"Thank you, your highness, for your generous gift, I believe Fei Yan is very happy." Prime Minister Lao couldn't hide his joyous smile.
"Father is right, your highness. Fei Yan, can't thank you enough for your generosity." Lao Fei Yan bowed gracefully towards the Crown Prince. Zhao Mu Fan smiled proudly. Her gratitude gesture satisfied him.
He waved his hand again and a middle-aged man wearing dark green robes entered the courtyard. The man bowed respectfully to Zhao Mu Fan and said firmly, "Your humble servant greets the Crown Prince."
"Second Miss Lao. This Lin Jun. He is a Beastmaster. He will help you make a contract with the Earth-Tiger beast," Zhao Mu Fan said.
Lao Fei Yan became more excited. Having a contractual beast was a great prestige for people in the country. It would show her high position and strength to the people. She could already imagine people giving her envious looks once they knew she owned. Her own siblings were now glaring at her with resentment.
"I'll be in your care, Master Li…" Lao Fei Yan nodded her head with excitement.
"Leave it to me, Miss Lao," Lin Jun said confidently.
Lin Jun approached the cage carefully. The beast furiously roared at him as It bared its fangs to intimidate Lin Jun, but the man remained silent. Lin Jun raised his hand in front of the beast then he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, the beast's body shook violently, the beast felt threatened with death then clawed at the bars repeatedly, the beast then jumped up and down in a frenzy inside the cage and the cage started making strange sounds as if the cage was on the verge of collapse. Everyone couldn't hide their fear, they were afraid that the beast would come out of the cage.
Lin Jun scrunched up his face as he released more power. Sweat fell from his forehead, drenching his face. It took a few minutes for the beast to give in to him. Slowly the exhausted beast put its head between its feet, showing surrender. Lin Jun smiled with relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He beckoned at Lao Fei Yan, "Miss Lao, please get closer." he said.
Lao Fei Yan feel hesitant but she can't be a coward in front of Zhao Mu Fan, Lao Fei Yan then took a deep breath before she approached Lin Jun. Her eyes were glued on the beast. She couldn't help but feel anxious in front of the big beast.
Lin Jun made Lao Fei Yan stand before the beast to do the ritual. A white light emerged from Lao Fei Yan and the beast's foreheads. The light disappeared after a minute. Lao Fei Yan opened her eyes and smiled joyously at Zhao Mu Fan. "It's done. He is now my contractual beast!"
Zhao Mu Fan nodded with a content smile on his face. The truth was Zhao Mu Fan helped Lao Fei Yan not because he liked her, or he was being generous. He did it because he wanted to draw Prime Minister Lao to his side. He needed Prime Minister Lao's support to strengthen his hold within the Imperial court as the next Emperor.
His fear was not without basis. Even though he was the Crown Prince, his title could easily be revoked if he lost the Emperor's favor or if the Emperor found a more suitable candidate. Apart from him, they were two other princes who could easily threaten his position. This included the Fifth Prince Zhao Qin Feng who was also Zhao Li Xin's older brother.
Zhao Qin Feng was supported by his mother, the daughter of Ying Clan which was one of the four noble families of the Liangzu Kingdom. The Liangzu Kingdom was not as big as the Jiang Wei Kingdom, but their land was fertile which made Liangzu one of the richest Kingdoms in this world.
The four noble families held power over the Imperial Liangzu family in the last few decades. This happened after the death of Liangzu's last Emperor. While the four noble clans shared the power, the Ying Clan was the strongest of the four.
The other suitable candidate was the Third Prince Zhao Yi Chen. He was very smart, cunning and ruthless and a talented general. He had won many wars in the last few years and protected the border well. He was well known throughout the Kingdom. The citizens loved him, and the generals supported and admired him. Zhao Yi Chen was also a very talented cultivator. All this combined with his upright views made him the biggest threat to Zhao Mu Fan inheriting the throne.
This was one of the reasons why Zhao Mu Fan strongly pursued Lao Fei Yan. He needed Prime Minister Lao's influence in order to withstand the other princes' rising power. The Prime Minister was a great pawn to have.
He had great influence in the Imperial court, his family had served the Kingdom for generations and the old Emperor trusted him. So, for Zhao Mu Fan to give Lao Fei Yan a Profound Level beast was a small price to pay.
"Fei Yan, isn't this great? With this contractual beast, you don't have to worry about the upcoming martial competition happening next month?" The Prime Minister said.
"That's right. Your age is now considered appropriate to join the competition this year," Zhao Mu Fan rubbed his chin. "This Prince will expect great things from you."
"Of course, your highness. Fei Yan would not dare disappointed you." Lao Fei Yan smiled sweetly at him.
After the commotion, everyone went back to the main hall. Zhao Li Xin still sat lazily on the chair without care. Mong Ki disguised as a male servant stood beside him serving his lord diligently and ignoring everyone else.
Seeing Zhao Li Xin reminded them that there was another prince inside the manor. The Prime Minister didn't really care for Zhao Li Xin like he did the Crown Prince, but he still needed to give him face as he carried the royal blood.
"Apologies Sixth Prince for leaving you alone. This official was very careless," Although the Prime Minister sounded remorseful, his face did not show it. Zhao Li Xin waved his hand weakly to show the Prime Minister that he didn't mind.
Like the Prime Minister, Zhao Li Xin didn't really care for someone as presumptuous as Prime Minister Lao. He was there because it was the only place for him to look for his savior. He was running out of patience as a year of searching had passed. The only thing he was sure of was the fact that his savior was connected to the Lao Manor.
When his shadow guards tried to find the mysterious woman, they found small footprints on the ground close to the Lao Manor. However, they could not tell if the mysterious woman was living inside the manor, a guest, or in the worst case a person who was just passing by.
He first thought his savior was Lao Min Na as she was an alchemist who had been selling her pills at the Thousand Herbs Pharmacy. He knew this because he owned the place and could also tell Lao Min Na's alchemist level. Lao Min Na only sold lower-grade pills at first and had only started selling second-grade pills recently.
Although it was being said she was a genius, she only graduated to making second-grade pills after two years. So, he dismissed her as his savior. The woman who saved him should be capable of more than a pure grade pill.
Zhao Li Xin then wondered if his savior was Lao Min Na's master. However, a year had passed, and his shadow guard didn't see Miss Lao meet anyone. He was frustrated with their failure when he bumped into Zhao Mu Fan during dinner.
The Crown Prince jokingly asked Zhao Li Xin to follow him to Lao Manor where he was going to see his beautiful fiancé. He claimed he would teach Zhao Li Xin how to court ladies. Zhao Li Xin would normally reject Zhao Mu Fan's offer got impulsive and agreed because his brother had mentioned 'Lao Manor'. His agreement surprised Zhao Mu Fan.
Zhao Li Xin straighten up his back, blinked his bored eyes, and asked casually, "If Prime Minister doesn't mind me asking, why are you gathered in the main hall? I can also see the small servants is here?"
The Prime Minister was flustered. "Oh, this official is so embarrassed…"
"We are going to be family soon. Why not tell this prince what troubles you?" He could not let the matter go easily. It was a good chance to make Prime Minister Lao owe him. He could be like any other politician who could easily hide his schemes and maintain the perfect amicably smile.
"It's… Last night someone breached our treasury room and stole a Red Dew Flower pill. Your highness must know how precious the perfection pure grade pill is," Prime Minister said with grieve.
"How could someone breach Prime Minister Manor?" Zhao Mu Fan was stunned. "Was it an expert?"
"We don't know for sure. No one saw anyone get in or out of the manor. We feared it was someone from inside the manor. The guards who watch the room was found dead." He glanced at Lao Min Na with disgruntled eyes.
Zhao Mu Fan easily understood what the prime minister implied. However, he was stunned. Could it really be Lao Min Na? The woman he knew to be weak-minded and easily bullied. When did she get the nerve to do such a thing?
"If there is really someone like this inside the manor, Prime Minister Lao should find that person right away and asked him to work for you instead. Who is this person who can breach the Prime Minister's security, kill the guards and break the protective array around the treasury room…?" Zhao Li Xin said with a chuckle. He then sighed, "Such a person must be highly talented...
All faces including the Prime Minister's turned red with shame. What the Sixth Prince said was right. How could a sixteen-year-old lady like Lao Min Na do something like that when she couldn't even cultivate? Lao accusing Lao Min Na was like telling everyone that the people inside his Manor were useless. This would turn him into a joke.
Lao Min Na didn't know why Zhao Li Xin helped her. The truth was Zhao Li Xin didn't really care for her. He only helped her because he couldn't locate his mysterious savior and he thought the woman may have some connection with Lao Min Na. He thought to keep her alive as he was still searching.
"Hmph, who knows if she colludes with someone from the outside…" Old Madam Lao sneer. "Just like her despicable Mother…"
Lao Min Na sneered, "To do that I should at least be able to leave this Manor, should I?" She mocked the old Madam's stupid accusation. "Everyone knows I do not leave my courtyard. This has been so since my mother died, and my mother has been dead for a long time. I don't even remember her face. Why is grandmother still bringing her up?"
"How dare you talk like that to your grandmother?" The Prime Minister furiously shouted at Lao Min Na.
"Did I say the wrong thing, father?" Lao Min Na asked calmly.
"All of you accuse me of something I couldn't have done. Haven't you already punished me for my late mother's crimes? Is it still not enough...? What else do you want me to do?" Lao Min Na aired her grievance which made the Prime Minister feel guilty.
The way he treated her was worse than how he treated his servants. He couldn't help it. He detested his unfaithful wife and Lao Min Na's face remind him so much of her.
Prime Minister Lao gritted his teeth. He didn't dare act unruly in front of the Crown prince and Sixth Prince. He must act like a benevolent father. He waved his hand and reluctantly let her go, "Enough, you can go back to your courtyard now!"
Yang Wei Lan frowned. She thought Lao Min Na wouldn't get away this time, but the princes' visit changed everything. She could only clench her fist and hide her dissatisfaction. Lao Fei Yan understood what was going through her mother's head. She sent her a meaningful glance 'let this problem slide.' They just needed to be patient. There were other opportunities ahead.
Lory watched them from the side as Lao Min Na left the main hall. Zhao Li Xin's words made her contemplate further. Lao Min Na was not the same woman she used to be. She had changed. Many people wouldn't recognize her as the same timid woman she was before. Yet, how could she suddenly become an alchemist and cultivator?
Lory connected telepathically with Girsha [Did she steal the pill...?"
Girsha chuckle [Of course she did….]