He hadn't expected Lin Yan to make such a simple request.
Seeing his disbelieving expression, Lin Yan smiled, "You heard correctly, it's that simple. With you as our backer, no one else would dare covet Lishan's entire industry.
I will also work hard to ensure you live a long and healthy life. That way, you can protect the Lishan Sword Sect for a longer period, can't you?"
He had no way to refuse, or perhaps he didn't want to.
"Then, I accept this business deal."
"I will prepare your medicine as soon as possible. As for other collaborations, you can send people to Lishan's surroundings to take a look, and then give me your reply. I believe you know where I live.
It's been quite a long time, and my senior brothers must be worried about me. I'll take my leave now. Your Highness, please consider it carefully."
After speaking, Lin Yan bowed and left. Her movements were so swift that she gave Prince Chu no chance to stop her. However, Prince Chu had no intention of stopping her; he had already received enough stimulation from today's meeting and needed time to process it.
The carriage stopped, and the coachman's voice was heard from outside.
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the palace gate."
He withdrew his thoughts and handed his token out the window. "This Prince intends to see his imperial brother. Grant passage!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guard moved aside, clearing a path.
"Let's go!"
Upon receiving the order, the coachman urged the horses and drove the carriage into the imperial palace. This was a special privilege for Prince Chu; due to his poor health, he was allowed to enter the palace by carriage. However, upon entering the inner palace, he would have to switch to a sedan chair.
Prince Chu did not leave the imperial palace that night, but it was common for him to stay there, so no one suspected anything.
When Lin Yan returned to their reserved private room, her senior brothers had already finished their meal.
"Junior Sister, you're finally back. You must be hungry, right? We ordered another meal for you. Would you like it served now?" Senior Brother Zhang asked. He didn't inquire about the outcome of Lin Yan's discussion with Prince Chu. Instead, he was more concerned about whether Lin Yan was hungry.
"We've already eaten, and we ordered some of your favorite dishes," Senior Brother Yang added.
"Let's take it to go, I'll eat it later and then discuss the results of my talk with Prince Chu with all the senior brothers," Lin Yan said.
"It won't make much difference whether we wait or not."
"Let's eat back there. I don't know if Junior Brother Xiao and the others have eaten yet. I'll eat with them when we get back," Lin Yan shook her head.
"Alright, Junior Sister. I'll go and speak with the shopkeeper and settle the bill," Senior Brother Dong immediately got up.
"Junior Sister, you go back to the carriage first. We'll handle things here."
"Okay." Lin Yan agreed and then left with one of her senior brothers downstairs to take the carriage.
After they had finished their meal, the senior brothers and sister sat in the hall. Zhao Yushu spoke first.
"Junior Sister, it was my carelessness that allowed Prince Chu's side to discover our whereabouts."
He had already heard from his senior brothers that Prince Chu had discovered them long ago, and this meeting was a trap. He had put Junior Sister in danger, and if anything happened to her, he would be solely to blame!
"Junior Brother Xiao, don't say that. No matter how careful you are, you would have been discovered. After all, this is their territory. Any stranger appearing would raise suspicion.
This Prince Chu is not as simple as he appears. The power he wields is not small. In today's meeting alone, there were no less than twenty people hidden in the shadows."
Lin Yan comforted Zhao Yushu. She actually suspected that Prince Chu was more trusted by the Emperor than she thought. When she had only mentioned her name and sect, he had immediately inquired about her father.
From this, she understood that Prince Chu had numerous informants and was incredibly well-informed. Not only in the court, but he was also so familiar with the affairs of the martial world that she suspected Prince Chu controlled a vast information network.
Moreover, this network was likely under the Emperor's tacit approval.
However, he controlled this power on the premise that his days were numbered. If he truly recovered, would he still be trusted by the Emperor?
There was no familial affection in the imperial family. She could only hope that the Emperor truly loved Prince Chu! She didn't want to find another backer.
Luo Yuxuan looked at the tall walls of Jinling City before him, tears almost welling up in his eyes.
Finally, finally! He had reached Jinling! After enduring countless hardships and living a precarious life, he had finally reached his destination.
Luo Yuxuan had never suffered so much in his life. He looked down at the obedient child in his arms and forced a smile.
"Yuan'er, we're finally arriving in Jinling. Look, that's the city gate of Jinling!" Luo Yuxuan pointed to the gate ahead.
The child in his arms was dressed as a girl. However, because Luo Yuxuan didn't know how to comb hair, his hair was messy, and coupled with his dirty face, he looked somewhat like a little beggar.
But because he was young, wearing a girl's clothes didn't seem strange. However, these coarse cloth clothes were exchanged with a farmer later.
The clothes he had bought earlier had been lost during their hurried escape after being discovered. Later, he had exchanged Yuan'er's and his own clothes with a farmer for a few pieces of coarse cloth and linen.
However, it was precisely because they changed into these coarse clothes that they were no longer found.
Luo Yuxuan was not much better off. His usually clean and tidy clothes were now dirty and wrinkled. The hairpin he used to tie his hair was nowhere to be found.
He exuded a sloppy aura all over, and he had no intention of tidying himself up. After all, only by being like this could he avoid being discovered.
He no longer wished to recall the days of being chased after Yuan'er was discovered.
"Brother, we'll be able to see Grandfather soon, right?" Yuan'er couldn't read, but he remembered this city gate. His mother had brought him here once.
Thinking of his mother, his eyes began to well up again. He would never see his mother and father again!
"Yes, once we enter the city, we'll rest for a bit before going to see your grandfather."
Luo Yuxuan didn't know if those people would be guarding near the Yan family's residence, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He remembered that his sect had properties in Jinling.
They would go there first, and then have them send word to the Yan family. This way, it would be safer.
He truly did not want to experience such a life of being hunted again. Holding Yuan'er in his arms, he slowly walked towards Jinling City.
As long as he could enter the city and find his family's property, he would be completely at ease!
While queuing to enter the city, Luo Yuxuan tried his best not to show any difference. He hunched over, held the child tightly in his arms, and queued among the crowd to slowly enter the city.
Taking out his last copper coins from his pocket and paying the entrance fees for two people, Luo Yuxuan finally set foot into Jinling City.
He looked around, and suddenly he saw a group escorting goods. The familiar faces filled him with immense joy.
It was truly a case of "searching high and low, only to find it when one least expects it."