The third watch drum sounded in the silent night. Fu Tinghan stuck his head out to look at the soldiers guarding not far away, then leaned back against the wall and pushed Zhao Ju. “It’s time. Let’s go.”

Zhao Ju was about to lead his men out when Ji Yuan, staying at the back, grabbed him. “Wait. Do you know who to find once you get inside?”

“Find the lord.”

“What if you can’t find the lord?”

Zhao Ju glared. “How could we not find the lord?”

Ji Yuan lowered his voice. “Don’t be impulsive. After you get in, first go find Sanniang and follow her instructions. If the lord is safe, bring Sanniang and Erlang out. I’ll be waiting at the west city gate. You must reach the gate before the hour of mao. So you must arrive at the city gate before mao hour.”

“But if the lord has… you should mix in with the household guards and protect Sanniang and Erlang. Don’t act rashly.”

Zhao Ju glared. “What kind of orders are these?”

Fu Tinghan had a bad premonition. “Mr. Ji, are you saying Grandfather Zhao might…”

Ji Yuan turned his head to stare at him intently. “Fu Dalang, this mission is dangerous. You don’t need to come along. You can just stay here and wait for news.”

Fu Tinghan insisted on seeing Zhao Hanzhang to be at ease. He shook his head. “I’m coming with you. Don’t worry, I won’t hold you back.”

He thought for a moment and added, “If we’re discovered, you can leave me behind to deal with them. My grandfather is the Administrator. They won’t harm me.”

Ji Yuan raised an eyebrow and bowed with cupped hands. “Fu Dalang is righteous indeed.”

Fu Tinghan thought to himself that he wasn’t being righteous at all. If Teacher Zhao weren’t inside, he wouldn’t wade into these murky waters.

Zhao Ju selected ten skilled fighters to follow and divided them into two teams, quietly scaling the Jia family’s wall and jumping inside.

Fu Tinghan stepped on a guard’s shoulder and managed to get over the wall fairly smoothly. He jumped down, scanned the courtyard, and said in a low voice, “This is the Jia family’s northern rear courtyard. Crossing directly through would be too dangerous. Let’s go to the back and circle around the wall to the east side. We can climb in from there. We’ll need to pass through three courtyards and two long corridors…”

Zhao Ju had originally wanted to charge through. He had accompanied the lord to the Jia family before and though not very familiar with the rear courtyard, he could still force his way through if he picked a direction. But Fu Tinghan’s plan… seemed reasonable too.

Zhao Ju decided to follow his lead, so the group quietly made their way to the back. Somehow Fu Tinghan ended up leading at the front.

This was the rear courtyard where the gatekeepers were all servant women. There were basically no male servants on patrol, and this was the zi hour—when people were most drowsy and slept most deeply. The group scaled walls when they encountered gates and hurried through corridors, reaching the eastern wall with alarming but no actual danger.

Fu Tinghan didn’t have them climb directly over but walked along the wall, going about thirty-some steps before stopping. “Climb over from here.”

Zhao Ju had been watching him the whole way. “Fu Dalang, how are you so familiar with the Jia family?”

The Jia family had no young lords in the capital—only ladies. Yet he was so familiar with the rear courtyard. How was the color atop his family’s lady’s head?

Fu Tinghan was still examining the wall before him and replied without looking back, “Didn’t Mr. Ji give us a map of the Jia family’s inner residence?”

He pressed against the wall to listen, confirming, “We’ll enter from here. It’s closer to the Qingyi Pavilion and farther from the outer wall and corner gate they’re guarding. If we’re quiet enough, we shouldn’t be discovered.”

Zhao Ju looked up, stepped back a few paces, took a running start and jumped, using the wall to fly upward. He reached down from above. “Pass Fu Dalang up to me.”

A retainer had already knelt down, letting Fu Tinghan step on his shoulder to climb upward.

With Zhao Ju’s help, Fu Tinghan jumped down from the wall. He couldn’t help but look up at the retainers leaping down from the wall—their movements were light and agile, landing almost silently.

So there really was such a thing as qinggong in this world?

This body seemed to be only sixteen—the age of a high school student. It shouldn’t be too late to start learning martial arts now, right?

Once all of Zhao Ju’s men had gathered, he said quietly, “Let’s go find the young lady now.”

Fu Tinghan came back to his senses and thought for a moment. “Let’s check the Qingyi Pavilion first.”

Fu Tinghan was even more familiar with the Zhao residence. After all, during this time he had come here almost daily—firstly to familiarize himself with this world, and secondly to practice his spoken language. He and Zhao Hanzhang often wandered around the Zhao residence away from others, so he knew it very well.

Better than Zhao Ju, who had followed Zhao Changyu for twenty-some years.

He expertly led them around to the Qingyi Pavilion. It was very quiet inside, without even a single lamp lit. Fu Tinghan took one look and said, “She’s not at the Qingyi Pavilion. Let’s go to the main courtyard.”

Given Teacher Zhao’s personality, after something like this happened, she couldn’t possibly still be asleep.

The group made their way to the main courtyard. Sure enough, the courtyard was brightly lit with lamps and candles. In the quiet night, Fu Tinghan faintly heard crying.

He grew anxious and quickened his pace. Zhao Ju quickly pulled him back, saying quietly, “We are men the lord secretly gave to the young lady. We cannot appear before people.”

Fu Tinghan calmed down and thought briefly before saying, “You come in with me. If people from the second branch ask, just say you’re from my Fu family.”

“This…”

“What are you afraid of? I’m the Zhao family’s son-in-law. When my wife’s family is in trouble, isn’t it natural for the son-in-law to bring people to rescue his wife’s clan?”

Zhao Ju thought about it and realized it made sense, so he had the others scatter and hide in the darkness while he followed Fu Tinghan inside.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the people in the yard were startled and turned around in terror, thinking the soldiers outside had broken in.

When they saw clearly it was Fu Dalang, joy burst from their eyes. A maid scrambled and crawled inside. “Sanniang, Sanniang, the young master is here! The young master has brought people to rescue us!”

Zhao Hanzhang, her face covered in tears, looked up. She gripped the hand that had already grown soft and lost its warmth, crying too hard to speak.

Fu Tinghan strode quickly inside, ignoring Zhao Ji and Zhao Dalang who came to meet him, and went straight to kneel on one knee behind Zhao Hanzhang, reaching out to embrace her.

“Worthy nephew, outside…” Zhao Ji watched Fu Tinghan pass him by, the rest of his words choking in his throat.

Fu Tinghan held Zhao Hanzhang and glanced toward the bed, meeting the slightly open eyes of Zhao Changyu. He pressed his lips together, his face solemn as he raised his hand to cover his eyelids, saying quietly, “Grandfather Zhao, rest assured. I will take good care of them.”

His hand slid down, and Zhao Changyu gently closed his eyes.

The room filled with weeping. Zhao Hanzhang made no sound at all, only silently shedding tears.

Fu Tinghan lifted her up and helped her sit to one side. He gripped her shoulders, half-kneeling before her, staring into her eyes. “What do you want to do? I’ll help you.”

Zhao Hanzhang raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face. After looking at him for a long time, she said, “Help me take a memorial out. Please ask Grandfather Fu to submit it to His Majesty.”

Fu Tinghan: “You’re not coming out with me?”

Zhao Hanzhang shook her head and turned to look at Zhao Changyu, who lay on the bed without a breath of life. “I must fulfill his wish and preserve the entire Zhao family.”

No one was more suitable than her.