Chapter Fifty-Six: The Fierce Little Admirer

Although it was expected and the plot was already known to her, when the old storyteller spoke those words aloud, it still sent a chill down the spines of everyone present, making them draw in a sharp breath.

The old storyteller did not continue down that path; instead, he shifted the topic to something else everyone already knew, though embellished with a new twist: "Just as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was investigating the connection between the female corpse and Lord Luo, the Minister of War, or his ties to other members of the Ministry of War, rumors arose of someone beating the imperial drum of grievance outside the palace gates. And the maid who filed the grievance was accusing none other than Lord Luo, the Minister of War."

The crowd below began to whisper and murmur among themselves, clearly showing their disrespect for the old storyteller and their loss of interest in his tale.

Yet the old storyteller was not flustered. He calmly continued with the mundane facts: "The maid accused Lord Luo of trafficking in official titles, stealing military secrets, and framing General Qin."

The old storyteller raised an eyebrow, struck his wooden gavel down, and produced a resounding crack.

"All of that is common gossip on the streets! What your old servant is telling you today is entirely different. This is the freshest news I managed to get my hands on. Listen closely, esteemed patrons!"

The whispering and murmuring crowd below instantly fell silent. Even those who were eating froze, stretching their necks to listen while completely forgetting to chew the food in their mouths.

Luo Yunyao was no exception. It was only after Qin Jinghao repeatedly forced the issue that she finally spat out the chicken bone she had been holding in her mouth.

Luo Yunyao could not help marveling, clicking her tongue as she shared her thoughts with the person beside her: "This old storyteller is truly remarkable. Even though I am the very protagonist of these events, I can't help being utterly fascinated by what he's about to say."

In contrast, the Grand General Qin offered a calm and breezy retort to Lord Luo: "This is merely your childish temperament at play. It has nothing to do with an old man skilled in loose talk."

Luo Yunyao would never tolerate anyone disparaging someone she admired. "Loose talk? If Grand General Qin is so capable, why don't you go up there and give it a try? What's the point of picking on an elderly man in front of a weak woman like me?" she said with a sarcastic edge, not forgetting to deliver a finishing blow: "With Grand General Qin's supreme martial prowess and peerless skill in military strategy, attracting attention with a bit of clever chatter must be effortless for you, right?"

Qin Jinghao picked up a piece of meat and placed it directly into Luo Yunyao's bowl, effectively sealing her mouth.

Luo Yunyao stared speechlessly at the food that had miraculously reappeared in her bowl the moment she finished her previous meal, and rolled her eyes. "...You really don't need to bribe me like this."

Qin Jinghao cast a sidelong glance of mock surprise at Luo Yunyao. "Who said I was bribing you? Would one even need to spend money to bribe Lord Luo?"

Just as Luo Yunyao fully expected him to praise her incorruptibility, Qin Jinghao spoke in a soft, steady tone laden with an unnoticeable, profound trace of mischief: "Isn't my face alone enough to bribe Lord Luo?"

He tilted his face toward her—a peerless young gentleman of the mortal realm, with jade-like features and eyes brimming with alluring charm.

Luo Yunyao: "..."

Lord Luo, the Minister of War, lowered her head obediently and began to eat the food someone had once again piled onto her plate. *If I can't afford to provoke you, at least I can hide from you,* she thought to herself.

The old storyteller resumed his tale in a slow, murmuring voice, speaking in a tone as if he were terrified others might overhear. It was precisely this hushed delivery that made the audience below tense up with breathless anticipation, as though they were afraid of being discovered.

This could be considered the climax of the entire performance—not violent, yet leaving everyone holding their breath in suspense.

"Just as that gentleman over there suggested, based on this old man's years of experience in reading people," the old storyteller said, his gaze shifting to the ruffian who had spoken earlier. Luo Yunyao felt a drumbeat of unease in her chest, sensing something bad was about to happen. Sure enough, she heard the old storyteller adopt a mysterious tone: "Three maids, two human lives, and a grown young master... I'm afraid there is a scandalous romance hidden within all of this."

Luo Yunyao closed her eyes in sheer agony.

*A scandalous romance in your dreams, you old fool!* she cursed internally.

As expected, someone in the crowd caught the implication and immediately started jeering, shouting, "Who would have thought that Lord Luo, the Minister of War, was such a person! What an absolute beast in human clothing!"

Some in the audience who had previously been on the fence about Luo Yunyao now fully turned against him, muttering, "To think that Luo Yao is this kind of newly appointed top scholar and Minister of War."

The young scholar who had earlier argued so passionately now turned pale with rage. From the frantic twitching of his pale lips, Luo Yunyao could vaguely make out him muttering, "No, no, that's not true. He is not that kind of person."

Watching the scholar's expression, Luo Yunyao sighed inwardly, mourning the loss of yet another little fanboy.

The crowd slowly chanted a conclusion consisting of eight damning words: "A beast in human clothing! A depraved rake!"

Luo Yunyao laughed out of sheer anger, the smile freezing on her face. Then she sighed again—why bother getting angry at ordinary folk who knew nothing and treated the matter merely as an unrelated piece of gossip to pass the time?

Qin Jinghao turned his head, originally intending to comfort his young companion. But midway through, seeing Luo Yunyao's expression and realizing she needed no consolation, his comforting words morphed into: "This old storyteller certainly knows how to read the room."

Luo Yunyao seized the chance to distract herself from the slanderous remarks directed at her, playing along with Qin Jinghao by offering an inquiring "Hmm?"

With a profound smile, Qin Jinghao leaned close to Luo Yunyao's ear. His breath was fragrant like orchid grass, and his voice was low and soft: "Could it be that Lord Luo, the Minister of War, is indeed not a man fond of beauty?"

Hearing this, Luo Yunyao felt an intense itch in her teeth and reached out to hook Qin Jinghao's chin. However, a child nearby was watching them intently; for two young men to behave thus in public was hardly appropriate.

Luo Yunyao managed to swallow the words that had almost slipped past her lips: *Just wait for this young master's favor, you beauty!*

She turned back and glared fiercely at the curious child. Unfazed, the child not only refused to be frightened into tears, but stubbornly glared right back at her.

Left with no other choice, Luo Yunyao lowered her head and feigned embarrassment at being stared at by a child. In that very instant of lowering her head, Lord Luo, the Minister of War, was struck by a flash of inspiration and whispered to the Grand General: "Fine! I, Luo Yunyao, stand by my name and actions. If I like beauty, then so be it! Tonight, I'm heading straight to the male brothel."

Qin Jinghao was stunned by her declaration, caught completely off guard by her counterattack, before slowly uttering two words: "You wouldn't dare."

Naturally, Luo Yunyao did not dare, nor did she have any desire to visit such a place. But since they were acting, they had to commit to the role. Out of sight from everyone else, she reached out and grasped Qin Jinghao's hand. Her slender, pale fingers wrapped around his warm, jade-like hand as Lord Luo smiled wickedly and whispered to the Grand General: "Yes, yes, I wouldn't dare. The most breathtaking beauty in all the world is right in the palm of this young master's hand; how could I possibly dare to go anywhere else, or spare even a glance for other beauties?"

Qin Jinghao remained silent, unsure whether he was angry or not, but he tightened his grip, firmly locking her delicate hand within his own palm.

Satisfied with this gesture and reveling in the hand-holding, Luo Yunyao could not resist a parting teasing remark: "In broad daylight, aren't you ashamed, Grand General Qin? Do you really desire this young master's favor so badly?"

The jade-like young gentleman of noble bearing remained silent, merely exerting a bit more strength into his grip on her hand.

The slender and delicate young scholar laureate naturally could not withstand such pressure and was about to hiss in pain.

Just then, a man's voice rang out: "This old storyteller is merely measuring the heart of a gentleman with the yardstick of a villain." The speaker's voice was not particularly loud, yet it carried clearly to every single ear in the room.

Luo Yunyao never expected anyone to have the courage to speak up for her at a time like this. This... this must be the ultimate die-hard fan among her little fanboys!

Disregarding her intertwined hand with Qin Jinghao, Luo Yunyao turned her head, utterly focused on finding the person who had spoken.

What was the advantage of standing out from the crowd? It meant no searching was necessary; the person could be spotted at a single glance. That was what Luo Yunyao thought as her gaze fell upon the man dressed in black brocade trimmed with gold clouds.

That man clearly belonged to the jianghu martial world. The aura of slaughter—or rather, the reek of blood—emanating from him was even heavier than that of someone like Qin Jinghao, who had fought across bloody battlefields.

His facial features were as sharp as if carved by an axe and chisel, making people afraid to meet his gaze directly for fear of being cut by his razor-sharp presence. Yet, despite this, onlookers could not help stealing cautious, covert glances at him.

Luo Yunyao almost wanted to cup her chin in her hands and openly admire this supposed little fanboy of hers.

Truly, male beauty was in vogue, each manifesting in entirely different ways.

Sighing inwardly, Luo Yunyao turned her head back to look at her own beloved and cherished partner, nodding repeatedly to herself in quiet affirmation that her own choice was unquestionably the best.

Meeting Luo Yunyao's gaze, Qin Jinghao felt an itch in his fingertips to reach out and tousle her neatly groomed, soft hair.

The old storyteller, presumably the "villain" referred to, flushed red with anger and snapped, "What do you mean by that, young sir?"

Elderly storytellers of his stature commanded respect and admiration wherever they went; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

The sharp-featured man's expression remained unchanged, as though he had not heard the old storyteller's challenge. Leisurely, he poured himself a cup of wine.

The sound of the wine splashing into the cup could be heard across almost the entire tavern.

Only after filling the cup did the man act as though he finally realized the entire room was watching him. He raised a cold, chiseled eyebrow in mild surprise, slowly acting as if he had just remembered what he had said moments before and how the old storyteller had retorted. With unhurried deliberation and an innate sharpness to his demeanor, he replied, "This traveler was merely expressing his own disagreement. Why must the elder fly into a rage?"

The old storyteller was left choking on his own breath by the man's unbothered attitude, unable to let it out or swallow it down. Maintaining his image as a refined scholar with the utmost difficulty, his face swollen red, he demanded, "If the young sir has any objections, state them so this old man may receive your instruction and make corrections."

Unfazed, the man lowered his sharp, handsome eyes to gaze at the wine in his cup, as though that were the most important matter in the world. Despite his thoroughly nonchalant demeanor, every single word he uttered made the old storyteller's face turn a deeper shade of livid:

"According to the old gentleman's logic, even if that Luo Yao were some kind of depraved rake, given the immense power and influence he wields, what kind of beauty across the entire realm could he possibly fail to obtain? Why on earth would he stoop to harming a few mere maidservants?"