After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

After Yin Cheng left, Yin Mo devoted some of his energy to figuring out his younger brother's situation.

My brother has been in the North for most of the year, and I've never heard of him having any close female friends.

In ordinary families, young men usually have concubines before they come of age. Someone as old as Yin Cheng might already have children who can run away.

Perhaps it's really time for my foolish younger brother to get married...

Or should his king choose a good-looking and virtuous prince from among the noble families in the capital?

What if he doesn't like the young masters from noble families...? Or should we gather all the eligible young men together and let him choose for himself?

Yin Cheng had no idea that his brother was worrying about his marriage.

Right now, he and Ying Guanshi are chattering away like country bumpkins in the city.

"What? The entrance fee alone is three hundred taels of silver?" Yin Cheng said. "As expected, Yunzhou has its own currency."

Ying Guanshi asked, "Do you have money?"

Yin Cheng honestly replied, "I have no money."

"I don't have any either," Ying Guanshi said. "Let's sneak in."

Yin Cheng humbly asked for guidance, "How do I slip away?"

Ying Guanshi responded with a profound and enigmatic smile.

After a while, the two men, dressed as servants, swaggered into the main hall.

"Brother Chen, look, that's Admiral Bao Xu, Lord Bao."

"Which one?"

Ying Guanshi said, "The one on the second floor, the one with a full beard."

Yin Cheng said, "I saw it."

Although Bao Xu was surrounded by women on both sides, his gaze was fixed on the courtesan performing on stage.

His face was full of confidence, and the lewdness in his eyes was almost tangible.

On stage, the courtesan smiled and danced with her flowing sleeves, and a pink and white petal fell at Yin Cheng's feet.

Yin Cheng looked up and happened to see the courtesan giving him a flirtatious wink.

Yin Cheng asked, "Did he just look at me?"

Ying Guanshi said, "No, I feel like he's looking at me."

"You're not as handsome as me," Yin Cheng said. "He's definitely looking at me."

Ying Guanshi said, "Obviously I'm more handsome, okay?"

The two were arguing about who was more handsome when suddenly all the candles in the main hall went out.

Someone used a hidden weapon to extinguish the candlelight.

Hundreds of candles went out one after another, followed by a variety of screams.

Yin Cheng didn't move, and neither did Ying Guanshi.

A flash of silver light appeared on the second floor, followed by the sounds of a brawl.

The clanging and clattering sounds were incessant.

Yin Cheng asked in surprise, "What is this?"

Ying Guanshi said, "It's probably someone trying to assassinate the naval admiral."

The main hall was in complete chaos, and some people were even injured in the stampede.

In the darkness, Yin Cheng smelled a faint fragrance of cold plum blossoms.

He looked into the darkness and saw a fleeting figure fly up to the second floor.

"Zheng—"

A piercing metallic sound rang out.

Ying Guanshi calmly replied, "Excellent swordsmanship."

Yin Cheng said, "Brother Ying has a good eye."

Ying Guanshi smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

The noise on the second floor subsided after a short while.

"Bao Xu is dead?" Yin Cheng asked.

Ying Guanshi said, "I don't think so."

"I'll go up and finish him off."

Ying Guanshi quickly pulled him back, "This is inappropriate."

Yin Cheng yawned. "What's wrong?"

"With Bao Xu dead, the navy will surely be thrown into chaos."

Yin Cheng had already drawn his demonic blade. "I don't need to worry about that kind of thing."

"ah--"

A scream.

Yin Cheng said, "He's dead before I even made a move?"

Unexpectedly, the response he received was not from Ying Guanshi, but from the voice of a young man.

"He's dead," the young man said. "You should leave as soon as possible."

After saying that, he broke through the window and went out.

Judging from that voice, it sounds like the courtesan who performed on stage before.

In the moonlight, a dozen dark figures slipped away through the window in an instant.

Ying Guanshi lit a candle, and the dim light illuminated half of his face.

"What's your opinion on this, Brother Chen?"

Yin Cheng said, "Use your eyes to see."

Ying Guanshi smiled and said, "There's no more tune to listen to, let's go back."

Yin Cheng nodded, and the two quickly left the brothel and returned to their cell.

Ying Guanshi nodded slightly.

The old man let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Yin Cheng witnessed this scene.

News of Bao Xu's death didn't break until noon the following day, and the accounts of his death were varied and numerous.

Some say that Bao Xu was assassinated by a courtesan.

Some say Bao Xu suffered a sudden stroke and died in the arms of a courtesan.

A whole bunch of random stuff.

Yin Mo was incredulous upon receiving the news. His younger brother had only gone to listen to a little tune and had just happened to witness Bao Xu being assassinated.

But the old man who hadn't spoken a word in the cell suddenly burst into laughter.

He smoothed his dry, straw-like hair.

"I've finally waited for this day." The old man smiled, then tears streamed down his face.

Ying Guanshi patted the old man on the back. "Master, let's go out."

Yin Cheng wasn't surprised, but there were some things he couldn't understand: "Did you kill Bao Xu?"

Ying Guanshi shook his head. "It's related to us, but we weren't the ones who did it."

At this moment, Yin Mowen arrived with his men.

"What a brilliant move to use someone else to do the dirty work."

Upon seeing Yin Mo, the old man immediately knelt down, "Your subject, Gongsun Tai..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yin Mo started assigning tasks to his younger brother.

"Go and release all the free people in the prison without charge."

"oh."

Yin Cheng sighed, wondering how long this dirty work would last.

After clearing the cell, Gongsun Tai knelt at Yin Mo's feet and recounted Bao Xu's atrocities word by word.

It turns out that Bao Xu practiced nepotism, and in just a few years, he brought the Yunzhou navy completely under his control.

His actions were undoubtedly a message to all the soldiers in the navy: the Yunzhou navy now belonged to the Bao family.

Ying Guanshi was once a soldier in the Yunzhou Navy. He was falsely accused and expelled by his superior and ended up wandering outside.

On the verge of death, he was fortunately saved by Gongsun Tai, and from then on the two addressed each other as master and disciple.

"I have been imprisoned here by Bao Xu for three years, and he has taken sole control of Yunzhou. In order not to alarm the capital, he spared my life, so that he can push me out to be convicted when necessary, and then escape unscathed."

Yin Mo said calmly, "I know all of that. Now, tell me something I don't know."

Gongsun Tai hesitated slightly, but still revealed his and the courtesan's scheme in detail.

It turned out that the courtesan and her entourage were fishermen from Jiao Island.

Because Bao Xu monopolized maritime transport, fearing that the people of Jiaodao Island would reveal their secrets, he carried out a large-scale massacre on the island.

The remnants of Jiao Island deliberately plotted this, conspiring with the prefect of Linhai County to assassinate Bao Xu.

After Yin Cheng released all the people, he was resting against the wall behind his brother.

Upon hearing Gongsun Tai's words, Yin Cheng asked, "What's the deal with that rampant pirate?"

"Your Highness, there are no water bandits at all. It was all Bao Xu who took advantage of the chaos by using the name of water bandits."

Yin Mo then asked, "What's the story behind the memorials sent to the capital?"

Before Gongsun Tai could speak, Ying Guanshi knelt down.

"Your Majesty, it was I who replaced Bao Xu's memorial of greetings."

"No wonder..." Yin Mo nodded. "You risked your lives to plead for me this time, so I will not pursue your crimes. Go back now."

"This guilty subject takes his leave."

Ying Guanshi helped Gongsun Tai leave.

Yin Mo turned around and saw his younger brother deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

Yin Cheng said, "It feels quite coincidental. Bao Xu died so quickly that I didn't even get a chance to finish him off."

Yin Mo chuckled, "Since someone else did this, why get your hands dirty? Let's settle this matter sooner so we can go home as quickly as possible."