Chang Ning recognized Fan Chang Yu’s crying and was about to rush in on her short legs when Gong Sun Yi caught her by the collar.
She looked up in confusion to see Gong Sun Yi making a “shush” gesture at her.
Gong Sun Yi led her a few steps away before crouching down to tell her, “Let your Elder Sister talk with your Brother-in-law for a while.”
Chang Ning obediently nodded. Her baby fat had diminished noticeably, making her eyes appear even larger. She spoke very little about unfamiliar people, and Gong Sun Yi still fell into the “unfamiliar” category.
Remembering Xie Zheng’s plans, Gong Sun Yi asked her, “Little one, do you remember how your Brother-in-law rescued you?”
At the memory of that rainy night’s battle scene, Chang Ning’s small face paled. In the darkness and chaos, overwhelmed with fear, her memories were jumbled. After thinking hard, she answered, “Bad people wanted to kill Ning, Brother-in-law fought them…”
Gong Sun Yi sighed softly. For such a young child to be dragged onto a battlefield—it was a testament to her strong spirit that she hadn’t been traumatized into insanity. How could she possibly remember the details of the battle? He patted Chang Ning’s head and said, “Don’t be afraid. It’s all over now, and your Brother-in-law has caught the bad people.”
Chang Ning’s expression finally softened, and she nodded vigorously with an “Mm.” Then she looked up again, clutching her clothes nervously as she asked Gong Sun Yi, “Will my Brother-in-law die?”
Gong Sun Yi chuckled, “Little one, have you heard the saying ‘misfortune lasts a thousand years’?”
Chang Ning shook her head.
Gong Sun Yi covered his smile with his fan and said, “In others’ eyes, your Brother-in-law is probably that kind of misfortune. He’s too tough to die so easily.”
Relieved to know Xie Zheng wouldn’t die, Chang Ning turned to stare expectantly at the tent curtain.
Gong Sun Yi took the opportunity to ask, “Your Elder Sister and Brother-in-law have a good relationship, don’t they?”
Chang Ning thought for a moment, then nodded.
Feeling no shame in questioning a child, Gong Sun Yi continued, “How good?”
Chang Ning gazed up with her clear, bright eyes and said, “After Mother and Father passed away when Ning cries, it’s only to Elder Sister. And Elder Sister only cries in front of Brother-in-law.”
This answer made Gong Sun Yi pause.
Chang Ning counted on her fingers as she continued, “When thugs came to make trouble at home, Brother-in-law crippled them and drove them away. When Elder Sister earned money from butchering and selling pork, she bought new clothes and hair ties for Brother-in-law. When Brother-in-law had to take bitter medicine, Elder Sister even bought him candy…”
Gong Sun Yi’s expression became quite strange. So that old man he’d found in Lu City had been telling the truth—Xie Jiu Heng had become a live-in son-in-law and was living off his wife!
He wanted to ask more but suddenly felt a chill down his spine despite the thick tent curtain between them.
Gong Sun Yi quickly said to Chang Ning, “Little one, stay here and wait for your Elder Sister to come out. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
Inside the tent.
After Fan Chang Yu had released all her pent-up emotions through her crying, she sat up, wiped her eyes, and said, “I think I heard Chang Ning’s voice.”
Xie Zheng had long noticed the movement outside. He withdrew his cold gaze from the tent entrance and said, “She’s right outside. I hadn’t had the chance to tell you earlier, but while you were at the kitchen unit, I had someone bring her to the military camp.”
Fan Chang Yu was startled, and without asking more, she quickly lifted the tent curtain to look outside. Sure enough, she saw Chang Ning squatting not far away, cheeks propped in her hands, obediently watching their direction, and Gong Sun Yi, who was sneaking away looking guilty.
Fan Chang Yu called out joyfully, “Ning’er!”
Upon seeing Fan Chang Yu, Chang Ning’s eyes instantly lit up bright as stars. She rushed over and buried herself in Fan Chang Yu’s embrace, arms wrapped tightly around her waist, calling out in a muffled voice, “Elder Sister…”
As soon as those words left her mouth, the tears welling in her large eyes began falling uncontrollably.
Fan Chang Yu asked her, “How did you come to be here?”
Her gaze, however, unconsciously drifted toward Gong Sun Yi, who was attempting to sneak away a few steps away.
Having been spotted, Gong Sun Yi couldn’t pretend nothing had happened. He retracted his half-extended foot and, with a wave of his fan, resumed his elegant scholarly demeanor: “This young lady was mistakenly captured by enemies. After being rescued, she was temporarily sheltered in the military camp. When we learned she was Master Yan’s sister-in-law, we brought her here.”
Fan Chang Yu quickly expressed her thanks, then crouched down to wipe Chang Ning’s tears. Seeing her noticeably thinner cheeks, she said sorrowfully, “I’m sorry, Elder Sister couldn’t find you sooner. You must have suffered so much.”
Chang Ning shook her head, crying so hard against her shoulder that she hiccupped.
Fan Chang Yu, holding Chang Ning, invited Gong Sun Yi to sit in the tent for a while. Gong Sun Yi, reasoning that Xie Zheng already knew he was outside, felt it would be inappropriate to leave now, so he entered under the pretense of visiting the patient.
Once inside, Chang Ning saw Xie Zheng half-lying on the military bed with bloodstained bandages around his chest. Her lips trembled as she called out, “Brother-in-law.”
Then, wiping her tears, she told Fan Chang Yu, “Brother-in-law was hurt by bad people while saving Ning.”
Fan Chang Yu turned to look at Xie Zheng, clearly confused: “You were injured saving Ning?”
Xie Zheng hadn’t prepared to tell Fan Chang Yu everything at this moment. His lips tightened, unsure how to respond.
Even the usually silver-tongued Gong Sun Yi knew this lie would be difficult to maintain and was feeling somewhat troubled. Then they heard Chang Ning sobbing: “The bad people thought Ning was a high official’s daughter and took me away. They even put Ning on horseback to kill people. It was pitch black, with heavy rain and thunder. Ning was so scared. Then I heard Brother-in-law’s voice and called out to him. When Brother-in-law came to save Ning, the bad people threw Ning up in the air. Brother-in-law got stabbed with a big bloody wound while trying to catch Ning…”
As she recounted these events, she was still terrified. Her small face turned pale, and her hands clutched tightly at Fan Chang Yu’s clothes as if seeking refuge from the horrors of that night.
Fan Chang Yu had originally assumed Sui Yuan Qing had kidnapped Chang Ning to settle a personal grudge with her. She never imagined Chang Ning had endured so much. Just hearing about it made her want to tear those villains to pieces.
She patted her sister’s back soothingly and said, “Don’t be afraid, Ning. It’s all over now.”
Yet she wondered why Chang Ning had suddenly been mistaken for a high official’s daughter.
Seeing Fan Chang Yu made Chang Ning feel secure. Remembering how Yu Bao’er had tried to protect her when she was taken away, clutching her clothes and refusing to let go until the servants dragged him away, ripping several of his fingernails off in the process, she couldn’t help but tear up again: “Bao’er was there too, Elder Sister. Can we save Bao’er and his mother?”
Fan Chang Yu asked puzzled, “You mean Shopkeeper Yu and Bao’er?”
Chang Ning nodded.
Fan Chang Yu asked, “Weren’t Shopkeeper Yu and Bao’er supposed to be in Jiangnan? Where did you see them?”
Chang Ning answered between sobs, “Bao’er and his mother were locked up there by those bad people, just like Ning.”
While Gong Sun Yi didn’t know who Yu Qianqian and her son were, his expression showed confusion. However, Xie Zheng knew Chang Ning had been held by Sui Yuan Qing during her captivity, and his expression darkened.
Could that female shopkeeper have connections to the Prince Changxin Manor?
Fan Chang Yu, being straightforward, asked bewildered, “Could Shopkeeper Yu and Bao’er also have been mistaken for some official’s family members?”
She turned to Gong Sun Yi: “Sir, may I ask how my sister came to be mistaken for an official’s daughter and kidnapped?”
Gong Sun Yi glanced at Xie Zheng and deflected: “After the disaster in Qingping County, the temporary refugee inn in Jizhou Prefecture was a government post station that usually only accommodated visiting court officials. It seems the rebels had faulty intelligence and mistakenly kidnapped your sister.”
Though this explanation seemed logical, Fan Chang Yu thought of the missing painting from their home and still felt something odd.
Gong Sun Yi seized the moment to say, “The military camp is full of rough men unsuited to caring for children. We’ve arranged quarters next door for Miss Fan. You may take your young sister there to get settled.”
Having just found her sister, Fan Chang Yu naturally had many questions to ask. She glanced at Xie Zheng lying on the military bed and said, “Then you rest well. I’ll take Ning to wash up.”
Since recovering from her fever, Chang Ning has been staying with Gong Sun Yi. Conditions on the mountain were harsh, and the soldiers were all rough men who didn’t know how to care for children. They could only coax Chang Ning to eat at mealtimes. While she could wash her face herself, her hair had become a complete bird’s nest.
As soon as Fan Chang Yu left, Xie Zheng said to Gong Sun Yi, “Use the sea eagle to send a message to Yanzhou. Have them investigate the Yu mother and son imprisoned in Prince Changxin’s manor.”
Gong Sun Yi asked confused, “Do these Yus have some significance?”
Xie Zheng said, “When I first saw that child, I thought he resembled the current occupant of the Dragon Throne.”
Gong Sun Yi was shocked, then furrowed his brow and asked, “You suspect he’s of dragon seed?”
The current emperor was the youngest son of the previous emperor, only eight when he ascended the throne. His birth mother was a lowly palace maid with no powerful family connections.
He only gained the throne because Wei Yan chose him as a puppet emperor, but now the puppet emperor had grown up. With the support of Imperial Tutor Li’s faction, he inevitably harbored thoughts of overthrowing Wei Yan, reclaiming imperial power, and restoring court authority.
However, anyone with eyes could see that even if the emperor used Imperial Tutor Li’s influence to overthrow Wei Yan, Li’s party would simply become the next Wei party in court.
The Dayin Dynasty’s imperial power had long been hollowed out by the noble families. Although the imperial examination system had been implemented, the position of commoners at court was far too weak.
Moreover, the current emperor hardly seemed fit to rule a nation—weak before powerful ministers yet prone to violent temper with palace servants, incapable of great responsibilities.
Xie Zheng said, “That merchant Zhao claimed to serve the crown prince who died in the Eastern Palace, but when I was in Qingping County, I discovered he had a residence near that female shopkeeper Yu’s home. If the crown prince’s son truly exists, we might learn something through the Yu mother and son.”
Gong Sun Yi immediately said, “I’ll send the message right away.”
If the Yu mother and son were connected to the crown prince’s son, could Prince Changxin be holding them to threaten him?
He had almost reached the tent entrance when he turned back to look at Xie Zheng: “Jiuheng if the crown prince’s son is truly alive, will you… support Crown Prince Chengde’s bloodline?”
After learning of Xie Zheng’s break with Wei Yan, the emperor wanted to arrange a marriage with a princess to win Xie Zheng’s allegiance. However, since Xie Zheng was still in the Northwest, the capital couldn’t make too obvious a move.
But royal intentions had always been hard to fathom.
Although the emperor had hinted to Xie Zheng that Wei Yan’s position would be his after Wei Yan’s downfall, who could say whether Xie Zheng might not become his next target once that time came?
Moreover, Imperial Tutor Li was already firmly established as the emperor’s right hand.
In terms of legitimacy, Crown Prince Chengde’s bloodline had more right to the Dragon Throne than anyone else in the current royal family.
Taking a further step back, based on the Battle of Jinzhou alone, Xie Zheng and the crown prince’s son shared common enemies, making them even more suitable as allies.
After a long silence in the tent, Xie Zheng’s cold voice finally came: “How do you see the emperor treating Wei Yan?”
This single question made Gong Sun Yi realize the key point. While Wei Yan had supported the current emperor to make him a puppet, at one time Wei Yan had indeed been the emperor’s greatest supporter.
If Xie Zheng supported the crown prince’s son, the merit he would establish would be no less than Wei Yan’s service to the current emperor.
But he already commanded military power. What more could the crown prince’s son grant him after ascending the throne?
Without the ability to reward would come increasing suspicion and wariness.
After considering Xie Zheng’s position, Gong Sun Yi suddenly frowned and said, “I’ve figured it out. In your current situation, whoever ascends the Dragon Throne will try their hardest to win you over beforehand, but once the dust settles, you’ll be among the first to be discarded.”
Xie Zheng remained silent.
Gong Sun Yi walked back a few steps dejectedly and sat down across from Xie Zheng, saying resignedly, “Just give me a straight answer about what you’re thinking. If you haven’t planned your way out, I’d better find myself a new patron first, rather than be dragged down with you.”
Twilight had fallen, and Xie Zheng watched the flickering lamp in the tent as he said, “When the Northwest falls into chaos, nine out of ten homes are emptied, and good men are buried in yellow sand. The current Dayin hasn’t reached the point of needing to rebuild the realm. Fighting the Northern Xue people is one thing, but fighting our people for personal gain…”
He gave a cold laugh, “That would be a betrayal of those soldiers who should die fighting at the frontier.”
He disapproved of Prince Changxin’s actions.
Gong Sun Yi raised an eyebrow, “You want to be a pure official?”
Xie Zheng lifted his gaze carelessly, “Don’t you think someone like me should be called a power-holding minister?”
Gong Sun Yi choked, then said, “Power or no power, you’d better think about how to resolve the current situation!”
Xie Zheng asked, “How long will the supplies brought up the mountain last?”
Gong Sun Yi said, “Eating full meals, half a month. Mixed with wild vegetables into porridge, we can stretch it to a month.”
After pondering for a moment, Xie Zheng said, “We still have Sui Yuan Qing in our hands. The mountain terrain is complex. Prince Changxin surrounds us without attacking us because he wants to starve us out on the mountain. If they run out of supplies too, they won’t be able to maintain the siege.”
Gong Sun Yi was shocked, “You’re thinking of targeting Prince Changxin’s supplies?”