Chapter 42

The next day, Pang Qi arrived at the entrance early in the morning to keep watch.

Qi Song had also meticulously groomed himself, wearing the brand-new clothes issued by the Crown Prince’s Estate.

Standing stiffly by the door like a guardian deity, he suddenly noticed Pang Qi smiling in a peculiar manner.

"What is it?"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will surely be in a good mood today."

"?"

"I heard the Young Master laughing all through yesterday."

Upon receiving this intelligence, Qi Song also put on a relaxed expression.

One had to know that in past years, the Crown Prince could never manage to be happy on the morning of New Year's Eve. For the entire day, he would have to accompany the Emperor in holding the year-end ancestral rituals, while also learning how to host a banquet for all the officials. Only during the family banquet in the evening could he barely catch a breath, yet even so, he found it intensely annoying. Every time he stepped foot back into the Crown Prince’s Estate, he would immediately toss off his crown and strip away his ceremonial robes.

At this time every year, Pang Qi would wait at the entrance, ready to drape a large cloak over the Crown Prince the moment he discarded his complex and heavy ceremonial robes, while a pair of soft-soled light boots would be neatly arranged at the bedchamber door for him to change into promptly.

On the morning of this particular day, everyone usually dared not smile easily. After all, if the Crown Prince was unhappy, even those who felt joyful had to suppress it well.

Now things were different. The Crown Prince finally had a Crown Princess; from now on, every year should be filled with happiness.

Someone soon walked out from the inner rooms. Pang Qi stepped forward briskly, but upon locking eyes with the Crown Prince's deathly expression, the smile at the corners of his mouth was swiftly retracted.

He then turned his head to let Qi Song have a look at his face.

Qi Song immediately straightened up by the door, adopting the look of someone whose entire family could no longer afford a single meal.

With solemn silence, the attendants helped the Crown Prince adjust his robes, saw him off, and watched him board the carriage.

Only then did Qi Song have the time to ask, "You said the Crown Princess was smiling happily, did the Crown Prince smile?"

Pang Qi: "..."

It seemed he hadn't.

Wen Besang slept until the sun was high in the sky. Upon waking up, he built a snowman in the courtyard, then suddenly heard the sound of fireworks bursting outside. "Whoosh!" "Bang!" "Clatter!" The daylight today was pale and desolate; once the fireworks were set off, only faint wisps of blue smoke could be seen in the distance, leaving the actual bursts of flame mostly hidden.

Wen Besang watched for a moment, then suddenly went to look for Lou Zhaozi, who was currently hanging peach-wood talismans on his door. The talismans were painted with neither Shenshu nor Yulü, but rather bizarre cinnabar spell-charms.

"Ah, the Young Master is here."

"Do you have time?"

Lou Zhaozi handed his brush to his apprentice, untied the arm-binders from his sleeves, and asked, "What is it?"

"How are your martial arts?"

"Not bad," Lou Zhaozi replied. "Though I'm somewhat inferior to Guard Qi, I excel in lightness skills. If trouble arises, we can make a direct escape... Why, is the Young Master planning to go out?"

"Mn," Wen Besang said. "I want to go find someone."

Leaving the Crown Prince's Estate, Wen Besang took a carriage to the Outer City, with Lou Zhaozi driving for him. "It's not very safe around here," Lou Zhaozi remarked.

"Drive faster. Once we reach the destination, it will be safe."

It was Dongting Lane once again. Wen Besang stepped down at the familiar intersection.

Although he had clashed with the city defense guards here last time, Chen Changfeng likely figured that a place already exposed would no longer be heavily guarded, and had once again arranged for Xie Lingshu and his sister to stay here.

Today's alley was exceptionally lively and filled with festive cheer. Red lanterns of various shapes and sizes hung before every household.

A puppy darted past their feet with yelps, while children wearing tiger-head or dragon-head hats emitted childish roars while playing house. The explosive sound of firecrackers occasionally echoed through the alley. Lou Zhaozi stayed by his side and said, "This place truly has a strong rustic atmosphere. What kind of person is the Young Master going to see?"

"You probably haven't met them yet."

Wen Besang walked through the alley and soon stopped in front of a certain household. Lou Zhaozi paused to observe and commented, "This Shenshu is not painted as well as His Highness does it."

"Does he paint peach-wood talismans for you guys too?"

"He painted one for Qi Song and made him hang it on his front door. I heard it's been several years, and his parents still refuse to replace it."

Wen Besang knocked on the door, and a pair of bright, wide eyes soon peeked out from within. Their eyes met, and Xie Honghong exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Asang!"

Wen Besang stepped across the threshold. Xie Lingshu was currently filtering freshly brewed wine, and upon catching sight of him, he froze for a moment. "Why did you come here?"

"I think Chengyun was right," Wen Besang said as he walked forward. "We need to give Zhou Cangshu a chance to discover you."

Xie Lingshu's expression shifted slightly, while Xie Honghong beamed with joy. "Exactly, that's what I told Brother! But Brother was worried about clashing with the Shengjing officials and never dared to do it."

Wen Besang walked over and sat down beside a small stove. As Xie Lingshu poured wine into it, he said, "You are truly too reckless. Today is New Year's Eve."

"I just want to ensure he doesn't have a peaceful New Year." Wen Besang picked up a fan to fan the flames. "Since we already know he is extremely likely to have colluded with the enemy, I believe they will be very sensitive to your identities..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed Lou Zhaozi waving his hands at him repeatedly. Wen Besang swallowed the rest of his words and continued, "In any case, Zhou Cangshu has always been sending people to monitor me. If I meet with you, he will investigate your identities. Before he even needs to do it himself, the Qi Kingdom spies tailing you might just report the news to him."

Xie Lingshu seemed to have no way of handling him, while Xie Honghong pulled up a stool to sit beside him, pressed some peanuts into his hand, and said, "I think Asang is right. Since that old fox is so cautious, why don't we take the initiative? What if we manage to find a flaw in him?"

"Don't make the fire so big," Xie Lingshu said as he let the wine heat over the small stove. "Before confirming that you hold absolute evidence to bring him down, he will not make a move. Otherwise, with Asang's motives being so clear—killing even Zhou Lianqiong—why hasn't he made a move against Asang until now?"

Lou Zhaozi sat down, attentively listening to the surrounding movements, and lowered his voice, "You guys, be careful of walls having ears."

"Are you from the Bureau of Stability?"

"You recognized me."

"Then you should know who I am."

Lou Zhaozi smiled slightly. "Actually, the moment you entered the city, the Bureau of Stability noticed, it just took us a few days to confirm your identities."

Xie Honghong immediately chimed in, "So Gong Chengyun knew we were coming all along?"

"Not quite. During those days, the Crown Prince and the Young Master were both at the Thunderfire Camp, and the Bureau of Stability's official documents were only sent to the Crown Prince's Estate. He probably found out when processing the dispatches."

The topic shifted away, and everyone tacitly avoided speaking further of Zhou Cangshu.

Around the hour of Shen, Lou Zhaozi clapped his hands and said, "Young Master, you still have to enter the palace tonight, it's time to head back."

Wen Besang responded with a soft "Mn," causing Xie Lingshu to stand up. "Entering the palace?"

Xie Honghong also asked, "That's right, Asang. Since you're already here, why don't you stay and spend New Year's Eve with us?"

"No," Wen Besang said. "I want to see the Empress. If you want to be taken away... her consent is also necessary."

The Xie siblings saw him to the door, where Wen Besang bid them farewell and left.

As he was about to step out of the alley, he unexpectedly spotted a carriage. The first to step down was Zhou Lianjing, followed by the Second Branch's Mistress, He Ruyan, Lady He.

Both mother and son carried baskets containing various fruits, yellow joss paper, incense candles, and other items. It seemed they were going to visit Zhou Lianqiong.

It was truly offering a pillow just as one felt sleepy.

Lady He spotted him at once, her sorrowful face instantly turning sharp and venomous.

Wen Besang raised his hand to remove his veil, smiling as if he had just witnessed something immensely joyful.

Zhou Lianjing's expression shifted drastically, and Lady He lunged at him fiercely. "You murderer!"

Before Zhou Lianjing could pull her back, Wen Besang lifted his hand, raised his miniature crossbow, and directly pulled the trigger mechanism.

Lady He stopped abruptly. Before she even had time to dodge, she was forcefully shoved away by a heavy push, and an arrow pierced straight into Zhou Lianjing's chest with a muffled thud.

"A-Jing!"

With a cold gaze, Wen Besang did not even spare him a glance, immediately re-aiming the arrow at Lady He, who had been knocked to the corner of the wall. *Thud*—

Zhou Lianjing suddenly lunged forward again, raising his hand to catch this arrow. The arrow pierced right through his palm as he blocked directly in front of Lady He, his gaze fixed motionlessly on Wen Besang.

Wen Besang's crossbow remained aimed steadily at him, his finger resting on the trigger, his eyes growing increasingly cold.

Lady He was now too terrified to move. Naturally, she knew what kind of temperament Wen Besang possessed; this cursed creature was like a beast in the forest that could never be truly tamed, his entire body reeking of defiance against worldly rules, full of rebellious bones and bloodlust.

Her mind raced, desperately searching for a way to scare him off.

For instance, pointing out that he actually dared to commit murder right here in Shengjing City, which severely violated the laws of the Great Liang...

Yet she knew clearly that as for any laws of Great Liang, this cursed creature simply didn't care at all.

She also wanted to say that since he was now under the protection of the Crown Prince, did he not care about the Crown Prince at all?

Then a second thought reminded her of the words spoken in the Golden Luan Hall, delivered without a hint of hesitation: *I don't like you anyway.*

...If he wanted to kill her, he simply wanted to kill her.

Words became pale and powerless at this moment. She curled up instantly, hiding behind her injured son, trembling uncontrollably without daring to utter another syllable.

"Step aside."

"A-Zi..."

"The name my mother gave me was stripped away long ago; now, my name is Wen Besang."

"I'm sorry." Blood stained the corners of Zhou Lianjing's lips as he spread his arms wide to shield his mother. "I cannot let you kill her."

"Then I'll kill you along with her."

Zhou Lianjing's eyes grew damp, and he said, "Our entire family owes you; it should be repaid by all of us. Why must you insist on letting me go?"

Staring at him unblinkingly, Wen Besang slowly raised the small crossbow, aiming quietly at his neck. "Zhou Lianjing, you asked for this."

Terrified, Lady He screamed, "Are you going to kill A-Jing too?! He was so good to you when you were little! Without A-Jing, did you think you could have survived until now?!"

Without a word, Wen Besang pulled the trigger mechanism. Lou Zhaozi stared intently at the short bolt.

Zhou Lianjing had already tilted his face upward, a trace of relief even crossing his expression.

*Thud—* At the critical juncture, Lady He suddenly lunged forward to shield Zhou Lianjing. The arrow pierced into her arm, and she let out a shriek, glaring venomously at Wen Besang. Without giving anyone time to react, Wen Besang pulled the trigger three more times in rapid succession, sending the next three arrows straight into her arm, shoulder, and side waist.

Wen Besang triggered the mechanism once more and slowly lowered the crossbow—his arrows were spent.

Ignoring the mother and son clinging to each other, he turned and left the alley, walking straight onto the carriage.

As the Crown Prince's carriage rolled away into the distance, the servants who had hidden in fear immediately rushed over to help the two of them up. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Lady He hissed, "You saw it yourself, he is a wolf that can never be tamed, and now he won't even spare you..."

"He is forcing me to become his enemy," Zhou Lianjing wept, saying, "He hoped that in the future I would stand by your side forever, Mother... why can't we just get along peacefully, why must you always target him..."