[Not at all.]
[Really?] Xiao Yaozu suddenly grew excited. [Is he impotent?]
[Host, the Eighth Prince has a 90% gene survival rate. There’s no such thing as impotence.]
Xiao Yaozu remained immersed in his own world, completely unaware of the Eighth Prince’s profound gaze…
Full of scrutiny and wariness.
Hearing that he had no wives or concubines made him excited… Did he like him that much?
He couldn’t explain why he didn’t mind Xiao Yaozu following him.
Perhaps it was because the other party didn’t exhibit the expected obsequiousness, even though he liked him.
If not for hearing his voice,
Xiao Yaozu gave off the impression of a handsome young man detached from the world, his unrestrained flamboyance undimmed even by the green official robe he wore.
The carriage stopped at the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s Residence, which was already surrounded by soldiers.
The Eighth Prince was the first to step out of the carriage, and Xiao Yaozu hurriedly followed, his gaze inadvertently falling on the man’s waist.
[That waist is a deadly blade.]
The Eighth Prince: “…”
The soldiers saluted upon seeing the Eighth Prince.
The man coldly uttered a single word: “Search!”
At his command, the soldiers immediately sprang into action.
In an instant, the entire courtyard was thrown into chaos—cries, pleas, and shouts filled the air.
Men and women knelt throughout the courtyard, their faces etched with a myriad of emotions.
Xiao Yaozu trailed behind the Eighth Prince, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
[System, which one is the steward?]
[The one in the dark brown robe hiding in the middle of the group.]
[They say stewards and Wu Ma know the most. He must be full of gossip. System, hurry up and investigate.] Xiao Yaozu urged impatiently.
[Alright~] The System responded before falling silent.
After a while, the System’s voice rang out again, tinged with excitement:
[Host, this steward is hiding a huge scandal too! He’s having an affair with the lady of the house! Not only that, the Salt and Iron Commissioner has been raising his son for him! If not for this incident, the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s family fortune would have ended up with this father and son pair!]
Xiao Yaozu turned to look for the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s eldest son.
Found him.
The Salt and Iron Commissioner’s Wife was shielding a chubby boy like a mother hen protecting her chick. The boy was pale and plump, now crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.
A servant tried to approach him, but the boy kicked him away.
Though the boy was chubby, his features bore some resemblance to the steward.
Xiao Yaozu couldn’t help but glance at the steward and compare him to the chubby boy.
He sighed deeply.
[He hid it well enough.]
[Madam, no offense, but if you’re going to pick a seed, why not choose a better one? Like the Eighth Prince—broad-shouldered, wasp-waisted, long-legged. You could have as many children as you wanted.]
The Eighth Prince suddenly turned around, his gaze meeting Xiao Yaozu’s.
The man’s eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, and Xiao Yaozu instinctively swallowed nervously, feeling as if the other could read his thoughts.
[Host, why are you so nervous?]
[Keep your voice down. The Eighth Prince’s aura is too overwhelming. I feel strange.]
[Host, you’re overthinking it.]
Just then, they heard the Eighth Prince’s calm voice: “Don’t wander off.”
Xiao Yaozu breathed a slight sigh of relief. So, he had been overthinking it.
Speaking of which, the Salt and Iron Commissioner got what he deserved.
Evil begets evil—he bullied others, and in turn, someone stole from his household and made him raise their child.
[This Salt and Iron Commissioner’s Residence is truly luxurious.]
[Host, didn’t you say you wanted to find gold bricks to earn merit?]
Xiao Yaozu, however, said leisurely: [“It’s not the right time yet. If I find the place immediately, the Eighth Prince will surely suspect something’s wrong with me.”]
And so, under the watchful gaze of the Eighth Prince standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, a monkey-like figure jumped up and down.
Wanting to climb the wall to get a higher vantage point but lacking arm strength, the hands supporting him trembled uncontrollably like butterfly wings.
“Lord Xiao, perhaps you should fetch a ladder to climb up, or let me help you up. Your hands are flapping so much you might give passersby a cold.”
A young man with wheat-colored skin stood beside him, grinning as he offered well-meaning advice. He appeared to be around the same age as Xiao Yaozu.
[System, who is he?]
[Zhao Jinxin, the youngest son of the Zhao family, serves as a guard in the palace. He is not a friend of the original host.]
In Bianjing City, some children of officials would pay to serve as palace guards to build their reputation.
“You know me?” Xiao Yaozu stopped climbing. Chatting and slacking off with someone wasn’t a bad idea.
“Xiao Yaozu, you don’t remember me? Although I’m wearing guard uniform now, my face isn’t that ordinary, is it?” Zhao Jinxin touched his sunny, handsome face.
Seeing that Xiao Yaozu genuinely couldn’t recall, Zhao Jinxin had to explain:
“Yesterday at the tavern, I was at the next table. We even bumped into each other accidentally – have you forgotten?”
“Sorry, I must have been too drunk to remember.”
“No matter. I’m Zhao Jinxin. Next time we drink together, it’s my treat.”
So familiar already? Xiao Yaozu nodded, thinking Zhao Jinxin was just being polite and didn’t take it seriously.
Just like adults often say “in a couple of days” – those days pass and they forget.
A guard came running to report: “Your Highness, we haven’t found the embezzled silver.”
The Eighth Prince frowned slightly, which Xiao Yaozu happened to notice.
Ah, the timing is right.
He approached the Eighth Prince: “Your Highness, finding things is my specialty. This humble official learned some skills during my time abroad. Allow me to search for it.”
The Eighth Prince gazed at the bright young face that had come rather close, pale as tofu, his eyes darkening as he spoke in a low voice:
“Assign some men to follow Lord Xiao’s command.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Yaozu waved grandly, “Follow me, brothers, all follow me.”
Zhao Jinxin was the first to follow, asking curiously: “Brother Yaozu, can you really find it?”
Xiao Yaozu put his hands on his hips and affirmed with a confident “Hmm.”
[Host, turn left.]
He thought of an excuse, showing a regretful yet nostalgic expression: “During my years abroad, I gained some experience in the martial world.”
Hearing the words “martial world,” a flicker of yearning appeared in Zhao Jinxin’s eyes – he had read many martial arts novels.
“Was it particularly exciting? I’d love to see what the martial world is like…”
Without any burden, Xiao Yaozu elaborately embellished the original host’s years of battling wits with human traffickers.
Well, when you’re away from home, you create your own identity.
He ended with: “Let’s not talk about it anymore, it’s all in the past.”
Hiding his achievements and reputation.
Zhao Jinxin listened with great interest.
“Brother Yaozu, is all that true?”
“Of course! As a grown man, why would I spin such complicated tales? These are all my real experiences.”
The Eighth Prince glanced at the thoroughly fooled young master of the Zhao family, and the guards pricking up their ears listening to the gossip.
Quite the talker, with only two names out of ten sentences being real.
[Host, we’ve arrived. Next to the courtyard of the Salt and Iron Commissioner’s thirtieth concubine there’s a study. Find that floor tile and pull it up – there’s a basement underneath.]
Xiao Yaozu made a show of searching around and walked a full circle through the entire room.
He crouched down, attempting to pry it open with his fingers, but it didn’t budge an inch.
[Host, you can’t move it. With your current physical strength, even a child bumping into you would probably break your bones.]
[Alright then.] He had wanted to put on a performance of Herculean strength.
Reluctantly, he gave up on showing off.
“Get two people to pull up this floor tile,” Xiao Yaozu declared with an air of importance, tapping the tile beneath his foot.
Zhao Jinxin single-handedly flipped open the floor tile, revealing a secret passageway underneath.