Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Fan Changyu had already witnessed Xie Zheng killing people in the pine forest, so she wasn’t particularly surprised. She nodded and said, “My husband used to be a security escort. His martial arts are quite decent.”

Having grown up, she hadn’t seen many security escorts, but her father’s martial skills were formidable. Since Xie Zheng claimed to have worked in a security company before, she naturally assumed that all escorts had decent skills—after all, they had to deal with desperate outlaws who tried to rob the shipments.

Zheng Wenchang stared at Xie Zheng with an inscrutable expression.

Zhao Mu Jiang had already squeezed into the attic. Seeing the room full of corpses, he let out a startled “Oh!” and felt a chill run down his spine. However, he and his wife had lived through the chaos of war in their younger years.

Back then, entire villages were left empty, and corpses littered the roadside. So he managed to stay relatively calm now. Worried about aggravating Xie Zheng’s injuries, he didn’t move him recklessly but instead knelt down, took his wrist, and began checking his pulse.

With only half of Xie Zheng’s bloodied face visible, Zheng Wenchang suddenly said, “Turn him over and let’s take a look.”

Zhao Mu Jiang didn’t understand why the military officer would make such a request, but he didn’t dare disobey. Considering they were from the army, and the leader—clad in armor with a sword at his waist—had an imposing presence, his rank was likely higher than the county magistrate’s. Perhaps he could help Fan Changyu uncover who these enemies were.

He immediately began lamenting, “Sir, you must help us seek justice! This poor girl lost her parents just last month. She barely managed to take in a live-in husband, and now he’s been injured like this by these bandits. If we don’t find out who they are, how will she survive in the future…?”

Hearing that this man was a live-in husband, Zheng Wenchang’s suspicions instantly faded by more than half.

Given that man’s temperament, even if he were to fall into dire straits—let alone if the emperor threw him into prison and forced him to marry a princess and become a live-in son-in-law—he would never agree to such terms.

Just then, a soldier downstairs exclaimed, “Sir, there’s still a live one here!”

Before Zhao Mu Jiang could turn Xie Zheng over, Zheng Wenchang felt his earlier suspicions were utterly absurd and lost interest in scrutinizing the man further. Remembering his general’s orders, he hurried downstairs, merely instructing two personal guards to drag the corpses from the attic down as well.

Fan Changyu, of course, had no idea how perilous the situation had just been. With soldiers downstairs keeping watch, she wasn’t worried about her younger sister or Aunt Zhao’s safety. She asked Zhao Mu Jiang, “Uncle Zhao, how is he?”

After checking the pulse, Zhao Mu Jiang began doubting himself—had his years as a veterinarian, unused for over a decade, dulled his medical skills? Had he misread the pulse?

The man before him was covered in blood and appeared severely injured, yet his pulse showed no signs of distress at all.

His already wrinkled forehead creased even tighter as he concentrated on checking the pulse again.

His grave expression frightened Fan Changyu, who thought Xie Zheng was beyond saving. She slumped onto a low stool, despondent. “I should have given him the divorce papers earlier and let him go somewhere else to recover. Then he wouldn’t have suffered like this…”

Zhao Mu Jiang checked the pulse once more and found it still steady and stable. Plunged into deep self-doubt, his aged face grew even more solemn as he prepared to examine Xie Zheng’s wounds.

At that moment, the man lying on the ground slowly regained consciousness.

Fan Changyu’s eyes were faintly red-rimmed. Overwhelmed by the sudden relief of seeing him awake, she couldn’t help but break into a wide, delighted grin. “You’re awake!”

Xie Zheng, seeing her reddened eyes and that utterly joyous smile, was momentarily stunned.Was she nearly crying out of fear that something might happen to me?

The strange feeling in his chest grew heavier.

He lowered his gaze, coughing weakly twice, a few words escaping his bloodstained lips: "I'm fine."

Most of the blood on him belonged to those black-clad men, and the cuts on his clothes were self-inflicted to fake injuries—only shallow wounds breaking the skin.

Although Zheng Wenchang wasn’t under his command, they had crossed paths a few times. If Zheng had recognized him tonight, the outcome would have been dire: either he’d be captured and handed over to Wei Yan, or he’d have to kill Zheng and his soldiers before fleeing elsewhere.

Fortunately, he had managed to evade both worst-case scenarios for now.

Despite his reassurances, Fan Changyu and Zhao Mu Jiang, who had seen him severely injured twice before, were still extremely worried. After helping him lie down on the bed, they fetched wound medicine to dress his injuries.

When his outer robe was removed, Fan Changyu noticed that Xie Zheng’s inner garments weren’t soaked in blood as before—they even looked cleaner than the outer robe. She found this odd, but before she could dwell on it, Aunt Zhao called her downstairs, saying the officers needed to take her statement.

The man lying on the bed had only wiped away a thin layer of blood from his face. Under the candlelight, the remaining stains took on an eerie beauty. He opened his eyes slightly to look at her, his voice uncharacteristically gentle: "Go ahead."

Fan Changyu thought his unusual softness must be due to his extreme weakness—he looked so frail and pitiable now.

Before leaving, she glanced back at him uneasily: "I’ll be back soon."

The dead black-clad men had been dragged and laid side by side by the officers. Hearing the commotion, many neighbors had thrown on clothes and come out to gawk at the streets filled with soldiers.

After counting the bodies, the officers confirmed that the only survivor was the one Fan Changyu had knocked unconscious with a slap earlier. Having witnessed several of the attackers biting into poison sacs hidden in their teeth to kill themselves, the officers had learned their lesson. Finding this man still alive, they first removed the poison sac from his mouth before binding him tightly and stuffing a cloth into it, making suicide impossible.

Fan Changyu answered the questions from the personal guard of the high-ranking officer honestly—mostly basic details about her household.

Once the questioning ended, the officer told her, "Wait for further notice. Once the interrogation yields results, the authorities will inform you."

After tonight’s events, Fan Changyu had seen firsthand how ruthless these people were. Fearing they might return and implicate Aunt Zhao’s family, she asked, "Sir, what if these men come back for revenge?"

The officer seemed about to say something impulsively but stopped himself, frowning in thought before replying, "This general will leave a few soldiers to keep watch nearby in secret. They won’t withdraw until the interrogation is concluded."

Only then did Fan Changyu feel reassured, showering the officer with effusive praise.

Before leaving, the officer gave her a glance, his expression somewhat inscrutable.

After the soldiers departed, Fan Changyu fetched water from the well at the alley’s entrance to wash away the blood in the courtyard and the loft, though a faint metallic scent still lingered.

She considered climbing over the wall to her own home to fetch some incense her mother had once prepared to mask the smell, but recalling the officer’s warning about leaving men to monitor the area, she decided against acting rashly.The old couple from the Zhao family were so frightened that they basically lost all desire to sleep. They rekindled the fire pit in the main hall and sat there with Changning, warming themselves by the fire while sighing from time to time.

Changning was still young and didn’t understand what the adults were worrying about. With the danger gone, she carefree turned her attention back to the gyrfalcon locked in the chicken coop—which had practically become its nest by now.

Fan Changyu asked her younger sister, "Ning Niang, are you still sleepy?"

Changning shook her head and pointed at the cage holding the gyrfalcon. "Elder Sister, the falcon is very well-behaved. Can we not lock it up anymore?"

Last time, when she and her brother-in-law were at home, she had playfully opened the chicken coop door out of mischief. Later, when a group of thugs broke in, the large falcon had clawed one of the villains to death.

In her little mind, she thought that if the falcon hadn’t been caged, it might have been able to injure the bad guys tonight as well.

As it turned out, the cage wasn’t Fan Changyu’s doing. Aunt Zhao explained, "The meat hanging over the fire pit was pecked at last night. I was afraid the falcon would steal it, so I locked it up before bed."

Fan Changyu nodded. "I’ll have Yan Zheng train it again later."

Mentioning Yan Zheng inevitably reminded her of his injuries. She turned to Zhao Mu Jiang and asked, "Uncle Zhao, how are his wounds?"

Zhao Mu Jiang wanted to say that this time, they seemed to be mostly superficial injuries, but he was afraid he might have misdiagnosed them and delayed Yan Zheng’s recovery. He sighed and said, "You know I used to treat livestock like pigs, cows, sheep, and horses. When it comes to treating people, it’s a bit of a gamble. From what I can see, the injuries don’t seem too severe, but to be safe, we should still call a proper doctor tomorrow to take a look."

Fan Changyu agreed. When she went upstairs to check on Xie Zheng, she found that the blood on his face had already been wiped clean. He was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, resting.

Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes as soon as she entered and asked, "How did it go?"

Fan Changyu replied, "These soldiers seem more reliable than the county magistrate. I heard the magistrate sent a petition to the prefecture, and the officials there, upon learning how rampant the bandits were here, dispatched troops to suppress them. It just so happened they ran into the situation tonight."

Speaking of this, Fan Changyu was somewhat pleased. "The banditry in Jizhou has been a problem for years. It seems the authorities are finally serious about cracking down on those mountain strongholds. The officer said they’d thoroughly investigate these two assassination attempts and even sent soldiers to keep watch over us in secret. You can rest easy these next couple of days and focus on recovering—no need to rush to leave."

Xie Zheng’s expression was far from pleased. "Secret surveillance?"

Fan Changyu nodded. "Yes."

Xie Zheng nearly choked on his breath. He had barely managed to conceal his identity for now, and now the Jizhou Prefecture officials were going to have people watching him right under his nose?

Still, the sudden actions of the Jizhou Prefecture were truly baffling to him.

Well, the most dangerous place was also the safest.

He said, "For the next couple of days, keep that falcon upstairs. Don’t let it out. That thing is still wild and untamed—if it’s not properly trained, it could easily hurt someone."

Fan Changyu exclaimed, "No wonder! Aunt Zhao just mentioned that the falcon stole meat from above the fire pit last night!"

Xie Zheng: "..."

Fan Changyu stood up. "I’ll go get it right now!"

Only then did Xie Zheng give a faint "Mm" in response.

By dawn, Zheng Wenchang had already galloped back to Jizhou Prefecture.

Clutching the confession extracted from the black-clad assassin, he strode swiftly through the winding corridors. In the courtyard lined with snow pines, the armored guards recognized him and immediately stepped aside to let him pass.Zheng Wenchang entered the study and stood respectfully below the desk. Whether from excitement or haste, his voice carried a slight pant as he spoke: "My lord, as per your orders, this humble general stationed men early at Lin'an Town. Indeed, we captured those responsible for the multiple murders in Qingping County last night, but..."

His hand trembled slightly as he presented the confession: "Please review the confession, my lord."

The man seated at the desk had graying hair and beard, appearing already aware of the black-clad assailants' identities. He spoke calmly: "Wen Chang, you were merely apprehending mountain bandits and thieves. What is there to fear?"

Zheng Wenchang lowered his head: "This humble officer is filled with trepidation."

"Enough, leave the confession here." He Jingyuan set down his brush and looked up. Despite being a military officer, his features bore the refined elegance of a scholar. Understanding his trusted subordinate's concerns, he said: "Pretend you never read this confession. You may leave."

Zheng Wenchang clasped his fists: "As you command."

Just as he turned to leave, a voice called out again: "Were there any injuries in that household?"

After a moment's thought, Zheng Wenchang replied: "The woman had taken in a live-in husband. He was wounded by those men."

He Jingyuan merely nodded in response.

Summoning his courage, Zheng Wenchang ventured: "Does that household have connections to you, my lord?"

"Wen Chang, what did I teach you about being an official?"

This single sentence sent cold sweat breaking out on Zheng Wenchang's back: "This humble officer spoke out of turn."

"Dismissed." He Jingyuan picked up a memorial from his desk and began reading, appearing indifferent to the confession's contents.

Only after Zheng Wenchang had left the study did those aged eyes turn toward the confession. After a moment's hesitation, he finally opened it.

A sigh escaped him after reading its contents.

Rising, he opened a hidden compartment in the bookshelf and retrieved an ornate box, though he didn't open it. Speaking as if to someone unseen, he murmured: "When you entrusted this to me, you must have foreseen this day... wanting me to protect those two children for you..."