Chapter 149 We've all been tricked...
The first thing Fu Yun did upon returning to the Su residence was to wash up and change into a clean set of robes.
Then he summoned Wen Jing to inquire about the situation of Lu Zhisheng and the two sisters, Su Mang and Su Zi.
Wen Jing told Lu Zhisheng that he woke up from his coma after being sent back to the Su residence. He was only completely relieved after confirming that everyone was alright. He then focused on bandaging Su Mang and Su Zi's wounds and asked her mother to help him prepare the medicine.
After finishing all that, he went back to his room to rest. He should be catching up on sleep and recovering his strength now.
As for Su's father, he is not in mortal danger, but he is currently in a coma.
Lu Zhisheng has already taken a look and said that Su's father has an old ailment that has not been treated and his health has never been good. He has also been unable to sleep for several nights in a row. Last night, he couldn't take the sleeping incense after inhaling it and will probably sleep for two or three days.
Fu Yun breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. The tension he had been feeling these past few days finally eased. He didn't disturb everyone's rest, but went back to his room to rest on his own.
With that huge weight lifted from his heart, he could finally sleep soundly.
He slept very soundly that night, and didn't know what day it was.
When he woke up, he felt refreshed and full of energy. If he were to fight now, he felt he could take on ten enemies at once.
He had just put on his outer robe when Xiao Jingzi's voice came from outside the door: "Young master, are you up?"
Fu Yun straightened her clothes: "I'm up."
"May I go in?"
As Fu Yun put on her boots, she replied, "Come in."
Xiao Jingzi pushed open the door, carried a basin of water into the room, and immediately saw Fu Yun bending over to put on his boots.
He quickly put down the basin of water, knelt down, and reached out to take the other boot from Fu Yun's hand, his tone quite anxious: "Your Highness, this is unacceptable. Why didn't you call me to help you change your clothes?"
Fu Yun brushed Xiao Jingzi's hand away: "No need, you don't need to do such a small thing for me."
Before Xiao Jingzi could refute, he quickly asked, "What time is it now?"
Kyoko's attention was indeed diverted, and she replied, "The end of the month."
Fu Yun was secretly surprised: "He actually slept until the afternoon of the next day."
He stood up and walked towards the basin of water: "I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?"
Xiao Jingzi quickly replied, "Yes, the cook keeps your favorite meat buns warm, just waiting for you to wake up. I'll go get them right away."
Fu Yun nodded, then said, "Wait a minute."
Xiao Jingzi turned to look at Fu Yun: "Does Your Highness have any other instructions?"
Fu Yun picked up the mouthwash cup and asked before taking a sip of water, "How's the situation outside?"
Xiao Jingzi paused for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Are you asking about His Majesty, or...?"
Fu Yun rinsed his mouth and spat out what was in his mouth: "Wasn't Su Tan imprisoned? His Majesty said that the Ministry of Justice would interrogate him overnight. How is it? Has there been any notification outside?"
Xiao Jingzi shook her head: "We haven't received any news yet. Should I go and summon Lord Fang?"
Fu Yun soaked a towel in water and then washed her face clean.
"No need, I'll go find her."
Fu Yun put the towel down: "Could you take the food to the main hall for me?"
"Yes." Kyoko hurried out.
Fu Jun poured out the water from the basin and put it back on the shelf.
He tidied himself up quickly and went to the hall.
As soon as he sat down in the hall, Wen Jing appeared at the door, clearly having been waiting for him outside.
Fu Yun took the initiative to ask, "Is Lord Fang still at his residence?"
Wen Jing said, "Yes, young master, is there anything you need?"
Fu Yun nodded and replied, "Yes, please have her come over for a moment. I have something to ask her."
"Young master, you flatter me. It's just my duty, there's no trouble at all."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left.
Just as Xiao Jingzi brought the food, Guard Fang arrived as well.
After leading the guard Fang into the hall, Wen Jing withdrew, presumably to give guard Fang and Fu Yun space to talk.
Seeing Fu Yun eating steamed buns, clearly having breakfast, Guard Fang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "Did you just get up?"
Fu Jun touched his nose, looking slightly embarrassed: "I accidentally overslept."
He pointed to the chair on the lower right: "Please sit down."
Once the guards were seated, Xiao Jingzi quickly came over to pour her tea, and then withdrew on her own.
Before Guard Fang could even crack a joke, Fu Yun asked in rapid succession, "How's Su Tan doing?"
Guard Fang composed himself, his tone slightly somber: "She is still stubbornly resisting and refusing to confess. But it doesn't matter. The Censorate has already investigated and found out who escaped the net after the massacre of her family years ago, and the pursuers brought her back from Yinzhou. She has now confessed, and Su Tan cannot escape the death penalty. Today, we will surely announce this to the world."
Fu Yun asked, "Is the one who slipped through the net the orphan we speculated about before?"
Guard Fang nodded in response: "It was her. She told a colossal lie to the Wang and Su families."
Fu Yun paused in her bite of the steamed bun, looked up at Guard Fang, and asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Guard Fang took a sip of tea and asked him, "Do you know why the head of the Wang family got involved with Mu Xin?"
Fu Yun retorted, "Isn't it to use her to collude with foreign powers?"
Guard Fang shook his head and explained, "That's only one reason. The real reason is that Mu Xin threatened the orphan to tell the story of what happened back then, and took her place as the bandit she was when she was a bandit. He claimed to be the little bastard who survived and that he had a way to help suppress the Su family."
Fu Yun immediately understood: "So that's how it is. Then she must have belittled the Wang family to the point of being worthless in front of Su Tan, mocking the current head of the Wang family for turning enemies into friends. Everything she does is under their control."
"Not bad." Guard Fang's face showed a mocking expression. "I never expected that such shrewd and cunning people as the Su and Wang families would be completely fooled by her."
Fu Yun also found it unbelievable: "It can only be said that the two of them have gone to great lengths to defeat each other, and it has evolved into an invincible inner demon."
Fu Yun asked, "What about Wang Linfang? She shouldn't have been scammed, right?"
Guard Fang snorted and replied, "Of course she wasn't deceived. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept the bandit by her side all this time, and even called him her sister. She just wanted to keep this witness for her own use."
"So that explains everything. To keep an enemy under her nose and endure it as a friend for so many years, I have to say, Wang Linfang is a ruthless person. Most people really can't do that."
It's fortunate that Zhilan caught Su Tan and the witnesses first; otherwise, if Wang Linfang had gotten there first, Zhilan would have had no way to defend herself.
Guard Fang wholeheartedly agreed: "If His Majesty hadn't seized the initiative, she would indeed have been a major hidden danger."
Fu Yun was having a pleasant conversation with Guard Fang when Wen Jing returned to the hall entrance at some point. Her expression clearly showed her joy, and she stared intently at Fu Yun and Guard Fang, as if she had something to say.
Seeing her like this, Fu Yun asked, "What's wrong, Steward Wen?"
Wen Jing cast a questioning glance at Guard Fang.
Guard Fang said, "Speak your mind."
Wen Jing said, "Reporting to the young master and the lord, the servants just reported that those traitors who colluded with foreign powers, as well as the mastermind behind the massacre of the Wang family, have all been imprisoned."
Fu Yun and Guard Fang exchanged a glance, both with relieved smiles in their eyes.
Fu Jun sighed, "It wasn't easy. They've finally been apprehended and brought to justice."
Wen Jing said happily, "From now on, you will no longer have to worry about the head of the Su family causing you trouble or harming your life."
Fu Jun raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression calm: "Even if she causes me trouble, I'm not afraid. I'll just fight her to the death."
Wen Jing was both amused and exasperated: "Yes, everyone knows you have extraordinary courage."
Fu Yun smiled but remained silent, focusing intently on eating the remaining buns.
After finishing the last steamed bun, he pressed on, "By the way, what about Wang Linfang? Has she been arrested and brought to justice as well?"
Wen Jing shook her head and replied, "This person was not mentioned in the notice."
Fu Yun wondered if the reason for not mentioning Wang Linfang was to avoid public resentment. After all, she had always presented herself as a great philanthropist.
Even if she entered the palace to cause cholera and intended to rebel.
But she could have said something different: that she went to the palace to appeal to the emperor and seek justice for the Wang family's unjust extermination.
The common people have benefited from her kindness over the years and have long regarded her as a deity. Naturally, they are more likely to side with her, believe her words, sympathize with her plight, and speak out for her.
Thinking of this, Fu Yun asked again, "Who were mentioned in it?"
Wen Jing replied: "The head of the Su family, the current head of the Wang family, and three important officials serving in the court."
Fu Yun understood; those three officials were likely the protective umbrella that facilitated Su Tan and the Wang family's affairs.
Just as Zhilan said, officials and businessmen colluded and were in cahoots; no wonder the two of them were able to live so carefree for so many years.
As for Wang Linfang, we probably can't rush things; we need to find evidence of her treason and hypocrisy.
Fu Yun remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What about the bandit Mu Xin and that mountain bandit? Were they mentioned?"
Wen Jing answered truthfully: "Yes, the notice has revealed Mu Xin's true identity. She is not only a bandit who burns, kills, robs, and commits all kinds of evil, but also a spy who infiltrated the Nü Kingdom, the princess of the Nü Kingdom, and the commander-in-chief of the enemy army who declared war on us. She is currently fighting our army outside the city wall."
The guard exclaimed, "Your Majesty's preemptive strike was truly brilliant. The common people deeply resented the bandit gang back then, but now that they know she is the princess of an enemy country and has come to wage war against our country, they can't help but hate her to the bone and wish she would die without a burial place."
Fu Yun's agreement to this provoked public outrage, which in turn boosted morale.
The three chatted for a long time before leaving the hall.
Fu Yun first went to see Lu Zhisheng, but found that he had gone out, so she went to visit Su Mang and Su Zi.
The two sisters were seriously injured and will probably need five or six days to recover.
After saying goodbye to Su Mang and Su Zi, Fu Jun went to see Su Fu Jun's biological father, who was still in a coma, but was sleeping more soundly than before.
It's unclear whether he sensed the changes around him, but his fear lessened.
Over the next few days, Fu Yun stayed obediently at the Su residence for four days, while the battle outside the city was currently in a state of rest and reorganization for both sides.
They thought that as long as they could hold out until Qian Qingling and the reinforcements returned, Lingzhou City would be able to escape the siege.
Unexpectedly, on the fifth day, Mu Xin launched another attack, and it was even more fierce than before, as if he would not give up until he broke through the city gate.
Perhaps she had heard some rumors that reinforcements were about to arrive in Lingzhou, which made her lose her composure and want to break through the city gate in one fell swoop.
Her attack was too fierce, a completely reckless tactic. Our troops were already nearly half the size of the enemy's, and with her reckless attacks, our troops would be worn down much faster than the enemy's. Even if it meant sacrificing one life for two, we might not be able to win this battle.
If our army cannot come up with a counterattack strategy before reinforcements arrive, the city gates will likely fall within four days, and the reinforcements will not arrive for another seven days.
In other words, they must hold the city gates for another seven days before they can receive reinforcements.
On the third day of their defense, seeing that the soldiers guarding the city gate were barely clinging to life and would collapse within a day, Zhilan finally decided to personally lead the army, giving our soldiers a much-needed boost of morale.
But how could Fu Yun not know the immense risks of leading an expedition in person? He would be a sitting duck in the eyes of thousands of enemy soldiers, and he couldn't just stand by and watch Zhilan fall into danger.
So he visited the trainees at the fitness training camp one by one, and went to the air-raid shelter to gather the men who were willing to fight and kill the enemy, and temporarily formed a men's army of about two hundred men.
He must surprise the enemy to affect their morale and give our army a chance to catch its breath.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com