57: Chapter 54: The Prime Minister is looking for you 57: Chapter 54: The Prime Minister is looking for you Zhou Chen’s experience was indeed rare,
The challenges that these low-level martial disciples faced in cultivation stirred a feeling of lament,
but Xu Yuan’s attention at the moment was more focused on the Tian’an Martial Hall.
With a Black Scale Guard like Ying’er, who was akin to a death-defying soldier, Xu Yuan had realized earlier than his so-called father must have his own private troop training system.
However, the cultivation of the Black Scale Guards was done in private, much like how the great families and clans raised servants, but the establishment of the Tian’an Martial Hall was a public matter.
Openly recruiting disciples from all over the world.
For ordinary people, this was a pathway to cultivation,
but for the Prime Minister’s Mansion, it was also a form of public conscription.
Realizing this, Xu Yuan collected his thoughts and ceased to ponder further.
Pondering any more at the moment was useless; it was better to wait until he gained enough strength to directly ask his old man.
After leaving the Wuxuan Institute, Xu Yuan took Zhou Chen with him and headed straight for the library.
Devoid of Elixir Medicine to nurture his body, his meridians and will-spirit needed rest, but time could not be wasted.
Xu Yuan planned to spend this time reviewing some ancient books.
Although this place was not the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the Imperial Capital, being the ancestral home of the current Chancellor, the library here also held many extremely rare and unique secrets.
How did Xu Yuan know this?
The tens of thousands of silver in the Sumeru Ring right now came from this knowledge—how could he not know?
The Xuanwu Institute was located in the southwest corner of the servants’ residence, while the library was at the north end, in the master’s living area known as Anxiu Garden.
Having a vast estate was not always a good thing, but since Zhou Chen was quite talkative, the journey didn’t feel dull.
Some of it was Zhou Chen’s personal experiences, some were gossips about the Hook Bar, and some were internal news from the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
Such as the emergence of a secret cultivation technique in a certain place, which led to hordes of martial disciples fighting over it, scores dying, only for the spoils to end up in the hands of the children from noble families.
And such as how in the Imperial Capital, there were courtesans listed on the Imperial Court’s newsletter demanding obscenely high prices; just to have them in one’s room for an evening, to listen to their music and poetry discussions, one would need to pay hundreds of taels of silver.
Or how, despite the high entry fees of Tian’an Martial Hall, it actually operated at a loss each year, requiring astronomical figures to be covered by the Tian’an Commerce Assembly.
Because of his status, Zhou Chen spoke of these things without any concern.
Idly chatting along the way, Xu Yuan’s knowledge expanded a bit more.
Upon reaching the library’s courtyard entrance, two Protectors on duty saluted Xu Yuan and immediately let him through.
The library was a four-story pavilion surrounded by bridges, pavilions, and trickling streams, the environment was quite antique and elegant.
Pushing the door open and entering, a small room came into view.
In the room, there was a quaint wooden table where sat an old man with white hair and beard, holding a book in his hands.
Xu Changtian used to steal books from here without this man being present.
Glancing sideways at Zhou Chen and seeing his unchanged expression, Xu Yuan guessed that this man was probably a caretaker dedicated to the library.
Xu Yuan and Zhou Chen walked straight past; the old man did not even bother to lift his eyes, still immersed in his book.
Seeing this, a hint of respect arose in Xu Yuan’s heart.
Walking into the library, they didn’t stop on the first floor, instead, they took the wooden stairs and headed straight to the top floor.
While walking, Xu Yuan asked curiously:
Zhou, was that old man very strong?”
Zhou Chen lifted his eyebrows slightly and said indifferently:
“A mere Soul Condensation, a Grade Fifth at the twilight of his life, there’s not much to say about that.”
Hearing this, Xu Yuan felt a bit disappointed.
He thought that the man’s demeanour indicated that he might be an expert like the legendary sweeper monks, but it turned out he couldn’t even sense Zhou Chen’s level of cultivation.
At this moment, Zhou Chen chuckled and said:
“Young Master, the library here in Jingjiang Prefecture’s estate doesn’t hold anything particularly unusual; having a Grade Fifth protecting it is already somewhat excessive.
However, there’s indeed a master living in the library over at the Imperial Capital, whom you might have encountered before.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan recalled briefly:
“That maid who was cleaning the books?”
Previously, when he went to the library in the Imperial Capital to steal books, he often encountered a maid cleaning the dust off bookshelves with a ladder in the attic.
A quite young woman, out of place amidst the weighty atmosphere of the library, who always looked at him with tender eyes as if seeing a junior, leaving a deep impression on him.
“It seems you really have seen her.”
Zhou Chen nodded his head slightly and quietly said, “Don’t be fooled by her youth, in reality, she’s only a few years younger than me.
Originally, she was always by madam’s side…”
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Zhou Chen abruptly fell silent.
The library was instantly enveloped in silence.
After several seconds of silence, Zhou Chen slowly continued with a gentle tone:
in any case, she later went to serve in the mansion’s library.”
Xu Yuan did not speak further.
He knew why Zhou Chen had suddenly fallen silent.
Because in his memories, he had almost no information about his mother.
Even if there was any, it was mostly frozen in his very early childhood.
With a father but no mother,
This was also one of the reasons why the original had become reclusive and turned wicked.
However, based on the timeline of the establishment of Tian’an Martial Hall that Zhou Chen mentioned, Xu Yuan could vaguely guess that his mother’s death might be related to the setting up of the Martial Hall.
The two of them silently made their way to the fourth floor,
where Zhou Chen directly climbed out of the window to sit on the rooftop and drink sullenly, while Xu Yuan quietly browsed through various books on the top floor……
Time slowly passed, approaching noon.
“Third Young Master.”
In the silent top floor of the library, a somewhat hoarse female voice rang out.
The sudden voice without any warning made Xu Yuan, who was fully engrossed in reading, tremble slightly in the hand that held the book.
Looking up, he saw it was Ying’er, clad in tight black clothes.
Xu Yuan frowned and asked,
“Is there something?”
“The Prime Minister is looking for you.”
Brevity carried a punch, and Xu Yuan was taken aback in his heart.
Pondering for a moment, he realized that his old dad was unlikely to have traveled thousands of miles to Jingjiang City.
This “looking for him” must mean he was sending a message.
Without further ado, Xu Yuan placed the book back on the shelf and headed downstairs.
Xu Yuan seemed to remember something and suddenly asked,
“By the way, did that woman Su Jinxuan say anything?”
Having handed Su Jinxuan over to Ying’er ten days ago, he figured she must have spilled everything by now.
“She said some things, but not much.”
Surprised, Xu Yuan thought,
“Su Jinxuan only said some?”
This was quite unexpected to him.
The cunning Su Jinxuan, although meticulous in her usual scheming, tended to become not-so-smart under pressure.
She could only be described as a very astute young lady.
Yet now, after staying under Ying’er’s watch for more than ten days, she had only disclosed some things.
Her backbone was indeed quite firm.
“Yes, she only said some.
“I went out to take care of some business ten days ago and questioned her once, she revealed some things, and just today, upon my return to the mansion, I was planning to go and interrogate her again.”
“Did you use the torture method I mentioned?”
There was quiet for a moment,
Xu Yuan slightly imagined the mental state of that cunning woman…..
His body shuddered slightly.
He coughed lightly and, without further inquiry about Su Jinxuan, changed the subject,
“You said you stepped out earlier?
“Investigating Qin Weijiu.” Ying’er.
Xu Yuan paused, turning back to look,
“That Qin Weijiu is the same Mr.
“….” Ying’er kept her gaze down at her toes without speaking.
Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then snorted lightly and walked out without saying a word.
If it had been Zhou Chen, he probably would have spoken frankly about the matter.
Ying’er still requires some training.