Mrs. Ning was about to decline when Fu Zhen interjected, "Mr. Yang’s sincerity is clear, Mother, you should agree."
Mrs. Ning was overwheld with emotion and nodded her head, saying, "Then let us sit down and talk."
The two parties then sat down, assuming the roles of guest and host. Mrs. Ning could not hide her excitent and asked, "When did you return to the capital city? Where have you been all these years? What really happened back then? Why—on that night in Baiyu Lane—"
Having asked these questions, she imdiately realized her impatience and gave an apologetic smile, "Perhaps we should have so tea first."
She handed a cup of tea to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi said, "It’s alright, I ca to see you, Madam, precisely to lay everything out."
"Please, go ahead."
Yang Yi looked toward the twilight outside the door and said, "I’ve been wandering around all these years; after I left the Zhou Army camp, I went to Dayue.
"After staying in Dayue for five years, I returned to the Great Zhou and moved around different places for so years. With the letter from Mr. Ning to you and the resolution of the Baiyu Lane case, you should have roughly known the subsequent events.
"After Mr. Ning rescued at the Huzhou Pier, I narrowly escaped death and made up my mind to visit the capital city, coinciding with the date I agreed upon with you, Madam."
Mrs. Ning glanced at Fu Zhen and couldn’t help but ask, "So where were you at that ti? Who exactly were the father and son who died in Baiyu Lane?"
"I t that father and son on my way to the capital city. They were citizens of Dayue; when war erupted in the northwest, they fled into the lands within the pass. They wanted to co to the capital to find their relatives but were unfamiliar with the place and couldn’t speak the language. It happened that I spoke the Dayue language and was from the Great Zhou, so I let them accompany . Who would have thought, this action led to their deaths because of .
"That day, when we were in an inn in the capital city, I was preparing to contact you, Madam, I noticed soone was following , so I left the inn alone to avoid implicating them. Before leaving, I told them to et up with at Baiyu Lane later.
"Unexpectedly, the ones tracking —Yang Zhan and his n—mistook them for because of the luggage I left behind."
At this point, Yang Yi’s fists clenched tightly. The twilight enveloped him entirely, making it hard to see his expression, but the bulging veins on his fists revealed his current mood.
Mrs. Ning couldn’t help but remain silent when hearing this: "This is indeed a regrettable affair."
"Fortunately, I managed to retrieve their bodies."
Yang Yi raised his head, his eyes ablaze with fury, "When Zhang Shicheng set their bodies on fire, my guard, Chen Song, charged into the flas and dragged their remains out. For this, Chen Song was severely injured and almost lost his life as well."
Mrs. Ning couldn’t help but sigh, saying, "I heard that when the city fell in the past, you escaped with two guards; this Guard Chen must be one of those loyal to their master."
Yang Yi nodded, then turned to the silent "hunter" beside him: "This is He Zhao; these years, the two of them have always been by my side.
"He Zhao hid under the identity of a hunter in Camp Town, and the thatched cottage in the village was also my quiet place of repose.
"Chen Song has another location. However, he has also co to the capital this ti."
Fu Zhen felt her heart flutter when she heard that and blurted out, "Could it be that this Guard Chen has a scar on his face and he’s been in Tanzhou all these years?"
Yang Yi turned toward her, "You’ve seen him?"
"Is it really him?!" Fu Zhen could not restrain her excitent, her hands clutching tightly, "I haven’t seen him, but the guard Jiang Lin, who serves General Pei, once investigated the Xu Mansion at night and was rescued by him, thus escaping danger!
"I heard before that he disappeared, and I thought those miscreants led by Zhou Yi had killed him. It turns out he was with you, and he’s safe, that’s truly wonderful!"
"So the person who investigated the Xu family at night was sent by Pei Zhan?" Yang Yi was a bit surprised, "Chen Song only told that the person trapped that night looked like a governnt official; I didn’t expect it to be soone from the Pei family."
Details of how Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan cracked the case weren’t fully revealed to outsiders, so it’s reasonable for Chen Song and the others to be unaware of the truth.
"Do you know where he is now? I think General Pei and Jiang Lin would be eager to et him!"
"He’s handling so matters outside the city for now and hasn’t entered yet, no rush. Right now, I have sothing more important to ask of you." Yang Yi said, taking a letter from He Zhao’s hand, "This is the purpose of my visit."
Fu Zhen quickly accepted the letter and after reading it, she couldn’t help but be surprised, "This is a letter from the Dongzi Country’s Monarch to you—do you know the Monarch of Dongzi?"
"Indeed. I’ve known the Monarch of Dongzi for many years. Back when I was imprisoned in Dayue, it was the Dongzi Country’s Monarch who rescued , and he sent troops to escort back within the pass."
Fu Zhen was shocked by the words "imprisoned" and exchanged glances with Mrs. Ning, then quickly asked, "If I may ask, what happened to you back then and why did you go to Dayue?"
"It’s a long story," by now, the night had fallen thickly, completely covering Yang Yi’s face, "In short, I was a prisoner in Dayue for five years until I t the Dongzi Country’s Monarch, who was a prince at the ti.
"He had hidden his identity and went to Dayue to investigate the cause of death of his sister, Princess Yilan, which is how we t and beca acquainted.
"He is also my benefactor. Our friendship has continued ever since."
Fu Zhen didn’t have ti to ponder the hardships detailed in these few words. She glanced at the content of the letter with lowered eyes, "May I ask, what does the Monarch request your help with?"
Indeed, it was a letter of request for help, not only was it signed with the na Jin Xu of the Dongzi Country’s Monarch, but it also bore the seal of Dongzi, indicating with all solemnity that Dongzi was undoubtedly facing a serious crisis.
However, the letter only ntions seeking Yang Yi’s help, without specifying the details.
"Dongzi is now facing the threat of ruin. The three main generals in charge of a two-hundred-thousand-strong army have been turned by traitors. The information they received two months ago indicated that before the snow flies in Mobei this winter, would be when the enemies inside and out would invade the capital city!"
Fu Zhen was startled, "How could such a change occur? Where does this traitor co from?"
"The exact identity of this person is not yet known, but various clues sent from all sides suggest this force originates from Dayue!"
"Dayue?!"
"Indeed, Dayue is adjacent to Dongzi, with a long border. Dayue has long had covetous eyes on Dongzi. The deposed monarch of Dayue, Duan Ruo, envied the sister of King Dongzi, Princess Yilan, and sought to use a marriage alliance as an opportunity to annex Dongzi, but the Prince Yi Mansion, also eager to win over Dongzi’s power, beat him to it."
"
Reviews
All reviews (0)