After leaving Li Jin's place, Qian Yuan rushed to the imperial palace and military camp without stopping.
Holding the token, Qian Yuan successfully met Yang Zhe, the 23-year-old commander of the Imperial Guards, who was quite famous throughout the Great Qi Dynasty.
"Commander Yang, Young Master Li Jin has invited you to Chunfeng Tower."
Qian Yuan respectfully handed over Li Jin's token.
Yang Zhe was dressed in the armor of the Imperial Guard, and his handsome face was imposing and extraordinary.
He took the token and saw that it indeed belonged to Li Jin.
However, upon hearing the words "Spring Breeze Pavilion," he showed displeasure.
What an idiot! Doesn't he realize that his uncle is not someone who can go to Chunfeng Tower?
Li Jin's "uncle-in-law" was the husband of the eldest princess, a self-designation that was a grave offense of disrespect. Although everyone knew that Yang Zhe was fond of the eldest princess, this was an unspoken understanding and could not be discussed openly.
Even Yang Zhe himself only dared to think about it in his heart. Normally, he didn't even dare to get too close to the princess, so as not to cause the princess to misunderstand or feel disgusted.
Seeing Yang Zhe's displeasure, Qian Yuan didn't think too much about it and simply said, "Does Commander Yang perhaps think this token is fake?"
Yang Zhe scoffed and tossed the token back to Qian Yuan.
"This token was personally bestowed upon Li Jin by the Princess, how could it be fake? Or do you think that I, the commander, have poor eyesight and cannot distinguish between real and fake?"
Yang Zhe's oppressive aura was no joke. With his full suit of armor and ninth-rank cultivation, even a simple question from him made Qian Yuan break out in a cold sweat.
Qian Yuandao: "I wouldn't dare. It's just..."
Qian Yuan immediately recounted the whole story to Yang Zhe. In short, they could use He Yunxiao's shoulder massage for the brothel dancers to make a big fuss, weaken Marquis Wuqing He Yuanhao, and incidentally weaken the power of the Grand Chancellor.
Yang Zhe knew this, of course, but Li Jin was enough to handle the matter. He had no desire to associate with a brainless second-generation rich kid like Li Jin who relied solely on family ties.
If this person weren't the eldest princess's cousin, Yang Zhe wouldn't even bother with him.
There's an even deeper reason: Yang Zhe must "keep himself pure," otherwise he would never have the chance to lay a hand on the princess.
But Qian Yuan obviously didn't expect this, nor did Li Jin, this second-generation rich kid, and Yang Zhe himself couldn't say.
So Yang Zhe said, "Do you think I, the commander, couldn't have thought of using He Yunxiao to my advantage? Li Jin could handle such a small matter himself. Why do I need to go and see?"
With just these three sentences, Qian Yuan felt the terror of Yang Zhe. He finally understood why Li Jin insisted that Yang Zhe go to "witness the style of this young master in upholding justice".
I imagine that Young Master Li must have suffered a lot of bullying from Yang Zhe on a regular basis, right?
However, Qian Yuan was, after all, a protégé of the Minister of Rites, and in his actions, he still sided with his own son.
After thinking it over, Qian Yuan tentatively asked, "Does the young master know General Du Lie?"
Du Lie was convicted of "treason," but the case file did not provide a clear explanation of why he was guilty of "treason."
In fact, Du Lie's loyalty was known to everyone, from the imperial court to the common people. But once a person dies, their legacy fades away; after General Du Lie was executed, few people spoke of him anymore.
Of course, this group does not include former members of the Chu family army or those who had received favors from Du Lie.
The Chu family army was famous throughout the Great Qi Dynasty. Its most remarkable achievement was driving the Northern Yan army back to the north of Xiaoshan and recovering the lost territory of Hexi.
Qian Yuan thought to himself: Since Yang Zhe comes from a powerful family in Hexi, there is no reason why he should not make contact with the Chu family army.
As expected, Yang Zhe sighed and said, "Back then, Generals Du and Fan taught me swordsmanship."
Qian Yuan was overjoyed and immediately said, "General Du Lie's daughter, Du Yinyun, will make her debut at Chunfeng Tower today."
The three characters “Du Yinyun” were like a stone falling into the pool of Yang Zhe’s memories, splashing up ripples.
Five years ago, Yang Zhe was eighteen years old. That year, his martial arts cultivation had reached the eighth rank, and he entered the Qingyun Ranking for the first time. In addition, he was handsome, and all the girls in Hexi regarded him as their dream lover.
Whenever he went out, riding his fine horse through the streets, he would often attract the attention of many unmarried young women. Yang Zhe was already quite used to this scene of being surrounded by beautiful women.
Until his father took him to Yinjing to visit an old friend.
That year, Du Yinyun was only thirteen years old, and it was also not long after the name "Yin Jing Chunlan" had spread throughout Yin Jing City.
When Yang Zhe saw Du Yinyun at the Du residence, he was immediately struck by her beauty.
Her stunning beauty was already evident at the age of thirteen, and coupled with her aloof personality and ethereal气质, she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
More importantly, Du Yinyun had absolutely no interest in Yang Zhe. Neither his previously invincible handsome appearance, nor his extraordinary martial arts talent, nor his vast knowledge of literature.
This indifference only fueled Yang Zhe's affection for Du Yinyun.
Even when he was about to leave Yinjing, he went to ask his father to ask General Du for a marriage proposal.
Du Lie did not refuse directly; he only said to wait until the sound was more developed before considering it.
After Yang Zhe returned to Hexi, when faced with various beautiful women throwing themselves at him, he subconsciously compared them to Du Yinyun, and the result was a feeling of utter boredom.
After much longing and waiting, he never expected that instead of Du Lie's agreement, trouble would strike the Du family.
Even after the Du family's downfall, Yang Zhe hadn't given up hope. He made inquiries from various sources: some said Du Yinyun had committed suicide, some said she was imprisoned, some said she was being held in the brothel…
Only at this point did Yang Zhe finally give up completely.
It wasn't until he took the imperial examination and caught a glimpse of Meng Qingqian on the imperial carriage that his extinguished love for her began to burn brightly again.
The moment Qian Yuan mentioned "Du Yinyun" and "Chunfenglou" side by side, Yang Zhe's face immediately contorted with rage.
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