Chapter 146

When Fan Changyu saw that Xie Zheng did not take it, she looked up at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

With a subtle expression, Xie Zheng accepted the smaller sack and said, “Nothing.”

It was just that the scene felt strangely familiar.

In the distance, the sound of galloping horses and chaotic footsteps could already be heard. The officers and soldiers of the Court of Judicial Review had begun searching the streets.

Fan Changyu did not dare relax her guard for even a moment. Hoisting someone onto her shoulder, she said, “We need to get out of here quickly!”

It was late at night, and the city was already under curfew. Every household had its doors tightly shut.

The rumbling of carriage wheels and the clatter of hooves would have been far too conspicuous in the silent night. To make their escape easier after the jailbreak, they had neither brought a carriage nor ridden horses.

If the officers from the Court of Judicial Review caught up on horseback, shaking them off would not be easy.

Holding the child whose head was also covered with a sack in one hand, Xie Zheng placed two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. Hidden guards concealed in the shadows immediately jumped down from rooftops and trees.

Xie Zheng said calmly, “Lead the pursuers away.”

The guards were also dressed in black night clothing. Each carried a large burlap sack over a shoulder, bulging with unknown contents. Upon hearing the order, they split into pairs and swiftly departed in the direction from which the officers were coming.

Fan Changyu stared in surprise. “You prepared a backup plan too?”

Xie Zheng replied, “I couldn’t very well let you take such risks without a foolproof plan.”

The words “foolproof plan” inexplicably made Fan Changyu feel a little guilty.

Both of them were generals skilled at deploying troops and devising strategies. Compared like this, she seemed to have fallen a step behind him.

Although her original plan had already been quite thorough, who could have predicted that old man in the prison would suddenly shout and bring the guards running?

On the battlefield, it was exactly this one-in-ten-thousand chance of failure that people feared most.

When Xie Zheng saw her suddenly fall silent with a faint blush on her face, he mistakenly thought she had become shy. He could not help glancing at her again.

His heart tingled strangely. The same feeling from earlier in the day returned—the sensation of tiny ants nibbling at his heart.

He quickly looked away and said, “Come with me.”

As Fan Changyu followed him through twists and turns into a narrow alley, officers from the Court of Judicial Review could still be seen galloping through the main streets outside with torches in hand.

From afar, they could hear the shouting:

“The prison breakers fled toward the eastern part of the city! After them!”

“Sir! Sir! Commander Yuan reports seeing two men in black carrying people on their shoulders in Willow Alley in the north, Golden Gong Alley in the south, and Shunkang Ward in the west as well!”

“Damn it! How many decoys did those bastards set up? Split up and chase them! One of them has to be real!”

…

Amid the officers’ angry curses, Xie Zheng knocked on the back door of a house hidden within the alley.

The one who opened it was an elderly man. Upon seeing Xie Zheng, he asked nothing. Bowing respectfully, he ushered them inside.

As they passed beneath the corridor, Fan Changyu noticed that the rooms they passed all bore plaques labeled Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. She guessed this was actually an inn.

After being led into a private room that was clearly different from the ordinary guest rooms, and after the old man withdrew, Fan Changyu asked, “This seems to be an inn. Is it yours too?”

Xie Zheng answered, “It belongs to the Zhao family.”

Fan Changyu secretly clicked her tongue. The owner of the Zhao Family Bookstore really seemed to have businesses everywhere.

Seemingly reading her thoughts, Xie Zheng explained, “The Zhao family of Xiling made their fortune through the tea trade. During the reign of the Founding Emperor, they were even granted the title of Imperial Merchants. Later, their prosperity declined. Though they have fallen from their peak, a starving camel is still larger than a horse.”

Fan Changyu nodded, enlightened.

For some reason, the woman whose head was still covered suddenly began trembling uncontrollably when she heard Xie Zheng mention the Zhao family.

Xie Zheng frowned slightly and removed the sack from her head. His black eyes looked especially cold and intimidating in the dim candlelight.

“You know Zhao Xun?”

The woman still had cloth stuffed in her mouth. At his question, her face turned deathly pale. She shook her head desperately, but tears were already gathering in her eyes.

Just then, a young man’s voice came from outside.

“I heard that honored guests have arrived late at night. Please forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality. I have some matters I wish to report. Would it be convenient for the honored guests?”

Fan Changyu recognized the voice as Zhao Xun’s and instinctively looked at the woman.

“Think carefully before you answer.”

Xie Zheng’s indifferent voice echoed through the small room like a blade scraping flesh.

The room was well insulated. Unless someone deliberately raised their voice, those outside could hardly hear anything.

With tears in her eyes, the woman nodded fearfully.

Fan Changyu exchanged a glance with Xie Zheng. The result surprised them, yet upon reflection, it also seemed perfectly reasonable.

Less than half a quarter of an hour later, the door opened.

Though still young, Zhao Xun had managed to take control of the Zhao family and quietly expand its business throughout the entire Great Yin Empire. Naturally, he possessed considerable ability.

After entering, he did not immediately raise his head. Merely sweeping the room with the corner of his eye, he smiled politely and bowed to Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu.

“My respects to the two honored guests.”

Xie Zheng disliked formalities and got straight to the point.

“Do you recognize this woman?”

Zhao Xun froze for a moment. He carefully examined the disheveled mother and child seated on the bed before smiling faintly.

“Yes, I do.”

Xie Zheng lifted his eyelids slightly, signaling him to continue.

Zhao Xun said, “While working for the Imperial Grandson, I often entered and left Prince Changxin’s estate. On the surface, I naturally conducted business with the Sui family and maintained various personal connections. I once shared drinks with the estate steward several times and saw this young woman in his home. She is the steward’s daughter-in-law. Her husband was one of Sui Yuanqing’s personal attendants.”

Fan Changyu frowned and looked at the woman.

“The attendant who was beaten to death during the day—was that your husband?”

The woman nodded with reddened eyes.

Fan Changyu had originally thought the old man who shouted during the jailbreak did so out of loyalty to protect Sui Yuanhuai’s concubine. Now she vaguely understood the hidden truth.

“The old man who called the guards in the prison—was he your father-in-law?”

The woman was too frightened to do anything but nod. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Fan Changyu’s frown deepened.

No wonder this woman had been selected as Yu Qianqian’s substitute and sent to die. Even without serving as a stand-in, she and her child would have found it difficult to escape death because of her husband’s family connections.

“What do you know about the Sui family’s affairs?” she asked.

The woman lifted her tear-filled eyes.

The journey to the capital had clearly been hard on her. Compared to when Fan Changyu first met her in Lu City Prison, she had grown even thinner. Her eyes appeared unusually large, filled with tears and misery.

She seemed to recognize Fan Changyu as the person who had once brought her food and clothing in prison.

“Miss, I’m only a woman. I was originally a household slave of the Sui family. After marrying my husband, I stopped working for them. How could I possibly know what the men were doing?”

It seemed impossible to learn anything useful from her.

However, the old man was Prince Changxin’s estate steward. He undoubtedly knew a great deal about the Sui family’s affairs.

If they kept this mother and child and later found an opportunity to rescue the old man, the grandson would provide leverage. They should be able to get information from him.

Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng.

Xie Zheng asked no further questions and instead said to Zhao Xun, “The city is under martial law tonight. It would be inconvenient to take this mother and child away. Can they stay here temporarily?”

Zhao Xun readily agreed.

“Of course. You may retrieve them whenever you wish.”

Xie Zheng nodded.

Zhao Xun walked to the doorway and lightly clapped his hands. Before long, the old man returned.

“Take the mother and child away and settle them in. Assign extra men to watch them closely.”

After the woman and child were led away, Zhao Xun cupped his hands and reported:

“You previously instructed me to keep an eye on the Wei residence. Wei Yan has claimed illness and remained at home for months. The guards and retainers he keeps rarely leave the estate. However, his son Wei Xuan has caused quite a few more incidents. Recently, he got into another fight with the son of Minister Han at the Magpie Tower.”

Wei Xuan fighting over courtesans was hardly a rare occurrence. Xie Zheng’s expression remained indifferent.

Seeing this, Zhao Xun quickly continued:

“I heard it was because Minister Han’s son insulted Madam Wei.”

At the mention of Madam Wei, Xie Zheng finally lifted his eyes.

Madam Wei’s presence within the Wei household was remarkably faint.

If not for Wei Xuan constantly causing trouble since childhood, Xie Zheng might have forgotten that he even had such an aunt by marriage.

She spent her days praying to Buddha and rarely stepped beyond her courtyard. Even the servants seldom mentioned her.

Why would Minister Han’s son suddenly insult her?

“What happened?” Xie Zheng asked.

Zhao Xun hesitated, seemingly uncertain whether the words were appropriate.

“Recently, there have been many impeachments against Wei Yan at court. Rumors in the capital say his time as Prime Minister is nearing its end. Some frivolous young nobles joked that after the Wei family is confiscated, there will be little worth seeing. Wei Yan keeps neither beautiful concubines nor dancing girls, so the entertainment houses will gain no newcomers. Someone then mentioned Madam Wei, saying that since Wei Yan had remained devoted to one wife for over twenty years without taking concubines, Madam Wei must still be a beauty despite being no longer young…”

Xie Zheng’s expression had already darkened considerably, but since Zhao Xun had started, he could only continue.

“After getting drunk, Minister Han’s son mocked that Madam Wei was not even as attractive as a rough servant girl in his household. He said that back then she only managed to marry Wei Yan because, as a young maiden, she had gone to the military camp herself to find him and became pregnant before marriage. Since she managed to keep Wei Yan devoted to her for more than twenty years, her skills in that regard must be extraordinary…”

By the time he finished speaking, cold sweat was already running down Zhao Xun’s temples.

Xie Zheng asked, “How badly did Wei Xuan beat him?”

His tone was calm, as though he had no interest in the matter.

Zhao Xun replied, “I heard he broke four ribs and one of his legs. Minister Han has threatened to impeach Wei Xuan.”

Xie Zheng coldly uttered only two words:

“An idiot.”

Minister Han was aligned with the Li family. The only reason he dared threaten to impeach Wei Xuan was because he knew Wei Xuan would never dare bring those insults against Madam Wei before the court.

Zhao Xun pondered those two words but still could not determine Xie Zheng’s attitude toward Madam Wei. He could only remain silent.

Logically speaking, Xie Zheng and Wei Xuan were bitter enemies. He should not have much goodwill toward Madam Wei either.

Yet Xie Zheng merely said coldly:

“You may leave.”

After Zhao Xun departed, Fan Changyu said, “Are all those wealthy young masters in the capital that despicable?”

Xie Zheng raised an eyebrow at her.

“Are you standing up for her?”

Fan Changyu replied, “Wei Yan is a villain who has committed every evil imaginable, and Wei Xuan isn’t any good either. But even if Madam Wei were a vicious woman herself, people should criticize her for being cruel or wicked, not humiliate her with words like those. It’s as though whenever a woman does something wrong, people won’t be satisfied until they smear her reputation in that way. Yet the Wei father and son have done far worse things. Why don’t people slander them like that?”

Xie Zheng lowered his long lashes and said nothing.

Fan Changyu looked at him.

“You don’t seem very happy either. Was Madam Wei good to you?”

Xie Zheng answered, “Not particularly. But not badly, either.”

In the past, he hated Wei Xuan. Whenever the family gathered for their one annual meal during holidays and festivals, merely seeing Madam Wei’s Buddha-like smile made him feel sick with disgust at what he believed was hypocrisy.

But after leaving the Wei household and spending years in the northern frontier, he occasionally still received winter clothing she had sewn for him.

Only then did he realize that Madam Wei truly seemed unaware of the things Wei Xuan had done to him.

After hearing his answer, Fan Changyu frowned slightly.

Knowing that he had lost his mother at a young age, she thought that perhaps, during childhood, he had once received a measure of maternal kindness from Madam Wei.

Yet because of what Wei Yan had done to his parents, that hatred could never disappear.

Rolling up her sleeves, she said, “How about we take advantage of the darkness and go beat up that minister’s son?”

Although she had never met Madam Wei, Fan Changyu secretly admired a noblewoman who had dared to seek out Wei Yan in a military camp before she was even married.

Xie Zheng slowly turned his dark eyes toward her.

Fan Changyu blinked, eager to act.

“If a son is not taught properly, the fault lies with the father. That minister still has the nerve to talk about impeachment? Sounds like he’s no good himself. I bet he’s spent years letting that little bastard bully people and commit all sorts of abuses. Why don’t we beat him so badly he can’t even attend court?”