Chapter 3: The Elephant of the North Sea

The sun had already shifted westward, and the Du family was in a state of panic.

Qinglan, with tears in her eyes, helped Lady Lufeng slowly sit down in the front hall.

"How could this happen?" Lady Lufeng sobbed, completely at a loss, wiping her tears and asked, "Quan Rui, what should we do now?"

Quan Rui, an experienced old steward, had become the only pillar of support for the Du family. He pondered and said, "This grave accusation... we must inform the Crown Prince immediately."

"Yes, yes." Lady Lufeng hurriedly said, "Then send someone quickly."

"Quan Fu, go quickly." Quan Rui immediately instructed his son, "To the residence of the Ten Princes, the Crown Prince is not in the Eastern Palace, go to the residence of the Ten Princes."

"Understood."

Quan Fu responded and immediately ran out.

"Do not worry, Madam." Quan Rui's eyes were full of fear, but he tried to remain calm, "Master has always been cautious in his words and actions. The accusation of 'falsely claiming prophecies, plotting with the Eastern Palace, and criticizing the imperial carriage' is baseless! I believe they will release him once the truth is revealed."

Lady Lufeng patted her chest, muttering, "That's good, that's good."

Suddenly, someone in the hall spoke up—

"The officials did not search the Du residence just now."

Everyone turned to look and saw that it was Xue Bai, who had been taken in just three days ago.

"You, young boy." Quan Rui said, "The Du residence has no 'prophecies,' no letters of collusion, and no words of criticism. What is there to search for?"

Xue Bai asked, "If the Du residence has no evidence, and the officials know this, how could they dare to arrest people directly?"

"This..."

Quan Rui thought for a moment and muttered, "Yes, they should know that Master is innocent."

Xue Bai asked again, "They have arrested people and plan to charge them, but how will they charge them?"

"How will they charge them?" Quan Rui pondered, "Perhaps they set up a ritual today to have a scoundrel falsely accuse the prophecies? Daoist Fang is still in the residence, we must find a way to send him away and burn those ritual tools."

"No." Xue Bai reminded, "They did not take Daoist Fang or the ritual tools, which means these are not key to the charges. If we try to cover them up, it will make us look guilty."

"Yes." Lady Lufeng sobbed, "A ritual alone shouldn't be enough, right?"

"The ritual just ended, there must be more to it." Xue Bai pondered and asked, "Does the Du family have any other weaknesses?"

At this point, everyone had stopped crying and stared at Xue Bai with wide eyes, amazed at how calm this young boy was.

Not only was he calm, but he even dared to question the master of the house, as if he were the judge in charge of the case.

Quan Rui couldn't help but scold, "You, young boy..."

"Let Xue Bai figure it out." Du Wulang hurriedly said, "He comes from a distinguished family and associates with people like imperial consorts and military governors."

Quan Rui was slightly surprised and nodded, sighing, "Although Master is a subordinate of the Eastern Palace, it's just a nominal position. He rarely talks to other officials, so how could he have any weaknesses? No weaknesses! Except for..."

"Except for Liu Langyu?" Xue Bai asked.

Quan Rui suddenly shivered, realizing, "Is it true that Liu Langyu left evidence in someone else's hands?!"

This was exactly what Xue Bai had planned to ask Du Wulang about, whether Liu Ji's visit to Pingkang Fang was intentional.

Clearly, anyone who saw Liu Ji would know he was ambitious but incompetent, and easily manipulated.

"Too coincidental." Quan Rui muttered, "Not long after Wulang had an incident, Liu Langyu argued with Master in the morning, and in the afternoon, officials came to arrest Master. It seems they acted hastily. It must be him."

"It can't be anyone else but that fool?!" Lady Lufeng, upon hearing this, cried even harder, cursing, "I knew this madman would ruin the Du family! I knew it... wailing... this troublemaker!"

"Madam." Quan Rui urged, "Liu Langyu has a mixed group of friends. We must send someone to ask if he left any evidence in someone's hands..."

At this moment, a servant rushed back, almost tripping on the threshold.

"Bad news! Quan Fu was caught as soon as he left the back door!"

"What?"

Quan Rui was shocked and finally lost his composure.

"We'll climb over the wall." Xue Bai reacted quickly, pulling Du Wulang and walking, "We must find Liu Ji and the Crown Prince as soon as possible."

"I... I don't know where the Crown Prince lives."

"I know." Qinglan said, "I once accompanied Madam to visit the Crown Prince's concubine."

"Quickly."

Qinglan hurriedly followed two steps behind but turned back to Lady Lufeng, "Madam, should I go?"

"Go quickly, bring Wulang back."

However, Xue Bai had already pulled Du Wulang out of the front hall.

Qinglan stomped her foot and hurriedly chased after them...

~~

Xue Bai had calculated in his mind that the Du residence had a main gate, a back gate, three gates on the west side, and two gates on the east side. The Jingzhao Prefecture had sent about twenty people, enough to guard these seven gates but not to surround the entire compound.

There might be officials patrolling, but he knew the government had to follow procedures, so they had to act quickly.

He first rushed to the front courtyard stable to get a rope, then to the storage room to get a ladder, and turned to the back courtyard, heading directly to the east side of the fifth courtyard near a rockery.

This place was the farthest from the other side gates, the quietest outside, and easiest to climb over the wall.

"Follow me."

Xue Bai placed the ladder against the rockery, climbed up the wall first, looked around, and called for Du Wulang and Qinglan to come up.

"Come."

Xue Bai tied the rope to the wall and climbed down, first helping Qinglan, while Du Wulang, being clumsy, almost fell flat on his face.

"Ouch."

"Shh."

"To the residence of the Ten Princes?" Qinglan said, "This way."

"No, find Liu Ji first, confirming the evidence is more urgent."

"Liu Langyu's residence is in Dunyi Fang, to the west."

~~

The Tang capital Chang'an was a square city, divided into two markets and 108 wards by 25 intersecting streets.

The central axis was Zhuque Street, with the eastern and western parts of the city governed by two counties: Wannian County to the east and Chang'an County to the west, symbolizing "Chang'an Wannian" (eternal peace and prosperity).

The Du family lived in Shengping Fang, which belonged to the east and was under the jurisdiction of Wannian County.

Shengping Fang had the standard "four gates, sixteen districts" layout of Tang wards, with the four ward gates actually having pavilions above them where guards could keep watch.

When they reached the western gate of Shengping Fang, Du Wulang was very nervous, walking with his head down and his arms swinging awkwardly.

"Don't be afraid." Xue Bai whispered, "We are not fugitives yet, the officials won't recognize us."

"Oh."

"Look up."

Finally, they left Shengping Fang, and Xue Bai slowed down, looking around but not recognizing any familiar scenery.

Qinglan noticed his unfamiliarity with the area outside the residence and gave him directions.

"We need to walk west for three wards to reach Zhuque Street, then southwest for five more wards to reach Dunyi Fang, it's not close..."

Xue Bai had already learned that the Du residence was near Leye Yuan, and now, with Qinglan's guidance, the route became clearer.

This area was roughly where the intersection of Xiying Road and Qujiang Road would be in the future, and they would have to reach Chang'an Central Road to get to Zhuque Street, which was only half the journey.

The entire route was equivalent to walking from Qinglong Temple to Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, quite a distance.

"Is there a carriage?"

"We need to find a driver and hitch up the horses, it's too late."

"The curfew is about to start."

"We'll run."

The three of them, with average stamina, were all out of breath after running for half an hour.

"I... I... I can't go on..."

Du Wulang finally stopped to rest, supporting his knees, almost unable to stand up.

"Really, I have no strength left."

The last rays of the sunset faded, and the grand outline of Chang'an became darker.

"Bang."

As soon as the sun set, the evening drum sounded in the city.

After 600 drumbeats, anyone still on the streets would be caught and flogged for violating the curfew.

Qinglan encouraged, "We're almost there."

"Go."

Xue Bai frowned, and together with Qinglan, pulled Du Wulang, running into the night of Chang'an under the urging of the drumbeats.

"Bang."

"Bang."

"Time's up! Close the gates!"

With the final drumbeat, the gates of Dunyi Fang slowly closed.

The curfew in Chang'an began and would last until the fifth watch of the next day.

The drumbeats ceased, and the nine main streets were left to the moonlight.

...

Three figures, out of breath, stood in front of a residence in the ward.

The Liu residence was a simple two-courtyard house, looking somewhat shabby, which did not match Liu Ji's luxurious attire.

"No officials?" Xue Bai looked around cautiously, his eyes filled with doubt.

"We ran fast." Qinglan, still catching her breath, said, "And this is under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County, so they might have been slower in mobilizing people?"

They knocked on the door, and soon a woman's voice came from inside.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Qinglan, and Wulang is here too."

The door creaked open, and a slim maid appeared.

"Why is Wulang here at this hour? Did he... run here?"

"Let's go inside and talk. Have any officials come?"

"No officials."

Xue Bai was somewhat surprised, muttering to himself, "The officials haven't been here?"

~~

The eldest daughter of the Du family was named Du Yan, known as Du Dangniang.

She heard the commotion and personally brought a candle to the front hall, seeing Du Wulang and his companions, she quickly asked what had happened.

The brother and sister looked very different; the brother was unremarkable, but the sister was very beautiful.

Xue Bai was initially surprised but then realized that Du Wulang was from a second wife, resembling Lady Lufeng, while the earlier children of the Du family were from Du Youlin's first wife.

Du Dangniang must have been beautiful too, as she married into the Eastern Palace.

Upon hearing that her father had been arrested, Du Yan's face turned pale.

Xue Bai observed her carefully in the candlelight, noting that her attire was different from the luxurious style of the time, being quite simple and plain, with no makeup.

Additionally, her eyes were red, indicating she had been crying.

After she calmed down a bit, Xue Bai asked, "Is Liu Langyu not at home?"

"Master... is not here."

"Did he come back at noon?"

"Yes." Du Yan wiped her tears and responded.

"Did he mention the Du family's request for a divorce?"

Du Yan, who was reluctant to discuss such matters with outsiders and unfamiliar with Xue Bai, but given the urgency of the situation, nodded, pondering the consequences of the entire event.

The sudden incident caught everyone off guard.

Xue Bai asked, "What did he say?"

Du Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "He said, 'As long as our marital bond is strong, according to Tang law, neither the government nor the father-in-law can break us apart,' and he urged me to remain steadfast."

"How did you respond?"

Du Yan felt uncomfortable being asked and turned her head, responding softly, "A rock is solid and thick, it can last a thousand years."

"Then what?"

"Master said, 'That's good,' and went to the study. He didn't stay long and left hurriedly, and hasn't returned... sigh."

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and Du Yan had already guessed the outline of the situation.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"I asked Master, and he said he was going to seek help from a friend."

"Can I see the study?"

"Master's study is usually not open to others, but since it's... urgent..." Du Yan, realizing the situation, stood up and said, "This way, please."

The front hall of the Liu residence was clean and tidy, with no decorations, but the study was filled with many paintings and calligraphy works.

As soon as the door opened, a painting on the wall caught the eye, recording a poem.

Xue Bai stepped forward and, in the dim candlelight, barely made out the last line.

"Do not be bound by wealth or poverty, only wish for mutual understanding."

The calligraphy was excellent, flowing and elegant, even a layman could see it was the work of a master.

"This is the hand of Li Beihai." Du Yan stepped forward and said, "Master once gifted him gold, and he returned with paintings, calligraphy, and famous horses."

"Li Beihai?" Du Wulang exclaimed, "The Li Beihai of 'Wang Youjun is like a dragon, Li Beihai is like an elephant'?"

"Wang Youjun" refers to Wang Xizhi, and this Li Beihai being mentioned alongside Wang Xizhi indicates his exceptional talent.

Du Wulang, upon recognizing the calligraphy, examined it more closely, and it looked different from his initial impression.

Liusang, dissatisfied, muttered, "But the gold Master gave was Madam's dowry."

"Too much talk."

Du Yan scolded the maid, carefully holding the candle and looking around the study, her eyes filled with both sadness and amazement, "Master enjoys befriending scholars, and this room is filled with paintings and calligraphy that are hard to obtain, but also... trouble that is hard to avoid."

She did not hand the candle to Xue Bai, habitually afraid of damaging the works of art.

Xue Bai examined the desk in the dim light.

The desk had an inkstone, and touching it, the ink was not completely dry, indicating it had been used in the afternoon.

Suddenly, there was a loud and urgent knocking at the front gate.

"Open the door!"

"Jingzhao Prefecture is investigating, open the door!"

The few people in the study were startled, and Du Wulang immediately panicked, asking, "What should we do?"

"Move the candle closer." Xue Bai urged, "Look for clues."

"Wh... what clues?"

"Where did Liu Ji go? Are there any letters to or from the Ji family or anyone else? Or any evidence left in the study? Look."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Du Yan, without hesitation, placed the candle on the desk, took a box from a drawer, and started searching.

These were clearly letters from Liu Ji to others, and there were many of them.

Seeing this and thinking about the charge of "colluding with the Eastern Palace," it only added to the unease.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

Liusang was almost in tears, asking, "What should we do? Should I say Madam is not here...?"

"Find quickly."

Xue Bai flipped through the papers on the desk, which had a bit of ink on them, but found nothing. He took the candle from Liusang and shone it around.

He even saw Du Fu's calligraphy on the wall.

If not for the urgency of the situation, he would have been truly amazed.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the front courtyard, and an official shouted, "Break it down!"

"Bang."

"Bang."

The candle flickered, and two paper balls on the ground caught Xue Bai's eye. He quickly put down the candle, picked up the first paper ball, and saw only the words "divorce letter."

Opening the second paper ball, he couldn't help but nod, muttering, "I see."

"Did you find something?"

"Go." Xue Bai put away the two papers, pushed Du Wulang, and said, "Climb over the wall and go."

"But... the curfew is in effect."

"Go."

Xue Bai pushed the others away, took a few steps, and then stopped, looking back at the box Du Yan had taken out.

Many letters were scattered on the table, and there was no time to tidy them up.

Thinking of Liu Ji's ambitious but incompetent nature and the room full of famous calligraphy, Xue Bai's eyes showed hesitation.

But the hesitation lasted only a moment, and another line of calligraphy flashed through his mind.

—Speak cautiously, tread carefully, as if on thin ice.

He then pulled Du Yan, took the candle from her, and looked at her.

Du Yan understood the meaning