Chарtеr 353: Тhе Bronze Sраrrow of Сhang'an Sings 7
Zhu Yаn hurriеdlу invitеd Хu Хiangren аnd Yun Que inside.
She had them sit at thе tаble аnd pоurеd tеа for thеm. Surрrisеd bу thеir sudden visit, Zhu Yаn hesitated fоr а momеnt before аsking:
"What brings yоu here sо unехресtеdly?"
Thе Unrightеous Аgеnts оpеratеd indеpendеntlу and did nоt openlу interact with gоvеrnmеnt offiсials. Ordinarу mаttеrs cеrtаinlу did nоt rеquirе the Unrightеоus Cоmmandеr to aрpеаr in рersоn.
Аftеr рouring two cuрs of tea, she notiсed Yun Que had nоt taken а seаt. Zhu Yаn cоuldn’t help but glance at her a few more times, observing that she had shed some of her childishness and gained a more composed demeanor. She couldn’t help but admire Commander Xu’s skill in training her.
"It wasn’t entirely sudden," Xu Xiangren said with a hearty laugh. "Ever since I learned you had returned to the capital, I sent Unrighteous Agents to deliver visiting cards to your home and the Shen residence, but we never managed to meet. Recently, the capital has been unsettled, and I’ve been quite busy myself. It wasn’t until today, when I went to the Shen residence and found out you had come to the Ministry of Justice, that I rushed over to see you."
Zhu Yan’s face flushed with embarrassment. She stood up and apologized, "It should have been me visiting you first, Brother Xu. I’ve been neglectful."
Xu Xiangren naturally paid no mind to such formalities. He gestured for her to sit back down, glanced around, and lowered his voice:
"The Unrighteous Agents from the prefectures along the route from Yingzhou have informed me that you encountered significant trouble during your trip there and were pursued all the way back. What exactly happened?"
The Unrighteous Agents were filled with talented individuals from unorthodox backgrounds, and their information channels operated outside the norm. Their intelligence was comprehensive, but Xu Xiangren was meticulous in his work. Though he was aware of many things, he often pretended ignorance about matters that should not be spoken of.
However, he had always been concerned about Zhu Yan’s situation and felt a natural affinity with her, so he could not simply act as if he knew nothing.
Touched, Zhu Yan looked up and saw the eagerness in Yun Que’s eyes as well. A faint smile touched her lips as she briefly recounted the events of her trip to Yingzhou.
Zhu Yan did not explicitly name the person behind the trouble, but Xu Xiangren was no ordinary man—he was a wise man who often appeared simple-minded. He immediately understood that Zhu Yan was referring to Lai Luozhi. His eagle-like eyes darkened, and his thoughts grew complex.
"Oh, right," Zhu Yan said, taking out the token and handing it to Xu Xiangren. "I had planned to return it to you in person once I had some free time in the coming days. But since I’ve met you today, there’s no better time than now."
She then stood up straight, bowed respectfully, and said gratefully, "If it weren’t for this token from you, Brother Xu, I might not have been able to see you today."
Her voice choked with emotion, and her nose tingled. As she looked up, she used her sleeve to wipe away the mist in her eyes.
Xu Xiangren took the token, examined it carefully, and handed it back to her. "The court is in turmoil right now. Keep it with you—it might still come in handy."
Startled, Zhu Yan met his gaze, not daring to imagine what he meant. "Brother Xu, what do you know?"
Xu Xiangren nodded, but some matters were not to be discussed further.
Zhu Yan pushed the token back, shaking her head. "I don’t need it right now. Since I’m in the capital, if I ever need it, I can always come to you for it."
Seeing that Xu Xiangren was about to say more, Zhu Yan lifted his hand with her left hand and pressed the token firmly into his palm with her right, holding it down:
"Besides, if word got out that the Unrighteous Commander had lost his commander’s token, would your head still be safe on your shoulders?"
Xu Xiangren felt slightly uncomfortable. Just then, Yun Que stepped forward, took the token back for him, and incidentally separated the two. Noticing the others looking at her, her face flushed pink, but she forced herself to remain calm as she stepped back without a word.Zhu Yan seemed to grasp something, chuckling softly a few times before saying, "You'd better take it back. With Brother Xu looking out for me, I'm not afraid of finding Unrighteous Agents in the capital."
This was indeed true. Over the years, Zhu Liuniang had become quite familiar with the Unrighteous Agents through her dealings with them, and given her close relationship with their commander, she naturally received considerable preferential treatment.
After a long separation, there was naturally much to talk about. Xu Xiangren then shared some of the important developments in the capital after Zhu Yan's departure.
First, Princess Yong'an and Princess Chaoyang had fallen out over a newly acquired male consort. Originally a retainer in Crown Prince Li Chong's household, the consort had caught the eye of both Chaoyang and Yong'an, leading to a rift between them. Now, the two princesses rarely interacted.
Second, Lai Luozhi had prosecuted many officials, drawing widespread criticism from the people, though none dared to voice it openly.
Third, the reconstruction of the Mingtang Hall had slowed down just as it was nearing completion, which was quite strange.
But what Xu Xiangren emphasized most was: "After you left, I arranged for people to keep watch outside the Zhu residence every day. The Zhu family was not implicated, so you can rest assured."
Only then did Zhu Yan remember that she hadn't returned home since arriving in the capital, feeling a pang of guilt. "That's good. Thank you, Brother Xu."
"Don't mention it. Actually..."
"Zhu Yan..."
Lu Chuichui, who had been distracted all along, occasionally glanced out the window. But this time, what she saw shocked her so much that she couldn't help but call out Zhu Yan's name.
Sensing something was wrong, Zhu Yan quickly stood up and followed Lu Chuichui's pointing finger. What she saw also horrified her.
Xu Xiangren and Yun Que, unaware of what was happening, noticed the two women's faces suddenly turn pale with fear and hurried over to look. Yun Que was so frightened that she hid behind Xu Xiangren.
In the courtyard outside the window, Ministry of Justice officers were escorting a group of prisoners. All of them had their ears cut off and faces mutilated, their clothes stained with blood below the shoulders, and their feet shackled, making their steps painfully difficult.
Just by looking at the prisoners' attire, it was clear they were family members and servants of General Kanagiselo. The Great Zhou appointed foreigners as officials and allowed them to wear their own ethnic clothing.
Lu Chuichui couldn't help but feel indignant. "Arresting them is one thing, but why resort to such cruelty as cutting off ears and mutilating faces? Even if torture is to be used, it should only be allowed after a joint trial by the three courts. This is just..."
Lu Chuichui came from a well-off family, the youngest of three siblings, and had been doted on since childhood. Although not raised in extreme luxury, she had lived a comfortable life. Even after following Zhu Yan to the Ministry of Justice and witnessing many cases, she had never seen such a bloody scene.
"They're losing so much blood. Will they die?"
Would anyone even care about their lives anymore?
Zhu Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes and said coldly, "They were first tortured in the Judicial Affairs Bureau. Lai Luozhi, afraid of attracting too much criticism, then pushed the case to the Dali Temple for trial. The Dali Temple didn't want to handle it, so they dumped it on the Ministry of Justice."
The Chief Minister of the Dali Temple, Tang Zheng?
Zhu Yan didn't know much about the intricacies of officialdom. She closed the window and turned to face Xu Xiangren, who was also looking at her. Their gazes met, both as profound as the deepening dusk.
"Brother Xu, do you have anything to say?"
Xu Xiangren's expression turned grave. "I only just found out. But you know I hold no real power in the court. Even if I did, there's little I could do."
Zhu Yan knew this, but she pressed on: "Does Her Majesty know?"
Xu Xiangren fixed his gaze. "I heard the Empress Dowager suppressed this matter and did not fully approve of Lai Luozhi handling General Kanagiselo's case."
Everyone gasped. This meant that Lai Luozhi had merely informed the Empress, and regardless of whether she agreed or not, he had already raided General Kanagiselo's home and exterminated his entire clan.How utterly arrogant, how utterly lawless, how utterly cold-blooded and perverse.
Zhu Yan’s hands trembled, her voice changed: "No, we can’t just watch them be convicted and die. There must be a way to save them."
But Xu Xiangren was not optimistic: "Those Lai Luozhi sets his sights on never escape."
"Who says?" Zhu Yan’s dark eyes widened as she pointed at herself. "Didn’t I escape? And I’m perfectly fine now."
Xu Xiangren smiled bitterly: "That’s because you had the Great Pavilion Commander helping you. The Great Pavilion Commander is no ordinary man—even Lai Luozhi couldn’t do anything to him for a time. But how could ordinary people escape?"
Though she knew Xu Xiangren was right, Zhu Yan was still unwilling to accept it. She glanced at the others and saw the faint plea in Xu Xiangren’s eyes, so she reluctantly said, "Alright, I understand. I’ll be careful."
"That’s more like it," Xu Xiangren said with relief. "You and the Great Pavilion Commander just narrowly escaped death in Yingzhou. You must be cautious in everything."
With that, he stood up to take his leave, with Yun Que following behind.
Watching Yun Que trailing a few steps behind Xu Xiangren, Zhu Yan couldn’t help but sigh. The once lively, chattering, and adorable Yun Que had grown up, though the price of growing up was truly steep.
After the two of them had gone far, Lu Chuichui stepped forward: "Yun Que used to clamor and fuss about marrying the Great Pavilion Commander, even as a concubine. Now she’s changed so much, hardly willing to say a word."
Zhu Yan chuckled: "Not everyone is as noisy as you, are they?"
"Zhu Yan, now that you’ve been promoted, you look down on people, don’t you?"
The two of them laughed and teased each other, as if they had already forgotten the bloody scene they had just witnessed.
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