Yang Xun did not move. He frowned slightly and said, “Madam, you are far too stubborn.”
Xi Cai lowered her head and smiled faintly. “I am only thinking of your best interests, Marquis. Besides, the case has not yet been fully investigated. If you come to see me now, people may start gossiping. You should go back. These past two days must have been exhausting for you. Remember to take your medicine on time.”
She seemed accustomed to pretending to care about him. The good reputation she built in this lifetime might well be passed down for generations.
Yang Xun sighed softly. “Your father-in-law still has to undergo questioning, but you are no longer an unmarried woman. As long as you explain everything clearly, you can return home with me.”
Xi Cai found his words absurd.
“If you truly acknowledge that I am already married, you should have asked me to assist with the investigation instead of having the guards drag me straight into prison. I know that I have yet to establish a firm footing in the Marquis’s residence. Now that someone has accused my father of participating in a rebellion, I should share both his fortune and his misfortune as his daughter.
“Besides, this is a serious case in which lives are at stake. Since you and I are not deeply entangled yet, it would be best for us to sever our ties as soon as possible. Just pretend you never married me. Go back and find another young lady to marry, and bring home the wife you truly want.”
Why did her words sound so tragic?
Yang Xun asked, “Are you trying to force my hand? Are you talking about death because you intend to die and leave me a widower?”
For once, Xi Cai’s expression relaxed. She turned her head slightly and said, “You have always been at odds with my father. I never expected you to put aside your prejudices and care about me alone. Things have already come to this point, so why not let go of each other? My family has been implicated in a rebellion. You can marry again without anyone gossiping about you. Why would you refuse such a good opportunity?”
So she had absolutely no intention of begging him for help. For the sake of her dignity, she was determined to follow this path to the very end.
Yang Xun had no choice but to give her a hint.
“There is always room to turn things around. You don’t need to lose hope so completely.”
Xi Cai understood what he meant. She hurriedly brushed the strands of hair covering her eyes behind her ear and asked anxiously, “Can you release my parents and give justice to those who have been implicated without reason?”
Very well. She did not merely want to save the Xi family. She wanted to save the other innocent people as well.
Yang Xun looked at her, and his gaze gradually turned cold.
“Whether someone is guilty or innocent must be determined through investigation and questioning. The guards do not arrest people without reason. They gather evidence beforehand.”
Xi Cai had never placed much hope in him. Hearing his answer, she understood that he merely wanted to force her to beg for mercy. He wanted to see her abandon her parents and reveal the ugly side of human nature by choosing to save herself.
For a brief moment, she had considered whether she should find a way to leave the prison first and then seek help for her parents.
But she was a woman who had grown up in the inner quarters, with no connections to princes, nobles, or powerful officials. Moreover, this case was so serious that no one would dare interfere.
In any case, the final outcome would probably remain the same. If her parents could not get out, she no longer cared whether she could escape herself.
“Then I will wait. Once the Sili authorities have established my father’s guilt, even if I must die, I want to know exactly what crime he has committed.”
She stepped back, gathered the hairpins and ornaments scattered on the ground, and held them out to him.
“Take these back with you. If I leave them here, the prison guards will eventually confiscate them.”
Yang Xun found her utterly incomprehensible. The more he dealt with her, the less he understood her. It seemed that everyone surnamed Xi was stubborn to the core.
He did not accept the ornaments.
“No one would dare touch your belongings. If you ever get the chance to leave prison, you can take them with you yourself.”
After saying this, he turned to leave. Then, as though remembering something, he looked back.
“Do you know that your younger siblings have escaped?”
Xi Cai shook her head. “I don’t know. I was locked up last night. How could I possibly know what happened to them?”
“The guards are searching the entire city. If they are found, they may not escape punishment.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “If you know where they are hiding, tell me. I will guarantee their safety.”
Xi Cai had to summon all her self-control to keep from spitting at him.
You wretched man! Do you take me for a three-year-old child? You actually think you can trick me into revealing their whereabouts!
Xi Xiao and Xi Tan had a chance of surviving only if they stayed out of his hands. If Yang Xun caught them, the entire Xi family would truly be finished.
“Since you genuinely want to protect them, why not quietly tell the guards to stop searching? And if they happen to find them, they can simply pretend they saw nothing.” Xi Cai gave a dry laugh. “If you really want to keep them safe, then the best thing you can do is make sure they are never found.”
Her reply nearly left Yang Xun speechless.
He had expected her to continue shaking her head and insisting that she knew nothing. Instead, she had gone so far as to suggest a solution for him.
Clearly, there was no point continuing the conversation.
He left without another word and walked into the narrow, dim passageway. Although he did not turn around, he could still keenly sense the movements of the woman behind him.
There was nothing left to hold her attention. She gathered her skirts and sat back down on the damp, cold floor.
The rebellion had erupted and been swiftly suppressed. The entire process had been brief, and the subsequent punishment was equally straightforward.
Prince Bin and Prince Cao had both been captured alive and placed under heavy guard in the most secure prison. Their wives and children were next. Even if they had ridden thousands of miles to their fiefdoms, the authorities would hunt them down and bring every last one of them to justice.
Prince Bin knew that he could not escape his fate. He wedged his neck between the prison bars and hanged himself.
Yang Xun was just about to leave when he received the news. He sat silently in his carriage for a moment before ordering the driver to turn around and head for the palace so that he could report Prince Bin’s death to the emperor.
The emperor’s expression was wooden. He showed no lingering affection for the official who had rebelled and tried to force his way into the palace.
“He committed a crime of the highest order, then killed himself without giving anyone an explanation. What a coward! A man like that doesn’t deserve a proper coffin. Wrap him in a straw mat and throw him into a mass grave. Let the wild dogs devour him!”
Only after saying this did sorrow creep into his expression.
“Before Father passed away, he summoned them and entrusted them with protecting me, an orphan, and my widowed mother. Yet, in the end, this is what human nature has come to. Apart from Fourth Uncle and Ninth Uncle, the others have long forgotten the bonds we once shared.
“The Secretariat originally proposed granting them princely titles and sending them to their fiefdoms to prevent them from remaining in the capital and becoming a threat that we could never fully guard against. But even after being sent away, they still managed to unite their former followers and seize an opportunity to rebel.
“Uncle, did I make a mistake? Did I hurt their feelings so badly that they decided to turn against me?”
Yang Xun replied, “Your Majesty made no mistake. Granting titles to the imperial clan and sending the princes to their respective fiefdoms was a wise way to ensure the unity of imperial authority and maintain lasting stability in the capital. When circumstances change, the root of the problem lies in people’s hearts, not in the policies of the state.”
After speaking, he raised his hands in a formal salute.
“Last month, I requested permission to remain in the capital. Now that my task has been successfully completed, I can report back to Your Majesty. I ask for your gracious permission to leave the capital and take up residence in my fiefdom.”
At such a critical moment, two princes who had already been sent to their fiefdoms had still managed to lead troops into Luoyang Palace. This proved that without supervision, the princes could still cause trouble wherever they were stationed.
Looking back, perhaps keeping them in Luodu, where they could be watched closely, would actually be more reassuring than sending them far away, beyond the reach of the imperial court.
The emperor therefore rejected Yang Xun’s request without hesitation.
“Uncle, please stop thinking about leaving the capital. I am still young, and my foundation is not yet secure. Without your support, I fear this empire would be difficult to stabilize.
“I ask you to continue overseeing Luodu. You have made an immense contribution to suppressing this rebellion. I have already thought of an appropriate title for you. I wish to make you Prince of Zhao, grant you Handan as your fiefdom, and bestow upon you ten thousand qing of fertile farmland and an income from twenty thousand households.
“Both the fiefdom and the income will belong to you. All I ask is that you remain in the capital and help me manage the affairs of the court. Let us work together, uncle and nephew, to create an era of prosperity unlike anything the world has ever seen. What do you say, Uncle?”
Yang Xun did not agree immediately. Looking at the emperor, he found himself caught in a difficult position.
“Your Majesty should discuss this matter with the Secretariat again. My health has been deteriorating lately. The rebellion led by the two princes has consumed too much of my energy, and I no longer have the strength to concern myself with other matters. Even if I remain in the capital, I may not be able to relieve Your Majesty’s burdens. It would be better for me to retire to my fiefdom and recuperate. Perhaps I might live another two years that way.”
The emperor insisted on keeping him.
“There is no need to discuss it with the Secretariat. I have reached adulthood and taken personal control of the government. I can make this decision myself.
“Since your health is poor, you should take time to recuperate. I promise not to disturb you. Once you have fully recovered, you can return to your duties.
“Uncle, as long as you remain here, the capital and its surrounding regions will be stable. Please continue to assist me for another three years. After those three years, if you still insist on leaving for your fiefdom, I will not try to stop you. I will personally see you off.”
With the emperor having said so much, there was little left to argue about.
After a moment of thought, Yang Xun raised his hands in salute.
“Then I shall accept Your Majesty’s command. However, I will temporarily decline the princely title. Accepting it now might establish a precedent and invite criticism from others.”
The emperor nodded.
“We shall do as you wish. Since you will not accept the title, I will reward you in another way for your contributions this time.”
Although the two of them had spent a long time exchanging polite words, the emperor’s thoughts remained with the officials who had been implicated in the rebellion.
He understood perfectly well that his uncle was using the opportunity to eliminate political rivals. However, the matter was too serious for even the emperor himself to pardon his close officials on the strength of a single person’s word.
Several times, he had nearly blurted out a question about what Yang Xun intended to do with his own wife. Each time, however, he swallowed the words before they could leave his mouth.
Yang Xun simply pretended not to notice. He bowed calmly and took his leave.
Walking alone through the palace corridor, he looked up and saw a vast blue sky. Its color was so clear and vivid that it seemed to soothe the soul.
Near the Duan Gate ahead, however, a woman was pacing back and forth.
She was too far away for him to see clearly. For a brief moment, he thought she was Xi Cai.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. Xi Cai was locked inside the prison. Without his permission, she would never be able to leave.
As he approached, he finally recognized the woman as Yang Su.
She hurried toward him and called out anxiously, “Elder Brother!”
Yang Xun gave a perfunctory nod.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you.”
He did not ask why she had been waiting. Instead, he walked past her and headed straight toward his black-wheeled carriage.
Seeing that he was about to climb aboard, Yang Su immediately pulled the carriage step aside. Under his puzzled gaze, she gathered her courage and spoke.
“The Xi family has been imprisoned for their crimes, and Xi Cai is no longer your wife. When I asked you about this before, you told me that you were going to marry and warned me not to entertain foolish thoughts.
“Now that you no longer have a wife, are you still going to keep me at arm’s length?”
Yang Xun laughed in disbelief.
“Even if I no longer had a wife, it would have nothing to do with you. I could marry any woman in Luodu, but I cannot marry my younger sister. Why do you seem unable to understand such a simple principle?”
Yang Su was furious.
“We aren’t even blood-related! We’re siblings in name only. Why are you so afraid of that?”
In her agitation, she could no longer keep the secret to herself. She blurted out everything she had discussed with Xi Cai earlier.
“Could it be that you are deeply devoted to Xi Cai? Let me tell you, she doesn’t care about you at all!
“Yesterday, she told me that she was willing to treat me as your equal. She was even willing to let you visit my residence, and she encouraged me to approach you myself.
“As long as you agree, the three of us can live together, have children, and build a happy, thriving household.”
Yang Xun froze.
“She said that?”
“Yes!” Yang Su replied. She turned to her maid and asked, “You heard it too, didn’t you?”
The maid nodded repeatedly.
Seeing that Yang Xun seemed distracted, Yang Su became convinced that she had struck a nerve. She pressed on.
“She may appear obedient and respectful, but she has never truly cared about you. Are you really going to remain faithful to a woman like that?
“She was right about one thing. In private matters, Elder Brother is far too bound by convention and lacks the decisiveness you show in politics.
“But I know that you value old relationships. If I treat you with genuine affection, you won’t have the heart to disappoint me.”
She spoke with such certainty that she almost managed to convince herself.
Yang Xun, however, replied indifferently, “It seems you don’t understand me at all.”
Yang Su was stunned. She had talked herself into a corner and did not know how to respond.
Yang Xun had no intention of arguing with her any further. He turned and climbed into the carriage.
When Yang Su finally recovered from her shock, her anxiety grew even worse.
“Are you still not going to divorce her? Or why not simply kill her? At least you could preserve your dignity before she is convicted!”
Inside the carriage, Yang Xun’s face was hidden in the shadows. Only the lower half of his face could be seen beneath the curtain as he spoke.
“It has not yet been determined whether she will be punished alongside her family. Matters of state are not something you should concern yourself with. Stop making a fuss and go home.”
The carriage began to move. From time to time, its wheels rolled over stones on Bronze Camel Street, causing the vehicle to jolt gently.
Inside, Yang Xun closed his eyes to rest, but Yang Su’s words continued echoing in his mind.
If she had not spoken so carelessly, he might never have learned that the Xi family’s daughter was so generous with her husband that she was willing to share him with anyone who asked.
Was she a great virtuous woman or a great schemer?
He suspected the latter.
A woman who was so calculating could still display such an impressive sense of dignity in the interrogation hall. It seemed that Xi Jiyuan had done an excellent job raising his children.
The result certainly proved his assessment correct. The children of the Xi family were all bold enough to think daring thoughts and act on them.
By the time Yang Xun returned to the Marquis’s residence, darkness had fallen over the city. Even with Luodu still unsettled after the rebellion, he rarely took attendants with him when he went out.
Today was no different.
The black-wheeled carriage entered the rear alley and was about to pull into the carriage house when two masked youths suddenly appeared from nowhere. They darted into the carriage, moving so quickly that there was no time to react.
Two cold blades pressed against Yang Xun’s neck.
One of the youths threatened him, “Don’t make a sound! Give the order now to release the officials imprisoned in the Sili Prison!”
The man being held at knifepoint remained remarkably calm.
“Who are you?”
The other youth snapped, “Who we are is none of your business! Your life is in our hands. One slash of our blades, and you’ll be meeting the King of Hell. Do as we say and release the prisoners!
“You know perfectly well whether those people have been framed. If you still want to live, you’d better turn back before it’s too late.”
Unfortunately, their threats had no effect.
Yang Xun spoke slowly. “A case being heard by three departments cannot be decided by me alone. Whether those people are guilty must be determined by the Sili authorities after a proper investigation. I advise you to put down your knives before you add another serious crime to your list.”
“Bah!” one of the youths spat. “If we were afraid of being punished, we wouldn’t have come here to risk our lives!”
“Yang Xun!” the other youth shouted. “You leave your own wife locked up in prison while you come home to sleep comfortably on soft bedding. How can you possibly sleep at night?”
He rubbed the edge of his blade against Yang Xun’s neck, leaving a thin line of blood.
“I’d love to kill you with one stroke and rid the people of a menace like you! You have only one way out now. Release the prisoners! If you refuse, then right now, I’ll—”
Before he could finish, someone pulled the mask off his face.
The situation instantly became awkward.
The two sides stared at each other, completely stunned.
Yang Xun seized the two thin blades and moved them away from his neck. Frowning, he said, “Xi Tan, Xi Xiao. The guards are searching the entire city for you, yet instead of running for your lives, you’ve come here to cause trouble. You certainly have some nerve.”
The siblings had initially looked a little uncertain. But the moment they heard his words, they immediately abandoned all thoughts of their own safety.
Xi Xiao shouted, “My elder sister married you, but you never treated her with the care she deserved. Instead, you sent her straight to prison! You’re not fit to be called a man!
“The Xi family has been wrongfully accused, and we’ve already thrown caution to the wind. Today, either you die or we do! You treacherous villain, prepare to pay with your life!”