Fen Ling’s sleepiness faded away considerably. He sat up on his bed, stroking his chin in deep thought.
This matter was something he hadn’t anticipated.
Zhang Mao wanted to surrender to his master? Was it a genuine surrender, or just a fake one? Was he trying to buy time for himself to find a way to be rescued by pretending to surrender, or was he truly afraid of death? In order to save his own life, had he disregarded everything else?
He frowned in thought for a while, but he was still too tired. He waved at Ning Ze, "Just leave it for now. We’ll discuss it when my sister returns."
Ning Ze asked him, "Don’t you want to check on Zhang Mao?"
"What’s the point in checking? I can’t do anything about it." Having said that, Fen Ling lay back down, yawned, and waved his hand, "Don’t disturb me. I’m so tired. I need to sleep."
After all, Zhang Mao couldn’t escape.
Ning Ze nodded, "All right, then sleep well!"
He turned and left Fen Ling’s room, quietly closing the door behind him.
Su Rong had no idea that Zhang Mao had been considering surrender after being locked up in the dark cell of the Marquis Nanping Residence. After separating from Fen Ling, she continued with her investigation.
While Nanping wasn’t a big town, it wasn’t small either. After travelling in the direction of Jibei for hundreds of miles, she took a break and lodged at an inn in a town.
In the middle of the night, a group of people entered the inn. The group was led by a young man dressed in black. Without attracting much attention, they quietly checked into the inn.
Su Rong, still somewhat awake, heard the commotion and got out of bed. She peered out the window, but couldn’t see clearly because it was too dark.
Once the group had settled down and the noise had subsided, the voice of Fu Zhou sounded softly outside Su Rong’s door, "Master, do you want me to investigate these people?"
"Investigate." Su Rong turned around and got back into bed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Fu Zhou complied.
Half an hour later, Fu Zhou returned to Su Rong’s room. Speaking even more quietly, he said, "Master, I have found out who the people are. The man who just arrived is the third son from the Pingxi General’s Mansion in Jibei. He is an illegitimate son, Zhang Yun."
Su Rong emitted an ’Oh?’ sound, sat back up, got out of bed, opened the door, and told Fu Zhou to come in.
Afetr Fu Zhou closed the door, he lowered his voice and said, "As for why this group came, the time is too short, I haven’t figured out yet. Master, should we take action now?"
Having caught Zhang Mao, if they could also capture Zhang Yun, they would have one more card to play against their enemies.
Su Rong recalled the records she had seen in the Crown Prince’s study in the Eastern Palace regarding Pingxi General and his children. Zhang Yun, though a bastard, was a tough nut to crack. Compared to Zhang Mao, the legitimate son, Zhang Yun seemed much more ruthless. Much of the dirty work and secret dealings of Pingxi General’s Mansion were executed by Zhang Yun.
It had to be said, Zhang Ping was quite adept at handling his subordinates. As for his own sons, he knew how to use them well. Each son was assigned tasks that matched his personality.
If anyone in the Pingxi General’s Mansion could make Zhang Mao wary, it would be Zhang Yun. Especially so, because he has a doted concubine mother. His concubine mother was one of Zhang Ping’s favorite concubines.
Su Rong considered her next move, "Do not act for now, keep an eye on him, ascertain how many people he has brought with him and what is their objective."
Fu Zhou complied.
When Zhang Yun settled into the Inn, he brought with him more than twenty martial arts masters. Although Fu Zhou was skilled in covert operations, he dared not get too close. For now, he had to assign men to trace the path Zhang Yun had taken, in order to find out their whereabouts and intentions. Then, they could get information from the Inn’s proprietor.
Soon after Zhang Yun checked into the Inn, he retired. Early the next morning, Fu Zhou returned. He approached Su Rong’s door in a hurry, his voice filled with urgency, "Master."
Su Rong opened the door, "What happened?"
"We have to leave. A large group of assassins have arrived in this town. They outnumber us three to one." Fu Zhou said, "Whether they are after you or not, it’s too dangerous."
They had brought fewer than three hundred secret agents on this trip, and unfortunately, the strongest among them, Fen Ling, had not accompanied them.
Su Rong’s face grew cold. Without saying another word, she ordered her men and departed the inn.
They dared not ride horses for fear of making a noise. Even so, they hadn’t travelled far from the town when a group of assassins blocked their path.
This group of assassins numbered around three hundred, roughly the same as Su Rong’s entourage.
The apparent leader sneered, "Su Rong, today is your death day."
This was the first time Su Rong encountered an assassin who didn’t attack immediately but started conversing with her. It seemed this man was someone of note.
She asked, "Who are you? How can you be so certain that today is my death day?"
"Nangong Yu."
The realization dawned on Su Rong. She took a close look at the man. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, wearing a black martial arts uniform, with delicate features but sinister eyes.
A dangerous character indeed.
Nangong Yu, an illegitimate son of the Nangong Family. This bastard was different from Zhang Yun. If Zhang Yun was merely Zhang Ping’s secret weapon, Nangong Yu was someone who held some degree of power within the Nangong family.
The Nangong family was a large one, and although the legitimate son held the highest position, an illegitimate son could also win considerable favor and training from the family if he had the talent. He may not be on the same level as the legitimate son, but he was still a beloved and cultivated member of the family.
Thus, the Nangong family remained the most powerful family in Nanchu not just because of a few family members, but because the fiercely competitive family members worked together for the prosperity of the family. The strong preying on the weak was almost unheard of in the Nangong family. Rather, those with talent and potential were cultivated by the family, and those without were provided for, ensuring they did not betray or threaten the stability of the family. This resulted in a comfortable life within the Nangong family for everyone carrying the Nangong name.
This Nangong Yu, apparently, was in the wave of the Nangong family members who received higher training and enjoyed privileges almost equal to those of the legitimate sons.
One could imagine that after the numerous assassins sent by the Nangong family had failed in Daliang– it wasn’t that they had returned empty-handed, but rather, they had not returned at all– the Nangong family had lost their patience and sent in Nangong Yu.
Nangong Yu indeed proved to be tough. It was likely that he was tipped off about Su Rong’s presence here. Or perhaps, he had been waiting for Zhang Yun, or even came here with Zhang Yun.
The only problem was that the information Fu Zhou relayed came too late. But it was not surprising given Nangong Yu’s careful nature. Having a seat of power within the Nangong family, he was bound to be very cautious when making a move. It wasn’t Fu Zhou’s fault for not finding out ahead of time.
Despite always being cautious, Su Rong had been focused on the Jibei rebellion involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers. She was eager to eradicate the secret agents so when she encountered Zhang Yun here, she decided to wait and see why Zhang Yun had come and uncover the deeper plot of the Pingxi General’s Mansion in Jibei. In the process of eliminating secret agents, some signs or information had likely leaked, revealing her tracks.
All in all, she had been careless this time.
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