Fan Changyu noticed Xie Zheng hadn't taken the item and looked up at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Xie Zheng accepted the small burlap sack with a peculiar expression. "Nothing."
It was just that this scene felt all too familiar.
The sound of galloping horses and scattered footsteps could already be heard in the distance—the Court of Revision's officers had begun searching the streets.
Not daring to let her guard down for even a moment, Fan Changyu hoisted the person onto her shoulder and said, "We need to leave here quickly!"
Late at night, the streets were under curfew, with every household's doors tightly shut.
The rumble of carriage wheels and the clip-clop of horse hooves would be far too conspicuous in the dead silence of night. To facilitate their escape after the prison break, they hadn't brought a carriage or horses.
If the Court of Revision's officers gave chase on horseback, it would be difficult to shake them off.
Xie Zheng held the child—whose head was also covered with a burlap sack—in one hand and placed his index finger to his lips, letting out a sharp whistle. His personal guards, hiding in the shadows, immediately leaped down from rooftops and trees.
"Divert the pursuers," Xie Zheng said calmly.
Several personal guards, also clad in night suits and carrying large, bulging burlap sacks of unknown contents, split into pairs and swiftly headed toward the approaching officers.
Fan Changyu blinked in surprise. "You had a backup plan?"
Xie Zheng replied, "I couldn't let you take such risks without a foolproof strategy."
The phrase "foolproof strategy" inexplicably made Fan Changyu feel a twinge of guilt.
Both were generals accustomed to strategizing, and by comparison, she seemed to have fallen short. Though her original plan had been quite thorough, who could have predicted that the old man in the prison would suddenly shout and alert the guards outside?
On the battlefield, it was precisely these one-in-a-million mishaps that spelled disaster.
Noticing her sudden flush and silence, Xie Zheng assumed she was embarrassed and couldn't help glancing at her again. His heart tingled strangely, that same ant-biting sensation from earlier in the day returning.
He quickly averted his gaze. "Follow me."
As Fan Changyu followed him through a winding alley, the Court of Revision's officers galloped past on the main street, torches in hand.
From afar, their shouts echoed: "The prison breakers fled toward the east gate! After them!"
"Sir! Sir! Captain Yuan reports seeing two black-clad figures carrying people in North Willow Lane, South Gong Lane, and West Shunkang Ward too!"
"Damn it! How many decoys did they set up? Split up and chase them all—one of them must be real!"
...
Amid the officer's curses, Xie Zheng knocked on the back door of a house hidden in the alley.
An elderly man answered, bowing respectfully without a word and ushering them inside.
Fan Changyu noticed the doors along the corridor bore plaques marked with celestial and earthly branches, deducing this must be an inn.
After being led to a room distinctly different from the others and waiting for the old man to leave, Fan Changyu asked, "This seems to be an inn. Is this also your property?"
Xie Zheng answered, "It's under the Zhao Family's name."
Fan Changyu inwardly marveled. That owner of the Zhao Family Bookstore sure had extensive holdings.As if reading her thoughts, Xie Zheng said, "The Zhao Family of Xiling made their fortune in the tea trade. During Emperor Chengzu's reign, they were even appointed as imperial merchants. Though they declined afterward, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."
Fan Changyu nodded thoughtfully.
For some reason, the woman whose head was still covered trembled uncontrollably when Xie Zheng mentioned the Zhao Family.
Xie Zheng frowned slightly and removed the burlap sack from her head. His dark eyes were especially cold and intimidating in the dim candlelight. "Do you know Zhao Xun?"
The woman, still gagged with cotton cloth, paled at the question and shook her head frantically, her eyes brimming with terrified tears.
Just then, a young man's voice came from outside: "I heard of Your Excellency's late-night visit and apologize for any discourtesy. There are matters I wish to discuss—would Your Excellency grant me an audience?"
Fan Changyu recognized the voice as Zhao Xun's and turned her gaze to the woman.
"Think carefully before you answer."
Xie Zheng's indifferent voice cut through the small room like a slow execution.
The room was well-insulated; unless one raised their voice, those outside could hardly hear anything.
Tears welling in her eyes, the woman nodded fearfully.
Fan Changyu exchanged a glance with Xie Zheng. The answer was unexpected, yet upon reflection, it made sense.
Zhao Xun had waited outside for less than half an hour before the door opened.
His ability to take over the Zhao Family at a young age and quietly expand their business across Great Yin spoke to his competence. Without even lifting his head upon entering, he swept a glance with the corner of his eye before bowing respectfully to Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu with a faint smile. "Greetings to Your Excellencies."
Xie Zheng, disliking small talk, got straight to the point. "Do you recognize this woman?"
Zhao Xun paused, then looked closely at the disheveled mother and child sitting by the bed. His lips curved slightly as he replied, "I do."
Xie Zheng lifted his eyelids slightly, signaling him to continue.
Zhao Xun said, "While working for the Imperial Grandson, I often visited Changxin Prince Manor. Naturally, I had to conduct business with the Sui Family on the surface and maintain relationships through gifts. I once drank with the manor's steward a few times and saw this woman at his home. She is the steward's daughter-in-law, and her husband was Sui Yuanqing's personal attendant."
Fan Changyu frowned at the woman. "The attendant who was beaten to death earlier—was that your husband?"
The woman nodded, her eyes red.
Fan Changyu had initially thought the old man who suddenly shouted during the prison break was trying to protect Sui Yuanhuai's concubine out of loyalty. Now, she began to piece together the truth. "The old man who called the guards in the prison—was that your father-in-law?"
Too frightened to speak, the woman could only nod again, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Fan Changyu's frown deepened.
No wonder this woman had been used as Yu Qianqian's substitute to die. Even if she hadn't been forced into this role, her family ties would have doomed her and her child regardless.
She asked, "What do you know about the Sui Family's affairs?"The woman raised her tear-filled eyes. It was clear she had suffered greatly on her journey to the capital, appearing even thinner than when Fan Changyu first saw her in the Lu City prison. Her eyes seemed unusually large, brimming with tears, making her look all the more pitiful and sorrowful.
She likely recognized Fan Changyu as the one who had brought her food and clothing in prison, as she sobbed, "Miss, I'm just a simple woman. I was born a servant in the Sui household and only stopped working there after marrying my husband. How would I know what the men were up to?"
It seemed nothing useful could be gleaned from this woman, but the old man was the steward of Changxin Prince Manor and likely knew much about the Sui family's affairs.
Keeping this mother and son here would be useful. Once they found an opportunity to rescue the old man later, the grandson could serve as leverage to extract information from him.
Fan Changyu glanced at Xie Zheng, who asked no further questions. Instead, he turned to Zhao Xun and said, "The city is under strict curfew tonight. It’s inconvenient to take this pair with us. Can they stay here for now?"
Zhao Xun readily agreed, "Of course, it’s no trouble at all. You can come for them whenever you wish."
Xie Zheng gave a slight nod, and Zhao Xun walked to the door, clapping his hands softly. Moments later, the old servant returned.
Zhao Xun instructed, "Take the mother and son inside to settle them. Assign more guards to keep a close watch."
After the woman was led away, Zhao Xun clasped his hands and reported to Xie Zheng, "As you previously instructed me to monitor Wei Mansion discreetly, Wei Yan has been feigning illness at home for months, and his trained lackeys rarely venture out. However, his son Wei Xuan has stirred up trouble again—recently, he got into a fight with the son of Minister Han at Jingque Tower."
Wei Xuan brawling over a courtesan was nothing new, so Xie Zheng remained indifferent.
Noticing this, Zhao Xun quickly added, "I heard it was because Minister Han’s son disrespected Madam Wei."
At the mention of Madam Wei, Xie Zheng’s dark eyes lifted slightly.
Madam Wei had an almost negligible presence in Wei Mansion. If not for Wei Xuan’s constant troublemaking since childhood, Xie Zheng might have nearly forgotten about this aunt of his.
She spent her days in seclusion, chanting Buddhist sutras and never leaving her courtyard. Even the mansion’s servants seldom spoke of her. Why would Minister Han’s son suddenly show her disrespect?
Xie Zheng asked, "What happened?"
Zhao Xun hesitated, as if unsure whether to continue. "There have been many impeachment petitions against Wei Yan in court recently. Rumors abound that his days as chancellor are numbered. Some frivolous young nobles have been gossiping that after Wei Mansion is raided, Wei Yan—who keeps no concubines or dancers—won’t contribute any new faces to the pleasure quarters, making them less interesting. Then, troublemakers brought up Madam Wei, saying Wei Yan had remained devoted to one wife for twenty years without taking a concubine, so she must still be quite a beauty despite her age..."
Xie Zheng’s expression darkened, but Zhao Xun had already started and had no choice but to press on. "Minister Han’s son, drunk, joked that Madam Wei wasn’t even as attractive as the lowly maids in his household. He claimed she only became Madam Wei because, as a young girl, she went to the military camp to find Wei Yan and ended up pregnant, thus trapping him in marriage. He said her 'skills' must be extraordinary to have kept Wei Yan tied down for over twenty years..."
By the time he finished, Zhao Xun’s forehead was damp with cold sweat.
Xie Zheng asked, "How badly did Wei Xuan beat him?"The voice was indifferent, as if unconcerned about the matter.
Zhao Xun replied, "They say four ribs were broken and one leg fractured. Minister Han has vowed to impeach Wei Xuan."
Xie Zheng's thin lips coldly uttered two words: "Idiots."
Minister Han was aligned with the Li family. His bold threat to impeach Wei Xuan stemmed from knowing Wei Xuan wouldn't dare bring Madam Wei's dishonorable words to court.
Zhao Xun pondered these two words, unable to discern Xie Zheng's stance toward Madam Wei, and could only remain silent.
Logically, since Xie Zheng and Wei Xuan were like fire and water, shouldn't he also disapprove of Madam Wei?
But Xie Zheng only coldly said, "Dismissed."
After Zhao Xun left, Fan Changyu remarked, "Are all those wealthy young masters in the capital so despicable?"
Xie Zheng lifted his eyelids to look at her: "Are you defending her?"
Changyu said, "Wei Yan is an evil minister who commits every crime, and Wei Xuan is no good either. But even if Madam Wei is a venomous woman, she can be called wicked or cruel by the world—yet she shouldn't be insulted with such words. As if no matter what wrong a woman commits, she must be branded with that label to satisfy others. But when the Wei father and son have done so much evil, why don’t others slander them the same way?"
Xie Zheng lowered his long lashes and remained silent.
Changyu looked at him: "You don’t seem happy either. Was Madam Wei good to you?"
Xie Zheng answered, "Not good, but not bad either."
In the past, he loathed Wei Xuan. During the rare family meals on festivals, seeing Madam Wei’s saintly smile only made him feel disgusted by her hypocrisy.
But years after leaving Wei Mansion, when he occasionally received winter clothes she had sewn in the northern frontier, he realized Madam Wei might truly not know what Wei Xuan had done to him.
Hearing Xie Zheng's answer, Changyu frowned slightly, thinking that since he lost his mother young, perhaps he had received some maternal care from Madam Wei in his childhood.
But because of what Wei Yan did to his parents, that hatred could never fade.
She rolled up her sleeves: "Should we sneak out tonight and beat up that minister's son again?"
For an official's daughter who dared to confront Wei Yan in the military before marriage—though they had never met—Changyu secretly admired her.
Xie Zheng slowly turned his dark eyes toward her.
Changyu blinked eagerly: "Like father, like son. That minister even has the nerve to impeach—clearly no good himself. He must have let his bastard son bully others all the time. Let’s beat him up too so he can’t even attend court!"
OpenNovel