By the time He Chunhua arrived with his men, He Lingchuan had already leapt onto the giant bird's back and flown off against his will, missing out on how this illustrious former National Preceptor took his final curtain call.
The last person to deal with Sun Fuping had been He Chunhua.
Ever since seeing He Chunhua produce Sun Fuping's notebook, He Lingchuan had been wondering what he had missed.
"National Preceptor Sun really was no pushover. His magic power was completely drained, and supposedly his cultivation was severely suppressed by the illusion, yet he still managed to kill seven of our men." Speaking of his fallen brothers, Zeng Feixiong grew rather somber. "If it weren't for the fierce heroism of the Gale Army's heroic spirits, we truly wouldn't have been able to finish him off."
"I heard the Gale Army took casualties too."
"Yeah, they threw themselves into the fray without regard for their own lives, completely unlike us living men who worry about life and death. The battle surrounding National Preceptor Sun lasted half a quarter of an hour at most, but they lost... lost... lost..."
Zeng Feixiong's tongue was starting to slur.
He Lingchuan grabbed a wedge of motherfruit and shoved it into his mouth.
Locals called this fruit "motherfruit," but it was actually just a lemon.
Zeng Feixiong bit down on the lemon. A jolt of intense sourness rushed straight to his brain, numbing his entire jaw.
Yet the effect was remarkably swift; he shuddered and cleared up quite a bit.
"How many did the Gale Army lose?"
"About thirty or forty? They surged forward wave after wave, catching National Preceptor Sun completely off guard," Zeng Feixiong recalled. "In the end, National Preceptor Sun had his throat pierced by that commander's spear. But with his profound cultivation, he didn't die right away. He... he even exchanged a few words with the commandery governor."
Here came the key part. He Lingchuan pressed, "Did you hear them?"
"Yeah. His voice was very faint, but when the commandery governor walked over, I was right by his side protecting him."
*Walked over? The old man voluntarily approached a dying Sun Fuping?*
Clever as his father was, how could he not know that a dying viper struck with the greatest ferocity? What if Sun Fuping still had a trump card up his sleeve?
So what words were so urgent that they had to be spoken before the man died?
"National Preceptor Sun said..." Sun Fuping had actually been stripped of his title after committing treason, but Zeng Feixiong was used to saying it, and in his sluggish state he couldn't break the habit. "Uh, basically that he was justified in his rebellion, that he had no regrets even in death—something along those lines."
Sun Fuping had said plenty at the time, but he couldn't remember it all.
He Lingchuan: "..." *Poured him too much wine.*
"He said everything he did was for the good of Great Yuan, and then he spoke a whole lot of ill about the sovereign." Even half-drunk, Zeng Feixiong knew better than to repeat the treasonous words that could get a man beheaded.
He Lingchuan had no desire to hear them either; he was simply reminded of what He Yue had said.
*Can this country ever be set right? What method could possibly fix it? Was taking the most extreme measures—like the Grand Marshal and Sun Fuping did—the right choice?*
Then he shook his head. Let those men of noble ambition and vision rack their brains over that. What the hell did it have to do with him?
"Nothing else?" He Lingchuan asked, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Oh, there's more. He asked Governor He: 'Your entire family was slaughtered by that old dotard of an emperor, so why do you still risk your life for the imperial house?'" Zeng Feixiong furrowed his brow, dredging up his memory. "Before Lord Governor could answer, he went on, 'Unless you harbor hidden motives of your own!'"
He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "What did the old man say?"
"Lord Governor cursed National Preceptor Sun for spouting nonsense, saying he wasn't so selfless either—that his journey into Panlong City had had hidden motives of its own, and not just to help the Grand Marshal.
"Then Lord Governor leaned close and whispered into Sun Fuping's ear. I couldn't hear what he said, but right after that, Sun Fuping burst out laughing. He laughed so hard blood sputtered and bubbled from his throat, yet he couldn't stop.
"He told Lord Governor, 'It's no use. Once it's done, there's no going back, or else you'll suffer a backlash and lose both family and life. As you sow, so shall you reap; every cause has its effect.'" Zeng Feixiong said resentfully, "I have no idea what made him laugh so happily, but right in the middle of his laughing, he croaked.
"After that, Lord Governor searched his body, took everything, and rushed back to the South Gate to look for you."
*So that was how it went.*
He Lingchuan asked no further questions. He drank and ate with Zeng Feixiong until he was half-tipsy himself, then paid someone to escort Zeng Feixiong back.
Uncle Hao was sitting downstairs in the main hall. Seeing He Lingchuan emerge, he escorted him back to the He residence.
On the way back to his quarters, He Lingchuan actually ran into He Chunhua.
Night had deepened. The commandery governor was still dressed in the clothes he had worn when leaving that morning, looking as if he had only just returned home. Yet he was energetic and alert, in stark contrast to his eldest son's drunken staggering.
"What utter nonsense! Not doing a single proper thing all day!" He Chunhua pinched his nose and demanded, "Where have you been?"
He Lingchuan merely chuckled foolishly.
Uncle Hao said, "Young Master went with Liu Baobao and Zeng Feixiong to Xiangsi Tower. They polished off seven jars of aged wine."
He Lingchuan suddenly chimed in, "Dad, have you done anything you feel guilty about toward us?"
He Chunhua frowned. "What nonsense are you babbling?"
"Do I have a lost brother out there somewhere? No, a younger sister would be best!"
He Chunhua kept a stern face, refusing to lower himself to arguing with a drunkard. He turned to Uncle Hao. "Take him back. Force two bowls of hangover soup down him before bed, or he'll have a splitting headache when he wakes up tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
Uncle Hao supported He Lingchuan as they walked away. Watching their receding backs, He Chunhua suddenly let out a long sigh, and his straight posture seemed to slacken.
He Lingchuan was indeed rather intoxicated. After drinking the hangover soup, he flopped onto his bed and fell fast asleep without dwelling on anything.
He did not wake until noon the following day.
A dreamless night; he had slept marvelously.
He Lingchuan patted the broken saber on the wall. The fellow hadn't taken the opportunity to cause him trouble last night—very well-behaved.
...
That evening, he happened across He Yue. "Have you heard of Du Feng, the Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Treasury?"
He Yue was in a desperate hurry to relieve himself, but He Lingchuan blocked his path, dodging left and right so He Yue couldn't slip past. "You haven't heard of him? He assists the Minister of the Court of the Imperial Treasury, overseeing the warehouses, revenue and expenditures, and the markets of both the Great Capital and Shihuan City. His rank isn't particularly high, but his influence is substantial."
"I heard he's an old acquaintance of our family?"
"Family friends for generations," He Yue said flatly. "Father occasionally exchanges letters with him. I've even ghostwritten for him before."
He Lingchuan let out a long "Ooh." There was a wealth of information in that reply: it meant He Chunhua and Du Feng did indeed maintain contact, though it was now very distant. That wasn't necessarily because friends grew fickle or cold over time; the He family had been condemned to execution by the old emperor, and the Du family was desperate to prove their own innocence, so how could they dare associate too closely with He Chunhua, the lone surviving scion?
"The fact that you still exchange letters is pretty good already." He patted He Yue on the shoulder. The kid was only fourteen; no matter how clever, he lacked worldly wisdom. "Given Vice Minister Du's position, he has to tread carefully in all his associations."
"He does have to tread carefully..." Unable to hold it any longer, He Yue pleaded, "Can you move out of the way?"
He Lingchuan acted as if he hadn't heard. "Then do you know what kind of person the old matriarch of the Du household—Du Feng's grandmother—is?"
He Yue rattled off rapidly, "Old Matriarch He Suqiong. She has extensive connections in the Great Capital and is said to be benevolent. She enjoys opera and music, and often hosts garden parties and excursions."
"Off you go." Seeing He Yue's face turning blue from holding it in, He Lingchuan finally stepped aside to let him through.
He Yue darted off like a frightened rabbit.
Chapter 84