Little Purple

"What occasion has made Your Highness crown prince come and honor us with his grace, if this lowly minister may ask?" Qing Bo said sarcastically.

There were two possible meanings behind his words. He had been in grief and was gladdened for Jin Min's arrival or he was aggrieved by his arrival. Given their horrible history, the latter was more likely.

The crown prince was the type that did not show what he thought on the surface and always wore the same smiling expression, irking the formidable Qing Bo.

"Right Chancellor, this crown prince came here not just to pay my own respects to the deceased, but also to give them in the stead of His Majesty, my imperial father." Jin Min showed a seal.

It was the emperor's grand seal. Seeing this, everyone on the scene, excluding Zhi Yu, kneeled.

"His Majesty, the emperor, has bestowed the Great General Hu Quan Li with the title of national hero. The Great General and his family will be given the proper burial of heroes. His Majesty will bestow a new residence near the palace in the name of the Hu family members. The previous Hu family land and estate will be given back to the country."

"This is bad..." Zhi Yu could not let the land fall into the hands of the emperor. If they intended to take it forcefully, he had ways to fight back. But if they took this chance to appear benevolent in front of the public's eyes, not only would he lose the various ways to reject their offer, he might even be forced to ultimately give away the land.

"Begin to move out after the funeral." Jin Min finished his sentence and put the seal away.

The people around gradually stood up. Most of the Hu clan members were displeased, as they needed to say goodbye to the land as soon as they say goodbye to the master.

Qing Bo clenched his hand, wanting to argue with Jin Min, but the weight of that message was like the weight of the emperor's word. Seeing that his business was done, Jin Min turned and was about to leave. Seeing his back, Qing Bo said, "Please wait, Your Highness."

Jin Min halted but didn't turn completely, merely looking at Qing Bo from the corner of his eyes.

"This house should also have that thing, right?" Qing Bo glanced at Zhi Yu.

Zhi Yu knew what Qing Bo meant. Just like how Zhi Yu had his blue eyed white dragon necklace, the house also had some sort of proof that it was something the previous emperor left behind for them. "There is the key to the house."

In the grand hall located at the main courtyard, there was a dragon-shaped statue that was bound to the wall. In the center, there was a keyhole. No one was sure about the function of the keyhole because it didn't open or lock anything, but according to the law, the key to that keyhole functioned like the seal Jin Min had and the necklace Zhi Yu wore.

Because the key was given by the previous emperor himself, the holder could be considered one of that emperor's own people. By law, they could have a sort of immunity to the current emperor's edict.


It was good that Jin was a more open-minded country. People that had the power could still go against the emperor's order without fear of penalty, though such a case was very rare.

Qing Bo approached Zhi Yu and whispered, "Where is it?" His eyes were full of hope, silently wishing to receive some good news about its whereabouts.

"It was with the Great General." Zhi Yu frowned, thinking hard. He knew how precious that key was. "It was not found on the general's body. For all we know, it could still be around the memorial palace's ruins."

"You mean, we lost it?" Qing Bo broke into cold sweat.

Watching from afar, Falcon observed Jin Min's figure from behind his silver mask. The crown prince of Jin was a tall and handsome man, blessed with a smile that could steal any girl's heart. But his eyes were hollow, containing no life within. Falcon felt as if he had seen those kind of eyes before.

Jin Min's white robe fluttered as he waited patiently. Examining the situation carefully, he intentionally looked at Qing Bo's and Zhi Yu's figures, observing them for anything that could give them away. When he saw Qing Bo's balled fists and realized that the other party must have met some sort of trouble, his already placid smile widened.