Chapter 24: Guess Who I Am?

As for this kinship with the Du family, Yan Bei had only heard of it while he was in the North.

The Princess Dowager of Jingyang and Du Minghuan's mother were cousins, but due to the vast distance between them over the years, there had been little interaction. As for Yan Bei, he had no way of associating with them at all.

More than three years ago, he had suddenly received an imperial decree from the late Emperor, ordering the Jingyang Prince Mansion to move back to the capital to assist the young sovereign.

At that time, the late Emperor's health was still relatively stable. The First Prince born to Imperial Concubine An, the Second Prince born to the late Empress, and the young princes born to the other two concubines had never received any imperial decrees or oral instructions regarding the succession.

Yet, at that moment, the Jingyang Prince Mansion, far away in the North, received an imperial decree summoning them back to the capital to assist in governance. Suspecting a trap, Yan Bei used the pretext that the Princess Dowager was ill and required more time to recover, thereby delaying their return to the city by several months.

As soon as the messenger departed, he went into hiding, slipping into the capital region to secretly investigate the situation within the imperial court and the palace.

It was during that period that two unexpected incidents occurred.

One of them was when he encountered the steward of the Marquis of Guangling's manor bullying scholars who had failed their imperial examinations at a relay station. This gave him an early glimpse into the character of this "cousin" he had never met.

Upon his formal entry into the capital, his mother, worried that he would struggle to make a stand alone in the city, advised him to weigh the pros and cons. She suggested that if the Du family came knocking, he might as well maintain a moderate relationship with them.

Yan Bei had caused his mother much worry during his youth; now that he was a father himself, even if he inwardly disagreed, he saw no need to defy her.

Thus, he instructed Gao An to maintain formal etiquette with the Du family for the time being, while secretly ordering someone to closely monitor their words and actions. If they remained honest, things would proceed as they were.

If they were not, he would simply wait a few years, find a reason to sever ties completely, and ensure his mother could rest easy.

In the three years since entering the capital, Yan Bei had been aware of all the major and minor affairs involving the Du family.

Nowadays, everyone in the capital said that the Prince of Jingyang was the Du family's backer, and that the Du family dared to act tyrannically only because they had him supporting them from behind.

There were even rumors circulating in private that the Du family's appointment as officials of the Imperial City Command was due to his behind-the-scenes influence.

Speech officials submitted memorials to impeach them every few days, dragging the Jingyang Prince Mansion into the fray as well.

Yan Bei could ignore all of this.

However, the strange reaction of the Du family to the events of the past two days was something that could not be ignored.

While the Prince's carriage was making a low-profile trip under the cover of night, preparations were already underway at Guangling Temple.

But this so-called religious service organized by the Marquis's manor for the He family was clearly a last-minute decision.

When the Zhang family arrived at the Buddha Hall, the monks were still setting up the incense tables and prayer mats.

Zhang Shaode understood the unspoken implication; he sent Madam Zhang and the rest of the family to the adjacent meditation rooms to help prepare candles and other items, while he remained in the main hall with his accompanying guards.

It was only just nightfall; the tourists in the temple were dispersing, and the setting sun cast a slanted light, making the surroundings look peaceful and serene. The steward came to report: "Just now, taking the opportunity to ask the Abbot about the ritual procedures, I had the guards scout the various courtyards of the temple privately. No ambushes were found.

"Of the three meditation rooms occupied by pilgrims, two are occupied by official families from the city, and the other is occupied by two female guests—a master and a servant—who are merchants from the city."

Zhang Shaode nodded and returned to his seat, picking up a teacup.

After a moment's thought, he set the tea down again.

After several consecutive days of autumn winds, the sky outside the window had become clear; even though night had fallen, the shadows of several clouds were visible in the sky.

Zhang Shaode remembered that just a few days ago, the Du family had invited his couple to their manor for the Old Madam's birthday banquet and had assigned them some tasks. At that time, the atmosphere at the banquet had been harmonious, and they could be considered sincere.

For some reason, in just two or three short days, he could no longer even feel at ease drinking a cup of tea from the Du family!

*Clang!*

A gust of wind came by the window, suddenly slamming it shut and interrupting his thoughts.

Just as he was about to stand up, another gust of wind blew out the oil lamp on the table.

Dark clouds gathered in Zhang Shaode's heart. He shouted loudly, "Light the lamps!"

But there was not a single sound in the darkness.

His hair stood on end instantly. He lunged upward, pulled out a fire striker, and relit the lamp.

As the light illuminated the hall, he realized that not a single one of the monks who had been busy in the hall earlier was left!

"Someone, come here!"

He shouted in panic.

Before anyone could respond, the sound of objects whistling through the air came from the courtyard behind him!

He spun around abruptly, only to see, under the faint, eerie light, dozens of dark shadows leaping down from the surrounding walls, rushing toward the Buddha Hall in a flanking maneuver!

His heart jolted. He retreated several steps and grabbed his great saber!

"Master!"

The four accompanying guards immediately rushed out from the adjacent room, and they too were stunned by the sight before them!

"Guard the doors and windows on all four sides! Do not let a single person in! If anyone fails, I will send their entire family to hell!"

He gripped the blade tightly and roared fiercely, his wide-open eyes staring unblinkingly at the intruders outside the window!...

On the roof, Huo Yun furrowed her brows.

"With so many men in black, it seems the Du family truly intends to silence everyone. But the Zhang family only has a few people; is it necessary to deploy so many to kill them?"

In the silence, Yue Tang cast a faint glance: "Of course not. He Hui is merely being used as a knife to kill the Zhang family.

"He is a dead man.

"From the moment he burst into the Buddha Hall with a blade, the label of 'assassin of a court official' has been nailed to his head.

"As soon as Zhang Shaode dies, He Hui will have to go meet the King of Hell.

"The reason the Du family sent so many people with He Hui is likely to wait until I show my face, and then have these people move in to arrest me.

"Given the clues I left at the He residence, if Du Minghuan still cannot guess there is another culprit behind this after finding out, then he has lived his life in vain."

At this point, she looked toward the dark corners: "At this moment, I suspect Du Yu is likely hiding somewhere in this temple, waiting for me to fall into the trap.

"After all, to them, both He Hui and Zhang Shaode must die. But more importantly, they must capture me—the 'true culprit' who appeared out of nowhere—before they can truly feel at ease."

Huo Yun realized the truth, then gritted his teeth: "They deserve to die at the hands of the Du father and son they follow! Not a single one of these families has a clean conscience!"

Yue Tang put her veil back on her face: "To the Buddha Hall! The Du family hasn't left us much time."

Huo Yun hurriedly stopped her: "It won't be difficult for me to find a way to tear a gap and cover the Princess so she can avoid He Hui's men while approaching the Buddha Hall.

"However, Zhang Shaode reacted so quickly, and he has already surrounded himself with his own men on all four sides. It is clear he was prepared.

"Even if we can break through He Hui's men, how are we to bypass these layers of barriers to reach the Buddha Hall?"

Yue Tang looked toward the meditation rooms behind the Buddha Hall: "I heard that Zhang Shaode's second daughter has also come."

Huo Yun paused slightly: "She has."

"Go and capture her!"

...

There were at least fifty attackers!

But the men Zhang Shaode had brought out were only twenty.

Twenty was already a significant number.

But how could they possibly hold off fifty assassins?

Even though Zhang Shaode had prepared in advance, he never imagined the Du family would be so ruthless!

"Master, they are about to break through the doors!"

In the darkness, the two sides had already engaged in combat.

The voices of the guards stationed under the doors and windows were trembling.

"Even if they break through, hold your ground! Hold until someone notices something is wrong!" he roared through gritted teeth, "I am a dignified Fourth-Rank General! I am an official of the court! Hold out until help arrives, hold out until dawn! I want to see who dares to assassinate me so brazenly!"

Even the Du family would not dare to act without restraint!

Encouraged by these words, the guards fought their way back to the doors and windows on all four sides.

Zhang Shaode wiped the sweat from his forehead and slumped back onto his prayer mat.

And at that moment, a sword tip pressed against his spine from behind...

"Zhang Shaode, General Zhang!"

That feminine voice, lazy yet carrying a hint of lofty pride, caused Zhang Shaode's body to freeze instantly!

He lunged forward abruptly, using the momentum to spin around quickly!

Under the flickering oil lamp, he saw a woman in green standing before him. The lamp illuminated her picturesque face—she was clearly a delicate-looking young woman, but the long sword in her hand was anything but delicate!

"Who are you?!"

Initially, Zhang Shaode thought the intruder was an assassin from the Marquis's manor, but he realized he had never seen such a face at the manor!

This made him even more confused. If she wasn't one of the Du family's people, how had she managed to break through both the Du family's assassins and the Zhang family's guards?!

"Before I entered the capital, I accompanied the late Emperor to the West Mountain hunting grounds for the autumn hunt.

"At that time, you were a minor official sent by the Imperial City Command to be responsible for retrieving our prey.

"That year, I had just learned how to draw a bow, and I hit a rabbit they had prepared for me on the training grounds.

"The late Emperor praised my extraordinary talent and rewarded me on the spot with a Lingquan Sword.

"Even you, who retrieved the rabbit for me, were given a generous reward.

"Now, tell me, who am I?"

Yue Tang moved the sword forward, stopping it against his chest and abdomen.