A Zi took the bone flute without hesitation, handed the little box to Lou Yun, and played by the half-open window.
Lou Yun naturally walked to the imperial tutor's side to grind ink for him. Pei Qing was writing so hurriedly that he failed to notice her beside him. Looking at what he had written, Lou Yun asked, "Are you calling in troops?"
Only then did Pei Qing notice that Lou Yun had been beside him all along. Seeing the ink she had ground in the inkstone, his expression softened. He lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. "Yes. Lin Bian already has household troops, and there are quite a few soldiers stationed in Jiangling as well. If Lin Bian learns our identities, he may very well decide to fight until the fish dies and the net breaks. With just the few of us, escaping would be difficult."
That was indeed true. Lou Yun set the ink stick on the inkstone before asking, "Who do you want to come?"
"Su Ren," Pei Qing answered promptly and decisively, having already made up his mind.
The Su family? Lou Yun lowered her head to look at Pei Qing.
The Su family was both her maternal family and the crown prince's. Old General Su guarded the border year-round and was Great Yan's foremost General of Loyal Valor. The women of the Su family all lived in the capital. Had the crown prince not returned victorious this time and received the emperor's grace, Su Changqing and his second son, Su Ren, would not have been able to return anytime soon.
Sending a great general to arrest Lin Bian would be making far too great a show of force. Whoever came had to be impartial and hold a suitable rank. Of everyone at court, only Su Ren, also a principal fourth-rank General of Loyal Valor, fit the bill.
"A fine decision, Imperial Tutor," Lou Yun praised without reservation.
"Your Highness would do the same, wouldn't you?" Pei Qing sounded certain. It was something that had never happened, yet he spoke as though it already had.
"You've made up my mind for me just like that?" Lou Yun raised a brow and deliberately questioned him.
"Your Highness is intelligent," the imperial tutor replied, neither servile nor overbearing.
Quick to react, highly capable, and able to find a suitable solution in so little time-Pei Qing truly was immensely likable in every respect.
Ignored off to one side, A Zi raised his arm. The golden eagle that had long since landed there flew toward the desk.
Pei Qing's eyes lit up at the sight of the golden eagle, and he gently called it over. "Xiao Jin."
He rolled the finished letter into a message tube and tied it to the golden eagle's leg. The eagle obediently rubbed against the back of its master's hand, then tilted its head and studied Lou Yun from either side for quite a while before flying out the window at its master's bidding.
After the golden eagle left, Pei Qing handed both pieces of evidence to A Zi. "These aren't safe with us. Take them away first. You can return them after General Su enters the city."
"All right." Taking the evidence, A Zi climbed out the window as well.
The man and the eagle had barely left before the Lin household's troops charged in.
The guard at their head cupped his hands in salute to Pei Qing. "A suspicious person has infiltrated the estate, and we must search everywhere. Young master, pardon the intrusion."
No sooner had he spoken than a line of household troops rushed in without even giving Pei Qing a chance to answer, turning the room upside down.
Only after every soldier emerged empty-handed did their leader offer an apology and leave.
Once only Lou Yun and Pei Qing remained in the room, Lou Yun said, "They're only searching the Lin estate now, but before long, they'll probably be searching the city."
The setting sun stained the horizon red, a band dividing heaven and earth. The young man's voice gradually faded into the air. "It all depends on when General Su arrives."
Within just two days, everything unfolded exactly as Lou Yun had predicted. Jiangling was sealed off, soldiers searched the common people's homes on a massive scale, and portraits of A Zi were posted everywhere. Everyone in Jiangling feared for their own safety.
Meanwhile, the golden eagle flew into the imperial tutor's residence in the capital. A young attendant there received the letter and galloped toward the imperial palace. Recognizing Mo Chi, who attended the imperial tutor, none of the guards dared stop him, and the letter reached the emperor's hands without incident.
The old eunuch attending beside the emperor's couch, his back hunched, stroked his white fly whisk and transcribed every word of the sovereign's pronouncement onto yellow silk brocade.
Chapter 32
On the third day, Su Ren led his troops from the capital
and set out. Still without any leads, Lin Bian grew increasingly anxious.
On the fifth day, unable to wait any longer, Lin Bian issued the deranged order to destroy Pleasant Breeze Courtyard.
Lin Shuo seemed to have been frightened by Lin Bian's scoldings these past few days. Now, hearing that Lin Bian intended to destroy Pleasant Breeze Courtyard, he was even more eager to seek out Pei Qing and pour out his grievances.
"Brother Ye, you have no idea! My father has gone mad! He actually wants to shut down Pleasant Breeze Courtyard! Do you know how much profit it makes in a month? If it's gone, where am I supposed to draw silver from?" Lin Shuo held Pei Qing there and complained for a full four hours.
By the time Pei Qing finally managed to send Lin Shuo away, he looked visibly more drained.
Propping up his head, the young man sat in his chair and stared blankly at Lou Yun, looking as though every ounce of strength had been wrung out of him.
"Tired?" Lou Yun walked over to him and asked, despite knowing the answer.
"Mmm-" The young man drew out the sound, as though to make it more convincing.
Lou Yun chuckled and rubbed circles over his temples with her fingertips. Pei Qing relaxed against the person behind him and closed his eyes. After a long while, he suddenly turned and caught Lou Yun's hand.
"Let me show you something fun."
The warm touch vanished in an instant. Lou Yun had been about to marvel that the young man had grown bold enough to reach out and grab her, only for it to last less than three breaths.
"What?" She readily sat opposite him and stared fixedly at his eyes and brows. Supposedly watching what he was doing, she was actually paying attention only to his eyes.
Pei Qing first took a porcelain bottle from his cloth bag. As he opened it and began pouring its contents onto the table, he unexpectedly met Lou Yun's eyes, brimming with interest and fondness. His fingers trembled, and the powder instantly formed a little mound on the tabletop.
Before long, some beetles crawled onto the table, drawing Lou Yun's gaze down a few inches.
Seeing that Lou Yun was finally looking at the intended subjects, Pei Qing cleared his throat. "Didn't you say before that you wanted to see how we fight alongside animals?"
At those words, Lou Yun truly shifted her attention over.
The beetles attracted by the powder stopped obediently on the tabletop. Pei Qing found a needle, poured out another kind of powder, and traced characters on their shells.
They were, respectively: pleasant, breeze, courtyard, kill.
"You want to tell them that Lin Bian is going to move against Pleasant Breeze Courtyard?"
"Yes. After all, the others in Pleasant Breeze Courtyard are innocent." After writing on the last beetle, Pei Qing sent the little creatures away.
Meanwhile, A Zi, who had taken Xie Wan into hiding at one of his pavilion's properties, keenly spotted the beetles wandering around nearby.
Bending down, he took a porcelain bottle identical to Pei Qing's from inside his robe and poured out the powder. The beetles immediately swarmed toward it. Then he took out another porcelain bottle and poured its contents over their backs, instantly revealing the writing.
Xie Wan, who had retreated in fear at the sight of the insects, hurried forward in alarm when she saw the familiar characters.
"Pleasant Breeze Courtyard? Does this mean something is going to happen there?" Distraught, Xie Wan clutched A Zi's wrist. Although life at Pleasant Breeze Courtyard had been hard, her sisters were still there, and she wanted to help them escape.
His expression grave, A Zi called over the brother sheltering them and asked, "How many people can the pavilion spare right now?"
"Fifteen or twenty, perhaps."
"Summon them. Have them gather at Pleasant Breeze Courtyard," A Zi ordered coldly.
"Yes, sect master."
After calling for help, A Zi looked at Xie Wan, intending to leave her behind, but she forestalled him. "Young master, I'm going with you. I spent so long at Pleasant Breeze Courtyard. I know where all my sisters are being held."
Xie Wan's gaze was far too determined. Knowing someone like her could not be persuaded, A Zi simply wasted no time trying. He cautioned her, "Then stay behind me and don't wander off. Huzi is still waiting for you."
Hearing her beloved's name for the first time in so long, Xie Wan froze for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Understood."
Taking Xie Wan with him, A Zi evaded the soldiers conducting searches along the way and followed her directions all the way to Pleasant Breeze Courtyard.
Pleasant Breeze Courtyard was already in utter chaos. The thugs who had once guarded the girls had now become their executioners.
Screams, sobs, and the clash of blades filled their ears. The two of them slipped in through Xie Wan's former room.
The first thing they saw upon stepping through the doorway was the little maid who had always tended to Xie Wan's daily needs, lying on the floor.
Xie Wan instantly burst into tears and threw herself onto the little maid. "Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu, open your eyes and look at your big sister! Look at me-sob, sob..."
A Zi had not expected Lin Bian to take things this far either. A flicker of pity crossed his eyes, but this was no time to let emotions rule.
He pulled up Xie Wan, who had fallen to her knees, and reminded her, "Miss Xie, saving the others is our most pressing task."
"Yes, yes." Xie Wan haphazardly wiped the tears from her face, rose with A Zi's help, and headed outside.
A Zi's martial prowess was far beyond the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of Pleasant Breeze Courtyard, but he kept having to turn back to look after those they had rescued. For the moment, he could not break through.
Fortunately, members of the Beast Taming Pavilion broke in one after another, giving A Zi a chance to catch his breath.
"Sister Wan'er," a young girl hiding behind A Zi suddenly said. "It's too slow with only Sister Wan'er leading our benefactor around. We know the way too. We can go with the other benefactors to rescue people."
Hearing this, Xie Wan looked toward A Zi, who was protecting them from the front.
A Zi considered it briefly. "Just three of you split off. The rest will follow him out."
"But..." Someone still wanted to object. They wanted to do their part too.
A Zi interrupted, "I know what you're thinking, but dividing our attention to protect you takes even more effort. The most important thing now is getting you out. If anything happens to you, we'll have come in here for nothing."
"All right," the girls answered in unison, withdrawing in an orderly fashion under the protection of the Beast Taming Pavilion's members.
Xie Wan, meanwhile, led A Zi to the darkest corner of Pleasant Breeze Courtyard. Had Lou Yun been there, she would have recognized it as the place she had visited on her first day.
They pushed open the door to find the room packed with people.
Seeing that everyone inside was safe and sound, Xie Wan was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, you're all all right. Hurry, come with us. I'll take you out."