IDWBE -Chapter 159 Qi Peng’s Secret

“Completely useless at accomplishing anything, but always causing trouble!”

Ye Qiu hurriedly defended himself. “Prince, you’ve misunderstood me. That Tang Que dared to speak disrespectfully, insulting you! I was furious—how could such a person be left alive? That’s why I chased him all the way to Chuanzhou. If Jingkuan hadn’t intervened, I would have ended him with one sword.”

Lin Yi said irritably, “So your ‘luck’ is that you enter Chuanzhou and happen to run into the head of Jingzhao Hermitage?”

Ye Qiu frowned. “Prince, you don’t know… Tang Que is too cunning—he ran straight to Jingzhao Hermitage…”

Lin Yi was dumbfounded.

After a moment, he said, “You went into their lair and actually survived to come back—now that’s luck!”

These two idiots were truly enough to drive him crazy!

“Prince,”

Ye Qiu said awkwardly, “I didn’t expect this—I’ve never been to Jingzhao Hermitage before.”

Lin Yi walked forward two steps, hands behind his back. “Alright. You really want to serve me?”

Seeing Lin Yi’s expression, Ye Qiu suddenly wasn’t so sure, but it was too late to back out. He grit his teeth and said, “Of course!”

Lin Yi said, “I’m sending you south to follow Chen Xinluo. I don’t trust them fully—they lack a bit of skill.”

The emperor of Ayu, Li Fo, is also a Grand Master.

As a ruler, it’s rare for him to act personally—but there could be other masters in play.

Ye Qiu, being a ninth-rank warrior, is highly skilled, so his presence increases safety.

Ye Qiu said, “Prince, seeing Ayu’s banners in the south doesn’t mean much. Ayu often raids the border. Over ten years ago, they even reached Baiyun City, which prompted General Mei’s southern campaign.”

As a local, he naturally knew much more about Ayu than Lin Yi.

“Do we wait until Ayu’s army is at our gates before preparing?”

Lin Yi glared at him. “You can hold your pee, but diarrhea can’t be held—it stops you in your tracks.”

Only someone with ten years of brain damage would treat this lightly!

“Since the Prince has said so, I’ll depart tomorrow.”

Ye Qiu sighed. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that the royal family could be so crude and despicable.

“Why wait until tomorrow?” Lin Yi asked.

“I’ll leave now!”

Ye Qiu bowed and turned to leave.

Fang Pi followed to help prepare the horses.

That’s a job any gatekeeper should do.

After Ye Qiu left, Lin Yi turned to Qi Peng.

Qi Peng spoke before Lin Yi could ask. “Prince, rest assured. I’ve already sent out the couriers. News should arrive soon.”

Lin Yi was surprised. “Couriers? How are they different from regular assistants?”

Qi Peng smiled. “Prince, you don’t know—couriers, as the name implies, run around to gather intelligence, without a specific mission. Assistants are different—they stay in one fixed location, conceal their identity, and cannot act without orders.”

Lin Yi said, “Similar to covert guards—some patrol, some spy, just different roles.”

“Exactly,”

Qi Peng smiled. “Then there are the heads of trades, the brokers, and the strategists.”

“The strategist is the most powerful?”

“No,”

Qi Peng shook his head. “The one controlling local affairs is the broker.”

“The broker?”

Lin Yi didn’t understand.

“This broker handles human trafficking. Having one more or less person doesn’t raise suspicion,”

Qi Peng explained, “so they connect brokers, heads of trades, couriers, and strategists efficiently.”

Lin Yi continued, “I remember you said that the Chuanzhou covert guard command had over a hundred people, all killed by you. Who did this?”

Qi Peng thought for a moment, then said, “They were barbers—also skilled fighters in the underworld. Normally, they appear no different from ordinary people.”

Lin Yi sighed. “For you, I have to admit—I’m impressed.”

“Thank you for your praise, Prince!”

Qi Peng didn’t hide his pride.

“Alright, let’s leave it at that,”

Lin Yi smiled. “Keep a closer watch this time—no more mistakes.”

“Yes.”

After Lin Yi disappeared, Qi Peng slowly lifted his head.

Pan Duo came over, pushing a wheelchair, whispering, “Manager, Liu Ruyan wants to buy information.”

“Buy whose information?”

Qi Peng said casually.

Pan Duo glanced around, then whispered into Qi Peng’s ear, “Prince’s.”

Qi Peng snorted coldly. “The covert guards are getting bolder. In Ankang City, I was cautious. In Sanhe, I don’t need to be.”

Pan Duo said, “Should we assign someone?”

He drew a finger across his throat.

“I told the Prince—fishing requires patience. You can’t be impatient,”

Qi Peng said expressionlessly. “Bait slowly, wait for them to surface, then catch them all at once!”

“Yes, understood.”

Pan Duo nodded.

When the wheelchair arrived at Qi Peng’s courtyard, he turned to Pan Duo and suddenly said, “Let Master Han handle this trip.”

Pan Duo was alarmed. “Manager, Master Han already has ulterior motives. I fear—”

Qi Peng smiled. “The Prince said, an ant always thinks what it sees is the whole world. If we don’t hit them, they won’t know I am skilled in both civil and martial arts.”

“They can’t escape my hand at all.”

Pan Duo’s expression grew stranger.

He had followed Qi Peng for over ten years, thinking he knew him well.

But after meeting Lin Yi and entering the Prince’s mansion, this manager’s personality completely changed!

Most obvious: now he speaks only of the Prince—open or closed mouth, it’s all about the Prince!

Completely abnormal!

It was another sultry night.

Lin Yi lay in bed, tossing and turning from the heat.

He stepped out of the courtyard again, with Mingyue following closely.

The bright moon helped him avoid stepping on dog droppings in the yard, though he angrily kicked the Dahei dog lying at the gate.

“Prince,” Mingyue couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re still not sleeping?”

Lin Yi sighed. “I’m just taking a walk. You didn’t need to follow.”

Mingyue gazed at the stars. “I couldn’t sleep anyway.”

Lin Yi sat down, poured a cup of water, and asked, “Missing home?”

Mingyue said, “There’s no one at home worth missing. I naturally don’t. Prince, I actually like it here. I’d be willing to die old here.”

Lin Yi said, “Let’s see what happens in the court first. Sooner or later, we’ll have to go back.”

His mother and sister definitely couldn’t come to Sanhe.

He just hoped he could go back someday.

“But, the Consort doesn’t want the Prince to return.”

“Then I won’t go back?”

Lin Yi smiled. “The situation is too chaotic right now. Honestly, I hope the sixth or eighth brother wins—they’re stronger than the Crown Prince and the others.”

“Prince,”

Mingyue hesitated. “Perhaps we should listen to the Consort.”

The Acting Prince and Prince of Yong’an are equally ruthless.