Some Sense

A man wrapped in a black cloak leaped straight from the bank onto the deck of an official ship.

"How dare you! This is an official ship—"

Before the soldier could finish his rebuke, the man said coolly, "Of course I know. Go inform Eunuch Luo that I've come on the prince's orders."

"Who's making that racket?" Luo Ji had been in a foul mood for days, irritated by everyone he saw. Now a stranger dressed like this had boarded the ship. His brows shot up, and he was about to explode.

But the man raised a hand and flashed something before his eyes. The words already on Luo Ji's lips were forced back down.

The effort turned his face green, then red—a striking sight.

"You... please, come in!" Knowing this was no place to talk, Luo Ji hurriedly ushered him into the cabin.

The cloaked man followed in silence. Even when they reached the meeting room and he saw that Luo Ji had brought several of Prince Qi's guards with him, his expression did not change. He readily produced the written order Prince Qi had given him.

Eunuch Luo Ji accepted it with both hands and unfolded it. The handwriting belonged to Prince Qi, whom he had served for years, and it bore the prince's private seal: "Wind of the Open Plains."

It also contained secret signs known only to Prince Qi's trusted confidants.

These were safeguards against forged orders.

And the order before him had plainly been written by Prince Qi himself.

Luo Ji respectfully returned it, then bowed low with the guards. "This servant (this subordinate) greets the special envoy."

Snap. In a distant cabin, a carefully trimmed fingernail split. Liu Zhan's face darkened. "Just as I thought. Prince Qi is in league with monsters!"

He had