Smash the Cauldrons and Sink the Boats

Several days later.

A side courtyard of the Li Residence, Yan Prefecture City.

Li Hai paced back and forth in the little courtyard where he lived, weighed down by worries.

To keep word from leaking out, he had not even sent anyone to check on Li Tiezhu's progress.

In principle, Li Tiezhu was his adopted son, the most trusted of his confidants, and there was no need for Li Hai to oversee his actions.

Yet, for some reason, ever since they had parted at the First Pavilion that day, Li Hai had felt deeply uneasy.

What was more, he had dreamed of Li Tiezhu the previous night.

In the dream, Tiezhu had stood at a distance, his face covered in blood, watching him. Li Hai had been so frightened that he sprang out of bed in the middle of the night and could not sleep again.

Looking out at the deserted courtyard, Li Hai thought to himself, If no news comes today, I'll go out and look for Tiezhu, even if it means letting word leak out.

As he fretted, footsteps sounded outside.

Tiezhu must be back!

Delight lit Li Hai's face, and he strode into the courtyard.

But once he got a clear look at the visitor, the smile that had just appeared slowly froze on his face.

"Master, have you come in person because there is some important task you wish this old servant to carry out?"

Li Yi caught every flicker of shock and surprise that crossed Li Hai's face.

He gave a soft snort. "What? Are you surprised to see me here?"

Li Hai lowered his head and suppressed every emotion in his eyes before speaking humbly.

"You misunderstand, Master. You have so many important matters to attend to each day. If you have instructions for this old servant, you need only send someone to deliver them. Seeing you come in person today, I assumed something momentous must have happened."

"That was why I felt a little uneasy."

Li Yi looked at Li Hai again. "Oh? You feel uneasy too? Then tell me, what is making you uneasy?"

"Master, you put this old servant to shame. I was merely making wild guesses. How could I dare sully your ears with such things?"

Unknowingly, Li Hai had clenched both hands tightly inside his sleeves.

He felt increasingly certain that his master's words carried a hidden meaning.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi spoke again. "Oh, you wouldn't dare? Then let me ask you this: where is Tiezhu?"

Hearing the name "Tiezhu" leave Li Yi's lips, Li Hai felt the heart that had been hanging in suspense sink with a heavy thud.

Sure enough, the very thing he had feared had happened!

"Master, ever since Tiezhu heard that Wood had died and Tiger had gone missing that day, he has been out searching for Tiger."

"Tiger must have hidden his tracks very well, which is why Tiezhu has yet to return."

As Li Hai's thoughts raced, he made up his mind.

Until he understood why Li Yi had come, he would not lay all his cards on the table.

To save his old life, he would take a gamble, no matter what.

Unfortunately, Li Yi's next words shattered his hopes completely.

"So Tiezhu went looking for Tiger. In that case, the rumors going around outside must be false."

Li Hai raised his head in astonishment. "Rumors? What rumors?"

Li Yi took a Notice from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it before Li Hai.

As its contents were revealed bit by bit with Li Yi's movements, Li Hai's eyes grew wider and wider, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

"This... this is impossible. This old servant never told Tiezhu to lay a hand on Prince Duan."

"Not Prince Duan, then. So he did lay a hand on someone else?"

"Li Hai, Li Hai. I told you long ago that Yan Prefecture City is unsettled these days. Without my orders, no one is to act rashly."

At Li Yi's words, Li Hai's knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground before him with a thump. "Spare me, Master! Please spare me! This old servant truly did nothing to betray the Li Household. Please look into the matter, Master!"

Li Yi stepped forward and lashed out with a kick, sending Li Hai sprawling on his back. "Nothing to betray the Li Household? Then what is this Jade Pendant about? Others may not know, but do you think your master doesn't?"

"This Jade Pendant was the welcoming gift you gave Li Tiezhu when you took him as your adopted son. As for how you obtained that gift, Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know—and I know even better."

At the mention of the Jade Pendant, Li Hai's entire body trembled even harder. "Master, please quell your anger! This old servant merely heard that Dai Sheng and that fellow Yang had obtained a Register. I feared it might harm you, so I thought to send Tiezhu to intercept it and bring it back."

"This old servant truly had no other designs! Master, please believe these words from the bottom of my heart!"

As he spoke, Li Hai struck his forehead against the ground, kowtowing with loud thuds.

Before long, the small patch of ground in front of him was stained red with blood from his forehead.

Yet the pain in his forehead did not make him stop. Instead, he slammed his head down even harder.

Just as he began to feel dizzy and dazed, Li Yi's voice sounded again.

"Since you keep insisting that everything you did was for the Li Household, I will now give you a chance to atone through meritorious service."

Li Hai's body stiffened, but once he understood what Li Yi had said, excitement surged through him again.

"As long as you forgive this old servant, Master, I would brave boiling water and raging fire without hesitation!"

"Good. Remember what you said. If anything goes wrong again, think of that girl you keep outside the household..."

With that, Li Yi turned and left Li Hai's courtyard.

Behind him, Li Hai collapsed limply to the ground after hearing those words.

The Yan Prefecture County Office.

Dai Sheng and Yang Qing were sharing tea with Chu Yifeng, who sat in the seat of honor, when a Prefectural Soldier reported that Li Yi, head of the Li Household, had arrived at the County Office gates dressed entirely in white mourning clothes.

"The head of the Li Household?" At the name, Chu Yifeng gently set aside the teacup he held. "Is he the renowned Philanthropist Li of Yan Prefecture City?"

Since Li Yi had taken charge of the Li Household, its business had flourished more and more, and its trading caravans had left their footprints throughout Western Chu.

What interested Chu Yifeng, however, was not this, but the fact that Li Yi had supported Yan Prefecture City's impoverished people for years.

In particular, he helped those whose families and homes had been destroyed by murderous bandits. The silver he spent on such causes each year could be measured by the cartload and bushel.

Within Yan Prefecture City, Li Yi's reputation was sometimes far better than that of Dai Sheng, the county magistrate.

Now, upon hearing that Li Yi was just outside, Chu Yifeng immediately rose to his feet.

As he stood, however, he glanced at Yang Qing, his lips moving slightly. "Is this the big fish you've been waiting for?"

Yang Qing smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying it, and merely bowed to Chu Yifeng. "Your Highness, please."

When the three of them walked out through the County Office gates, they saw that a large crowd of Yan Prefecture residents had already gathered outside.

The instant he saw Yang Qing and the others emerge, Li Yi dropped to his knees. "This commoner deserves ten thousand deaths! My lords, please punish me!"

If you encounter advertisements such as "Are you a real person?", simply ignore and close them. Do not scan any codes or send text messages!