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

After leaving Dengyun Tower, Li Changqing strolled around the streets for a while.

Knowing that he was capable of protecting himself, Murong Yao was no longer worried about his safety.

She returned to the Golden Guard alone and met with her superior, one of the two deputy commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

The commander, surnamed Lu, was a middle-aged man in his thirties with a dignified appearance. Upon seeing Murong Yao, he merely nodded slightly before asking her questions.

"They've already arrived in Kyoto?"

"Yes."

"We received information earlier that you were targeted for assassination by the Blood Skull organization?"

"Yes, there were more than a dozen assassins in total, all of whom possessed innate-level strength. Among them, two or three were even late-stage innate-level masters."

"You guys managed to survive such an assassination attempt?"

Faced with her boss's questioning, Murong Yao remained calm and simply recounted what had happened back then.

She chose to keep some things to herself because she was unsure about them.

After listening, Commander Lu pondered for a moment before speaking, "It seems that the identity of the Thirteenth Prince will soon be revealed. It's time for the excitement in the capital over the past six months to come to an end."

Murong Yao lowered her head and said nothing.

"You've worked hard too, go home and get some rest for a day. When you get back, take Li Changqing directly to the brothel."

"The brothel of ten thousand flowers?"

Murong Yao looked puzzled.

Manka-ro ranks second among the four major brothels in Kyoto.

Even looking at the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, it would rank among the top five.

The owner of Wan Hua Lou had connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, and was a very influential figure throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Leaving people there isn't a safety issue.

But it would be difficult to maintain this lifestyle.

He went from being a penniless nobody to suddenly becoming the thirteenth imperial grandson of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Unexpected wealth can fall from the sky, but few people can resist it.

Isn't this like putting a little rabbit straight into the mouth of a wolf?

"The owner of Wan Hua Lou had an accident, and the brothel was shut down. Since they're just sitting around doing nothing, the remaining thirteen princes are all there, waiting for His Highness Prince Qin to come and assess them."

When the thirteenth imperial grandson went missing, he was already almost six years old.

His appearance may have changed drastically in the past ten years, but you should still be able to find traces of his former self.

In addition to childhood memories...

His Highness the King of Qin should be able to find the true grandson of the emperor.

Meanwhile, Li Changqing, who hadn't had enough to eat, wandered around for a while before finding another restaurant.

The waiter at this restaurant is nowhere near as good as the waiter at Dengyunlou Restaurant.

Although enthusiastic, they lacked a sense of propriety.

"What would you like to eat, sir? Since this is your first time here, our signature dish..."

"Five catties of beef, and two ounces of strong liquor, please!"

Li Changqing had wanted to say this for a long time.

But in his previous territory of the Grand Canal Gang, the people running businesses around him were all relatives and friends of the Grand Canal Gang.

To put it bluntly, those people all know him; they've watched him grow up.

Li Changqing's demand was so embarrassing that I could only dig my toes into the ground.

"Sir, you're joking. This cow is a treasure; our shop needs to apply to the government to get a quota of just a few kilograms. How about we give you two ounces first, and then you can order something else?"

This restaurant is good; they actually have beef.

It is said that the cow accidentally fell into the ditch and died. It was only after being registered with the government that it was slaughtered and sold.

"Alright! You go ahead and do it."

Li Changqing sat in the corner, looking like he didn't want to be disturbed. No one was so oblivious as to come up and talk to him.

There are plenty of tables in restaurants; if you can use one by yourself, who would want to share a table with someone else?

Li Changqing had excellent hearing.

Even though they were a few feet apart, the sounds of the guests talking reached his ears clearly.

"Have you heard? The brothel Wan Hua has sent in two more imperial grandsons."

"Those are all old almanacs; one of them was brought out yesterday."

"Those imperial princes and grandsons of the emperor—how could ordinary people like us ever have the chance to see them?"

"Now things are really messed up. In just the last six months, more than two hundred 13th princes have already appeared."

"It's 224 bits!"

"Most of them were exposed with just one question, and the rest didn't last more than a few days."

"Are you saying they're crazy? Why don't they just live a perfectly good life and insist on pretending to be the sons and grandsons of emperors? Don't they even know if they have the fate to do so?"

"Now look what's happened, it's almost become a joke."

"I heard that at the International Pavilion, envoys from many countries have reported this matter to their respective rulers."

"Since the founding of our Great Zhou Dynasty, we have never lost face like this before."

"Of those two hundred-plus imperial grandsons, more than half died, and the rest didn't fare much better."

"It's said that four of them are still alive!"

"Of these four, which one do you think is the true grandson of the emperor?"

"It should be that Bai..."

"Don't talk nonsense. You can't just call someone whatever you want before the imperial court has officially confirmed it."

"He's been staying there for over four months now."

……

These words reached Li Changqing's ears without missing a single one.

Look at how familiar these guests are with this topic.

Li Changqing could roughly guess just how popular this matter was in Kyoto.

Even the most worthless imperial grandson in history couldn't be more despicable.

More than two hundred people, more than half of them were converted.

If Li Changqing's guess is correct, these losses were likely orchestrated by someone.

The rest were either unaware of the truth or just trying their luck...

The imperial court gave him a simple punishment and did not pursue the matter further.

From small things, one can see the big picture.

The overall atmosphere in the Great Zhou Dynasty is still very good. Being a grandson of the emperor in such a dynasty would relatively reduce the amount of trouble one would encounter.

After leaving the restaurant, Li Changqing went straight back to Dengyun Tower.

In addition to meals, Murong Yao also arranged a room for Li Changqing to rest.

Under Shunxin's guidance, Li Changqing returned to room number five.

The house turned out to be a suite, with one bedroom and one living room.

A curtain was specially used to separate the two spaces.

"Please, sir!"

After leading Li Changqing to the room, Shunxin took out a purse from his pocket, which was bulging with silver.

"I'm so sorry! The Six Doors have already sent compensation..."

"Yeah?"

Li Changqing's impression of Kyoto improved.

Staying here long-term doesn't seem so bad.

The food here is fragrant and delicious, and the people are very welcoming.

Everything a big city should have is available here, provided you have enough money.

If Li Changqing is indeed that thirteenth imperial grandson.

Then the issue of money naturally ceased to be an issue.

After careful consideration, Li Changqing increasingly felt that his idea was good.

The next morning.

Murong Yao then came to Dengyun Tower to find him.

"Your Highness!"

Before Murong Yao could finish speaking, Li Changqing interrupted her: "Are you taking me to the brothel, Wan Hua Lou?"

"yes!"

Murong Yao nodded.

"Then let's go. Miss Murong has helped me a lot before, so I can grant you one wish. Of course, it has to be a reasonable one. What is it that you want?"

……