"To describe Minister Mu, the only appropriate term would be ’legendary’!" the storyteller ominously declared.
Someone in the hall soon interrupted: "And why’s that?!"
The storyteller stroked his beard before continuing: "From a common man, Minister Mu rose to a position second only to His Majesty all within just eight years! At the age of sixteen, he was awarded a government position ranked fifth, serving as the junior head of the Department of Light. He then skyrocketed in rank, achieving the position of the Left Deputy Imperial Envoy, and eventually helped Sixth Prince ascend to the throne, being personally appointed prime minister by the prince himself! Today, at the mere age of twenty-four, he is the youngest prime minister since the establishment of our Daqian Dynasty!"
Ji Xinhe was slightly surprised, not expecting this man to have such remarkable achievements.
The crowd gasped collectively, Minister Mu, who now held such considerable authority, was once but a mere commoner?
"Do you recall how fierce the battle for succession was among the princes? The Third and Fourth Princes rebelled, besieging His Majesty in the Ziyu Gate. It was Minister Mu who single-handedly held off the rebels and safeguarded His Majesty’s position. He is truly unparalleled in bravery!" The storyteller became increasingly excited, punctuating his tale with enthusiastic spurts of spit.
The crowd was abuzz, with Xiao Bei gaping in awe, his eyes filled with admiration.
Ji Xinhe felt that the storyteller was exaggerating quite a bit. Defending against thousands single-handedly seemed a bit too much, didn’t it? Moreover, as someone who had read history books, she knew that the outcome of such power struggles was decided solely by the victors. If the Third and Fourth Princes had won, the rebels would be the Sixth Prince and Minister Mu. Yet the victor was the Sixth Prince, and naturally, the Third and Fourth Princes became the rebels.
Therefore, only half of the storyteller’s words could be trusted at most.
Moreover, Minister Mu was most renowned in the capital for his extraordinary appearance! Legend had it that he is even more handsome than a woman!"
A sudden crisp sound echoed through the room as a tea cup shattered. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
The storyteller paused, looking in the direction from where the noise had originated to see a covered window leaving much of the interior obscured. It was unclear what happened, only a silhouette was faintly visible sitting by the window, its face indistinct.
The sound of a broken tea cup, presumably just an accident by a clumsy guest, should not have aroused such a reaction. Yet, the storyteller was inexplicably startled by the noise, resulting in a moment’s pause.
The crowd couldn’t help but shout out: "So what does he look like? Just tell us already!"
The storyteller returned to his senses, casting an uneasy glance at the upstairs window. Seeing no movement inside, he cleared his throat and continued: "The elegance of Minister Mu’s complexion can only be described as breathtakingly extraordinary! Anyone who has ever laid eyes on him fell instantly in love. It is said that even the younger daughter of the late Emperor, now known as Princess Chaoyang, has been pursuing him relentlessly, patiently waiting all these years. She is now eighteen and still unmarried!"
While people downstairs were fascinated and excited, upstairs in the private rooms, a very different scene unfolded.
Mu Houchu wiped a drop of water from his hand using a handkerchief. His slender fingers were beautifully sculpted, but the placid expression on his face was cold, like a layer of frost. He nonchalantly tossed the handkerchief onto the broken pieces of the tea cup, his icy gaze sweeping over his trembling followers.
"Who spread it?"
Ling Feng turned pale and knelt down: "The matter of Princess Chaoyang... everyone in the capital knows. It was only a matter of time before it got out..."
"Did I ask about that?" Mu Houchu’s eyes were deeply cold, almost murderous.
The moment the storyteller said "even more handsome than a woman", Mu Houchu shattered the tea cup he was holding. Ling Feng looked at the broken pieces on the table, feeling as if his fate was about to resemble them.
Ling Feng tried to steady himself and managed to say, "Uh... about your lordship’s appearance... it’s probably just idle speculation by people... your lordship shouldn’t take it to heart."
Mu Houchu cast a chilling glance at him: "This tea house can close now."
"Yes!"
Just as he responded, the storyteller’s voice was suddenly interrupted by a sharp female yell from outside.
"You can afford to listen to storytelling? Where did you get the money?!"
Ji Xiulan had originally come to the tea house with Gao Zhiru. However, upon spotting Ji Xinhe and Ji Xiaobei, she nearly erupted.
Ji Xiaobei shrunk back in fear seeing Xiulan, his timidity borne from years of intimidation at her hands.
Ji Xinhe, on the other hand, remained calm: "It’s none of your business where I got my money."
Mu Houchu was about to leave when he heard this voice which caused alarm bells to ring in his mind. It was alarmingly familiar.
Mu Houchu’s face turned cold, startling his followers who had just regained their composure. What was wrong with their master this time?!
Xiulan was infuriated by Ji Xinhe’s dismissive attitude. She would have lunged at her if she wasn’t mindful of Gao Zhiru’s presence. Their family had been robbed and were now completely destitute. Lady Ding had even threatened to starve these ungrateful wretches to death. Xiulan had been looking forward to that, but surprisingly, now she saw the two of them leisurely drinking tea at the tea house and munching on steaming meat buns.
She hadn’t been able to afford meat in a long time!
Xiulan was seething: "As if I want to be involved? How did you get this money? You’ve been living off our family, could it be that you stole silver from home..."
Ji Xinhe placed her teacup on the table neither gently nor heavily, her gaze cooling: "Without evidence, you better not talk nonsense."
"I’m talking nonsense? Then tell us where you got this money! If you don’t explain, that means you stole it from home!" Xiulan was relentless.
At this point, everyone in the tea house was watching. Even the storyteller had stopped, waiting to see this amusing spectacle unfold. It seemed they were about to witness a thief being caught.
Ji Xinhe blinked innocently: "If Sister Xiulan cannot explain about her illicit relationship with the man from the wilderness, can I assume that her matter is true?"
The entire tea house erupted in uproar. This was even more exciting than the storyteller’s tales!
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