Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

The couple is loving and their family is harmonious.

As a first-class prince who has the potential to inherit the throne, the Qin Prince's Mansion has always had a very good image in the outside world.

Even someone of Murong Yao's stature didn't hear any negative news.

But how is that possible?

Even in Li Changqing's previous life, in that era of highly exposed information, some wealthy people maintained a very good public image before their private lives were truly exposed.

But once your private life is exposed, you'll find out just how filthy it is inside.

Illegitimate children are a minor issue; far more sordid things happen all the time...

As the legitimate son of a prince, the thirteenth prince was a true royal heir and grandson. Even if he didn't have a hundred, he would have at least several dozen servants around him.

How could it possibly get lost on its own?

But he just got lost, and for a full ten years, the truth was never revealed to the public.

"Those assassinations might just be bait, a diversionary tactic..."

Li Changqing had never actually seen the wealth and splendor of the Prince's Mansion, but he could roughly imagine its outline.

If they are secret guards trained by the Prince's Mansion, they are assassins.

Their strength shouldn't be as weak as Murong Yao said.

They are all at least innate, and it's even possible that one or two will become Grandmasters.

"We can't rule out that possibility. But we've been keeping our whereabouts secret, and no one except the two of us should know."

Murong Yao had obviously thought of this as well.

But she was very confident in her disguise.

Those who have been involved in the Golden Bodyguard operations for a long time, or engaged in similar work, can easily learn a common sense fact.

To accomplish anything, secrecy is paramount!

That's why the ancients passed down the famous saying that things are accomplished through secrecy.

As long as their operations are kept secret enough, no one will be able to find them?

There are at least several thousand students, if not ten thousand, heading to Kyoto from their location.

Even if the other party manages to track them down and discover their disguised identities, finding them will not be easy.

Not to mention, the other party couldn't possibly know their disguised identities.

Their chances of being discovered are even lower.

Murong Yao was very confident, which stemmed from her confidence in her professional abilities.

Li Changqing had no doubt about her abilities.

But this does not mean that Li Changqing thinks they can rest easy.

The other side carried out two assassination attempts with great fanfare, but the people they sent were of low strength, and it didn't seem like they really wanted to kill Li Changqing.

It's more like they're trying to lull someone into a false sense of security.

If the intention is to deceive someone, then the true purpose must be concealed.

What is the other party's true intention?

The answer seems obvious.

"It might not go that smoothly."

Having received news of the assassination attempt, Li Changqing began to deliberately investigate the situation at the Prince of Qin's residence.

Although he was highly skilled and daring.

However, out of caution, Li Changqing still wanted to know himself and his enemy.

That way, when he arrives in Kyoto and meets the legendary King of Qin, he won't be like a headless fly.

"The Princess Consort of the Prince of Qin's Mansion has given birth to a son and a daughter. The eldest daughter is the most famous and renowned in the entire capital. His Majesty has personally bestowed upon her the title of Princess Chang Le. It is said that after her marriage, she will be further granted the title of Princess."

Rumors of the succession struggle in Kyoto have even reached the remote Shanhai County.

In this situation, one could even receive His Majesty's promise to bestow upon her the title of princess.

How favored was this Princess Chang Le?

This is generally true.

"As for the legitimate son, it is the missing thirteenth imperial grandson. He is two years younger than the princess, and should be fifteen this year."

Li Changqing has no memory of 10 years ago, so his age cannot be truly determined.

If he is indeed the thirteenth prince, then he is fifteen years old now, and will turn sixteen in a month.

Li Changqing nodded. "What about illegitimate sons and daughters?"

"The Qin Prince's mansion isn't particularly large, but it's not insignificant either. After the thirteenth imperial grandson went missing, the Qin Princess selected two sons from concubines and registered them under her name. Now, they are also legitimate sons of the Qin Prince's mansion. The two are the eleventh and fourteenth imperial grandsons. Besides them, the mansion also has one imperial grandson and two imperial granddaughters."

Aside from the one who got lost, there were a total of three men and three women.

It must be said that this Prince Qin is quite good at fathering children.

Considering it from the perspective of conflict of interest.

At this time, the people in the Prince of Qin's mansion who most hoped for an accident to happen to the thirteenth prince were probably the other two illegitimate sons registered under the princess's name.

They should know that they had the opportunity to inherit the Qin King's mansion, and even the entire country.

Upon his return, the thirteenth grandson, being the legitimate son of the emperor, was undoubtedly the heir apparent by blood.

Putting himself in Li Changqing's shoes, if Li Changqing were the Crown Prince or one of the other princes who had a chance to seize the throne, he might even have done everything in his power to make this happen.

Even the most direct bloodline, after being raised in a gang for ten years, which is the most important decade of their lives for learning, was still lost.

It's basically useless now.

Choosing such a useless person to inherit the Qin Prince's mansion is tantamount to severing the foundation of the Qin Prince's mansion.

"How are my two brothers? One is eleven, the other is fourteen. They look about my age."

"Your Highness is right. The Eleventh Prince is one year older than you, and the Fourteenth Prince is one year younger than you."

Murong Yao was clearly aware of this.

This is probably not a secret in Kyoto.

"And one more?"

"That prince is the youngest, and is said to be the most favored by Prince Qin. Although he is not registered under the princess's name, he is raised by her side. It is said that even His Majesty the Emperor is very fond of him and often comes to the palace to accompany him. He is nine years old this year and is twenty-first among the imperial grandsons."

"At nine years old, it's unlikely he could have planned all this. Therefore, the most suspicious candidates are the eldest and third sons of the Prince of Qin's residence, right?"

Putting aside their biological parents, these two are the most likely suspects.

They benefited the most from Li Changqing's death.

In other words, they had the strongest motive for committing the crime!

Although Murong Yao didn't say anything, you could tell from her expression.

She greatly admired Li Changqing's judgment.

Whoever profits the most has the strongest motive!

This is a commonly used method of deduction when they are solving cases.

As a member of the Golden Guard, it's not surprising that she knew this.

Li Changqing, who supposedly had no experience with these things, surprisingly understood this principle.

This is truly extraordinary.

"Where are your two younger sisters?"

"The remaining two young princesses are both born out of wedlock. One is thirteen years old this year, and the other is twelve..."

"They were also highly valued in the Prince's residence."

Upon hearing this, Li Changqing couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

So, of all the Qin Prince's mansion, he, the only direct descendant, had the worst life.

The other six children were either registered under the princess's name or had the potential to compete for the throne in the future.

They are either pampered or spoiled.

His unexplained early death, coupled with the fact that someone noticed something amiss, eventually brought the matter to the Emperor's attention.

This enraged His Majesty of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who searched the entire world for it.

……