Chapter 62
The sun's last rays of light were dwindling, slowly spreading across the long bluestone street. The tavern on the corner should have been lit long ago, but only a faded red lantern hung on the door lintel, its tassel swaying in the evening breeze, like a sleepy, single eye.
No one would have thought that this inconspicuous little shop on the street was actually a secret gathering point for an organization.
Led by the shop assistant, Weidao came to the backyard, where the master was already waiting for him.
Wei Dao stood in the corridor with his hands hanging down. He recounted the details of his search and finally said in a low voice, "There is no trace of Hong Jingxiu's daughter."
The man in a green robe, standing by the window with his hands behind his back, remained silent for a long time after hearing this. The sun's shadow slanted across the hem of his plain robe, making the bronze bells hanging under the eaves silent, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
After about an incense stick of time, the man called "Sir" slowly turned around. His face was expressionless, but when his eyes fell on Wei Dao, there was a subtle scrutiny. When he spoke, his voice was calm, yet it carried a weight of gravity: "Hasn't found it yet?"
Wei Dao's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head and replied, "Yes."
The gentleman nodded slightly and asked, "How could the old lady living next door not remember anything at all?"
The question was asked softly, but it was like a small stone thrown into calm water, causing Weidao's heart, which had just relaxed a little, to become tense again.
He remembered the old woman's cloudy eyes and vague responses, so he could only bite the bullet and reply, "The old woman is old and her memory is already muddy. I asked her several times, but she said she couldn't remember clearly."
After hearing this, the gentleman said no more. He just turned back and looked at the darkening sky outside the window. His figure was tall in the twilight, and he looked a little lonely.
"You don't even know his appearance or name?" asked the man called "Sir".
"Yes."
The gentleman raised his hand and tapped twice on the porch column with his fingertips. The movement was neither fast nor slow, but it carried a sense of urgency.
"Okay, got it." His voice was emotionless, just like smoothing out a crumpled piece of paper. "You can leave now."
The weight hanging in Weidao's heart dropped to the ground, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of hesitancy. He didn't dare to say anything more, but bowed and walked backwards down the stairs.
Suddenly he stopped and asked hesitantly, "What if we find it?"
The gentleman paused, his eyes slowly looking into the distance, as if he was lost in a distant and deep memory.
After a long moment, he withdrew his gaze, his expression filled with unquestionable determination as he slowly responded, "Treat her as your own and protect her."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyebrows slightly raised, his gaze turned to Wei Dao, and he asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Wei Dao evaded the question: "Nothing, I will continue looking."
After saying that, he clasped his fists and turned to leave.
Weidao's figure finally disappeared into the dense shade of the old locust tree at the entrance of the alley. The light sound of his boots rolling over broken bricks gradually faded away until it was blown away by the evening breeze into the twilight.
The man called "Sir" slowly turned around. He was playing with a white jade ring with his fingertips, stroking the fine cloud patterns on it with his fingertips, but his eyes were fixed on the direction where the tail knife disappeared, and his eyes were as dark as indissoluble ink.
The copper bell hanging under the corridor was shaken by the wind, and the crisp sound of the bell made the surroundings even more eerie and quiet.
"Go." He suddenly spoke in a very low voice.
A man in black immediately flashed out from the shadows. His figure was more sturdy than Weidao's. His dark clothes tightly wrapped around his bones. Even his face was hidden under the hood, revealing only a section of his cold and hard jaw.
When he knelt on one knee, his movement was so light that no sound was made. Only the short scabbard hanging from his waist touched the stone steps, making a very light "click" sound.
The gentleman leaned forward, his cyan hem falling, obscuring the two men's whispers. His voice was denser than the spiderwebs on the eaves, and every word was tinged with chill. "Follow him, and see which house he enters and who he meets. Remember, don't startle him, and don't leave any traces."
The last few words were spoken with great emphasis, and the ending tone carried an authority that left no room for questioning.
The man in black's throat moved, as if he were to say "yes," but no real sound emanated. He stood up, his movements as swift as a cat, and as he turned and leaped over the wall, his clothes fluttered like the wings of a night bird. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the gathering dusk, leaving only a few stalks of dry grass swaying gently on the wall.
The gentleman stood still, raising his hand to smooth the wrinkles on his coat. The evening breeze lifted his dark hair from his temples, revealing a faint scar on his forehead, which shone with an old light in the setting sun.
He looked at the direction where the man in black left, and a faint arc appeared at the corner of his mouth, which was hard to tell whether it was sarcasm or something else, but it was soon overwhelmed by deep calculation.
——
Flyers suddenly launched on the streets, with some meaningless words written on them, crawled up along the moss at the base of the palace wall and finally crashed into the Purple Palace at three quarters past noon.
When Shang Gong held the neatly folded leaflet and his voice trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, His Majesty on the throne was listening to the report from the Ministry of Revenue while twirling his teacup.
The moment the bright yellow cuffs brushed across the gilded rim of the cup, the crisp sound of shattering celadon startled the candlelight in the hall and made it jump violently.
The emperor abruptly stood up, the hem of his black dragon-patterned court robe sweeping across the desk. The ink from the inkstone splashed onto the memorial, spreading a dark, cloud-like smudge. He stared at the yellow paper, his knuckles white with fear.
Shang Gong concluded, "It is said that the riots ten years ago are inciting the people."
The Minister of Revenue had already fallen to the ground below the stairs, with the back of his head resting on the cold gold brick.
He could hear the emperor's breathing growing heavier, like a trapped beast grinding its teeth deep within the palace. Suddenly, the iron horses on the eaves outside the window clanked. He couldn't tell if it was the wind, or if something even more terrifying was approaching beyond the palace walls.
When the silence fell, Li Yin stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Leave this matter to me."
After a pause, he added, "Please take care of yourself."
His Majesty's fingertips were still frozen in mid-air. The porcelain shards from the teacup that had just been crushed had pierced his palm, and drops of blood dripped through his fingers onto the bright yellow brocade, staining it with dark red flowers.
His Adam's apple rolled violently, and his eyes were fixed on the words on the flyer, as if he wanted to stare a hole in the thin yellow paper.
"They... they want to pull me down." The voice squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying with it lingering hostility and sudden panic, and the ending tone was slightly floating.
He stumbled back half a step, his dragon boots scraping harshly against the broken porcelain shards. "Let Hong Jingxiu's ghost take this seat..."
The hall was deathly silent; even the soft popping of candle flames was distinctly audible. The Minister of Revenue lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to look up, yet he could imagine the Emperor's expression at that moment.
"With so many people, we couldn't even catch the shadow of the traitor. What on earth did you do?" His Majesty suddenly roared, and the blood on his palm flowed down along his finger bones and dripped onto the gold bricks, leaving tiny red marks.
The cold air from the gaps in the floor tiles seeped up through the soles of the boots, and the back of the neck of Wei Zheng, the leader of the imperial guards, was soaked with cold sweat.
He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, and rubbed the sharkskin sheath repeatedly with his fingertips until he heard the emperor's almost roaring roar. Then he gritted his teeth and the iron armor collided with a crisp sound in the silence.
He knelt on one knee, and his knee hit the gold brick with a dull thud, as if to nail all the fear in his heart into the ground.
The tassel of his helmet hung down in front of his eyes, just enough to block his gaze as he dared not look directly at the throne. "Your Majesty, I have already dispatched the Imperial Guards, and they are searching the capital. We will soon know who is responsible."
His Majesty was not appeased by this news, and his expression became even more panicked. "This palace is not safe either. They will break into my chambers sooner or later."
Then, as if he had thought of something, he gave the order: "Search all the palaces and halls inside and outside immediately. If anyone shows any suspicion, they will be severely punished according to the law."
Only after the morning court session ended did the ministers breathe a sigh of relief. Even though they were not afraid of the cowardly emperor in their hearts, they still had to put on an act of fear on the surface.
Li Yin was walking in front, and Weidao was following silently behind. It was not until Li Yin called out "Weidao" that he came to his senses.
"...Here." Weidao's Adam's apple rolled, and he realized that he had been staring at the ground for a long time, and he didn't even notice when the other party stopped.
Li Yin did not blame him. He said calmly, "I have always hoped that your father's worries were unnecessary, but the situation is not optimistic now."
Then, he turned around and asked, "Have you heard anything about Hong Jingxiu's family since then?"
Wei Dao bowed and responded, "Your Highness, not yet."
Li Yin said meaningfully: "Prime Minister, Hong Jingxiu, and my father, I must cut off the grievances between them. You have to help me."
Taidao: "Yes, Your Highness."
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