Chapter 326: Escape
Gu Jinzhao recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.
The stove in the carriage burned quietly, occasionally crackling.
Chen Yanyun listened intently.
After finishing her account, Gu Jinzhao asked with some confusion, "Did you not find those South Sea Pearls?"
Chen Yanyun shook his head with a smile. "Perhaps someone else picked them up. Besides, it was dark. To find the pearls you left behind, one would have had to search inch by inch with a torch."
Gu Jinzhao thought about it and agreed. She hadn’t held much hope at the time anyway.
She then nervously tugged at Third Master Chen’s sleeve. "Caifu and Song Shi were left behind. Did you rescue them?"
Third Master Chen nodded and pulled her into his embrace. "Rest well. Don’t worry—I’ve taken care of everything. We’ll talk about your kidnapping after you’ve slept for a while. There’s also something I need to ask you."
Gu Jinzhao was exhausted, but she didn’t dare sleep.
"You mentioned earlier that some people escaped..." Gu Jinzhao said. "Third Master, we absolutely cannot let them go, especially Xie Sixing. He’s highly skilled in martial arts and deeply cunning. Leaving him alive would bring endless trouble!"
If Xie Sixing survived and launched another disaster like the Sichuan-Shu calamity, it would be a catastrophe.
Back then, wherever Xie Sixing went in Sichuan, corpses littered the land, and lawlessness ran rampant.
After his death, when his home was searched, a Seven Killing Stele was discovered beneath his residence, inscribed with the words: "Heaven gives all things to man, yet man gives nothing to Heaven. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill." The revelation shocked everyone.
"Of course we won’t let him go," Third Master Chen said with a smile, though his eyes were as cold as ice.
Anyone who dared lay a hand on Gu Jinzhao deserved nothing less than a thousand cuts.
A knock came from outside, followed by Chen Yi’s voice. "Third Master, Changxing Marquis's Heir is waiting for you outside. He wishes to speak with you."
Third Master Chen nodded. He then lowered his voice and said to Gu Jinzhao, "From now on, unless you’re with Chen Yi, you are not to go anywhere alone. This time, when you were captured, I truly..." His grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words, simply staring at her intently before finally saying in a hoarse voice, "You understand what I mean, don’t you?"
Looking at this handsome man, now gaunt with a stubbled chin, how could she not understand?
Hadn’t she, too, felt as though each day dragged on like a year?
Gu Jinzhao gently returned his embrace, saying nothing.
Yet Third Master Chen could feel her tears soaking through his clothes, warm and damp against his skin.
His expression softened as he stroked her hair. "If you still want to go out, you must not leave my side for even a moment." In Gu Jinzhao’s account, there had been many opportunities to turn danger into safety, but she lacked the awareness of peril and the ability to navigate such situations. After all, she was a woman. With him by her side, things would be entirely different. He would never let her face danger again.
"I’ll have Chen Yi stand guard outside. If you need anything, just call for him." He kissed her forehead before stepping out of the carriage.
Jiang Yan immediately followed. Ye Xian stood waiting at the entrance, watching as Chen Yanyun stood with his hands behind his back, the cold wind lifting the edges of his cloak.
Standing on the steps with his hands tucked into his sleeves, Ye Xian said coolly, "Lord Chen, do you know what I despise most about you?"
Third Master Chen smiled at him. "What do you mean, Young Master?"Ye Xian smiled and said, "You with your righteous appearance. Gu Jinzhao might not see through you, but I certainly can. It's just that she likes you, so I didn't interfere. Someone as deep-thinking, decisive, and ruthless as you—how could you possibly have a gentle temperament?"
"Exquisite brocade cut short, none to cherish; yet pity the cinnabar traces on fingertips," Third Master Chen recited with a faint smile. "But what does this have to do with you, Ye Xian?" He met his gaze calmly, revealing a cold edge for the first time. "She is my wife. If you wish to care for her as an elder, I won’t stop you. But if you have ulterior motives, I’m afraid I won’t stand idly by."
Third Master Chen ascended the steps in a few strides.
From here, one could still see the willow trees in the adjacent Fuxue Alley, their leaves freshly fallen, a scene of desolation.
"I originally intended to thank you, but unfortunately, the Young Master’s selfishness runs too deep. I find myself unable to utter words of gratitude," he remarked coolly. "What must be severed, must be severed—whether you wish it or not. It must end."
He would no longer tolerate this. His patience wasn’t as boundless as he had once believed.
After all, he was a man himself, and he understood men’s thoughts all too well. What they couldn’t obtain, they might covet for a lifetime.
Ye Xian said nothing, lifting his gaze to the stars in the cold sky.
"Lord Chen, the heavens are about to change—do you believe it?"
Third Master Chen didn’t even glance at him. "And what of it?"
Ye Xian smiled faintly, without meaning.
Suddenly, someone rushed out from inside the gates—one of Ye Xian’s guards, panting heavily, his face drenched in sweat. "Young Master... there’s a fire in the west!"
Ye Xian had ordered him to take Chang Hai to the side chamber to retrieve Xie Sixing, but by the time they arrived, the western wing was already engulfed in flames, nearly consuming the main hall. Xie Sixing, who had been locked inside, was nowhere to be found. Li Xianhuai was now leading the effort to extinguish the fire.
Ye Xian’s face darkened with fury.
This was within the Marquis Changxing’s estate—how dare someone set a fire here!
He immediately led his men toward the heart of the estate, only realizing after a few steps that Third Master Chen had followed.
Frowning, he asked, "Why are you coming along?"
Chen Yanyun replied calmly, "To see for myself. Since someone has escaped, they must be found."
Ye Xian paid him no further mind, and the two proceeded toward the place where Xie Sixing had been held. Chang Hai’s men assisted in putting out the fire, which took some time to fully extinguish. Third Master Chen led his people into the ruins, while Ye Xian summoned the guards on duty for questioning.
"...It’s strange. We suddenly fell asleep without realizing it. When we woke, the building was already ablaze. We tried to go in and retrieve the prisoner, but there was nothing inside," the guard stammered, knowing he had committed a grave error.
Someone entered through the moon gate—an attendant from the Marquis’ side.
"Young Master, the Marquis requests your presence for questioning."
With the entire estate thrown into chaos in the dead of night, the Marquis naturally demanded answers.
Ye Xian frowned. "Tell him I’ll be there shortly."
The attendant bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Meanwhile, Third Master Chen’s men retrieved an object from the ruins and handed it to him.
He examined it briefly before presenting it to Ye Xian. "This should be familiar to the Young Master, no?" A Three-Claw Hook, used for scaling walls.
It seemed someone had broken in to rescue Xie Sixing. To sow confusion, they had also set the fire.“If things were dropped, it must have been because the fire was too intense to retrieve them in time,” Chen Yanyun said. “The person is likely still in Marquis Changxing’s residence, planning to slip out in the chaos. The heir should first order the encirclement of the marquis’s residence, then send people to search the rear courtyard.”
The rear courtyard housed many female family members and was the most weakly guarded area.
Ye Xian held the fire-scorched object, giving Chen Yanyun a deep look. “Lord Chen is a civil official, isn’t he?”
Chen Yanyun smiled. “What, are scholars truly useless?”
Ye Xian said nothing more and led his men to search the rear courtyard.
...
Only after Third Master Chen left did Gu Jinzhao finally exhale deeply. Wrapping her cloak tighter, she warmed herself by the fire, gradually feeling more at ease.
She was most relaxed when he was by her side.
Leaning against the carriage wall, she thought about how she still needed to tell Third Master Chen about Fourth Master Chen’s affairs—this series of events was far too complicated.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted, and the horse neighed loudly. Chen Yi’s voice came from outside: “Stay where you are! Just protect the carriage!”
What was happening outside?
Gu Jinzhao lifted the carriage curtain and called Chen Yi over to ask.
Chen Yi cupped his hands and said, “There’s a fire to the north—quite a large one. It must be a blaze!”
Gu Jinzhao looked toward the north, precisely in the southwest direction of Marquis Changxing’s residence. The red glow of the flames had already dyed the sky crimson. The fire was indeed massive, though it wouldn’t reach them here. Glancing around, she noticed many Chen family guards stationed nearby, and beyond them, armored soldiers. The security was tight, with people stationed all the way to the end of the alley...
Third Master Chen had actually brought so many men with him!
Gu Jinzhao asked Chen Yi again, “Third Master Chen doesn’t have a private army. Where did these soldiers come from?”
For a civil official to raise a private army was a grave taboo.
Chen Yi chuckled. “Madam may not know, but the Third Master is on excellent terms with the Duke and also has connections with the Five Cities Garrison Command. To go further, he could even mobilize the Divine Machine Battalion’s commander. Besides, borrowing troops to pursue these bandits is permissible—there’s no shortage of places to borrow soldiers from.”
Gu Jinzhao fell silent for a moment before sighing. “But it’s not ideal, is it?”
Chen Yi was surprised but didn’t know how to respond. Gu Jinzhao had already retreated back into the carriage.
Breaking with Zhang Ju Lian was inevitable—she just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Third Master Chen was missing, and she had no idea what had happened in Marquis Changxing’s residence. How could there be a fire?
Gu Jinzhao thought of Xie Sixing.
That man was certainly no simple figure—could he be behind this? Third Master Chen had protection, so he should be safe, right?
She exhaled deeply, now even more unable to sleep.
They mustn’t let him escape!
A while later, Chen Yi brought her a bowl of hot porridge and a plate of four meat buns. “Madam, please eat something. This subordinate only found an early-opening shop—please make do for now. There was also salted soy milk for sale, but it didn’t look very clean...”
Was it almost dawn already?
The meat buns were too large, so Gu Jinzhao could only eat one, giving the rest to Chen Yi. He didn’t mind, though he seemed a little embarrassed.
Gu Jinzhao then thought of Changsuo at home and wondered how the child was doing. He seemed easy to care for, but if she wasn’t there to coax him to sleep, he would throw tantrums. Third Master Chen still hadn’t emerged from the marquis’s residence, and she didn’t know how Caifu and Granny Sun were doing either... Gu Jinzhao felt an overwhelming urge to return home.She was still lost in thought when Chen Yi spoke again from behind the curtain: "Madam, Third Master Chen just sent word. He instructed me to escort you back first! Please rest for now—we'll reach Wanping soon..."
But what about Third Master Chen? What exactly had happened at the Marquis of Changxing's residence? Gu Jinzhao considered asking further but ultimately decided against questioning Chen Yi again.
He had been guarding her without leaving her side—he probably didn't know what was happening inside either.
PS: The Seven Killing Stele references the late Ming rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong, who nearly exterminated Sichuan's population... I'll continue writing the second update, but don't wait up for me. Seriously, don't! My procrastination is too severe.
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