Chapter 127: Receiving Red Envelopes in the Night

Li Mohan nodded faintly. "I understand, Father."

Perched atop the garden wall, Chu Bing watched Li Mohan’s unchanging expression and frowned with a pang of pity. This Prime Minister Li was far too biased! He sent his adopted son out to face blades and arrows, while keeping his biological son coddled and protected at home.

"Good! You are indeed my son!" Prime Minister Li patted Li Mohan on the shoulder, his face beaming with pride.

After exchanging a few more words, Li Mohan bowed and withdrew. Once he had departed, leaving only Li Haoran and his father in the courtyard, the smile on the Prime Minister’s face faded.

"Did you send Xiaotao to your brother’s side?" Prime Minister Li stared at Li Haoran, his face expressionless. "If I hadn’t stepped forward to claim that she was my own spy, what would your brother think of you?"

Fury burned in his eyes. Li Haoran gritted his teeth and lowered his head. "I only wanted to know what my brother has been doing out there all these days! We are both your sons; why is he able to achieve greatness in the world while I am forced to rot away in this courtyard like a coward? Father..."

"Rot away?" The Prime Minister let out a cold laugh. "Is that how you see me?"

He paced back and forth, clearly incensed by Li Haoran’s words. "I set aside my duties at court to come here and teach you myself. Your brother has been risking his life while you enjoy comfort here, and your second brother even left because of my favoritism toward you. Li Haoran, you had better think carefully."

With that, the Prime Minister flicked his sleeves and stormed off.

Li Haoran stood rooted to the spot, watching the direction his father had gone, his expression growing heavy.

Chu Bing watched him, biting her lip, and asked the System, "System, do I really have to teach Li Haoran? He..."

"Whatever he is, it has nothing to do with you, Host. Your mission is to teach him martial arts," the System replied without hesitation.

The lingering melancholy in Chu Bing’s heart vanished instantly.

Why overthink it? Survival was the only thing that mattered!

She turned and chased after the Prime Minister; she had to secure that red envelope first.

As Li Haoran emerged from the courtyard and prepared to head back, he noticed Old Zhao standing nearby. He frowned slightly and turned around, only to see Li Mohan stepping out from around a corner.

"Brother, were you waiting for me?"

Li Mohan stood there, his demeanor cold. "That maid is your person."

Li Haoran’s expression shifted.

"Father wants to protect you, so I gave him the courtesy," Li Mohan said, his voice flat and indifferent.

Li Haoran looked at his elder brother, his panic slowly settling into composure. "Xiaotao belongs to me. I had her approach you only to find out about the current situation outside and what you have been doing."

Li Mohan frowned. "What are you doubting? Father has painstakingly paved a smooth path for you—can you not see that?"

A bitter curve touched his lips. Even though he had grown accustomed to his father’s bias, each time he was confronted with it, the reality remained hard to bear.

Li Haoran curled his lip. "You’ve been outside all this time, so you naturally don’t know the agony of being forced to recite books in this manor day after day."

"I truly don’t see what is so painful about that," Li Mohan interrupted, his tone impatient. "I did not come to discuss Father today; I came to talk about Hongxiu."

"Hongxiu?" Li Haoran’s eyes flickered. He realized that Chu Bing was disguised in front of Li Mohan; perhaps Li Mohan still didn’t know her true identity. This thought brought a flicker of smug pride to his heart.

*Miss Chu trusts me more, after all!*

Li Mohan glanced at him, immediately sensing his petty thoughts but choosing to say nothing. Instead, he continued, "Hongxiu is my maid; she once saved my life. If Father takes notice of her because of Xiaotao..."

"That won't happen. I’ll handle Father," Li Haoran interrupted, his eyes flashing with panic at the thought of the Prime Minister’s methods for dealing with enemies.

He was still waiting for Chu Bing to teach him martial arts; how could he bear to send her into the path of Prime Minister Li? His father was deeply suspicious—even without evidence, if he deemed someone a threat, he would never let them live.

Seeing the change in his brother's expression, Li Mohan lowered his eyes, masking a fleeting look of complexity.

"It seems you still view me as your brother," Li Mohan said, patting Li Haoran on the shoulder.

Li Haoran felt a momentary awkwardness. He was doing this for Miss Chu, not for this "convenient" brother of his. Yet, seeing Li Mohan’s trust, a strange, lingering sensation rose within him.

He felt unexpectedly moved.

Li Mohan left after the gesture. Li Haoran stood there alone for a long, long time.

His brother risked his life for him out there, never complaining, and still treated him as he always had... Perhaps he should stop being so willful.

***

Chu Bing had been following the Prime Minister, but she found no opening. He was always surrounded by people, all of them skilled martial artists, and she wasn't confident she could escape unscathed.

She could only keep her formation active, hiding in the shadows and waiting for the right moment.

She waited until midnight, when the Prime Minister finally retired for the night.

Seeing the lamp in the room go out, Chu Bing, perched on the wall, felt a surge of excitement. To ensure he was truly asleep, she waited an extra half-hour. With her face covered in black cloth, she activated her teleportation skill and entered the room.

The room was pitch black, but to Chu Bing’s eyes, the massive red envelope on the bed radiated a dazzling light.

She crept toward the bed with light steps. The man on the bed had his eyes closed, his breathing rhythmic and even.

Chu Bing held her breath, carefully reaching out to touch the massive red envelope on the Prime Minister’s forehead.

Just as her hand was about to make contact, the Prime Minister, who had been sound asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open. A sense of lethal danger washed over Chu Bing.

She froze, but in that critical moment, her body moved faster than her thoughts. She snatched the red envelope from his forehead and turned to flee.

"Stop!"

Chu Bing stiffened, but her feet moved even faster. If she actually stopped, she was as good as dead!

The Prime Minister sat up in bed, his face dark as he watched her retreating silhouette.

"Guards! Investigate this! Find out who is capable of entering and leaving my manor as if it were an empty house!"

His voice was heavy with overwhelming fury. Countless soldiers swarmed into the courtyard from every direction, dropping to their knees.