Li Hanchi was a notoriously dissolute young gallan in Yecheng. He typically loved running wild with the Gao family’s only son, indulging in activities like drinking fine wine and throwing his weight around. Because they rarely pulled punches, most aristocratic youths steered well clear of these two troublemakers especially Li Hanchi.
People feared him not because of Li Hanchi himself, but because of his formidable family background.
Li Hanchi’s grandfather, Li Qi, was a veteran statesman who had served across three reigns. Before the founding of the dynasty, when the founding Emperor was surrounded by enemy forces in Jiangnan for seven days and seven nights with no hope of reinforcements, Li Qi had led two of his sons and an elite cavalry unit deep behind enemy lines, pushing through every imaginable hardship to rescue the Emperor.
Three months later, the Emperor led a massive army to capture the royal capital of Yecheng in a single stroke, ascending the throne and establishing the Jin dynasty.
Yet during that Jiangnan campaign, sixty-six-year-old Li Qi lost every single one of his sons, the youngest of whom was only seventeen that year.
It was precisely because of that campaign, however, that the Emperor trusted and cared for Li Qi like a brother, promising that when the meritorious ministers achieved greatness, the Li family would remain court officials for generations.
After founding the dynasty, the Emperor indeed fulfilled his promise to Li Qi, not only bestowing upon him the honorary titles of Grand Tutor and Crown Prince’s Tutor, but also placing immense trust in him, elevating Li Qi to the positions of Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Minister of the Ministry of Punishments.
One had to realize that among the founding officials wielding immense power, very few lived to such an advanced age. The Emperor was deeply suspicious by nature; many had died or been wounded, leaving Li Qi as the sole survivor unscathed.
This was extraordinarily fortunate. Moreover, Li Qi had a hot temper in his youth, frequently contradicting the Emperor, yet the Emperor tolerated it all out of regard for their shared past.
Now eighty years old, Li Qi still possessed a rather volatile temper, and even the Emperor occasionally complained about how difficult Grand Tutor Li was to deal with. Yet Li Qi displayed boundless indulgence and affection toward the posthumous children left behind by his two sons, especially Li Hanchi, the sole remaining seedling of his youngest son.
Li Qi always felt that he had been far too harsh on his two sons in the past, driving them to fight without reservation until they died on the battlefield. Guilt weighed heavily on his heart, and he truly could not bear to see his two grandsons endure the same hardships their fathers had.
Still, Li Qi could not be blamed entirely for this indulgence.
Li Hanchi’s temper was every bit as naturally fiery as Li Qi’s, going off like a firecracker at the slightest spark. He loved sticking his nose into any person or matter he found unpleasing such as Xie Zi’an.
Wiping the rainwater from his face, Lu Bingqiu stared from a distance at the person emerging from the side door, recognizing Li Hanchi at a glance.
That rakish attire and upright posture stood out far too clearly.
Lu Bingqiu wondered why Li Hanchi would show up in this godforsaken place, and the timing and location were far too coincidental happening precisely while he was hunting for someone.
Yet, paradoxically, he had rarely heard of any interactions between the Xie and Li families. Amidst the struggle between the imperial and imperial-mother factions, the Li family remained neutral; the fall of the Xie family caused no damage to their interests.
Therefore, Li Hanchi had no motive to rescue Xie Zi’an or snatch the ledgers.
Besides, had Li Qi wished to protect Xie Zi’an and the ledgers, he would never have dispatched a mere hotheaded youth.
For a moment, Lu Bingqiu failed to read the situation clearly. Out of wariness toward the Li family’s influence, he decided to probe Li Hanchi’s intentions first before making his next move.
Walking toward Li Hanchi, Lu Bingqiu wore a smiling facade as he called out: “Oh, if it isn’t Young General Li? Such formidable vigor! It must be my lack of hospitality that has disturbed the Young General’s sweet dreams.”
Even though he inwardly sneered at the title “Young General Li,” he maintained a surface-level display of utmost respect.
After all, the title “Young General Li” was tied to Li Qi.
This moniker dated back two years. Li Hanchi had loved playing with spears and clubs since childhood, so his grandfather had secured him a position as a garrison commander in the Five Army Guards.
In truth, this was merely a sinecure with barely a hundred men under his command, intended simply to let Li Hanchi indulge his craving for issuing commands and drilling soldiers.
Coincidentally, since Li Qi held the title of Mighty Great General, flatterers seeking to curry favor with the Li family began addressing Li Hanchi as the Young General.
Li Hanchi enjoyed hearing it, and the title stuck.
Hearing the voice, Li Hanchi glanced toward Lu Bingqiu, his pitch-black eyes seemingly devoid of emotion: “Oh, so it’s Lord Lu. What a coincidence, what brings you to a place like this?”
Lu Bingqiu replied: “Who’s to say otherwise? The Young General is a man of fortune; unlike us hard laborers, the moment the Emperor gives an order, we don’t get a moment’s rest. Major events have occurred in Yecheng recently, so running oneself ragged is unavoidable. My luck tonight is truly poor not only did a remnant of the Xie family escape, but something vital was lost as well.”
“Fortunately, I just received word that the fugitive is hiding in this very area, which led me and my men to rush over here. It’s been quite a search, though we haven’t found him yet. Has the Young General happened to see any trace of this Xie family fugitive?”
Listening to this, Li Hanchi showed little reaction, responding with indifferent detachment: “What Xie family fugitive? I neither recognize nor have I seen any such person.”
Lu Bingqiu offered a dry laugh: “Didn’t the Young General even bother to ask which Xie family fugitive I’m looking for before saying you haven’t seen him?”
Li Hanchi answered with casual lightness: “I’m not familiar with people from the Xie family. If I were, I wouldn’t be standing here safe and sound in front of Lord Lu, would I, Lord Lu?”
His tongue was sharp enough to leave Lu Bingqiu choking, completely at a loss for how to reply.
Lu Bingqiu finally realized that beating around the bush with this kid was useless. He simply cut straight to the point: “Perish the thought. This place is filthy and reeking; why is Young General Li running out here to suffer instead of enjoying blessings at home?”
Li Hanchi raised an eyebrow: “Is Lord Lu interrogating me now?”
Lu Bingqiu hurriedly denied it: “The Young General jests. Even if you gave me ten guts, I wouldn’t dare. I was merely curious and asking out of hand.”
What Lu Bingqiu said always sounded far better than what he actually did.
Beneath their cloaks, both Zhu Yue and Xie Zi’an desperately hoped Li Hanchi would force Lu Bingqiu to back down.
Unfortunately, Li Hanchi was still young at this point; he was no match for this seasoned jackal.
Sighing, Li Hanchi said: “My grandfather is terribly strict when it comes to relations between men and women, leaving me with no choice but to sneak off to this remote place for a secret rendezvous with my lover. I must ask Lord Lu to keep this confidential.”
Hearing this, Lu Bingqiu mentally assigned four words to Li Hanchi: utter nonsense.
What kind of figure was Li Hanchi? No matter how strict Li Qi might be, he had no reason to sneak off to such a dump to meet a lover.
Moreover, Li Qi’s indulgence toward him was common knowledge across the entire city; where on earth was this strictness he spoke of?
This lie was far too poorly constructed; there was bound to be something fishy going on.
Lu Bingqiu smiled: “Absolute secrecy, of course. Just now, I noticed several people walking toward the Young General’s courtyard are they the Young General’s people?”
Xie Zi’an’s heart skipped a beat. Speak of the devil, he assumed Lu Bingqiu had long forgotten about them, yet he actually remembered.
Zhu Yue, however, felt no surprise. The matter carried immense gravity; it was entirely unsurprising that Lu Bingqiu was exercising extreme caution. Her primary concern was that if her identity were exposed before the Empress Dowager’s imperial decree arrived, they would be doomed.
They had just arrived here by carriage earlier and encountered a local man whom Lu Bingqiu had previously released as a guide. She had initially assumed Lu Bingqiu had already secured the ledgers, but it appeared Lu Bingqiu had spent a considerable amount of time wandering in circles through this area.
Consequently, Zhu Yue had instructed the man to lead Xie Zi’an, herself, and a personal maid straight here, while sending him and the carriage driver back to East Street’s entrance to meet up with Chunxue and the others.
Unease gnawed at her heart. Calculating the time, Chunxue and the shadow guards should have arrived. Only once Chunxue and the guards were present could she stall further while awaiting the Empress Dowager’s decree.
The rain, which had been easing up, grew heavier once more, and a series of loud spring thunderclaps suddenly shook the sky.
The white flashes of lightning illuminated Li Hanchi’s face. Void of excess expression save for a cool indifference, he swept his heavy-lidded gaze over the hooded figures standing below, his tone dripping with languid laziness: “They are my people. So what?”
As soon as these words left his mouth, not only were Xie Zi’an and Zhu Yue startled, but even Lu Bingqiu felt a jolt of surprise. After all, anyone with eyes could tell Li Hanchi didn’t recognize them.
What on earth was Li Hanchi thinking? What was he trying to do?
Xie Zi’an did not know how Li Hanchi had helped Zhao Chengxiao escape in the original book, but he suspected that his own arrival had altered the trajectory of the plot to a certain extent, preventing Li Hanchi from following the original storyline.
He could only think of one explanation for Li Hanchi’s behavior: Li Hanchi had already discovered Zhu Yue’s identity. For the Grand Princess to show up at his doorstep meant matters were far from simple. He didn’t want Lu Bingqiu searching this courtyard, which was why he was helping conceal their identities.
Li Hanchi was clever, but playing with fire meant getting burned; his actions simultaneously exposed his weakness.
Lu Bingqiu said nothing more. He grew even more convinced that this courtyard was far from ordinary. At the same time, he knew that being gentle with Li Hanchi was useless. Since soft methods didn’t work, he would simply resort to brute force.
He blew a secret whistle, and the Jinyiwei who had been searching the other courtyards rapidly emerged, falling silently into line behind Lu Bingqiu like a pack of jackals poised to leap upon their prey.
“By imperial order, I am here today to seal the Xie Mansion. The Xie family fugitive Xie Zi’an has escaped, and the ledgers are missing. We have already searched everywhere that needs searching, leaving only the Young General’s courtyard. Serving the Emperor requires offending people, so I must ask the Young General to bear with me today.” Lu Bingqiu dropped his friendly act, baring his sharp claws and fangs.
Li Hanchi let out a cold laugh: “Lord Lu isn’t just offending me, you’re offending the entire Li family. Have you thought this through?”
When outside, he habitually disliked using his grandfather to pressure others unless things reached a critical juncture.
Lu Bingqiu replied: “I’ve thought it through. Even if the King of Heaven himself arrived, I’d still have to offend him. Enough wasted breath, Young General, step aside.”
Gritting his teeth in fury, Li Hanchi demanded: “And if I refuse?”
“The Jinyiwei can leap over walls and climb roofs; we don’t strictly require the front gate.” Lu Bingqiu laughed heartily. Abruptly dropping the mirth, his expression turned severe as he issued a sharp command: “Enter!”
Black-clad figures first sprang onto the adjacent walls, their toes landing lightly upon the roof tiles with a sound softer than the patter of the rain. Skimming rapidly along the walls to the perimeter of the courtyard behind Li Hanchi, they vaulted downward in a synchronized wave, disappearing inside.
Li Hanchi’s expression turned hideous, his dark eyes swirling with gloomy shadows.
He never expected events to turn around this rapidly, nor did he expect Lu Bingqiu to be so utterly overbearing.
Swallowing back his surging fury, Li Hanchi whirled around and strode swiftly into the compound.
Xie Zi’an hurried after him.
The courtyard was massive, filled with half-man-tall dye vats and numerous wooden drying racks hung with fabric.
These old, yellowish bolts of cloth looked as though they had been hanging out to dry for quite some time without anyone taking them in, splitting the courtyard into countless fragmented corridors.
Xie Zi’an’s vision was crowded with these colorful fabrics suspended from the wooden frames.
Though he had entered right behind Li Hanchi, the youth vanished from sight in the blink of an eye. Before Xie Zi’an could even figure out where Li Hanchi had gone, a man’s agonized scream echoed from ahead:
“Agh—!”
The sound was somewhat muffled, appearing to originate from inside one of the rooms.