Chapter 66, Mother!
Yunzhu stood still, barely daring to breathe, letting the conversation inside continue.
This time, Ayan had learned her lesson. Without Yunzhu's prompting, she continued to remain quiet, seemingly wanting to see what these people would say behind their backs after three years.
"...Furthermore, has Your Highness considered that we have clearly won the battle, but if the surrender document is actually sent out, the damage to the country's reputation will be a minor matter; what will happen to the people? Since ancient times, no country has ever had its people stand up and speak after surrendering. Liangzhou borders the Western Regions, and the two countries have frequent exchanges. Does Your Highness really intend to disregard all of this?"
"When did I ever say I would abandon the people?"
Inside the study, Yan Qian continued speaking, while Xiao Mingzhang remained silent for a moment, making his presence almost unnoticed.
But the moment he uttered those words, Yunzhu couldn't help but shudder.
Yan Qian also paused, his cloudy yet learned eyes fixed on Xiao Mingzhang, as if trying to find some evidence that he was lying.
But it didn't happen.
Xiao Mingzhang's confidence and composure far exceeded his expectations.
Yan Qian then asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness? Could it be that what you said to the Princess Consort in the hall just now was all a lie?"
"Yunzhu and I will no longer lie." But Xiao Mingzhang's short sentence interrupted Yan Qian's conjecture.
His expression was one of utter disappointment, and he let out a deep sigh.
If I don't lie to her, doesn't that mean those things are still true?
"What exactly does the young master want to do now? At least give us a straight answer. You want us to come and help, but you won't tell us the truth. Young master, what happened three years ago is over. Now it concerns your own bloodline. If the young master really refuses to explain to us, how can we risk our lives to serve the young master?"
Lou Kongcheng's words were much more aggressive than Yan Qian's, and his witty remarks quickly silenced Yan Qian.
In truth, as a fellow strategist who had served Prince Huan's mansion for many years, Lou Kongcheng rarely spoke so frankly when the two were together. But today, it seemed Xiao Mingzhang was driving him to the brink of madness.
Yunzhu stood outside, listening to the situation inside. She gripped the hem of her dress tightly and loosely, unable to be sure what Xiao Mingzhang would choose until the very last moment.
She was waiting for Xiao Mingzhang's reply.
The same was true for the two people inside the house.
They stood there, one inside and one outside, separated by a wall, yet both longing for the same answer.
Xiao Mingzhang tilted his head slightly outward. It was noon, and the sun was blazing outside. Through the paper window, the autumn sun shone in without much warmth.
He stared at a corner of the window for a few breaths before finally turning around and saying, "If you two strategists believe me, you should believe that I can protect both my daughter and the people. Instead of interrogating me here, you should spend your energy thinking about how to rescue Azhi as soon as possible."
"..."
His serious questioning was so easily dismissed. Lou Kongcheng shook his head abruptly, said nothing, and turned to open the door to his study.
Yunzhu was caught off guard and stood in the open space outside the study, staring at him.
Lou Kongcheng: "..."
He stared wide-eyed, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stood on the steps, unsure whether to go out or go back to his study.
Seeing that he had opened the door but hadn't left, Yan Qian chased after him and asked, "What are you doing?"
However, a moment later, he also saw Yunzhu standing outside the door.
Yan Qian: "..."
The study and courtyard in the small town were cramped and could not accommodate so many people. Yan Qian smelled the few wisps of autumn wind blowing from the grassland and suddenly started coughing violently, and once he started coughing, he could not stop.
Seeing this, Lou Kongcheng said, "There's still time. I'll quickly call a doctor to take a look at you."
Yan Qian nodded, and the two of them, singing in harmony and supporting each other, left the land in front of them.
For a moment, only Yunzhu and Ayan remained standing outside Xiao Mingzhang's study.
Xiao Mingzhang walked out the door and stood on the steps, where he could see Yunzhu.
"You knew I was here all along?"
Facing Xiao Mingzhang's gaze, Yunzhu did not feel the same awkwardness she had when facing Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng. She naturally raised her head and asked Xiao Mingzhang.
"Yes," Xiao Mingzhang replied.
"So all those words you just said were deliberately meant for me? In reality, only you know what you're really planning." Yunzhu exposed his deception.
“No,” Xiao Mingzhang replied.
"Yunzhu, I told you, I won't lie to you again." This was the umpteenth time Xiao Mingzhang had repeated this sentence recently.
Yunzhu felt like her ears were about to fall off from hearing it so many times.
If Xiao Mingzhang hadn't discovered her, that would have been fine. But now that he has, how can she be sure that his words weren't meant for her to hear?
“Xiao Mingzhang, I don’t want to hear any of this nonsense. All I want is for my daughter to be safe. If you can bring my daughter back safely, I will believe whatever you say from now on. But if you can’t bring her back, I will never forgive you in this life. Let’s go our separate ways and never see each other again.”
Yunzhu finally stopped grabbing at Ayan's clothes, but she clasped her hands together in front of her, her tender fingertips digging into each other, gripping only her own flesh.
After speaking with Xiao Mingzhang, she also turned and left.
Just like Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng, the choice he makes and the answer he gives are entirely up to him.
However, after giving his answer, Xiao Mingzhang had to bear the consequences of that answer alone.
A strategist needs a promising ruler who cares about the people; what Yunzhu needs is a family member who can truly protect her and her daughter, someone she can entrust with her heart.
If these two things are destined to be mutually exclusive, then the final choice is up to Xiao Mingzhang to weigh.
—
"Princess, are we just going to let him go like this?"
Leaving Xiao Mingzhang's study, Ayan followed Yunzhu all the way, somewhat puzzled by what she was saying.
In her opinion, they should have made a scene with Xiao Mingzhang. He had already chosen to give up Yunzhu when faced with a similar choice last time, and this time it was the same situation. Although he had not given up on Azhi, who was he trying to fool with such an ambiguous answer? Did they really think that he would say a few nice words that he would definitely save people and that he would not lie to people again, and that everything would be fine?
"Ayan, there are still two days left. Let him take a look."
Just as Ayan was filled with righteous indignation, she suddenly heard Yunzhu's reply.
Ayan's fighting spirit was instantly extinguished by more than half. She blinked and stared at Yunzhu.
Ever since she came out of Xiao Mingzhang's study courtyard, Yunzhu's brows seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud. Her raven-feather-like eyelashes drooped down, obscuring most of her eyes, like dark clouds covering the sun, oblivious to the sky.
Ayan paused for a moment, then asked Yunzhu, "Princess, have you softened your heart? Are you feeling sorry for Xiao Mingzhang?"
"I didn't!" Her long eyelashes finally fluttered upwards, and the moment Yunzhu raised her head, she vehemently denied it.
"..."
Ayan only wanted to test Yunzhu, but unexpectedly, the joke seemed to have gone too far. Beneath Yunzhu's thick eyebrows was a face that was frighteningly cold.
“Ayan, I won’t feel sorry for him. Azhi’s current suffering is all his fault. I will not feel sorry for him no matter what. But I also want to see what he will do this time.”
Words are just empty talk and don't count; only what a person actually does count.
Since Xiao Mingzhang's words are ambiguous and unreliable, arguing with him now is pointless. Only the result will reveal the truth.
With only two days left, Yunzhu didn't mind waiting for Xiao Mingzhang for two more days. She believed that his strategists must think the same way.
Arguments aside, the real issue is the outcome two days from now.
As long as the outcome is positive, there is still a need to continue discussions.
Besides... now is the critical time to rescue Mu Zhaozhi. Mu Zhaozhi has not yet been rescued, and Yunzhu does not want to waste her energy on arguing. She wants to save her energy to participate in their affairs and find Mu Zhaozhi properly.
—
It took about an hour to completely capture all of the spies that Prince Yi had left in Hanze Town.
The interrogation of these informants was conducted by Xiao Mingzhang himself.
Yunzhu sat on the side watching.
Xiao Mingzhang first asked a few people about Mu Zhaozhi's whereabouts. Naturally, these people were all very stubborn and gave the same answer: they did not know anything about this matter, nor did they know who Xiao Mingzhang was.
Xiao Mingzhang rarely showed such impatience. If it were ordinary prisoners in the Yunzhou government office, he might have tried to deal with them gradually. However, after hearing their unified story, he simply waved his hand and had them all dragged away for severe torture.
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, since there was no suitable room in the house to be used as a prison, all these people were simply tortured in the courtyard.
Yunzhu sat in the hall, hearing the sound of whips lashing their flesh, followed by cries of agony, like clothes being torn apart or a valley collapsing due to a natural disaster, followed by an earthquake.
But Yunzhu remained indifferent, as if even the greatest disasters were nothing more than fleeting clouds to her.
She remained unmoved, showing no sympathy whatsoever, her only concern being her daughter's safety.
Finally, under such inhuman torture, someone couldn't hold on any longer and slowly raised a bloodied hand with Xiao Mingzhang, saying they wanted to confess.
Xiao Mingzhang then ordered his men to drag him up.
The man pointed northeast and said, "The person is there...locked up...and Prince Yi is there too...over there..."
The city northeast of Liangzhou is Yezhou.
Upon hearing the news, Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang exchanged a glance and asked, "To Yezhou?"
The man was so badly injured that he couldn't speak. He closed his eyes briefly, which was taken as a tacit agreement.
Having finally obtained a specific address, Yunzhu was anxious and wanted to ask for more information, but Xiao Mingzhang stopped her.
He ordered his men to carry the man away, and then made a point of saying in front of everyone, "Find the best doctor in town to treat him. Make sure he recovers. If the doctor in town is not capable, then go to Liangzhou to ask for one. In short, he must not be allowed to develop any chronic illness. In the future, he can be directly incorporated into the Prince's army."
"Yes." Wu Qi replied in a proper manner and left the hall according to Xiao Mingzhang's instructions.
Outside the hall, there were still many of Prince Yi's men. When they were bleeding and their skin was torn, they never thought of surrendering to the enemy. But after hearing Xiao Mingzhang's words, they looked at each other, their expressions quite varied.
A moment later, another hand was raised.
Xiao Mingzhang had been waiting for this moment. He tilted his head and looked at the man, but unlike the previous one, he did not quickly pull him up.
He sized him up for several breaths before finally asking, "You have news too?"
“Yes, that person just now, what that person said was false! Prince Yi is not in Yezhou at all, that was a lie he arranged for people to prepare... They, they have been in Yong County the whole time, he has taken the Yong County government hostage, and he is living in the county government now!”
"traitor!"
As soon as this person finished speaking, someone jumped out and started cursing.
Yunzhu had been convinced that her daughter was in Yezhou, but after hearing the conversation between the two people in front of her, she was now unsure whether her daughter was in Yong County or Yezhou.
"Believe me! I really want to live! I have elderly parents and young children to support, I can't just die here like this!" The man who raised his hand ignored the angry curses of the others. He screamed and begged Xiao Mingzhang, "Your Highness, you should know that no one would do such a dangerous job unless absolutely necessary. What normal person would be willing to do something so suicidal! I truly have my own difficulties. I have told you everything I can. I beg you, spare me and send me to get medical treatment!"
"With elderly parents to care for and young children to raise?"
Xiao Mingzhang walked up to the man, squatted down, and looked directly into his eyes.
The man nodded his head almost frantically.
Xiao Mingzhang stared at his bloodied and mangled body for a moment before curling his lips into a smile. He then beckoned Wuqi over and said, "Alright, then give him the same treatment as the one just now."
The person who raised their hand was overjoyed, their delight evident on their face. The pain they had just experienced seemed utterly insignificant in the face of the immense surprise that was about to unfold.
Yunzhu frowned as she watched the person being carried away, and said worriedly, "Now we've found two places, where exactly are we supposed to go to look for them?"
"Send the majority of the troops to Yong County, and a smaller force to Yezhou." Xiao Mingzhang already had his answer in mind, and without waiting for more people to raise their hands, he made the decision directly.
Yunzhu asked, puzzled, "How can you be so sure? What if he's in Yezhou?"
“We also have a way to bring Azhi back from Yezhou.” In front of many people, Xiao Mingzhang tightened his grip on Yunzhu’s hand and smiled reassuringly at her.
"..."
Yunzhu, however, did not want to laugh with him.
She couldn't rest easy for a moment as long as her daughter wasn't by her side.
She then asked Xiao Mingzhang, "Are you going to Yong County to look for someone next? I want to go too!"
Having finally found a trace of her daughter, Yunzhu wanted to see her as soon as possible.
"Don't go," Xiao Mingzhang said.
“Yunzhu, Yong County is at least half a day’s journey from here. You haven’t slept a wink since last night, so you can’t travel any further. If you trust me, go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Perhaps, when you wake up, I will have already returned with Azhi.”
Yunzhu didn't believe that Xiao Mingzhang would bring Mu Zhaozhi back after she woke up. She wanted to try to get a chance, but Xiao Mingzhang just wouldn't take her with him no matter what.
"Yunzhu, you don't want to fall ill before Azhi comes back, do you?"
Xiao Mingzhang only ever used this one threat, but it was this one threat that held Yunzhu firmly in his grasp, making her realize she was in the wrong every time she wanted to refute him, leaving her with little to say.
In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Xiao Mingzhang led most of his men away. Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng went to Yezhou and Yongxian respectively.
The house was empty except for her and Ayan, and a small number of guards who were protecting her safety.
“Actually, I think what he said is correct.” It was rare for Ayan to agree with Xiao Mingzhang.
After everyone else had left, she remained by Yunzhu's side, saying, "Princess, you don't know kung fu, so you won't be of much use if you go. You might as well take this opportunity to rest. Azhi has gone through something like this, so she must be feeling quite scared. When we get home, you'll need to be well-rested and comfort her."
“But…” Yunzhu knew that Xiao Mingzhang’s words made sense, but she was always worried about her daughter and always wanted her to see her as soon as her daughter was safe.
"How about this, Princess, go and rest first, and I'll secretly follow those people surnamed Xiao and the others?" Ayan suggested, seeing that Yunzhu was really worried.
"you……?"
Yunzhu quickly shook her head.
She hadn't slept for as long as she had since yesterday, and Ayan hadn't slept for just as long. Her body was about to give out. Even though Ayan practiced martial arts, she was just an ordinary girl. How much better could she be than her?
"Never mind, let's wait for Xiao Mingzhang to return..."
Yunzhu took Ayan's hand, temporarily setting aside the jumbled thoughts in her mind.
She led Ayan to Xiao Mingzhang's bed, where they had slept before. At this point, she couldn't care less about anything else. She and Ayan each took half of the pillow and fell asleep together.
A person who is extremely tired will not dream.
I woke up to find the sky pitch black again, deep into the night. Autumn was deepening, and the grassland was utterly silent. Apart from that eerie wind, it was even more haunting and chilling, as if the Black and White Impermanence had brought it up from the shadows of the earth.
Yunzhu pushed herself out the door amidst a gust of wind and saw that there was no one in the courtyard except for the guards, so she knew that Xiao Mingzhang had indeed not returned.
She felt disappointed, yet knew it was only natural.
Yong County is about the same distance from here as Liangzhou. Even at top speed, a round trip would take more than half a day. Xiao Mingzhang still has to go rescue people, so how could he possibly return so soon?
But now that she's awake, it's impossible for her to fall asleep again.
Yunzhu then went to sit in the hall by herself.
This is the second night in three days; after this night, tomorrow will be the third day.
Yunzhu prayed incessantly in the hall. If Xiao Mingzhang still couldn't bring Azhi back, she didn't know what would become of her.
Perhaps it is a hideous madman, or perhaps a ferocious, out-of-control human-faced beast.
She herself couldn't guarantee anything.
She waited in the hall from nightfall to dawn once again.
Finally, a rooster crowed, breaking the dawn and signaling the arrival of daybreak.
In the thin morning mist, Yunzhu suddenly heard a sound—
"Mother!"
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