As mentioned earlier, a letter was sent to the patriarch leader, containing the warning. Neither Ren nor the others knew what the response would be, but based on the patriarch's actions, Ren and the others would have to adapt their actions according to the unfolding situation.
At this exact moment, a woman wearing a Qipao moved gracefully through the corridors of traditional oriental style. Upon reaching one of the doors, she knocked twice and waited.
"Come in"
A soft male voice resonated from inside the room. The tone was calm and gentle. The woman, in response, carefully opened the door and knelt, bowing until her forehead touched the ground.
"Patriarch leader, I have a message addressed to you"
After these words, the woman remained kneeling, awaiting the response from the patriarch leader. However, instead of a response, a faint laugh echoed through the room.
"It's just the two of us here, Huang. You can address me informally"
Listening to the words of the patriarch leader, Huang pondered whether she should comply with the request or not. They had known each other for a long time, as she had always worked as his secretary. In the end, Huang decided to comply with the patriarch leader's request.
"Then, I will comply with your request, Yu"
After saying this, Yu, who was lying on a futon, nodded while a small smile lit up his lips. In fact, both Yu and Huang were childhood friends. Although Huang came from a family of servants who had worked for the patriarch leader for generations, it was precisely for this reason that, when they were not in official meetings, he preferred that they address each other more informally.
"You mentioned there was a letter addressed to me?"
Yu asked with curiosity in his voice. Hearing Yu's words, Huang gracefully stood up and approached the futon where Yu was lying. Due to his fragile constitution, Yu rarely left his quarters, only going out on special occasions, such as meetings where all the patriarchs gathered.
"Here it is"
Huang handed the envelope to Yu, who immediately opened it and began to read the letter carefully. As he read, he remained silent, absorbing the content of the written words. Huang, aware of the gravity of the moment, remained silent, waiting for any reaction or instruction from Yu.
After a tense silence that seemed to last an eternity, Yu finally lowered the letter and met Huang's gaze. Deciding to get straight to the point, he knew that Huang was already aware of the letter's contents, after all, that was his job.
"Huang... is what's written in the letter true?"
Upon hearing Yu's words, Huang quickly nodded in confirmation. His action caused Yu to sigh deeply, his face showing a mix of concern and disappointment. The content of the letter was so unsettling that Yu couldn't simply ignore it.
From what Yu could see in the letter, Jun, the patriarch who commanded a coastal territory, was stockpiling weapons on his ships and also mistreating his people, in addition to committing heinous acts against them.
Truth be told, this wasn't the first time Yu had received complaints about this particular patriarch. However, the fact that he hadn't heard anything recently, and in fact had only heard good things, made Yu start to consider the situation more carefully.
While this patriarch was relatively young, that still doesn't change the fact that his actions have consequences. In the past, Yu only left him with a warning, considering the hardships he faced after losing his parents relatively early.
"Yes, Yu. Before coming to you, I sent a team to investigate personally, and it seems that everything written in the letter is true"
Said Huang. The reason she had checked the situation before reporting it to Yu was simply because Yu was usually the one who delivered the final blow; in other words, Huang verified the information while Yu decided what to do based on it.
"That's really disappointing. Despite giving Jun so many chances, in the end, this is how he repays me. Besides arming himself to the teeth, he doesn't seem to have changed at all in how he treats his subjects"
Lamented Yu as he sighed, his expression heavy with worry and discouragement. The situation would become truly complicated from that moment on; there was much Yu would have to do to deal with Jun.
"I completely agree with your words, Yu"
Nodded Huang, respectfully.
"Anyway, do you know who the sender of the letter is? We need to reward them for this. It must have been quite risky to write this letter, considering the possible consequences if discovered"
Said Yu, observing the still silent surroundings. He quickly grasped the meaning of the silence.
"So, we don't know, do we?"
Hearing this, Huang lowered her head, her expression filled with dismay.
"I apologize for my incompetence, patriarch leader"
She murmured, almost in a whisper, maintaining her respectful posture. Hearing this, Yu let out a small sigh because this was the reaction he was expecting.
"You don't need to worry, Huang. I'm not blaming you for this, and it's Yu, not Patriarch Leader"
Said Yu, trying to calm the secretary. Hearing Yu's words, Huang slowly stood up, keeping a despondent expression on her face.
"All we could find out was that there were two people, both in their twenties to thirties, wearing black cloaks that covered their faces"
Continued Huang. Yu pondered that from the sender's point of view, this would make a lot of sense, making it difficult for him to track them since their faces were covered. The strangest thing about all this was the fact that Huang couldn't identify both, even after the time that had passed since the incident.
"The last place both were seen was in Patriarch Jun's territory. Although I sent some people there to investigate, unfortunately, nothing was found"
Huang reported with a frustrated expression. To Yu, this whole situation was quite strange, but he decided to set it aside for now. There was something that needed to be done at the moment, something that demanded his utmost attention.