Chapter 4

Xie Yunyan reached out and blocked Su Jinyuan, who was trying to exit, and shoved her back into the carriage. Only then did he raise his sword and, in a cold tone, demand from those outside, “Who are you?”

He held his restraint because the men were dressed in military uniform. One of them declared, “I am Luo Yu, the garrison captain, ordered to arrest those of the Xiao clan.”

The soldiers then moved in to surround Xie Yunyan. “Young Master Xie, your ties with the Xiao family run deep—His Majesty has commanded us to capture you and bring you back to the capital.”

Xie Yunyan’s expression hardened as he retorted, “How could His Majesty ever order the arrest of members of the Xiao family? Who exactly are you, and what gives you the nerve to impersonate a garrison unit from the capital’s outskirts?”

Luo Yu drew the badge from his waist and said to Xie Yunyan, “Young Master Xie, having been in and out of the military yourself, you must surely recognize this badge.”

At the sight of it, Xie Yunyan’s face changed noticeably.

Luo Yu continued, “Young Master Xie, you may not know that when General Xiao led his troops to Linchuan County, he colluded with rebel forces and was defeated at the passes. That blunder allowed the Southern Yue army to pour into our territory, and His Majesty has decreed that all male members of the Xiao family be apprehended and held accountable.”

“Even though you aren’t recorded in the Xiao family genealogy, you are Xiao Jin’s adopted son. Come with us,” he insisted.

“Impossible!” Xie Yunyan thundered. “How could Uncle Xiao have been defeated—and how could he possibly have colluded with the rebels?”

“Xiao Jin is already dead at Linchuan. I warn you, Young Master Xie, do not trouble us further; otherwise, do not blame us for showing no mercy,” Luo Yu warned coldly.

“Guards, seize him!” came the order.

Hearing that General Xiao had fallen in battle, Xie Yunyan’s face went ashen. As the attackers advanced, he refused to surrender and swung his sword to strike the nearest man—but was abruptly stopped by Su Jinyuan.

“Su Jinyuan!” he cried.

Clinging tightly to his waist, Su Jinyuan hurriedly whispered in his ear, “Young Master Xie, Luo Yu is the commanding officer of the garrison, which directly answers only to His Majesty in the palace. Since he has come here in person to arrest you, he would never have brought only a few men. Not only is it questionable whether you could defeat them, but even if you did manage to escape, it would solidify the charge of colluding with the enemy and treason against the Xiao family.”

She added, “Even though you are not a biological child of the Xiao family, you were raised among them and brought up in their traditions—your actions are indistinguishable from theirs. Moreover, the Xiao family still has female relatives in the capital; if you shed blood, they will have no chance to recover.”

Su Jinyuan couldn’t understand how Xie Yunyan had evaded this capture in his previous life, yet in this lifetime, he was cornered. She recalled the bandits who had been handed over to the authorities and remembered that, in her previous life, Xie Yunyan had failed to find her in Qu’an. With her heart pounding, she realized that the problem might very well lie with her—that by bumping into him and having him arrest those people, he had inadvertently drawn the attention of the authorities and exposed his own trail.

“If you hadn’t run into them, leaving could have been excused as a mere lack of knowledge about the Emperor’s orders—a chance to plan a slow escape. But after bumping into Luo Yu and then trying to flee, you’re blatantly defying His Majesty’s decree and showing disrespect.”

“As soon as you kill even one of them, regardless of whether General Xiao and his men have colluded with the enemy for treason, the capital will immediately set its sights on the Xiao family. The entire female branch of the Xiao family will be exterminated!”

Xie Yunyan’s grip suddenly stiffened as he remembered Old Madam Xiao and all the women of the Xiao family; his eyes instantly burned red with fury.

Leaning in close to his ear, Su Jinyuan urged, “Young Master Xie, I owe you my life—I promise I will find a way to safeguard every single one of the Xiao women.”

“Why should I trust you?” Xie Yunyan growled, his eyes blazing.

Seeing more men drawing near, Su Jinyuan continued urgently, “You have no choice but to trust me. Had you not encountered them, you would have had the opportunity to escape naturally. But with so many of them surrounding you, any desperate fight will only lead to your death.”

“You can’t take on so many people. Even if just one of them leaks any information, the Xiao family is done for. I swear in my father’s name that I will do everything in my power to protect every member of the Xiao family and find a way to save you.”

Xie Yunyan fixed his stare on Su Jinyuan while her expression remained openly calm, showing no hint of backing down.

She recalled how, years later when she and Lu Zhuo had returned to the capital, they had met Luo Yu—by then already a high-ranking third-grade official of great status—and how Lu Zhuo had told her that the only reason Luo Yu had risen so effortlessly was because he had distinguished himself by capturing those of the Xiao family and executing the traitorous deserters, earning the favor of Emperor Qing.

While others might have been ordered merely to arrest Xie Yunyan, Luo Yu was not one of them. He was here to kill Xie Yunyan.

If Xie Yunyan were to resist, his fate would be sealed, and at that moment, the Xiao family would be branded as conspirators with no chance of redemption.

Clutching his arm tightly, Su Jinyuan looked at the garrison soldiers drawing ever closer and said in a low tone, “Young Master Xie, trust me!”

His gaze locked onto her eyes; in those dark pools he saw his own reflection, and his pallid face betrayed not the faintest hint of guilt or hesitation. Then, suddenly, he slipped something into Su Jinyuan’s arms.

“Su Jinyuan, Brother Xiao has protected you for years—even until the very end. I only hope he hasn’t mistaken you for the wrong person. Remember what you just promised: if you fail to uphold your word, I will cut you to pieces, one slice after another!”

With that, he tossed aside his long sword and roughly tore Su Jinyuan away from him. Then, turning his voice toward the men now almost upon them, he declared, “The Xiao family would never collude with the enemy to commit treason—neither the general nor any member of the Xiao family would ever engage in rebellion. I am willing to come with you back to the capital to be tried.”

“I trust in the wisdom of His Majesty; he would never wrong the loyal and righteous!”

Luo Yu had a crossbow ready on his wrist, prepared to fire. His orders were to capture Xie Yunyan, and if he resisted, to kill him on the spot and implicate the Xiao family in treason. But no one expected the usually defiant and unruly young master to surrender voluntarily.

Seeing Luo Yu’s expression harden and his hand move as if to act, Su Jinyuan quickly scrambled up and shouted sharply, “The Xiao family has loyally defended the nation for a hundred years, fighting for the Jin Dynasty on all fronts. General Xiao would never collude with the enemy or commit treason.”

“Though Young Master Xie is not a member of the Xiao family, he has a clear conscience and would never defy the Emperor’s decree. He is willing to return to the capital for trial and await His Majesty’s vindication of the Xiao family!”

Xie Yunyan’s earlier words, infused with inner strength, had already reached the ears of everyone nearby. Su Jinyuan’s piercing voice further amplified the message. Before any fighting could break out, Xie Yunyan had already surrendered, causing the surrounding garrison soldiers to halt. If Luo Yu were to kill him now, it would expose their true intentions to everyone present.

Frustrated, Luo Yu concealed the crossbow beneath his robe and said, “It’s good that Young Master Xie is willing to cooperate. Men, take the two of them away!”

“Wait!” Xie Yunyan called out as several men approached. In a deep voice, he asked, “Lord Luo, has His Majesty issued an order to arrest the women of the Xiao family?”

Luo Yu frowned at him.

With an impassive expression, Xie Yunyan continued, “His Majesty’s decree was to arrest the male members of the Xiao family for questioning, but it did not include the women. Moreover, this woman has no connection to the Xiao family—she is merely the fiancée of Brother Xiao, who fled from an arranged marriage.”

“If His Majesty has not ordered the imprisonment of the entire Xiao family, it means the general’s alleged crimes are not yet proven. The Xiao family has fought valiantly for the Jin Dynasty for a century, earning great merit. If you harm the women of the Xiao family, especially one who isn’t even officially part of it, aren’t you afraid of tarnishing His Majesty’s reputation as a wise ruler?”

Luo Yu’s expression shifted.

Indeed, His Majesty’s decree only called for imprisoning the Xiao family’s male members, not the women. The women were merely being watched over at the Xiao residence and remained unharmed.

Xie Yunyan stepped forward slightly. “Since I am willing to return to the capital with you, your mission is already accomplished. Taking her against orders will not benefit you.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Luo Yu relented. “Let her go!” he commanded. After all, his primary target was Xie Yunyan.

As the soldiers rushed forward to pin Xie Yunyan to the ground, his knees hit the earth with a heavy thud, the impact reverberating through his bones. The once carefree and flamboyant Young Master Xie was now pressed into the muddy waters, his dark red robe stained with dirt and blood trickling from his forehead.

Turning his head to look at Su Jinyuan, he suddenly flashed a smile and said, “Go.”