Goddess Atlas, Starting from the Queen

When Xiao Qingyun left the study, Li Yunfan was waiting at the door. When he saw Xiao Qingyun limping out of Lu Ming's study, Li Yunfan looked puzzled.

Li Yunfan took the initiative to bow and said, "Greetings, Miss Xiao."

Xiao Qingyun simply gave a curt "hmm," trying her best to appear normal.

Li Yunfan then asked, "Miss Xiao, is your leg injured?"

Li Yunfan couldn't help but wonder if, during his absence from the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion, another assassin had broken in and injured Xiao Qingyun.

He had naturally heard the news that there were spiritual objects in the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion. Upon hearing this news, he realized that many thieves might infiltrate the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion in the near future.

However, without the orders of the Carefree King, he couldn't return to the Carefree King's Mansion. Besides, given the Carefree King's strength, it seemed he didn't need someone of the first rank like him to watch over the Carefree King's Mansion.

Xiao Qingyun said indifferently, "Yes, assassins have been frequently appearing at the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion these past few days, and I was accidentally injured."

"The king is still waiting for you, please go in."

As she spoke, Xiao Qingyun walked towards the courtyard gate.

Li Yunfan couldn't help but think that with their king in the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion, it was still possible for an assassin to injure Xiao Qingyun. It seemed that the assassin who attacked the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion was quite powerful.

No wonder the king sent him a message asking him to come back. Could it be that he intends to have him return to continue guarding the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion?

Li Yunfan entered the study while thinking about it.

By this time, Lu Ming had changed his clothes and was sitting at the desk made of Phoebe zhennan wood.

Li Yunfan respectfully said, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Lu Ming said calmly, "No need for formalities."

Li Yunfan took the initiative to ask, "Does Your Majesty intend to send me back to the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence?"

Lu Ming said, "It's not about that. The Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion has already recruited five thousand new soldiers. You and Commander Shi need to hurry up and train them."

While a first-rank expert is powerful, it doesn't have much effect on the current situation of the Carefree Prince's Mansion, because the people attracted by the Blood Lotus are at least first-rank experts, and there may even be grandmasters among them.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, second-rank martial artists were already sought after by many forces. When Li Yunfan was still a second-rank martial artist, many forces in the capital wanted to poach him.

However, the value of a martial artist varies greatly depending on the environment. A first-rank martial artist is extremely rare even in the capital, but because of Lu Ming's special status, he happens to be able to come into contact with many first-rank martial artists, and even grandmasters. Therefore, in the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion, there is a misconception that first-rank martial artists are worthless and grandmasters are everywhere.

There was no way around it; given Lu Ming's identity, he was destined to come into contact with those who belonged to the upper echelons of power in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hearing Lu Ming's words, Li Yunfan became even more curious about why Lu Ming had asked him to come back. Could it be that he wanted to find out about the trouble caused by the thieves who broke into the Lu family manor?

Li Yunfan didn't ask any more questions and waited for Lu Ming to speak.

Lu Ming said, "Commander Li has been by my father's side since he was a child, hasn't he?"

This……

Li Yunfan was a little confused, wondering why Lu Ming suddenly asked this question.

Li Yunfan replied, "Your Majesty, when I was six years old, I was brought into the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion by Immortal Lu, and at the age of thirteen, I became a member of the Xiaoyao Prince's personal guard. From then on, I followed Immortal Lu until his passing." Lu Ming said, "Then do you know whether my father had a previous marriage before marrying my mother?"

Li Yunfan pondered for a moment, then said, "It's not a matter of marriage, but Immortal Lu once had a personal maid."

Li Yunfan put it rather tactfully, after all, in this era, personal maids were truly intimate; they were required to do anything for their masters and even warm their beds.

Lu Ming then asked, "Why did this woman leave the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion?"

Li Yunfan said, "I was young at the time and didn't know much. I only knew that the woman seemed to have ulterior motives in approaching Immortal Lu, but she visited the Lu residence several times afterward."

Lu Ming asked curiously, "Has she come to the Lu residence several times? What is she doing back here?"

Li Yunfan replied, "Yes, she brought a boy back, seemingly wanting the boy to become Lu Xianren's disciple, but Lu Xianren did not accept the boy as a disciple."

Upon hearing Li Yunfan's words, Lu Ming frowned slightly. His father should know that Dongfang Liyue's master had no good intentions in approaching his father. His father was just playing along and sleeping with a beauty for nothing.

What puzzled him was why she dared to come back after leaving the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion, and why she inexplicably brought a young boy back to become his father's disciple.

When she left the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion, she and her father must have already completely confronted each other. She probably couldn't keep up the pretense any longer. How could she have the nerve to come back?

Her identity has been exposed, yet she still dares to come back? She must have some kind of backing.

Bringing a young boy to become her disciple—this boy was the most unexpected presence. The fact that this woman, a spy from an enemy country, dared to swagger in with a boy to seek apprenticeship from her father, the king, was most likely because the boy possessed something special.

Lu Ming's mind went blank for a moment, and then he realized something.

He then said to the maid, "Immediately send someone to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and ask the Pavilion Master Dongfang to come to the Prince's Mansion tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The maid then turned and went to the Prince's training ground to find a guard to deliver a message to Dongfang Liyue.

Seeing Lu Ming's look of sudden realization, Li Yunfan asked curiously, "What has Your Majesty thought of?"

Lu Ming did not explicitly state his guess, but said, "It's just a guess, we can't be sure yet. You should go and rest first. Miss Xiao will go back to the manor with you tomorrow."

Seeing that Lu Ming didn't say anything, Li Yunfan didn't press the matter further. He respectfully bowed and said, "This subordinate takes his leave!"

After Li Yunfan left, Lu Ming looked in the direction of Baihua Tower and muttered to himself, "It seems that my father doesn't only have three children like us."

It was all too common for a maid to climb into her master's bed and get pregnant in ancient times. However, if the woman Li Yunfan mentioned was Dongfang Liyue's master, then she should at least be a martial artist of the second rank or above. She should be able to use her true qi to expel impurities from her body.

Or is it that Dongfang Liyue's master wanted to use the child to threaten her father? So she deliberately became pregnant with her father's child?
Lu Ming plans to ask Dongfang Liyue about some details of that person's words and actions tomorrow, which may help him further confirm his identity.

If the person behind the Hundred Flowers Pavilion is indeed the child of his father and Dongfang Liyue's master, then it makes sense why this person hates the Carefree Prince's Mansion so much.

As the child of a powerful figure, it's impossible not to feel resentment when you can't go home or inherit everything in the family.

Since I can't have it, I'll destroy it completely. Perhaps that's what that person was thinking. (End of Chapter)