Shen Qingfeng helped Mo Yunchen up and said softly, "Brother Mo, you're being too polite. Since Si Yu is my friend, it's only right for us to do this. Now, while the Qi family hasn't discovered that Si Yu has escaped, you two should set off quickly. The farther you go, the better. It's best that you never return to Lige again."
Mo Yunchen looked at Shen Qingfeng gratefully. After a pause, he said, "I will settle Xiao Yu properly. However, I'm a member of the Mo family after all. Although the Mo family has little contact with the court, just in case, I'm planning to return to Lige and take my family away with me."
Shen Qingfeng nodded in understanding. "I understand what you mean. But the Mo family is a prominent family in Lige. If they're taken away without a proper reason, it will only arouse more suspicion. If someone with ulterior motives starts an investigation, your and Si Yu's secret might be exposed."
Mo Yunchen looked troubled. "This..."
Shen Qingfeng smiled. "Don't worry. Since I've taken care of this matter, I'll see it through to the end. You don't need to worry about the Mo family. I have my own way to get them out of Lige. After you go to the south of the Yangtze River, remember to keep a low profile. Once you've found a place to stay, send me a letter to let me know."
Mo Yunchen bowed to Shen Qingfeng again. "I understand. Thank you, Brother Shen!"
Shen Qingfeng turned to look at Qi Siyu, who was sleeping in the carriage. He sighed softly and bowed to Mo Yunchen. "Brother Mo, I'm not sure when we'll meet again after this farewell. The road ahead is long and arduous. Take care!"
In fact, it was the best decision for them to leave Lige now. A month later, a new storm was bound to sweep through the city. Shen Qingfeng and Xia Chuli would carry out a large - scale reshuffle of the court. By then, Shen Qingfeng would be labeled a traitor, and Xia Chuli would force the king to abdicate. Everything would proceed according to Shen Qingfeng's plan. As Qi Siyu's friend, Shen Qingfeng didn't want Qi Siyu to see this side of him.
Shen Qingfeng stood on the hillock, watching the speeding carriage intently. He leaned against a tree trunk, and the gentle breeze blew his robe, bringing with it the fragrance of the newly - sprouted spring grass.
A Man stood beside him, tugging at Shen Qingfeng's clothes. She timidly called out, "Young master..."
Shen Qingfeng came back to his senses. He looked down at A Man and a gentle smile spread across his lips. He slowly reached out his hand and ruffled A Man's hair, saying nothing.
"Whoo - "
Far behind them, the gates of Lige City opened wide. Three horses galloped out of the city amidst the crowd of commoners. Shen Qingfeng turned around, his eyes fixed on the handsome man in armor in the lead. The smile on his lips gradually widened.
"A Man," Shen Qingfeng suddenly called out with a smile.
A Man looked up in confusion.
"I'm really, really lucky."
Lucky that God gave me a chance to be reborn.
Lucky that I met him.
Shen Qingfeng looked at Lu Yan from afar. They were so far apart that he could hardly make out Lu Yan's expression. But he just stood there, smiling and gazing, pouring all his emotions into that look.
Suddenly, the man on the horseback felt something. He paused and, as if guided by fate, turned his head. In the distance, on the hillock, a familiar figure in white stood under a tree, looking up at him.
He recognized the person almost instantly.
Lu Yan was overjoyed. He clamped his legs against the horse's belly, let out a long laugh, and roared, "Wait for me!"
Chen Luo rode behind Lu Yan, pouting. "Who's going to wait for you? Why are you riding so fast!"
"Hahaha..." Lu Yan ignored him and let out a hearty laugh.
In the early spring of Lige City, Shen Qingfeng watched his back fade into the distance with a smile. They both looked forward to the joy of their reunion a month later. Their hearts were filled with happiness, which was like a sweet fragrance in the vibrant spring.
But neither of them knew that a month later, something would be quietly broken along with the peace of Lige City.
After that, King Xia Jie issued an imperial edict to betroth Qi Siyu to Li Yanqing. But when Chen Qi arrived at Qi Siyu's door with the edict, he found the room empty.
The Qi Mansion was in an uproar. The whole city started searching for Qi Siyu, but since Qi Siyu had already been taken away by Mo Yunchen, how could they find her? In the end, King Xia Jie had no choice but to angrily withdraw the edict and fined the Qi family one year's salary.
Qi Shuhuan suspected that the Shen family was involved in this matter, but since Shen Shiqiu had done everything secretly, Qi Shuhuan couldn't find any evidence. He could only glare at Shen Shiqiu and grit his teeth every day.
After Lu Yan left Lige, rumors began to spread in the city for some unknown reason -
Some said that as the first general in Lixia without an army under his command, Lu Yan was not as favored by the king as people thought.
Others said that since Lu Yan had succeeded Lu Jiang as the Marquis of Dingbei, King Xia Jie had helped him a great deal. The reason why he had fallen out of favor was all because of that homosexual, Shen Qingfeng.
Some young girls who admired Lu Yan began to regard the Shen family as their enemy. Some even threw rouge on the outer wall of the Shen Mansion at night, leaving a splash of red.
Although these rumors involved the Shen and Lu families, since it was an imperial edict from King Xia Jie, most people just made a fuss and it didn't cause much of a stir. The only one affected was Shen Qingfeng. Some people who disliked him began to spread insults about him, such as "fox spirit" and "male seductress". Although Shen Yu and Shen Shiqiu were indignant on Shen Qingfeng's behalf, he didn't seem to care.
Five days after Lu Yan left Lige, the supervisor Xing Zhiyuan led his men to Liangcheng and brought some supplies that Lu Yan needed. At the same time, the Mo family was demoted to Yangzhou by King Xia Jie in a fit of anger for a minor mistake.
Shen Qingfeng received a letter from Mo Yunchen, saying that they had arrived in the south of the Yangtze River and found a place to stay. Qi Siyu's fever had also been cured. Shen Qingfeng smiled knowingly and wrote a letter to tell Mo Yunchen about the Mo family's situation.
The next day, the Mo family left Lige. Before leaving, Shen Qingfeng secretly asked Rong Liu to give the Mo family the location where Mo Yunchen and Qi Siyu were staying. The Mo family was extremely grateful and kowtowed three times in the direction of the Shen Mansion in front of Rong Liu.
After the Mo family left the city, the matter regarding Qi Siyu was finally settled. But Shen Qingfeng didn't have much time to rest because he was really, really busy.
Shen Qingfeng looked at the list compiled by Yu Shuang. He picked up a pen and drew red circles after each name. Then he said to Yu Shuang, "Yu Shuang, I've asked Rong Liu to buy a house in the west of the city. You take these four people and move in there first."
Yu Shuang said, "Young master, I've only managed to keep these four people in line with money. I don't think they're trustworthy yet."
"Of course," Shen Qingfeng smiled. In his previous life, the reason why he had managed the Wind - Listening Pavilion so well was not only because of the friendship of fighting side by side, but also because of his own charisma.
Just like the relationship between a king and his subjects, a wise king will naturally have followers, and a wise leader is the same.
Shen Qingfeng was decisive in killing and resourceful in planning. Everyone in the Wind - Listening Pavilion had submitted to him back then. However, in his previous life, the Wind - Listening Pavilion had worked for Xia Chuli. When Xia Chuli ordered the extermination of the Shen family, except for Xiang Cheng, no one in the Wind - Listening Pavilion had shown mercy to the Shen family.
"The Wind - Listening Pavilion has a total of ten people. Among them are your former colleagues and some outlaws. We're different from the Ten - Fang Studio. We're not just a utilitarian relationship based on money. You should take your time to win them over. Winning people's hearts takes time," Shen Qingfeng said.
Just then, A Man rushed into the room in a hurry, gasping for breath. "Y - Young master, Xiang Cheng is going crazy!"