Chapter 50 Chapter 49 Insight

Mo Yu quickly stood up, ready to go in and help, but when he saw Gu Shiyan's calm demeanor, he stopped. Then he thought again: if even he, a master of concealment, could detect the person before him, how could he not know what was happening in this room? Truly, the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is.

Bah, bah, bah, I’m not a eunuch, Mo Yu reacted and cursed in his heart.

Gu Shiyan simply stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the scene in the room. He then asked Mo Yu beside him, "Are you here for this case, or to protect the official inside?"

Mo Yu was startled. He felt that this Moon Reverend's grasp of detail and understanding of the situation were truly terrifying, even surpassing His Majesty's. He hesitated. Normally, the Shadow Dragon Guard's mission couldn't be disclosed to others, and this matter, involving the Emperor's schemes, necessitated strict secrecy. The identity of the person before him was far from simple. If she were merely a Reverend, it would be fine, but she was also the Emperor's beloved.

Mo Yu grumbled inwardly, wondering if the man before him was willing, the emperor would likely relinquish the throne himself. But after a moment's reflection, he finally had the answer. Yong Zhou and Chang Ye, who had accompanied the emperor on his journey south of the Yangtze River, had specifically instructed him that if there was a conflict between the emperor and Yue Zun, Yue Zun's opinion must prevail.

He was skeptical at the time, but now he was convinced. "Your Excellency, I am here to protect Lord Chang under His Majesty's orders."

A case like this wouldn't require the Shadow Dragon Guards; it was merely a minor incident. When Mu Congmo learned that Chang Jiao was personally handling the case, he assigned him to protect him. Even with his cunning and ingenious mind, he couldn't fathom the Emperor's intentions. A mere third-rank prefect of the capital, how could he possibly need the Emperor's personal guards to protect him?

Although he didn't understand, he could only obey the emperor's will. After hearing his answer, Gu Shiyan's expression remained as calm as a lake, making it impossible to peek into his inner thoughts. However, this Moon Lord didn't seem surprised by this.

He wondered with some suspicion, wondering if Yue Zun and His Majesty had some kind of telepathic connection. Why didn't Yue Zun have any doubts about this matter? He mustered up his courage and asked tentatively, "May I ask how Your Majesty guessed that I was here to protect Master Chang Jiao?"

Gu Shiyan glanced at him. Although this man was smarter than the two people Mu Congmo had brought with him when he was in Jiangnan, he was still a bit stupid. Forget it, considering that he had answered so many of his questions tonight, Gu Shiyan patiently explained to him: "What is the purpose of this Lord Chang you mentioned coming here today?"

"Of course it's to investigate the case." Mo Yu was too confused as to why Yue Zun would ask such a simple question. He couldn't hide his emotions and his face was full of confusion.

"Since he is here to investigate the case, then where in the capital is there a lack of someone who can investigate the case?" Gu Shiyan ignored Mo Yu's strange expression and continued.

The places responsible for investigating cases in the capital, apart from the prefect, are the three judicial departments. However, the officials of these three judicial departments are all complete, and there is no vacancy as the other party mentioned.

Pang Fa, the Minister of Justice, is Your Majesty's man, while Han Xiujin of the Censorate is apolitical and impartial, and it seems Your Majesty has no intention of touching him. This leaves only Shi Chengji of the Supreme Court, a man who has always been associated with the aristocratic families. In the previous case of the Prince of Huai, Your Majesty had just dealt with the Duke of Han, and then, to appease the aristocratic families, he gave Shi Chengji the spotlight in this case, which was considered a way to appease the aristocratic families.

If Yue Zun's guess is true, then His Majesty is thinking of replacing him. If His Majesty does not have this idea, he will also have such an idea when he knows that Yue Zun has this idea.

Now, the image of Mu Congmo in Mo Yu's mind is not much different from those tyrants who set fire to the beacons to trick the princes just to win the smile of a beautiful woman.

Mo Yu now understood the emperor's purpose in sending him. He looked at Gu Shiyan with awe. Originally, it was just respect for the powerful, but now it was also filled with fear. Fortunately, this venerable was a friend, not an enemy, otherwise they would have been busy.

"Can you appear in front of people?" Gu Shiyan asked nonsensically. He remembered that these secret guards seemed to have extremely strict rules. Shadow Dragon means the shadow of the emperor, an existence that can only hide in the dark. He didn't know why he ran into it every time. Including the person in front of him, he already knew all three commanders of the Shadow Dragon Guard.

Mo Yu was a little stunned by his sudden question. He answered subconsciously: "Regarding the rules, we can't appear in front of others."

Gu Shiyan frowned slightly and glanced at him, "There are so many rules."

Just when Mo Yu thought that this venerable was a little angry, the other party threw a wooden mask at him, leaving a sentence "Put it on and follow me", and then he just stepped on the tiptoe, landed straight on the ground, and walked towards the room.

Mo Yu was left alone, staring at the mask in his hand. It was like a hot potato, a dilemma for him. The surroundings were dark, and night had already enveloped the place, just like his future, a dark place. The mask in his hand looked identical to the one on Yue Zun's face. While he admired the other's attentiveness, he couldn't help but worry about his own future.

If that petty-minded emperor knew he was wearing a mask given to him by Yue Zun himself, and that it was even identical to the one on Yue Zun's face, the emperor would probably find a reason to execute him the next day, and he might not even have to wait until the next day. Jealous old men are like this, even emperors are not immune.

After thinking for a moment, Mo Yu decided to put on the mask and follow Gu Shiyan's steps. It wasn't because he was no longer afraid of the emperor, but because he had a brilliant idea. It was thanks to something Chang Ye told him that he came up with this idea in a hurry.

Chang Ye was a man with a loose tongue, having already told him everything he had experienced in Jiangnan, even mimicking the emperor's tone perfectly. Since ancient times, emperors have always been wary of others prying into their whereabouts, but Mu Congmo had no such request. Instead, he demanded that the Shadow Dragon Guards record and archive everything they investigated, even his own affairs.

Chang Ye had emphasized this point, saying that when Yue Zun left without saying goodbye, he'd expected punishment from the enraged emperor. But when he retrieved Yue Zun's handkerchief, not only was his life saved, he even received a reward from the emperor. Mo Yu had already made up his mind: when he returned to the palace to report, he would present the mask to the emperor. That way, he was sure to win his favor.

Gu Shiyan had already opened the door. The black-clad assassins, who had no internal energy, had all fallen to the ground, breathless. However, there were no wounds on their bodies, only a purple mark on their necks, as if they had been strangled to death.

He knew Hua Ling's methods well. She only favored moves that could kill with one blow and look heroic. She couldn't do something like strangling someone's neck, and even felt a bit disgusted. In this case, the only option left was for the prefect of the capital to take action personally. Gu Shiyan's eyes held a hint of admiration; he was a decisive man. In this situation of being outnumbered, thinking of leaving anyone alive would be foolish, tantamount to playing with fire.

This was the scene Mo Yu saw when he entered. Gu Shiyan stood at the door, his body not revealing any internal energy, yet giving off a strong sense of oppression. When Chang Jiao saw him come in, his eyes became even more vigilant. He stood in front of them, ready to fight.

He feared that Chang Jiao's actions might displease the venerable before him, so he pulled a token from his sleeve. The token was completely black, with only the middle inscribed with gold powder. The characters for "Shadow Dragon" were exactly the same, one in front and one in the back. He tossed the token to the other party, who carefully verified its authenticity before returning it.

Although he had confirmed the identities of the two, he still felt alert.

Elsewhere, Mo Yu saw the woman next to Gu Shiyan wrestling with an old man. Judging from their movements, it looked like they were engaging in a back-and-forth fight. A closer look revealed that the woman was still handling the situation with ease, while the old man's internal energy was nearly exhausted.

Mo Yu and the other person did not deliberately conceal their actions, and the noise here naturally attracted the two people who were fighting. The old man felt that something was wrong. The woman's internal strength seemed to be inexhaustible, not to mention that her reinforcements had arrived at this time, but he was still isolated and helpless.

After thinking for a moment, he made a prompt decision to escape, but Hua Ling had already noticed his intention and caught him the moment he escaped.

Originally, Hua Ling was still enthusiastically trying to take credit from Gu Shiyan, but the next second the old man she was holding suddenly stopped breathing. She was so scared that she quickly threw him aside.

Mo Yu watched the intimate interaction between the two of them, and suddenly a bad thought arose in his mind. Could this woman be Yue Zun's lover? He was shocked by his own thoughts. If this matter was really as he imagined, he really didn't know what the emperor would do. He certainly wouldn't be willing to become a concubine for Yue Zun, right?

Thinking about it carefully, it was really possible that the emperor would do such a thing. Mo Yu became even more desperate at this moment. He could only pray desperately in his heart. At the same time, he felt that he must bury this matter deep in his heart and never let the emperor know.

"Sir, I didn't kill this man. He...he died on his own." Hua Ling's tone was a little panicked. After all, it was the first time she experienced such a thing.

Gu Shiyan first jokingly said, "Just now I saw you were having a lot of fun. Does it take so long for someone in the Body Tempering Realm?"

Hua Ling wanted to argue, but she was frightened by the scene just now and her face was pale. Mo Yu, who was standing beside her, felt relieved when she heard Hua Ling addressing Gu Shiyan.

Gu Shiyan walked over to the old man's body and stretched his hand into the air. Then, a faint stream of internal energy entered the body. After a moment, Gu Shiyan withdrew his hand and said, "It has nothing to do with you. He took the poison himself."