That night, Jiang Yanchuan personally led the party, selecting several military officers to accompany him... along with several civil officials who had been wailing their hearts out since the afternoon, clamoring to "share His Majesty's burdens." Once the little one was fast asleep, they slipped out of the inn with practiced ease.
Jiao Hongmiao, the Minister of Revenue, had secured his place by crying the loudest and making the biggest fuss. Delighted, he stuck close between Lu Yao and Lei Zhixin, his feet stirring up the wind as he strode along.
His sense of security could hardly have been higher.
And he paid no mind whatsoever to the barbed remarks reaching his ears.
"The makeup of tonight's party is truly reassuring," came a friendly voice from a colleague behind him, before its tone abruptly shifted. "Though I cannot imagine why certain people are here, or why the master actually agreed to let him join us."
The target of those words was unmistakable, and everyone's gaze instinctively fell on Jiao Hongmiao.
Jiao Hongmiao hummed a cheerful tune and slowly drew a thick stack of Xuan paper from his shoulder bag, waving it twice in the air without even turning around.
It contained everything the little one had said in his inner voice that afternoon. Of all of them, Jiao Hongmiao had transcribed the most pages, and the information he had recorded was the most crucial.
The crisp, pleasing rustle of the pages sounded remarkably like his opponent's composure shattering.
The man who had spoken earlier fell silent for a long moment, then ended his attack with a cold snort to salvage his dignity.
"The master asked those of us trained in martial arts to come out of concern for everyone's safety," another promptly chimed in. "I believe we ought to have