"Crown Prince, Eighth Prince." Qian Fu pressed his palms together in a Buddhist salute.

Sang Qi didn’t recognize Qian Fu, gave him a glance, and walked into the manor.

"Prime Minister Qian." Sang Zhi greeted him.

"How good of the Eighth Prince to still remember this old man." Qian Fu smiled and added, "I haven’t been Prime Minister for a long time. My dharma name is Dao He now, so I’d trouble Your Highness not to use the old title."

"Master Dao He."

"Very good. What brings the Eighth Prince and the Crown Prince to the General’s manor?"

"Dean Chen has been staying at the General’s manor for the past few days. The Crown Prince and I have come for our lessons."

"I see." Qian Fu was in a very good mood.

「The Main Hall of the General’s Manor.」

Xiang Minghou, stealing a moment of leisure from his busy schedule, had taken the day off. Sang Qi entered the main hall first, where maids had already prepared pastries and tea.

After greeting Dean Chen, Sang Qi sat down and furtively began eating a pastry.

Despite his greed, he ate with an air of absolute elegance and nobility.

Sang Zhi and Qian Fu entered the main hall together, much to the surprise of both Xiang Minghou and Dean Chen.

"Prime Minister Qian, you’ve come as well. A rare guest indeed." Dean Chen stood up.

’Xiang Minghou frowned imperceptibly. His men had already uncovered some things about the incident in Four Directions Town, and the connections to Qian Fanji were extensive. His guard had reported that on the day they picked up Pangtuan, Qian Fanji had also been at the inn.’

’Was it really a coincidence?’

’He had recognized the wound on Pangtuan’s neck as a knife wound at a glance, but he hadn’t said anything. He knew the little girl didn’t want him to worry, and she never told him when she was in danger.’

’But if Qian Fanji was involved, he had to get to the bottom of it.’

’He couldn’t allow Pangtuan to get mixed up in dangerous affairs.’

"Dean Chen, it truly has been a long time. Last time at the academy, we didn’t get a chance to have a proper chat," Qian Fu said, performing a Buddhist salute.

"Hahaha, indeed! Now that we’ve run into each other today, we must have a proper catch-up."

"Heh, there’s no rush. I’ll be in the Capital City for a while, so we’ll have plenty of time to reminisce in the future."

Dean Chen could tell immediately that something was up. "Prime Minister Qian, you haven’t changed a bit. You never show up without a purpose."

Qian Fu smiled faintly, then turned to look at Xiang Minghou. "General Xiang."

"What business brings you here, Prime Minister Qian?" ’When Qian Fu comes calling, it’s never good news.’

"There is indeed a matter, but it’s not convenient to speak of it in front of everyone. General Xiang, could we perhaps speak privately?" Qian Fu’s tone was calm and elegant.

"That won’t be necessary. Say what you have to say."

"Well..." Qian Fu hesitated.

Dean Chen chuckled. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the Eighth Prince, let’s take our lesson to the courtyard."

"Yes, Dean." Sang Zhi stood up.

Sang Qi, who had only eaten two pastries, hesitated for a moment before putting the rest down and rising.

"You two, please take your time with your discussion." Dean Chen led the two of them out the main door.

Just after they had walked a short distance, Dean Chen turned back and said, "Eighth Prince, could I trouble you to summon that little apprentice of mine?"

"Yes." Sang Zhi took this opportunity to leave.

「Inside the Main Hall.」

"Prime Minister Qian, you can speak now." ’Xiang Minghou was certain that whatever came out of the man’s mouth would not be good news.’

"I’ve come today to discuss..."

"General, the Zhan family and Elder Gu have arrived," the steward said as he entered, interrupting Qian Fu.

’Hearing this gave Xiang Minghou a massive headache. The Zhan family... He had thought the preparations for the Emperor’s birthday banquet would be enough to keep them occupied. Why were they here again?’

Qian Fu turned to see Elder Gu storming in at the front, with Zhan Yi close behind. Farther back, the younger son of the Zhan family was supporting one of the Zhan elders. In the blink of an eye, a large crowd had entered the hall.

"Where’s the little girl? I heard she was hurt! How is she? This is a prized medicinal salve from the Gu family." Elder Gu set down the bundle he was carrying, his face a mask of anxiety.

"Who told you Pangtuan was injured?"

"My household guard said he saw the little girl with bandages wrapped around her neck."