The veiled woman's expression remained indifferent, showing no emotional fluctuation from Li Musheng's words.
"I am from the Great Li Dynasty's Covert Intelligence Department." The woman looked at Li Musheng, her eyes deep and cold. She gently raised her hand and tossed a token, entirely silver, to Li Musheng, saying, "I am here for your identity. I presume you might be interested in this."
Li Musheng reached out and caught the silver token. He glanced at it, and his brows instantly furrowed, a look of suspicion appearing on his face. After transmigrating, he only knew that the original owner was a homeless orphan. Before joining the martial arts school, he had been taken in by an old beggar for a period, but that memory was extremely vague. As for who the original owner's parents were, or whether they were from Shun'an City, Li Musheng knew nothing.
Of course, he wasn't actually concerned about his own identity. After all, he was a transmigrator, and an orphan at that. He didn't need any emotionally attached family.
Just then, seeing Li Musheng suddenly fall silent, Cang Yinyue spoke again, adding, "You are very likely the Seventh Prince of the Great Li Dynasty, who was lost among the common folk."
Upon hearing this, Li Musheng leaped down from the city wall and landed beside Cang Yinyue.
"Miss, are you kidding? A prince was lost for twenty years, and you're only now thinking of looking for him?"
Cang Yinyue gracefully took a step back, maintaining a certain distance from Li Musheng. Her voice remained cold as she said, "The reasons are quite complex. If you wish to confirm your identity, you can accompany me to the imperial capital, Shangyang City."
"So my princely identity isn't even certain yet," Li Musheng mused, rubbing his chin. "I told you, my aptitude is so poor, how could I be some damned prince?"
However, Cang Yinyue shook her head, frowning. "Do not belittle yourself. Although many forces in the imperial capital are currently searching, in my opinion, you are the most likely candidate for that lost prince."
"Why?" Li Musheng was somewhat curious.
"Because I am the Great Li Covert Intelligence Department's First Silver-Patterned Secret Agent. Every mission I've undertaken has never failed, nor has there ever been any error or omission." Cang Yinyue's eyes revealed immense confidence, and combined with her unapproachable demeanor, she exuded an air of aloofness and cold pride.
She's clearly a tsundere!
Li Musheng raised an eyebrow. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Actually, going with you isn't out of the question. I'm already planning to wander the world anyway, so it doesn't matter where I go."
"However, I can't just go with you without understanding anything. At the very least, you have to let me know the whole story, from beginning to end. I'm not a big fan of riddle-tellers!"
Cang Yinyue stared at Li Musheng for a while, then nodded lightly. "As long as it doesn't involve the secrets of the Covert Intelligence Department, I will tell you everything you want to know truthfully."
Li Musheng lightly clapped his hands, saying cheerfully, "In that case, let's hit the road. We can talk as we go."
However, Cang Yinyue's figure suddenly retreated, instantly appearing several zhang (tens of feet) away. "Wait for me for half an incense stick's time. I still have some matters to handle. I will come to find you once I'm done!"
Seeing this, Li Musheng didn't mind. He waved his hand and said, "Then you go ahead and be busy. I'll wait for you." He then simply sat down in the shade of a tree to enjoy the cool.
Half an incense stick later, Cang Yinyue arrived punctually, leading two black-maned yellow horses into Li Musheng's view. As she approached, she handed the reins of one horse to Li Musheng, her voice still cold. "Let's go."
"You're rich, these horses must cost dozens of taels each, right?" Li Musheng casually tossed Cang Yinyue's token back to her, then took the reins and lightly leaped onto the horse's back.
"Once your identity as a prince is confirmed, mere gold and silver will mean nothing to you." Cang Yinyue said indifferently, putting away her token and about to mount her horse, when she saw Li Musheng slap his horse's rump. With a sharp neigh, the horse bolted out of the city like an arrow released from a bow.
"He wouldn't be trying to escape, would he?" Cang Yinyue frowned delicately. She immediately pushed off the ground with her foot, swiftly mounted her horse, and quickly followed in the direction Li Musheng had left, simultaneously shouting, "You're going the wrong way!"
As sunset approached, the two people and two horses, amidst the rhythmic "clippity-clop" of hooves, neared a secluded small town.
"We'll rest here tonight and continue our journey tomorrow morning." Cang Yinyue didn't enter the town but stopped on a slope outside it.
Li Musheng glanced around, said nothing more, and casually released his horse to find grass to eat. He then gathered some dry firewood and lit a bonfire in a sheltered spot.
"Miss Cang, come sit down. Let's chat." Li Musheng extended a hand in invitation.
Throughout the day's journey, Cang Yinyue had already briefly recounted the matters related to his identity. He found the whole thing quite dramatic: a "cat for a prince" scenario, real and fake princes, palace intrigue... Seriously, these royals sure know how to play!
"No need. I prefer to be alone. If you have any questions, you can ask directly." Cang Yinyue leaned against an old tree, showing no intention of moving.
Li Musheng didn't press her. As he poked at the firewood, he quietly pondered the matters concerning himself...
Four months ago, the Imperial Capital's Tianjin Guard received a confidential letter addressed directly to their commander. The letter stated that the current Seventh Prince was not the Emperor's biological son, having been secretly replaced twenty years prior. The real Seventh Prince was abandoned by the Great Mian River outside Shangyang City, his fate now unknown.
Soon, this matter was reported to Emperor Yuanwu. Emperor Yuanwu summoned the Seventh Prince, Li Zhi, overnight. No one knew what transpired that night in the Tianqian Palace, only that before dawn, several secret decrees were issued from within the palace. The Seventh Prince, Li Zhi, was imprisoned in the celestial prison, and the Tianjin Guard, the Six Fan Gate, and the Covert Intelligence Department all received secret orders to thoroughly investigate the twenty-year-old incident of the prince's replacement, all done in secret.
Evidently, the imperial palace originally intended to conceal this royal scandal, but for some unknown reason, the news eventually spread like wildfire. The next day, it had permeated throughout the entire imperial capital, Shangyang City, even reaching the common folk in the streets and alleys. It was from that point on that various forces in the imperial capital began to stir, not only believing in the prince's swap twenty years ago but also starting to use their own methods to search for the true Seventh Prince lost among the common people.
According to Cang Yinyue, she had utilized all the overt and covert agents of the entire Covert Intelligence Department, conducting countless overt and covert investigations, combining all relevant clues from the past twenty years, to finally locate Li Musheng. Of course, the Tianjin Guard and the Six Fan Gate, who also received secret orders, were likewise searching for the "Seventh Prince's" whereabouts. However, as each faction possessed different information, it was estimated that the person they eventually found would also vary.
"Miss Cang, are you truly so certain that I am that Seventh Prince? What if, by some chance, I'm not?" Li Musheng reined in his thoughts and suddenly asked.