“Right, have you found Lu Seven yet?” Ming Zhaoshu suddenly asked.

Tang Si shook his head. “No, he hadn’t even set foot in the crown prince’s palace, so he may not even have entered the capital.”

Ming Zhaoshu frowned at the unexpected news. “Did he die?”

“Your Highness, he’s just a commoner. There wasn’t much use even if he did make it into the crown prince’s household.”

“I know, but it’s precisely because he’s a commoner that he should be even safer. No one would ever expect me to send an ordinary person into the crown prince’s household. He’s a scapegoat that I meticulously arranged. Forget it. It’s alright even if he didn’t make it.”

Tang Si remained there, standing silently, as if he had something to say.

Ming Zhaoshu glanced at him. “What’s the matter?”

Tang Si half-kneeled as he said, “Your Highness, your subordinate wishes to challenge Li Zimo.”

“No, the gap between the two of you is too large.” Ming Zhaoshu explicitly rejected the request.

Tang Si’s face dimmed. “Even still, I wish to personally try my hand against the number two on the List of Tempering.”

Ming Zhaoshu looked at Tang Si. “Li Zimo has fascinating blade techniques, such as the killing technique, Silence, that he has honed from a young age. Also, Crown Prince Ming Hao does not allow the top ranker on the list to appear for two reasons: the first is to eliminate the hidden threats within the List of Tempering while the...