Chapter 36 Interrogation
Sixteenth Master signaled to Liansheng with his eyes, and Liansheng immediately stepped forward, gently urging, "Miss, please restrain your grief for now!"
Fu Tingyun rubbed her eyes vigorously, and when she lowered her sleeves, her eyes were slightly red.
Sixteenth Master asked, "Since you were heading to Xi'an Prefecture, how did you end up in Lantian County? And how was he injured?"
Fu Tingyun recounted their encounter with Master Feng Four to Sixteenth Master, though she omitted details about the past rift between Feng Laosi and Ninth Master Zhao, how most of Feng Laosi's men had been killed by Ninth Master Zhao, and the agreement between Ninth Master Zhao and Feng Laosan:
"...Ninth Master fainted, and since we didn’t know the way and couldn’t handle the handcart, we stumbled our way here. Hearing there was a town not far away, we wanted to find a physician for Ninth Master. But lacking the strength to push him all the way there, we had to take shelter in this City God Temple. Never did we expect..."
Fu Tingyun spoke slowly, carefully considering her words as she went.
The Emperor had been on the throne for thirty-eight years, and imperial princes were forbidden to leave the capital. That meant Sixteenth Master could only be a vassal prince.
She recalled what her elderly tutor, a former provincial graduate in his sixties, had once said: Back during the Yuankang era, a vassal prince had rebelled under the pretext of "Purging the Emperor's Entourage," nearly besieging the capital. Since then, two ironclad rules had been established—vassal princes were forbidden to leave their fiefdoms without imperial summons and were barred from forming ties with officials. The Emperor's personal Soaring Guard was tasked with overseeing the princes' compliance. The current Emperor's uncle, the Prince of Shu, who had been enfeoffed in Sichuan, was stripped of his title and reduced to commoner status after the Soaring Guard's commander impeached him for his close friendship with Liu Ruihao, the governor of Songpan.
The Prince of Jian was enfeoffed in Shaanxi. But she had heard that the Prince of Jian was already in his fifties, childless, and embroiled in disputes over his heir in recent years. He couldn’t possibly be from the Prince of Jian’s household... That left other vassal princes—those nearby would be the Prince of An in Sichuan to the west or Prince Mu in Huguang to the south!
A chill ran down her spine.
No wonder he was concealing his whereabouts!
If the Soaring Guard found out, the mere act of leaving his fiefdom without permission could cost him his title and his life!
Given that, why had Sixteenth Master saved them?
The thought flashed through her mind as she heard Sixteenth Master sigh deeply. "The nation's state is as it is today—who but you can quell the chaos with martial might?" His tone was heavy with melancholy.
These were lines from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, addressed to Li Siye, the Duke of Binzhou, praising him as one who "could govern with civility and pacify with martial prowess."
Those around Sixteenth Master lowered their heads in silent contemplation.
But Fu Tingyun’s heart stirred.
That year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, her third and fourth cousins had debated how the Emperor, in his pursuit of immortality, had delegated state affairs to the Grand Secretary Shen Shichong. Shen was narrow-minded, skilled in flattery, and vengeful, appointing only his cronies while purging dissenters. In the thirty-fourth year of the Xiping era, when the Tatars invaded, Su Mu, the commander of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, advocated for war while Shen pushed for peace. Su Mu submitted three memorials in a single day, and the Emperor appointed him General of the Western Expedition, granting him command over Shaanxi, Datong, and Xuanfu forces. But when Su Mu ran short of provisions and Shen refused aid, he was defeated and died in battle.
She thought of the expression on Sixteenth Master’s face earlier when he had discussed court affairs with the shopkeeper-like man...
Sixteenth Master must feel both indignation and helplessness toward the state of the court.She thought about the refugees she had seen along the way—women and children—and how, despite knowing she could barely protect herself, she had still felt the urge to help. How much more distressed, sorrowful, and indignant must Sixteenth Master, a feudal lord, feel seeing the suffering of his people? It wasn’t hard to guess why he had stepped in to rescue them.
Fu Tingyun felt slightly reassured.
A soft groan reached her ears, followed by Ninth Master Zhao’s muddled voice: "Miss Fu…"
Ninth Master was awake!
A flood of emotions surged in her heart, and Fu Tingyun no longer cared about feudal lords or anything else. She sprang up and rushed to his side. "I'm here! I'm here!"
Ninth Master Zhao’s face was as pale as paper.
He struggled to open his eyes.
"It's me, it's me!" Fu Tingyun knelt beside him.
His gaze followed her voice, dazed at first, but after a moment, a faint smile touched his lips. "Are we… both dead?"
"No, no," Fu Tingyun replied, her voice trembling as tears began to fall inexplicably. "It was Sixteenth Master and his stewards who saved us!" She then quietly recounted what had happened.
Ninth Master Zhao tried to sit up to bow in gratitude to Sixteenth Master and the others.
"No need for such formalities," Sixteenth Master said, signaling Liansheng to stop him as he approached with a smile. "I didn’t expect you to wake so soon. Your martial arts foundation must be excellent. Who taught you?" His tone was genuinely curious.
Despite the effort, Ninth Master Zhao managed to sit up.
Beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
"Just a smattering of martial arts passed down in the family," he replied with a weak laugh. "Nothing worth mentioning."
"You call that a smattering?" Sixteenth Master chuckled. "You’re far too modest!" Then he asked, "What’s your name?"
Fu Tingyun’s face instantly paled.
In her haste to cover up the truth earlier, she had forgotten that if Ninth Master Zhao woke and was questioned by Sixteenth Master without prior coordination, their story might unravel.
Assuming Fu Tingyun was simply exhausted, Ninth Master Zhao gave her a reassuring glance before answering, "I am Zhao Ling."
So his name was Zhao Ling!
Fu Tingyun grew even more anxious.
"Zhao Ling," Sixteenth Master repeated, savoring the name. "'Unyielding and indomitable'—what a fine name. How old are you? Do you have a courtesy name?"
"I never attended formal schooling," Ninth Master Zhao replied, deftly sidestepping the question about his age. "So I have no courtesy name."
Seizing the moment to whisper a warning, Fu Tingyun quickly handed him a handkerchief. "Here, wipe your sweat." She leaned in and hastily whispered a few urgent words into his ear.
At the mention of "fiancé," Ninth Master Zhao froze momentarily before snapping back to attention. But before he could react, Sixteenth Master pressed on, "Can you read?"
There was a hint of expectation in his gaze.
In a flash of realization, Fu Tingyun understood.
Sixteenth Master was impressed by Ninth Master Zhao’s skills and wanted to recruit him.
Just as the Fu family would seek out talented managers to serve as stewards, a feudal lord would naturally wish to enlist capable men.
But with the current hardships faced by feudal lords, joining him might not be wise.
She needed to find a way to warn Ninth Master Zhao.
Ninth Master Zhao smiled. "I learned to read from my mother in my youth."
If his mother had taught him to read, she must have been a lady of good breeding—suggesting the family had fallen from better days.
Sixteenth Master’s eyes brightened. "What do you do for a living now?"Ninth Master Zhao said, "There are still a few acres of farmland at home. Once the famine years pass, I'll go back and tend to them."
"With skills like yours, it seems almost a waste," Sixteenth Master remarked with a smile.
"Practicing martial arts was originally for health," Ninth Master Zhao replied cheerfully. "There's no question of it being a waste or not!"
Hearing this, Sixteenth Master's expression grew even more amiable.
Fu Tingyun watched anxiously, searching for a way to interrupt their conversation when someone announced from the temple entrance, "Brother Mo, Brother Tao is here!"
Upon hearing this, the burly, fierce-looking man whispered something into Sixteenth Master's ear.
After a moment's thought, Sixteenth Master headed toward the temple entrance with the fierce-looking man, followed by the shopkeeper-like man and Liansheng. The burly man first gave Ninth Master Zhao a discreet thumbs-up, murmuring, "A true man," before following the others.
Fu Tingyun sighed in relief and quickly shared her observations with Ninth Master Zhao, adding, "...This Sixteenth Master has left his fief without permission, accompanied by so many highly skilled guards. He clearly isn't someone who follows the rules. It's best we don't get involved with him. His medicine is excellent—later, we should find a way to ask him to leave some for us. Once A Sen returns, we'll move to Linchun Town. With the bandits eliminated, we'll have at least a few days of peace. We won’t need to call a doctor—A Sen can go to Xi'an to fetch Yucheng and Yuanbao to escort you there..." Noticing Sixteenth Master and his group returning, she straightened up and smoothly changed the subject. "Sixteenth Master is kind—I’m sure he won’t refuse if we ask for some medicine..." She then let out a soft "Oh!" and abruptly stopped, as if embarrassed at being caught scheming, and stood up awkwardly.
Sixteenth Master took no offense. "I have matters to attend to and must leave tonight," he said solemnly. "But since fate has brought us together, I have a few words for you."
Fu Tingyun tensed.
"With the ongoing war in the northwest and the Tatars raiding yearly, capable men are needed now more than ever," Sixteenth Master said carefully. "With your skills, why not enlist in the northwestern army? Achieve undying glory, bring honor to your family, and put your martial heritage to worthy use!"
She was surprised—she had expected Sixteenth Master to recruit Ninth Master Zhao for his own purposes, not encourage him to join the military.
Ninth Master Zhao stared at Sixteenth Master in astonishment, then replied after a pause, "I’ve never considered this before. Please allow me time to think it over." He neither agreed nor refused outright.
Sixteenth Master, however, seemed pleased by his honest response and glanced at Liansheng.
Liansheng retrieved a large red, gold-embossed name card from his bundle and handed it to Ninth Master Zhao.
Sixteenth Master said, "I’m acquainted with Wu Xin, the secretary of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission. If you decide to enlist, present this name card, and he will arrange everything. If not, keep it as a memento." He then gestured to the fierce-looking man. "This is Mo Yi, one of my stewards. Since you’re still recovering, I’ll leave him here to assist you. He also has the medicinal pills—you can follow him to Linchun Town to recuperate in peace." Without waiting for their response, he turned and strode out of the temple.
"Sixteenth Master, such kindness is beyond words!" Ninth Master Zhao called after him.Sixteenth Master turned back with a smile, then left the main hall.
The sound of horses neighing came from outside, followed by the rapid drumming of hooves like a sudden storm, fading into the distance.
The summer night returned to silence.
Mo Yi, his face covered in rough, fleshy folds, grinned at Ninth Master Zhao. "I see you have a small cart. How about I push you, and we head to Linchun Town overnight? To be honest, staying in this place full of corpses—I’m not scared, but it’s a bit nauseating."
When he smiled, his fleshy folds trembled, making him look even more ferocious. It would have been better if he hadn’t smiled at all.
"Let’s wait a little longer," Fu Tingyun said. She didn’t want to stay here a moment longer, but A Sen hadn’t returned yet. "We still have a companion who went to Linchun Town to find a doctor—"
Before she could finish, A Sen rushed in. "Ninth Master! Miss Fu—"
His voice was choked with tears, and when he saw the hall full of corpses, he froze in shock.
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(End of chapter)
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