I want to be innocent, but they don't allow me

Li Mu put the bamboo slips into his arms and looked up at Li Ling'er:

"Old Man Mu has agreed to join Prince Yan's Mansion. What are you going to do next?"

Li Linger raised her chin, looked up at the sky, snorted lightly, and did not answer.

Li Mu shook his head secretly and stopped asking about it. He was not good at this kind of official struggle. Professional matters should be left to professionals.

There was no conversation along the way, and the convoy soon returned to the palace.

Before they went back to their rooms, Li Ling'er approached Li Mu for the first time and whispered to him:

"If you feel bored, you can go for a walk in the palace. It's very big. If you want to go out, find Xiaoyu. She will make the arrangements."

Li Mu was stunned when he heard this.

"My house arrest is over?"

Just as he was about to ask a few more questions, Li Ling'er had disappeared.

Li Mu had just obtained the martial arts experience he had been longing for, so naturally he had no intention of wandering around the palace.

In the next few days, Li Mu locked himself in the small courtyard and concentrated on studying the contents of "Zhu Ting Lu".

The rest of the people were nowhere to be seen. During this period, Li Wu came several times but returned empty-handed each time.

Li Ling'er has never been here. Most likely, she took advantage of the popularity and borrowed the influence of the great scholar Mu Zhen to find a way to mess with the Lin Mansion.

Early morning seven days later.

Xiao Zhao carried the food to the study in the courtyard as usual. As soon as she reached the door, she heard shouting and cursing coming from the room.

"You old liar, what a bullshit experience, it's useless."

Xiao Zhao quickly pushed the door open and entered the room.

Li Mu was looking at the bamboo slips thrown on the ground with a look of resentment on his face, still cursing.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhao didn't dare to say anything. He stood timidly at the door with the food in his hand.

Li Mu also heard the noise at the door and calmed down a little.

"Don't just stand there, eat, eat."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhao looked delighted. He put the food on the table, then bent down, carefully picked up the bamboo slips on the ground, and carefully put them back on the table.

"It's just a piece of crap, forget about it."

When Li Mu saw Xiao Zhao's actions, he felt a surge of anger in his heart. Then he was afraid that Xiao Zhao would misunderstand and think that his anger was directed at her, so he quickly adjusted his face to smile.

"Young Master, please don't be impatient. Practicing martial arts is not something that can be done overnight."

Xiao Zhao saw Li Mu, who looked angry but didn't dare to show it. After a little thought, he guessed what Li Mu was thinking, and felt warm in his heart:

"Young Master is so kind. Other young masters would be lucky if they didn't beat or scold the maids when they got angry, but Young Master..."

As I thought about it, my face couldn't help but turn red.

Although Li Mu didn't know what Xiao Zhao was thinking, he felt much better when he saw the affection in the girl's eyes. He looked at the bamboo slips on the table:

"Doesn't Xiao Zhao practice martial arts as well? If you like it, take it and have a look."

Xiao Zhao was stunned when he heard this, and his eyes swept to the bamboo slips on the table. His heart was even sweeter, but he still declined.

"No need, sir, Xiao Zhao, Xiao Zhao."

Seeing Xiao Zhao refuse, Li Mu raised his hand and pinched Xiao Zhao's face, threatening:

"Why, you don't listen to me."

Xiao Zhao felt extremely ashamed, but she did not hide herself. She let Li Mu do what he wanted to her, saying that she did not dare.

Yanshan City, the Lin family mansion in the south.

In the main hall of the house.

Lin Zhaoxing, the eldest son of the Lin family, said anxiously to the middle-aged man in the main seat:

"Father, some officials who had promised our Lin family suddenly changed their minds yesterday. I'm afraid it will be difficult to delay the taxation. Some even returned all the benefits they had received before."

The middle-aged man at the head glanced at Lin Zhaoxing calmly and said slowly:

"Yesterday, I received a message from your uncle that the wind in the court has changed a bit today. His Majesty intends to confer the title of King of Yan on Li Mu."

"What should we do? If the food and fodder are not delivered to the border on time, we will have no chance."

When Lin Zhaoxing heard the name Li Mu, he felt angry, and then he said:

"Ever since Li Mu returned to the Prince of Yan's Mansion, the situation has been out of our control. I don't know what means he used to make the great scholar Mu Zhen stand up for the Prince of Yan's Mansion. Now the situation between our Lin family and the Prince of Yan's Mansion is unclear, and it will be difficult for those fence-sitters to stand on our side again."

The middle-aged man at the top coughed lightly and ignored Lin Zhaoxing's complaints.

"The matter of enthronement has not yet been finalized. Your uncle will take care of it. What you and I should be concerned about is the current situation."

The middle-aged man tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers.

"There are only two options now. My Lin family has been patient for many years, and it is time for us to meet the master of Yanshan City. Even if the issue of food and grass cannot be delayed, as long as there is no one to inherit the title of King of Yan, sooner or later, my Lin family will have the final say in this northern land."

Hearing this, Lin Zhaoxing was shocked and spoke quickly:

"But we made an agreement with that person."

At this time, the middle-aged man snorted coldly and interrupted Lin Zhaoxing's words.

"Don't bother with the foreign barbarians. Tell that woman that she has accepted the benefits from my Lin family. If she fails to get things done, don't blame my Lin family for turning against her."

Hearing this, Lin Zhaoxing said no more. He bowed and left the main hall.

At this time, a man's voice came from the back of the main hall.

"Patriarch Lin is really careful. He didn't even tell his own son the truth."

The middle-aged man sitting in the first seat seemed not to hear and did not respond, but the frequency of his fingers tapping on the armrest of the chair gradually increased.

In the Prince of Yan's Mansion, Li Mu's small courtyard.

Li Mu sat without any image under the eaves of the backyard where he usually practiced martial arts.

The melon seeds in his hand fell from his fingers unconsciously, and he stared ahead in amazement.

In the courtyard, Xiao Zhao was holding the Golden Axe, swinging it left and right, like a female war god.

Li Mu couldn't try to match the Valkyrie at this moment with the usually timid and delicate Xiao Zhao.

"Sir, you have made light of a heavy task. Xiao Zhao has realized it and has entered the second stage. This "Zhu Ting Lu" is really a treasure."

Xiao Zhao ran towards Li Mu with a heavy axe in hand, looking excited. Then he remembered what Li Mu had said before, and he paused. He stood still, stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Li Mu smiled bitterly in his heart, stood up, patted the dirt on his body, walked to Xiao Zhao, tapped Xiao Zhao's forehead with his finger, and teased:

"You are such a clever little fellow."

Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Xiao Zhao's face, and she chattered to Li Mu to express her joy of advancing.

"Could it be that I don't have any talent? That's impossible. I can learn most of the divination techniques and the hidden edge technique after reading them once. I didn't gain anything from this old man's experience at all."

Li Mu listened to Xiao Zhao's oriole-like voice beside him, but this time he did not complain about Mu Zhen. He just felt sorry for himself. Apart from learning how to use internal force to manipulate the special mechanism of Mohist school, he gained nothing else. He felt a little melancholy.

"Is the road of martial arts so difficult? This is different from what is written in the books!"

Li Mu looked up to the sky and sighed.

"Martial arts, how can it be easy? What kind of book did you read that actually tells people that martial arts is easy?"

Xiao Zhao, who was standing by, heard what Li Mu said and felt that Li Mu in his eyes was already very powerful and it was basically difficult to find an rival among his peers.

But Xiao Zhao, whose thoughts were gradually becoming enlightened, thought that Li Mu was pursuing a higher realm, so she spoke to comfort him.

"Young Master is just too impatient. With your talent, you will definitely be very powerful in the future. Very powerful."

Li Mu curled his lips and did not respond to Xiao Zhao.

At this time, a shout came from a distance, and then a maid ran towards them panting.

"Hu, hu, hu."

When she got closer, the maid took a few deep breaths, and when she regained her breath, she spoke anxiously.

"Second, Second Young Master, I finally found you. Miss Luo You from Lingyin Pavilion sent a name card. Third Young Lady asks you to go to the front hall."