Chapter 185 Do you think he knows Achan's true identity?
Bai Xiuming didn't stay at the Mingjing Division's office for long before going to the Ming Prince's Mansion.
When the steward heard that Bai Xiuming had returned, he jogged over to greet him.
"You're finally back! You've been gone for two months. The Prince was just talking about you the other day." The steward led him to the study.
"Do you have guests at your residence?" Bai Xiuming asked.
His father disliked staying in places like the study and would only invite unfamiliar guests to come here.
The steward said in a low voice, "The Prince of the Northern Wilderness came to visit suddenly an hour ago. After all, he is a junior member of the royal family, so the prince met with him in the study."
Bai Xiuming's gaze held a hint of amusement: "This Northern Wilderness King has been quite active since arriving in the capital."
Is it a coincidence that we met twice in one day?
Upon arriving at the study, the guards outside, seeing that it was Bai Xiuming, knocked three times on his behalf without even needing to signal him.
Inside the study, Ming Wang, who had been listening to Bai Zhanhuang speak, suddenly smiled and raised his voice: "Get in here."
The guard opened the door, and Bai Xiuming stepped into the study.
"Father." Bai Xiuming bowed to King Ming.
"Hmm." Ming Wang responded, looking him up and down, his gaze lingering on his flashy belt for a moment before moving away.
The King of Ming made no attempt to introduce the two juniors to each other, but Bai Zhanhuang took the initiative to stand up and said humbly, "Lord Bai, I have long admired you."
"King of the Northern Wilderness, we meet again."
Even though the study was spacious, the presence of two tall young men blocked some of the light.
King Ming watched with great interest as the two, who had only exchanged one sentence, created an awkward atmosphere. He had a feeling that something unseen had happened between them.
Finally, Bai Zhanhuang spoke first: "Since Uncle has other matters to attend to, I will take my leave now. I will come to visit you again another day when you have time."
"You've put your heart into it." King Ming nodded.
After bowing to the Ming King, Bai Zhanhuang walked out of the study. Bai Xiuming saw him to the door, and then Bai Zhanhuang spoke again: "Lord Bai, please wait."
Bai Xiuming immediately stopped and said without any politeness, "Be careful on the road, Northern Wilderness King."
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was becoming increasingly strange, the steward quickly stepped forward to lead the way: "This way, Your Majesty of the Northern Wilderness."
After Bai Zhanhuang left the garden, Bai Xiuming returned to his study. As soon as the study door closed, he suddenly turned his head and caught the brush that was thrust at him.
When the soft tip of the brush pierces through, the bristles on it can be as sharp as needles.
"Your reaction speed is good; it seems your cultivation has improved again." With the unfamiliar junior gone, Ming Wang was no longer as silent as before.
"I participated in a ritual of the Wu tribe and received considerable benefits."
King Ming was somewhat surprised: "It seems that the high priest of the Wu tribe has a good impression of you, and even allowed you, an outsider, to stay and participate in the sacrifice."
"It just so happened to be the right time."
Knowing the boy was just trying to appease him, King Ming didn't press the matter. The child was grown up; he couldn't question everything. So King Ming simply asked, "Where did you get this belt?"
Bai Xiuming glanced down at it: "It was a gift from someone else."
"Looks good."
I think so too.
Bai Xiuming sat down in the chair, picked up the teapot beside him, poured Ming Wang a cup of hot tea, and then asked, "What brings Bai Zhanhuang to see you?"
Ming Wang took the teacup and pointed to the stack of books on the table: "The person who brought these things said they were from the Northern Wilderness Prince's collection, as well as secret manuals that were taken from the Shang family back then."
Bai Xiuming picked up the top book and flipped through it casually. It did indeed seem to be of the same lineage as the secret manual left in the Zhao family's secret vault.
"He is quite frank."
“He was a clever man. After arriving in the capital, he went directly to the palace to apologize to the emperor. He not only made up for half of the family fortune that he had taken from the Shang family, but also offered a large sum of money as military pay.”
Although the emperor harbored resentment towards the Northern Wilderness Prince's Mansion, he was greatly pleased by Bai Zhanhuang's actions.
Bai Xiuming had already received the news from Pang Qi, so he wasn't surprised: "He's just here to deliver books?"
King Ming smiled and said, "He told me that Huang Lin was originally a guard of the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion, but now he has committed a serious crime and is imprisoned in the town prison. He hopes to see him and persuade him to tell the truth."
Before the King of Light, any lie is futile, so Bai Zhanhuang chose the most open and honest way to communicate.
The King of Ming didn't have a good impression of him, but he certainly didn't dislike him.
"You agreed?"
"Um."
"It would be good to meet him. I also want to know what Huang Lin can say." Bai Xiuming didn't think that Bai Zhanhuang wanted to meet Huang Lin just to cooperate with the investigation. He was very curious about what benefits Huang Lin could bring to Bai Zhanhuang.
After being escorted out of the Ming Prince's mansion by the steward, Bai Zhanhuang boarded the carriage parked outside.
After the carriage left the area of the Prince Ming's residence, it traveled for about half an hour before stopping outside a mansion.
The King of the Northern Wilderness has not visited the capital for many years and has no royal residence there; his current residence is merely a temporary lodging.
Bai Zhanhuang entered the manor. There weren't many servants in the manor; they were all people who had come with him from the Northern Wilderness.
When the steward saw him return, he stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, dinner is ready. Would you like to eat now?"
Bai Zhanhuang nodded, walked into his courtyard, and after a few steps turned back to ask, "Has Huangwu returned?"
"not yet."
"When she comes back, have her come directly to see me."
"yes."
After finishing his meal, Bai Zhanhuang changed into loose and comfortable casual clothes, sat alone on the tatami mat, set up a chessboard, and played chess against himself.
After two games of chess, Huangwu finally appeared.
"Your Highness, I'm back."
Bai Zhanhuang's attention remained focused on the chessboard: "Speak."
"Bai Xiuming and Ji Chan met on the Lantern Festival last year. He sent Ji Chan to the town prison, seemingly torturing her, and then released her. Later, the two crossed paths because of the case of Ji Chan's aunt, Xiao Lin. When Ji Chan fell ill, Bai Xiuming used the Ming King's warrant to open the palace gates and summon the imperial physician to treat her..."
Before Huang Wu could finish speaking, there was a sudden bang, and the chess jar placed to the side fell to the ground, scattering the black chess pieces all over the place.
Huang Wu immediately shut her mouth, but then heard Bai Zhanhuang's voice above her, a voice full of coldness: "Continue."
Huang Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell them everything he had investigated about the two of them.
Although it had only been a short year, the two had quite a bit of interaction. Even though she didn't know much about love and romance, she could tell that their relationship was becoming increasingly intimate, and Bai Xiuming was becoming more and more indulgent towards Ji Chan.
Most recently, the two left the capital together, their destination uncertain, but it seemed they had left the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty. Two months later, they returned together.
Is it possible for a lone man and a lone woman to travel together without any problems?
After Huang Wu finished recounting the information she had gathered, she didn't dare to look up at her lord's expression.
After a suffocating silence, Bai Zhanhuang's voice rang out again: "Where's Bai Xiuming? What did you find out?"
This time, Huang Wu was somewhat troubled: "Your subordinate is incompetent. There is very little information about Bai Xiuming. All I know is that he is highly regarded by the Emperor and the Crown Prince. He rarely interacts with court officials and there is not much to criticize. The only thing worth criticizing is that he personally destroyed the Xiling Prince's Mansion."
"I recall that the root of Bai Xiuming's hatred for the King of Xiling seems to lie with the Queen Consort of Xiling?"
"Yes, the King of Xiling used the demon race to kill the Queen Consort of Xiling. Bai Xiuming seems to have a great aversion to the demon race. Since he took charge of the capital, many of the demons kept in the capital have been eliminated."
Bai Zhanhuang suddenly laughed: "Do you think he knows Achan's true identity?"
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