Sixteen Riders of Yanshan
Seeing Yang Fei's strong reaction, Tang Feng also became a little nervous, slowly twisting the hem of his clothes with his hands, standing there unsure of what to do. Zhang Mobai stepped forward and patted Tang Feng on the back to comfort him, saying, "Little brother, don't worry, let's go back and talk about it slowly. Maybe it's not a big deal." He then turned around and slapped Yang Fei, saying, "What's with all the fuss! Is the sky falling down or something? Don't scare him, let's talk about it when we get back."
Yang Fei was also jolted awake by Zhang Mobai's slap. He touched his forehead, which was slightly red and swollen from the blow, and grinned at Tang Feng, "Don't be nervous. I'm just a little shocked. I didn't expect you to be able to deal with these people."
Hearing this, Tang Feng finally felt relieved. Seeing Yang Fei and Zhang Mobai walking back, Tang Feng quickly followed and caught up with them.
The group returned to the Yang residence. Yang Fei ushered Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai into the house, then turned back to the door and cautiously looked around. Only after confirming that no one was outside did he close the door with peace of mind. He then returned, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down next to Zhang Mobai. He carefully took out the half-broken mask that he had captured in the south of the city from his bosom, examined it carefully, and finally asked, "Tang Feng, have you heard of the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan?"
Tang Feng stared blankly at Yang Fei for a moment, then shook his head. He had only been here for about a year; how could he have heard of such a strange organization's name? Even the Protectorate General's Office, where Yang Fei worked, was completely unknown to him in his lifetime if Zhang Mobai hadn't mentioned it.
Yang Fei held the half-mask in his hand, toying with it. "The Sixteen Riders of Yanshan, like us, belong to the royal family. But unlike us, the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan were part of the Empress Dowager's dowry when she married into Shanghan. They wore black embroidered robes with subtle patterns, white masks, and were embroidered with the Tianbao flower pattern and the Empress Dowager's family crest. They made great contributions to His Majesty's establishment of Yanyun. The current Protectorate was reorganized from the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan after His Majesty founded the country." Yang Fei handed the half-mask to Tang Feng.
By the candlelight, Tang Feng carefully examined the mask, tracing the Tianbao floral pattern with his fingers for a long time before finally asking, "If the assassins were the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan, then who were they under? The Empress Dowager?"
“Not bad.” Yang Fei looked up at Tang Feng, squinting in the candlelight. “The Sixteen Riders of Yanshan swore to serve the Empress Dowager to the death. They made the oath before the ancestral precepts. Now, the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan have been replaced two or three times. Some have been passed down from generation to generation, while others have been replaced later.”
"So, according to this logic, the one who assassinated me was the Empress Dowager?"
“No way! The Empress Dowager passed away more than a decade ago.” Zhang Mobai took the mask from Tang Feng and said, “I was wondering why it looked so familiar! It’s the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan! I secretly sneaked in during my father’s state memorial ceremony a few years ago and saw them from afar behind the platform.”
Zhang Mobai's words left Tang Feng even more confused. He scratched his head anxiously and asked, "Now that the Empress Dowager is dead, who's still in control of them? Surely they can't be the ones who want to kill me, can they?"
Yang Fei shook his head. "Impossible! I heard that when the Empress Dowager was on her deathbed, she entrusted the Fire Talisman to the Empress Dowager, asking her to keep it safe. To prevent evildoers from using the Fire Talisman to disrupt the court, she also gave special instructions to sixteen riders and issued three prohibitions. She even left behind an imperial edict for this purpose."
"Three ineffectivenesses?"
“That’s right! Interfering with the interests of the court means you’re not loyal to the royal family; forming cliques means you’re not loyal to the princes; indiscriminately killing innocent civilians means you’re not loyal to the emperor,” Yang Fei counted on his fingers.
Tang Feng pursed his lips, thinking to himself, what difference does it make whether this imperial edict is issued or not? Aren't I just an innocent civilian being slaughtered? "Then, is that fire talisman still in the Empress Dowager's hands?" Tang Feng's mind was in turmoil. Could it be that the Empress Dowager wanted to kill him? That didn't make sense! What right did a good-for-nothing brat have to be killed by the Empress Dowager?
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't," Yang Fei shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either. "After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Empress Dowager, to show her filial piety, placed the Fire Talisman in the Empress Dowager's mourning hall. But where the Fire Talisman went afterward, whether it's still in the mourning hall, I don't know. Of course, most of this is just what I've heard, and I don't know how much of it is true or false."
Zhang Mobai tossed the mask onto the table and rubbed his aching shoulders. "Even if the Fire Talisman is currently in the Empress Dowager's hands, she is a kind person. A few years ago, when the princess was born, she even advised the Emperor to grant a general amnesty. Why would she mobilize the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan for someone whose name she doesn't even know? To put it another way, everyone knows that the Fire Talisman of the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan is in the Empress Dowager's hands. Once they know who the assassin is, wouldn't it be easy to trace it back to the Empress Dowager? If the Empress Dowager really wanted to kill you, she has countless experts around her. Why would she choose such an obvious killer to carry out the job?"
Yang Fei pulled Zhang Mobai close, took the hand Zhang Mobai was massaging, and started massaging his shoulders instead. "Bai Bai is right. We can't jump to conclusions too soon. Although you're still in danger, at least we know the general direction now. This time, we've done our counterattack. They know you have someone protecting you in secret, so they won't act rashly like before."
Tang Feng nodded. Although he still didn't know who was behind it all, at least there had been some progress, which was better than blindly waiting to die.
"Thinking about it now, maybe this matter is related to your previous visit to the palace. Back then, you went to the palace to ask His Majesty for a marriage decree, and you've been absent-minded ever since you came back. I was afraid you were having some kind of mental breakdown, so I stayed at your house for two or three nights. Every night you woke up crying, and when I asked you why, you wouldn't say. I just assumed that His Majesty was heartbroken because His Majesty didn't grant your request. But a few days later, you inexplicably fell off your horse in the south of the city." Zhang Mobai rested his chin on one hand and took a bite of an apple from the table with the other. "If it really is related to things in the palace, then it will be difficult to resolve."
Even if Zhang Mobai hadn't said anything, Tang Feng knew that the palace was inextricably linked to his assassination attempt. Regardless of whether it was the Empress Dowager or not, he had to find the mastermind. However, as an unknown person, how could he investigate? And even if he found out who it was, what could he do? Tang Feng slumped helplessly onto the table, looking at the candlelight swaying in the wind with despair. He didn't know whether to continue waiting for death or to resolutely continue investigating no matter the outcome.
Zhang Mobai seemed to see through Tang Feng's thoughts and frowned. He could never bear to see Tang Feng upset, and he would usually help him with anything he could, wanting to stand in front of Tang Feng. However, this time it was indeed difficult to investigate; too many things were involved, and the waters were too deep. He was afraid that if things went wrong, everyone would be dragged down.
The room fell silent instantly, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Zhang Mobai straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes and whispered to Yang Fei, "Why don't you go back and find a guest room to sleep? Seeing how he is, I'm afraid he won't be able to sleep all night. I'll stay here with him."
Yang Fei patted Zhang Mobai's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I know. Even if you can't sleep all night, you still need to rest well. You've been watching over things for several nights in a row; your body must be exhausted. You're worried about your little brother, and I'm worried about you too. I'll go to the kitchen to make some calming herbal soup. Drink it while it's hot and then get some rest!" Without waiting for Zhang Mobai's reply, Yang Fei turned and went into the kitchen.
Hearing the sounds of chopping wood and starting a fire coming from the kitchen, Zhang Mobai chuckled to himself, then closed the door and sat down next to Tang Feng to comfort him, "Little brother, don't be like this. Get some sleep, and we'll discuss how to proceed tomorrow. It's just a matter of the palace, after all! I'll go through fire and water with you no matter what."
Tang Feng patted Zhang Mobai's hand, saying, "I'm fine, don't worry too much. These past few days have been tough. Go to sleep." With that, Tang Feng got up to leave.
Zhang Mobai quickly grabbed Tang Feng, "Hey, hey, hey! I told Yang Fei to go to the guest room. I'll sleep with you tonight; his bed is bigger." After saying that, Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng down onto the bed. "Don't think about it anymore, just sleep. I haven't slept well for days; look at my dark circles. Besides, I can't sleep without you, my little brother."
Tang Feng, feeling helpless as Zhang Mobai held his arm, said, "Little madman, let go a bit, I'll take off my shoes, okay?" After a long pause, seeing that Zhang Mobai didn't respond, Tang Feng laboriously turned his head and saw that Zhang Mobai had fallen asleep in his arms. Tang Feng sighed. He was indeed exhausted these past few days, and felt a pang of guilt. After all, the assassination attempt was his own fault, and now he had dragged Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei into it as well.
A knock on the door interrupted Tang Feng's thoughts. Tang Feng slowly pulled his arm away from Zhang Mobai's embrace, and carefully got up, careful not to disturb Zhang Mobai's sleep. He quietly opened the door and saw Yang Fei standing outside, holding a bowl. Yang Fei said, "Bai Bai, go to sleep! Don't think too much. There's nothing that can't be solved. You have Bai Bai behind you, and Bai Bai has me behind her. Just know that you're never alone. I've made some calming soup; drink it and get some rest!" Yang Fei handed the bowl to Tang Feng and then turned to leave.
Tang Feng looked down at the bowl of medicine, initially feeling somewhat touched, but after taking a sip, the bitter taste shot straight to the top of his head, his features contorting in shock. "Damn it, what the hell is this? Whoever wants to drink it can drink it." Tang Feng glanced around, quietly poured the medicine into the fishpond, and went back to undress and go to sleep.
The next morning, Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai were awakened by Yang Fei's scream. Zhang Mobai threw on a coat and went outside, thinking the Sixteen Riders of Yanshan had broken in. But when he stepped outside, he saw Yang Fei sitting on a stone bench, hugging a large koi fish and crying. "Cry, cry, cry! What are you crying for? Shut up! What are you howling about so early in the morning!" Zhang Mobai grabbed his coat and slapped Yang Fei's back twice.
"Bye-bye," Yang Fei sniffed, holding up the koi in her hand. "My pet flower, it died."
Tang Feng, who had just come out wearing his clothes, saw the pond full of fish floating belly-up and suddenly felt a little guilty, thinking, 'Could yesterday's calming soup have been this effective? Did it kill all the fish in the pond? Why does that fish in Yang Fei's hand seem so important to him?' Seeing that Yang Fei was about to say something, Tang Feng quickly ran over, hugged Zhang Mobai, and started to whine, 'Little crazy guy! I'm so sleepy! Let's go to sleep, okay?'
Zhang Mobai had originally intended to listen carefully to what Yang Fei had to say, but upon hearing Tang Feng's words, he slapped Yang Fei on the back, saying, "Go away! Go cry inside if you want to, don't disturb the peace here!"
After a chaotic morning, Tang Feng didn't get a chance to go back to sleep. The three of them sat together, staring at each other, after getting ready. Yang Fei wanted to chat with Zhang Mobai, but Zhang Mobai ignored him, only wanting to ask how his older brother was sleeping. Tang Feng, however, was completely still half asleep and couldn't receive any of Zhang Mobai's signals.
The group sat there for nearly an hour when Tang Feng suddenly said, "I thought about this for a long time yesterday. Even though this matter is related to the palace, I will try to investigate it. Even if I die, I want to die knowing the truth."
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