28th Break: Third Uncle 

"What did mother say?" Lin Hao asked as he poured his cup with warm tea which a servant delivered. "Was she… sad?" he asked. His expression looked complicated.

In his memories, their third uncle is ill-tempered in which would always frown as if someone owed him a huge money. Lin Ze was still very young so he might not remember their third uncle. But, Lin Hao could. And he could remember that their third uncle would always oppose their second uncle. It was then that his young but sharp mind figured that their third uncle and second uncle had a bad relationship with each other.

Though he doesn't know the cause of why the two would have such a bad relationship, it didn't stop him from protecting his two younger brothers and always reminding them two to be good to each other. He saw from their uncles the ill brotherhood, and he didn't want that to happen to them three brothers, albeit Lin Ze and Lin Rui, especially Lin Rui who was still a baby, were still too young to understand everything.

"I… don't know if she is sad." Lin Ze answered and lowered his head. "But, I saw that she was extremely disappointed." He honestly said.

Lin Hao sighed. Who wouldn't be disappointed if you heard that your relative, especially an immediate family member, became not only a degenerate but a notorious criminal? He also felt disappointed with their uncle.

"Did she say anything?" he asked Lin Ze.

Lin Ze nodded. "Mother said… that the Fang family doesn't have a relative named Fang Bozhi." He answered.

Lin Hao shook his head. He doesn't know how things have come to this for the Fang family. He felt sad for their mother.

Imperial palace, the next day, morning.

It looked like today was very peaceful. But, only the citizens think so since those who are in the know could actually feel the tense atmosphere in the capital as if any second this tense atmosphere would suddenly explode. And, when it happens, many people will definitely be caught in the turmoil.

"Audacious!" the emperor raged as he flung his arm, and his wide sleeves swept all the things above the table as soon as everyone, except Lin Hao, had left the palace.

The Huichen, although an intelligence organization, also acts as the eyes of the emperor in the capital. This is the other reason why Huichen is so famous not only in the capital but also in jianghu. Yet, the martial arts practitioners really are audacious to still come to the capital. Do they think that Huichen is blind, or dead?

Lin Hao sighed, feeling pity for the emperor as he looked at the emperor's face that is red in anger. Earlier, the emperor was just suppressing his anger. But even so, how could the ministers not sense the tension in the air? Thus, they held back their reports which could anger the emperor, and hastened with the meeting before they hurriedly left, afraid that the emperor would lash out his anger on them – though, they know he wouldn't, which they feel blessed for. Didn't you see the emperor holding back his anger?

Thus, everyone feels that they are blessed with such a good-tempered and upright emperor. Before they left, they winked at Lin Hao to coax the emperor. This made Lin Hao not know whether to laugh or cry and just forced a smile at them, assuring them that he would.

Lin Hao looked at the letter that Meng Xing sent to the emperor slowly falling from the air as one of the things that the emperor threw. Before the letter could fall to the floor, he immediately caught it. "Your Majesty." He called and knelt. "This matter… it was an accident." He spoke. "The capital and the jianghu have never intersected before. Yet it did due to Wen Liao's incident." He said and suppressed a sigh.

Veins popped into the emperor's forehead as he glared at Lin Hao. "Jiang Xu is a bastard!" the emperor, Jiang Yan, cursed.

Lin Hao grimaced and closed his eyes, acting deaf when he heard the emperor, who has always been good-tempered, finally cursed due to anger. He tried to recall that youth who always acted as a gentleman when they were young. Then, when he matched that youth to the man before him…

"What are you thinking now?" Jiang Yan asked and frowned when he saw Lin Hao smiling. "You think that this is funny?" he glared at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao coughed and covered his lips with his fist to hide his smile. "No, Your Majesty. I dare not!" he answered and shook his head. "Your Majesty is right to say that Jiang Xu is a bastard." He said.

"Huh. Now, you are cursing a member of the royal family?" Jiang Yan asked as his brow raised.

Lin Hao frowned and secretly cursed Jiang Yan for being a bastard like his cousin Jiang Xu! "I deeply apologize, Your Majesty." He said and bowed. "Please punish me, Your Majesty." He said and lowered his gaze. These two bastards! I hope Meng Xing screws you two! He thought as he inwardly cursed.

"No need!" Jiang Yan said and waved his hand, indicating for Lin Hao to rise.

Lin Hao smiled like the spring breeze as he rose. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your benevolence." He spoke. "I will write a letter to Prince Jiang Xu later to apologize – " he said.

But, Jiang Yan cut him off. "I already said, no need!" he said and frowned in displeasure.

Lin Hao then lowered his head and didn't say anything. He was the study companion of Jiang Yan when they were young, while the young Jiang Xu always tailed behind them every time their lessons were finished. Lin Hao really doesn't know why Jiang Xu would run away from the palace and choose to explore the jianghu. Some said that Jiang Yan feared that Jiang Xu would steal the throne, but Lin Hao knows best how close these two are as brothers.

So, he believed the other rumor that Jiang Yan and Jiang Xu had a disagreement. He wanted to ask Jiang Yan about it, but Jiang Yan didn't want to tell him, so he could only give up, pitying that Jiang Xu was not in the capital anymore. He wanted to send Jiang Xu a letter to ask, but the emperor would always be angry.

Lin Hao decided to have Meng Xing ask Jiang Xu about this.