Chapter 1125: Exchange

Lu Yurong clapped her hands, and a young woman with delicate features instantly appeared. She clasped her fists together and asked, “My lady?”

“Bring him back,” Lu Yurong ordered.

“There’s no need! I can walk back myself!” Lu Guangdi hurriedly asserted.

If he were to be carried back here, he would truly lose all his dignity.

Lu Yurong glanced at Chu Li. “You’re not plotting anything bad, right?”

Chu Li smiled as he shook his head. “You’d best not exercise within the following 24 hours. Otherwise…”

“Hmph!” Lu Guangdi sneered and turned away.

Lu Yurong looked at Chu Li.

Chu Li shook his head.

“Fine then, accompany him back. I don’t want any accidents to happen halfway through the journey,” said Lu Yurong.

“Yes, my Lady,” the delicate female gave a crisp reply before leaving along with Lu Guangdi.

As Lu Guangdi’s silhouette began to fade away, Chu Li shook his head and said, “Let’s talk inside!”

With that, Lu Yurong followed Chu Li all the way to the courtyard.

Lu Yurong was examining the courtyard. “Why can’t I see Xiao Qi anywhere?”

“She’s at Tianshu Courtyard.” Chu Li wanted to have a chat while sitting down, so he personally brewed a pot of tea and brought it over. “Just who is this Lu Guangdi person such that you need to tolerate him to these lengths?”

Chu Li could already tell that Lu Yurong was extremely irritated by Lu Guangdi and that she was itching to pulverize him. However, she did not lay a finger on him.

Lu Yurong angrily spat, “This is the expert that was personally invited over by his Royal Highness. How can I even lay a finger on him!”

“The situation isn’t that simple, right?” Chu Li smirked.

Lu Yurong sighed.

Chu Li continued, “From the looks of it, it seems that his Royal Highness King Jing has recruited the Tide-listening Pavilion. Since they’re able to catch the attention of King Jing, they must be pretty powerful, huh?”

“Your relationship with King Ping is pretty good, right?” Lu Yurong responded with a grin.

She took off her white veil, revealing her enthralling face, and her resplendent smile that mesmerized the heart of men.

Chu Li laughed. “Relax. I’m not going to participate in the throne-claiming battle. Whether or not King Jing or King Ping becomes Emperor, it’ll have nothing to do with King An’s Imperial Residence, as they’ll both treat King An’s Imperial Residence properly.”

“That’s true.” Lu Yurong commented, “As long as you don’t interfere, both sides would definitely treat you well.”

Chu Li smiled. “I take that this is King Jing’s condition?”

“You can say so,” Lu Yurong answered.

Chu Li asked, “I heard that His Royal Highness intends to crown a prince?”

Lu Yurong narrowed her eyes. She appeared to be thinking about something.

‘This is a highly classified secret. Even among the ranks of the Imperial House, only three people are aware of it! I can’t believe Chu Li knows about it!’

Chu Li laughed wryly. “The news came to me out of nowhere. I didn’t obtain it through investigation. However, that does explain why you’re constantly lingering around Fairy’s Capital. You’ve reached a crucial point now, right?”

“Indeed. Have you heard of any other news?” Lu Yurong slowly got the words out.

Chu Li answered, “King Ping has already relinquished his military control, and now, there’s an empty spot. The other Kings pose no threat, and as such, King Jing becoming the crown prince is pretty much set in stone. No one is able to stop him.”

“Unless the ceremony has officially been completed, who knows what kind of developments might occur!” Lu Yurong continued, “Do you really have no intention in interfering?”

Chu Li quickly waved his hand, “I don’t intend to get myself involved in such a sticky situation!”

Lu Yurong showed a half-smile to Chu Li.

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Both of them understood each other quite well. She knew that Chu Li was not one to follow rules, and although there was no longer a King An residing in King An’s Imperial Residence, there were still his successors. Chu Li might have said that he had no intention of interfering, but that might not be the case, as the harder a task was, Chu Li would become more interested in doing it. An example of this would be to push Xu An into the spot of crown prince!

Lu Yurong asked, “Has King An’s Imperial Palace’s Young Prince ever returned?”

Chu Li answered, “He’s currently cultivating in isolation. He’s not going to return on such short notice. I estimate that it’ll be a few years before he returns.”

Lu Yurong responded, “I worry that he might return earlier though.”

Chu Li lifted up his teacup and took a sip from it. He had a carefree expression as he replied, “The Young Prince is still young. It’s better for him to concentrate on his cultivation. It won’t do him any good to interfere in adult matters. Furthermore, he’s a Buddhist, so why would he even need to join the throne-claiming battle?”

“That’s good to hear.” Lu Yurong lifted up her cup and took a sip as well. She then commented, “I heard that Gu Yu has been troubling you?”

Chu Li furrowed his brows, “You have ears in the Secret Guardians Hall?”

Lu Yurong chuckled. “Aren’t you the same? We’re the same, you and I. So, I don’t believe that you don’t have anyone within King Jing’s Imperial Residence.”

Chu Li paused for a moment before resuming with laughter. “Yes, I did wish to deploy spies to King JIng’s Imperial Residence. Alas, the place is completely impervious. I’m totally helpless, really.”

“Oh?” Lu Yurong put down her teacup and flashed a brilliant smile. It was as if a thousand flowers were blooming before Chu Li as Lu Yurong bore down on him. “Are you saying that Zhuo Feiyang isn’t under you?”

Chu Li heaved a sigh and answered with a smirk, “You can call him that if you want to since he’s from the Yi Public House.”

Lu Yurong locked her gentle gaze onto Chu Li’s face. She was trying to detect any trace of movement.

Alas, Chu Li did not seem to be pretending, and this was throwing her off. She commented with a grin, “Zhuo Feiyang is pretty impressive. There’s potential in him.”

“Whilst he has the aptitude for it, he does not actually have the temperament to succeed.” Chu Li casually stated, “Otherwise, he would have achieved more than he currently has.”

“He’s already above average though.” Lu Yurong added, “Wait, don’t tell me that you’re hoping that he’ll be on our level?”

Chu Li sighed, “If his temperament was any better, he might be able to reach our potential.”

Lu Yurong smiled wryly at him. “It seems that he’s your spy.”

Chu Li grinned. He refused to give a concrete answer. “Whatever you say.”

Lu Yurong frowned at him.

While the two might look as if they were having a common exchange, there were actually swords behind their words. They were testing one another, and had Chu Li been any other person, Lu Yurong would immediately be able to discern his thoughts. However, this was Chu Li in the flesh, and since they were both on equal footing, it was pretty difficult for her to judge him.

The truth might be a lie and lies might contain the truth. Chu Li had never spoken any lies before, but his truthful words will more often than not, misdirect the other person. As such, Lu Yurong did not completely believe in his words.

Chu Li sighed. Lu Yurong truly was Lu Yurong, and Zhuo Feiyang’s efforts were now in vain. From this moment onward, Chu Li could no longer obtain any useful intel, and Zhuo Feiyang would be reduced to a messenger between Lu Yurong and Chu Li. Should Lu Yurong find it inconvenient to make it over, she could just relay the message to Zhuo Feiyang instead.

However, Zhuo Feiyang still was not allowed to leave King Jing’s Imperial Residence. After all, every slight movement within the residence was extremely important. Even if Zhuo Feiyang was no longer able to obtain any secrets, even the most mundane of reports was important enough for Zhuo Feiyang to remain there.

“How do you intend on handling Gu Yu?” Lu Yurong smirked, “Do you need my assistance?”

Chu Li smirked right back at her.

Lu Yurong asked, “How about we topple him?”

“He has the favor of the Emperor. We can’t bring him down.” Chu Li shook his head.

Lu Yurong responded, “Then we’ll just get rid of him.”

“I’ll think of a way to lure Lu Guangdi away then,” Chu Li mused.

Lu Yurong pouted, “I’ll be on the losing end of this exchange if that’s the case.”

“Who else do you want?” Chu Li added, “List them out for me.”

“King Ping…” Lu Yurong stated with a faint smile.

Chu Li shook his hands. “This wouldn’t work. I cannot use King Ping!”

“It’s not like I’m telling you to handle King Ping for me. All I wish is to understand his intent.” Lu Yurong rolled her eyes and said, “I just wish to know what he’s thinking.”

Chu Li shook his head. “King Ping is my friend, just like you. I’ll never use a friend for the sake of a deal.”

“… Fine then, I’ll reduce my requirements. I want you to set up a meeting between King Ping and me,” Lu Yurong responded.

There were a few things she trusted Li Yi on, this was one of them. Even though he was a sly fox, he had his principles, which was that he would never betray her.

“I’ve invited King Ping to Verdant Cloud Brothel. You can come along,” Chu Li said.

“… Okay!” Lu Yurong paused for a moment before gradually nodding.