Chapter 446: A Well-Staged Deception

Zhang Chun's unexpectedly gentle manner took everyone around him by surprise.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard officers who had come with Zhang Chun stared in stunned disbelief.

What was going on here? Had their own Chiliarch gone mad? How could he, the famously aloof man known as the Cold-Faced King of Hell, treat this young girl with such an attitude?

Meanwhile, Wukeshan stood off to the side with a dark, grim expression. Zhang Chun's behavior gave Wukeshan the feeling that his worst premonitions were coming true.

Bumbutai raised her head to look at the kindly smiling Zhang Chun, then glanced at her brother who was being held under guard. Her eyes instantly grew moist, yet not a single tear fell.

She then looked at Bator lying on the ground before her. The once valiant and fearless Bator was now covered in wounds, bleeding from everywhere; his usually clean and tidy robes were stained with a mixture of dust and blood.

A flicker of fear passed through Bumbutai's moist eyes, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.

People of the grasslands, even young girls, were raised to be strong from childhood. If not for that, they could never survive in such a cruel environment.

Bumbutai had seen scenes like this before—she had even seen dead people. Though worry and fear stirred in her heart, she was far from the point of falling to her knees and weeping helplessly.

Raising her head to look at Zhang Chun, Bumbutai suppressed the anger within her and asked calmly, "You came for me, didn't you?"

"What words are those, young miss?" Zhang Chun hurriedly said with a smile. "We're all just underlings here. We don't know what the higher-ups are thinking. They simply ordered us to treat you with respect, and I'm only following orders."

In truth, there was more to those words than met the eye. Others might not know who this young miss really was, but how could Zhang Chun not know?

That day when His Majesty had gone out on the streets, Zhang Chun had been following right behind him. When His Majesty had seen this young miss, he had been frozen in a daze for quite a long while, and that very day he had sent people to investigate her and had others secretly tail her ever since.

This was what it meant to have a different standing. If this young miss ended up by His Majesty's side, she would surely gain his favor in the future; and even if she didn't in the future, she certainly had it now. If she were to say a few bad things about him, how could Zhang Chun survive?

This was also the reason Zhang Chun hadn't killed Wukeshan—he couldn't act recklessly.

Being a subordinate meant more than just earning merits; one also had to know proper measure in handling affairs. Zhang Chun considered himself quite measured, and he was very respectful toward Bumbutai—surface respect cost nothing, after all.

Bumbutai glanced at Zhang Chun, as if trying to ascertain something. Suddenly, she drew a small dagger from her waist and pressed it against her own neck, saying, "Have someone tend to Bator's wounds."

At the sight of this, everyone was startled—Zhang Chun most of all.

If this man called Wukeshan died, things might still be manageable. But if this young miss died, he would be in serious trouble.

Seeing that Zhang Chun was still frozen in shock, Bumbutai pressed the tip of the dagger tightly against her neck, waiting for Zhang Chun to respond.

The blade was razor sharp, and slowly, threads of blood began to seep from Bumbutai's neck.

Seeing this, Zhang Chun hastily forced a smile and said, "I've already sent someone to fetch the Bureau Director. Someone will come to treat him shortly. Rest assured, our physicians are all highly skilled—he absolutely won't be in any danger to his life."

Looking at Zhang Chun's smiling face, Bumbutai glanced at her brother and said, "Then you must not harm my brother either, nor are you allowed to harm anyone else. If you agree to this condition of mine, I'll go with you."

From Zhang Chun's attitude, Bumbutai had discerned something.

Though he hadn't admitted it when she questioned him, his behavior made the truth perfectly clear.

This time, she had caused the trouble, but she couldn't allow her brother to be dragged down because of her.

The man before her could only go so far—her negotiation with him was complete. As for how to get her brother away safely next, that would have to be negotiated with whoever stood behind this man.

Bumbutai was well aware of this in her heart, so she felt it was appropriate to make such a request at this moment.

Sure enough, Zhang Chun also breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, no problem. I've already given the orders—they absolutely won't raise a hand against anyone."

"Young miss, come with me now, then. Our young master is still waiting for you. I'm certain that once he sees you, our young master will be very pleased."

Wukeshan watched Bumbutai, grief and indignation flashing through his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched tight, and he gnashed his teeth in fury.

"You can't go!" Wukeshan shouted angrily. "I'll fight them to the death! Even if it means dying, I won't endure such humiliation! Bumbutai, do you hear me? We are descendants of the Golden Khan—we cannot suffer such disgrace!"

Matters had reached a point where there truly was no hope left, and Wukeshan now wanted to fight to the bitter end.

The reason was simple: since there was no other way, fighting to the death was the best choice. In the end, death was all there was—why suffer humiliation and torment? Dying was the best option.

Hearing these words, Zhang Chun looked at Bumbutai with considerable worry.

He was deeply concerned now—if this young miss listened to her brother, things would become troublesome. Zhang Chun hastily said, "Young miss, don't listen to your brother. We absolutely will not take his life."

Bumbutai didn't look at Zhang Chun. Instead, she turned to her brother and said, "All of this happened because of me. I can't let my brother lose his life here because of my troubles."

"Brother, go with them for now. Don't worry—I will definitely find a way to rescue you all." Having said this, Bumbutai cast aside the small dagger in her hand and said to Zhang Chun beside her, "Let's go."

Zhang Chun nodded with a smile and instructed his men, "Seize everyone and take them into custody. I'll bring the young miss back first."

For Zhang Chun, this mission had been completed quite well. Now that things had reached this point, he could return and claim his reward.

Though Wukeshan still wanted to resist, his sister had already fallen into their hands, and he couldn't win in a fight—he could only surrender with his hands bound.

The group quickly left the inn and headed straight for the inn where Zhu Youxiao was staying.

When Wukeshan was brought up under guard, he realized that things had indeed turned for the worse.

Fan Yongdou was being held here, and the Irgen Gioro man was also being held here—clearly, everything had already been exposed.

Across from the prisoners sat an octagonal table, upon which were laid out fruits and pastries. At this time of year, there were even green pears on the table, looking tempting enough to make one's mouth water.

A teapot sat off to the side, and the fragrance of the tea leaves could be smelled from a great distance—one could say it was refreshing to the heart and mind.

The young man sitting in the chair appeared not very old, yet his entire bearing exuded an air of elegance and nobility.

He lazily propped his chin on one hand resting against the table, wearing an utterly bored expression. His gaze swept across the faces of the three men from time to time, occasionally showing a look of keen interest.

It was clear that this was not an expression of hatred or displeasure, nor did it carry any hint of arrogance. Rather, it was the excitement of one who had spotted his prey, mingled with some indescribable flavor.

Zhu Youxiao had no idea that in such a short time, Wukeshan had already analyzed him thoroughly. Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the side. Wukeshan saw his sister Bumbutai.

Bumbutai looked different from before—she had clearly been washed and dressed anew. She wore the same style of red dress, though with some changes to its design.

Though it was still Mongol attire, one could tell it had been made by Han craftsmen. Both the fabric and the workmanship were of the finest quality. Such a dress couldn't be bought anywhere on the grasslands.

Seeing Bumbutai approach, Zhu Youxiao immediately perked up with interest and sat up straight.

Bumbutai walked up to stand before Zhu Youxiao, blinking her big eyes at him as she asked, "So you're the one who had us captured and brought here?"

Zhu Youxiao didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked in return, "Your name is Bumbutai?"

Bumbutai nodded.

"Bumbutai—in the language of the Great Ming, that means 'noble one sent from heaven.' Of the Borjigit clan, daughter of Tsaisang Bukha of the Khorchin tribe. And that one over there called Wukeshan—he's your elder brother, isn't he?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Bumbutai and asked once more.

The moment these words came out, everyone present was stunned.

Fan Yongdou looked at Zhu Youxiao in disbelief. He had originally thought this was just some profligate young noble, never imagining that this man actually knew so much. He had underestimated him before—this man had clearly been targeting them all along.

"You actually know all this?" Bumbutai looked at Zhu Youxiao and said, "You've deceived everyone. You never truly took a fancy to me—you were just doing it on purpose."

Bumbutai stared at Zhu Youxiao with wide eyes. "This is all a fraud! Then why don't you kill us right now?"

"Why would I kill you?" Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

Having said this, before Bumbutai could answer, Zhu Youxiao rose to his feet and walked over to Irgen Gioro's side. "I truly never imagined your hands would reach all the way to Zhangjiakou. No wonder Liaodong keeps losing battles—doesn't that say enough?"

"Someone come," Zhu Youxiao ordered. "Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. Find out who in Zhangjiakou has been cooperating with him."

"Yes, young master." Cui Yingyuan acknowledged the order, his whole being brimming with excitement.

For Cui Yingyuan, these matters were very important. As long as he could pry open this man's mouth, he was certain to extract plenty of useful information—and then he would have earned himself a great merit.

Irgen Gioro remained silent, letting himself be dragged away without a word.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Cui Yingyuan and said, "Don't worry about anything. Tell the torturers to put some strength into it. If he dies, he dies—don't fuss over it. And as for his subordinates, drag them all over for questioning as well."

"Rest assured, young master. I understand." Cui Yingyuan said hurriedly.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "I trust the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard well enough. Only, don't make me wait too long. When it comes to these matters, I have little patience."