As soon as Huo Qi finished speaking, a soldier entered to report that Shen Lingzhen had sent her personal maid to ask the guards about Huo Liuxing’s whereabouts, saying she had urgent business with him.
Huo Liuxing furrowed his brow and glanced at Huo Qi, roughly guessing what had happened.
Huo Qi nodded, turned to put on his armor, and said as he did: “Bring her to the study next door.”
The soldier received his orders and left. Huo Liuxing and Huo Qi also moved to the adjacent room.
Two incense sticks’ time later, Shen Lingzhen arrived hastily with Jianjia accompanying her. Seeing the person in the upper seat wearing golden armor with a presence cold as frost, then exchanging a glance with Huo Liuxing in the lower seat, she confirmed the other party’s identity and stepped forward to pay respects: “Lingzhen greets…” She paused at the form of address, choosing a distant form of address due to the obviously unfriendly atmosphere. “Commissioner Huo.”
Huo Qi nodded: “Please sit. I heard you have business with Liuxing.”
Shen Lingzhen sat in the lower seat. With this sitting, silence filled all around, leaving only the crackling of sparks from the torches outside the door.
She had come with a heart full of urgency to find Huo Liuxing to ask about the Xue family matter, but now that she was actually here, she felt rather on edge, saying awkwardly: “It’s like this… I just heard the soldiers patrolling the courtyard say that Commissioner Huo captured a spy who collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the nation, and that spy claimed he was acting under orders from the Xue family of Bianjing…”
Huo Qi nodded: “There is indeed such a matter.”
Seeing that Huo Liuxing on her right had no intention of speaking up, she steeled herself to converse with Huo Qi: “Lingzhen knows that as a mere sheltered woman, I shouldn’t inquire into political affairs, but… but this matter is of great importance. Lingzhen dares to ask—is this Xue family referring to my maternal cousin’s family?”
Huo Qi nodded once.
Shen Lingzhen glanced again at Huo Liuxing, who sat with a tense face saying nothing, and asked hesitantly: “Besides the confession, is there any other solid evidence? Could there be some misunderstanding in this?”
Huo Qi said sternly: “You don’t believe the Xue family would commit such an act?”
“I’ve known my maternal cousin since childhood and am very clear about his character and nature. My aunt and uncle have always been loyal and dutiful…” Shen Lingzhen said carefully. “I truly don’t believe they would do such a thing. Please investigate clearly, Commissioner Huo.”
“As a regional commissioner, I have no authority to investigate such a major case. Whether there’s a misunderstanding should be determined by transferring the witness and physical evidence to Bianjing for the Emperor to personally examine.”
Shen Lingzhen said nervously: “Has this matter already reached the point where it must disturb His Majesty my imperial uncle?”
“As a subject, one should naturally be loyal to the ruler and obey the law. How could such an important matter be concealed from above? According to your meaning, do you hope I’ll make a big matter small and a small matter disappear, shielding the suspect?”
Huo Qi already possessed an imposing dignity without anger. His grim phrase “shielding the suspect” frightened Shen Lingzhen into hastily rising and kneeling: “Lingzhen misspoke.”
The expression on Huo Liuxing’s face beside her suddenly softened. He glanced at the upper seat.
Huo Qi jerked his chin, signaling him to go ahead.
Huo Liuxing stood and helped her up: “Misspeaking in private is fine. After all, there are no outsiders here. Get up.”
Shen Lingzhen looked at him with trepidation, belatedly thinking—yes, she had indeed spoken treasonous words in her moment of anxiety, but there was also someone here who had been deceiving the emperor for so many years. Clearly neither was any better than the other.
Huo Liuxing cupped his hands toward Huo Qi: “Father, what Lingzhen said is not entirely without reason. I think this matter hasn’t reached the point of disturbing His Majesty. Setting aside whether the current confession and evidence are true or false, the Xiqiang are exploiting the domestic natural disaster, using refugees to repeatedly knock at our gates—their intentions must be great. Sending the spy to Bianjing at this time, no matter how cautious and tight the security along the way, will inevitably alert our enemies. Better to use a counter-espionage strategy—send this spy back to the army and cleverly utilize him. First, to further investigate the mastermind behind him and avoid wrongly harming the loyal. Second, it also gives us an opportunity to greatly defeat the Xiqiang. After everything settles, it won’t be too late to report this matter to His Majesty.”
Shen Lingzhen nodded vigorously from the side.
Huo Qi looked at her and asked Huo Liuxing: “If the counter-espionage fails, what will you do? Or if counter-espionage succeeds and proves the mastermind is indeed the Xue family, and His Majesty cannot forgive your initial concealment of this matter, making the Huo family bear the crime of covering up the sky with one hand and being overambitious—what will you do then?”
Shen Lingzhen cautiously interjected: “…What if we report this matter in advance but explain to His Majesty that the Xue family is very likely wrongly accused, asking His Majesty to patiently wait for the truth to come to light?”
Huo Liuxing shook his head: “You believe the Xue family is innocent and that the true mastermind will certainly be caught later. His Majesty may not think the same way. Even if we explain to him, he cannot possibly have no misgivings in his heart. He will inevitably treat the Xue family differently from then on as suspects of collaborating with the enemy. If you want to prevent the possibility of the Xue family suffering unjustly, you must conceal this matter for now.”
“But I don’t want you to suffer because of this either!” Shen Lingzhen blurted out.
Huo Qi narrowed his eyes looking at her.
Shen Lingzhen thought for a moment, pressed her lips together and said: “How about this… if His Majesty investigates later, Commissioner Huo can say this was my idea, that I kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, crying and making a scene and threatening to hang myself to beg you, and you had no choice but to agree. His Majesty knows I’m close to Brother A’Jie, so he should understand this explanation. If he still won’t calm down, I’ll ask Mother to mediate. What do you think?”
“You’re truly willing to take full responsibility for this matter?”
Shen Lingzhen nodded: “Tonight it was indeed I who took the initiative to plead for the Xue family. If something goes wrong, naturally I should bear it. I’m willing to immediately write a document so His Majesty can verify it in the future.”
“Then we’ll handle it this way for now. No need for the document.” Huo Qi shook his head and looked at Huo Liuxing. “Dawn is approaching. Liuxing, you two go rest for a while.”
Huo Liuxing nodded in farewell and brought Shen Lingzhen back to the three-sided courtyard where she had lodged earlier.
After all this back and forth, it was nearly the Hour of the Rabbit. Entering the bedroom, Shen Lingzhen let out a long breath of exhaustion, but her heart still worried about the Xue family matter with no sleepiness at all. She repeatedly asked: “What do you think—is there anything improper about this matter? We should check for any gaps.”
Huo Liuxing looked at her: “Truly worried about your maternal cousin?”
Shen Lingzhen nodded earnestly.
Huo Liuxing sighed: “Do you still remember the circumstances of being abducted at Peach Blossom Valley?”
She was taken aback and asked, not understanding: “What do you mean?”
“Think about it—why was it such a coincidence that right after you met with Xue Jie, the enemy figured out your whereabouts?”
Understanding his implication, she didn’t have time to consider how he knew about this matter and only said: “But Brother A’Jie couldn’t possibly harm me.”
“Whether he could possibly harm you or not, I don’t know, but I can be certain of this: there are only two possibilities for this matter. First, someone in the Xue family is working for some important figure. Second, there’s a mole among your maternal cousin’s people. If it’s the first, then this act of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the nation is most likely truly the Xue family’s doing. If it’s the second, then it shows that even back then, the Xue family was already being watched. Clearing their name this time will probably not be easy.”
Shen Lingzhen furrowed her brow, admitting what he said was not without reason.
“I’m telling you this hoping you’ll be prepared early. But since I’ve already intervened in this matter, I will certainly do my utmost.”
“Then when does the young master plan to send the spy back to the army? I think the sooner the better.”
“Father should have already sent people to handle it. Rest assured and get some sleep.”
Shen Lingzhen nodded. Just as she was about to get into bed, she fretted again: “Not many people know about this matter, right? You must remind them to keep their mouths tightly shut.”
Huo Liuxing wanted to urge her to sleep quickly and said helplessly: “They’re all reliable people. Even without reminding them, they all know to keep their mouths sealed. You can be completely at ease.”
“I’m not at ease.” Shen Lingzhen shook her head, pointing toward the back window. “Just now, right there, two soldiers were privately discussing this matter, which is how I heard about it. I’m not speaking ill of them, but truly their lips were too loose. If we don’t give them proper instructions, it could easily ruin everything.”
Huo Liuxing’s gaze flickered for an instant. Just as he was about to open his mouth to explain, he suddenly saw Shen Lingzhen’s expression freeze.
She said doubtfully: “You said… they’re all reliable people?”
Huo Liuxing avoided answering: “Alright, go to sleep.”
But Shen Lingzhen suddenly fell into silence.
Jianjia had said East Valley Camp was a crucial military location, so the officers and soldiers guarding this place should indeed be very reliable as Huo Liuxing said.
If so, why would someone discuss such a serious matter without authorization before the truth was clear, and let her easily overhear it?
Even if there truly happened to be two bad apples, why just now had Huo Qi not shown surprise, nor taken the initiative to ask from whose mouth she had learned of this matter? And at this moment, why had Huo Liuxing not expressed an attitude that such subordinates must certainly be severely punished?
Shen Lingzhen stared blankly at that back window, then recalled the strange atmosphere when she entered Huo Qi’s study earlier. In a daze, she understood something: “Those two soldiers deliberately let me hear about this matter?”
Huo Liuxing let out a heavy breath, seemingly acquiescing.
She blinked blankly, looking at him incredulously: “You originally planned to conceal this from His Majesty and not report it, but were worried about being implicated, so you deliberately lured me to go plead for the Xue family and made me take responsibility for this matter?”
Huo Liuxing shook his head with a frown: “I’m not so pathetic as to need you, a young girl, to protect me. I’m confident I can get past His Majesty’s scrutiny on this matter.”
“Then… then why just now…” Shen Lingzhen became even more confused.
Huo Liuxing rubbed his temples and said softly: “Stop asking, alright? I don’t want to lie to you.”
Looking at him, Shen Lingzhen suddenly understood with complete clarity.
She stepped back and forced out a smile uglier than crying: “So you were testing my position? In the thatched cottage, you kept saying you believed I wouldn’t betray you, but you turned around and set up such a question to test me?” As she spoke, she stepped back again. “So how satisfied are you with the answer I submitted tonight?”
Huo Liuxing said through gritted teeth: “I didn’t.”
“I know this should have been Commissioner Huo’s idea, but you acquiesced, didn’t you?”
Huo Liuxing had no rebuttal.
Shen Lingzhen’s eyes instantly reddened: “Since marrying you, I believe I’ve never done anything to wrong you or the Huo family. Even though you deceived and hid things from me, I still stood on your side. That wasn’t only because I sympathize with your circumstances—it was because I see you as my family, my husband. I thought by now we’d gone through hardship together, and having reached this point, we should be completely open and honest with each other. But what you did tonight makes me feel like all of this has been my wishful thinking from beginning to end…”
As she spoke, her voice grew more choked with tears, yet she kept forcing herself not to cry: “Just now, when going back and forth with Commissioner Huo, luring me to declare my position—did you truly not think about how hurt I would be when I learned the truth?”
Of course Huo Liuxing had thought about it. But if he had sternly refused to test Shen Lingzhen at that time, how should he face his father who had never let go of the pain of losing his son?
He closed his eyes: “The reason for inducing you to declare your position just now was to make my father dispel his doubts about you. I don’t distrust you.”
Shen Lingzhen furrowed her brow.
That strange feeling came again. The Huo family’s distrust of her all along seemed not to be simply because she was His Majesty’s niece.
“Why does Commissioner Huo doubt me so much?”
Huo Liuxing remained silent.
Shen Lingzhen nodded: “Since you’re unwilling to say, then don’t. I’m tired and need to rest.” She sniffled, turned and got into bed. “Also, I don’t like it here. I want to return to Qingyang soon.”
Huo Liuxing stood in place silently for a moment, then stepped forward to tuck in her blanket corners: “Get some good sleep. I’ll handle things here as quickly as possible. When you wake up, we’ll go home.”
Shen Lingzhen’s expression visibly changed when she heard the two words “go home.”
She smiled: “Do you think that’s my home?”
Huo Liuxing’s throat caught.
Shen Lingzhen withdrew her smile, turned away, and tightly closed her eyes.
“Shen Lingzhen,” Huo Liuxing’s voice sounded from behind her. “I will give you a home. Just wait a little longer.”