Chapter 23: Mother Is Not Coming Back

Upon returning to the residence in the North City, Lanqin immediately prepared a meal according to Yuetang’s instructions and handed it to Xiao Huo, who had just rushed back.

Shortly after, news of Lady Liu’s death was brought back by Hua Lin, who had happened to pick up the information upon his return to the house.

After washing away the blood from her body, Yuetang began writing a memorial essay for Ali.

Xiao Huo, who had been keeping a close watch on the Zhang family, returned at this moment.

"The Du family quietly removed He Hui from their estate earlier. They also summoned Zhang Shaode to the manor and instructed him to preside over a Buddhist ritual at Feiyun Temple tonight, which they claimed to be sponsoring for the He family. Zhang Shaode and his entire family set off a quarter of an hour ago."

Yuetang set down her brush. "Did He Hui go with them?"

"He Hui never showed his face."

Yuetang gazed at the darkening sky outside the window. "They secured He Hui’s release and are holding a ritual for the He family, yet they don't let He Hui appear, sending Zhang Shaode instead. The Du family is likely using He Hui to achieve some ulterior motive. It might even be a ploy to kill two birds with one stone. But that is fine; it actually saves me some trouble. I originally thought it would take a day and a night, but now, one night will suffice."

She hung her brush back on the rack. "We are going to Feiyun Temple. Bring all your usual gear for scaling walls—the grappling hooks and ropes."

Huo Yun followed her. "The Du family has taken the bait so easily. Could it be a trap?"

Yuetang did not break her stride as she stepped over the threshold. "That is certainly possible. But they have miscalculated—Zhang Shaode alone is not enough to hold leverage over me."

...

As twilight descended, a small convoy of carriages departing from the Zhang manor headed toward Feiyun Temple in the north of the city.

In the lead carriage, Zhang Shaode and his wife both wore grim expressions. At dusk, they had been anxious about whether sending their daughter-in-law away so abruptly would arouse the Du family’s suspicions. Then, an attendant of the Marquis of Guangling had arrived to invite Zhang Shaode to the manor.

It felt heavily like a trap. Before leaving, Zhang Shaode had even hidden a weapon in his sleeve, prepared to fight his way out if things went south.

To his surprise, the Marquis of Guangling had simply invited him to dinner. The meal was set in a small garden; the wine was fine, the food was fine, and the attendants were beyond reproach. For the better part of an hour, the Marquis did not mention a single word about Zhang sending his daughter-in-law out of the city. He merely cursed He Jianzhong a few times, expressing regret that such a capable subordinate had been lost, before speaking with melancholy about the ritual he had sponsored at Feiyun Temple to pray for the souls of the departed and seek blessings for the living.

"With this storm growing ever larger, it is no longer appropriate for me to appear in person, or it will surely draw too much attention. If evidence falls into their hands, neither you nor I will meet a good end. Therefore, I need you to go in my stead and handle it with the utmost care, to honor the friendship I shared with Jianzhong. How about it?"

With such a reasonable request, how could Zhang Shaode refuse? To refuse would be to show disrespect—it would be seen as rebellion, as defiance. The Marquis’s estate had plenty of reasons to suppress or eliminate a disobedient subordinate. Thus, even knowing there might be a trap, Zhang Shaode had no choice but to jump.

After receiving his orders and returning home, he arranged for his entire family to depart for Feiyun Temple. The only members of the Zhang family currently at the residence were Zhang Shaode and his wife, his second daughter, and two concubines.

Lady Zhang’s fingernails dug into her palms until she drew blood. After taking a deep breath for the umpteenth time, she looked at her husband. "This is definitely a conspiracy. Why didn't you bring more guards? Sixteen men—how will that ever be enough?"

Zhang Shaode stared gloomily ahead. "If Heaven wants me dead, I would die even if I brought one hundred and sixty."

"Are we really going to jump into a pit, knowing it's a trap?" she cried in alarm.

"What is there to fear?" Zhang Shaode glanced at her. "On the surface, there are sixteen men, but I have arranged for others to follow in the shadows. I want to see exactly what the Du family plans to do to me, and just how certain they are that they can finish me off. I have spent years in the military; I am not someone to be toyed with. If they play fair today, so be it. If not, what does it matter if I risk everything?"

As he spoke, he suddenly pulled a gleaming bronze medallion from his waist—the very same command token of the Imperial City Guard found beneath He Jianzhong’s corpse.

Lady Zhang squeezed her hands tightly, let out a long breath, and turned her face toward the carriage window.

As the Zhang family entered the temple, several figures leaped silently from the treetops outside the wall and quickly vanished into the crowd.

***

Ali had just recovered from his illness. Yan Bei had fed him lunch and helped him take a nap. When the sun began to slant toward the west, the little boy woke up first, sitting cross-legged on the bed, playing with Yan Bei’s loose hair. When he grew bored of that, he began picking at Yan Bei’s ears and poking his nostrils.

Yan Bei decided to get up. He fed the boy and took him to the open veranda to play in the sand to help him digest. Ali held up a chrysanthemum and poked it against Yan Bei’s face.

"Daddy, flower, for Mommy."

Yan Bei took the flower in his hand. "Where would there be a mommy?"

"Awang has a mommy, Ruyi has a mommy, Mimi has a mommy, Ali wants a mommy too."

Awang and Ruyi were the children of the palace guards. Mimi was a cat.

Yan Bei turned his head to look at the wet nurse nearby.

The wet nurse hurried over, flustered. "Your Highness, please believe me, this servant would never dare to plant such thoughts in the young master’s head."

Yan Bei withdrew his gaze. "Gao An."

Gao An arrived just in time, and the wet nurse quickly carried Ali away.

"Did you teach him this?"

Gao An looked toward Ali, who was still picking flowers, and sighed inwardly. "How would I dare, Your Highness? It is simply that the young master is growing older and becoming aware of things. It is human nature for him to want a mother’s love."

Yan Bei let out a grunt. He turned to Ali. "His mother cannot come back. When we have a moment, we will burn some paper offerings for her; she will surely be very happy."

Ali looked at him with a blank expression.

Yan Bei kneaded the flower in his fingers and asked, "What is it?"

Gao An replied quickly, "The Marquis of Guangling summoned Zhang Shaode to have him preside over a ritual at Feiyun Temple on behalf of the Du family. However, there is an ambush at the temple. After Zhang Shaode entered, over a dozen men in black were seen lying in wait around the temple grounds. Furthermore, He Hui slipped out of the Marquis’s manor under the cover of darkness. He returned to the He family home, and shortly after, several groups of men arrived in three separate waves to join him. We know they were regrouping because shortly after, they set off toward Feiyun Temple in several batches. He Hui walked at the very back and didn't put on his mask until he was out the door—he is clearly the leader."

Yan Bei stopped crushing the flower. He tilted his head to look at Gao An.

After a long pause, he looked away, staring steadily at the surface of the lake for a moment. "The Du family is targeting Zhang Shaode?"

Gao An nodded. "It is quite clear."

Yan Bei walked a few paces, then looked back at Ali. "Someone."

Two wet nurses approached.

"Take the young master to feed the ducks."

The nurses coaxed Ali away. Yan Bei scattered the crushed chrysanthemum petals from his hand and looked at Gao An. "Let’s go."