Chapter 61

Chu Wangfu and Liang Mansion, one in the southeast of the imperial city, the other in the southwest. The sedan chair slowly moved westward, and Yingruo gently closed her beautiful eyes. She would never enter the gate of Liang Mansion, and she even less hoped that Zhao Yougong would come to save her. So, the only choice left was death.

If she died, the young prince would have no more attachments, and there would be nothing in this world that could hold him back.

Passing through the Zhuque Gate of the imperial city, she lifted the curtain and gazed at the tall gate tower from afar. This place, which seemed magnificent and solemn, lacked so much human warmth. The emperor had always claimed that he was not attached to the throne, so why did he still poison the old prince, and now, even refuse to spare his own nephew?

On the wide Phoenix Street, Dugu Qiubai leaned lazily against a stone stele, squinting his eyes and shielding the sun with his hand, looking like an idle passerby. The sedan chair was getting closer, but Dugu Qiubai hesitated. Should he take action? He knew very well that once he did, Yingruo might live, but Zhao Yougong would certainly die. Since he couldn't hide, he would surely vent all the resentment of these years, and then, Tokyo City would inevitably witness a shocking bloodbath.

With Zhao Yougong's abilities, he might not be able to roam freely in the imperial palace, but killing Wang Fu, Yang Jian, Liang Shicheng, and others would be no problem. But what was the point of killing these people? When killing was merely for venting, even if he killed them, he would feel no joy.

Finally, the sedan chair arrived. Sighing, Dugu Qiubai slowly walked toward the group of people. Although there were more than a dozen soldiers guarding the sedan chair, he didn't take them seriously. To save someone, he had to kill, but killing was a trivial matter to him.

With just a few yards left, Dugu Qiubai wished it were dozens or even hundreds of yards. Was there really no way to save her?

His right hand rested behind his waist, and as soon as the soft sword flashed, he could instantly take the lives of the people in front of him.

"Drip... drip..."

A series of hoofbeats sounded behind him, and Dugu Qiubai frowned, passing by the sedan chair like an ordinary passerby. He couldn't act yet; he had to wait.

A man in a gray robe rode a horse, wearing a small hat and holding a whip. "General Tian, thank you for your trouble. We just found a steward at the mansion, so there's no need for Steward Su to come."

"Phew," hearing the man's words, Dugu Qiubai let out a long sigh of relief. What a close call. He didn't expect Zhao Yougong to win the bet.

From the beginning, Zhao Yougong had been betting. He bet that Liang Shicheng didn't genuinely want Yingruo; he was just using her as a test. Once Liang Shicheng confirmed that Zhao Yougong wasn't pretending, he might change his mind and send Yingruo back to the mansion. This bet was based on his understanding of Emperor Zhezong. Zhezong was full of the arrogance of a scholar, and he cared too much about his reputation. If his close relatives took his nephew's woman, what would others say?

He had great talent but didn't know how to govern. He was cunning and ruthless but cared about his reputation. This was Zhezong, a very contradictory person.

In this world, nothing is perfect. If you want to be a prostitute and still pretend to be a virtuous lady, the result will be nothing.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Yingruo felt no joy at all. She had escaped this time, but what about the future? As long as the emperor still feared the young prince, those plots and schemes would never stop. This time it was her, but what about next time? The time after that?

She didn't know how she got back to Chu Wangfu. In the side courtyard, only a small mastiff was running around, and the young prince was nowhere to be seen.

Unlike Yingruo's worries, Zhao Yougong was very open-minded. He had been through so much; if he was always frowning, wouldn't he suffocate to death? He knew Liang Shicheng would have other tricks up his sleeve, but he wasn't afraid. As long as those dogs didn't touch Yingruo, he had the patience to deal with them.

In the courtyard outside Zhibei Bridge, Liang Shicheng was drinking wine with a relaxed demeanor, and Gong Lian was eating vegetables as if nothing had happened.

"Sir, now that we have confirmed that Yongning Prince is not pretending, the next step should be to give him a knife, right?"

"Hmm, Prime Minister Liang, why do you need to ask me? You know it well."

"Sir, I just want to ask what kind of knife to give."

Smiling, Gong Lian put down his chopsticks and said meaningfully, "Prime Minister Liang, you shouldn't ask me this. Whether to give a sharp knife or a dull one should be decided by His Majesty."

Gong Lian's words seemed to carry a warning, and his eyes became distant. Liang Shicheng shivered, as if he had really made a mistake. How could he ask Gong Lian about such matters?

That night, Liang Shicheng came to the palace. It was almost the hour of the dog, and Zhezong was painting a peony. His mood was quite good, so he was very enthusiastic, and the painting was naturally much better.

"Your Majesty, don't overwork yourself. Your health is more important!"

Yang Jian said this without blushing, as if painting was also a way of handling state affairs, making Zhezong a wise emperor. How shameless, and these people around him were not without blame for Zhezong's current state.

Surrounded by villains, how could the emperor govern well? The six villains of the Song dynasty, Gao Qiu didn't even make the list, showing how dark the court of Emperor Huizong was.

The door knocked, and a small eunuch whispered, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Liang has come and says he has important matters to discuss!"

Putting down his brush, Zhezong raised an eyebrow and smiled, "This Liang Shoudao, what is he doing here so late at night?"

Curious, he summoned Liang Shicheng. As soon as he entered, Liang Shicheng said a few flattering words and then explained the so-called "knife plan."

Zhezong was deep in thought, and Liang Shicheng and Yang Jian wisely remained silent. Some things they could offer advice on, but some things they couldn't interfere with.

After a long while, Zhezong walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, "Yang Jian, how is Zong Rulin in Kaifeng?"

Zong Ze? Yang Jian, quick-witted, immediately understood Zhezong's thoughts. He bowed slightly and said seriously, "Zong Rulin has some ability, but he is not suitable to govern Kaifeng, especially after the incident with Yongning Prince, when Kaifeng failed to find the culprit for many days."

Yang Jian's words were a distortion of the truth. Zong Ze couldn't find the culprit because of Gao Qiu's orders, but no one cared about that now. Zhezong smiled and said, "Hmm, since that's the case, let Zong Rulin go to Jiangning!"

"Ah!"

Yang Jian responded, and Zhezong added, "Not yet, wait a while before issuing the order!"

"Alright!"

Yang Jian and Liang Shicheng looked at each other, both feeling a chill. Sending Zhao Yougong to govern Kaifeng was indeed a clever move by the emperor.

The position of Kaifeng Prefect was a fine sword. Would Zhao Yougong become arrogant as a prince governing Kaifeng? Would his courage grow?

Zhao Yougong knew that Zhezong and his lackeys would dig a pit for him, but he didn't expect it to be such a big one. He was now in night clothes, running on a row of houses.

This place was in the southwest of Bianliang, not far from the Cai River. The courtyard had a few jujube trees, and it was now midnight, but the room still echoed with soft moans.

"Darling... ah... don't lick there... aren't you injured... ah... you're such a tease..."

Listening from the roof, Zhao Yougong felt a surge of anger. Qian Bin, despite being injured, was still so energetic, a rare man. The woman seemed to be enjoying it, and out of curiosity, he lifted a tile and saw two bodies entangled on the bed. The woman's legs were slightly apart, her right hand biting her lip, her face flushed as if dripping with water. A head was moving between her legs, making sucking sounds.

What a pair of dogs! Qian Bin, who looked like a rough man, knew quite a bit about bed skills. If only he could apply those skills to training his troops, there would have been no helpless resistance at Chishan Lake.

After confirming no one else was around, Zhao Yougong lightly landed and kicked open the door. The two on the bed were in the middle of their pleasure and were momentarily stunned by the sudden intrusion.

"Ah..." The woman screamed, instinctively clamping her legs and pulling the blanket over her body.

Qian Bin was still busy between her legs, and the clamping hurt his head.

Zhao Yougong found it amusing, moved forward, and knocked the woman unconscious with a palm. As she fell from the bed, he glared and said, "Who are you? If you know what's good for you, leave now. If you anger me, you'll regret it!"

"Ha, Commander Qian, you're quite intimidating!"

Zhao Yougong called out Qian Bin's identity, making him nervous. Who was this black-clad man, who knew his identity and still wasn't afraid?

"Who are you? Brother, are you here for money? How much do you want?"

"Money? Commander Qian seems quite wealthy, but alas... I'm here for your life..." As he spoke, Zhao Yougong's forehead veins bulged, and he pulled the naked Qian Bin off the bed. At the table, without a word, he slit Qian Bin's throat.

Qian Bin, clutching his wound, twitched and died, confused until the end. As he closed his eyes, he saw the black-clad man prying a brick and then lying on the ground, silent.

Taking out the brick, Zhao Yougong placed a letter inside and put the brick back. He thought for a moment, dragged Qian Bin's body, and placed his bloody hand on the loose brick.

After finishing everything, Zhao Yougong left the courtyard. As for the unfortunate woman, he didn't care; having a live person would be more convincing.

The next morning, Zhezong, dressed by Concubine Xiaoliu, thought it would be a good day, but Yang Jian brought terrible news.

"Your Majesty, something has happened!"

What could it be? Zhezong frowned, displeased. Couldn't it wait until he was dressed?

"What is it?"

"Deputy Commander Qian Bin of Guangde Army was killed in his southern residence!"

"Hmm? Qian Bin is dead?" Zhezong finally took it seriously. Qian Bin's death wasn't significant, but he was the only witness to the Chishan Lake incident, though he didn't know much.

"Qian Bin is dead, why not send someone to investigate immediately?"

"This... Your Majesty, the people of Kaifeng have already been there and found a letter in Qian Bin's room!" Yang Jian took out the letter from his robe and explained, "The letter was hidden under a brick. If not for Qian Bin's hint before he died, Kaifeng wouldn't have found it!"

What letter was hidden so deeply? Curious, Zhezong read the letter, and his face changed, his hand trembling.

Zhezong was silent for a long time, but his iron-gray face showed he was planning something. Indeed, after a while, he threw the letter to the ground and roared angrily, "Damn it, Yang Kaishan, this dog! Yang Jian, issue the order to have Yang Kaishan brought to the capital immediately. I want to see what gives him the nerve to rob me."

Why was Zhezong so angry? The letter revealed everything. Yang Kaishan, during his three years in office, had committed countless evils, from false reports of troop numbers to embezzlement. Most importantly, he had ordered the robbery of the flower and stone convoy.

Zhezong had no doubt about the letter's contents. Could something Qian Bin risked his life to protect be fake? Moreover, if Yang Kaishan was behind it, it explained why the robbers knew the convoy's route so well.