Before the sun rose to the middle of the sky, Pei Rumo had completed his morning imperial court a.s.sembly. He got ready to return to his residence.
After several early morning imperial court a.s.semblies, Pei Rumo was truly exhausted. Furthermore, he was considered an important figure in the imperial court. He had to hand in his evaluation of the various imperial offices on a daily basis. Even when others took a break, he had to enter the palace in the morning to pay his respects to his Emperor Father. He also had to discuss with his Emperor Father about the plans for the nation. Even a person made of iron wouldn"t be able to endure such exhausting tasks, let alone Pei Rumo who was just a mere mortal.
The moment Pei Rumo entered the carriage, he closed his eyes to take a breather. He really enjoyed the time when he traveled to and fro from the First Prince"s residence to the imperial palace as it was a time for him to take a break. As soon as he alighted the carriage, he would be busy once again.
“Master, the secret guard commander has been waiting respectfully for your arrival in the study room. He said something about a report. Do you want to let him wait outside while you rest?” As soon as he stepped down from his carriage, Pei Rumo"s personal attendant immediately came up to him. When he saw his master"s exhausted expression, the personal attendant didn"t lead his master to the study room immediately.
Didn"t I send him out to watch over that la.s.s? Why is he back?! It appeared that Pei Rumo"s mind wasn"t completely sober as he wasn"t able to react immediately to the secret guard commander"s sudden return.
He didn"t say anything else and strolled towards the main courtyard. When he was about to reach his room, he suddenly thought about what his personal attendant said.
“Did you say something about the secret guard commander having something to report?”
When the personal attendant noticed that his master was talking about the secret guard commander before stepping into his room, he was startled for a moment. However, he calmed himself down in the next second and respectfully replied, “Yes, Master. This servant suggested that you rest before going to listen to the report in the study room. When you headed for your courtyard, this servant a.s.sumed that you wished to rest for a moment before heading to the study.”
Pei Rumo shook his head in response and felt that his brain was moving too slowly. How could he rest before listening to the secret guard"s report?
“I shall go to the study room first.” If the secret guard was back, it meant that something had happened to Luo Chu. Pei Rumo quickened his steps as he walked towards his study.
When he opened the door, he noticed that the secret guard had been standing there for quite some time. At this point, the secret guard had already entered into a meditative state.
“You must be waiting for a long time. I was rather tired earlier and wasn"t thinking clearly. My journey was delayed because I didn"t listen carefully to the attendant.” Pei Rumo was very polite to the secret guard as he was in the wrong.
“Please forgive me. I have something important to report and came over without notifying Master. I hope Master can forgive me for disturbing your rest.”
Pei Rumo shook his head and replied, “No matter, I was thinking about slacking off before you came. Now that you are here, there is no longer a need to waste my time doing nothing. Speak, why are you here? Did something happen at the general"s residence?” Pei Rumo was a prince and was brought up well. He felt that it was inappropriate for him to pay attention to an unwed lady from another family. In front of his subordinates, he would refer to the general"s residence when asking about Bai Luochu.
That secret guard nodded and immediately reported his findings. “There is indeed news regarding the general"s residence. This subordinate saw that Young Lady Luo Chu was frequently visiting the Remote Paddy Inn. I a.s.sumed that her uncle was ill-treating her and she went out to look for food. However, after a few days, a man started visiting the residence.”
“A man? Is he someone I know? Is he an influential figure in the capital city?” Pei Rumo initially thought that someone was visiting Bai Luochu due to her ident.i.ty as Divine Physician Bai.
The secret guard muttered for a moment and seemed to organize his thoughts. Before long, he continued his report, “At first, this subordinate thought that he was Young Lady Luo Chu"s suitor and didn"t pay attention to him. However, I noticed something strange when Young Lady Luo Chu was sending him off. The man was extremely respectful to Young Lady Luo Chu and something felt off. As such, this subordinate went off to do some investigation.”
Pei Rumo didn"t say anything and nodded as an indication for the secret guard to carry on talking.
“As it turns out, the man is the real owner behind the Remote Paddy Inn. Moreover, Master seems to have met him before.”
“Oh? Someone I"ve seen before… Tell me about that man.” When Pei Rumo heard that he was acquainted with the man, he felt rather curious.
“Does Master remember the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence? They were in the spotlight during the Phoenix King Valley"s disciple exhibition.” The secret guard probed with a question as he was afraid that his investigation might be wrong.
Pei Rumo suddenly thought of the white-robed man who humiliated the Phoenix King Valley. He seemed to be a member of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence. He immediately replied, “Of course. Is the man related to the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence?”
The secret guard let out a breath of relief and it seemed as though his investigation was right. He immediately informed Pei Rumo about his findings. “That man is the leader of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence and his name is Ying Lan. This subordinate returned so hastily in order to make this report. Young Lady Luo Chu is just an orphan of the general"s residence… how can she be acquainted with such a person? If Master thinks this isn"t a major issue, please forgive this subordinate for the intrusion.”
Pei Rumo fell silent after hearing the report. That"s right, Luo Chu is just an orphan girl. Why is she involved with someone like him?
“Your report came at the right time. Continue observing her and if anything similar happens, report back to me.” Pei Rumo replied and sent his secret guard back out again.