15: My lord, your destiny depends on peach blossom luck.

“Oh my god!”

Seeing Mo Yingqi’s exhausted appearance early in the morning, Lu Qianyuan and Tang Jingzhong were both startled.

It wasn't his fault; that night... *cough, cough*, the dreams of a youth in love tormented him three or four times, and each time he dreamed of Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning, expressing such passionate yet somewhat suffocating love.

“It's fine, I'm okay...”

Although Mo Yingqi hadn't slept well, he was born with an exceptional physique. While mentally exhausted, he felt no physical discomfort. However, repeatedly having these kinds of dreams—was there something wrong with that?

“Seriously, why don't you go back and sleep for a bit?” Lu Qianyuan looked at his obviously sleep-deprived appearance, genuinely curious. “The yamen doesn't have much going on right now, so...”

“I'm fine. It's strange, though. Although I feel a bit tired mentally...” Mo Yingqi stretched his limbs. “Forget it, let's not talk about it. Is there any news regarding last night's incident?”

“I don't know. The Pacification Commissioner was summoned into the palace, but I heard The Emperor was furious during the morning court session today.” Lu Qianyuan looked around and lowered his voice significantly. “His Majesty asked if the Censor Officials had any memorials to submit, but those Censor Officials remained completely silent. The Emperor then directly threw the memorial concerning Xu Fengzhang, which had been submitted overnight, onto the floor.”

Regarding last night's incident, even if the Censorate didn't know then, they must know by this morning. Based on Mo Yingqi's understanding of the Censorate, they would normally submit a memorial regarding this kind of farce.

“Grand Chancellor Zhou naturally doesn't want to lose the Xu Family. His only weakness is military authority, and having a Marquis with military power in his grasp means he won't let go easily,” Mo Yingqi shrugged. “But at least he should have let those Censor Officials say a few words. Staying completely silent, I'm afraid, means they were worried The Emperor would seize the opportunity and directly punish Xu Fengzhang, right?”

“Although we have the files in the yamen, still...” Lu Qianyuan frowned. “If that Old Marquis really throws shame aside and uses the iron certificate of immunity to protect his son...” “Don't worry, the iron certificate of immunity isn't omnipotent. Moreover, if he insists on protecting his son to the death, this matter will bring him nothing but harm.” Mo Yingqi didn't care. “In recent years, the Xu Family has lagged far behind the Shen Family in military affairs, whether suppressing external threats or maintaining internal peace. It's only because the Old Marquis had outstanding military achievements in his youth and is a descendant of a founding meritorious official that he retained military authority.”

“That Xu Fengzhang looks like a degenerate, yet the Old Marquis Xu cares too much about this son. He can protect him for a moment, but can he protect him forever? Causing such ridiculous incidents during the period of national mourning—if he protects him, the Xu Family will lose all face, and The Emperor will likely seize the opportunity to weaken their military authority. If he doesn't protect him, and his son truly enters the Imperial Prison, even if he survives, he'll be ruined upon release.”

Mo Yingqi yawned and rubbed his slightly aching temples: “The Emperor's intention is actually easy to guess, and he hasn't tried to hide it. Although the Shen Family has a close relationship with The Emperor and holds significant military power, it would naturally be best if Grand Chancellor Zhou could be gradually weakened, or even completely dismissed, without bloodshed, simply by relying on this kind of maneuvering. Everyone saves face.”

“It's just that this man's foundation is too deep, and The Emperor, wary of collateral damage, can only probe step by step. We'll see how Grand Chancellor Zhou counters this round.”

Lu Qianyuan nodded, thought for a moment, and then looked at Mo Yingqi with a hint of pity, saying, “You and capital both came from the imperial examination system, so why insist on staying stuck here? I told you before, you two are different from me; you don't have to be in the Pacification Bureau. With your abilities, if you entered the official bureaucracy, you wouldn't worry about a smooth career... Besides, you're going to be an Imperial Son-in-Law soon. Didn't the Eldest Princess or the Second Princess think about arranging a different post for you?”

Thinking of last night's events, Mo Yingqi said vaguely, “No. Haven't we already talked about this? Why do you have to bring it up?”

“Seriously, Young Master, what Imperial Son-in-Law serves as a seventh-rank Captain in the Pacification Bureau?” Lu Qianyuan raised an eyebrow. “Either The Emperor promotes you to a position in one of the Six Ministries, or you enter the Princesss Residence. But you...”

“We'll see. It's not like there's a rule that says a seventh-rank official can't be an Imperial Son-in-Law, right?”

With Mo Yingqi's capabilities, whether he pursued a civilian career or joined the military, his future would normally be limitless. However, the Zhang Family wouldn't let him off so easily. Moreover, joining the military wouldn't be as convenient for him as being a Flying Fish Guard.

Furthermore... he actually preferred being in the Pacification Bureau, watching the inner ugliness of those officials being completely exposed, and finally confessing their crimes and accepting punishment in collapse and despair. Frankly, nothing was more interesting than that.

He never considered himself a good person. He always remembered his Master's words: “On the official robes of civil and military officials, civil officials embroider birds, and military officials embroider beasts... If you enter the Pacification Bureau, you are searching among a group of 'beasts in human clothing' to find the rare few who are, perhaps... barely human beasts.”

As he was pondering, a Flying Fish Guard quickly approached, cupped his hands, and said, “Chief Mo, a message has arrived from the palace requesting your presence.”

“See? What did I tell you?” Lu Qianyuan chuckled. “Even if you don't enter the Six Ministries, you'll be taken back to the residence by The Two Highnesses sooner or later. Tsk tsk tsk, looks like the Smiling Yaksha will soon become the Legitimate Princess's intimate guest, enjoying wealth and splendor... Wait, where are you going? I haven't finished talking!”

“Stay here and listen to your nonsense? Am I that bored?” Mo Yingqi didn't look back. “Where else? To the palace!”

He really didn't want to listen to him talk about that anymore. Moreover, perhaps because of last night's dreams, he inexplicably wanted to see the two sisters.

Finding a horse from the stable, Mo Yingqi mounted it and headed towards the Imperial Palace. Although the Pacification Bureau wasn't extremely far from the Imperial Palace, it was still some distance away.

In the capital, one was forbidden to gallop horses down the street unless it was an emergency. Mo Yingqi was not in a hurry and proceeded slowly. Along the way, an elderly Taoist with white hair brushed past him. The Taoist suddenly stopped, squinted his eyes at Mo Yingqi's retreating figure, and then suddenly spoke: “My Lord, is your mother a Southerner who gave birth to you in the Northern Territory? And were you raised in the Northern Territory since childhood, only entering capital a year ago?”

Mo Yingqi pulled the reins, frowned, and looked back at the old Taoist. The man wore an ordinary Taoist robe, carried only a small traveling bundle, and didn't appear to have anything special about him.

“My Lord, do not be alarmed. This humble Taoist is an itinerant priest who has practiced cultivation on Mount Zhongnan since childhood and knows a little about Face Reading,” the old Taoist said, stroking his beard and smiling. “My Lord should not think that this humble Taoist is here speaking carelessly for money. If I am correct, I will take nothing. If I am wrong, My Lord may take this humble Taoist to prison. How about that?”

“Taoist Priest, you jest. You haven't broken the law; this small matter wouldn't warrant that,” Mo Yingqi replied with a smile. “Taoist Priest is truly extraordinary; you actually guessed correctly.”

“It was merely a fluke, My Lord. This humble Taoist offers you a piece of advice; whether you heed it or not is entirely up to you.” The old Taoist paused, then looked carefully at Mo Yingqi's face again. “My Lord, your fate is marked by the Peach Blossom Star. However, this is not a disaster; rather, the Peach Blossom Star offers protection. It seems your destiny requires you to rely on this to achieve peace and success.”

Having said that, the old Taoist bowed to Mo Yingqi, then turned and left. Mo Yingqi watched the old Taoist's retreating figure and fell into contemplation.

“Could they have arranged for someone to come?” Mo Yingqi glanced in the direction of the Imperial Palace. “Probably not. Although they can be quite boring sometimes, they absolutely don't believe in things like geomancy and spirits... If it wasn't them, how did this Taoist know my background?”

“Marked by peach blossoms... Tsk, you better be someone they sent. Although, what you said wasn't wrong...”

Mo Yingqi continued forward, urging his horse while pondering. He didn't see the Taoist turn into a small alley and nod to a middle-aged man in gray clothes, about forty years old, sporting a goatee.

“Alright, well done.” The man nodded and handed him a small bundle. “There will be more rewards later. You can't stay in the capital anymore. Her Highness has already arranged for you to go to Jiangnan to retire.”

“This subordinate obeys,” the Taoist nodded, but then asked curiously, “Steward Zheng, tell me... does this have meaning?”

“That's not for us to worry about. The Two Highnesses must have their reasons for doing this,” the person called Steward Zheng waved his hand. “Remember, this is someone The Two Highnesses cherish deeply; he is not someone we can discuss. Do your job well, and you won't be treated unfairly.”

“Yes, this subordinate understands!”