In Ninjing Manor, Zhao Li Xin was in his study room taking care of his daily activities which included tackling mountains of papers and scrolls. The room was mostly quiet with the only sound coming from the grinding of ink done by Mong Ki who sat beside Zhao Li Xin.

Although Mong Ki was working diligently, his eyes were glued on the small flower in the pot next to the window with curiosity. His Lord was not someone who preferred delicate plants as the only plant he kept indoors was the bonsai.

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His garden was also filled with bonsai trees, bamboos and had a small shrub with a big koi fishpond in the middle. The garden was clean and neat, matching Zhao Li Xin’s rigid personality.

Everyone in the manor was stunned when Zhao Li Xin brought home the small flowers. The Sixth Prince placed on in the study and asked the gardener to plant others in the garden. The blue flower gave a great contrast to the colorless garden.

‘Knock! Knock!’ Someone banged on the door disrupting Mong Ki’s thoughts and the workflow.

“Come in!” Zhao Li Xin called lazily.

Mong Yi dressed in the black uniform entered the room and knelt on the floor, “Mi Lord, the Third Prince has arrived in Nanjing City.”

Zhao Li Xin Kept his eyes on the scroll in his hand and said indifferently, “Is that so…”

“The Third Prince and his army have already passed the gates. The people have prepared a parade to welcome his highness. He will then go straight to the Imperial Palace,” Mong Yi continued his report without hesitation. He like other subordinates didn’t dare guess Zhao Li Xin’s mood especially when they relayed the news to him. 

“His triumphant return seems to gain the old Emperor’s favor. I would like to see the looks on the Empress and noble Consort Ying faces when they hear this…” Zhao Li Xin was amused by the problem the two women would face from this development.

The Empress and the Royal Consort were always fighting from the moment they met. It was simply because they had the same desires. They both desired the Emperor’s love and having Imperial power.

Their end game was owning the Imperial throne. Their ambitions were limitless. For them, nothing was too cruel or vile as long as they got what they wanted.

Zhao Yi Chen, the Third Prince, lost his mother earlier on. He did not have a maternal family to support him but the fact that he was greatly talented and had a clear mind overcome his limitations. He left the Imperial Palace and become a soldier when he was thirteen. This was a smart move as he managed to preserve his life.

Zhao Yi Chen became a talented general after a few years in the army and managed to make deep connections with many old generals. The Emperor gradually became fond of him and gave him ‘Tiger Plaque’ which gave him the power to authorize the thousand Imperial Soldiers.

Zhao Li Xin remembered the reaction from the other royal family when this happened. Zhao Mu Fan and Zhao Qin Feng’s face turned livid, while the Empress almost fell from her chair and his ‘dearest’ mother looked like she had swallow flies.

Zhao Li Xin never had any close relationships with anyone in the Imperial Palace. When he thought of the Imperial family, his feelings were divided. He either loathed them or ignored them. His outlook towards them remained the same throughout the years.

They stayed away from him and he did the same. The members of the Imperial family liked to pretend he did not exist which was great for him. However, the growing powers between the prince’s factions threatened his peace as he felt someone was bound to cross his boundaries. He suspected his mother, the crazy woman, would be first to do that as she always knew how to push his buttons. It was like she was itching to die by his own blade. This sounded cruel but it was the perks of being royalty.

“Has the Third Prince chosen a Consort yet?” Zhao Li Xin put down the scroll on the table slowly.

“Not yet, Mi Lord.” Mong Yi answered.

Choosing a Consort was not an easy task for a prince. This was especially true when dealing with situations where each faction fought for the throne. Whoever a prince chose had to be approved by many people as it could easily change the course of politics in the Kingdom. The Sixth Prince was lucky he didn’t fall into this category. 

With the power of the Hei Shen Sect in his hand, Zhao Li Xin was not afraid to oppose the Imperial family. He could easily fight head to head with the whole Kingdom if it’s necessary.

Zhao Li Xin had more than enough power to squash the whole kingdom under his feet, however, he was still reluctant to expose his identity as ‘Long Ming’. His life as the Sixth Prince was not bad. He actually liked it when people ignored him or pretended he wasn’t there, unlike other people Zhao Li Xin liked the quiet and solitary life.

Thinking about ‘solitary’ made him remember a certain girl standing among the blue flowers. He wondered what she was now up to. He hoped she would not get sick from being overworked since she didn’t seem like she slept well.

Then again, how could anyone rest living in such a place? He knew how bad the maid’s living quarters were in noble houses.

Zhao Li Xin tapped his finger on the table in monotone. His subordinates thought their Master was contemplating how to handle the Third Prince and the royal family. They wouldn’t have imagined his mind had shifted to someone else.

His eyes gazed at the small blue flower near his table. He felt a sense of longing. It was a new feeling, something he never felt before. He could not comprehend it yet.

“How many people do we have at the Lao Manor?” He asked abruptly.

“Reporting to Mi Lord. We have five people including the housekeeper, Mu Han,” Mong Yi responded.

“The housekeeper…?” Zhao Li Xin forgot about him.

A few years ago, Mu Han’s sister became ‘Tongfang’ (Bed warmer) for Prime Minister Lao. The Prime Minister grew fond of her and wanted to make her his Concubine. Jealous and angered by this, Yang Wei Lan killed the woman and her unborn child.

Although Prime Minister Lao knew what Yang Wei Lan had done, he did not dare reprimand his wife for a mere servant. He covered Yang Wei Lan’s crime to save his reputation and compensated Mu Han and his family with a lot of money.

However, the Prime Minister forgot to factor in human emotions. Mu Han’s mother was shaken after she lost her only daughter. She became sick and died prompting Mu Han to feel useless. He was unable to avenge his family.

A fight between him and Prime Minister Lao was like an ant fighting an elephant. It was also hard for him to leave his position without the approval of the Prime Minister yet serving the family that killed his own family was too much to bear.

Mu Han was frustrated until he met the Hei Shen Sect people who offered him a job to spy inside Lao Manor. He quickly agreed without thinking too much. Fortunately, Hei Shen Sect was fair to its people. Hei Shen Sect protected his wife and children and treated them very well. He never needed to worry about their safety.

To show his gratitude, Mu Han became one of the best sources of information for the Hei Shen Sect. This was especially easy for him as many officials went in and out of the Prime Minister’s residence. He managed to gather a lot of crucial information for Hei Shen Sect.

“Tell him to alleviate Luo Ri Yi’s workload. I want her to do less labor,” Zhao Li Xin said with an annoyed face. The thought of the little girl lifting heavy stuff with her frail arms made his heart uncomfortable.

“Yes, Mi Lord!” Mong Yi replied firmly but questioned himself ‘Who the heck is Luo Ri Yi?’ His Lord hated women in general. It did not matter if the women were beautiful. His Lord’s response when he saw them was to squint at them as if they were rats.

“Make sure Luo Ri Yi stays away from the Lao family especially Lao Min Na and Lao Fei Yan,” Zhao Li Xin told Mong Yi sternly. “And put more surveillance on Lao Min Na!!”

“Yes, Mi Lord!”

Zhao Li Xin raised his hand and waved off Mong Yi. He leaned into his chair, “Is Lao Min Na still selling her second-grade pill?”

Mong Ki poured some wine for Zhao Li Xin, “Yes, Mi Lord. She accumulated quite some money recently. She has also been purchasing ingredients for the spring jade pill.”

“To accelerate her cultivation growth?” Zhao Li Xin sipped his wine elegantly before he placed the cup down on the table without a sound. “Cultivating using the pill is bad for her body foundation. Why us she so hurried?”

  “Maybe she is preparing for the martial competition happening next month,” Mong Ki said. “If she wants to strengthen her foothold in Lao Manor, she needs to win the competition. She needs to prove she capable…”

Zhao Li Xin took another sip of his wine then took a long deep breath. “That woman… I have a bad feeling about her.

“What makes you think so, Milord?” Mong Yi asked in confusion.

“She has changed too much….” Zhao Li Xin sighed.