Chapter 21

Su Jinyuan recalled the blood-soaked state of Xie Yunyan in prison.
Sniffing, she said, “Sixth Young Master won’t get into trouble. He promised me he would definitely come back—Old madam should wait for him.”

Old Madam Xiao’s eyes glistened with emotion.

Dreading such scenes more than anything, Su Jinyuan quickly reined in her feelings and asked, “Old Madam, may I ask you something?”

“I noticed that Luo Yu seems to harbor a particular hatred toward Sixth Young Master. Yet when he was previously ordered to arrest Sixth Young Master, the latter clearly didn’t even know him; but now in prison, Sixth Young Master claims that Luo Yu once knelt to beg for mercy.”

Xie Yunyan’s reactions had been inconsistent from start to finish, and during the interrogation, it was evident that personal grudges were influencing Luo Yu’s behavior.

“Do you know what kind of feud exists between Sixth Young Master and Luo Yu?”

Old Madam Xiao frowned and thought for a moment, replying, “Are you saying that Little Six mentioned something about kneeling to beg for mercy?”

Su Jinyuan nodded. “Luo Yu has been ruthlessly hard on Sixth Young Master—his words dripping with sarcasm as if he’d long harbored a deep grudge. And once Sixth Young Master brought up that kneeling incident, Luo Yu grew even more furious…”

After a brief moment of frowning, Nanny Chen whispered from nearby,
“Old Madam, could this possibly be about that matter involving Prince Duan’s heir?”

“Prince Duan’s heir?”

Su Jinyuan looked puzzled. “How is it that we’re bringing up Prince Duan’s heir?”

Nanny Chen explained, “When Prince Duan’s heir was young and his health was frail, he was raised at his maternal grandfather’s home and wasn’t brought back to the capital until he was sixteen. At that time, many people in the capital had never seen his face nor knew his true identity.”

“Once, while Prince Duan’s heir was out, he ran into the city patrol guards. Due to a misunderstanding, he was wrongly accused of being a thief and beaten by them—but it was the eldest Young Master and Sixth Young Master who rescued him.”

“Later, when the Duan Mansion investigated the incident, the first instigator kneeled before Prince Duan’s heir to beg for mercy. He kowtowed a hundred times along a long street in the capital—kneeling continuously for three whole days—until the Duan Mansion finally spared his life.”

“I recall that when Sixth Young Master returned, he also mentioned this matter, saying that the man was demoted and sent off to serve in a military garrison.”

“That Luo Yu is from the garrison as well—and with Sixth Young Master speaking about him in such a way, could it be that he is the very person who, back then, offended the Duan Mansion and was demoted?”

Su Jinyuan’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t expected there to be such an affair. Yet why would Xie Yunyan bring it up out of the blue?

Wait a minute—Prince Duan’s heir?

“Grandmother, who currently holds power in the Duan Mansion?”

“Naturally, it is Prince Duan. However, Prince Duan has an easygoing nature and a yearning for pastoral life—he’s away from the capital for more than half the year. It is said that nearly all the important matters in the mansion are handled by Prince Duan’s heir…”

While Old Madam Xiao was speaking, it suddenly occurred to her that something was amiss.

Meeting Su Jinyuan’s eyes, which had lit up with sudden delight, Old Madam Xiao began, “Do you think that the Sixth Young Master deliberately mentioned this matter—that he’s hinting that the Xiao family can seek help from Prince Duan’s heir?”

Su Jinyuan nodded. “Luo Yu harbors a grudge against Prince Duan’s heir, and the Sixth Young Master once saved the heir’s life.”

“Even though he knew full well that bringing this up would enrage Luo Yu—even drive him to furious humiliation—he still mentioned it on purpose. That can only mean he intended it for my ears only.”

Xie Yunyan has never been foolish; otherwise, in his previous life, he would never have successfully rebelled under such dire circumstances, nearly annihilating the entire royal family.

In the Ministry of Justice’s prison—where too many watchful eyes are at work—Xie Yunyan must guard himself not only against Duke Yu and Luo Yu but also against Yang Hong, the one responsible for delivering her there.

If Prince Duan’s heir truly is the only lifeline for the Xiao family, then except for me, no one else must ever come to know of this matter. But… How could he dare?

Su Jinyuan’s heart trembled slightly; her mind buzzed as she considered the implications.

What if she hadn’t understood his meaning?
What if she hadn’t paid close attention to his words…?

She nearly wanted to grab Xie Yunyan and shake him vigorously—how could he trust her so completely?!

Realizing that Xie Yunyan was passing a message to her, she immediately began to carefully recall every word he had spoken in the prison, whether by deliberate intent or accident. Only then did she suddenly recognize that, though it might have seemed he said nothing of consequence, he had actually given her several crucial hints.

For example, he implied that Duke Yu intended to frame the Xiao family by forging documents to suggest they colluded with the enemy.

Another hint was Luo Yu’s earlier accidental slip—revealing that the reason Xiao Jin and his son ended up bearing the charges was that one of their subordinate generals had betrayed them.

And then, there was Prince Duan’s heir…

Su Jinyuan didn’t know much about the Xiao family’s internal affairs, and she dared not speculate on her own. Instead, she quickly confided all of these matters to Old Madam Xiao.

Old Madam Xiao furrowed her brows and asked, “You’re saying that the subordinate general who betrayed Jin’er—was one of those serving him?”

There are only three subordinate generals under Xiao Jin: Feng Kui, Sun Sheng, and Xu Yingcheng. All three have followed Xiao Jin for many years. Among them, Sun Sheng has been campaigning with the Xiao family ever since the days of General Xiao, and only after the old general’s passing did he continue his service under Xiao Jin. The remaining two, Feng Kui and Xu Yingcheng, have each served Xiao Jin for well over a decade, leaving Old Madam Xiao uncertain about which one could be responsible.

Su Jinyuan asked, “Are these three people from the capital?”

Old Madam Xiao nodded. “Feng Kui’s wife lives at Xiaoronghua Alley in the east of the city, and Xu Yingcheng’s parents and brothers are also in the capital.”

“What about Sun Sheng?”

“Sun Sheng was originally an orphan. When he joined the army at only eleven, he was rescued on the battlefield by Yunxi’s grandfather and then stayed by his side as a close attendant. Later, he distinguished himself in battle and earned an official post.”

“There’s no one left in his family. Although he married, his wife died early and he left no children. After his wife passed away, he never remarried.”

In short, Sun Sheng is nothing more than a solitary, unburdened “lone man.”

Old Madam Xiao continued, “Sun Sheng and Yunxi’s grandfather share a bond of life and death, and he treats the children of the Xiao family as if they were his own kin.”

“He has saved Jin’er and the others’ lives several times on the battlefield. Had it not been for his self-sacrifice, Jin’er probably would never have made it back, so there’s no way he could be the traitor.”

Su Jinyuan twirled her fingertips—she trusted Old Madam Xiao’s judgment.

That is, the only possible suspects who could have betrayed the Xiao family by colluding with the enemy are either Feng Kui or Xu Yingcheng.

Old Madam Xiao, clearly having reached the same conclusion, said in a low tone, “Now, all news from Linchuan is under strict blockade, and there are people watching over the entire Xiao family. Although I have already sent someone to Linchuan under the pretext of escorting a spirit, they are all followed by royal personnel. It won’t be easy for anyone to dig up any information.”

“If a deputy general were bribed and the news deliberately concealed, it would be nearly impossible to find out exactly who was responsible.”

Su Jinyuan replied, “It’s not entirely impossible.”

Old Madam Xiao looked at her. “As I mentioned earlier, although they have gone to Linchuan, their wives, children, and elders are still in the capital.”

“If someone managed to bribe them, or employed other means to force them into betraying the general, there would surely be telltale signs among their families—either a sudden windfall or an abrupt misfortune.”

Su Jinyuan’s expression relaxed. “In the next few days, I’ll find a way to go out and check on the people in their households.”

Old Madam Xiao studied Su Jinyuan. Despite the young girl’s face being streaked with blood, her eyes were clear and determined. In a moment, as if struck by an idea, she suddenly reached into her bosom and produced a token, handing it to Su Jinyuan.