Before he could speak, Xu Mian, who’d been observing sharply in silence, said to Xia Houshang, “Ms. Xia, you don’t seem to be saddened by the passing of Duke Xia.”


  Xia Houshang shut up right away.

  Xu Mian added, “You aren’t mourning him inside the spiritual hall, and now you are only capable of talking about our young master. I can’t seem to understand you.”


  Yin Lei froze and carefully observed Xia Houshang. It was true – she didn’t seem the slightest sad.

  Her tired appearance didn’t seem to be related to the death of her father.

  The attention from Xu Mian and Yin Lei made Xia Houshang’s face drop.

  “How is that any of your business? He’s my father. Do I need you to be sad on my behalf?! Who made the rule that the daughter must be the one staying in the spiritual hall after her father passes away? It’s so late! I need to sleep! As for Yexuan… I just want to be with him. How’s that your business?!”


  Xu Mian responded, “The young master is the grandson of the Emperor. How is that not our business? Plus, listen to my advice… the fruit you take by force is not sweet.”


  “How dare you!” Xia Houshang was so furious her chest heaved up and down. She stared at Yin Lei and shouted, “Emperor Yin, you are going to allow your servant to humiliate me like this?!”


  “Xu Mian!” Yin Lei turned his head and scolded, “Stop talking!”


  Xu Mian, “…Yes, sir.”


  Yin Lei turned back to look at Xia Houshang, “Houshang, I don’t know where Yexuan is. Can you ask for someone else…”


  “No!” Xia Houshang interrupted him, “I told you the only power you have in our relationship. I don’t need anything else! I don’t care how you get him to me, you just have to! If you don’t agree to this, I will start spreading the news about my father tomorrow!”


  Yin Lei almost bit off his own teeth, “I promise you. But you need to give me some time.”


  Xia Houshang said, “He’s no longer controlled by your parasite, which means he may be on his way out of here very soon. I’m going to give you two days. If you cannot deliver him to me within two days, you can deal with the consequences.”


  She then stopped acknowledging these two and headed upstairs.

  Once she was gone, Xu Mian whispered in fury, “Emperor Yin! You’re going to allow this barely legal young woman to drag you around on a leash?!”


  “What do you suggest I do then?” Yin Lei said, “They control an entire nation’s worth of weaponry. That’s the same as controlling this entire nation. I do everything she asks isn’t just to seal this news. She designs all the guns our army uses. I can offend anyone I want but I cannot offend her!”


  Xu Mian asked, “But the venomous creature is gone. How do you plan on controlling the young master?”


  “Let me think about it.” Yin Lei raised his hand and headed outside.

  After a while, he got an idea, “I got it!”


  Xu Mian’s brows hopped, “What is it?”


  Yin Lei said, “Ask someone to bring me Xiaoqi. Hurry! Move right now!”


  Xu Mian saw the excitement in Yin Lei’s eyes and shuddered.

  “Emperor Yin, you are planning on using Xiaoqi to threaten the young master?”


  Yin Lei straightened his back and said calmly, “If he obeyed my orders and didn’t cause me so much trouble, I wouldn’t have had to use such a tactic.”


  Xu Mian’s heart turned cold, “But Emperor Yin, how are you so sure that the young master will obey you now for Xiaoqi? He loves Ms. Qiao so much…… You really think he’d give up his lover for a brother who doesn’t even have the same father as him?”