Li Ke rambled on for a long time, then suddenly realized how talkative he was. He stopped talking, only to find that Su Qing's head was lowered and water was dripping, two large drops landing on her cloth shoes.
Li Ke's heart tightened. Why was this little girl crying? His nagging skills weren't that great, were they?
Su Qing sniffed, lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "Master, Sister-in-law Li wants to arrange a marriage for me."
"You're so young and people are already talking about marriage?" Li Ke laughed.
It will be fifteen soon.
Li Ke smiled again and reached out to pat her head. To him, who was twenty-five, fifteen was still very young. "It's a good thing; your wife treats you quite well."
Su Qing bit her lip, lowered her head even further, and said in a soft voice, "Master, you should come back soon after you go to do your errands."
"What, are you afraid your master won't make it to your wedding?" Li Ke grinned, imagining what this crazy girl would look like in her wedding dress. He couldn't picture it, but he just couldn't help but laugh.
Su Qing suddenly looked up at him, then turned and ran away.
Li Ke scratched his head, puzzled. What's wrong with this girl?
Ryuji was also puzzled by women.
He's been visiting brothels more often these past few days and seeing more girls. But that's all for investigating the case and finding out about Zhuo Yishu's background; he hasn't done anything with any other girls. In the past, when he went to brothels, his daughter Mu'er would joke and tease him, but now if he brings back any scent of brothels, she gets upset.
She was the one who said she wouldn't marry him, she was the one who said she'd waste his time for five years, but now that he's not bringing up marriage with her anymore, she's giving him a sullen look.
Hmph, this woman, she wants to kick him away but also wants to possess him, I don't know what's going on in her head all day.
Long Er thought to himself that he really couldn't indulge her in this matter. In fact, even if he wanted to avoid other women, he couldn't.
So, he had to send people to the Western Min Kingdom to find Ya Lili and Lin Yueyao. Before Ya Lili left, Ju Mu'er asked her to secretly take Lin Yueyao away. These two are women, and it was Ju Mu'er who caused this mess, so Long Er felt that he was just cleaning up the mess and not deliberately contacting women of all kinds.
His chance encounter with Ding Yanshan was purely for the sake of the case; it was a necessity and had nothing to do with him. Another matter required him to ask Feng Wu and Han Xiao to take him to see Princess Ruyi. Their relationship with Princess Ruyi was deeper than his, and all three were women.
After thinking it over, Long Er realized that this whole affair was indeed caused by a bunch of women. And the most troublesome woman at the very beginning was his Mu'er.
And right now, he's busy trying to solve the troubles his daughter, Mu'er, has caused.
He deliberately bumped into Ding Yanshan.
Ding Yanshan has changed a lot. After not seeing her for so long, she seems more composed.
When she saw Long Er, she was no longer as eager and ingratiating as before; instead, she avoided him. But after a while, she came over again to ask about Ju Mu'er's current situation. She had heard about the burglary at Ju Mu'er's house, which had resulted in injuries and damage, but when she heard Long Er say that Ju Mu'er had almost lost her life and was now lying in bed recovering, she also showed a hint of sadness.
Long Er sighed dramatically, "I don't know what kind of martial arts figures Mu'er has offended. One tragedy after another has happened. I'm really afraid she won't last long before someone takes her life."
Ding Yanshan lowered her head and frowned, and after a long while whispered, "Second Master, you should also be wary of people in the court. Perhaps it wasn't some petty thief from the martial arts world who did it. Second Master has made more enemies than Miss Mu'er. What if they're targeting you? It's good to be more cautious."
"Coming after me?" Long Er raised his eyebrows. "If you're going to come after me, then go after me. Why hurt Mu'er? She's already pitiful because she's blind, and now she's on the verge of death, suffering from that illness. It's truly heartbreaking." He shook his head as he said this. "She escaped the robbery, but I never expected to suffer this attack on her family."
Ding Yanshan lowered her head even further.
Long Er added, "I wonder what kind of trouble it will be next. In any case, thank you for reminding me, young lady. I will be careful."
Ding Yanshan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and bid farewell to Long Er.
Long Er watched her retreating figure and suddenly realized that this girl was nineteen, an old maid. Originally, if she didn't marry him, she would have had many other good options. Now, after the robbery, her reputation was ruined. Even with a powerful father, her marriage prospects were probably not good.
He was lost in thought when Ding Yanshan suddenly turned around, her eyes meeting his. She was slightly startled to see Long Er looking at her. Long Er felt a little awkward and could only manage a forced smile. Ding Yanshan returned his smile and said, "I'd like to pay a visit another day to see Miss Mu'er."
This was the second time she had mentioned Ju Mu'er, addressing her as "Miss Mu'er," which displeased Long Er somewhat. However, Ding Yanshan was quite helpful to him at this moment, so he smiled and nodded.
The two parted ways, but their chance encounter on the street caught the attention of many passersby, and soon rumors began to circulate in the city.
"Master Long is always so strange. He used to be so affectionate in the street, eager to marry that blind girl, but he divorced her after only half a year. Now that the blind girl is in trouble, he took her home, but he's flirting with Miss Ding in the street."
"I heard that Miss Ding is going to visit Second Master's house. The blind girl is still there. What does it mean that she's going there too?"
"I bet Miss Ding will win this time."
"That's hard to say. That blind girl bewitched Master Long back then. If she didn't have some tricks up her sleeve, how could she have succeeded? Now that she's in trouble, it's easy for her to play the victim. Besides, if Master Long had no feelings for her whatsoever, why would he lend her a helping hand?"
"You're mistaken. It's hard to say about feelings. If there were feelings involved, would you have divorced her? I heard that when the family's wine shop was in trouble, the Long family's guards happened to be passing by and were able to save her. How could they not help her after that? I think Second Master Long was forced into it, afraid of what people would say. But when it comes to marriage, once it's divorced, it's divorced. It's not something to be taken lightly. So Miss Ding will definitely win."
These rumors reached Long Er's ears, and he relayed them to Ju Mu'er. Then, indignantly, he said to Ju Mu'er, "They actually looked down on you like that! This is intolerable! I will definitely get back the face for you."
Ju Mu'er didn't respond to him. She thought to herself that if he hadn't been so ostentatious, she wouldn't have gained this pretext of competing with the Ding family's daughter for a man. Now, in his mouth, it had become about saving face for her. This was probably the Second Master playing tricks on her.
Ju Mu'er pretended not to understand and didn't respond.
Long Er let her have her way and didn't get entangled in the topic with her. Anyway, he had already said it, so she could wait and see!
The next day, Long Sanfengwu and his wife were to accompany Nie Chengyan and Han Xiao to visit Princess Ruyi.
Princess Ruyi is the current emperor's elder sister, and she married Mu Yuan, a young general from the Mu family. The couple were old acquaintances of Long San and Nie Chengyan. Nie Chengyan and Han Xiao had only recently come to the capital, so it was inevitable that they would pay them a visit.
Ryuji also eagerly accompanied him on this visit.
Nie Chengyan was very dissatisfied with this, feeling that Long Er was always hanging around his Xiaoxiao. Long Er replied with a forced smile, "It has nothing to do with Xiaoxiao. In terms of feelings, the bond between you and me is much stronger."
"What a pity, I'm afraid I'll have to let you down." Nie Chengyan also gave a forced smile. "You're all about money, you're no match for my family's number one doctor, Xiaoxiao. I don't even look at you."
"Hmph!" Long Er scoffed, "My Mu'er is the number one zither immortal in the world."
Upon hearing this, Feng Wu lightly kicked Long San. Long San looked up at her, puzzled. Feng Wu said, "Shouldn't you be saying now that your woman is the number one female knight-errant in the world?"
Long San opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Long Er and Nie Chengyan's gazes swept over him. Feng Wu raised her head and pointed at Long San seriously, saying, "His wife is the number one female knight-errant in the world."
Han Xiao was overjoyed. Ruyi walked over and overheard most of their conversation. She couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So many of the best in the world have come to my humble abode. It's truly an honor."
Feng Wu chuckled and said, "I originally wanted to praise the Prince Consort as the most mighty general in the world, but then I thought that would be too disrespectful to my uncle."
Ruyi blinked. "Then you can praise the princess. I quite like the word 'majestic'."
Han Xiao gave a thumbs up: "That's the most majestic princess in the world."
The three women burst into laughter, and Feng Wu added, "Oh dear, then Uncle will definitely say that Sister-in-law is the most virtuous wife in the world." After saying that, she imitated Long Da's tone, "You should all learn from your sister-in-law."
She imitated it so well that the three women burst into laughter again.
The three men, Nie Chengyan, Long Er, and Long San, all looked somewhat dumbfounded, completely baffled as to what was so funny about their words. Nie Chengyan and Long Er rolled their eyes at Long San in unison; it was all his wife's fault. Long San rolled his eyes back forcefully, thinking, "They're allowed to bicker like this, but my Feng'er can't even have a moment of joy?"
The three men stared at each other without saying a word. The three women, reunited after a long separation, chattered incessantly. Finally, Long Er and the others grew impatient and invited Princess Ruyi aside for a private conversation.
Nie Chengyan watched from afar as Long Er seemed to have something to ask Ruyi, and coldly said, "Long Er is such a busybody, offering help for no reason..."
He hesitated to finish his sentence, so Feng Wu couldn't help but add, "He's either a villain or a thief."
Long San patted her head lightly, and Feng Wu retorted, "It wasn't me who said it, it was Lord Nie who said it, and I filled in the gaps for him. I didn't say anything bad about my second uncle."
Nie Chengyan sneered, "The number one female knight in the world dares to do it but doesn't dare to admit it. What's wrong with talking bad about Long Er?" This time, Han Xiao gently patted Nie Chengyan's shoulder, and he reluctantly shut his mouth.
Long Er and Princess Ruyi talked for quite a while, and no one knew what he said, but Ruyi smiled radiantly. Afterwards, the two walked back, and Long Er said "I entrust everything to you" before taking his leave and returning home.
Nie Chengyan exclaimed that Long Er had run away after using the people. Feng Wu eagerly asked Ruyi what Long Er had said to her. Ruyi just smiled but didn't reveal anything.
Long Er rode his horse back to the manor, but stopped when he passed a zither shop called Langyin Pavilion. He squinted at the shop entrance for a long time before finally dismounting and going inside.
The music shop was small, but extremely clean and decorated with a Zen-like ambiance. Long Er looked around, feigning concern. The shopkeeper only glanced at him and didn't approach to greet him.
Long Er, having seen enough, coughed and then asked in a pretentious manner, "Do you accept banknotes?"
"Yes, I have it." The shopkeeper finally slowly raised his eyes and asked, "Master Long wants to buy a zither?" His tone clearly showed disbelief, and Long Er was actually embarrassed by his words.
"I'm not buying it." Despite feeling inexplicably embarrassed, Ryuji straightened his back and replied. Then he asked, "Which piano is the one that costs 88,000?"
The shopkeeper pointed to the farthest corner of the shop.
There was a separate altar there, with an antique zither placed on it. Long Er stared at the zither, his brows furrowed into a deep frown. This piece of rotten wood dared to be worth 88,000 taels of gold!
In Yu Long'er's opinion, the confession table looked better than the broken zither. He glanced at the shopkeeper out of the corner of his eye, but the shopkeeper really ignored him and continued to fiddle with the sheet music in his hands.
Long Er glanced at the zither a few more times, then turned and left without a word. Those who love fine zithers are all obsessed; eighty-eight thousand taels of gold—that's utterly insane.
When Long Er returned home, he didn't mention what he had done with Ruyi, nor did he mention seeing the so-called "peerless zither." However, Ju Mu'er had something to say to him: she told him that Ding Yanshan had come to see her.
Did she say anything?
Ju Mu'er nodded, seemingly lost in thought. "She told me she was sorry."
Long Er paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief. Ju Mu'er said, "Second Master, she is actually a good girl. Please don't hurt her."
Long Er sighed, "In her family, she's probably the only one who isn't bad."
Ju Mu'er frowned, wondering what Ding Yanshan would do if things continued to develop like this.
Time flew by as Ju Mu'er recuperated, and before they knew it, the year was almost over. Han Xiao confirmed that Ju Mu'er was in good health and only needed to take her medicine and eat proper meals as prescribed. So he left the prescription and took his leave of Nie Chengyan.
Using his connections in the underworld, Long San uncovered a deeply hidden secret—the Ministry of Justice had a private spy network that violated the law to build its power.
"Is Zhuo Yishu one of their spies?" Long Er asked, looking at the dossier in his hand.
"Logically speaking, that should be the case. But these undercover agents are all deeply buried, and I dare not act rashly. Concealing the establishment of a private enterprise from the court is a matter of great importance or small importance. I was worried about alerting them, so I stopped as soon as I received the news."
"Yes, you did the right thing. For now, this will do." Long Er waved the dossier in his hand: "As long as I have a reason to stir up trouble, that's fine. Once the waters are muddied, things will be easier to handle."
"You stirred up the water?" Long San frowned. It sounded like his second brother was trying to stir up trouble.
However, before the world descended into chaos, the Dragon Palace experienced a minor disturbance.
Because Old Man Ju is back.
Old Man Ju had happily returned home before the New Year, only to find his house burned down. He was stunned, still reeling, when he overheard his neighbors telling him that his daughter had been divorced by Master Long. He asked where his daughter was now, but they said Master Long had taken her back to recuperate.
Old Man Ju's simple mind couldn't quite grasp the concept.
Why were they abandoned and then brought back together?
Old Man Ju hurried to the Long residence, encountering acquaintances along the way and hearing many rumors. The more he listened, the more confused he became, and finally arrived at the Long residence in a sweat.
No one in the Long family knew that Old Master Ju had returned, but Second Elder Long had already instructed that guest rooms be prepared for Old Master Ju and his second son, so that they wouldn't be left without a place to stay if they suddenly returned home. Therefore, the Long family was not in a hurry to arrange food and lodging, but it was Old Master Ju himself who was in a mess.
He held Ju Mu'er and cried bitterly, feeling that his daughter was the most pitiful person. She lost her mother at such a young age, and then went blind. She finally married a man and thought she could live a good life from then on, but how could she be divorced? Being divorced was bad enough, but how could the house be burned down? In the end, she was left homeless and had to live back in her ex-husband's house in a humble manner.
Old Master Ju was grieving to himself when it was time for Ju Mu'er to take her medicine. The maid brought the medicine, prepared sweet plums to relieve the bitterness, and a towel to wipe her mouth. After she finished the medicine, a tonic soup followed, and several maids served her for a while.
Old Man Ju stared blankly, his tears almost stopping. Was this treatment of a discarded wife a little too good?
Before Old Man Ju's surprise had completely subsided, another major event occurred that day.
Two eunuchs from the palace arrived, leading several junior eunuchs, carrying what was said to be an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager. The gist of the edict was that Ju Mu'er's musical skills were exceptional, a source of pride for the Xiao Kingdom, and that the Empress Dowager greatly favored her. However, Long Er had mistreated his wife, divorcing her on trumped-up charges, which was terribly wrong. Therefore, the Empress Dowager hoped that Long Er would correct his mistakes and reunite with Ju Mu'er as husband and wife.
Ju Mu'er was stunned upon hearing the imperial decree. Long Er, unable to hide his pride, accepted the decree, gave the eunuchs large red envelopes, and invited them to a side hall for drinks and food.
Old Man Ju had given up on being surprised. He simply asked Long Er directly, "Second Master, what does this mean?"
Long Er smiled happily: "It means you are still my father-in-law."
"Oh." That one clear answer was enough; Old Man Ju was satisfied.