Chapter 87: Sun Fu

By the time He Chunhua arrived with his men, He Lingchuan had already leapt onto the bird's back and departed involuntarily, missing how this illustrious former State Preceptor made his final exit from life. The last person to deal with Sun Fu was He Chunhua.

Ever since he saw He Chunhua produce Sun Fu’s posthumous manuscript, He Lingchuan had wanted to know what he had missed.

"State Preceptor Sun is truly not a man to be trifled with. Even with his magic power exhausted and his cultivation base reportedly suppressed by the illusion, he still killed seven of our men." When Zeng Feixiong spoke of his fallen brothers, he felt a bit sentimental. "If not for the fierce spirits of the Great Wind Army, we really wouldn't have been able to finish him off."

"I heard the Great Wind Army suffered losses as well."

"Right, they were fearless, not at all like us living men who weigh life and death. The battle to surround State Preceptor Sun lasted at most a quarter of an hour, and they lost... lost... lost..."

Zeng Feixiong began to slur his words.

He Lingchuan grabbed a slice of motherwort fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

This thing was called motherwort fruit locally, but it was actually a lemon.

Zeng Feixiong chewed the lemon, the sourness rushing straight to his brain, his entire jaw going numb.

But the effect was surprisingly good; he gave a start and sobered up a bit.

"How many of the Great Wind Army fell?"

"Maybe thirty or forty? They threw themselves into the fray one after another, catching State Preceptor Sun off guard." Zeng Feixiong recalled, "In the end, State Preceptor Sun had his throat pierced by the commander's spear, but his cultivation was profound, so he didn't die immediately. He even... even said a few words to the Prefect."

The main point had arrived. He Lingchuan pressed, "You heard it?"

"Ah, the voice was very soft, but when the Prefect walked over, I was guarding right by his side."

Walked over? Did his old man voluntarily approach the dying Sun Fu? A man as shrewd as him—how could he not know that a venomous snake’s final strike is the most vicious? What if Sun Fu still had a trick up his sleeve?

So, what words were so important that they had to be said before the man died? "State Preceptor Sun said..." Actually, Sun Fu had been stripped of his title after his rebellion, but Zeng Feixiong was used to the title, and with his mind sluggish, he couldn't change it. "Uh, anyway, he said his treason was justified and he didn't regret dying; that was basically the gist of it."

Sun Fu had said quite a lot at the time, but he couldn't remember it all.

He Lingchuan: "..." He had fed him too much wine.

"He said his actions were all for the good of the Great Yuan Kingdom, and then he spoke quite a bit of ill of the monarch." Even half-drunk, Zeng Feixiong didn't repeat the exact words that would have been grounds for execution.

He Lingchuan didn't want to hear them either; he just remembered He Yue's words.

Could this country still be saved, and what method would work? Was it appropriate to use the most extreme measures, like the Grand Marshal and Sun Fu?

He then shook his head; let the people with ambition and insight worry about that. What did it have to do with him?

"That's it?" He Lingchuan was a little disappointed.

"Oh, there's more. He asked Prefect He, 'Your entire family was killed by the old senile Emperor, why do you still risk your life for the Imperial House?'" Zeng Feixiong frowned as he recalled. "Before the Prefect could answer, he continued, 'Unless you have other motives!'"

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow: "What did the old man say?"

"The Prefect just cursed State Preceptor Sun for talking nonsense, saying he wasn't that selfless either, and that this trip into Panlong City was indeed for other motives, not just to help the Grand Marshal."

"Then the Prefect leaned in and whispered to Sun Fu. I didn't hear it, but immediately after, Sun Fu laughed—laughed so hard that blood kept bubbling from his neck and wouldn't stop."

"He told the Prefect, 'It's useless; once done, there's no turning back, or you'll face the backlash and your family will be destroyed.' He also said something about reaping what you sow, that every cause has an effect." Zeng Feixiong said bitterly, "I don't know what he was laughing so happily about, but he kicked the bucket halfway through his laugh."

"Later, the Prefect searched everything on his body and rushed back to the South Gate to find you."

So that was it.

He Lingchuan didn't ask any more questions, drinking and eating with him until he was half-drunk himself, before paying someone to send Zeng Feixiong back.

Uncle Hao was sitting in the lobby downstairs, and seeing him walk out, he escorted him back to the He residence.

On the way back to his quarters, He Lingchuan actually ran into He Chunhua.

The night was already deep, and the Prefect was still wearing the clothes he had left in that morning. He looked like he had just returned home as well, but his spirit was high, in stark contrast to his eldest son's staggering gait.

"How unruly, spending all day doing nothing proper!" He Chunhua covered his nose and asked, "Where did you go?"

He Lingchuan just chuckled.

Uncle Hao said, "The Young Master went to the Acacia Pavilion with Liu Baobao and Zeng Feixiong and drank seven jars of aged wine."

He Lingchuan suddenly interjected, "Old man, have you ever done anything to wrong us?"

He Chunhua frowned: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Do I have any brothers scattered abroad? No, a younger sister would be better!"

He Chunhua kept a straight face, but he wouldn't argue with a drunkard. He turned to Uncle Hao and said, "Send him back. Feed him two bowls of hangover soup before he sleeps, or he'll have a headache when he wakes up tomorrow."

"Yes."

Uncle Hao helped He Lingchuan away. He Chunhua watched their backs, suddenly letting out a long sigh, his posture looking less rigid than before.

He Lingchuan was indeed quite tipsy; after finishing the hangover soup, he collapsed onto his bed and didn't think much more.

He slept until noon the next day before waking up.

He had no dreams all night and slept very well.

He Lingchuan patted the broken blade on the wall; this fellow hadn't taken the opportunity to cause trouble last night, very well-behaved.

That evening, he ran into He Yue: "Have you heard of the Assistant Minister of the Grand Treasury, Du Feng?"

He Yue was in a hurry to use the latrine, but He Lingchuan blocked his path. He tried to go around left and right but couldn't get past: "You haven't heard of him? He is to assist the Minister of the Grand Treasury, managing storage, disbursements, and the various markets in the Great Capital and Shihan City. His rank isn't high, but his power is not small."

"I heard he and our family are old acquaintances?"

"Family friends," He Yue said indifferently. "Father occasionally had dealings with him, and I even acted as a scribe for him once."

He Lingchuan gave a long "Oh." This information was quite significant, indicating that there was indeed still some connection between He Chunhua and Du Feng, though it had grown very faint. It wasn't necessarily a case of changing hearts or the fickleness of the world; the He family had been ordered to be executed by the old Emperor, and the Du family was desperate to prove their own innocence—how could they dare to associate too deeply with He Chunhua, the lone survivor of the He family?

"Having correspondence is already not bad." He patted He Yue on the shoulder. The kid was only fourteen; no matter how smart, he still lacked worldly wisdom. "With that position of Assistant Minister Du, one must be cautious in their associations."

"It is indeed something to be cautious about..." He Yue finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "Can you move aside?"

He Lingchuan acted as if he hadn't heard: "Then do you know who the old lady of the Du household, Du Feng's grandmother, is?"

He Yue spoke at lightning speed: "Old Lady He Suqiong. She has extensive connections in the Great Capital, and I hear she is charitable, likes listening to operas and music, and hosts garden parties and gatherings."

"Go on then." He Lingchuan saw his face turning blue from holding it in, and only then did he step aside to clear the path.

He Yue darted away like a rabbit.

Tonight (August 2nd) might just witness history again; it truly is a once-in-a-century—

Let us wait and see together.

(End of chapter)