After Yang Lianting had endured a month in prison, Murong Yuan finally realized that the man would never reveal the mastermind behind his actions.
In a fit of rage, the King issued a decree to have Yang Lianting dragged to Caishikou for summary execution. While the arrangements were being made, he also dispatched men to set a secret ambush, hoping to lure out the hidden hand. However, when Yang Lianting’s prisoner cart emerged from the prison gates and passed through the long streets, the citizens of Jinyang began to cry out in protest, proclaiming his innocence.
The soldiers could not drive them all away, and several scuffles broke out amidst the pushing and shoving.
Yang Lianting stood within the cage of the cart. The sunlight of the fourth or fifth month cast a blurred, shimmering halo around him. His body was covered in wounds, and even the fresh prisoner’s garb could not hide the blood seeping through the fabric. His lips moved slightly as he looked at the crowds lining the street. Suddenly, he spoke: "My grandfather was Yang Xuanhe. My father was Yang Jiling. Six years ago, my father was framed and imprisoned for exposing corrupt officials who were privately selling military horses. He suffered every manner of torture in prison, and after his tragic death, his body was taken to the execution platform to be beheaded."
The long street fell into a deathly silence. With tears in his eyes, Yang Lianting continued, "My grandfather practiced medicine his entire life, saving countless souls, only to end up decapitated! I do not regret a life spent in medicine, but I regret being born in Great Yan, under such a monarch! The King of Yan is fatuous and incompetent; above, he fawns over Xijing, and below, he dotes on treacherous officials and sycophants! Loyal men die tragic deaths while the common people suffer! The Crown Prince is even more devoid of virtue—as the heir to the throne, he has forcibly seized his own brother’s wife..."
The escorting officer’s face turned pale. He shouted repeatedly, "Gag him! Gag him! If that doesn't work, cut out his tongue!"
Just as the soldiers were about to move forward, a sudden riot erupted on both sides of the street. The escorting officer panicked. "Move! Fast—" Before he could finish his sentence, a poisoned dart flew from an unknown direction and struck him square in the forehead.
In an instant, the street descended into chaos.
A group of masked men charged out from the shadows, each possessing formidable martial arts skills. How could Murong Yuan’s ordinary soldiers contend with such people? Furthermore, with the commoners fleeing in every direction, the hidden archers were paralyzed with indecision, unsure whether to fire. In that moment of hesitation, the masked men hacked open the prisoner cart and seized Yang Lianting.
Someone gave the order, and the archers loosed a volley of arrows. Immediately, wails of agony filled the air as countless civilians fell under the rain of arrows. The long street turned into a scene of carnage. It was unclear who resisted first, but the chaos gradually expanded. Many soldiers had their weapons snatched away and were swarmed by the mob.
Leng Feiyan ran swiftly while cradling Yang Lianting. He felt as though he had no bones left in his body; he was so limp she didn't even dare hoist him over her shoulder. Murong Yan had ordered her to hijack the prisoner. She had plenty of subordinates—thugs to create the diversion and the desperate outlaws of Yan Tower to snatch the man. Rescuing Yang Lianting had been easy enough, but he was currently unconscious and appeared gravely injured. Where was she supposed to take him?
As she was pondering this, a carriage pulled up beside her. The driver asked, "Miss, get in quickly."
Leng Feiyan was bold; she leaped onto the carriage in a single bound.
The carriage did not stop, quickly exiting Jinyang. Leng Feiyan asked, "Where are you taking us?"
The driver replied, "A gentleman paid me silver to take you to Mount Gushe."
Leng Feiyan chuckled. "Hey, do you even know who I am, yet you dare to give me a ride?"
The driver said, "I don't know you, but I know the man on your shoulder is Divine Physician Yang. Dr. Yang treats the sick and saves lives; now that he's in trouble, we have to save him."
Leng Feiyan shrugged. The driver was skilled, and the carriage ran both fast and steady. When they reached Mount Gushe, he did not head for the main gate but stopped by a pine forest at the foot of the mountain. He let the two of them off, bid them farewell, and drove away.
Standing in the pine forest, Leng Feiyan felt a flicker of doubt. After all, Mu Qingxie had betrayed Yang Lianting. Bringing him here now—wasn't that like delivering a lamb to the wolf's den?
However, she could not go against Murong Yan’s intentions.
As she hesitated, footsteps approached from ahead. Leng Feiyan silently vanished into a tree, looking down from above. She saw a young girl approaching. She wore the traditional clothing of a foreign tribe, and the malachite necklace on her chest glittered blindingly in the sunlight.
The girl looked around for a while, seemingly searching for someone. Leng Feiyan thought for a moment, gently placed Yang Lianting on a branch, and then flew back to the canopy of another tree. The girl’s martial arts were far inferior to hers and she noticed nothing.
Leng Feiyan flicked a pebble from a distance, hitting Yang Lianting.
The girl below was, of course, A-Fei. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Yang Lianting in the tree.
"Yang—" She gasped, immediately checking her surroundings. Seeing no one, she climbed the tree. By then, nearly every bone in Yang Lianting’s body had been broken. She carried him down and hurriedly pulled medicine from her robes to feed him.
Seeing that she meant Yang Lianting no harm, Leng Feiyan did not reveal herself.
A-Fei stayed with Yang Lianting, tending to him until dusk before carrying him back up Mount Gushe. She knew the mountain's defenses like the back of her hand; she moved stealthily, avoiding patrols, and quietly brought Yang Lianting back to her quarters.
Leng Feiyan followed them as far as the statue of Shennong. Seeing that the two had not alerted any guards, she quietly departed.
By this time, Jinyang was in a state of total upheaval.
When Murong Yuan learned that Yang Lianting had been rescued and heard the report of his final words, his "Dragon Countenance" flared in a towering rage. He ordered the gates of Jinyang closed and a city-wide search initiated. Leng Feiyan avoided the soldiers all the way back to Murong Yan’s manor.
Murong Yan was playing chess, competing against himself. Hearing her arrive, he didn't even look up. "You're back?"
Leng Feiyan walked to him and knelt on one knee. "Master, I have delivered Yang Lianting to the Saintess of Mount Gushe." Murong Yan gave a noncommittal hum. Leng Feiyan stole a glance at him and, after a long silence, asked, "What should I do next?"
Murong Yan asked, "How much have you uncovered regarding the truth of the Yang family massacre?"
Leng Feiyan was utterly impressed by Zuo Canglang; fortunately, she had been warned and was well-prepared. She said, "We have captured the arsonist from that year. It is confirmed he was acting under the orders of Wen Weishu. The servant who testified that Lord Yang hid dragon robes and used imperial vessels has also been caught; it was a frame-up. However, the correspondence Wen Weishu kept back then can no longer be found. After all these years, he has likely destroyed it."
Murong Yan said, "Release the hard evidence to the public."
Leng Feiyan acknowledged the order. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Mu Qingxie, the leader of the Baiyu Sect, seems to have always been wary of Yang Lianting. Should we eliminate him first to prevent any interference?"
Murong Yan finally looked up. He glanced at her, and then his lips curled into a wide, brilliant smile. "Feiyan, if everything in this world could be solved with brute force, what would be the point of having a head?"
Leng Feiyan thought about it and said, "A head can also be used for eating."
Murong Yan nearly collapsed onto the chessboard with laughter. After a long while, he reached out and patted her head. "Mu Qingxie... from the moment he investigated Yang Lianting’s background and decided to inform my father, he was already a dead man."
Leng Feiyan opened her mouth as if to ask something, but finally said, "Forget it. Even if I ask, I probably won't understand."
Murong Yan said, "If A-Zuo were here, she would certainly understand. I miss her a little."
Leng Feiyan said, "A-Zuo seems clever, but if Master misses her, it would be better to let me stay by your side instead."
"Oh?" Murong Yan began to show some interest. "How so?"
Leng Feiyan said, "I am more beautiful than she is!"
Murong Yan chuckled. "Only inanimate objects are judged solely by their beauty." Leng Feiyan crawled forward a few steps on her knees until she was right before him. Her gaze was seductive and moist. Murong Yan lowered his head, clearly seeing his own reflection in those pupils that seemed to flicker like fire and water.
Leng Feiyan whispered, "I am also safer than she is."
Her red lips moved, her voice enchanting and soul-stirring. Murong Yan lowered his gaze to meet hers. "I don't see it. Aren't women more dangerous the more beautiful they are?"
Leng Feiyan slowly leaned in a bit closer until their noses almost touched. In that moment, she was like a flower blooming, like snow falling, like a dewdrop catching the sun—radiant and dazzling. She whispered, "But if you know there is danger, it isn't dangerous. If you believe you are safe, isn't that even more perilous?"
Murong Yan’s eyes shimmered with a half-smile. "Reasonable."
Leng Feiyan said, "So, wouldn't I be more suitable than A-Zuo?"
Murong Yan smiled. "However, I still feel that a woman is always safer on the ground than on the bed." Leng Feiyan froze. Murong Yan continued, "If she is a subordinate, money and loyalty are exchanged clearly; the boundaries are distinct. If she is on the bed, things become muddled. A single wrong word could make her hate me for a lifetime."
He stared at Leng Feiyan’s red lips and said, "I'm afraid of trouble."
Leng Feiyan slowly sat up straight. Murong Yan said, "The inspections in Jinyang will be very strict lately. Be careful when coming and going. Go now."
Leng Feiyan rose and took her leave. Only after she had left did Wang Yunzhao come forward to replace the tea. His expression was quite colorful. "Just now, Lady Leng was so close to Your Highness that this old servant didn't dare enter. Could she be trying to seduce Your Highness?"
Murong Yan laughed loudly. When he finished, he said slowly, "She wasn't trying to seduce me. She was trying to remind me, or perhaps... give me a warning?"
Evidence of the Yang family massacre began to spread slowly. More and more clues indicated that it was indeed a wrongful conviction.
These pieces of evidence were like slaps to the face, each one landing squarely on the King of Yan. In his shame and fury, the King became even more convinced that this was a plot by rebels. He ordered a rigorous search for Yang Lianting’s whereabouts. He could not admit at this time that he had wrongly slaughtered the entire Yang family years ago; that would only turn Yang Lianting’s accusations on the prisoner cart into proven facts!
He could only double down on his mistake and root out the "traitors" behind the scenes.
***
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