Duan Zhihong gritted his teeth and said, “You search for trees in the mountains that can be used to build a bridge. I’ll return to the city first to report this matter to the Governor. I hope Second Young Master will be blessed by heaven and be safe.”

After the soldiers agreed, Duan Zhihong hurried down the mountain, mounted the horse waiting there, and galloped toward the city gates, barely managing to enter before they closed.

Upon reaching the Governor’s residence, he dismounted and entered, quickly making his way to Songtao Residence. He said to the servant guarding the door, “Please announce me – I have urgent matters to discuss with the Governor.”

At this moment, Wan Shi happened to come out. Upon hearing Duan Zhihong’s words, she said indifferently, “The Governor just took his medicine and is resting now. Come back tomorrow.” Since Li Xuanba’s death, Li Yuan had been consumed with thoughts of his son. Despite the comfort offered by Wan Shi and others, his mood remained perpetually gloomy, and his complexion grew worse by the day. The physicians who examined him all said this was a heart ailment that couldn’t be cured – they could only prescribe medicine to calm his mind and spirit.

Duan Zhihong gritted his teeth and bowed, saying, “Second Madam, this concerns Second Young Master’s safety. This subordinate dare not delay.”

Wan Shi’s eyelid twitched as she asked in surprise, “Second Young Master? What has happened?”

Under her questioning, Duan Zhihong had no choice but to recount how Li Shimin had fallen off the cliff together with the assassin. Even with Wan Shi’s composure, she couldn’t help but gasp. After a long pause, she asked, “Have you found Second Young Master?”

Duan Zhihong shook his head, saying, “That mountain path is extremely difficult to traverse, and there’s a cliff face several zhang wide blocking the way. Before I came, I had them search the mountains for trees that could bridge the gap.”

Wan Shi nodded and said, “Follow me inside.”

After thanking her, Duan Zhihong followed Wan Shi into Songtao Residence. Li Yuan was half-reclining on the couch with his eyes closed, resting. Lamps had already been lit in the room, and under the orange candlelight, Li Yuan’s face was pale as paper, with obvious thinning in both cheeks.

Wan Shi approached him and said gently, “Governor, Guard Duan from Second Young Master’s side has come with urgent matters to report.” She naturally wouldn’t volunteer information about Li Shimin’s fall, to avoid being blamed.

Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes and, with her support, sat up straight. Looking at Duan Zhihong, he said, “Speak. What is it?”

Duan Zhihong forced himself to remain calm and said tremblingly, “Reporting to the Governor, we previously received word that traces of Ajin were found outside the city. Second Young Master personally led this subordinate and others to search. Although we found Ajin, the killer murdered him first. Later, while pursuing the assassin, Second Young Master… he… he…”

Duan Zhihong’s hesitation made Li Yuan sense something was wrong. He pressed, “What happened to him?”

Duan Zhihong knelt down and said tremblingly, “Second Young Master unfortunately fell off the cliff together with the assassin! His fate is unknown!”

These words struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in Li Yuan’s mind and leaving his thoughts blank. After a long while, he pushed away Wan Shi, who was trying to comfort him softly, and ran barefoot to Duan Zhihong. He grabbed him from the ground, his face contorted with rage, and said, “What did you say? Say it again!”

“Second Young Master… fell off the cliff together with the assassin!” Duan Zhihong said these words with difficulty, then continued, “This subordinate failed to protect Second Young Master properly. This subordinate deserves death. Please punish me, Governor!”

Li Yuan stared at him coldly and said in a harsh voice, “You… indeed deserve death!” With that, he shouted angrily, “Guards! Drag Duan Zhihong away and give him forty heavy strokes!”

He had just lost one son and hadn’t yet recovered from the grief. Now another son had fallen off a cliff with unknown fate – how could he accept this?

Duan Zhihong knelt silently on the ground. Even if Li Yuan killed him now, he wouldn’t say a word. In fact, from the moment Li Shimin fell off the cliff, he had been consumed with self-blame. If he had followed more closely or acted faster, perhaps Li Shimin wouldn’t have fallen.

Wan Shi approached and said gently, “Governor, please calm your anger. The most important thing now is to find Second Young Master. Perhaps he’s blessed with good fortune and only suffered minor injuries, with no threat to his life.”

“I hope so!” Saying this, Li Yuan glared at Duan Zhihong hatefully and asked, “Have you sent people to search?”

Duan Zhihong quickly recounted the situation, then said, “By now, they’ve likely crossed the cliff face, but since the city gates are closed, they can only leave the city tomorrow!”

Li Yuan’s expression changed constantly. After a while, he took his clothes and put them on, then slipped on his shoes. Wan Shi asked in surprise, “Governor, where are you going?”

“Out of the city!” After dropping these two words, Li Yuan strode out quickly, with Duan Zhihong hurrying to follow.

After they left, Zhaixing whispered, “Madam, aren’t the city gates closed? How will the Governor get out?”

Wan Shi stared at the darkness outside that had swallowed Li Yuan and his companion, saying coldly, “The Governor is the head of this commandery. Whether the city gates open or close is merely a matter of his word. However, if this matter spreads, it will likely cause much trouble, especially if it reaches the ears of those people in Luoyang. After all, since the Great Sui Dynasty was established, the rule has been set that city gates cannot be opened without permission except for major military or state affairs.”

Zhaixing nodded slightly, then asked in confusion, “If that’s the case, why didn’t you remind the Governor?”

Wan Shi took her hand and walked outside, saying coolly, “The Governor is now completely focused on Second Young Master’s safety. How could he listen to my words? If I spoke inappropriately, he might think I don’t care about Second Young Master’s life or death.” With that, she sighed, “In this residence, every word spoken requires careful consideration – one cannot be careless.”

As for Yunyi’s side, after falling off the cliff together with Li Shimin, fortunately the tree branches growing on the cliff edge slowed their fall and prevented them from dying, though they were both severely injured. She didn’t regain consciousness until nightfall, her entire body feeling as if it had been torn apart and aching terribly. Fortunately, her hands and feet could still move, so her bones shouldn’t be injured. After the pain subsided slightly, she forced herself to sit up. Looking around, she discovered Li Shimin lying unconscious not far away. His condition was worse than Yunyi’s, with several deep wounds on his body from tree branches.

Yunyi endured the pain and crawled to Li Shimin’s side. The face covering had disappeared – it must have been caught by branches during the fall. She wondered if Li Shimin had seen her appearance. If he had, once he woke up, her identity would be exposed, and moreover… her life would be in danger. The best solution would be to kill Li Shimin now while she had the chance!

Thinking of this, a cold glint appeared in her eyes. Her right hand moved slightly, and a dagger appeared in her palm. She gripped the handle tightly and thrust it toward Li Shimin’s chest, but when she was halfway there, she found she couldn’t continue.

This man had disregarded Wang Wei’s threats and family pressure to insist on protecting her. This man had helped her clear her name in the murder of Chunxiu. This same man had taken great care and effort to prove Wu Laosan’s age, thereby sparing Wu Laosan from forced labor.