Late at night, the Ministry of Justice prison was shrouded in silence, broken only by the sound of water droplets falling from the rock walls, creating a chilling echo. Suddenly, there was a clattering noise. A dozing jailer rubbed his eyes and stood up, the large bunch of keys at his waist jangling. He unhooked them, held them in his hand, and tapped the table while yawning. “Hey, wake up, it’s time for the night patrol.”
Another jailer awoke with a start, rubbed his face, and said, “Layer upon layer of security, what could happen in the middle of the night…”
Cursing under his breath, he got up and went out. “It’s all that eunuch’s fault. We were lax then, but now there’s a row of guards outside, sent by the imperial army. Everyone entering or leaving has to show their identification. Not even a fly can get out, so there’s no need to keep such a close watch. Unless he can dig a tunnel…”
As they reached the cell at the far end, the jailer suddenly stopped, his words cut off. He opened his mouth, eyes widening in disbelief as he rubbed them vigorously, pointing at the chains lying on the ground. “Where is he?”
…
Huo Xian was blindfolded, with shackles on his hands and feet. He had just passed through a narrow, foul-smelling tunnel when he was pushed into a carriage.
The jailer who had brought him out stayed behind, whispering a few words to the coachman. The coachman nodded and soon drove the carriage forward.
Huo Xian leaned heavily against the table inside the carriage. It was the end of the month, and the veins on his wrists had already started to turn black. The pain in his bones made him hold his breath, exhaling slowly and carefully to endure it.
He had guessed correctly; it was tonight.
Zhao Yong was best at timing the onset of the Gu poison to the exact moment.
The carriage sped through the night. Huo Xian smelled the increasingly strong odor of the sewage. The carriage jolted as the ground became more uneven, indicating they had reached a poor neighborhood.
After a while, the carriage stopped.
Huo Xian got out and was pushed into a house. Although his eyes were covered, he could clearly sense someone sitting in the hall.
That person seemed to flick the ash from a smoking pipe but didn’t smoke, just watching him intently.
The coachman gave Huo Xian a shove, causing him to trip over the threshold. His shackles restricted his movement, making him stumble and fall heavily to his knees.
He grunted, coughing heavily.
With blood at the corners of his mouth, bruises on his neck, disheveled hair, and hands worn and repeatedly scabbed from the shackles, he was as pitiful as a stray dog, collapsing to the ground, clenching his fists in pain.
The blindfold slipped off, revealing his bloodshot eyes. He looked at Zhao Yong and gasped, “Godfather, save me…”
Zhao Yong’s aged eyes flickered slightly. He recalled four years ago—no, it was five years now.
At that time, Huo Xian had just joined the Jinyiwei. The selection process was extremely rigorous, but he had survived every stage. While others were battered and barely standing, he stood tall and proud.
A newly crowned youth, his eyes full of disdain.
Zhao Yong intended to toughen him up and threw him into the arena to fight wolves. He killed the wolves but was also injured by them. His arms were nearly bitten off, leaving him lying in a pool of blood, barely alive.
Just like now.
Barely breathing, he said, “Master, save me…”
That was the first time Zhao Yong broke Huo Xian’s spirit, making him submit at his feet.
But Zhao Yong wanted a wolf, not a dog!
To be honest, his feelings for Huo Xian were very complicated. He wanted Huo Xian to willingly devote himself to him, yet he also wanted Huo Xian to remain wild, fierce, and arrogant. He didn’t want Huo Xian to become as mediocre as those who depended on him. In fact, even when Huo Xian coveted the position of the Eastern Depot, Zhao Yong felt both gratified and wary.
Zhao Yong closed his eyes, got up, and tossed a medicine bottle toward Huo Xian before leaving the room.
As soon as the door closed, the ferocious and painful expression on Huo Xian’s face disappeared. He propped himself up, gritting his teeth.
After taking the medicine, he sighed in relief and lay heavily on the ground.
With no one around, he suddenly began to laugh silently.
–
The candlelight flickered, casting shadows on Shen Lanxin’s porcelain-white face. Her eyes were red from crying, her tears soaking Shen Qingli’s chest.
She collected herself and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “The Shen family was implicated because of the Eastern Palace. I don’t know if the Crown Prince truly plotted rebellion or if my father was involved. At first, I had to hide everywhere. Later, Emperor Chenghe found me and explained the truth. With his assistance, I entered the palace and joined the music bureau, gaining the chance to appear at palace banquets. I was fortunate to be chosen by Zhao Yong as a ‘spy,’ sent to various officials’ residences in the capital to gather information. Through many twists and turns, I finally made it to the Huo residence.”
Shen Qingli understood that Emperor Chenghe intentionally revealed the truth to Shen Lanxin to ensure she aligned with him.
Shen Lanxin had to become the most outstanding ‘spy’ Zhao Yong had placed in Huo Xian’s inner circle, gaining Zhao Yong’s trust to maneuver for Huo Xian while preventing Zhao Yong from planting more spies around him.
It was a strategy that served multiple purposes.
In fact, after learning about her existence, he had already guessed most of it. Hearing her recount it in detail, he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart.
She, a woman…
How did she survive in this treacherous capital full of wolves and tigers?
Shen Qingli pursed his lips, clenched his fists, and said, “It’s my fault. If I had found you back then, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
Shen Lanxin shook her head, “I don’t consider it suffering. Huo Xian is the one who… Brother, please help him.”
She suddenly grabbed Shen Qingli’s hand, “The new emperor has his own plans, but it’s not fair. I’ve laid everything out. He was your childhood friend. Brother, can you really bear to see him die unjustly?”
“I—” Shen Qingli struggled to speak. Even if Huo Xian was truly Zhao Yong’s accomplice, he couldn’t bear to see him die.
But right now, it wasn’t a matter of whether he wanted to help or not.
He opened his mouth, about to say more, when Zhoushu knocked urgently on the door, “Master!”
Shen Qingli’s face changed slightly. He said to Shen Lanxin, “I have urgent business. Stay in my residence. With the rebels not yet captured and the situation unclear, don’t wander around.”
Having said that, he hurried out.
Zhoushu leaned in to whisper a few words, and Shen Qingli immediately quickened his pace.
On this dark and windy night, Shen Qingli led a team of shadow guards and hunting dogs along the streets. The cuffs of Huo Xian’s prison uniform were dusted with a special powder, which had been scattered along the way. The dogs followed the scent, leading the group to a shabby house at the end of an alley.
The shadow guards pushed open the door, only to find the house empty.
The wick was still warm, and even the tea on the table hadn’t cooled yet.
From the moment Huo Xian disappeared to their pursuit, it was only a brief time, yet Zhao Yong and his men had already relocated!
Shen Qingli clutched the teacup in his hand and suddenly smashed it to the ground.
“Damn it, that bastard is really cautious!”
–
Huo Xian sat in a carriage. This one was spacious and more luxurious and sturdy than the previous one, the type typically used by nobles. It was steady and did not jolt. They dared to ride in such a carriage at night, heading boldly towards the city gate, which meant they had someone to meet them. They were confident they could leave the city smoothly.
Despite the strict guard at the city gate, the garrison was clearly full of holes.
Indeed, Wen Hui might be a scheming man, but he lacked the necessary shrewdness. The soldiers he inherited from that fool couldn’t possibly form an impenetrable wall; Zhao Yong had probably infiltrated them long ago.
Huo Xian was glad he had intercepted Xiao Cheng’s men outside Taiyuan Prefecture. Otherwise, if the enemy had reached the imperial city, it was uncertain whether they could have held it.
At this moment, four people were seated around a small, square table. Zhao Yong faced Xiao Yuanjing, while Huo Xian sat opposite Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng was always taciturn. Since Huo Xian boarded the carriage, he hadn’t spoken a word, but his sharp eagle-like eyes remained fixed on Huo Xian. Huo Xian didn’t look at him; he had changed into clean clothes, no longer looking disheveled.
No one spoke; only the sound of Zhao Yong brushing the tea cover could be heard.
When they reached the city gate, the carriage paused briefly before being allowed to continue.
Once outside the city, Xiao Cheng finally asked expressionlessly, “Where have you hidden Ting’er?”
Huo Xian looked at him, then put on his usual fake amiable expression and said, “Yuanting is my friend. Since he’s a friend, I’m naturally taking good care of him. Rest assured, Duke, he’s been living happily these days.”
Zhao Yong put down his teacup. His tone was softer than Xiao Cheng’s, but it carried a chilling hint of amusement. “Do you think you can survive by holding onto Young Master Xiao?”
He still referred to Xiao Yuanting as Young Master Xiao, such a distant term, because he didn’t yet know that Huo Xian had uncovered his ties with the Xiao family. Zhao Yong clearly had no intention of making this matter public.
Huo Xian didn’t expose him. He simply said, “Everyone wants to live, Godfather. I don’t want to die either.”
Xiao Cheng snorted coldly, his face dark and sinister. “Huo Xian, look at the current situation. How dare you negotiate terms?”
Huo Xian continued to look at Zhao Yong. “The new emperor, in order to build his reputation, has committed brutal and inhumane acts behind the scenes. The plague in the capital was his doing, the late emperor was killed by him, and the former empress was forced by him. I know too many of his dirty secrets. Even if you hadn’t helped me escape, he wouldn’t have kept me alive. He is a bridge-burner, not a good ruler. He can’t use me, but you can.”
Xiao Cheng mocked him, “A bridge-burner? You dare accuse others of that? You turned to us because you had nowhere else to go. With Jingchen gone, you’re afraid of death, aren’t you, Lord Huo?”
Huo Xian didn’t respond, but a slight smirk tugged at his lips. His gaze remained fixed on Zhao Yong, waiting for his decision.
Zhao Yong was deep in thought.
After a moment, he tossed a piece of black cloth to Huo Xian. Huo Xian paused briefly, trying not to show too much joy, and immediately blindfolded himself.
Xiao Cheng, displeased, said, “Are you really going to take him with us?”
Zhao Yong replied slowly, “Besides your son, he also has control of the Jinyiwei.”
The Jinyiwei was a unique entity. The battle at Taiyuan had somewhat alleviated their guilt, but the court had not rewarded them. Meanwhile, after the new emperor ascended the throne, the Eastern Depot was thoroughly purged, but the Jinyiwei did not suffer the same fate. All the blame for the Northern Branch’s crimes had been placed on Huo Xian, and the remaining minor officials seemed to have been forgotten.
The Jinyiwei were still operational. They received their salaries and performed trivial tasks, though they were no longer central to power, akin to their status five years ago when they were not in favor.
The Jinyiwei were like a sheathed sword—silent now, but deadly when drawn.
This was the basis for Huo Xian’s confidence in sitting here.
Xiao Cheng, a military man, looked down on the Jinyiwei. “So what? They’re a bunch of rats, not worth mentioning. Only you would find them useful.”
Zhao Yong said nothing, taking a sip of tea.
Xiao Yuanjing was sweating profusely. He had no place in this conversation. He glanced at Huo Xian, but gleaned no useful information from his partially hidden face.
He withdrew his gaze, noticing Huo Xian’s hand hidden under the small table.
Huo Xian’s fingers were tracing patterns on the seat. When the carriage turned a corner, he marked it with a horizontal stroke.
He was… mapping the route.
