fishing

After helping Lin Siwen tidy up the house, Tang Feng didn't linger. He said goodnight and didn't want to disturb Lin Siwen's rest any longer. Just as Tang Feng stepped out, a breeze blew into his sleeve. He went back inside and saw the candlelight flickering, knowing Zhou Ziliang had returned. "Ziliang!" "Why didn't you stay home to rest so late?" Zhou Ziliang was worried about Tang Feng's health. Even though his wounds were mostly healed, Tang Feng's coughing up blood wasn't getting better. Although Zhou Ziliang wasn't a doctor, he knew that if this continued, his health would eventually collapse. Tang Feng smiled and quickly reassured him, "I didn't go out. I just chatted with Siwen in the study." Zhou Ziliang nodded. "When you're sick, talking to people will lift your spirits." Tang Feng took off his coat and sat down next to Zhou Ziliang. Tang Feng grabbed Zhou Ziliang's hand to warm it. "It's not about chatting, it's about Han Jiuhua." "Have you made a plan?" Tang Feng shook his head. "Not really. I just want him to tell me for himself whether he killed Liu Liu. Even if he's lying to me, I'll believe him." Tang Feng had been tormented by this matter for so long that he was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. He felt that even if he was deceived, it didn't matter, at least it wouldn't force Han Jiuhua to die. Seeing Tang Feng like this, Zhou Ziliang hugged him and gently comforted him, "He's half your benefactor, so naturally he won't do anything to disappoint you. Don't worry, everything will be alright." Tang Feng snuggled against Zhou Ziliang and nodded heavily. "I know. After all, after the storm comes the calm. I understand the principle. As long as he speaks, as long as he says he didn't do it, I'll forgive him."

After Lin Siwen left, Xu Fengyan didn't rush back to his house. He sat on the roof, letting the breeze ruffle his hair. Xu Fengyan didn't have any deep feelings for Tang Feng; they weren't even complete strangers. Tang Feng had never even met him. But after returning from Lishan Academy, Tang Feng personally came to thank him for the words Xu Feng had carelessly written out of jealousy, even sending gifts and an invitation before his wedding. Xu Fengyan knew he had a mission and couldn't let Tang Feng go. But who knew he would kill Tang Feng's most beloved younger brother on New Year's Eve? Han Jiuhua looked up at the starry sky and let out a deep breath. He knew Tang Feng was giving him leeway, and he knew Tang Feng was already on his deathbed, but for the Xu family, for Xu Chang'an, he had to die. As for Tang Feng, he probably wanted to die knowing why before he died of illness. Xu Fengyan jumped from the rooftop into the window, washed his hands, changed into a clean robe, walked to the Buddhist shrine, picked up three incense sticks, lit them in the incense burner, and looked up at the Buddha statue. "Mother, everywhere you go, you find your way home. This time, you don't need to bless me. Your unfilial son cannot even move you to the ancestral grave before his death. Although I know you don't care about this, I still want to burn three incense sticks for you as an apology." Xu Fengyan bowed deeply three times, then looked up for a long time without inserting the incense into the burner, until the ash burned his hand. The burn brought him back to his senses. He inserted the three incense sticks, turned to leave, but then looked back at the shrine, smiled, and said, "Mother, don't worry. Although I didn't live according to your last wishes, at least in the end, I became Xu Fengyan again."

Zhang Mobai arrived at the Zhou residence early in the morning. Zhou Ziliang had been busy recruiting soldiers for the army for several days, so Zhang Mobai didn't wait for Zhou Ziliang to come to the residence. He came first, partly because he felt Zhou Ziliang was easily embarrassed and would feel awkward if he kept coming, and partly because he was worried about Tang Feng and wanted to take care of him. As soon as he entered the residence, he bumped into Lin Siwen. Lin Siwen, seeing Zhang Mobai, cupped her hands in greeting, "Lord Zhang, you're here so early!" "Ziliang has been busy these past few days, and you haven't been able to spare any time for him, young master." "I asked Madam Zhou to take care of the child, so I came to check on him." Lin Siwen nodded, grinned, revealing a pair of small tiger teeth. "Alright, I'm relieved to have you looking after him. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to rest easy about today's assassination attempt." After saying this, Lin Siwen cupped her hands in a respectful gesture and turned to leave, but Zhang Mobai grabbed her collar and pulled her back. "Wait, wait, come back." Zhang Mobai held Lin Siwen, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then continued to ask, "Tell me, what was today's assassination attempt?" Lin Siwen suddenly realized she might have said something wrong and was about to... He tried to cover it up, but then he thought again. Han Jiuhua was after all trying to assassinate Tang Feng. Although Tang Feng said he would handle it himself, he was just a weak scholar, how could he possibly defeat Han Jiuhua? It would be better to tell Zhang Mobai sooner rather than later and let him think of a solution. "Lord Zhang, yesterday the Grand Tutor sent me to Qinghui Lane to find some things. I went into Han Jiuhua's residence and found some things." "What things?" "Half a mask and a letter." Zhang Mobai knew that the half mask was the one that Yang Fei had shot off with an arrow in the south of the city years ago. "What did the letter say?" Lin Siwen shook her head. "I don't know. The Grand Tutor doesn't want to tell me. Sigh?! Don't betray me, the Grand Tutor will definitely be angry." Zhang Mobai thought for a moment, then patted Lin Siwen's shoulder. "You're such a slippery kid. You knew you couldn't tell me, but you still did. Go back, leave it to me. I'll go talk to my little brother." Tang Feng had just gotten up. He hadn't been sleeping well lately and was feeling very tired. Zhou Ziliang naturally didn't want to wake him up early. He leaned against the bed, drowsy, watching Zhou Ziliang straighten his clothes. Tang Feng reached out and said, "Let me do it." Zhou Ziliang walked over, and Tang Feng helped him adjust the belt around his waist and fastened the jade pendant. "Be careful in the camp," Tang Feng said, smiling as he held Tang Feng's hand as he adjusted Zhou Ziliang's clothes. "This is Xiling, not the border. What are you worried about?" "Then... when are you coming back today?" Zhou Ziliang thought for a moment and finally said, "Probably late at night. You know, the camp is very busy lately. Once I'm done with this, I'll spend some time with you." Tang Feng calculated the time until Han Jiuhua arrived. He didn't tell Zhou Ziliang when he would return, afraid of worrying him, so he just wanted to see when Zhou Ziliang would come back. "It's alright, I'm just resting at home anyway, there's nothing for me to do. You go ahead and do your work, and give my regards to Brother Chen and the others." Zhou Ziliang bent down and lightly pecked Tang Feng on the lips, then tucked him in. "Don't worry, when the weather gets warmer, I'll take you to the military camp." After making the arrangements, Zhou Ziliang was about to leave when he saw Zhang Mobai arrive. He nodded to Zhang Mobai, "Brother Mobai, I'm entrusting Xiao Feng to you today." Zhang Mobai was initially puzzled as to why Zhou Ziliang would go to the military camp if Tang Feng was to be assassinated today. But then he realized Tang Feng hadn't even told Lin Siwen about the letter, so he certainly wouldn't have told Zhou Ziliang. Zhang Mobai cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong." After Zhou Ziliang left, Zhang Mobai entered the room and saw Tang Feng reading on the bed. He walked over and closed Tang Feng's book. "Tell me, what happened?" Tang Feng already knew what Zhang Mobai wanted to ask. "Lin Siwen told you, didn't she?" "You know?" "He's young and can't keep things to himself, that's normal." Tang Feng coughed twice, then continued, "Mo Bai, promise me you won't interfere in this. I can handle it myself." Zhang Mo Bai panicked upon hearing this, grabbed Tang Feng's hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "Handle my ass! What can you handle? Tang Feng has been here for ten years. He's tried to assassinate you so many times, big and small. If you could really catch him, would Liu Liu have died? Would Zi Liang have been injured? Would you have almost lost your life in Daze? He won't show you any mercy. Don't you understand?"

"Alright, alright, then I won't be soft-hearted." Tang Feng was already exhausted and didn't have the energy to argue with Zhang Mobai. He raised his hand and pressed down. "Okay, don't be angry. I have my plans. If you're really worried, you can have your own plans too, but let's make it clear beforehand, I need to talk to him alone." Tang Feng had already said this, and Zhang Mobai naturally understood. After thinking for a while, he said, "Little brother, if you say so, I'll have to make the arrangements. If anything happens, you can't blame me." Tang Feng felt that it didn't matter who Zhang Mobai brought, as long as Han Jiuhua didn't do these things, then nothing else mattered. But... if he really did it, and he admitted it... Tang Feng didn't want to think about that, nor did he want the people Zhang Mobai brought to hear it. This was probably the worst possible outcome. But Zhang Mobai was so aggressive. Even if he wasn't allowed to come, he wouldn't give up so easily. If he heard these words, given Zhang Mobai's personality, he would definitely report it to Lan Chi. But then again, who wants to die? Tang Feng knew he was terminally ill, his life hanging by a thread, yet he still wanted to live and grow old with Zhou Ziliang. Han Jiuhua probably revealed her identity because she was afraid he would find out about him, hoping to expose her. If he told her that as long as it wasn't her doing, he would forgive and forget, the meaning would be clear, and she probably wouldn't understand. Tang Feng closed his eyes and thought for a long time before finally saying, "Whatever you say."

After leaving the Zhou residence, Zhang Mobai went to the imperial mausoleum. He didn't know why Tang Feng was taking this risk, but since he had promised Zhou Ziliang, he naturally had to protect Tang Feng, just like ten years ago in Xiaoyao Tower, he would protect Tang Feng behind him. Zhang Mobai mustered his courage and entered the imperial mausoleum. The moment he stepped inside, a gust of cold wind swept past, and a sharp blade was already at his neck. Zhang Mobai stopped, only to find himself surrounded by more than a dozen people. "Who goes there?" "Zhang Mobai, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue," the leader stepped forward, scrutinizing Zhang Mobai from head to toe before saying, "This is the imperial mausoleum, not your palace where you hold court. Entering here means death." Zhang Mobai showed no fear, cupped his hands in greeting, and loudly demanded, "You sixteen riders of Yanshan have internal problems, and besides, the items were stolen—you haven't even figured that out yet. What right do you have to guard the Empress Dowager's tomb?" The man with the blade was enraged and was about to strike when Lan Chi stopped him, then looked at Zhang Mobai. "What do you mean? The person who stole the fire talisman has already been arrested and executed by the Empress Dowager. Are you saying the Empress Dowager killed the wrong person? Lord Zhang, this is the Western Mausoleum. We may disrespect the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, but you cannot. I advise you to be careful with your words."

"Alright, assuming the Fire Talisman was indeed taken by a palace maid, then it returned the next day. According to the testimonies at the time, you acted upon the command. But I must ask, this command wasn't in the Empress Dowager's possession. Would a mere thief's orders warrant such unwavering loyalty as to assassinate her for ten years?" Lan Chi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Lord Zhang, do you have evidence?" "Not certain. Grand Tutor Tang received the assassination order a couple of days ago. If you're willing, we can go together tonight. Of course, this concerns the reputation of the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan; whether you go or not is up to you. But if the Grand Tutor is indeed assassinated today, the controversy that was just suppressed a few days ago will likely reignite. After all, the Empress Dowager has already found the culprit for you; the Grand Tutor shouldn't be assassinated again, right?" Lan Chi thought for a moment, then removed the sword from Zhang Mobai's neck. "Alright, I'll go with you."

Summer was almost here, but for some reason, the wind was unusually strong today, whipping the study curtains wildly and scattering papers all over the floor. Tang Feng sat motionless at his desk, waiting for Xu Fengyan. As the moon rose and the night deepened, movement came from outside. Tang Feng slowly opened his eyes. "You've come." Xu Fengyan stood before Tang Feng and smiled. "Do you know why I came?" Tang Feng nodded. "Then why aren't you running? I'm going to kill you." Hearing Xu Fengyan's words, Tang Feng looked up, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "You didn't come to kill me, you came to die, so there's no need for me to run." Xu Fengyan drew his long sword and pointed it at Tang Feng. "I came to die, but I didn't say I wouldn't kill you. You were too foolish to send Zhou Ziliang away." Tang Feng gave a bitter smile, stood up, and walked towards Xu Fengyan. Passing by the window, he caught a glimpse of Zhang Mobai and Lan Chi hiding below. Finally, he stood before Xu Fengyan. "I'm a dying man, it doesn't matter to me, and I don't want to force you to your death. If I get the answer I want, I will definitely let you go. However, Xu Fengyan, I want to ask you a few questions... Please... tell me, you weren't the only one who tried to assassinate me, right?"

"yes"

Hearing Xu Fengyan's answer, Tang Feng breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Then... you..." Tang Feng clenched his fists, his lips trembling slightly, "You were instigated by someone, right?"

"yes"

Hearing this, Tang Feng felt a sense of relief. "Then... three years ago, on the night of the 29th of the lunar year... Xu Fengyan..." Tang Feng suddenly looked at Xu Fengyan, his eyes pleading. "If this is the answer I want, I can let you go. So... think it over before you speak."

It's me.

Tang Feng froze on the spot, looked at Xu Fengyan and shook his head, finally saying in a hoarse voice, "What...did you say?"

"You heard me right, I killed him. That day, because you exposed my location, I went to assassinate you. But it was also because you didn't keep your promise to retrieve the wedding dress that I mistakenly killed your brother." Tang Feng's breath hitched, and he stumbled back two steps, his lower back slamming against the table. The answer he'd waited so many years for, Xu Fengyan had finally spoken it himself, but Tang Feng felt no joy. Instead, his heart ached, and his voice trembled. "You... do you know what you're saying? Don't you understand me? If I wanted to, I could let you go."

"I know perfectly well," Xu Fengyan took two steps, the sword already pressed against Tang Feng's heart. With just a little force, Tang Feng would be bleeding profusely. "Tang Feng, I stole the Fire Talisman, I was the one who caused your fall from your horse in the south of the city, I killed Qin Liuliu, and I was involved in every single one of your assassinations. I don't need your pity. I'll take responsibility for my actions. From the first time I drew an arrow at you, I knew I wouldn't have a good ending."

Before the words were even finished, Xu Fengyan was forcefully pinned to the ground by Lan Chi. Xu Fengyan didn't struggle at all. Tang Feng stood there dumbfounded, watching Xu Fengyan being bound hand and foot. His legs went weak, and he seemed about to fall, but Zhang Mobai, who had rushed over, helped him up. "Grand Tutor Tang, please forgive my rudeness. It was our negligence in disciplining him. I will go back and deal with it immediately." Lan Chi bowed to Tang Feng and was about to leave.

Tang Feng was still reeling from Xu Fengyan's words. After regaining his balance, he suppressed the metallic taste in his mouth and asked, "Lord Lan, I'd like to ask, what are you going to do with this when you take it back?"

"Assassination is a minor matter, theft is a major one; according to the rules, the sentence should be delayed."

"Delayed execution?"

"It's a form of torture where the criminal's hands are bound, the other end of the rope is tied to a horse, and someone rides on the horse to drag the criminal to death."