BXG - 30. Yan’s Return (X)

◎Departure◎

Zhou Tan had recently visited the Ministry of Justice less frequently, so his sudden departure did not attract much attention. The two returned to the mansion and found a low-profile carriage, selected a newly hired servant, and left the city with Baiying’s household registration book.

Baiying had previously escorted plague-stricken paupers out of the city to a medical camp in the countryside for the same reason, making it easy to avoid the registration at the city gate.

After leaving the city, the two abandoned the carriage and rode horses. Qu You had learned to ride since their last outing but was still not proficient, so she didn’t dare to move independently just yet.

Zhou Tan held the reins, embracing her in a protective manner. Qu You sat upright and turned her head to look at his cheek. He had been very focused, but after she stared at him for a while, his breathing inexplicably became erratic.

The two galloped along the main road, stopping to ask a few tenant farmers in the outskirts of the capital.

Peng Yue felt guilty and ordered Liang An to bring many escorts, along with two minor officials from the Ministry of Justice who were accompanying him. The group was quite large. When they passed through the rice fields outside the capital, Peng Yue seemed to think it was too conspicuous, so he sent back some of the men and took a shortcut through the dense forest, intending to reach the first post station outside Bian Du as quickly as possible.

Although stripped of his official rank, Peng Yue had accumulated considerable wealth over the years and had a few trusted subordinates. He had bribed officials at the Ministry of Justice and thus was not wearing shackles. According to the recollections of several tenant farmers, he looked no different from any other high-ranking official dressed in fine clothes.

Amidst the jolting sounds, Qu You asked Zhou Tan behind her in confusion: “I’ve seen ordinary exiled officials, all of them in prison uniforms and shackles, looking utterly miserable. Why can Peng Yue be like this?”

“The three judicial departments reviewed the case and presented it to His Majesty, who did not confiscate his property,” Zhou Tan replied succinctly. “He gave half of his wealth to Grand Secretary Fu, and the remaining half ensures him a comfortable life on the frontier. Besides, Peng Yue was originally an official promoted from the western border town of Ruozhou to Bian Du. His family has deep roots there, and this place of exile was chosen by his people.”

“So, is this trip actually a return home rather than exile?” Qu You exclaimed. “Why would Fu Qingnian go to such lengths for him? During the trial, he readily admitted to the Fangxin Pavilion incident, and the three departments stopped investigating further. Could it be...”

“Yes, you guessed correctly,” Zhou Tan said in a low voice. “He must have something that makes Grand Secretary Fu apprehensive. Otherwise, Peng Yue wouldn’t have survived until the trial day. I had to leave the city personally to see what he holds.”

The official road west of Bian Du required crossing Jinghua Mountain, where the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to build. The shortcuts were closer but couldn’t accommodate horses and required passing through a dense forest.

The two tied their horses to a tree and followed the trail for a short distance before noticing that the footprints on the ground had significantly decreased.

The group seemed to have been ambushed somewhere, scattering into the surrounding forest.

The vegetation on the mountain was unevenly distributed; trees were sparse at the foot of the mountain, but here they were extremely dense. Fortunately, it was already autumn, and the grass and leaves began to fall, so it wasn’t completely dark.

Zhou Tan hesitated and looked at Qu You: “You don’t need to go further. Wait here. Boss Ai will surely send someone along the official road and mountain path to this point. If we enter the forest, it might be hard to find each other.”

A faint rumble of thunder sounded overhead. There had been signs of rain in the evening, and now it was even darker. Qu You glanced into the dense forest and suddenly asked, “Did Miss Yan come alone?”

Zhou Tan understood what she wanted to ask: “Miss Yan comes from a military family in Ruozhou City and has practiced martial arts since childhood. She is a rare expert capable of fighting dozens of people single-handedly. However, the enemy was numerous and well-prepared. Even so, I’m not sure how things turned out.”

Qu You said, “I’ll go with you. If she gets injured, I can help bandage her.”

Zhou Tan was already hesitant about whether leaving her alone here would be safer. After hearing her words, he hesitated briefly, then tore a piece of cloth from his robe and wrapped it around her wrist: “Stay close to me. Getting separated here is very dangerous.”

“As long as it doesn’t hinder your movements,” Qu You saw his actions and also tore a strip of fabric from her skirt, connecting it to the previous one. “This way, it’s more convenient.”

Yan Wuping felt sticky blood flowing down from her forehead. She could barely lift her knife but still forced herself to stand and walk towards Peng Yue.

Thunder rumbled overhead, signaling the prolonged rainy season of early autumn.

Peng Yue dragged his severely injured left leg on the ground, wailing continuously, with Liang An shielding him.

Liang An was lightly injured. Half an hour ago, when their group reached the middle of Jinghua Mountain, they were suddenly ambushed by this woman.

Neither he nor Peng Yue expected a lone woman to be so formidable. The elite soldiers following them were almost wiped out, and it took more than ten men to wound her to this extent.

Even so, he dared not let his guard down.

Liang An himself was skilled, having spent some time in the military camp earlier in life. But after entering the Ministry of Justice, he hadn’t fought anyone for a long time. Moreover, he was merely entrusted by Fu Qingnian to escort Peng Yue out of the city and hadn’t anticipated such trouble. If this woman had no intention of killing him, he really didn’t want to fight her desperately.

Liang An gripped the hilt of his sword, glanced at the ground, and asked, “Who are you, and why do you insist on taking his life?”

Sensing hesitation in his words, Peng Yue clung to his leg and wailed, “Brother Liang, Brother Liang, save me!”

Yan Wuping emitted a muffled laugh from her throat and didn’t answer him: “Step aside.”

Seeing Liang An step back, seemingly intending to avoid confrontation, Peng Yue turned his head and pleaded incoherently: “Miss Yan, ah no, Miss Yan! How have I offended you? I’ll change, I’ll change everything! I... I’ll pay! I’ll apologize to the girls at Fangxin Pavilion! I’ll give all my wealth to them! Spare my life!”

Yan Wuping raised her sword and emotionlessly cut off his other leg.

“Ah!!”

Peng Yue screamed like a slaughtered pig. Seeing that pleading was useless, he began cursing: “Ungrateful wretch! I treated you well in the past! When you were penniless in Bian Du, it was I who took you in and trusted you with business...”

“Lord Peng,” Yan Wuping chuckled, blood foam spilling from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it away indifferently and asked, “Do you really want to know who I am?”

A chill ran down Peng Yue’s spine. He had found this woman’s gaze familiar when she struck the drum, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before.

Liang An, seeing her unsteady steps, stepped forward protectively: “You’re seriously injured. Do you really intend to...”

Almost simultaneously, he suddenly heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.

After following the traces of the fight in the dense forest for a while, Qu You and Zhou Tan smelled the strong scent of blood in the air.

Zhou Tan was highly sensitive to this smell and soon came across the corpses of guards scattered everywhere. Bloody footprints were chaotic and extended far into the distance.

Having only seen bodies from afar inside Fanlou before, this was Qu You’s first time seeing corpses up close. Her stomach churned, and her face turned pale. She suppressed her discomfort and followed Zhou Tan closely.

Zhou Tan seemed to notice her abnormality, paused his steps, turned around, and scooped her up horizontally.

“What are you doing?” Qu You exclaimed in fright.

Without a word, Zhou Tan carried her swiftly over the corpses beneath them, setting her down only when the blood on the ground had nearly dried. Qu You stumbled a few steps, holding onto his hand, suddenly feeling a burning sensation behind her ear.

But she had no extra thoughts at the moment. Zhou Tan furrowed his brow, placed a finger to his lips to signal her to remain silent, then bent down and quietly retrieved a bow and arrow from a nearby corpse.

Crouching in the bushes, Qu You glanced outward.

Yan Wuping’s long hair had come loose during the fight. Ancient women loved to grow their hair, but hers was only shoulder-length, presumably trimmed deliberately. Now, soaked in blood, it clung stickily to her cheeks.

Her entire body was covered in thick bloodstains, making it impossible to discern her original clothing. The simple dagger she had casually taken from the Ministry of Justice was now dull and notched.

Liang An stood opposite her, hesitating to draw his long sword.

A thunderclap echoed across the sky. Qu You saw Zhou Tan decisively nock an arrow onto the bow. His archery posture was very skillful, powerful, and steady.

History books never recorded, nor did she know, that Zhou Tan possessed some martial skills?

She had always thought he was a pure scholar-official and wondered why he had such an arrogant tone.

The thunder masked the sound of the bowstring tightening. Only when the arrow flew did Liang An realize something was wrong.

But it was too late. Zhou Tan’s blunt arrow accurately pierced through the bindings of his armor, embedding itself in his lower abdomen. Liang An clutched his wound, eyes wide open, and collapsed unconscious without uttering a word.

Rain finally fell from the sky, darkening the surroundings.

Qu You wiped the rain from her eyes and ran toward Yan Wuping. Zhou Tan followed her, tugging on the cloth connecting the two.

Yan Wuping was somewhat bewildered by the situation, but upon seeing them, she called out, as if waking from a dream: “Lord Zhou…”

The dagger slipped from her hand, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

Qu You rushed forward and caught her, falling together with her onto the ground: “Miss Yan, where are you hurt?”

Zhou Tan changed into the plain white robes of the Ministry of Justice, embroidered with bamboo leaves at the hem. He lowered his head and said, “You’ve worked hard.”

He rarely wore such elegant scholar robes, and even though they were stained by the rain, they still accentuated his cold, ethereal demeanor.

Peng Yue, seeing a savior, disregarded his previous condition and crawled a few steps toward him, shouting incoherently: “Lord Zhou! Help! Lord Zhou, save me!”

Zhou Tan walked over expressionlessly, crouched down in front of him, and pressed his fingers against the wound on Peng Yue’s leg.

His slender fingers, which usually appeared weak and powerless, now exerted incredible force. Peng Yue wailed and rolled on the ground, unable to speak another word. Nearing the age of knowing his fate, his writhing on the ground looked both pitiful and comical.

Qu You discovered that Yan Wuping’s undergarments were completely soaked in blood, shocking her heart: “Zhou Tan, hold her. Let’s find shelter from the rain.”

The autumn rain was fine and hadn’t yet soaked through her clothes. Zhou Tan rose and walked a few steps toward them, but Yan Wuping grabbed Qu You’s hand and coughed twice toward the ground: “No need…”

She bent down, allowing Qu You to see a long gash on her back. The wound was deep, exposing raw red flesh, and continued to bleed profusely. In a panic, Qu You fumbled in her belongings and pulled out a bottle of golden sore medicine—something she had brought specially when she returned to the mansion.

She hastily sprinkled the powder on the wound, but it was too deep to make any difference. Yan Wuping, leaning on her shoulder, trembled and said, “Madam!”

Qu You’s hand shook, and the empty bottle fell onto the wet ground.

Zhou Tan placed his hand on Yan Wuping’s arm, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent. His lips quivered, and after a long while, he hoarsely said, “You shouldn’t have come, at least not… alone.”

Yan Wuping smiled at him, the rain washing over her wheat-colored face. Qu You’s fingers brushed over her face, removing the tangled strands of hair.

“I was summoned unexpectedly. On the day I was released from prison, I waited at the Ministry of Justice at Lord’s request, and then... I saw the results of the joint trial posted.”

Yan Wuping spoke intermittently, her voice becoming ethereal amidst the rain.

“I know I shouldn’t have come, and I know... Lord is currently in a difficult situation. I can’t cause trouble for Lord. On the day I casually took a sword from the Ministry of Justice, I never intended to return alive to Bian Du.”

Qu You pressed her wound, feeling her eyes brim with salty tears: “Is it really worth sacrificing your life for such a villain?”

Peng Yue lay motionless on the ground like a corpse. Zhou Tan walked over, grabbed his collar, and dragged him over: “Peng Yue, it’s time to bow your head and admit your guilt.”

Yan Wuping looked at Peng Yue’s contorted face on the ground, a flash of icy anger in her eyes: “Are you still wondering... why I must kill you?”

Peng Yue struggled to lift his head, wheezing heavily, unable to speak.

“You might have forgotten. In the sixth year of Yongning, when you were still a small magistrate in Ruozhou, the Xishao people invaded. My father... General Yan Zhi, concerned for the common people, opened the city gates to confront the enemy without waiting for orders. You knew the details and reported everything meticulously to your superiors. My father violated Great Yin’s criminal laws, lost his military authority, and was demoted to a commoner. He died half a year later. And you, you climbed the ranks stepping on him.”

Peng Yue was momentarily stunned, struggling to recall. After much effort, he remembered: “General Yan... yes, General Yan. I impeached General Yan, but... but so what? It was his own fault for confronting the enemy without seeking approval. If you want to blame someone, why not blame the Great Yin law?”

“Yes! So even though I was reduced to a lowly status, I never blamed you!” Yan Wuping stared at him, her eyes tinged with red. “But you— you refused to let me go!”

“Do you remember a murder case before you left Ruozhou? A scholar named Jin Xiu.”

Peng Yue’s face was blank. Yan Wuping pushed away Qu You’s hand and painfully moved two steps toward him: “You definitely don’t remember. How could you remember a person as insignificant as an ant when you can still recall the general you secretly harmed?”

Listening to Yan Wuping’s drastically different tone, Qu You felt as if she was touching a distant yet near story.

“He was just a small scholar, born on the frontier, who had never been to Bian Du in his entire life... He knew me since childhood and never despised me even after I fell into servitude. He earned money everywhere just to see me. That day, he came to the teaching quarters to find me and sat in my room reading— did you know that he was leaving for the capital to take the imperial exams the next day?”

Tears streamed down Yan Wuping’s trembling lashes, forming large drops that fell and burned Qu You’s palm: “And you— you were always lustful and dissolute. That day, drunk, you came looking for your favorite girl. When you opened the door and saw another man in the room, you flew into a rage and killed him without saying a word, simply drawing your sword and killing him.”

“You merely entered the wrong room, merely drank too much! With a snap of your fingers, you suppressed this matter completely, cursing at the scholar’s family when they came seeking some compensation… And what did he do wrong? After ten years of cold window study, he was about to take the imperial exams. Before leaving, full of anticipation, he came to see his beloved girl...”

Yan Wuping laughed shakily, as if mad, gasping for breath: “Lord Peng, you were about to leave Ruozhou for a higher position. Do you know who his beloved girl was? Do you remember what the woman holding the ashes said to you after kneeling at the entrance of the prefecture office for three days and nights?”

“It was me!”

“I told you, one day, I will definitely take your life!”

Facing her scream, Peng Yue sweated profusely and trembled in response: “This... This was entirely unintentional on my part! Miss Yan, Miss Yan the Martial Artist, I really didn’t know you were... I didn’t know we had met before. It was truly unintentional...”

“Good unintentional! I only sought a peaceful life. You climbed over my father’s corpse, treated my husband like grass, acting like a big shot where a flick of your hand could crush ordinary people. But I... my whole life has been destroyed by your one unintentional act after another! I changed my name, pretended to be a man for years, figured out all your habits, endured humiliation to work under you. I had countless opportunities to kill you. Do you know why I set up this scheme?”

“Because you cannot die from a common assassination, cannot enjoy posthumous promotions and offerings. I must bring you to ruin, must make sure you... bear infamy and curses into hell! Peng Yue! Today is your death day!”

She knelt to grab the scattered knife but couldn’t lift it due to the pain of her wound. Qu You tightly embraced her, feeling her own tears streaming down her face.

Zhou Tan deeply closed his eyes and after a while reopened them. He picked up Yan Wuping’s knife and gently placed it in her hand: “Before you act, I have a few questions to ask him.”

Yan Wuping stiffly bowed her head to him, so Zhou Tan grabbed Peng Yue’s collar and said: “I can let you die less painfully, but you need to answer me one question.”

Seemingly already aware that he would surely die today, Peng Yue stopped being polite to him, half-dead yet full of malice: “You dare collude with this female thief! I knew it; there must be interference from you in this case... Fu Qingnian is as cowardly as a mouse, not daring to kill you! You are such a ruthless villain, what difference is there between you and me?”

Zhou Tan ignored him and asked, “What do you have that makes Fu Qingnian afraid to kill you?”

“Hahaha, what do I have...”

Peng Yue sneered at him, laughing wildly: “What do I have? Do I dare say, do you dare hear?”

Zhou Tan’s face darkened and unconsciously tightened his grip: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

“That’s not right, you should know more than me...” Peng Yue muttered to himself, seemingly deranged. He raised his eyes, suddenly showing a bit of excitement: “Zhou Tan, you must have learned a lot in the Ministry of Justice prison. Why was Ran Zhu Building constructed... If you didn’t know, how could you write that phrase ‘purity begins’?”

“You…” Zhou Tan’s face drastically changed, ghost-like, letting go. Qu You had never seen such an expression on his face. “How much do you know? What do you have? Tell me!”

“What Fu Qingnian couldn’t find, you’ll never find either!” Peng Yue grinned weirdly. “Seeing you like this... you must know something. Do you think Song Chang will let someone who knows live long? Zhou Xiaobai, even if I descend to the 18th level of hell, I’ll wait for you to come down…”

“Wuping, strike!” Before he finished speaking, Zhou Tan roared. Before Qu You could react, Yan Wuping staggered up with the knife, using all her remaining strength to raise her arm and ferociously hacked down.

Qu You was terrified and fell to her knees. She heard the dull sound of the blade cutting into flesh, and at the same time, the familiar smell heavily enveloped her.

Zhou Tan didn’t know when he knelt in front of her, pulling her into his embrace, blocking her view and the splashing blood behind her. The autumn rain was hazy, not diluting the slightest trace of the scent of still water on his body, but rather making it clearer in the rainy air.

His hands were shaking. Qu You thought that this embrace didn’t carry any other meaning. In her daze, she felt that not only did she need comfort, but he needed her warmth too.

“Don’t look,” he said.

Qu You reached out and hugged him back. Zhou Tan was startled, his chest rising and falling twice, his eyes reddening, but he didn’t let go.

In the bleak wind and rain, such an embrace was like a pair of arms in a drowning dream. He was gently lifted from towering waves, breathing itself a luxury. If he let go, the dream would shatter completely.

Yan Wuping knelt in the pool of blood, as if all her strength had been drained. Qu You peeked out from Zhou Tan’s side, reaching out to support her: “Wuping, can you hold on?”

The other weakly shook her head, a hint of a smile appearing in her pupils, barely discernible traces of past beauty: “Madam, my wish is fulfilled, nothing else matters anymore.”

“Yes,” Zhou Tan’s voice choked, rare for him. “I... I found your brother.”

“My brother... is he still alive?”

“He’s fine, still in Ruozhou. When he couldn’t enlist before, he farmed as a tenant. I arranged for him to join the garrison of the city-guard general, earning military pay... He’s also looking for you.”

Yan Wuping’s eyes brightened for a moment, but only for a moment: “Good, good, as long as he lives well, that’s better than anything... Lord Zhou, I owe you, but I won’t have time to repay you in this life. I have a letter for my brother, hidden beneath the screen in the Ministry of Justice. Please help, help me send it out, send it to Ruozhou…”

“I will personally deliver it to him,” Zhou Tan solemnly promised, then softened his tone. “Wuping… you must hold on. Don’t you want to see him once?”

As the rain weakened, Yan Wuping gently shook her head, not answering the question. Instead, she suddenly grabbed Qu You’s hand: “Madam… I remembered that day when you and I talked, you suddenly said you were worried the master would stop caring for me…”

She had almost forgotten those words, but the other remembered them firmly.

“Madam, why do you think so of the master? There might be misunderstandings between you.” Yan Wuping rested in her lap, struggling to speak. “Three years ago, Lord Zhou was an official in Lin’an. He saved me from a canal transport ship and helped me reach Bian Du, infiltrating Peng Yue’s mansion. He was investigating Peng Yue’s transactions involving power and sex, but lacked evidence…”

“In Peng’s mansion, I first met Xiang Hui... That day, she was in despair and wanted to commit suicide by jumping into a well. I saved her and learned about the affairs of the Fangxin Pavilion girls. Later, I made Peng Yue trust me with this matter so I could insert my own people... Later, Xiang Hui told me she contracted syphilis and didn’t have long to live, and she couldn’t delay any longer.”

Guxiang He actually had a terrible disease?

That fall from the building, so to speak... Qu You felt her mind was in chaos, instinctively looking at Zhou Tan, but he averted his gaze.

“I collected substantial evidence of Peng Yue’s crimes, but without a foolproof method, how could I dare to submit it? I took Xiang Hui to see Lord Zhou, and he immediately promised to seek justice for us. The day I left the Ministry of Justice, the master was assassinated the next day... Madam, do you know why?”

“I have countermeasures in mind and just need to discuss them with you.” Zhou Tan lowered his eyes, his voice trembling severely. “But I was severely injured at the time. When I woke up and learned you had gone to Jinling with Peng Yue, I wanted to see you as soon as you returned to the city, but that day, Madam accompanied me to Fanlou.”

“Xiang Hui and I thought long and hard, and this was the only plan we could come up with. We knew you wouldn’t agree, so while you were recovering at home, we hid it from you. I sought Chun Niangzi and learned that the Crown Prince would also be at Fanlou that day.” Yan Wuping bitterly smiled. “But Xiang Hui didn’t expect that day to be so coincidental, encountering you, Master.”

Qu You already knew what happened next.

Guxiang He deliberately dressed herself in a wide-brimmed hat and covered herself with injuries, making everyone along the way remember her clearly. When she hesitated by the railing, she looked up and saw Zhou Tan.

Now thinking about it, she must have felt relieved handing the pearl flower to Qu You because she saw Zhou Tan. Her last moving lips might have been saying, “Lord Zhou, I’m sorry.”

The departed soul had no chance to know what that whisper meant.

She guessed Zhou Tan persuaded this pitiful woman to exchange her life for justice and mocked him for being unscrupulous.

But... No wonder he was so distraught that day. Every night Qu You doubted him, closing her eyes, she could recall his bewildered and deeply self-reproaching expression when he failed to grab Guxiang He’s robe.

Her hand was guided by Yan Wuping and placed in Zhou Tan’s hand. Both their hands were icy cold, completely devoid of the other’s warmth.

“Madam went to Yujie to beat the drum, and Lord Zhou planned everything for us till now... Wuping is fortunate to meet both of you, letting me know that heaven’s path is clear, justice remains, and there is fire in the world, which means there’s hope.”

Her voice gradually weakened with the rain, blood soaking through Qu You’s skirt.

“I never thought of returning alive. Please take care of my brother, Lord Zhou... Please bury my ashes together with Jin Xiu’s. Bian Du is so prosperous... No curfew, walking along the Bian River at night, all the way lit by lanterns. He loved bustling places and will surely have a chance to meet again…”

The woman in her arms fell completely silent.

The rain suddenly intensified, and amidst the rising steam, Qu You heard Zhou Tan say: “Wuping’s original name was Yan Hua. The character ‘Hua’ is delicate, supposed to grow up under parental wings. She was highly talented and ambitious, perhaps even becoming a female general.”

Qu You gently reached out to brush Yan Wuping’s still-warm eyelids. Zhou Tan bent down to pick up the body and walked into the forest with Qu You. They couldn’t descend the mountain for the time being and needed to find shelter from the rain.

She suddenly heard Qu You say: “I know why she changed her name. When burying her with Jin Xiu, these words can be engraved on the tombstone.”

Zhou Tan silently tightened the cloth connecting him to her.

On the day she decided to seek revenge, she tightly bound her name and life with her fiancé.

From then on, letters should cease.

Painted pavilion clouds and rains without proof.