My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

Song Yuntao was taken aback, then pondered for a moment before saying, "I guess he probably doesn't know!"

Chang Lian nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips, then waved for Song Yuntao to leave.

After Song Yuntao left, Chang Lian stroked his chin and pondered.

Song Yuntao's "Song of the Wanderer" is plagiarized, as is the preceding "Snow Plum".

It seems that Wang Defa also knows something about this matter.

Song Yuntao is a promising talent, but he is still too young and needs to be trained.

If he wants to truly master the art of being ruthless and cunning, he needs a whetstone.

Qi Yu was originally a good whetstone, but he was on the Crown Prince's side, so it was difficult to make a move against him.

But this Wang Defa seems to be a good whetstone.

We can start with Wang Defa to stimulate and accelerate Song Yuntao's growth.

……

The next morning, the Chang residence was deserted. Three carriages, escorted by guards, set off eastward in a grand procession.

Upon receiving the message, Qi Yu also looked towards the east.

It's time to head to Beijing. If all goes well, I'll be back in a month.

If things don't go smoothly, then there's no way to come back.

"Wife, let's go see Aunt Li and Daya!" Qi Yu said with a smile, looking at Su Yue who was doing needlework.

Su Yue put down her needlework, nodded, and said, "Okay!"

Without further ado, Qi Yu and Su Yue arrived at Aunt Li's house side by side.

Aunt Li's house and the courtyard are not far apart, only about two miles apart.

Aunt Li has always taken good care of Qi Yu. It was Aunt Li and her husband, Uncle Li, who picked Qi Yu up from the riverbank and brought him home.

Aunt Li and Uncle Li indirectly saved Qi Yu's life.

In the beginning, it was thanks to the couple's help that we didn't starve to death.

After marrying Su Yue, Qi Yu was no longer as lazy as before. He began to think about change and wanted to give Su Yue a better life, so he became a yamen runner.

"You're here! Come in and sit down. We just picked some watermelons from the field!" Aunt Li greeted Su Yue and Qi Yu with a big smile and pulled them inside.

In the courtyard, a little girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, was washing clothes. She was quite pretty.

Upon seeing Su Yue, he greeted her with a smile, "Sister-in-law Su Yue!"

Su Yue smiled, then walked over, squatted down, and patted the little girl's head.

"Da Ya, when you're washing clothes, add more soap beans so they'll get clean."

The little girl's nickname is Daya, and her real name is Li Yuxiu. It is said that Qi Yu's older brother, Qi Lin, gave her that name.

Qi Yu's older brother, Qi Lin, although he had no official rank, was very talented in literature. Most importantly, he was a first-rate handsome man.

"Aunt Li, where's Uncle Li? Did he go hunting in the mountains again?" Qi Yu asked.

Uncle Li is a genuine farmer with a few acres of farmland, but these few acres are not enough to support his family, not to mention the taxes he has to pay.

So when he wasn't busy with farm work, he would go into the mountains to hunt.

"He just can't sit still, don't mind him. Come in and sit down, have some watermelon, it's freshly picked," Aunt Li said with a smile.

Qi Yu smiled, went inside, and saw a boy reading by the window.

The little boy saw Qi Yu and was overjoyed. He put down the book he was holding and rushed over to her.

"Brother Qi Yu, I've already learned the multiplication you taught me. Shouldn't you keep your promise and continue telling me the story of Sun Wukong?"

Qi Yu patted Erhu's head and laughed, "Where did we leave off last time?"

"Sun Wukong was thrown into Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace!"

Qi Yu nodded and said, "Okay, first go and get me a chair, then help your mother cut the watermelon, then help your older sister hang up her clothes, and then come with your older sister to listen to your brother tell the story of the monkey."

The little guy was simple-minded and immediately did as Qi Yu said.

After Erhu left, Qi Yu slipped three one-hundred-tael silver notes into the book Erhu had just been reading.

These three hundred taels of silver notes were exchanged by Qi Yu for one thousand taels of gold given to him by Li Ming.

The Great Yun Dynasty had laws stipulating that gold could not be used directly and therefore needed to be exchanged for silver.

One tael of gold can be exchanged for sixteen taels of silver, and one thousand taels of gold can be exchanged for sixteen thousand taels of silver.

Qi Yu was rich, but he could only give Aunt Li's family three hundred taels.

It wasn't that Qi Yu was reluctant to give, but that was all he could give.

Unexpected wealth often leads to death!

Three hundred taels of silver was enough for Aunt Li's family to improve their lives.

The remaining money would be enough to buy a large mansion and hire many maids and servants.

However, Qi Yu did not do that; instead, he used most of the money to do other things.

If this trip to the capital fails and the plan fails, I will die, but Su Yue will not.

That money was enough for Su Yue to live on.

He wanted to protect Su Yue, and he was serious about it. He could die, but Su Yue couldn't die.

------------

Chapter 82 Going to Beijing

It was already evening when I left Aunt Li's house, and it was even later when I got home.

At the entrance to the courtyard, a carriage was already waiting, and dozens of guards were already on horseback.

Seeing this scene, Qi Yu felt it was a bit exaggerated.

Such a grand display? As if you're afraid others won't know you're Li Ming's guest?

This is why I've never liked Li Ming; he's always so calculating.

"My lady, let's go!" Qi Yu took Su Yue's hand and walked towards the carriage.

Su Yue watched Qi Yu's retreating figure from behind, feeling a pang of regret.

He should have killed Li Ming with a single sword strike the first time he saw him.

If Li Ming had died during their first meeting, there would have been no subsequent entanglement.

However, since things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time and ensure Qi Yu's safety.

……

Half a month later, a procession of carriages entered the city gates of Shangjing, the capital of the Dayun Dynasty.

The spies who had been waiting in secret set off to report back.

Qi Yu's current identity is not a secret among aristocratic families.

He was the strategist invited by His Highness the Crown Prince, Li Ming, who highly valued this scholar who had not even achieved any official rank.

They had already obtained all the information about Qi Yu.

Nothing surprising!

But what's truly strange is that nothing is unusual.

Because the Crown Prince would never care so much about an ordinary person, let alone make it so obvious.

Qi Yu, inside the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked at the pedestrians and vendors on the street, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Since the day before yesterday, many spies have appeared around. Although these people deliberately dressed like ordinary people, Qi Yu could clearly sense the unusual look in their eyes when they looked at the carriage.

He feared he had already caught the attention of the higher-ups in those powerful families, and some might even be planning to eliminate him.

Li Ming is hypocritical, and this has once again proven his hypocrisy and desire for control.

Qi Yu originally intended to remain behind the scenes and retire with Su Yue after the Chang family was destroyed.

He had prepared many backup plans for this!

But Li Ming saw through his plan and stepped out from behind the scenes, letting everyone know that he was one of his men.

It's not surprising that the Chang family knew about him, but it's intriguing that all the prominent families knew about him.

To be honest, I'm growing to hate Li Ming more and more!

He wants to completely turn himself into his possession!

So that when others see him, they will know that he is Li Ming's man!

Being forced to take sides and being labeled by others is a really awful feeling!

"Husband, you don't look well. What's wrong?" Su Yue asked worriedly from the side.

Qi Yu snapped out of his reverie, looked at the worry in Su Yue's eyes, and smiled.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired!"

"Then you should rest for a while!" Su Yue said with a smile.

Qi Yu nodded, then moved his body and leaned against Su Yue.

I've been like this for the past few days.

Su Yue looked at Qi Yu's profile, which was resting on her shoulder, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

No matter how many times I watch it, I never get tired of it!

Qi Yu wasn't the most handsome she had ever seen, but he was certainly the most pleasing to the eye.

……

The convoy drove into Wanliu Garden in the east of the city. Five miles to the north was the Crown Prince's East Palace.

This Wanliu Garden is now the residence of Su Cheng, the newly appointed Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.

Wanliu Garden is a newly built manor last year. It has a large artificial lake and many willow trees, making it a beautiful place.