Jiang Li was awakened by Wenren Yao pushing her.
When she woke up, the common people who had slept on the ground beside her last night had nearly all departed in twos and threes. Wen Ji was nowhere to be seen, but Zhao Ke was still there. Wenren Yao was still holding Lin Yao, looking at her and saying, “Second Miss, you’re awake?”
“What’s happened?” Jiang Li looked around, fully awakening. She asked, “Is it over?”
“Prince Cheng’s troops have temporarily withdrawn for now, and everyone has gone home.” Wenren Yao said, “They shouldn’t come again today. According to A’Heng’s prediction, as long as we survived last night, Prince Cheng won’t be able to attack into the city.” He leaned closer to Jiang Li and said, “His Majesty has already dispatched General Wuwei to break the siege.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li said, “Once General Wuwei comes, the only one available will be General Pingxi. General Pingxi cannot possibly leave his garrison post, so does that mean the Xiazhou Prince will be returning?”
“Most likely,” Wenren Yao said as he stood up. Because he was holding a child and had been sitting on the ground all night, he nearly didn’t stand steadily and staggered. Jiang Li also stood up, and Zhao Ke said, “Second Miss, let’s go back first.”
Although Jiang Li didn’t know where this “back” they spoke of was, she still nodded.
All along the way, the streets were in complete disarray. Even though Jiang Li had been forcibly abducted when she first arrived in Huangzhou, she still remembered that while Huangzhou city couldn’t compare to Yanjing’s prosperity, it could still be considered lively and beautiful. Now, after being ravaged by last night’s great fire, this city was left with only scorched black, with ruined walls and debris everywhere. On the ground were still dried bloodstains and corpses. Some people were kneeling before their family members’ bodies, weeping bitterly. Others dragged their exhausted bodies and began to clean up their destroyed homes anew.
As long as it hadn’t been burned to nothing, they had to try to salvage it—they couldn’t possibly sleep on the streets for the days ahead. In front of those homes that couldn’t be saved and had been burned directly to ashes, the owners sat at their doorways wailing loudly. Their cries shook the heavens. Having one’s place of peaceful living and settling destroyed in this way, anyone would feel grief. These cries entering people’s ears made them feel heartbroken as well. In a single night, how many families had been separated, wives torn from husbands, children from parents. These common people had been living peacefully in Huangzhou city—who would have thought this calamity of heaven and man would suddenly descend upon them? It was truly an undeserved disaster, the world’s constancy unpredictable.
Jiang Li walked and sighed with emotion along the way. When she reached the entrance of the Huangzhou city government office, she saw several rows of black-clothed men lying neatly in front of the two stone lion doors. These black-clothed men were all dead, but there were no wounds on their faces, nor any excess wounds on their bodies—all had been killed with a single strike. Some had foul blood flowing from the corners of their mouths.
Jiang Li asked, “Are these the people who came out to set fires last night, the people Prince Cheng arranged in Huangzhou city?”
Zhao Ke said, “Yes. His Grace has already sent people to search for their whereabouts. These people are all death warriors—they can’t be interrogated for anything. Once caught, they’re killed without question. These are all that have been found so far, but we can’t guarantee there aren’t remaining evildoers in the city, so Second Miss must be certain to stay safe.”
Jiang Li nodded. “I understand.”
Zhao Ke led Jiang Li and Wenren Yao to continue forward. At the end of this road, an estate finally appeared. This estate had probably also been burned, but the fire had quickly been extinguished, so aside from the charring at the doorframe, the remaining areas were still fairly intact. Zhao Ke led the two of them inside. Wen Ji was already there. When they reached the hall, they saw Lu Ji. Lu Ji had probably not slept all night—his expression couldn’t hide his exhaustion. His beard, which he usually kept so neatly groomed, had now become somewhat disheveled. Seeing Jiang Li and the others, he said, “You’ve returned.”
“Lu Ji, why do you look so tired?” Wenren Yao said, “If you’re tired, rest. Don’t force yourself.”
Lu Ji was about to say something when his gaze fell on Lin Yao in Wenren Yao’s arms. Seeing Lu Ji looking at him, Lin Yao turned his head and buried it in Wenren Yao’s embrace. This boy was delicate and adorable in appearance, and even his personality was timid and shy like a young girl’s. Having just experienced such a great family upheaval, he was extremely distrustful of people.
“Where did this one come from?” Lu Ji asked.
“Second Miss Jiang rescued him from an assassin’s hands last night. His parents, brothers, and sisters—the entire family is gone. Only he escaped. Looking at him, I think he’s quite suitable for our ‘Jixian Sect’. I was thinking about whether to take him as a disciple.”
“As a disciple?” Jiang Li hadn’t known about this plan of Wenren Yao’s and asked in surprise, “What do you mean by suitable for the ‘Jixian Sect’?”
Wenren Yao was quite frank. “People like us reveal heaven’s secrets and alter others’ fates—we’re going against fate itself. Of course heaven won’t permit it, so people like us are naturally born as lone star calamities. Ahem, of course, that’s just the general idea. The disciples of ‘Jixian Sect’ are roughly all those who experienced great family upheaval from childhood, whose parents, wives, children, and elderly all died out completely. I’m the same—I’m an orphan. When my father died, he entrusted me to my master. I’ve been down the mountain for so many years and have never taken a disciple, really because most of those whose entire families died are too old. Even if there are young ones, they’re single-mindedly focused on avenging their families. As soon as I mention taking them as disciples, they chase me away. This little fellow is good—he’s much younger than me, and his parents’ and family’s enemies have already been dealt with. He has no attachments in this world, making him most suitable to come to our sect and be my disciple.”
He spoke at great length, leaving Jiang Li dumbfounded. So that was why Wenren Yao had been staring at Lin Yao earlier—she had thought he was just curious about the child. She hadn’t expected this plan. Jiang Li said, “Regardless, even if Young Master Wenren wants to take a disciple, it would be best to first ask Lin Yao’s opinion, wouldn’t it? This is ultimately his matter.”
“Naturally, naturally,” Wenren Yao answered, but from his manner, he clearly hadn’t taken Jiang Li’s words to heart at all. Jiang Li sighed and didn’t say more to him. Right now wasn’t the time to concern herself with such matters—it was better to first comfort little Lin Yao. As for future matters, they could be discussed in the future.
Lu Ji said to Jiang Li, “His Grace is in the room.”
Jiang Li looked at him, and Lu Ji replied, “If Second Miss has something she wants to say, she can go find His Grace in the room.” He stood up. “I’m going to rest for two hours first. Wenren, guard the door well. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji have also been tired all night—everyone should rest soon.” With that, he turned and went to another room, closing the door.
Wenren Yao shrugged and said to Jiang Li, “I’ll take this little fellow back to his room first.”
Jiang Li stood before Ji Heng’s door, hesitated for a moment, then still pushed it open.
The person inside was sitting at the table.
After last night’s raid, it had begun raining in the morning. The continuous drizzle didn’t cease, and the sky had become overcast. Even morning inside the room was like evening. When Jiang Li walked in, she could only see a silhouette. When she drew nearer, she saw Ji Heng leaning against a wooden chair, his eyes slightly closed.
She sat down on the chair beside Ji Heng.
Hearing Jiang Li’s movement, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Sorry,” Jiang Li said, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Ji Heng smiled lazily. Although he didn’t say anything, one could feel that this day of defending the city hadn’t been easy either. Although Jiang Li hadn’t witnessed it personally, the insane Prince Cheng had long prepared for last night. Those who managed to defend against it had probably also made enormous sacrifices.
Jiang Li’s gaze fell on Ji Heng again. Probably for convenience, he wasn’t wearing red clothing but rather black armor. This made his usually enchanting aura fade somewhat and become stern and solemn instead. Yet when he smiled, he returned to that indifferent manner, as if he were an outsider observing a play.
The black clothing made it impossible to tell whether he was injured or not—even if there were bloodstains, they wouldn’t be visible. Jiang Li asked, “Are you… alright?”
“Of course,” Ji Heng said. “I heard you saved a child?”
“Yes, that child’s family all died.”
“Jiang Yuanbai will be furious,” Ji Heng raised an eyebrow. “He’s as cunning as a fox, yet he raised a daughter who loves all under heaven.”
“It’s not that I love all under heaven,” Jiang Li said lightly. “I just thought of A’Zhao. When A’Zhao was little, he was like this too.”
Ji Heng fell silent. He knew that Jiang Li was also Xue Fangfei, so naturally he knew that Xue Fangfei had a younger brother, Xue Zhao, who was later killed by Princess Yongning. Apart from Xue Huaiyuan, the Xue family had only this pair of siblings. One could imagine how deep the siblings’ affection was, and how great a blow Xue Zhao’s death had been to Xue Fangfei.
“Then you should raise him,” Ji Heng said. “Letting him follow Xue Huaiyuan would also work.”
Lin Yao had no parents, and Xue Huaiyuan had lost his son—they could keep each other company.
Jiang Li smiled slightly. Ji Heng thought far ahead. She looked at Ji Heng again and asked, “Prince Cheng won’t continue attacking the city, will he? When he receives news that General Wuwei is coming, he’ll immediately head to Yanjing.”
“Of course,” Ji Heng said. “From Huangzhou to Yanjing all along the way, Prince Cheng’s troops are hidden. By the time he kills his way to Yanjing, his forces will be formidable and unstoppable. Even just standing there will be enough to throw the people of Yanjing into great panic.”
“But isn’t the Xiazhou Prince coming?” Jiang Li said. “His Majesty has no choice but to summon back the Xiazhou Prince. Back when His Majesty hadn’t yet ascended the throne, the Xiazhou Prince went to the northwest. After so many years, His Majesty probably doesn’t have any other thoughts about the Xiazhou Prince and won’t develop any wariness.”
Ji Heng turned his head and looked quietly at Jiang Li. His amber eyes in the fluctuating light were both dark and bright, no longer carrying the amorous pretense of playing along, but containing something more that Jiang Li couldn’t understand.
“Your Grace,” after a moment of silence, Jiang Li finally said, “the one you truly want to deal with is actually the Xiazhou Prince, isn’t it?”
Ji Heng didn’t answer.
Jiang Li continued speaking on her own. “Back then, I don’t know why the Late Emperor drove the Xiazhou Prince to the northwest, but once there, the Xiazhou Prince stayed for many years. His Majesty had no reason to summon him back unless Prince Cheng caused trouble. Once Prince Cheng causes trouble, the Xiazhou Prince will return to the capital. All of this was caused by the three-way division of court power that Your Grace painstakingly created back then. Otherwise, if either side fell first, the timing for the Xiazhou Prince’s appearance would be wrong. Perhaps the Xiazhou Prince was bound to return to the capital sooner or later—maybe not now, but in the future. The reason Your Grace chose this particular timing is simply because this timing is not the most perfect for the Xiazhou Prince.”
“But there’s one thing I don’t understand,” Jiang Li said. “If you want to deal with Yin Zhan, you could certainly use other methods. Why use war, and why openly summon Yin Zhan back to Yanjing? I don’t know why…” She lowered her head and said, “It reminds me of the Xue family and Princess Yongning. I schemed exhaustively to avenge the Xue family, to draw Princess Yongning into the public eye, because only this way could Xue Fangfei’s death see the light of day again. I did it to clear Xue Fangfei’s name. You—what are you doing it for?”
Her voice was clear and gentle, unhurried and measured as she spoke, as if telling someone a tender story. The dim light from outside shone on her profile. The red spots on the girl’s face were also blurred into indistinctness, revealing her delicate features.
The young man chuckled lowly, his voice still indifferent as he said, “Just based on what you said just now, you could die.”
Jiang Li said, “Of course I know that.”
“Then why do you still ask?”
“I hope I can be of help.”
Ji Heng didn’t press aggressively. Whether because he was tired or didn’t want to discuss this matter, he only said, “You can’t help. Don’t waste your effort.”
Jiang Li frowned, and he closed his eyes again, as if extremely weary.
He still hadn’t answered Jiang Li’s question, but regarding Jiang Li’s speculation, he also hadn’t denied it. Jiang Li had already slept, so she wasn’t tired. She simply sat beside Ji Heng, lost in thought.
From a distance, it looked as if she were watching over him.