Throughout the operation, he harbored no selfish motives or distracting thoughts. All he felt was respect for life.
Li Yifeng gazed at Hu Xiaotian with wonder and admiration. An operation that would have been unremarkable in modern times had shaken him as nothing ever had before. He had never imagined that anyone could treat an injury this way. Everything Hu Xiaotian had just done overturned his long-held understanding of medicine. He had countless questions, but he also knew this was not the time to ask them.
Many people had come from both the Capital Prefecture and the Minister's Residence. Together, they numbered over a hundred, more than even Easy Origin Hall's main hall could accommodate. Quite a few had to stand beneath the eaves outside.
Even Capital Prefect Hong Baiqi had rushed over in person. While Hu Xiaotian operated on Murong Feiyan inside, Hong Baiqi paced the main hall. His anxiety stemmed not only from concern for his subordinate, but also from concern for Hu Xiaotian. If anything happened to the minister's son, Hu Buwei, the Minister of Revenue, would certainly pursue the matter to the bitter end. This boy really was trouble.
When he saw Hu Xiaotian emerge unharmed, the stone weighing on Hong Baiqi's heart finally dropped. To him, Hu Xiaotian's life mattered rather more than Murong Feiyan's. She was merely a capable assistant, whereas he was the only son of a powerful court official. Their relative importance depended on their influence over his own career. Hong Baiqi hurried forward, grasped Hu Xiaotian's arm, and asked, "My dear nephew, are you all right?"
Hu Xiaotian smiled and answered with a question. "Lord Hong, do I look as though anything's wrong?"
Hong Baiqi shook his head.
Hu Xiaotian said, "Lord Hong, Chief Constable Murong was wounded by the assailant while saving me. She's out of danger now."
Hong Baiqi murmured an acknowledgment. Although Murong Feiyan had been wounded, fortunately her life was not in danger. This ordeal had been a fright, but they had come through safely. Only now did he consider who could have been bold enough to attempt to assassinate Hu Xiaotian in broad daylight. Naturally, Hong Baiqi did not think Murong Feiyan had been the intended target. Hu Xiaotian had made it clear enough: she had been injured solely because she was protecting him.
Hu Xiaotian said, "My lord, I have a presumptuous request!"
"Go ahead!"
Someone kicked open the cell door. The cat burglar looked up in alarm and saw Hu Xiaotian standing before him, soaking wet, with bloodstains marking several places on his robe.
The cat burglar asked uneasily, "You... what do you want?"
Without a word, Hu Xiaotian charged forward and kicked him square in the chest, knocking him to the floor. Then he drew a dagger, pressed it against the man's heart, and roared, "You bastard! You dared set me up!"
The cat burglar cried out, "I didn't lie to you! I swear! I swear on my whole family's lives and everything we own! I didn't lie! I've told you everything I know..." He had broken down completely and wet his trousers in terror.
Looking at the large wet patch beneath the man's crotch, Hu Xiaotian inwardly cursed him for being such a coward. He had barely frightened him, and the man had already wet himself. Presumably, he would not dare lie. Hu Xiaotian slowly withdrew the dagger. Zhao Zhenghao and Mo Shaolin might both have been pieces in the enemy's scheme. They had deliberately leaked Mo Shaolin's name to give them a lead, letting them follow it to Mo Shaolin and fall into another trap. A scheme within a scheme-the person behind this affair was no ordinary individual.
Had he not been so curious, had he not insisted on going in person, this assassination attempt might never have happened. He had only recently arrived in this world; by rights, he should not have had any enemies. Why was someone so determined to kill him? If last night's burglary at the Minister's Residence had been a feint to the east while striking in the west, their true objective had been to steal the Iron Deed of Redemption. But once they had accomplished that, why plot to assassinate him as well? There had to be something else behind this. Could it have something to do with his father?
It was late at night when he returned to the Minister's Residence. Liang Dazhuang led the household servants in kneeling before Hu Xiaotian in unison. Over the past two days, this young master had truly put them through enough to frighten them. It was not that they feared something might happen to Hu Xiaotian himself. What really worried them was that if anything happened to him, all of them would suffer along with him. Losing their livelihoods would be the least of it; they might even have their hides flayed off. Hu Xiaotian waved a hand. He understood what they wanted: to persuade him to stir up less trouble. But he was so exhausted in body and mind that he could not be bothered to utter a single word. Just as he was about to return to his courtyard, he heard someone announce, "The master has returned!"
Hu Xiaotian was surprised. He had not expected his father to return from the Eastern Capital so quickly. Yet when he worked out the timing, it seemed impossible. Even traveling day and night without stopping, the journey from Capital City to the Eastern Capital took a full day. Even if Hu An had reached the Eastern Capital, his father could only just have received the news. If he had set off immediately, he still would not arrive until tomorrow night.
Though full of questions, he was glad his father had returned, whatever the reason. Rather than going to greet him immediately, Hu Xiaotian returned to his own room, quickly bathed, and changed his clothes. Only then did he go to his father's room to meet him.
Hu Buwei was not there. After asking a servant, Hu Xiaotian learned that his father had gone straight to the Elegant Gathering Pavilion upon his return.
In the misty drizzle, Hu Buwei stood alone amid the fire-blackened ruins of the Elegant Gathering Pavilion, his expression dark and unsettled. His eyes had lost their customary composure and betrayed a trace of unease. Although he did his utmost to conceal it, that unease inevitably showed on his face.
Hu Xiaotian walked slowly up behind him and said respectfully, "Your son pays his respects, Father!"
Hu Buwei seemed startled. Absorbed in the sight before him, he had not noticed his son's arrival. His body visibly shuddered, and he abruptly turned around.
Hu Xiaotian had never seen such an expression on his father's face, and his heart sank. It seemed the theft of the Iron Deed of Redemption had dealt his father a heavy blow. He asked quietly, "Father, did you meet Hu An?"
Hu Buwei pressed his lips together and glanced around, then lowered his voice. "Come with me!"
His father's grave expression alone told Hu Xiaotian that they were probably in serious trouble. Just as Hu An had said earlier, losing the Iron Deed of Redemption was a grave offense against the emperor, one that might well cost them their heads.
Father and son returned to the room. Hu Buwei told Hu Xiaotian to close the door, looked him up and down, and asked, "Have you seen Hu An?"
The question left Hu Xiaotian frozen in bewilderment. "Didn't Hu An go to the Eastern Capital to find you? The Elegant Gathering Pavilion burned down, and he said..." At that point, an ominous thought struck him. Could Hu An never have gone to the Eastern Capital at all? How much of what he had told him was actually true?
"What did he say?"
Hu Xiaotian said quietly, "He said the Elegant Gathering Pavilion had burned down and thieves had stolen our family's ancestral Iron Deed of Redemption. That's why I told him to leave for the Eastern Capital immediately and report to you in person... I just didn't expect you to return so soon. I thought you'd met him along the way."
Hu Buwei let out a long sigh, his face dejected. "The Iron Deed of Redemption was bestowed by Emperor Mingzong himself. Do you think I would tell a servant where I kept something so important?"
What a fool! Hu Xiaotian berated himself. How could I have been so muddleheaded that I failed to see something so obvious? Since Hu Buwei had concealed the Iron Deed of Redemption's whereabouts even from him and his mother, he clearly placed great importance on it. An imperial token granting immunity from execution-of course he would keep something so important safely hidden. He would never casually tell anyone else where it was. One lapse in judgment, and that old bastard Hu An had hoodwinked him. Hu Xiaotian was so angry his teeth ached. He asked quietly, "Father, are you saying Hu An is a traitor in our midst?"
Hu Buwei slowly rose and paced a few steps around the room. Rather than answering Hu Xiaotian's question, he said in a low voice, "Our Hu Family does indeed possess an Iron Deed of Redemption, and it has indeed been stolen."
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