Chapter 19

After Yang Hong left the cell and sensed that Xie Yunyan’s piercing, unsettling gaze was no longer upon him, he finally felt some warmth return to his body. As he led Su Jinyuan out, he told her to lower her head and pretend to be a lowly servile attendant of the mansion—no one suspected a thing.

Once they had avoided the spies Luo Yu had stationed outside the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Yang Hong took them back to the carriage and exhaled a tremendous sigh of relief.

“Tell me, do you know how dangerous this whole affair is? Had I not dragged Duke Yu and the others along, there would have been nowhere in that cell for you to hide. You would have been caught red-handed by Duke Yu and Luo Yu!”

“Do you know who Duke Yu is? And Luo Yu isn’t exactly a saint either. If they find out that I secretly brought someone in to see the remnants of the Xiao family, they’ll definitely make me pay—and by then, my entire family will be doomed!”

Yang Hong rambled on, his heart filled with dread. He knew all too well that when he encountered Duke Yu and the others outside, his legs nearly gave way from fear.

Su Jinyuan lowered her head and looked at the blood staining her hand; even her sleeve, which had brushed her face, was now tainted with blood. Suddenly, she spoke: “Lord Yang.”

“Ah?” Yang Hong’s words were abruptly cut off as he instinctively looked at her.

Su Jinyuan said, “Xie Yunyan’s injuries are too severe—Luo Yu even broke his leg. Please, Lord Yang, find a way to save his leg bone…”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Yang Hong snapped in refusal. “Luo Yu himself did it—he’s the one who broke Xie Yunyan’s leg. If I have someone tend to his injuries, wouldn’t that be tantamount to opposing Duke Yu and the others? Are you asking me to go out looking for death?”

“That’s way better than your wife finding out you’re keeping your delicate Jia’er stashed away in Danfu Alley—only to be later crushed by the Liang family,” Su Jinyuan said, her expression remaining calm.

“You!” Yang Hong glared at her.

“Weren’t you the one who said you only wanted to see Xie Yunyan? I already got you into the Ministry of Justice’s prison so that you could see him. Now, are you going back on your word?!” he thundered.

Su Jinyuan, without the slightest hint of guilt, replied, “I only wished to see him—I didn’t intend to hijack a prisoner. But I never said I would ask you to only do this one favor for me.”

“You…” Yang Hong’s words trailed off. Ever since their meeting, it seemed Su Jinyuan had never actually said that.

Realizing he’d been deceived, Yang Hong’s face drained of color as he stood in stunned silence.

Su Jinyuan wiped the blood from her hand and said, “The Ministry of Justice is under your jurisdiction, and His Majesty has merely issued an edict to detain members of the Xiao family without ever convicting them. Yet the Xiao family still retains its status as the General’s Mansion.”

“Duke Yu and Luo Yu, in furtherance of their own aims, stop at nothing—they act shamelessly without care for Xie Yunyan’s life or death. But you, Lord Yang, cannot afford to be indifferent. Do you believe that if Xie Yunyan were to become permanently disabled or suffer injuries so grave that he dies in the Ministry’s prison…?”

“It will not be Duke Yu and his cohorts who first face His Majesty’s charges but everyone within your Ministry of Justice. Moreover, if the Xiao family ever manages to overturn the case and catch even a glimmer of hope, someone will undoubtedly have to atone for the cruel punishment that Xie Yunyan has endured today.”

“Lord Yang, do you think it will be Duke Yu or you who bears the blame in the end?”

Yang Hong’s face gradually altered as he opened his mouth and said, “Even if the Xiao family’s charges have not been officially determined, at this point, they simply don’t have a chance to recover…”

“Who can say for sure? The world is full of uncertainties. Lord Yang, how can you be so sure that the Xiao family has no possibility of staging a comeback?”

Su Jinyuan looked at him and continued, “The Xiao family has held court for a hundred years; General Xiao and the many young masters of the Xiao family command immediate obedience in the military. Even a centipede, though crippled, does not die easily—how much more for the Xiao family?”

“Moreover, if it weren’t that the charges against the Xiao family are so hard to pin down—and Linchuan hasn’t produced any solid evidence—then why are Duke Yu and Luo Yu so desperate to force Xie Yunyan to testify against the Xiao family, even to the point of having him fabricate evidence?”

Yang Hong’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Lord Yang, there are never any absolutes in this world, and smart people always know to leave themselves an escape route.”

“Adding flowers to brocade is easy; providing charcoal in the snow is hard. Why not fight for yourself a little?”

“This matter would be a mere trifle for you to handle. Even if the Xiao family cannot escape this calamity, it will not harm you. But if the day comes when the Xiao family does manage to make a comeback, Lord Yang, you will be remembered as their benefactor—when fate turns, you could rise like a dragon and soar to great heights.”

Seeing the ever-changing expressions on Yang Hong’s face, it was evident that her words had stirred something in him.

Su Jinyuan continued, “I am not asking you to free Xie Yunyan or to risk anything else.”

“Duke Yu must have already ordered a physician to go in and save Xie Yunyan’s life. All you, Lord Yang, need to do is take some measures to ensure that this physician also secures Xie Yunyan’s leg—if you act carefully, no one will notice.”

“But what if someone finds out…?”

“Even if that were to happen, so what?”

Su Jinyuan interrupted Yang Hong’s protest, “You are the Vice Minister of Justice. It is your duty to ensure that no mishap befalls a prisoner in custody—who would dare trouble you over this?”

“If Duke Yu and his men are held accountable because of this, then have them request an imperial edict declaring that as long as His Majesty’s golden words resound, they are permitted to interrogate Xie Yunyan by any means necessary—you must not obstruct them.”

But as for that edict, Emperor Qing neither dares to issue it nor can he.

Yang Hong was by no means a fool to have risen to the position of Vice Minister of Justice. He understood Su Jinyuan’s implication, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he said, “Are you saying that all you want is for me to help you save Xie Yunyan’s leg and nothing more?”

“Nothing more.” Su Jinyuan’s reply was brisk and decisive, which meant that, for now, she would no longer call on Yang Hong. As for the future… who can say for sure?

Yang Hong hadn’t expected that Su Jinyuan still held a trump card. After weighing the gains and losses, he gritted his teeth and responded,
“Alright, I can work something out to have someone treat his leg—but only on the Danfu Alley side…”

“Rest assured, Lord Yang. Since you’ve helped the Xiao family and we’re all friends, I certainly won’t let you be put in a bind.”

With extra decisiveness, Su Jinyuan continued, “Once you get back, give this to my friend. He will arrange for your antidote and won’t trouble that madam or her child.”

“And as for Danfu Alley—what leaves your mouth and reaches my ears shall never be known by anyone else,” she added firmly.

Yang Hong was taken aback. “You’re not coming with me?”

Shaking her head, Su Jinyuan replied, “I must return to the Xiao household. If I’m too late, there will be trouble.”

“But that person…” Yang Hong interjected urgently, “Your friend looks like someone you wouldn’t want to cross. What if he refuses to give me the antidote?”

“It won’t happen. Just hand this over to him and tell him I’ve already gone back to the Xiao family. If he refuses your antidote then, send someone to Xinglin Hall and seek out the resident physician; he too has an antidote.”

Without an ounce of pity as she betrayed Xi Junning, Su Jinyuan wrapped the item in a strip of cloth torn from her hem and handed it over to Yang Hong. Without waiting for him to speak further, she abruptly signaled the carriage to stop and sped away.

“Lord Yang, remember what you promised me—I’m off now.”

“Ah!” Yang Hong flung the carriage curtain aside and called after her, trying to stop her. But Su Jinyuan already darted into a nearby alley, and in just a moment she was gone.

Seeing her flee, Yang Hong muttered a bitter curse under his breath, frustrated by the sudden turn of events.

“Sir, where do we go now?”

“Where else can we go? The Xiao family guy has fled, and we still haven’t secured the antidote.”

In a gruff tone, Yang Hong declared, “To Danfu Alley!”