After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Qin Liang is Captured

 

Zhou Xun did not stay long at the princess’s residence before leaving.

 

He knew clearly that Lu Xiandao could not let go of the matter—Lu Xiandao was a very simple person, someone who valued loyalty and emotions deeply. Qin Liang had killed his most trusted subordinate, and the fire of revenge inside him could not be extinguished. But Zhou Xun also knew that for Lu Xiandao, once he realized that revenge was impossible, even if his heart bled, he would not act.

 

That was Lu Xiandao.

 

After walking a few steps, someone patted him on the shoulder. Zhou Xun turned around and saw Bai Yuxing with a piece of grass in his mouth, looking at him and whistling, “Young Master Zhou, shall we go for a walk together?”

 

Zhou Xun did not expect Bai Yuxing to come find him, but after a moment of thought, he understood the reason why Bai Yuxing was looking for him.

 

So, the two of them walked together. When Zhou Xun had dealt with Miss Zhang’s matter, he was a great benefactor to her, and she was always grateful, often sending Zhou Xun medicinal meals. In Bai Yuxing’s heart, Miss Zhang was his little moon, so sometimes he would run over to Zhou Xun’s side to deliver things for her.

 

This was how they became familiar with each other.

 

They walked together without speaking. After a long while, it was Zhou Xun who broke the silence. He asked, “Are you still thinking about what gift to give?”

 

“…Hmm.” After a long time, Bai Yuxing replied dully.

 

After a while, he spat the grass out and said, “…Here’s the thing, I am the number one rogue in the world, what kind of treasure haven’t I handled? But he’s the prince of the princess… I must find something worthy of him.”

 

“I warn you first,” Zhou Xun said half-jokingly, “don’t go stealing anything. If you steal again, even if Lord Lu is lying in bed, he’ll still get up and catch you.”

 

“That’s just the way he is, always busy with nothing,” Bai Yuxing complained, “And lately, he can’t catch me. He’s injured, and the Jianguo Guard is in chaos. The other day, an old prisoner escaped from inside, taking advantage of the confusion. He said he’d been locked up for almost twenty years, but no one knows what crime he committed.”

 

After a while, he scratched his head and asked, “By the way… Young Master Zhou, the emperor must have given you many gifts, right? What did he give you?”

 

“He gave me…”

 

Zhou Xun couldn’t immediately answer.

 

The emperor had given him many things, but it was hard to summarize them in words. When it came to material gifts, Zhou Xun was at a loss. After thinking for a long time, he could only honestly answer, “He gave me a house.”

 

Bai Yuxing: …

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

He watched as Bai Yuxing gave him a thumbs up, as if to say “poor.”

 

Bai Yuxing noticed a tavern opening in the distance and immediately became excited again. “Forget about it, I’m going ahead!”

 

“Tavern?”

 

“The owner, Cui Cui, is an old acquaintance of mine. I promised her I’d come show support.”

 

Bai Yuxing waved goodbye, and the beautiful tavern owner, Cui Cui, saw him arriving and both smiled and scolded him. Zhou Xun watched his figure and thought to himself that Bai Yuxing was probably what people referred to as a wandering hero of the jianghu.

 

A carefree hero of the jianghu, always enthusiastic, doing whatever comes to mind.

 

He would steal Lord Hou’s cup if he thought of it, rescue Miss Zhang Ling Su if he thought of it. Now, he thought about buying a gift for Lu Xiandao… so he did.

 

He was like a kite, not knowing who was holding the string. Compared to him, Lu Xiandao was far too stubborn and serious.

 

Zhou Xun shook his head, thinking to himself that young Lu still had a long way to go.

 

Today, Zhou Xun had originally planned to go to the outskirts of the city for business. As he passed by a residence, he glanced at the plaque on the door and felt it looked familiar.

 

He had his carriage stop and began racking his memory, but before he could recall anything, a carriage was already parked in front of that residence.

 

Zhou Xun remembered.

 

That seemed to be the Liu family residence—Liu Zhe’s family—the family deeply involved with the notorious activities of Jile Alley. Zhou Xun had originally planned to clean up this family once the war settled down.

 

But he hadn’t expected the Liu family to have a residence here?

 

He looked through the window and saw someone being helped out of the carriage.

 

The first thing that landed on the ground was a sharp foot.

 

That foot seemed to have recently been wrapped. It was obviously a man’s foot, yet it had been wrapped to resemble a woman’s foot from the late dynasty. In the late years of the previous dynasty, foot binding was popular, but the founding of the Jing state had abolished this custom. Even a stubborn traditionalist like Minister Yan had condemned it and did not allow his daughter to bind her feet.

 

However, despite being illegal and punishable if reported, some men still secretly had such a fetish. What Zhou Xun found strange, however, was that no matter how he looked at it, the foot appeared to belong to a man, with signs of being bound when it was first wrapped.

 

Then, a young man in an embroidered long gown was helped out. He appeared to be covered in injuries, his head wrapped in cloth, trembling and looking miserable. He was extremely fearful of these people but did not even attempt to resist. The people near the carriage were still talking.

 

“…I told you, beating him for a few months and he’d settle down! This is how you break a hawk.”

 

“He was still crying and making a scene when he first came, but now he’s finally obedient.”

 

“Did he think he was still a young master?”

 

The young man fell to the ground, covered in mud, still shaking. He seemed to have heard the sound of Zhou Xun’s carriage and lifted his face towards this direction.

 

“Save…” His mouth seemed to silently say this.

 

Zhou Xun drew the curtain down and ordered the carriage to continue forward.

 

After a long time, his assistant asked, “Lord Zhou, should we delay… the matter with the Liu family?”

 

“No need to change plans for such a trivial matter. Jile Alley has long needed to be cleaned up.” Zhou Xun said indifferently.

 

He would not save Zhou Cai. What Zhou Cai suffered was what he deserved. Zhou Cai would experience the same despair he had once felt in the royal palace, if not more.

 

He would not delay dealing with Jile Alley or the Liu family. There were still unknown women and children suffering there, and he would not change his course just to prolong Zhou Cai’s suffering.

 

They were just strangers to each other. That was all.

 

As the carriage reached a bridge, a fast horse caught up with them. Zhou Xun lifted the curtain and heard his subordinate breathlessly reporting.

 

“Lord Zhou… we’ve captured Qin Liang…”

 

…

 

They had caught Qin Liang in an alley in the slums of the capital, and the person who first discovered his whereabouts was Old Man Shen.

 

Now that his enemy of many years had finally been captured, Old Man Shen felt a sense of relief. He knew that the emperor of Northern Wei would never allow Qin Liang to die in Jingguo, so in order to get back at the enemy emperor, Old Man Shen did not make any unreasonable demands. The only thing he asked for was a large handful of Qin Liang’s hair.

 

He burned Qin Liang’s hair in front of Li Zhiwei’s grave. The Duke of the Protectorate came running and scolded him for polluting the environment.

 

Zhou Xun delayed going to see Qin Liang for a while. Although the emperor of Northern Wei wanted Qin Liang alive and returned to Northern Wei, there were still many loopholes to exploit. The guards, as well as the people of Jingguo who knew the details, hated Qin Liang to the bone and would surely make him suffer in small ways.

 

However, for the first few days, Qin Liang still acted arrogantly and disdainfully, refusing to speak unless he saw the leader behind Jingguo. After Zhou Xun reported this to the emperor, the emperor thought for a moment and then his eyes lit up.

 

“I have a good idea.” The emperor said mysteriously, “Wait for me.”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The emperor gestured for Green Medicine to find someone. Soon, an old palace servant came running in.

 

This old palace servant was strong and sturdy, with a kind appearance that also carried a strange glint. The emperor whispered in Zhou Xun’s ear, “This nanny is not only quick at her work, but she and I have a special bond.”

 

“A bond?”

 

The emperor said, “She and I shared the same surname before I traveled across.”

 

“Rong Mama!” The emperor decisively concluded, “I’ll leave this matter to you and Gui Mama!”

 

There were many underhanded and ruthless methods in the imperial harem, and for many years, many of the concubines had studied and mastered these techniques. These harmful methods often shared several common traits— they inflicted immense pain without leaving visible marks on the skin.

 

After all, the ones doing the harm or being harmed were either the palace maids who would meet the emperor or his concubines.

 

Since Consort Zhao had been sent to the temple, these cruel and ruthless old maids had not had the chance to show their skills, feeling somewhat regretful that their various methods had been left unused. Now that the emperor of Northern Wei wanted Qin Liang to return intact, techniques such as acupuncture, poisoning, and other forms of torture that leave no visible wounds were just what the doctor ordered.

 

It was all left to Rong Mama and her team!

 

Rong Mama and the others, forming the imperial harem’s secret punishment squad, truly lived up to their reputation as a family skilled in the art of punishment. In the prison, they showcased their expertise with such force and skill that even the battle-hardened Qin Liang was shaken, crying out in pain while calling them professionals.

 

“So, raising a harem is quite useful!” The emperor gave a thumbs-up. “The palace maids in the Imperial Beauty Palace can play soccer and basketball with me, and perform arts when foreign envoys visit. The mamas can also help with administering torture.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

Only the emperor would use the harem like this.

 

Qin Liang finally spoke.

 

He confessed everything that could be confessed. When Zhou Xun went to see him, he saw the legendary Qin Liang sitting across from him.

 

Qin Liang had been coughing the entire time, but only when he saw Zhou Xun did he raise his head. When he saw Zhou Xun, he was momentarily stunned, his expression confused: “…Xiao Shan?”

 

“I’m dead… and you’ve come?”

 

“I’m not Lin Xiaoshan, you’ve got the wrong person,” Zhou Xun said coldly.

 

Qin Liang seemed to take a long time to come back to himself. After a while, he murmured, “Right, Xiao Shan… he…”

 

Died more than twenty years ago.

 

Qin Liang had always refused to accept the fact that Northern Wei had lost, but Zhou Xun always had methods to make him face the truth. After learning everything, Qin Liang actually let out a bitter laugh and said, “It seems that from now on, for more than a hundred years, Northern Wei will never have the chance to march south again.”

 

His heart had been full of ambitions to lead Northern Wei southward and to be recorded in the annals of history, so learning that this grand vision had been shattered caused him more pain than the injuries to his body.

 

“Yes, you will never have hope in this life,” Zhou Xun said.

 

Qin Liang seemed to age thirty years in an instant, his spirit broken as if he were a true old man. Zhou Xun saw the light fade from his eyes and thought to himself, Qin Liang’s life would not last much longer.

 

Qin Liang had once been defeated by Li Zhiwei’s schemes, and for his whole life, he had dreamed of revenge, unifying the world, and making a name for himself in history. Now, he would never be able to realize this dream. The last breath that had kept him alive was now gone.

 

What made his complexion even grayer was when he learned of Lin Yan’s betrayal. He murmured, “I truly treated her as… the daughter of an old friend, taking care of her.”

 

“Stop being self-pitying,” Zhou Xun said coldly, “Where were you when she was at the Zhou residence? Moreover, isn’t the fate of the Lin family your doing?”

 

“…You are her son, right?” Qin Liang asked, “You are the only heir of the Lin family?”

 

“The emperor obviously knows about this and will soon vindicate the Lin family,” Zhou Xun sneered, “No need to sow discord.”

 

But Qin Liang didn’t seem to be trying to sow discord. After losing his final ambition, he seemed to have lost all his vitality, staring blankly at Zhou Xun’s face.

 

Zhou Xun vaguely felt that Qin Liang was looking through him, seeing someone else.

 

This round of questioning eventually came to an end, but what shocked Zhou Xun was that Qin Liang had confessed another fact.

 

Prince Su!

 

Prince Su had harbored hatred toward the emperor for a long time. The previous emperor had been an indulgent fool, though he could still pretend to be kind and mild on the surface. However, secretly, he had been communicating with Northern Wei, hoping one day to overthrow the emperor and seize the throne that he believed should have been his.

 

In the previous war, Northern Wei’s initial momentum had been unstoppable, and this was due to the intelligence provided by him. He had even passed the defense plans of the entire capital and the Forbidden City through another person.

 

The person he had sent the information to was Qing Ruo. The person who had been silenced after the incident was one of his subordinates.

 

And now, all the rumors circulating in the capital were also under his control. When the emperor went to Yunzhou to pacify the area, he had taken matters into his own hands, buying support from people all over the place.

 

The most critical part was… the current deputy commander of the Imperial Forest Army in the capital was a relative of Prince Su!

 

After learning this news, Zhou Xun felt like he was on fire. His face remained calm, and he said to Qin Liang, “Seven days from now, the emperor will come to take you back to Northern Wei.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Qin Liang coughed twice more. Zhou Xun was about to leave, but as he was leaving, he heard Qin Liang’s hoarse voice, “I heard… Xiao Shan, he left a letter for Ah Yan.”

 

“Lord Qin’s intelligence network is indeed impressive.”

 

“Did that letter… have anything about me?”

 

He only said this sentence and then dared not say more.

 

Zhou Xun stopped, paused, and suddenly understood what Qin Liang was asking.

 

But no matter what he asked, that pure-hearted Lin family head, like a beautiful jade, had been dead for more than twenty years.

 

“No,” Zhou Xun said.

 

Qin Liang muttered, “No… he didn’t mention me?”

 

“He said he never hated you. Even though you deceived him,” Zhou Xun said. “Did you not know? He was just that kind of person.”

 

Qin Liang remained silent for a long time. Zhou Xun added, “Otherwise, how could you have deceived him so easily?”

 

After that, Zhou Xun left the prison. In the shadows of the prison bars, Qin Liang slowly squatted down.

 

He looked like a suffering centipede, curling his body into a ball, letting out a silent wail.

 

Zhou Xun quickly rushed back to the palace, but unfortunately, the emperor was not in the palace. He was anxious and asked Lv Yao, “Where has the emperor gone?”

 

“The emperor should be at Bai Xiang Tavern with Prince Su today. Prince Su has a fine wine and wants to invite the emperor to drink,” Lv Yao said, seeing his troubled expression. “What’s wrong?”

 

“When did the emperor… agree to meet with Prince Su?” Zhou Xun asked.

 

Lv Yao gave a time, and at that moment, Zhou Xun’s face turned pale.

 

That day… was the second day after he captured Qin Liang!

 

Could it be that Prince Su’s invitation was a response born from desperation because of that?

 

“Zhou…”

 

Zhou Xun didn’t listen to any more of Lv Yao’s words. He hurriedly dashed out of the Yangxin Hall.

 

…

 

At the same time, at the Fifth Prince’s mansion.

 

Filthy, chaotic, rancid, the stench—two years ago, no one would have believed that this was the mansion of the Fifth Prince, a place where great scholars once talked and no commoners were allowed.

 

But now, the man lying in this garbage heap, decadent and broken, was the same handsome and spirited Fifth Prince, Rong Fen, from two years ago.

 

In the room that once belonged to Zhou Xun, bottles of alcohol were piled up. Rong Fen lay in that room, drinking bottle after bottle. His old butler had begged him countless times, but he ignored him. In the end, the old butler stopped speaking and let Rong Fen destroy his own body.

 

The pain in his broken knee still throbbed. Rong Fen thought to himself, this was the end of his life.

 

But he didn’t expect that on this day, an unexpected guest would arrive.