The Blood Crown - Chapter 84

As the day broke, Liang Guang went to discuss the matter with Zhao Fuyi because of Ge Zhong’s extraordinary status; they didn’t dare to act rashly.

Although the court had delegated the investigation of the Liang Wang’s rebellion case to Zhao Fuyi and Liang Guang to assist, according to the law, Ge Zhong, being a first-rank official, was not eligible to be tried by a local inspector. He should have been escorted back to the capital for trial by the Three Law Departments.

Originally, the case of the Liang Wang’s rebellion occurred in the Two Lakes region, involving mostly local officials. Since the Prince was already dead, it was deemed appropriate for the trial to take place locally. No one expected the case to involve the Governor-General. Zhao Fuyi, though acting on imperial orders, lacked confidence and didn’t dare to rashly apprehend Ge Zhong from his mansion. Apart from potentially alerting him, it could also bring trouble upon themselves.

However, with solid evidence at hand, they couldn’t remain idle.

At this moment, they should urgently send a memorial eight hundred miles to the capital. But once the memorial reached the capital, it would inevitably be known to Xie Zhongren. Everyone knew Ge Zhong was Xie’s protégé. He could inform Ge Zhong covertly to destroy the evidence, leaving them in a dilemma.

In the end, they came up with a solution: since the descendants of the Liang Wang were all relatives of the imperial family, they should also be escorted back to the capital for trial, as local trial would contradict the law. They would request another imperial decree from the Emperor, explicitly stating the exceptional nature of this case to gain public support. Otherwise, they would be in a difficult situation.

This way, they could obtain an imperial decree to apprehend all involved parties without alarming anyone.

Liang Guang dispatched messengers to urgently deliver the memorial to the capital.

Zhao Fuyi ordered scouts to secretly monitor the movements of the Governor-General’s mansion, while Liang Guang brought in all the official documents signed and supervised by Ge Zhong since his appointment, especially those related to the Liang Wang. With Xu Kai and Yan Sikong, they searched through the vast sea of documents for more favorable evidence.

Yan Sikong was sorting through all the case files when suddenly, his gaze lingered on a letter.

Xu Kai glanced at him. “What’s that?”

“It’s the persuasion letter Ge sent to the Liang Wang that day.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Guang raised his head. “The correspondence between the two should be closely examined. But… we, the Crown Prince, and I all read this letter on the spot.”

“Yes.” Yan Sikong moved the candlestick closer to himself and shook the thin paper slowly. “We did read it.” Then he was about to set it aside.

“Wait!” Liang Guang widened his eyes and hurried over.

Yan Sikong was startled. “General, what’s wrong?”

Xu Kai also approached.

Liang Guang took the letter from Yan Sikong’s hand, looked it over carefully, and then spread it out, gently placing it above the candle flame. To their surprise, faint writing began to appear in the blank space of the letter!

All three were shocked to see the words: “Reinforcements are coming swiftly.”

They exchanged glances.

Xu Kai pointed at the letter, lowering his voice unconsciously. “I’ve heard that using acidic ink, once dried, the writing disappears, but when held up to firelight, it reappears through the paper’s translucency.”

Liang Guang said gravely, “Ge Zhong, to use such means to communicate with the enemy right under our noses, is despicable and shameless!”

Yan Sikong also exclaimed angrily, “He actually played such a trick on General, luckily our army delayed for a few days using his grandson; otherwise, if the reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet, a battle would be hard to predict.”

Liang Guang showed a relieved expression. “It was indeed extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, the Liang Wang died by his own hand, leaving no testimony. I fear this villain will try to wriggle out with sophistry.”

“No, we have plenty of evidence in our hands. He will be made to face justice,” Xu Kai said, then furrowed his brows. “But, Ge Zhong is Xie Gonggong’s man…”

Liang Guang sighed heavily. “General Zhao and I are worried about this as well.” He carefully put away the letter. “This matter must not leak out. Once the imperial decree arrives, we will apprehend him.”

“Yes!”

During the days of awaiting the imperial decree, they were also tirelessly searching for evidence of Ge Zhong’s corruption, embezzlement, abuse of power, and dereliction of duty. While rebellion would be the most advantageous charge to overthrow a frontier official, they needed more accusations to discredit him and alienate the public, arousing the anger of both the court and the people. And these pieces of evidence were not hard to find. After they captured Ge Zhong, more evidence would surely come pouring in like snowflakes.

In this manner, Yan Sikong naturally busied himself day and night. He hadn’t seen Feng Ye for several days, but little did he expect that when he finally saw him, Feng Ye would appear angry and injured.

Yan Sikong was secretly summoned back by Xue Bo. Obviously, Feng Ye didn’t want to alert anyone. Upon hearing that Feng Ye was injured, Yan Sikong naturally felt anxious and quickly made up an excuse to return to the inn.

“Feng Ye!” Yan Sikong burst into Feng Ye’s bedroom, only to find Feng Ye sitting at the table, his left arm wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, his face slightly swollen, covered in dirt, and bearing signs of a scuffle.

Feng Ye’s expression was frosty as he stared straight at Yan Sikong.

“What happened to you? Xue Bo said you were injured?” Yan Sikong approached. “Did the previous knife wound reopen? Who did you fight with?” He reached out to inspect Feng Ye’s wound.

His hand was halfway there when Feng Ye abruptly opened it.

Yan Sikong was taken aback. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Feng Ye said coldly, “You want to know who I fought with?”

Yan Sikong remained calm on the surface, but he already had a guess in his mind.

Feng Ye stood up, his tall figure exerting an invisible pressure. He gritted his teeth. “I was tasked with monitoring the Governor-General’s mansion and couldn’t afford to relax for a moment. But unexpectedly, I saw a suspicious figure near the mansion, seemingly observing us in secret. Guess who that person was?”

Yan Sikong took a step back, calmly saying, “Who was it?”

“Your ‘brother Liu’.” Feng Ye scrutinized Yan Sikong’s reaction carefully.

Yan Sikong pursed his lips slightly, maintaining eye contact with Feng Ye. “And then?”

“He noticed me following him and tried to flee.” Feng Ye narrowed his eyes. “Why would he run if he had nothing to hide?”

“Feng Ye, please sit down. We…” 

“Why did he run?” Feng Ye’s voice grew louder. “Ever since I saw him at your house, I had a feeling he was not ordinary. He’s not just some commoner from the jianghu. Today, I tested him and found out he’s skilled in lightness arts. Yet, he managed to escape. Who is he? Why is he in Jingzhou?”

Yan Sikong knew that arguing that he didn’t know anything at this point wouldn’t be believable to Feng Ye. So, he sighed lightly and said, “He indeed isn’t surnamed Liu, nor is he an ordinary person from the jianghu. His name is She Zhun, known in the jianghu as ‘Heaven’s Leader, Hundred Spirits’. He’s a formidable information broker.”

“How do you know him? And why is he in Jingzhou?”

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. “Feng Ye, can you please sit down first and listen to me calmly?”

After staring at Yan Sikong for a moment, Feng Ye realized he might have been too impatient. He turned around and sat back down on the chair.

Yan Sikong also sat across from him and began to speak slowly, “He did help me when I was destitute. He travels all over, never staying in one place for long. That day at my house, he was indeed passing through the capital and came to catch up with me.”

Feng Ye remained skeptical. “But why did he coincidentally appear in Jingzhou?”

Yan Sikong spoke without blinking, “I didn’t ask him to come to Jingzhou, but he was asked by someone else to investigate the Liang Wang. As for who tasked him and what he was investigating, I didn’t inquire, and he wouldn’t say. He didn’t know I had accompanied you south until I entered Kui Prefecture. When I entered the city, he came to see me once, and in his words, he was inquiring about the Liang Wang.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

Feng Ye clenched his fist. “Don’t blame me for being impulsive. With such a coincidence, how can I believe your story?”

Yan Sikong calmly replied, “Then what do you think I have to hide with him?”

“I…” Feng Ye was momentarily speechless. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but the feeling that Yan Sikong had been hiding something from him had been growing increasingly heavy. This feeling made him uneasy and prone to suspicion. Encountering She Zhun this time confirmed his suspicions, making it difficult for him to easily believe Yan Sikong’s explanation. Yet, he couldn’t articulate what exactly he could suspect.

Yan Sikong stood up, moistened a cloth with water, returned to the table, and gently wiped Feng Ye’s cheeks. He spoke softly, “I don’t blame you for doubting me. I did indeed conceal his identity. He acts mysteriously, and no one in the jianghu knows his true identity. You mustn’t reveal it.”

Feng Ye turned his face away, unkindly saying, “I’m not from the jianghu. Who would I tell, and what benefit would I gain from telling anyone?”

Yan Sikong held his chin, turning his face back to him, and continued to wipe it. He said softly, “Feng Ye, you are the Crown Prince. Perhaps you look down on the rough and tumble of the jianghu, but I roamed for ten years, befriended many chivalrous individuals, and received much kindness from them, which allowed me to survive until today. After entering officialdom, I almost cut off contact with them all, but She Zhun has shown me kindness, and I have always remembered it. Do you understand?”

Feng Ye looked up at him, his dark and profound eyes gleaming. “Are you telling the truth?”

Yan Sikong said seriously, “All of it. She Zhun and I parted ways here. We may never meet again in this lifetime, and there will be no further involvement between us. Can you please not pursue him again? Just think of it as a favor to me.”

Feng Ye lowered his head, pondering.

Yan Sikong breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, with a touch of worry in his eyes.

He never expected Feng Ye to encounter She Zhun. It was truly a chink in his armor. Feng Ye’s suspicions of him were growing, making it increasingly difficult to deceive him. He only hoped that at least the matter with Ge Zhong could be glossed over. If he didn’t avenge this enmity, what face would he have to meet Yuan Mao after his death?

Feng Ye lifted his head again. “Kong’er, if it were anyone else, I would definitely investigate thoroughly, but you… I promise you.”

Yan Sikong smiled with relief. “Thank you.”

Feng Ye hugged his waist, muttered, “Do you have something you’re hiding from me?”

Yan Sikong stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know… I…” Feng Ye looked a little puzzled. “I don’t know why, but I always feel like you’re hiding something from me. Maybe it’s because you never mention the past, never mention the ten years of separation. You always seem so mysterious to me. I can’t figure out what’s on your mind.”

Yan Sikong gently cupped Feng Ye’s face and said softly, “Do you want to hear about my past?”

“I don’t want to force you to reopen old wounds. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask, but…” Feng Ye hesitated for a moment. “If you trust me, why not tell me? Maybe saying it out loud will make you feel better, and I’m willing to share the burden with you.”

Yan Sikong traced Feng Ye’s eyebrows and eyes with his fingertips gently. He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. “I trust you. You’re probably the only person in this world I trust completely… Alright! After the dust settles on the rebellion case, with no trivial matters to distract us, I’ll prepare a good pot of wine and tell you everything about the past. How about that?”

Feng Ye smiled with relief. “Alright.”

“What about you? Will you hide nothing from me?”

Feng Ye said seriously, “As long as you ask, I will tell you everything, without reservation.”

Yan Sikong hugged Feng Ye’s head tightly, lightly kissing his hair, letting Feng Ye stroke his back. The warmth and strength of his palm gave him the security he needed at this moment.

The two of them hugged like this for a while. Suddenly, Feng Ye muttered softly, “She Zhun is quite handsome. Do you have any thoughts about him?”

Yan Sikong laughed and scolded, “Nonsense! When have I ever shown any interest in men?”

“What about me?”

“You’re you, unrelated to gender.”

Feng Ye hugged the person in his arms tightly. (End of this chapter)