Chapter Six: The True and False Headmasters

If the visitor were truly the head of the academy, Mu Lian would know that Ye Yuqing had just been appointed as the Director of the Cauldrons by imperial decree, but Meng Yuan was unaware of this. This difference in address aroused Ye Yuqing's suspicion.

"Thank you so much, Headmaster Mu, for saving me. I am deeply grateful..." Ye Yuqing bowed again to express her gratitude, but did not mention her true identity at all.

Meng Yuan actually had a good impression of this young master Ye. It was rare to hear that the head of our Judicial Court remained neither afraid nor flustered despite his formidable reputation. It turned out that young master Ye was quite courageous. Not bad at all.

Thinking of this, Meng Yuan's voice carried a hint of amusement: "Young Master Ye, there's no need to be so polite. It's all just my duty. May I ask where Young Master Ye is headed? Would you like one of our academy's chief members to escort you?"

Where are they headed? It seems that this Chief Mu is indeed a fake, and doesn't even know that he is the Director of the Imperial Stables who is going to Henan Province with me.

"This young master..." Just as Ye Yuqing was about to speak, a clear and cold voice, like shattered jade, rang out from behind him, interrupting him: "Reporting to the head of the academy, it's getting late, we should go back."

Ye Yiqing turned around and saw a tall woman emerge from the dappled shadows of the trees. She wore a bamboo hat, her hair was tied up in a tight-fitting outfit, and her slender, porcelain-white fingers gripped a sword tightly. Although her face was obscured, she exuded an aura of aloofness that kept strangers at bay. Originally, Mu Lian hadn't intended to show herself, but she hadn't expected Ye Tanhua to be so cunning, quickly deceiving her into discovering Meng Yuan's false identity. To avoid further trouble, Mu Lian had no choice but to reveal herself.

"Oh, okay, okay, then Young Master Ye, I won't see you off any further. Until we meet again..." Meng Yuan quickly bowed and said goodbye, then left with Mu Lian.

Meng Yuan felt a slight pang of annoyance. She must have said something wrong; otherwise, why would Headmaster Mu have personally appeared? She really needed to correct her habit of forgetting important matters when judging by appearances.

"Okay, until we meet again..." Ye Yuqing said goodbye with a smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Yuqing seemed to catch a glimpse of the woman in the bamboo hat looking up at her. She quickly straightened her wide-sleeved robe, her slender fingers gently smoothing the stray hairs that were slightly disheveled by the wind. Her eyes, brimming with light, smiled even more broadly: "Headmaster Mu, please take care..."

"Hmph, all pretense." Mu Lian scoffed inwardly, not glancing at the man behind her again, and left with Meng Yuan.

Watching the woman's slender figure recede into the distance, Ye Yiqing stroked her chin with her long fingers, thinking to herself: That woman in the bamboo hat was the real Headmaster Mu, wasn't she? Tsk tsk, her killing intent was truly intense.

Judging from the direction and force, the act of shattering eight knives with a single iron caltrop should also have been her doing. No wonder I didn't have any thoughts of "offering myself in gratitude" when I was rescued earlier; it turns out the real person hadn't arrived yet. To be able to remain unharmed in the hands of the true head of the academy, I'm probably the first person in the capital to do so.

Having considered this, Ye Yuqing felt a little smug. She glanced at the sky and quickly led her horse to catch up.

They hadn't gone far when Ye Xun, an attendant, and Sun Bin, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, led their men to greet them.

"Young Master..."

"Lord Ye..."

Slightly out of breath, Ye Yiqing waved her hand and stroked the injured horse, instructing Ye Xun, "Take good care of it, it's injured..."

"Alright." Ye Xun accepted the order and gestured for his men to lead the horses away.

"Lord Ye bears heavy responsibilities and must not leave the team without permission again. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I, your humble servant, cannot bear the consequences..." Sun Bin was an upright man. When he heard that Ye Yuqing had left the team without permission and almost met with misfortune on the way back, he couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment.

"Yes, yes, it's all because I didn't think things through, causing Vice Commander Sun to worry..." Ye Yiqing hurriedly bowed and apologized. A true man can bend and stretch, especially since today's matter was his own responsibility, so Lord Ye apologized to Sun Bin without any hesitation, his apologies were sincere.

This surprised Sun Bin for a moment. He scratched his head and quickly stepped aside, saying, "Lord Ye, there's no need for this. Just be more careful in the future..."

Everyone returned to the team.

After getting into the sedan chair and changing into civilian clothes, Ye Yiqing beckoned Ye Xun forward and instructed him: "Those men in black arrived very quickly today. It seems that Liu Zhang has quite a few spies in the capital. This matter has already alarmed Chief Justice Mu of the Court of Judicial Review. You should quickly send a message to Father and ask him and Mother to return to the capital as soon as possible."

"yes."

The manor is not like the capital city. Ye Yuqing's current status is special, so she naturally needs to be more vigilant than usual. With her second brother-in-law managing the Ye residence and the guards being strong and well-equipped, it will be safer and more secure.

Inside the carriage, Meng Yuan dejectedly removed the silver mask that symbolized her status as the head of the Judicial Council.

"I'm sorry, Head of the Academy, I..."

Waving her hand to stop Meng Yuan from speaking, Mu Lian took off her bamboo hat and looked at Meng Yuan with clear eyes: "Don't belittle yourself, you did very well. It's just that that Scholar Ye is cunning. How can you, at such a young age, compare to his deep cunning? Just avoid him more often in the future..."

"Oh, okay. Can I continue to pretend to be the head of the academy?" Meng Yuan raised her eyes, her bright eyes full of expectation.

Nodding, Mu Lian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder: "Okay. But remember to be dignified."

"Okay, Headmaster, don't worry." Meng Yuan excitedly took out the Qingluodai (a type of cosmetic) to draw thick eyebrows and eyes, and put the mask back on.

A gentle smile bloomed on her lips again. Mu Lian put on her bamboo hat, covered her face with a veil, and stepped down from the carriage. As the head attendant, she could not ride with him.

"Attendant Meng, may I ask if the Headmaster is present?"

As soon as Mu Lian mounted her horse, a man who looked like a member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward and saluted.

"What is it?" Mu Lian asked calmly, glancing at the man in front of her.

After bowing, the man presented the letter tube: "Reporting to Attendant Meng, I am a subordinate of Deputy Commander Sun of the Imperial Guard. I am here on his orders to deliver this letter to Your Excellency."

"Okay, thank you." Stroking her right hand, which was covered in human skin gloves, Mu Lian bent down and naturally accepted the gift.

The man who looked like a member of the Imperial Guard quickly looked up and glanced at Mu Lian as she caught the letter tube. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and then he saluted and left.

"Hmph, a mere trick." Mu Lian, clutching the letter tube, entered the carriage.

"My lord, the head of the hospital..."

"Shh..."

Mu Lian gestured with her finger, indicating, "It's poisonous..."

Someone has started making a move? Meng Yuan was slightly startled: "How did the Headmaster know?"

After removing the letter tube along with the human skin glove from his hands and throwing it into the lacquer tray, Mu Lian said, "That person was wearing a human skin mask, and when he held the letter tube, he only used his middle finger and thumb to exert force, while the other fingers were loosely gripping it. It seems that there was something fishy about this letter tube..."

He took out a special medicinal powder from his pocket and dissolved it in water. Then he took a special silver needle from his sleeve, dipped it in the medicine, and wiped it on the letter tube. In a short while, the letter tube turned a dark black color and had a faint fishy smell. It was indeed a colorless and odorless but extremely effective poison.

"Could it be that this Deputy Commander Sun's men are a mole?" Meng Yuan was somewhat surprised.

Mu Lian shook her head and threw the letter tube, silver needles, and the human skin glove from before into the medicine: "I'm afraid that person has been ambushed, which is why someone made a human skin mask to conceal their identity..."

After a pause, Mu Lian sighed. It must be understood that, given the technology available on the black market at the time, making a human skin mask required actually peeling off a person's face. Although Mu Lian's skills were superior, in the years since returning to the capital, she had only used the identity of a concubine's daughter from the Mu family. Now, just to deal with her, she so easily murdered the imperial guards. It seemed this Henan Circuit military governor was a hypocrite, a wolf in sheep's clothing, outwardly benevolent but inwardly ruthless.

"What should we do next?" Meng Yuan asked as she helped Mu Lian put the items that had been soaked in the detoxifying solution into clean water with long tongs.

Mu Lian pinched her slender fingers and looked out the window: "Let's play along."

You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish. Henan Dao, this academy is determined to turn your world upside down.