“I don’t know since when it became acceptable for concubines to step forward and speak in the households of nobles and imperial relatives. As one of the family, I wouldn’t mind it, but if word of this gets out, I fear it will tarnish your good reputation, Uncle Cao. What do you think?” Zhou Hongbai fixed his gaze on Cao Jianfeng, and a sudden, heavy pressure filled the air. Cao Jianfeng quickly nodded in agreement.
A moment later, he turned around and snapped at Peng Xue, “The mistress and I haven’t even finished speaking. How dare you step forward and interrupt? If the Young Duke weren’t here, and this were to get out, do you have any idea what the consequences would be?”
Peng Xue nodded repeatedly, her usual delicate and frail demeanor on full display. But Cao Jianfeng knew exactly how things worked in his household; he was not moved by that same act of weakness she had put on for decades.
“Get back at once!”
Seeing Peng Xue still standing beside him, Cao Jianfeng lost face completely and shouted again in anger.
“Yes, your servant knows she was wrong. I only spoke out because I was worried and anxious,” Peng Xue said, quickly stepping back. Her carefully maintained face showed no trace of anger. Cao Lingyun knew very well that this woman was deeply scheming; otherwise, she would never have held the entire household in the palm of her hand for so many years.
“Now that we’ve settled the matters of Uncle Cao’s household, let’s turn to what brought us here today,” Zhou Hongbai said, turning his eyes toward Canglang, who stood tied up before them. Canglang was a bandit from the area around the Mosque. Zhou Hongbai had once captured and released him seven times, and for a while, Canglang had mended his ways and turned over a new leaf. But two months ago, tempted by money, he had returned to banditry.
“Canglang, I’ve long intended to go to the Mosque and capture you. Back then, I spared your life after catching and freeing you seven times. Yet you refused to repent. Today, I have no choice but to hand you over to the Prefect’s Yamen. For kidnapping noble ladies from the capital, you will almost certainly be sentenced to death.”
At the word “death sentence,” Canglang’s expression froze noticeably. Cao Lingyun, observing closely, noticed the change and looked at him with suspicion. Just then, Zhou Hongbai’s gaze met hers. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Cao Lingyun quickly coughed and looked away.
Zhou Hongbai wasted no more time. He looked straight at Canglang and said, “I know you have a wife and son back in your hometown. You should think not only of yourself but of them too. How can you let your seventy-year-old mother suffer the pain of losing her son before her own time?”
At the mention of his family, Canglang’s expression softened, but he still bit his lip and refused to speak. Zhou Hongbai walked slowly toward him, stopping right in front of him. His voice grew deep and heavy.
“What are you afraid of? We have never met before. Why did you kidnap my mother and me? Was someone behind this, ordering you? How much silver did they give you to make you throw your life away like this?”
As she spoke, Cao Lingyun glanced sideways at Peng Xue and Cao Linglan. Peng Xue wore an expression of complete indifference, as if she were merely watching a show, but the handkerchief she was clutching tightly in her hand betrayed her inner anxiety.
Cao Linglan, meanwhile, seemed to have been given strict instructions by her mother. She kept her head down and said very little, yet her eyes darted around restlessly. Every now and then, she would sneak a quick glance upward looking exactly like someone with a guilty conscience, terrified of being found out.
“Lingyun, you are a young lady. Why do you need to step forward and get involved in men’s affairs? Come away from there at once!” Cao Jianfeng said, clearly displeased to see her taking part.
Before Lingyun could reply, Zhou Hongbai reached out and took her hand. She froze, completely unsure what to do, but he leaned close to her ear and whispered for her to stay calm and trust him.
“Uncle Cao, surely you have heard of my mother’s deeds. Years ago, she charged through thousands of enemies with only two thousand men, struck down their commander, and won the day. Even the Emperor himself praised her as a true heroine among women. He has also said that Lingyun has that same spirit. She speaks bravely and honestly what fault can you find in that?”
Cao Lingyun stood there, staring at him. In the past, she had never truly understood what it felt like to be protected like this, nor had she realized all his good qualities. But it was not too late to know now.
“Lingyun has always been timid by nature. She nearly drowned just a few days ago and is still weak. I only wanted to keep her away from this bandit, for her own good,” Cao Jianfeng said. Seeing that Zhou Hongbai was determined to defend her, he quickly changed his tone, painting himself as nothing more than a caring, concerned father.
Zhou Hongbai ignored him and walked back to Canglang. “As a General, I still hold some influence and standing in the capital. If you tell me the whole truth, I can speak for you and have your punishment reduced or commuted. But if you throw your life away for a handful of silver and refuse to admit your wrongs, there is nothing I can do to save you.”
Canglang lifted his head, looking as though he wanted to speak but could not bring himself to. He thought of his newborn son he truly did not want to risk his life for a little money.
“Nanny He, we are questioning a criminal here. Why are you so nervous and jumpy? You aren’t the one on trial, are you?”
Without anyone noticing, Cao Lingyun had walked over to stand right in front of Liu Ruoyan, speaking in a sharp, demanding tone.
Nanny He trembled in fright, and the bundle she was holding fell to the ground. Seeing everyone’s eyes turn toward her, she quickly picked it up again, trying her best to act as if nothing was wrong.
“Nanny He, why do you keep staring at Canglang? Aren’t you afraid of this vicious bandit? Or have you two met in secret before? Is that why you aren’t afraid of him?” Zhou Hongbai was a man who had fought on the battlefield, and a terrifying, killing aura radiated from him, leaving Nanny He terrified and out of her wits.
“No… no… it’s not like that…” Nanny He stammered, denying it again and again. But somehow, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Her guilty conscience was written all over her face for everyone to see.
Realizing that Nanny He was about to be exposed, Canglang finally spoke up. “It was this Nanny He! She contacted me in secret and paid me a hundred taels of silver to kidnap Madam Liu and her daughter and take them up into the mountains. She told me to ruin their reputations, and promised another hundred taels once the deed was done.”
With those words, the whole truth came out clearly. Seeing that there was no way out, Nanny He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy. “Young Duke, spare me! This old servant had no choice but to work with the bandits. Who would willingly go near such dangerous, ruthless men to arrange such a thing?”
Cao Lingyun had grown tired of standing and watching, so she sat down to one side and muttered, “So the two of us are only worth two hundred taels of silver? Anyone who didn’t know would think such a big plot would be worth at least two thousand taels!”
No sooner had she spoken than someone tapped her on the back of her round little head.
“Who hit me?”
She looked up, and there stood Zhou Hongbai, who had appeared right in front of her without her noticing. He was the one who had just tapped her head.
“We are conducting a serious interrogation here, and you are still standing around acting silly and making jokes!” Zhou Hongbai said, his tone soft with affection, before turning back to glare coldly at Nanny He.
“You are just a servant. How could you plan such a deep, wicked scheme? And why would you want to harm Madam Liu, who has treated you well for so many years?”
Nanny He’s eyes darted around, and she kept glancing toward Peng Xue and her daughter. “Nanny He, everyone here has seen how well the mistress has treated you. How could you betray her kindness like this? How can you face your own two children after doing such a thing?” Peng Xue said.
As soon as Peng Xue finished speaking, a look of utter despair flashed in Nanny He’s eyes. Cao Lingyun sensed that something terrible was about to happen and tried to speak, but before she could say a word, Nanny He collapsed to the ground.