Chapter 92: The Diplomatic Approach

Qi Yun rubbed at his forehead and looked up at the bright moon in the sky. Earlier this month it had been raining so much it was as if a whole year’s worth of rainfall had been concentrated to those few days. Recently however, the weather had become so hot it was smothering. The temperature only dropped to a more comfortable level at night. This was how it had always been in the imperial city. Thinking about the weather alone was enough to make one’s mood take a downturn.

“There’s no need for you to stay,” Qi Yun said to the page boy. “I’m going to take a walk. You don’t have to follow.”

“Understood.”

Qi Yun strolled along the moonlit street. It was late, but there were still a couple pedestrians remaining outside. And a couple wonton shops had not closed yet.

The smell whetted his appetite. He walked into one of the shops and ordered a bowl of wontons. After he had taken a few bites, his attention was caught by the conversation between two peasant men. They were talking about affairs of the court.

“I heard that the fourth prince Qi Yun was a man interested in only literature,” the one dressed like a scholar said. “Why...