Chapter 93: Trust
To be precise, the sound came from under the eaves. It wasn’t very loud, but in such a quiet night, with Dou Yun and the other having rich experience, they quickly confirmed it was the sound of rustling clothes.
Guo Yin leaned close to Dou Yun’s ear in a hushed voice: “Who did you offend?”
Dou Yun gave him a sidelong glance: “Who else do you think I could have offended?”
Guo Yin was stunned: “Chu Family?!”
Dou Yun narrowed his eyes: “Ever since I was dragged out by Prince Jingyang that day, I’ve been under surveillance. But the first few days it was only overt, approaching me openly in the yamen. Something like this is the first time.”
“What are they doing chasing into the mansion?” Guo Yin asked in shock and suspicion. “They’re not going to make a move on you, are they? But at this juncture, can the Chu Family spare the thought to keep you in mind?”
It wasn’t that he looked down on old Dou. The Chu Family was now struck to the core by two cases, and though old Dou was also a target, he was at most just a running dog pushed forward by Yan Bei. Why would the Chu Family keep eyes on him?
“I don’t know either.” Dou Yun said, “But I always feel like tonight someone wants to pester me to say something, or maybe probe for something.
“Though it’s not necessarily to kill me, it’s definitely not a good sign.”
He sighed worriedly: “After being a turtle shrinking in its shell for three or four years, now that Prince Jingyang has named me, I can’t shrink anymore.”
Guo Yin was even more worried: “If you can’t hold out, I definitely can’t either.”
Dou Yun glanced at the pitch-black outside the window, then gritted his teeth and withdrew his gaze: “Everyone knows Prince Jingyang doesn’t interact with other officials, yet this time he specifically named me, and I’m an old subordinate of Prince Duan. It seems there’s only one purpose in watching me—they probably think I’ve already met the Princess!
“Or maybe they want to speculate on Prince Jingyang through me!
“In short, the Chu Family doesn’t want to sit and wait for death, so they can only find a way to counterattack.
“And with their strength, they naturally don’t need to beat around the bush anymore, but go straight for Prince Jingyang.
“So I, already mired in the quagmire, have naturally become one of their probing targets.”
Guo Yin looked at him, suddenly slapping his thigh: “So you’re in such danger now. If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have come to find you!”
With that, he turned to leave.
“Where are you going?!” Dou Yun grabbed his collar. “Back when we became sworn brothers, who was it that said we’d live and die together? If you dare run, I’ll tell your wife all the places where you hide your pocket money!”
Guo Yin slapped his hand: “If I’d known I’d be dragged down by you, I wouldn’t have become sworn brothers with you back then!”
Dou Yun held his wrist and snorted coldly: “I remember every word you said. Later when I see the Princess, I’ll report it to her word for word!”
Guo Yin grabbed him instead: “What do you mean? You’re going to see the Princess?”
Dou Yun glanced at him in the darkness: “Do you want to die?”
“Isn’t that obvious? Who wants to die!”
“If you don’t want to die, we have no choice right now.” Dou Yun gazed deeply at the eaves outside the window. “The Chu Family is watching me because they’ve classified me as part of Prince Jingyang’s faction. Prince Jingyang is now in the same faction as the Princess. If we still hesitate now, it’s a dead end!”
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier!” Guo Yin said. “Just now I told you to go find Prince Jingyang, and you kept beating around the bush!”
“This moment is different from that one.” Dou Yun frowned with a head full of worries.
Then he picked up his sword: “The sooner the better. Tonight we’ll go seek an audience with Prince Jingyang.
“But we can’t just go like this. A turtle shrinking in its shell won’t gain trust.
“We must do something to show our sincerity.”
“Then what do we do?”
Dou Yun beckoned him with a finger.
……
On the first night Yue Tang moved into Prince Jingyang’s Mansion, to fulfill her promise, she had Xiao Huo set up a target in the courtyard, preparing to take A Li tomorrow to practice shooting with the slingshot.
A Li spent a whole day finally convincing himself that Mother had settled in, and from now on he could see her as soon as he opened his eyes.
The child was so excited he pestered Mother until the hour of Hai, his eyes still wide like copper bells.
Hua Lin strongly disapproved: “Staying up late leads to yin deficiency in liver and kidney. His constitution is already weak, and you’re still indulging him.”
“Got it.” Yue Tang cut off his nagging with three words, peeled the twist candy off her body and handed it to Lan Qin: “Now go to bed obediently. Tomorrow after target practice, I’ll take you fishing.”
Wasn’t that just too good?
Playing with Mother for a bit or for a whole day, A Li could still figure out that account. Sure enough, he let go at once, reluctantly getting down, taking Lan Qin’s hand: “Aunt Qin, let’s go to bed.”
Lan Qin smiled and led him out.
Hua Lin followed behind, wanting to say something but stopping.
After he left too, the room quieted down. Yue Tang called Huo Yun: “Has the Prince returned?”
“Not yet.” Huo Yun was whittling a small wooden sword in her hand—no need to say, it was prepared for A Li. “Does the Princess have something?”
Yue Tang said: “Your Master hasn’t returned yet either. I don’t know if he’s heard any news?”
“That’s easy.” Huo Yun said. “Big Brother Jiang earlier sent ten guards outside our courtyard specifically awaiting the Princess’s orders. This subordinate can now free up and go find Master right away!”
Yue Tang nodded.
After he went out, she picked up the script Cui Xun had sent her that afternoon.
This Eldest Young Master of the Cui Family was no good at kung fu or the imperial exams, but he was skilled at writing these things.
In just one day, he had turned the matter of how he was jointly assassinated by several parties three years ago into a play.
Except for not directly naming the culprit, anyone with eyes could guess it.
And this script had already been delivered at the fastest speed that afternoon to the opera garden bosses. Some quick ones were said to be preparing to take the stage.
Now the Chu Family was beset with troubles, having to watch over Chu Xin while fending off the Shen Family’s investigation into his killing of Prince Duan’s Heir. At this point, as long as Du Minghuan’s confession was handed up, Chu Ying could no longer stay calm and would make a desperate struggle.
This struggle would naturally be his end.
But with Prince Duan’s Mansion in its current state, revenge was important of course, but holding up the family was even more crucial.
She, an Imperial Clan Princess, even if once greatly favored, that was in the past. The ones who favored her were the Former Emperor and the Empress. The Emperor now on the dragon throne wouldn’t give her face.
Fortunately, the Former Emperor had left Prince Duan’s Mansion with the Imperial City Department.
Even if things and people had changed now, with this promise in place, Yue Tang had to grasp the Imperial City Department no matter what.
This was her greatest and only reliance.
Only with the Imperial City Department could she talk about moving forward afterward.
But there was no precedent in the Current Dynasty for women officials, so before achieving this goal, she must also figure out who would succeed Du Minghuan.
And having grown up outside since childhood, she had not participated in the mansion’s operations. The beneficiaries under Prince Duan’s power back then—she couldn’t recognize so many, and for the time being couldn’t determine if they were trustworthy.
The first person she thought of was Dou Yun, who she had recommended to Yan Bei not long ago.
Dou Yun was a follower who had been by Prince Duan’s side right when he took over the Imperial City Department. Over time, Prince Duan valued his steadiness and reliability, training and cultivating him step by step into his left and right arm.
He was also one of the few Imperial City Department officials Yue Tang had seen in her youth.
The reason she proposed last time for Yan Bei to name him on the Imperial Court to oversee the Three Judicial Offices’ case handling was also to observe him.
Over this period, he pretty much met expectations. When the Three Judicial Offices handled the case, Dou Yun was impartial and strict, following the rules. At key moments on the Imperial Court, his stance was also clear enough.
But Yue Tang still couldn’t make up her mind.
Because before this, the Dou Family had made no moves regarding the changes at Prince Duan’s Mansion.
There was also the Guo Family.
Guo Yin’s official rank was one level below Dou Yun’s, but in recent years he had followed by Prince Duan’s side the most.
Guo Yin and Dou Yun became sworn brothers, with Prince Duan as their witness.
After the mansion’s incident, both of them had been unusually quiet, which was unreasonable.
Since childhood, Yue Tang had heard Prince Duan mention these close followers often, so she had a very good impression of the Dou Family and Guo Family before.
Was it because they were of low status and dared not step forward, or some other reason?
Yue Tang did not know.
But since they would go on Brother’s death anniversary, she naturally had to meet them and sound them out.
“Princess!”
Huo Yun came in from outside the door again: “Master is back!”
Wei Zhang entered the room and said directly: “Princess, Chu Yan is single-mindedly biting at the Chu Family. This afternoon she submitted another memorial to the palace, weeping about the pain of losing a son.
“Just now Chu Ying’s Madam went to the mansion. Mother and daughter quarreled, and in a rage, Chu Yan simply had all the Chu Family people whom Chu Xin had brought that day arrested and handed over to her mother.
“Chu Yan is indeed determined to oppose Chu Ying to the end. Just now her mother also declared a break in relations, saying from now on she no longer recognizes her as a daughter!”
“Anything else?”
With Chu Yan’s side settled, as long as her movements were kept track of at any time, it was fine. Yue Tang no longer cared about the remaining matters.
“Yes!” Wei Zhang nodded. “On the way back just now, I ran into Young Master Cui. He asked me to pass a message to the Princess: several officials in the Supreme Court Yamen had earlier been contacted by Chu Ying’s younger brother Chu Rui, and later those people deliberately approached Lord Dou.
“Just half a shichen ago, the Prince’s men left in the yamen saw that those people had separately sent someone else to follow Lord Dou back to the Dou Family!”
Hearing this, Yue Tang frowned. “Why would they follow to the Dou Family?”
After a moment of silence, she stood up. “Has Dou Yun gone home now?”
“Probably! This subordinate was busy rushing back to report and didn’t have time to go to the Dou Family.”
Yue Tang walked to under the window, pushed it open and looked toward the deep night. It was nearly the end of the month, with a hook-like crescent moon on the horizon, its glow faint.
She walked back: “Xiao Huo, take two guards and go see at the Dou Family.”
……
Under the dim sky light, the Dou Family amid a large area of common residences was utterly ordinary. After the study light went out, the surroundings grew even quieter, and the few people on the eaves gradually couldn’t stay put.
With a few barks from dogs somewhere in the courtyard, lights also came on in all four corners of the distant courtyard, making it even more pointless to stay.
They signaled each other darkly, and two shadows successively left the eaves, dashing toward the mansion wall.
But as soon as they landed, a lantern lit up outside the study. The two stopped abruptly, and as they turned to look back, each took a strike to the back of the neck!
Dou Yun and Guo Yin stood under the courtyard wall, looking at the two already fallen to the ground. In unison, they picked them up and quickly dragged them into the room.
Guo Yin snapped the fire starter alight, lit the two lamps in the room. The light stabbed their panicked eyes, their gazes instantly losing focus.
“If I ask what the Chu Family sent you here for, you definitely won’t say. So don’t blame me.” Guo Yin, putting down the fire starter, drew a knife and placed it on one man’s arm. “I’ll first dislocate your arm, then chop off your legs!”
The snow-bright blade immediately swung toward the arm.
The man was so scared he soiled himself: “Spare my life, Lord! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I’m with Lord Hu. Lord Hu just had us track you, Lord, to probe your contact with Prince Jingyang!”
“Sure enough, the Chu Family’s running dogs!” Guo Yin cursed, sheathed the knife, but kicked the man on the ground.
Dou Yun hauled one up: “Take him! To the Supreme Court.”
With that, the two each carrying one, quickly left the mansion.
Two quarters of an hour later, Dou Yun and Guo Yin stood under the Chu Residence’s outer wall.
He pinned one subordinate against the wall: “Want to live? Do as I say.”
The man nodded like pounding garlic.
Dou Yun said: “Go in, find Chu Rui, and say Chu Xin sent a message: have him within one shichen go to his own residence to find the most secret mechanism, and from it hand all the things inside to Chu Ying.
“After delivering this message inside, come straight out. No need to linger.
“If you’re honest, I’ll let you go.
“If you can’t do it, or play any tricks halfway, I’ll have ways to make you wish you were dead.”
The man under his palm trembled indeed.
Both Dou Yun and Guo Yin were Imperial City Department people—no one would doubt they wouldn’t dare to act.
When Dou Yun released his hand, the man’s face was ashen. His throat gulped twice, and he headed into the Chu Family.
Since the one surnamed Hu dared bring them into the yamen and let them stake out, naturally the Chu Family people would recognize them.
Moreover, just delivering a message and coming out, the chance of the Chu Family getting suspicious was small.
Guo Yin knocked the remaining one out. Then asked: “You wait here, I’ll go in!”
Dou Yun didn’t answer him, just stared intently at the Chu Residence direction with deep eyes.
At this time, night was deep and still, almost no one moving outside the door, and impossible for any sound to come from inside the mansion.
Guo Yin looked at the tall enclosing wall ahead and the brightly lit watchtowers at the four corners of the residence, pulling his face cloth back up.
He thought old Dou wanted to target the Chu Family without even a guard—way too bold!
But since they were already here, and back when they became sworn brothers they vowed to live and die together, retreating now would bring retribution he couldn’t bear.
“Cover me!”
He tightened his belt and was about to slip into the night.
Dou Yun pulled him back: “You stay, I’ll go.”
With that, he covered his face cloth too, then looked at him: “If there’s any noise inside, don’t linger or come find me—leave immediately!
“Then go back to my home, find your sister-in-law, have her get the box buried under the third brick counting from the right under the bed.
“Once you have it, go immediately find Prince Jingyang and seek an audience with the Princess!
“Remember, that box must be handed personally to the Princess—no one else can take it!”
With that, he pressed Guo Yin down and swiftly leaped toward the Chu Family’s side wall.
Guo Yin still wanted to pull him back, but he moved too fast, and both hands grabbed empty!
