Meeting with Candor

"Lord Yang, it has only been a few days since we last met. I never expected you to have grown so thin."

Murong Qian set the food basket on the ground and looked at Yang Qing, her face full of worry.

"Miss Murong, I am merely a commoner now. Please do not call me 'Lord' again."

Murong Qian paid him no heed. She opened the basket and set the dishes on the ground one by one as she said, "What does that matter? The people of Yan Prefecture will always remember your kindness, Lord Yang."

"Besides, you have been avoiding me for so long. Don't you owe me an explanation?"

Looking at the resolve in this stubborn woman's eyes, Yang Qing sighed inwardly.

"What sort of explanation do you mean, Miss Murong...?"

Murong Qian glanced at him again, but instead of continuing, she placed a Crystal Pork Knuckle on a clean handkerchief and offered it to him.

"I used the Nan Family's spices for this pork knuckle."

The Nan Family's spices...

The hand with which Yang Qing accepted the pork knuckle paused, then relaxed again.

He was about to say something, but Murong Qian unexpectedly beat him to it once more.

"Are you planning to fob me off with some other excuse again?"

Yang Qing gently set down the pork knuckle before looking Murong Qian squarely in the eyes. "Why put yourself through this, coming to such a filthy place?"

"Qing..."

Murong Qian's lips moved hesitantly, but she quickly changed tack. "Lord Yang, I have no other intentions. You exhausted your heart and mind for our Yan Prefecture. When I heard you had been imprisoned, I came to see you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Murong," Yang Qing said. "But from now on, you must take greater care yourself."

Murong Qian gave him a long look, then bowed. "Then please eat in peace, Lord Yang. I shall take my leave."

With that, Murong Qian turned and left, soon making her way out of the prison.

Only after Murong Qian's retreating figure had vanished did Yang Qing withdraw his gaze and look down at the handkerchief and Crystal Pork Knuckle in his hands.

With a faint sigh, Yang Qing turned and spoke toward the wall, almost as though talking to himself.

"Have Jiang Zhizhou go see her."

Hearing Yang Qing's words, Bu Er recalled Murong Qian's unusual behavior toward his young master just now and sighed inwardly as well.

"Young master, are we going to tell her plainly?"

Yang Qing's voice was soft. "I only hope she doesn't trap herself in a dead end."

Bright Jade Lake, Yan Prefecture City.

Jiang Zhizhou was fishing in the same spot again, and Murong Qian soon arrived there as well.

"Jiang Zhizhou, how much longer do you intend to keep this from me?"

The moment she saw Jiang Zhizhou, Murong Qian stated why she had come.

"Qianqian, this matter has far-reaching implications. You must not act rashly again."

Jiang Zhizhou glanced at Murong Qian and sighed inwardly.

This woman was still as stubborn as she had been when they first met.

"So you no longer intend to keep it from me?"

At Jiang Zhizhou's reply, Murong Qian's eyes lit up.

Others might not understand what those words meant, but she knew all too well.

Thinking of the figure who had haunted her heart and dreams for so many years, Murong Qian's face flashed with excitement.

"Qianqian, things are different now. It would be best if you stayed out of this."

Jiang Zhizhou looked at Murong Qian with deep concern.

Murong Qian might not know, but he understood all too clearly.

Northern Liang had lost a left chancellor this time and failed to achieve its objective. It would certainly not let the matter rest.

Yang Qing had far too many people to contend with. If the Murong Family were dragged into this now, Jiang Zhizhou had no idea how much more effort Yang Qing would have to devote to protecting them.

"When disaster befell Qing back then, I was still young. Even though I wanted to help, I lacked the means."

Murong Qian bit her lip. "But now, our Murong Family is at least a prominent clan in Yan Prefecture City. There are things you cannot conveniently handle yourselves that would be much easier for me."

"But he will never agree to let you do this..."

Although Jiang Zhizhou agreed with Murong Qian's reasoning, he still remembered Yang Qing's instructions.

"If you say nothing, who will ever know?"

Murong Qian's answer was resolute.

"In that case... be careful."

"I will. If there are any developments, I will let you know."

With that, Murong Qian turned and left the shores of Bright Jade Lake.

Watching her depart, Jiang Zhizhou put away his fishing rod and left with a flying leap as well.

Only the ripples remained on Bright Jade Lake, spreading outward in widening circles.

Naturally, Jiang Zhizhou would not conceal Murong Qian's intentions from Yang Qing.

But after hearing him out, Yang Qing merely sat with his brows tightly knitted, saying nothing.

He had once said he would never let her become caught in any whirlpool, yet now he had dragged her into this all the same.

"If you disapprove, I'll find a way to put those thoughts out of her mind."

Yang Qing waved a hand. "No need. Since she said that, she must already have a plan."

"If we stop her, she will find some other way. Better to watch over her in secret so we can look out for her."

Jiang Zhizhou acknowledged his instructions and left.

Bu Er, however, remained at Yang Qing's side and said, "Young master, word has come from the Capital City. That man is not coming himself. He has sent someone else instead."

"Oh? He isn't coming in person?"

A flicker of interest crossed Yang Qing's eyes. "How intriguing. Who did he send?"

"Fu Bonian, chief minister of the Court of Judicial Review."

Yang Qing paused. "I overlooked him."

"What do you mean, young master?"

"Fu Bonian is from Jiang Prefecture. He was the Provincial Champion selected back when Wei Sizhong served as chief examiner."

"That makes perfect sense, young master. Jiang Prefecture is not far from our Yan Prefecture, and I heard that Fu Bonian had already requested leave from His Majesty to visit his family back home. Wei Sizhong must have been planning this for some time, which is why he approached him."

Yang Qing gave Bu Er an approving glance. "Exactly. Although the Imperial Edict states that Chancellor Wei is to come personally, given His Majesty's trust in him, he likely worked out a way around it long ago."

"Since this Fu Bonian is Wei Sizhong's trusted confidant, he must be a very cautious man. It will probably be difficult for us to move against him now."

How could someone who had held the position of chief minister of the Court of Judicial Review for more than a decade be a reckless fool?

Yang Qing turned his gaze beyond the cell door again. "In that case, it seems our only choice is to seize the initiative before he makes his move."

"How shall we proceed?" Bu Er perked up.

But seeing Yang Qing deep in thought, Bu Er fell silent again.

For a time, the cell was utterly quiet.

Only after a long while did Yang Qing speak again. "Send someone to Jiang Prefecture. There is something we need to verify."

Meanwhile, a plain carriage had left the Capital City and was heading straight for Yan Prefecture.