What kind of person would need such ferocious guards? In all the years he had entered and left the Imperial Academy, he had never needed anything of the sort.
Gao Jilin ventured to ask, "Brother He, do you have enemies in Lingxu City?"
"I do." He Lingchuan let out a long sigh. "Plenty. Every single one wants my life."
The others looked bewildered.
He Lingchuan waved over the waiter and said, "Bring four fine dishes and serve them to that table of four by the door."
The waiter hurried off to do as told.
At that moment, several men in brocade robes came down the stairs from the second floor. One of them swept his gaze across the hall and fixed straight upon He Lingchuan.
He strode over and clapped He Lingchuan on the shoulder. "He Xiao! What are you doing here?"
His voice was not particularly loud, but it was just loud enough for the two or three rings of people around them to hear clearly, and the smile on his face was exceptionally warm and sincere.
He Lingchuan's hand paused.
How was it that no matter where he went, he always bumped into Fang Canran?
"Sharing a few drinks with friends." Having his "real name" called out without warning, he could only offer a dry laugh. "What brings Chief Manager Fang here?"
"I just finished dining with a few clients and was on my way down to Taoli Baths to loosen my bones. Care to join?"
Taoli Baths was a bathhouse. In addition to soaking in hot water, it offered full service: haircuts, shaves, and massages. Because it was located right next to the Imperial Academy, it had been named Taoli—"peaches and plums."
While the two spoke, the surroundings suddenly fell dead silent.
At the sound of the name "He Xiao," everyone stopped talking.
He Lingchuan saw the shift in the eyes turned toward him and could only manage a wry smile. "No need. I still have matters to attend to. Enjoy yourselves."
Astute as Fang Canran was, he immediately sensed the subtle change in the hall.
Jiang Tao could not resist asking, "He Xiao? You said his name is He Xiao?"
Fang Canran seemed to startle slightly. He looked at the crowd, then at He Lingchuan. Without answering, he merely patted He Lingchuan's shoulder and gave an apologetic smile. "My apologies! I'll take my leave first."
With that, he signaled to his clients, turned on his heel, and walked out.
Yet that reaction was tantamount to giving Jiang Tao an affirmative answer.
Before Fang Canran's feet had even cleared the threshold of Xiangman Restaurant, an uproar erupted behind him!
"You're He Xiao? That He Xiao?"
"No way, no way... it can't be!"
Over the past few days, whenever anyone spoke of major events in Lingxu City, whose name was on everyone's lips if not He Xiao's? Such a renowned figure—one who seemed as distant as the heavens—was now standing right before their eyes?
The crowd's first reaction was disbelief.
This youth was only seventeen or eighteen. Could Chiyan's special envoy really be so young? After all, the older scholars in the Imperial Academy and the academies were well into their forties.
Looking at him and then at themselves—had all their years been lived in vain, wasted on dogs?
"Didn't he say just now that he has too many enemies? If he really is He Xiao, then it makes perfect sense."
"Hey, hey, that was just a casual comment from the guy who walked out! Who was that, anyway? Can he be trusted?"
Another scion of a prominent family chimed in at once. "That is the chief manager of the Jinjiao family, surnamed Fang! Do you know the Dun Garden auction? He's the one who organizes every single one! I just saw him at the auction a few days ago."
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Everyone was talking over one another, no one knowing whose words answered whose. The entire restaurant erupted like a ladle of boiling water poured into sizzling oil, splattering so wildly that the man at the center could barely keep up.
Seeing that everyone was babbling without getting to the point, Du Shan simply stood up and walked over to the square table near the door. He asked the Tongxin Guards, "Excuse me, him—" He pointed at He Xiao. "Is he really He Xiao, the special envoy of Chiyan Kingdom?"
The delicate appetizers sent over by He Lingchuan had just been set down by the waiter. The Tongxin Guards glanced at He Lingchuan, exchanged a look among themselves, and nodded.
"And who might you gentlemen be?"
The men replied in deep voices, "South City, Tongxin Guard."
Their mission was surveillance and protection, not keeping secrets.
The Tongxin Guards' words immediately confirmed He Lingchuan's identity. The patrons throughout Xiangman Restaurant craned their necks to look, but He Lingchuan was surrounded at the center, blocked completely by the circle of people around him.
Jiang Tao grabbed He Lingchuan by the sleeve and raised his voice to express his utter disbelief. "You really are He Xiao?"
Gao Jilin sighed, "You certainly kept us in the dark!" Back when they had toured Mount Xu together, this fellow had introduced himself as "He Yun." Yet Old Ge the gibbon had treated him with exceptional deference, showing extraordinary patience. And that old creature was notorious for flattering the mighty and trampling the weak!
Thinking back on it now, it all made sense.
He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile. "I just wanted to slip out and enjoy a couple of drinks in peace. Is that a crime?"
That bastard Fang Canran had definitely done it on purpose!
"He admitted it! He admitted it!" Jiang Tao waved his hands at the crowd. "All right, all right, quiet down, everyone! Ask your questions one by one! Don't let people think the Imperial Academy is just a rabble of hooligans."
He bellowed at the top of his lungs, and the clamor inside Xiangman Restaurant finally died down a little.
"I go first, Brother He! Is the mastermind behind the elixir of immortality case really in the Azure Palace?"
He Lingchuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. These scholars were far too bold! They might ask such a question carelessly, but could he afford to answer carelessly?
Still, everyone's eyes burned with eager curiosity, clearly fascinated by the prospect of an answer.
"Without evidence, how could I say anything reckless?" He had investigated the first half of the elixir of immortality case himself, and given his delicate position, he dared not speak off the cuff.
"What do you think, then?" another person asked. "I heard Cen Boqing was captured only because of your relentless pursuit."
He Lingchuan shook his head. "What I think doesn't matter. Cen Boqing was caught because both material evidence and witness testimony were present. Right now, Qingfu Temple has burned down, and the evidence regarding the case is incomplete."
Wang Mao asked as well, "I heard Madame Cen rushed to Baishaqu bringing a witness with her, hoping to reduce her husband's culpability. Is that true?"
He Lingchuan merely said, "Brother Wang is remarkably well-informed."
Everyone understood.
Gao Jilin joined in the excitement. "Is it true that all leads in the elixir of immortality case have gone cold?"
"Emissary Bai has taken over the case. I have no authority to participate, so only he knows the details best." He Lingchuan picked up his cup and moistened his throat. When thrust into the center of attention, one must never act puffed up with pride; one had to remain calm, cool, and detached.
"During an active investigation, details are kept private so as not to compromise subsequent proceedings."
One also had to employ official bureaucrat-speak when appropriate.
Watching everyone crowd around the youth, trading remarks back and forth, Zheng Zewu did not say a word.
He had only just recovered from his shock.
Seventeen or eighteen years old, his name echoing across Lingxu City. How many scholars strove tirelessly for that very goal?
To achieve instant fame and have one's name known throughout the world—ha, how could it be so easy? Lingxu City was vast, teeming with countless prodigies and talents, yet most could not kick up a single ripple in this boundless ocean.
Ten years of studying by the window without anyone asking after you—that was the norm!
Yet the youth before him had already swum several rounds through the capital's turbulent political currents, riding the waves. Openly and in secret, how many noble clans were eager to extend an olive branch to him?
His future was secured. As long as his abilities matched his renown, meteoric rise was only a matter of time.
And what of himself, Zheng Zewu? He had taken first place in a single spring examination at the Imperial Academy, and he had been preening with self-satisfaction.
A hollow ache settled in his chest, a feeling difficult to put into words.
Du Shan took a deep gulp of Qinxiangchun from his cup, then said out of the blue, "He Xiao, how are you still alive?"
His voice was not loud, but his question was sharp as a blade.
The chatter around them instantly dropped to a murmur.
Indeed—how had He Xiao's name gained such renown in Lingxu City? Aside from his achievements in the elixir of immortality case, the biggest factor was that in less than a month since arriving in Lingxu City, he had survived two assassination attempts!
Ordinary people never received such treatment, nor were ordinary people ever exposed to such danger.
Counting them up, how many factions had he crossed? The Minister of Agriculture, the Zhongsun family, the shadowy faction bold enough to openly blow up the guest hostel, and Crown Prince Huan, who dared strike in broad daylight—the future successor to the empire!
Not to mention the master of the Azure Palace. The spearhead of the case pointed directly at the Azure Palace.
None of the scholars seated here could afford to offend such titans, could they? Wagging one's tongue was one thing; crossing real blades in practice was an entirely different matter.
Yet He Xiao sat here in one piece, drinking alongside them.
Just as Du Shan had said, how had this fellow survived amid such treacherous currents and hidden reefs?
At that thought, some no longer felt so envious.
If fame had to be bought with one's life, was it truly worth it?
"Mere luck," He Lingchuan replied with unhurried ease. "During the first attack, when the guest hostel exploded, I happened to step out to fetch something; otherwise, I would have died in my room. The tables and chairs had also been coated with lethal poison. The officers who went in to inspect the fire scene were poisoned and nearly lost their lives."
Gao Jilin asked in surprise, "Why plant poison and trigger an explosion at the same time?" Double insurance?
Du Shan shook his head. "More likely, two separate factions moved against He Xiao at the same time."
He Lingchuan promptly agreed, "That is my conclusion as well."
"Conclusion?" Jiang Tao was sharp this time. "They weren't caught?"
"Never were," He Lingchuan smiled wryly. "The poisoner was silenced as well. Just like the elixir of immortality case, the trail went dead cold."
The onlookers sucked in cold breaths, chills running down their spines.
"As for the second time, when Crown Prince Huan came to set fire to Panshan Residence, Crown Prince Yue and I happened to be away. In the end, it was the servants who suffered terrible misfortune."
Situ He was first to ask, "Was Madame Cen behind it?"
There were plenty of uninformed listeners in the crowd who had not caught on earlier, and at this point one finally asked, "Madame Cen? Which Madame Cen?"
Someone on the spot immediately filled them in.
"Cen Boqing actually had such a powerful backer?!"
Under those circumstances, for He Xiao to still bring Cen Boqing down was no small feat.
"Later, Crown Prince Yue was summoned by the Monarch. Crown Prince Huan flatly denied that Madame Cen had incited him, claiming he had merely overheard servants gossiping and came down in a fit of temper to teach us a lesson." None of this was a secret among high society, so He Lingchuan felt no burden in speaking of it.
Wasn't Lingxu City known for its free speech?
If scholars could talk freely, why couldn't he, a mere commoner?
Yet to the scholars, first-hand accounts straight from the person involved were thrillingly fresh, and they hung onto every word.
Du Shan said, "So you're saying the masterminds behind both attacks against you have never been found?"
"As far as things stand, I haven't heard of anyone being brought to justice."
"They won't find them," Du Shan said bluntly. "If the truth were really uncovered, you would get an explanation, but things would turn very ugly for others. Rather than let that happen, they'd prefer to wrong you."
Offend the high and mighty or offend a commoner? That was no choice at all.
Immediately, several scholars grew indignant on He Lingchuan's behalf.
Zheng Zewu could not hold back. "If that is truly so, where is Lingxu's dignity?"
In truth, everyone knew what he really meant: Where was the dignity of the Monarch and Lingxiao Palace?
Chapter 640