Chapter Fifty-Two: Wu Yuanshuang, the Guide

All morning, Wu Yuanshuang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. No matter how he calculated, he could never have anticipated this: Zhang Miaoke had gone out with Yun Hao and ended up being kidnapped alongside him. Wu Yuanshuang knew all too well what kind of men Lei Laohu and his gang were—women in their thirties or forties weren’t spared by them, let alone a delicate young woman barely eighteen. If Lei Laohu’s lust was aroused, then—! Wu Yuanshuang felt he’d hoisted a stone only to smash his own foot.

He wanted desperately to go find Lei Laohu, but Wu Shiyue insisted on keeping Wu Yuanshuang at his side. The entire morning, there wasn’t a single chance for Wu Yuanshuang to slip away from Wu Shiyue’s sight.

Wu Shiyue himself was deeply worried. If it had just been anyone else, it wouldn’t have mattered so much. But now, the second son of the Duke of Tang, whom all the doctors in the household depended on Wu Shiyue to treat, had been abducted right under his nose. And, as it turned out, one of his own employees had acted as an inside man. Nobles rarely had small tempers; when they couldn’t find the real culprit, it was not uncommon for them to vent their anger on any convenient scapegoat. Wu Shiyue certainly didn’t want to be that scapegoat. The usual method of noble retribution was to draw a circle and attack indiscriminately anything within it.

“Zhongwen, if this matter cannot be settled peacefully, you should go to Longyou and take shelter with your brother. No matter what happens, the Duke of Tang won’t pursue vengeance all the way to Longyou!” By noon, with no progress, Wu Shiyue slumped in his chair, speaking to Zhang Wenzhong with a tone heavy with desolation.

“Wu, we’re brothers by marriage—how could I leave you behind? If we must go, our families will go together!” Zhang Wenzhong was equally distraught; he’d lost his precious daughter, adored by his elder brother. How could he have the face to seek refuge in Longyou?

“Ah… Zhongwen! My Wu family has been in Jinyang for three generations, with over a hundred direct relatives. And that’s not counting all the collateral branches! Hundreds of people—it’s not so easy to just leave at a word. If the Duke of Tang lays blame, I, Wu Shiyue, will bear it all myself. Yesterday, I thought it was a great chance to curry favor; who could have guessed it would turn out like this today? Truly, the world is fickle, and life’s fortunes are unpredictable… Ah!” Wu Shiyue could only sigh. The Duke of Tang’s household had even mobilized their soldiers to search. The household retainers were all out in force—it showed how seriously the matter was being taken.

Wu Shiyue knew that if the Duke of Tang assigned blame, the Wu family would be utterly ruined.

“Father, don’t worry! There’s something strange about this. Yun Hao and his mother haven’t been in Jinyang long. I asked the staff: Yun Hao, though mischievous, never stepped outside the pharmacy. That means—they have no enemies in Jinyang. But if they have no enemies, who would bribe our staff and plot so carefully to kidnap a child?” After waiting all morning, Wu Yuanshuang finally found his chance to speak up.

“Don’t talk nonsense! You’re just a child; what do you know?” Wu Shiyue, lost in worry, couldn’t listen to his son’s words.

“Let him speak, Wu! I think Yuanshuang might be onto something. He’s been to the capital and knows more about the court than we do.” Zhang Zhongwen stopped Wu Shiyue’s scolding and turned to Wu Yuanshuang. “Go on.”

“When I was in the capital, I heard that the current Emperor and the Duke of Tang are cousins, but the Emperor doesn’t think highly of him. At a palace banquet, the Emperor even called him ‘Granny’s face’ in front of all the ministers.

Now that the Duke of Tang has arrived in Jinyang with the rank of Duke, it’s clear the Emperor wants to keep him at a distance. And now, with the Duke’s second son just having met with disaster, the only child who could heal him has disappeared. And this child’s origins are mysterious—full of strange skills and learning. To say nothing of the fact that he can measure height using shadows, and weigh objects with an old man’s water—such skills are beyond even the learned scholars at the Imperial Academy. So this child’s background…!

I also heard that the Duke’s second son is both scholarly and martial—he served as a captain in the elite corps. How could such a man be so gravely injured by a bear, especially with household guards protecting him?” Wu Yuanshuang began the tale, then stopped, knowing that the power of human imagination is boundless. He had opened a window for his father, but it was up to his father to contemplate what lay beyond.

At once, the room fell silent. Wu Shiyue’s nostrils flared as he breathed rapidly; his eyes darted, unfocused. Zhang Wenzhong stroked his beard, saying nothing.

“Zhongwen, how is the second son’s injury?” Wu Shiyue was an old fox—he understood well what his son meant. What’s more, his son’s teacher was Li Gang, the Prince’s mentor, who knew all the secrets of the palace.

“Last night he had a fever. That child and Lady Changsun watched over him all night. This morning I went to see him—the fever had gone. The wound, though swollen and red, showed no pus, and the scab formed well, with no bad odor. In my experience, the second son’s condition is no longer serious. He only needs to rest a while and let the wound heal naturally.”

“That’s odd!” By Wu Yuanshuang’s reasoning, the child must have been sent by the Emperor, to use dirty tricks to eliminate the Duke of Tang’s brilliant son. But Zhang Wenzhong’s account contradicted this theory; if that were the case, the second son’s injury should have worsened.

“I’ll go check the second son again. This time, I’ll give him a thorough examination.” Zhang Wenzhong hurried out. If this matter involved the court, it could be grave. If so, it would be wise to prepare for the worst. Standing in the eye of a power struggle, the fate of small men was always a matter of life and death.

As Zhang Wenzhong left in haste, Wu Yuanshuang said, “Father, the child’s disappearance is strange. I think it best to question his mother. I’ll go ask her now.”

“I’ll go myself! If things are as you say, this woman is no ordinary person—not someone a child like you can handle!” Wu Shiyue’s eyes lit up at the reminder.

“Then I’ll go to the market and listen for news. City foxes and society rats have their own ways—some things, they might know.” Wu Yuanshuang had spun this tale just to find an excuse to go see Lei Laohu. He kept a calm face, but inside he was frantic. He’d prayed to every god he could think of, begging that Lei Laohu hadn’t harmed his cousin. If his little piglet had been devoured, Wu Yuanshuang would strangle Lei Laohu with his own hands. But given Lei Laohu’s ferocity, it was more likely he himself would be strangled.