nineteen
Just as Zhan Zhao and his companion were pondering how to enter the village, Gui Pan was not idle. Recalling the expression on the face of the man in white when he saw Zi Yun last night, Gui Pan was certain that Zi Yun recognized the man in white. With this in mind, Gui Pan got up and walked towards the inner courtyard. Arriving at the gate of Zi Yun's courtyard, Gui Pan sent someone in to announce her arrival. Although Gui Pan was the Prince's advisor and had a master-disciple relationship with Chai Wenyi, Zi Yun was, after all, Chai Wenyi's wife and the mistress of the Chai Prince's Mansion. Putting aside the difference in their status as mistress and servant, the distinction between men and women alone was something Gui Pan could not ignore. After waiting for about half a cup of tea's time, the maid who had gone in to announce her arrival came before Gui Pan and respectfully bowed: "The Princess Consort requests that you wait in the South Study for a moment, Your Highness. The Princess Consort will be here shortly."
Nodding slightly, the Ghost Judge turned and walked towards the South Study. He respected Ziyun because she was the Princess Consort, but that didn't mean he would treat everyone in Ziyun's courtyard with the same kindness. Within this royal residence, besides Chai Wenyi and his family of three, the Ghost Judge held the highest status. Therefore, aside from nodding, the Ghost Judge's face remained expressionless.
The so-called South Study was actually the study in the south courtyard of the Chai Prince's Mansion, though over time, the word "courtyard" was simply omitted. Located between the outer and inner courtyards, the South Study was originally the place where the young masters and ladies of the Chai Prince's Mansion studied. While called a study, it was essentially a separate courtyard, as the Chai Prince's Mansion's properties were always managed by the Princess Consort. This space thus became a meeting place for the inner court ladies, retainers, and managers. At this time, Chai Wenyi was not in the mansion. Although Ziyun was nominally the Princess Consort, she had neither formally married Chai Wenyi nor reported this to the court, so it was inconvenient to allow the Ghost Judge into her courtyard. After some thought, she decided it would be more appropriate to invite the Ghost Judge to the South Study.
When Ziyun entered the room, Guipan was examining the landscape painting hanging on the wall.
"What do you think of this painting, sir?" Ziyun asked sweetly as she stood behind the Ghost Judge.
Turning around and seeing Ziyun, the Ghost Judge smiled slightly: "This painting has smooth lines and a unique artistic conception; it is indeed a masterpiece."
“Ziyun’s opinion is exactly the opposite of yours, sir.” Seeing the puzzled look on Guipan’s face, Ziyun smiled slightly. “Landscape paintings are not just about the artistic conception, but also about the painter’s heart and mind. Although the lines in this painting are smooth, they are too feminine. I’m afraid the painter is a melancholic person who is prone to sadness and lamenting the passing of spring and autumn.”
After hearing Ziyun's words, the Ghost Judge was taken aback. Although the woman in front of him seemed weak, she had a certain arrogance in her bones, and her knowledge was quite extraordinary. He immediately bowed slightly and said, "What the Princess says is very true. It is my ignorance that is the problem."
"Ziyun's understanding is merely that of a woman; I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself in front of you, sir." She gestured for the judge to sit down, then walked to the head seat herself. "May I ask what business you have with Ziyun, sir?"
Looking at the composed woman before him, the Ghost Judge slowly asked, "Does the Princess seem to know the thief from last night?"
Without revealing her expression, Ziyun pondered for a moment. She remembered that when she blurted out "Brother Yutang," her voice was extremely soft. Apart from Bai Yutang, who had extremely profound internal strength, no one else should have known it. She replied, "Sir, you are joking. How could Ziyun know that thief?"
The judge had only guessed, without any solid evidence. He had come to trick Ziyun, knowing she wouldn't admit it. He continued, "If the thief came to investigate last night, he should have gone to important places like the study in the front courtyard. But he came to the inner courtyard instead, and although he was surrounded by many guards, he still had the upper hand. But for some reason, he suddenly lost and fled after seeing the princess?"
Upon hearing the Ghost Judge mention the words "defeated and fled," Zi Yun couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Although Bai Yutang had been distracted and revealed a flaw last night, it wasn't to the point of being defeated and fleeing. The Ghost Judge was merely trying to save face. Despite these thoughts, Zi Yun maintained a gentle smile: "Does this mean you doubt Zi Yun, sir?"
"Your subordinate dares not." The Ghost Judge said he dared not, but his expression showed no fear whatsoever, and his eyes were fixed on Zi Yun.
Gently suppressing her smile, Ziyun said solemnly, "Although Ziyun is a woman, she knows shame. Now that she has given birth to a son for the Prince, she will never do anything shameful with anyone again. Please rest assured, sir."
The Ghost Judge had only suspected that Ziyun knew the thief and hadn't thought anything of it. Hearing Ziyun's words, he knew it wasn't appropriate to ask further, so he offered a few words of comfort and took his leave. Back in the outer courtyard, he summoned Ziyun's bodyguards and carefully instructed them to be extra vigilant and ensure the safety of Ziyun and her child. After everything was arranged, the Ghost Judge gently stroked his beard, a vague unease creeping into his heart. He then spread out some paper, picked up his pen, and after much deliberation, wrote a letter to Chai Wenyi.
Only after arranging for someone to deliver the letter did the Ghost Judge finally breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that Chai Wenyi's great cause would succeed soon, so that the hard work of several generations in Fangzhou City would not be in vain.
As night fell, dark clouds obscured the bright moon, and the starlight grew even dimmer. Having regained their strength, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang leaped silently into the village. Unlike the daytime hustle and bustle, the village was unusually quiet at night. The two men moved slowly, carefully avoiding the patrolling sentries while meticulously observing the village's layout. What appeared to be a small village from the outside was like a maze; the deeper they went, the more alarming it became. The seemingly orderly layout concealed deadly traps. The camping areas, training areas, and activity areas were interconnected, each element affecting the others, forming a well-rounded defensive and offensive formation. Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were secretly astonished: "We didn't expect there to be a master in this village."
Listening to Zhan Zhao's words, Bai Yutang recalled what Xuan Yuan Tianyi had told him about the Imperial Guards disappearing overnight. He couldn't help but say, "I heard Tianyi say that when the Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, the Imperial Guards disappeared overnight, becoming a closely guarded mystery of the royal family."
"Oh? Could this be the missing Imperial Guards?" Zhan Zhao frowned slightly and looked at Bai Yutang.
"It's pretty much a done deal." Bai Yutang said, and before Zhan Zhao could react, he had already walked forward. Zhan Zhao didn't have time to think about it and quickly followed.
It's unclear whether the person who designed this stronghold was overly confident that no one could infiltrate it. While the layout was advantageous for defense, it also had a drawback: it facilitated concealment for both their own people and the enemy. Once the pattern was found, one could hide in this stronghold for a year or two without being discovered. Although Zhan Zhao and his companion weren't particularly knowledgeable about the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, after traversing the stronghold once, they had roughly discerned some of its intricacies. Therefore, in the following days, the two remained hidden within the stronghold, simultaneously assessing Chai Wenyi's strength and secretly memorizing its layout.
Half a month later, Zhan Zhao and his companion returned to the outskirts of Fangzhou City by the same route. Looking at the high city walls, Bai Yutang glanced at Zhan Zhao beside him and said, "Cat, I still have some things to do in the city. Wait for me outside the city. I'll come to find you tomorrow morning."
“Since our commotion last time, Fangzhou’s defenses will definitely be even tighter. If anything happens, I’ll go with you.” After hearing Bai Yutang’s words, Zhan Zhao recalled Bai Yutang’s expression after they left Fangzhou City that day and said with concern.
Bai Yutang waved his hand: "No need, Cat, don't worry, I'm just going to see someone. I'll come find you as soon as things are settled." Before Zhan Zhao could speak, Bai Yutang had already walked towards the city gate.
Zhan Zhao glanced at Bai Yutang's somewhat heavy-hearted back, his brows furrowing involuntarily. He shook his head helplessly, ultimately resigned to his fate and followed him.
As night fell, Ziyun gazed at the twinkling stars overhead, her thoughts drifting back to the time she spent with Chai Wenyi. Just then, a white shadow flashed past the window, and Bai Yutang was already standing inside.
"Brother Yutang?" Ziyun's voice carried a hint of surprise.
Bai Yutang stared at the woman in front of him for a long time before speaking: "Ziyun, it's been several years since we last met. I didn't expect you to hide here."
Ziyun gave a bitter smile: "Brother Yutang, Ziyun has let you down..."
"You really married Chai Wenyi?" Bai Yutang looked at Ziyun with some disbelief.
“Brother Yutang, forget about Ziyun.” Ziyun turned her face slightly, not having the courage to look at Bai Yutang again. “I know that Brother Yutang has always regarded me as his younger sister. The marriage between us is just wishful thinking on the part of our elders. Brother Yutang has refused to go home for so many years, just to escape this marriage.”
“Ziyun, yes, I’ve always treated you like a younger sister, but that doesn’t mean I can watch you marry Chai Wenyi.” Bai Yutang said this with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
After a slight, cold laugh, Ziyun looked up and stared directly at Bai Yutang: "What? Brother Yutang may not like Ziyun, but Ziyun can't marry the person she likes?"
“Ziyun, I hope you can find someone to spend your life with, but that person is definitely not Chai Wenyi.”
"Why?" Ziyun unconsciously raised her voice, a hint of displeasure in her tone.
"Because Chai Wenyi is secretly plotting a rebellion." Bai Yutang said slowly and deliberately, his eyes fixed on Ziyun the whole time.
Upon hearing Bai Yutang's words, Ziyun was secretly surprised, but she did not show it on her face: "Without evidence, what makes you think you can frame the prince?"
"Whether I'm framing you or not, you know it in your heart. The evidence will be available soon." Bai Yutang knew that Ziyun knew what Chai Wenyi had done. "I advise you to take the child and leave the palace as soon as possible to avoid being implicated."
Upon hearing Bai Yutang's words and recalling Bai Yutang's intrusion into the Prince's mansion half a month ago, Ziyun realized that Bai Yutang had come for evidence. Unconsciously, she secretly gathered her energy in her right hand: "Brother Yutang, are you going to oppose the Prince?"
With a slight sigh, Bai Yutang's voice was somewhat low: "It's not that I want to oppose Chai Wenyi, but that Chai Wenyi wants to oppose the Emperor."
“Brother Yutang is not a government official, and has never had any dealings with the government. This matter has nothing to do with Brother Yutang, so why must Brother Yutang get involved?”
"Ziyun, although I am just a commoner, I understand that once war breaks out, it is the common people who suffer. I do not want anyone to disregard the lives of innocent people for their own selfish reasons." Bai Yutang was only focused on persuading Ziyun to leave and did not notice that something was wrong with Ziyun until a blue figure pushed him aside and he realized that Ziyun had already made her move.
"Cat, are you alright?" Bai Yutang asked anxiously as he looked at Zhan Zhao, who was clutching his chest.
Zhan Zhao had only noticed that Zi Yun was about to make a move, and instinctively pushed Bai Yutang away without thinking much. However, when Zi Yun's palm landed on him, he tried to use his internal energy to defend himself, only to find that he was powerless and could not gather any internal strength. He was secretly alarmed and pulled Bai Yutang with his hand: "Run!"
Bai Yutang also noticed Zhan Zhao's unusual behavior. At this moment, he heard voices in the distance and did not hesitate. He grabbed Zhan Zhao and rushed out of the courtyard.
Because she was concerned about the child, Ziyun couldn't chase after them. She only instructed the guards in the mansion not to let anyone leave Fangzhou before rushing to the child's room.
Meanwhile, Bai Yutang led Zhan Zhao out of the Chai Prince's mansion and sped along the road. Gradually, he felt Zhan Zhao getting heavier and heavier beside him, and he stopped without thinking: "Cat, how are you? Why do you look so pale?"
"I've been poisoned." Zhan Zhao's voice sounded unusually weak at this moment.
When Bai Yutang saw Zhan Zhao's pale face, he was also startled: "Cat, don't worry, let's find a place to rest first, and I'll force the poison out of your body first."
Grasping Bai Yutang's hand tightly, Zhan Zhao said softly, "No, Yutang, let's get out of the city first."
Bai Yutang understood that the city must be searching for the two of them, and that leaving the city would be the only safe option. However, seeing Zhan Zhao's condition, he was still worried and hesitated.
"Yutang, hurry up and go..." After saying this, Zhan Zhao's head lolled to the side and he fainted.
Bai Yutang was startled. He could already see torches coming from this direction in the distance. Without hesitation, he picked up Zhan Zhao and carried him toward the city gate.
After leaving the city, Bai Yutang traveled swiftly until he reached a quiet spot twenty miles outside the city before stopping. He laid Zhan Zhao down, sat facing him, and sealed Zhan Zhao's vital points. He pressed their palms together, channeling his inner energy to try and expel the poison from Zhan Zhao's body. However, after more than half an hour, the poison showed no sign of action. Bai Yutang felt as if his inner energy was hitting cotton; he couldn't exert any force.
"Yutang, don't waste your energy. You can't cure this poison. Let's hurry back to Kaifeng Prefecture." Just as Bai Yutang was feeling anxious, Zhan Zhao's weak voice came.
"Cat, you're awake?" Bai Yutang was secretly pleased to see Zhan Zhao awake. "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine, let's hurry up and go." Zhan Zhao said, then closed his eyes again.
Bai Yutang knew that Zhan Zhao was right, so he carried him on his back and thought about finding a small town to rent a carriage and return to Kaifeng Prefecture as soon as possible.
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