Xiao Tianmu sat quietly in the study. Hearing the door open, he greeted her softly. "Master, you're here?"
"No need to get up," Xu Fengmei said. "Stay seated!"
"What did he say?" Xiao Tianmu asked.
Xu Fengmei sighed softly. "How could he possibly admit it? But I'm certain he's hiding something."
"Hu Xiaotian has always liked seeking victory amid danger," Xiao Tianmu said. "He's been on the back foot all this time. Given his temperament, he was bound to look for a chance to turn heaven and earth upside down. There's an eighty or ninety percent chance he was behind this."
"Was your godfather the one who told him about the Beggar Gang?" Xu Fengmei asked.
Xiao Tianmu nodded. "He probably never expected Hu Xiaotian to pull the firewood out from under the cauldron-to actually dare lay hands on Yang Longjing."
Xu Fengmei could not help laughing. "Why are you so certain Hu Xiaotian was behind what happened to Yang Longjing?"
"Because I know him!" Xiao Tianmu said. "He may seem flippant and cynical, but he takes his emotional ties very seriously. He would never stand by and ignore what happened to the Old Master." As he said this, a sudden pang of guilt stirred within him.
"He certainly has plenty to concern himself with," Xu Fengmei said. "I hear the palace has already announced that whoever rescues Yang Longjing safely will become the prince consort."
Xiao Tianmu smiled faintly. "No one will be the bird that sticks its head out. Even the people of the Fragrant Kingdom can't find him. If an outsider does, wouldn't that prove he was behind it?" He paused before adding, "I'm a little worried about my godfather. I wonder how he's feeling now."
Hu Buwei was at Long Xuanjiao's side. Judging by his calm