Chapter 50: The old subordinates come back and reveal the truth

The night spread like thick ink. Outside the woodshed of the suburban Beijing villa, only a single flickering lamp cast a shadowy, eerie shadow against the surrounding trees. Yun Zhi clutched the jade pendant engraved with the Chinese character "Liu" as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Xie Heng in the shadows. According to the map, Uncle Liu would emerge from the secret passage behind the woodshed before midnight, but now, even at nearly midnight, there was still no movement from the entrance.

"Could something have happened?" Qingzhu hid behind the two of them, her voice filled with anxiety, and she looked around from time to time. "Just now I seemed to see a dark shadow flash outside the courtyard wall. Could it be that the princess's men are chasing us?"

Xie Heng held the dagger at his waist and glanced around vigilantly: "Don't panic, I have set up warnings around the courtyard. If anyone approaches, there will be movement. Wait a little longer, Uncle Liu may be confirming that it is safe."

Yun Zhi remained silent, her fingertips repeatedly rubbing the wolf-head symbol on the jade pendant, her heart feeling as if gripped by an invisible hand. She felt uneasy, especially when she thought of the note that said "Be careful of an old friend." She felt even more uneasy. Would Uncle Liu actually come? Was the person who came really Uncle Liu?

At that moment, the ground behind the woodshed suddenly creaked softly, and a bluestone slab slowly moved aside, revealing a secret passageway barely wide enough for one person to pass through. A hunched figure emerged from the passageway, wearing a washed-out, bleached military uniform. The wolf-head emblem embroidered on the cuff, though faded, was still clearly visible.

"It's the Wolf Fang Army's uniform!" Yun Zhi was delighted and was about to step forward when she was stopped by Xie Heng.

The figure stood up straight, and in the light of the solitary lamp, Yun Zhi could see his face clearly - full of wrinkles, white hair, and a long scar on his left cheek extending from his forehead to his jaw, but his eyes were still sharp, just like Uncle Liu as her father had described him.

"Are you...Uncle Liu?" Yun Zhi's voice trembled, and the jade pendant in her hand was almost crushed.

The old man turned his head, his eyes falling on the jade pendant in Yun Zhi's hand. His pupils suddenly contracted, and then he knelt on the ground with a plop, his voice choked with sobs: "Young...Miss? It really is you! This old servant Liu Zhong has finally found you!"

"Uncle Liu!" Yun Zhi couldn't hold it in any longer. She quickly stepped forward to help him up, tears welling up in her eyes. "Where's my father? What happened when the Yun family was raided? Where have you been all these years?"

Liu Zhong stood up, wiped his tears, his eyes filled with grief and indignation: "Miss, the Yun family was raided back then. It was a complete conspiracy! It was all the work of that old fox, Prime Minister Shen!"

He pulled Yun Zhi and Xie Heng into the secret passage and covered it with the bluestone slab. Suddenly, the only light left in the secret passage was the faint glow from the tinderbox they carried with them.

"Back then, the general (Yun Zhi's father) discovered that Prime Minister Shen was secretly colluding with the enemy and smuggling military rations. He was about to report him to the court," Liu Zhong's voice echoed in the narrow secret passage, filled with suppressed anger. "But Prime Minister Shen got the news beforehand and turned against the general. He forged a letter accusing the general of collaborating with the enemy, bribed officials in the court, and accused the general of treason!"

"Forged a letter?" Yun Zhi clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. "My father's secret letter also mentioned this matter! Then why would Prime Minister Shen do this? My father has no grudge against him!"

"No grudges?" Liu Zhong sneered, his eyes filled with hatred. "Prime Minister Shen has a wicked ambition and has long wanted to seize the general's military power! Moreover... he also wants his daughter Shen Qingyue to marry Prince Duan Xiao Jin to consolidate his position! But the general opposed this marriage back then, and Prime Minister Shen holds a grudge against him, so he's taking this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!"

"Shen Qingyue?" Yun Zhi was stunned. "Didn't she fall off a cliff and die that year? How could she be related to this matter?"

Liu Zhong's expression became complicated, and he lowered his voice and said, "Miss, Shen Qingyue is not dead at all! She fell off the cliff that year, it was a deliberate act!"

"Intentional?" Xie Heng frowned. "Why would she do that?"

"In order to make Xiao Jin hate the Yun family even more," Liu Zhong sighed, his voice full of helplessness, "Back then, Shen Qingyue pretended to be close to the general, but in fact she was trying to find out about the general's movements. Later, Prime Minister Shen framed the general. He was afraid that she would be implicated, and also worried that her staying in the capital would affect his plans, so he had her pretend to fall off a cliff and hide. Xiao Jin believed that Shen Qingyue was killed by the Yun family, which is why he hates the Yun family so deeply."

Yun Zhi felt her world spinning. It turned out that Xiao Jin's hatred for her and his hostility towards the Yun family were all a deception orchestrated by Prime Minister Shen and Shen Qingyue! She thought of the sterilization soup she was forced to drink, the child she hadn't saved, and the repeated humiliation and hurt Xiao Jin had inflicted on her. The hatred in her heart grew like wild weeds.

"I want revenge!" Yun Zhi's voice was cold, with a tearful determination, "I want Prime Minister Shen and Shen Qingyue to pay for what they did! I want to restore my father's name and clear the name of the Yun family!"

"Miss, revenge requires evidence," Liu Zhong pulled out something wrapped in oilcloth from his bosom and handed it to Yun Zhi. "This is part of the letter left by the general. Although most of it was burned by Prime Minister Shen's men, only a few incomplete pages remain, but it can prove that Prime Minister Shen smuggled military rations. Moreover, the letter mentions a key witness - Zhao Feng, the captain who was in charge of escorting the military rations. He saw with his own eyes that Prime Minister Shen's men sold the military rations to the enemy country. As long as we find him, we can get solid evidence of Prime Minister Shen's collusion with the enemy!"

Yun Zhi took the oilcloth bag and opened it. Inside were several pages of yellowed letter paper. The handwriting on them was from her father, but most of it had been blurred by the fire, leaving only a few scattered words: "Zhao Feng... military rations... enemy country... sinking..."

"Where is Zhao Feng now?" Xie Heng asked hurriedly, "We must find him as soon as possible, otherwise if Prime Minister Shen finds out, he might be in danger."

Liu Zhong shook his head, his eyes filled with worry. "After the incident, Zhao Feng disappeared. Some say he was killed by Prime Minister Shen's men, while others say he fled to the border. I have been searching for him for years, but there is no news."

Yun Zhi clutched the incomplete letter tightly, the hope in her heart just ignited but then extinguished again - without Zhao Feng, this incomplete letter was not enough to overthrow Prime Minister Shen, and the Yun family's injustice could not be cleared.

"Miss, don't lose heart," Liu Zhong said, looking at her lost expression and hastening to comfort her. "I've already sent people to the border to inquire about Zhao Feng's whereabouts, and I'm sure there will be results soon. Furthermore, Prime Minister Shen has been very active lately. I heard that the enemy delegation is coming to the capital to pay tribute, so he's sure to take advantage of the opportunity to stir up trouble. Perhaps we can find something to hold against him."

"An enemy delegation?" Yun Zhi was stunned for a moment, remembering the news she had heard at the palace. "Did Xiao Jin leave the capital just because of the border war?"

Liu Zhong nodded. "That's right. The war on the border is probably related to Prime Minister Shen. He smuggled military rations to the enemy, greatly increasing their strength and daring them to declare war on Daqi. Xiao Jin's dispatch to the border might also be part of his scheme, hoping to kill him on the battlefield and eliminate this thorn in his side."

Yun Zhi clenched her fists even tighter. Prime Minister Shen's ambition and viciousness far exceeded her imagination. She looked at the incomplete letter in her hand and thought of the enemy delegation mentioned by Uncle Liu. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind - perhaps, she could start from the enemy delegation and find evidence of Prime Minister Shen's collusion with the enemy.

"Uncle Liu," Yun Zhi said with a firm look, "We can't just wait and find Zhao Feng now. The enemy delegation has entered the capital, and Prime Minister Shen will definitely contact them. We can follow them secretly and maybe get evidence of their collaborating with the enemy."

"Young lady, you are right," Xie Heng nodded in agreement. "Also, we must be careful of Princess Lin Wanru. She will definitely not miss this opportunity and may attack you when the enemy delegation enters the capital."

Liu Zhong also nodded and said, "I will arrange for some personnel to keep an eye on Prime Minister Shen and the enemy envoys, and to protect the young lady. But..." He changed the subject, his eyes full of worry, "Xiao Jin will be back from the border soon. His attitude towards the young lady is unclear. If he helps Prime Minister Shen after he returns, our situation will be even more dangerous."

At the mention of Xiao Jin, Yun Zhi's eyes instantly turned cold. She recalled the abortion drug she'd been forced to drink, his words, "How could a lowly slave's body bear my blood?", and the black-clad man's words, "The prince has ordered you to be killed without mercy." Only cold hatred remained in her heart.

"It doesn't matter whether he helps Prime Minister Shen or not," Yun Zhi's voice was cold. "From now on, he and I are completely done with each other. If he dares to stand in my way, I will show no mercy."

Liu Zhong saw the determination in Yun Zhi's eyes and knew she was no longer the spoiled young lady she once was. He felt both distressed and relieved. He nodded solemnly, "I understand. Don't worry, young lady. I will risk my life to help you avenge her and clear the name of the Yun family!"

The tinder in the secret passage gradually burned out. Liu Zhong relit one, its faint glow illuminating the faces of the three men, each one's eyes filled with determination. Yun Zhi clutched the torn pages of the letter tightly, swearing silently in her heart—Prime Minister Shen, Shen Qingyue, Xiao Jin, I will double back what you owe me and the Yun family!

But she didn't know that at this moment in the capital, Prime Minister Shen had already learned that she was not dead, and was giving orders to his subordinates: "Notify the enemy envoys, and have them 'accidentally' encounter Yun Zhi on their way to the capital. Make sure to eliminate her. Also, send people to keep an eye on Zhao Feng's whereabouts. If they find him, kill him immediately!"

A bigger conspiracy is quietly brewing, and Yun Zhi, Xie Heng, and Liu Zhong are about to fall into a deeper vortex.