All the heavens, it all began with the master paying homage to the sage at night.

Chang'an City was magnificent and vast, with imposing and spectacular scenery. The heavy city gates stood tall and majestic, and people came and went below. The procession to enter the city was winding and long, stretching as far as the eye could see. Carriages and pedestrians were scattered among them, showing the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty capital.

"Wow, so many people! We're a bit late." Mu You was quite annoyed, but she quickly put on a mischievous smile and handed a gold medal to Su Yu.

"Junior brother, let's go that way, we'll use that door!"

"Later, go knock on the door and say that the military is carrying out a mission assigned by His Majesty."

Su Yu took the token; it was heavy. He instinctively wanted to bite it, but stopped himself, thinking, "What a huge piece of gold. I'm afraid I'll break it." This was the first time he had ever seen such a large piece of gold.

As for forgery? Does the academy need to forge anything? Even if it were forgery, it would be because gold is too heavy and inconvenient to carry.

In a sense, the disciples on the second floor of the academy were above the emperor's authority in the Tang Dynasty. However, there was an unwritten rule among the academy's disciples that they did not participate in state affairs.

It's unwritten, meaning there are no explicit rules, but it's just what the court officials think. If the disciples on the second floor of the academy really want to interfere in the affairs of the Tang Dynasty, then the court really can't do anything about it.

Upon seeing Su Yu's token, the guards immediately saluted and, without asking any questions, respectfully inquired, "Sir, do you need a carriage to enter the city?"

Su Yu was somewhat surprised. Chang'an City had a large population, and not everyone was qualified to drive a carriage on the streets. The soldier in front of him could provide a carriage without even asking any questions, just by using a token in Su Yu's hand. This showed the value of the token.

Seeing Mu You shake her head, Su Yu said to the soldiers, "No need for a carriage."

The soldier said, "Please, sir!"

Just as the two sides were talking, the soldier from earlier signaled his men to open the city gate.

Su Yu and Mu You walked in, and behind them came the soldiers' enthusiastic voices: "Take care, sir, have a safe journey."

Su Yu and Mu You walked forward, and he couldn't help but ask Mu You, "What's the deal with this token? Is it exclusive to our academy?"

Mu You shook her head and said, "No, this is a token from the military. It should belong to that virtuous prince in the palace. Professor Huang He only obtained this token because of some reasons. One of the very important reasons we came to Chang'an this time is to return this token to that prince."

Su Yu asked, "Is it because of Li Shen?"

Mu You said, "It should be him. Otherwise, why would Professor Huang He accept things from the military? Even that virtuous prince wouldn't do that."

Su Yu asked, "Senior sister, do you mean that the person who sent Li Shen to the academy was that prince?"

Mu You said, "There should be more than that. This matter is very complicated. Besides the prince, there should be other people involved, such as the Tang Dynasty's General Who Protects the Nation who returned from the border."

Su Yu's pupils contracted slightly. "Senior Sister, are you saying Xiahou was involved too?"

Mu You said, "There should be, otherwise why would Li Shen be willing to die?"

Su Yu had seen what kind of person Li Shen was, and he disliked such people. However, when they met on the official road in the mountains, Li Shen spoke harshly to Su Yu. Su Yu did not believe that Li Shen was pretending.

The vicious words Li Shen uttered before his death made Su Yu feel that even if Li Shen died hundreds of times, it wouldn't be enough. He should be subjected to the most evil punishments Su Yu knew of: slow slicing, dismemberment by chariot, and branding with hot irons.

The two walked and stopped along the way. Su Yu was quite curious about the buildings and streets here. Mu You was similar to Su Yu. In fact, she spent most of her time in the mountains embroidering and rarely came to Chang'an. If it weren't for the appearance of Su Yu, the Heavenly Communicator, Mu You might still be embroidering in the waterside pavilion.

"Junior brother, do you think this is nice?"

Muyou held a carved wooden hairpin in her hand, gesturing with it above her head, and a very sunny smile appeared on her face.

Su Yu smiled and said, "It looks good. Senior Sister is already very beautiful, and this wooden hairpin makes her even more beautiful."

A blush crept onto Muyou's face as she whispered, "Really? This wooden hairpin is really pretty?"

Su Yu said, "Of course, Senior Sister's judgment is never wrong."

The stall owner chimed in, "Miss, you are a natural beauty with gentle features and an elegant demeanor. If you were to wear this wooden hairpin, you would look even more beautiful."

"Look at her, so elegant and refined! A simple updo makes her even more gentle and charming, absolutely stunning!"

Su Yu admired the stall owner; he was better at praising people than he was. If he had had the stall owner's eloquence in his previous life, he wouldn't be a single dog now.

Muyou was pleased by the praise and bought a lot of small items for girls, such as wooden combs and hair clips, from the stall before leaving.

The two strolled from the south of the city to the north, and only began to inquire about the location of the military headquarters when the sun was about to set.

Ordinary pedestrians would certainly not know or dare to mention the military headquarters. They would even be wary of Su Yu and Mu You. It wasn't until Su Yu produced the military headquarters' gold medal that they found the patrolling soldiers and were led to the military headquarters.

The military was a complex web of factions, and the prince, while possessing a reputation for virtue, did not wield much real power. However, the gold medal he presented was exceptionally useful.

Su Yu asked a leader and learned that there were two such gold medals in the military, the other one belonging to General Xu Shi.

A few days ago, the military issued a notice stating that anyone holding a gold medal must be met with full cooperation.

The order may not be directed at Su Yu and Mu You, but this token must have been used for something before, and now that the academy has taken it back, whoever sees this token now should consider the academy's attitude, regardless of what this token was used for before.

Perhaps this was the agreement reached between the academy and the military, and Li Shen's death was part of that agreement.

However, the academy sits in the highest position and has the right to overturn the table at any time.

The token's actions are unlikely to be excessive, but they happen to influence another force, causing them to question the academy's attitude.

Su Yu and Mu You had been drinking tea in the waiting room for a while when the person they were waiting for arrived.

A handsome, kind-looking middle-aged man walked in, a smile on his face, with a few wrinkles twitching at the corners of his eyes.

Li Peiyan, a prince of the Tang Dynasty, is the younger brother of the current emperor.

"Gentlemen, you've come all this way, thank you for your hard work."

Mu You didn't even look at Li Peiyan, but simply placed the gold medal on the table and said, "Here's the gold medal, we're leaving."

Li Peiyan said, "Gentlemen, please wait. It is getting late, and it would be inconvenient to leave the city now. Why don't you listen to my suggestion and stay overnight in Chang'an?"

Mu You sighed inwardly. Li Peiyan was right. She had spent too much time shopping. Now that the city gates were locked, she would have to wait until tomorrow morning to leave the city.

Seeing that Mu You and Su Yu had stopped, Li Peiyan said with delight, "If you two wish to stay the night, I know a good place. There is a Ping An Inn three hundred meters outside the military headquarters."

Li Peiyan had considered sending Su Yu and Mu You to his residence, but he quickly rejected the idea. How could people like Su Yu and Mu You be associated with a prince like him? It was already quite good that they had such a superficial acquaintance.

If we add any more, we might anger Su Yu and Mu You.

Li Peiyan knew very well that the academy's strength was not just what it seemed on the surface. The influence of the front courtyard alone was enough to shake up the Tang Dynasty's officialdom, not to mention that Su Yu and Mu You came from the back mountain of the academy, the second floor of the academy.