloader out, but now his status wasn't enough to make him do something so arrogant.

Besides a lifelike human skin mask, the box his father gave him also contained a piece of paper indicating his new identity.

The son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War of the current dynasty, who had been living away from home, was found and brought back six months ago.

Sometimes, he really felt that his father had been too good to them, his children.

Judging from the timeline, the father must have started preparing this identity immediately after his assassination attempt, and he must have put a lot of thought and effort into creating it.

As the second-in-command of the Ministry of War Ministry of War, though not as prominent as the Minister, was still one of the most important figures in the court.

However, those who impersonate this person's offspring, while not needing to be overly restrained, cannot act as recklessly as the Prime Minister's son.

Just like now, he can use this identity to recklessly book out a venue in a prestigious place like Di'an City, but he can't directly offend the Third Prince.

The slightly chilly night breeze stirred the robes and long hair of the two men. Li Yunqing had not tied his hair up, or perhaps he was simply not someone who cared about his appearance.

certainly,

Xu Yuan was the same.

However, tonight he had his long hair tied up meticulously, because the character he was playing was a refined and upright gentleman.

His father had gone to great lengths to prepare this identity for him, so he naturally had to immerse himself in the role and play it well so that acquaintances wouldn't recognize him.

Although it's unclear whether Li Yunqing noticed, it's enough that the other party didn't seem to notice on the surface.

Due to the change in their identities, Xu Yuan and Li Yunqing chatted casually, but the "heart-to-heart" conversations they had before were gone. The two spent most of the night talking about court affairs and some romantic anecdotes.

The conversation went quite pleasantly.

Of course, Xu Yuan felt that the main reason for the banquet was that he was the one treating the guests.

Until, Li Yunqing suddenly sighed and said:

"The third son of the Prime Minister was assassinated, and my royal sister actually agreed with that dandy and chose to remain a widow."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched slightly, and with a perfectly measured hint of doubt on his face, he asked softly:

"Widowhood?"

Li Yunqing glanced at the refined young man with sword-like eyebrows opposite him, then leisurely poured himself a cup of pure yang wine, drank it all in one gulp, and felt a surge of heat rising from his lower abdomen before softly saying:

"Although this matter has not yet spread, judging by the time, your father, as an important official of the court, should have received the news soon."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes showed a hint of melancholy as he softly said:

"Your Highness is joking. I am merely my father's son born out of wedlock. Although he has not controlled my finances to make up for the years of neglect, the power within the family is controlled by the eldest and second branches. If Your Highness had not mentioned this, I probably would have only known about it when it was published in the court gazette."

Li Yunqing raised an eyebrow and said with a light laugh:

"This is nothing serious. If Young Master Wang is curious, I can answer your question as payment for this drink."

Xu Yuan leaned forward slightly and tentatively asked in a soft voice:

"Oh? I've heard that the Third Young Master master of the Prime Minister's Mansion is a playboy. Even though he's engaged, why would His Highness Wu Yuan be willing to remain a widow for such a person? Could it be that the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion is hiding his true abilities?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing casually waved his hand and chuckled softly:

"Young Master Wang, you're overthinking it. This is all due to my elder sister's personality. She's never cared about these things. With this excuse, she can just stay single for life."

Hearing this answer, Xu Yuan smiled slightly to himself.

He was very satisfied with Li Yunqing's answer. Although the other party liked to play tricks on him in some matters, he still knew how to protect his identity on matters of principle.

As he was thinking,

Li Yunqing suddenly tapped the table lightly, stared into Xu Yuan's eyes, and said softly:

"Young Master Wang, you were once wandering outside, how do you feel about living such a leisurely life after arriving in the capital?"

Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Looking at the expression on this Young Master Wang's face, Li Yunqing asked with a smile:

"With your age and cultivation level, Young Master Wang, you should have greater ambitions, rather than wasting your youth in this brothel."

"."

Upon hearing this Xu Yuan's expression turned slightly serious, and he instantly understood why he had encountered the Third Prince again.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked hesitantly:

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"Perhaps, Young Master Wang could ask your father for a position in the imperial court. If he is unwilling, I can offer you some assistance."

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's expression turned somewhat strange.

The Vice Minister of Ministry of War was a close confidant of the Prime Minister; otherwise, his father wouldn't have felt comfortable arranging for him to assume the false identity of the other party's heir.

In the current turmoil of the court, although the Ministry of War does not have the direct power to command troops, it does have the power to raise military supplies and logistics.

If we could win over this frustrated "son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War," we could at least learn some inside information about the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Well, their meeting was no accident.

Li Yunqing came here specifically to poach our employees.

It's a bit difficult to hold.

How come this guy who tries to poach talent always manages to uncover his fake identity?

Seeing that Xu Yuan hadn't spoken for a long time, Li Yunqing chuckled and shook his head, then whispered:

"Young Master Wang need not worry. The help I'm offering is not direct, and it will certainly not put your father in a difficult position."

"Your Highness, I recall that you did not establish your own government office."

Xu Yuan suddenly interrupted him, "So, this is His Crown Prince Prince's intention?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Yunqing's eyes, but it quickly turned into a smile.

He enjoys talking to intelligent people.

He took out a jade talisman from his Sumeru Ring and gently placed it on the table.

This time,

The jade talisman that Li Yunqing took out was not engraved with the character "three", but with the characters "Yucheng".

Li Yunqing slowly stood up, looking down at the refined and elegant Young Master Wang before him:

"If Young Master Wang is interested, you may take this jade talisman to the Heaven-Scented Room downstairs. My brother and I will be waiting there."