Not too long after Huaixiu was sent to jail, Yan Wenxin too offered his resignation, stating that his virtue was lacking and he wanted to retire and return to his hometown. He did not miss out on anything he should say or do, and he did express a very remorseful attitude.
The ministers of the court too made their moves. Some presented memorials to the Emperor, seeking an investigation into whether or not Yan Wenxin had been involved, while others presented memorials to offer themselves as a guarantor for Yan Wenxin. At that moment, the scent of gunpowder permeated the court, yet the Emperor never said a word. He even rejected Yan Wenxin’s resignation, only putting him on house arrest for a month.
As for Huaixiu’s crime of betraying the country, the evidence was irrefutable. After being cross-examined, he was sentenced to death by dismemberment. For now, he would continue remaining in jail, waiting to be executed after the new year.
At home, Yan Caijun would basically be washing her face with tears every day. She did not know how Huaixiu had ended up in cahoots with the southern barbarians, and he had even managed to conceal it from her father? She was even more bewildered by how her father did not give Huaixiu any aid at all.
She wanted to visit Huaixiu in jail. However, the cells that kept prisoners waiting to be executed were not allowed visitors. Even items that were sent in would be unpacked and examined. Seeing that the weather was getting colder, Yan Caijun worried that Huaixiu would be freezing. She sent two jackets, only for them to be torn apart and examined thoroughly in front of her. This angered the young girl so greatly that she cried all the way home.
During this period, Yan Wenxin remained quiet and bided his time. He did not use any of his power and abilities to declare his innocence, but allowed things to proceed as they were in court. At the same time, he also felt out what the Emperor was thinking.
It had to be known that betraying the country was a great sin, and all nine generations of the criminal’s family would not be able to continue living. But now, the Emperor was clearly biased. Other than Huaixiu, the Emperor had no intentions of making a move against the Yan family. The house arrest did not hurt him at all, and even when the Lord Protector had presented many memorials requesting for a strict investigation, the Emperor only gave a few words of sympathy, glossing over the matter entirely. The Lord Protector was furious to the point of calling in sick from his duties and he did not attend court for seven or eight days.
Guan Shanjin had suffered in jail, and according to some, it took him over a dozen days to recover. Now, he followed the footsteps of his father, calling in sick as well. It was evident that they were extremely disappointed in the Emperor.
Yan Wenxin looked through the various information provided by spies, then looked at the porcelain cups placed on the table with the fragrance of tea wafting from them. The Emperor had commanded Eunuch Chun to deliver the tea leaves over, along with a few types of snacks. These gifts were clearly for pacifying. Yan Wenxin could not help but smile. In this crisis, it could be said that he came out completely unscathed and was removed from the entire situation. Although he had lost Huaixiu without anyone to replace him, and he had no choice but to temporarily deal with the southern barbarians by himself, the road that had already been built was not obstructed in the least. He was still able to go his merry way.
Using one Huaixiu to exchange for the Emperor’s care as well as a path to the southern barbarians, Yan Wenxin could not be said to have lost in this game.
Once Huaixiu was executed and the matter was blown over, Yan Wenxin would be able to completely eradicate Guan Shanjin from the southern borders and replace him with his own people. Although he had not managed to injure the backbone of the Lord Protector’s estate, he had still managed to deal them a severe blow.
Thinking about this, Yan Wenxin was now able to put away the tenseness he had been feeling over the past few days. He was finally willing to see this daughter of his who had been crying herself into a dumpling.
“Father!” Yan Caijun was finally able to see her father. Her eyes, already swollen like walnuts, started tearing up again. With how much she was crying, she did not look as cheerful and bright as usual.
“Why did you cry yourself into such a state?” Yan Wenxin was after all a father, and with a gentle voice, he consoled his daughter.
“Father, please visit Huaixiu-dage, alright? The weather is getting colder, and I wanted to send him some warm clothing, but the prison guards stopped me!” Yan Caijun’s voice was hoarse from crying and she seemed even more pitiful. Perhaps, from her crying, she was suffering from both a headache and blurry vision, and her words were incoherent. Speaking over and over again, she implored her father to visit Huaixiu.
“Don’t make trouble! Huaixiu is a traitor to the country! If not for the benevolence of the Emperor, our entire family would have been in dire straits. Why are you still thinking about this traitorous, ungrateful person? Your father is still under house arrest, and if someone were to find out that I went to visit Huaixiu, do you know how much danger our Yan family will be facing?” It was rare that Yan Wenxin was so stern towards his daughter. He slapped the table forcefully with his hand, scaring Yan Caijun into trembling. Her mouth opened, but she could not speak.
“Child, I know that you’ve been close to Huaixiu ever since you were young. At first, I had wanted to betroth you to Huaixiu once you were of age, so as to bring your relationship to fruition. Now, however, Huaixiu has brought such great danger to the family. Ignoring how your father’s reputation has been destroyed by him, if we were to take a wrong step now, the ones being executed next year would be our entire family!” Half reproachful and half in consolation, Yan Wenxin held his daughter’s hand and patted it. “You’re the daughter of the Yan family, so think things through.”
Yan Caijun looked at her father dazedly. Inexplicably, chills ran down her spine. Still, her tears dried up, and scared out of her wits, she gave a few confused nods. She understood that there was no way she would be able to save Huaixiu.
Days passed. Yan Wenxin’s house arrest was over and he returned to court. Just like the past, he still enjoyed the Emperor’s trust, and if not for his spies telling him that the Lord Protector had taken a trip to the jail, he would have long forgotten about Huaixiu.
Why did the Lord Protector go to the jail? Yan Wenxin felt a slight trace of unease. After a second of contemplation, he called his daughter over.
“The recent weather has been very cold and I’ve been worried about Huaixiu too. Prepare two jackets and I’ll… just go visit Huaixiu.”
Hearing that, Yan Caijun brightened. She knew that her father’s power in the court had not been affected by Huaixiu’s traitorous act at all. The Emperor even became more benevolent, and she had even been considering if she should again plead with her father to visit Huaixiu. Now, things were happening as she wished they would. Yan Caijun hurriedly packed up the two jackets she had prepared, along with a box of food three-tiers high, handing them all to her father.
On Yan Wenxin’s face was a look of resignation, but he did not dampen his daughter’s excitement. There were his men positioned in the jail, and it was not a difficult thing to bring whatever he wanted in there. Yan Wenxin was only feeling conflicted about how his daughter was still concerned and worried over his foster son.
It had been nearly two months since Huaixiu had been caught. Although the name of the capital meant the “long summer”, winter came early. Before autumn had ended, the weather had already turned cold. With the accompaniment of the autumn rain that came on and off, the days only got colder.
After another night of rain, once Yan Wenxin confirmed that no one had been alarmed by what he was doing, he went to the jail and successfully brought the items in with him.
The head warden leading the way was someone Yan Wenxin had placed in position. In front of Huaixiu’s cell, the man withdrew respectfully.
“Huaixiu,” Yan Wenxin called out gently upon seeing the youth inside.
Dressed in the thin prisoner garb and huddling in the pile of dried straw due to the cold, the youth jerked violently as he turned his head in disbelief towards Yan Wenxin.
“Y-Yifu!” Right after calling out to him, Huaixiu’s tears fell.
His features were handsome, yet delicate. Perhaps due to having lived on the streets, his looks had a touch of something that made people sympathise with him. Right now, with how haggard he looked, his appearance garnered even more pity. Despite how crude the cell was, and how his attire was stained, they only made him look even more delicate and fragile, and one’s heart would ache looking at him.
If not for having such a serious crime on his head that caused him to be kept in solitary incarceration, and with the many pawns of the Yan family that made up some of the prison guards taking care of him, something major might have already happened to him.
“Yes, Yifu has come to see you.” Yan Wenxin gave him a hint of a smile, before sighing deeply. Lowering his voice, he said, “Huaixiu, I’ve done you wrong.”
Huaixiu could not care for the cold, stumbling to the door and shaking his head forcefully. “No, Yifu, it’s my fault. It’s me who could not repay Yifu’s kindness and affection, and even… even caused trouble for the Yan family.” Huaixiu’s words sounded very earnest, and no flaw or mistake was exposed. Yan Wenxin then understood that no matter how much the father and son of the Guan family threatened or tempted the youth in front of him, they would never be able to gain anything that was detrimental towards himself.
“Ai… Don’t blame Yifu for not saving you. Working with the enemies against your country is a grievous crime, and Yifu has to think about the safety of the dozens of people at home.” As Yan Wenxin spoke, he reached into the cell, stroking the sunken cheeks of his foster son with an aching heart. “You’ve lost weight from hunger, and seeing it hurts my heart.”
The skin was cold when he touched him, but a faint wash of red followed his caress.
“Yifu… Yifu…” It seemed as though Huaixiu had a thousand things to say, but what left his lips were only quiet calls of respect and longing.
“Come, have something to eat. This is prepared for you by Caijun, and come, put on these two jackets.” Yan Wenxin pulled his hand away, shoving the jackets into the cell as he urged Huaixiu to wear them. Smiling, he praised, “It looks good.”
Huaixiu’s face reddened even more. Just as he wanted to take the chopsticks to have something to eat, Yan Wenxin pushed his hand away, speaking to him with an expression suffused with gentleness, “Let Yifu feed you.”
The youth was unable to refuse him. To him, this person was his heaven, and the one he had been admiring and respecting since young. Even at this moment, he had not forgotten him, and was still gently protecting him. It felt like the warm waters of spring was pouring over him right now, as sweet as honey.
Yan Wenxin fed his foster son mouthful by mouthful, the speed neither fast nor slow. With a bright red face, Huaixiu enjoyed the food happily. He stared at Yan Wenxin the whole time, as though he desperately wished to carve this scene into his mind permanently. Even if he were to go through rebirth, he would never forget it.
Seeing how the food was half-emptied, and how Huaixiu was full, Yan Wenxin put the chopsticks down and took out a container of water, feeding it to the young man. After that, he helped him wipe his mouth clean.
“When you just came to us, I fed you like this a few times as well. At that time, you were thin and small, but your eyes were so bright like the stars in the sky. Back then, I had thought, in the future, this child would definitely be able to do something great and bring honour to the Yan family.” Yan Wenxin sighed with great emotion, patting Huaixiu’s shoulder warmly. “Yifu understands, you’re a child who remembers the past deeply, and you will never deliberately harm my family.”
“Yifu…” Huaixiu stared at Yan Wenxin, his lips still feeling the warmth of his foster father’s hand. “Even if Guan Shanjin were to rip my lips from my face, he would never be able to cause me to let the Yan family down.”
A few days ago, Guan Shanjin’s right hand man, that Man Yue, who was as round as a ball, had come to see him once. Within his words was a reminder to Huaixiu, that Yan Wenxin was a cruel, vicious and ungrateful man. Even if he did offer up his life, that Yan fellow would not feel grateful for it, and would already have forgotten about him.
How could Huaixiu believe Man Yue? Did his foster father not come to visit him right then?
“Yifu naturally believes you. But…” Yan Wenxin gave a comforting pat on his foster son’s hand, murmuring, “This time, the Yan family has completely stepped out of this matter, and it has made Guan Shanjin and his group of scum unhappy. I’m afraid, in the future, they would not give up on any opportunity to obstruct me in court. Your two younger brothers have yet to be able to find their proper footing in court, and Guan Shanjin will definitely not let them off… Ai… What’s the point in saying all this to you? You don’t have to worry about this.”
The moment Huaixiu heard this, he became anxious. Keeping his voice down, he said urgently, “Yifu, don’t say that. No matter what, as long as I can do something for the Yan family, I will definitely do it!”
“Even if you’re in jail, even if…” Yan Wenxin paused, before speaking softly, as though he could not bear to do so, “you’re abandoned?”
Huaixiu shuddered. Unable to conceal his pain, he looked at his foster father. His eyes glimmered vaguely with tears, but they did not fall, and he gritted his teeth and nodded. “Yes.”
Yan Wenxin gave a long sigh. “Good child.”
“Yifu, what do you want me to do?” The tears in Huaixiu’s eyes still ended up falling, splattering on the back of Yan Wenxin’s hand that was covering his.
“When Guan Shanjin comes to look for you again, you’ll help me probe them, hmm?” Yan Wenxin looked at the drops of tears on the back of his hand, wiping it away gently. “Don’t cry, Yifu’s heart hurts.”
“Mn…” Huaixiu obediently suppressed his tears, even giving Yan Wenxin a smile. “Yifu, don’t worry, I’m completely sober. I will definitely not cause any more trouble for the Yan family.”
Yan Wenxin glanced at his foster son. Opening his mouth to speak, only to hesitate, he finally sighed. He patted Huaixiu’s hand, standing up and leaving.
In his cell, Huaixiu gripped the bars of the doors, watching emotionally as Yan Wenxin departed. Even when that figure had vanished completely, he was still lost in his thoughts…
※※※
Over the next few days, perhaps the Lord Protector’s estate had recognised that Huaixiu would never switch sides, or perhaps they had other plans, they never sent people to the jail again.
Yan Wenxin was not anxious as well. He originally did not think that Guan Shanjin would seek out Huaixiu again within such a short period of time. Furthermore, Huaixiu himself had already been abandoned. That day, Yan Wenxin’s words were mainly to secure Huaixiu’s loyalty. Whether he would be able to sniff out any information or not was only a side dish to the main event.
The conflict between the Emperor and the Lord Protector’s estate was no longer able to be resolved. After Guan Shanjin was removed from his position, he was never reinstated again. It seemed like the Emperor wished to seek out others to carry the huge responsibility of protecting the southern borders, and the only people who could replace Guan Shanjin in court were people under the Defender Duke.
As expected, when the first snowfall officially happened in the capital, which was also the third month after Guan Shanjin left the jail, the responsibility of being the Southern Garrison General stationed in Bastion City fell upon the shoulders of the Defender Duke’s previous subordinate. That general’s achievements on the battlefield could not compare to Guan Shanjin, but he won in being more obedient. All this while, he had spent more time in the capital than the borders, and had been a commander of military forces for around a dozen years. He could be considered a person trusted by the Emperor.
Now, Yan Wenxin was completely at ease.
It was also right at this time when he received an invitation that came from Bai Shaochang.
Nothing much was said in the invitation. In Bai Shaochang’s elegant script, it was a simple invitation to listen to him play, and Bai Shaochang said that it was a repayment for the last time when the session was cut short.
The last time? It took a moment for Yan Wenxin to remember. That time, Guan Shanjin had brought Lu Zezhi along, while Ping Yifan had brought Wu Xingzi. Due to his deliberate incitement, the session had been stopped, and no one was concerned over that matter any longer. Now, a few months had already passed, so why did Bai Shaochang suddenly mention it again?
Previously, rumours about Guan Shanjin and Bai Shaochang becoming life partners had spread widely through the capital. After Guan Shanjin went to jail, no one mentioned anything about Bai Shaochang again, as though he had quietly vanished in the capital. A few days ago, the Emperor had summoned Yan Wenxin to have a meal with him, and casually mentioned Master Qin and his son. The Emperor could not stop sighing, feeling that he had held up the youngster’s marriage. In the past, Guan Shanjin had been so high profile and attracting so much attention, but now, he was all gloomy and silent. He was definitely not a suitable spouse for Bai Shaochang.
“Zhen has let Master Qin take his child home. Once the rumours have subsided, another suitable partner will be sought for him,” the Emperor said, his tone filled with pity.
It seemed like the Lord Protector’s estate had given up on using the Bai family to get back into the Emperor’s good graces. The neck of this Guan family was truly stiff and hard, and they would rather break than bend. Yan Wenxin wanted to see for how much longer this Lord Protector’s estate could remain so stubborn.
Putting the invitation down, Yan Wenxin decided to keep this appointment. It was time to meet Bai Shaochang.