Chapter 75

Inside the Yan Empire’s imperial palace, after court ended, Yun Yaoyao chatted with her trusted aides outside the Xuanzheng Hall.

Although Gao Chongguang had always been the outcast of the Yaoyao faction, his shamelessness was impossible to overcome. He insisted on squeezing into the group, especially whenever His Majesty was present, just so he could make his presence known.

In the past, Yun Yaoyao had found him nothing more than an attention-seeking nuisance and preferred not to look at him.

But now that she had set her sights on Gao Chongguang’s father, Gao Dexiang, his behavior was exactly what she wanted.

“My esteemed ministers, the capital’s first library and literacy school have already been completed. I intend to visit them in plain clothes. Which of you would care to accompany Me?” Yun Yaoyao asked with a faint smile, casting out a hook for a certain fish with the surname Gao.

Sure enough, just as Zhou Siren and the others were about to speak, Gao Chongguang immediately rushed forward. He even used his backside to shove Lin Qingti out of the way.

“Your Majesty, I’m free! I’d be honored to accompany You. I’ll make all the arrangements perfectly!” Gao Chongguang said with an ingratiating smile.

Di Shunzhi frowned. “Why are you butting in? You—”

Gao Chongguang shot back, “Lord Di, you’ve been busy reorganizing and managing Manyu Tower lately. Lord Zhou is the Minister of Revenue, and Lord Lin is the Minister of Rites. All of you are swamped with official duties. How could you possibly find the time?”

“I’m the only suitable candidate to accompany His Majesty!”

Yun Yaoyao furrowed her brows and pretended to agree reluctantly. “That is true. The three of you must all attend to the affairs of the court. In that case, it will be Lord Gao.”

Gao Chongguang flashed a smug smile and secretly shot Lin Qingti a vicious look, wearing an unbearably proud expression.

Just wait and see. Once you’re all too busy to curry imperial favor, I’ll cling tightly to His Majesty’s leg and crush you all beneath it!

Main Street of the imperial capital.

Restaurants, eateries, and shops of every kind stood shoulder to shoulder, stretching in neat rows as far as the eye could see. Every passerby wore a smile, and the entire street was brimming with life.

After Yun Yaoyao and Gao Chongguang finished inspecting the library and literacy school, they prepared to head to the restaurant Gao Chongguang had arranged for lunch.

Meanwhile, Yun Yaoyao was already calculating how to deceive Gao Chongguang later—how to paint him a few enormous, irresistible promises and persuade him to turn against his father.

Just then, Gao Chongguang’s expression suddenly changed. He rolled up his sleeves.

“Well, well! That damned swindler actually dares to show his face in the capital again? Just watch how I teach him a lesson!”

After respectfully giving Yun Yaoyao a few instructions, he charged toward a figure in the distance.

The moment Gao Chongguang reached Pei Qianhuo, Pei Qianhuo reacted and hurriedly dodged to the side.

Gao Chongguang failed to stop in time and went headfirst toward the ground.

Fortunately, Yun Yaoyao reacted quickly. She lunged forward and caught him, preventing him from taking a spectacular face-plant.

Gao Chongguang was deeply moved. His gaze turned sticky with affection.

His Majesty truly regarded him as a trusted aide. His Majesty cared about him!

Pei Qianhuo was already cursing his bad luck at having run into trouble. But when he saw Yun Yaoyao’s face, his expression brightened with delight.

“Young Master, what are You doing here?!”

Gao Chongguang pointed at Pei Qianhuo and loudly complained, “Young Master, this man is a con artist! He swindled my money! You have to stand up for Your subordinate!”

“Who’s your Young Master? Why are you calling my Young Master ‘Young Master’?” Pei Qianhuo frowned.

“Go to hell—your mother, your father, your grandmother, your grandfather, your maternal grandmother, and your entire eighteen generations of ancestors!” Gao Chongguang roared furiously. “This is my—our Young Master!”

“Are you all right in the head? This is obviously my Young Master.”

“What are you supposed to be? You think you’re worthy of having the same Young Master as me? Know your place!”

“Oh, right, right, right. He’s your Young Master, and I’m your father. Now you’ve got both a father and a Young Master. Happy?”

“I’ll—[bleep] you—[bleep]—censored—!”

“Look at you getting all worked up. [bleep]—censored—!”

It was Yun Yaoyao’s first time seeing someone trade insults with Gao Chongguang without losing ground. She could not help observing them for a while.

“All right, that’s enough!”

Afraid the two of them would actually start fighting and she would lose two talented subordinates at once, Yun Yaoyao inserted herself between them and silenced them with a frigid, razor-sharp look.

“Is there a possibility that both of your Young Masters are me?”

Pei Qianhuo: ???

Gao Chongguang: !!!

Once they understood what had happened and realized that they had been serving the same master as their sworn enemy, both men looked as though they had just swallowed a mouthful of filth. Yet they were still forced to shake hands and make peace with smiles on their faces.

Gao Chongguang spoke with exaggerated sarcasm. “Money Loser, you really are something. You’ve even managed to cling to Young Master’s leg.”

Although Pei Qianhuo still did not know Yun Yaoyao’s true identity, he did not forget to fire back.

“Lord Gao is impressive too. If there’s one thing you have, it’s oral talent. If there’s one thing you’re capable of, it’s oral talent. And if there’s one thing you’re handsome for, it’s still oral talent. Otherwise, how could you have won Young Master’s favor?”

Here, “oral talent” meant nothing more than having an unbearably foul and shameless mouth.

The joke came from the fact that Gao Chongguang’s mouth was so infuriating that a talented scholar had once begun a satirical poem about him with the line, “In the capital there lived a master of oral performance…”

“You!”

“That’s enough. No more arguing,” Yun Yaoyao said.

Yun Yaoyao chatted with Pei Qianhuo for a while. After hearing that his plans to start a liquor business were progressing smoothly, she nodded in satisfaction.

A warning bell began ringing in Gao Chongguang’s mind. He glanced at the child standing behind Pei Qianhuo, then rolled his eyes.

“Money Loser, is that child yours? He looks as though he’s been abused. Don’t tell me you were the one who did it?”

Pei Qianhuo glared at him. “Stop judging others by your own standards!”

“Young Master, I came across this child on the road just now. He’s so thin and frail, yet he was being forced to carry goods three times his own weight. The overseer was even whipping him. I couldn’t bear to see it, so I sent someone to buy him.”

At this, Pei Qianhuo grew indignant.

“After asking around, I found out that he was actually from the Charity Children’s Bureau!”

“The Charity Children’s Bureau?” Yun Yaoyao frowned. She had never heard of it.

Pei Qianhuo explained, “The Charity Children’s Bureau was established during the late emperor’s reign. It was funded by the imperial court to take in and raise children who had no families. They were taught a trade, and once they reached adulthood, they could choose whether to stay or leave. Anyone over thirty who had no children could register there to adopt a child.”

“It was supposed to be a good deed that accumulated merit…”

“But only today did I learn that the Charity Children’s Bureau is nothing but a den of scum! They take salaries from the court while doing utterly unconscionable things. Not only do they beat and mistreat these children, they also force them to earn money in all sorts of ways. If they don’t, they refuse to feed them!”

“Worst of all, they collude with human traffickers and sell the children!”

The moment those words fell, Yun Yaoyao’s expression darkened. She looked at the little boy standing not far behind Pei Qianhuo.

His face was sallow and gaunt, his clothes ragged, and his expression timid and fearful. There were even scars around his exposed ankles. At a glance, it was obvious that he had suffered abuse and malnutrition for years.

Yun Yaoyao’s voice turned icy.

“How can a place like this still exist under the authority of the imperial court? Take me to the Charity Children’s Bureau. I will see that justice is done!”

The group climbed into a carriage and headed toward the Charity Children’s Bureau.

They soon arrived at a secluded alley. At the far end stood a residence with a faded, peeling plaque bearing the words “Charity Children’s Bureau.”

Eager to show off, Gao Chongguang kicked the door open and shouted arrogantly, “You bunch of—”

His voice abruptly cut off.

A scar-faced man standing by the entrance punched him squarely in the face.

Gao Chongguang: Perfect force. Dazed, but not brain-damaged.

The next second, he rolled his eyes back and passed out.

Yun Yaoyao: “……”

In the middle of the courtyard, several burly men built like oxen glared over with hostile expressions. “Here to pick a fight?”

At once, one of the Dragonshadow Guards placed a hand on the knife at his waist and moved protectively to Yun Yaoyao’s side. In a low voice, he said, “Young Master, these men have calluses on their hands. They’re trained fighters, and there’s a smell of blood on them. They may be vicious criminals.”