Chapter 30: Night of Chaos

The night had fully fallen, and the carriage raced through the starlight.

The Seventh Young Master looked utterly defeated, clinging to the carriage door and asking Gao Yuan: “Where are we?”

“We should be almost there,” Gao Yuan replied uncertainly.

“You can’t even find the right road—what good are you? When I get back, you’re fired!”

“I learned how to drive, not how to read maps!” Gao Yuan shot back defensively: “Why don’t you scold Zheng Fa? He can’t even recognize his own way home!”

Both turned to stare at Zheng Fa, who stood nearby watching the scene, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Zheng Fa: … This blame really is mine.

Outside the city, all the roads look nearly identical—who knows which fork is the right one?

In the modern world, after GPS navigation, many people can’t even read maps anymore.

And this place doesn’t even have road signs—only the old horse knows the way.

“Ah, this road must be right! No doubt about it!”

Fortunately, Zheng Fa had a good memory; recalling the scenery along the way, he finally spotted the correct intersection.

Hearing Zheng Fa’s confident reply, the Seventh Young Master turned and sat back on his chair, rubbing his stomach and frowning: “I’m so hungry! Is there any food?”

They had set out after lunch; at this carriage’s speed, they should have reached the Zheng family’s estate before dinner.

But now they’d taken the wrong road and wasted half the day—dinner was out of the question.

They’d even missed the time for midnight snacks.

All three were hungry.

Zheng Fa noticed sharply that when the Seventh Young Master spoke, his eyes fixed on the food box beside his feet.

He thought for a moment, then picked up the box.

The Seventh Young Master smiled—then watched in disbelief as Zheng Fa hid the box behind his back.

You won’t even let me see it?

“Zheng Fa!”

“Hmm?” Zheng Fa looked vaguely confused.

“I’m hungry!”

“I’m hungry too,” Zheng Fa said, nodding with deep understanding.

“I saw it—you took a whole pile of pastries from the kitchen, all in there!”

Seeing Zheng Fa pretend ignorance, the Seventh Young Master dropped the act.

“These are for my sister,” Zheng Fa replied coldly. “There’s only this little.”

“...Brother!”

Even though Zheng Fa always considered himself more worldly than the people of this world, he was stunned by the Seventh Young Master’s brazenness.

“She’s only six years old...”

Zheng Fa didn’t say the thought that came to mind: How can you even ask for this?

“I’m hungry!”

Zheng Fa sighed. The Seventh Young Master, raised in such privilege, had likely never gone hungry in his life.

That’s why he couldn’t bear it.

He opened the food box—inside lay two plates of small pastries, all ones Zheng Fa had tasted and chosen for himself.

Now, everyone in the Zhao household knew Zheng Fa had some favor with the Seventh Young Master; when he asked the kitchen for these snacks, someone would prepare them for him.

“Here,” he handed one plate over.

The Seventh Young Master snatched a bean cake and shoved it into his mouth.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then lifted the carriage curtain and called to Gao Yuan: “Gao Yuan, you’ve been driving all night—you must be hungry too. Have some.”

He passed the plate out; Gao Yuan nodded eagerly and grabbed a piece.

Zheng Fa figured both were still growing and one pastry wouldn’t fill them, so he set the food box inside the carriage and said: “Take more when you’re done.”

The Seventh Young Master finished his bean cake quickly, then noticed Zheng Fa hadn’t taken any and had returned to his seat. He frowned in confusion: “Aren’t you eating?”

“I’m not hungry.”

Zheng Fa smiled.

The Seventh Young Master looked at his hands—licked clean of every crumb—then at Zheng Fa, and remembered they’d all eaten lunch together.

He and Gao Yuan were both hungry.

Zheng Fa wasn’t?

Maybe he was saving some for his sister?

The Seventh Young Master swallowed hard, then suddenly said: “I’m not that hungry anymore. I won’t eat.”

Outside the carriage, Gao Yuan added: “No water—eating too much will choke me! I’m not eating either.”

Zheng Fa genuinely didn’t feel that hungry—he was used to enduring hunger.

He did intend to save a few pieces for his sister.

These two...

He didn’t press them further, just smiled and closed the food box. “We’re almost there. We’ll eat when we arrive.”

As Zheng Fa had said, less than half an hour later, they saw the dark silhouettes of houses against the starry sky.

“We’re here!”

The Seventh Young Master gazed at the low cluster of houses, eager to leap from the carriage.

Suddenly, the foremost house lit up with torches.

Gongs and drums rang out.

The villagers, already asleep, scrambled out of bed and lit candles in their homes.

The entire estate erupted into chaotic commotion.

“What’s going on?”

The Seventh Young Master stared in shock at the panicked estate.

“They’re afraid of bandits. We arrived too late—the sentries couldn’t make out the carriage and thought we were hostile.”

The Xuanwei Realm is not peaceful.

Jingzhou City is safe enough, but the outlying estates often face raids by bandits.

Every night, able-bodied men keep watch.

His voice grew somber.

Zheng Fa’s father had been one of the night watchmen on the night the beast came down from the mountains...

Now, the estate was in full turmoil.

Zheng Mu held her drowsy daughter Zheng Shan, peering out the window.

“Mother?”

Zheng Shan felt her mother trembling.

Zheng Mu forced a smile for her daughter—Zheng Shan had been only one year old when her father died, with no memory of it.

But she could never forget.

Back then, it was the same gong sounds, the same chaos.

After a while, a villager ran over shouting: “It’s fine! It’s fine! It’s the Zhao family’s carriage!”

Zheng Shan felt her mother’s grip loosen, and a sigh rose from above her head.

A moment later, her mother suddenly stiffened.

She set Zheng Shan down and rushed wildly outside.

“Mother! What’s happening!”

Zheng Shan, barefoot, stumbled after her.

Zheng Mu didn’t answer. She dared not answer.

A while ago, Wang Gui had been beaten by the Lady and sent back.

In a carriage.

At night.

The household had brought back Wang Gui, unconscious and near death, all of a sudden.

At the Wang steward’s home, Wang Gui had dressed and was whispering excitedly to his father.

“I told you Zheng Fa wouldn’t last long! We should’ve moved against the Zheng family sooner! You kept saying ‘wait a little longer, wait a little longer!’”

“Shut your filthy mouth.”

Wang Gui fell silent, but his face still brimmed with defiance.

The Wang steward knew his son was right.

He knew a bit about the Seventh Young Master’s temper.

His son’s failure was one thing—but this Seventh Young Master was truly unbearable to serve.

Besides, no one from the household came out this late.

Just as Zheng Mu had thought, he too remembered the night his son had been sent back.

“Being cautious is right! Besides, he’s fallen out of the Seventh Young Master’s favor—his whole family lives here in the estate. Where could they run? What’s the rush?”

The Wang steward scolded his son, then walked toward the edge of the estate.

Wang Gui laughed behind him, knowing his father would never hold him back again.

A carriage was slowly approaching; Wang Gui looked at the driver, Gao Yuan, puzzled by the man’s youth and unfamiliarity.

And where is Zheng Fa?

Lying inside the carriage?

He leaned forward to look into the carriage and saw the curtain lifted—Young Master Seven poked his head out.

Young Master Seven?

Wang Gui stared, dumbfounded, at Young Master Seven’s face, unable to fathom why he had come here.

Had he come to take me back?

“Young Master!” he cried out, deeply moved, silently vowing: Young Master Seven came himself to fetch me—I will give my life for him!

Even if Lady Zheng breaks my legs again, I’ll take him to Yan Yu Lou!

“Huh? You live here too?”

At this moment, Young Master Seven’s surprised expression felt cold and hurtful to Wang Gui.