Chapter 247: [People's Hearts Are Not Ancient] (Part 2)

The servants noticed something odd and wanted to follow, but Xu Zhengying hurriedly waved his hand, signaling the servants to stay put. Under Hu Xiaotian's threat, they boarded the carriage. As soon as the two got in, the driver Gao Yuan cracked his whip hard on the horses' backs: "Go!" The two healthy steeds neighed in unison and galloped forward.

Xu Zhengying sat inside the carriage, trembling with fear, and said in a quivering voice, "Who are you?" In fact, he had already guessed the visitor's identity.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said, "You don't know who I am, so why did you come to meet me?" He pressed a short dagger against Xu Zhengying's throat and moved to sit opposite him. In that short while, Hu Xiaotian had already covered his face with a black cloth; even after disguising himself, he did not want Xu Zhengying to see his true face.

Xu Zhengying said in a trembling voice, "Nephew… I, Xu Zhengying, have done nothing to offend you. Why resort to swords and blades?"

The carriage's speed obviously slowed, and Hu Xiaotian said, "You sent dozens of servants to set up ambushes inside and out—are you trying to capture me and claim merit before the court?"

From the voice, Xu Zhengying was certain it was Hu Xiaotian, and he gave a bitter smile: "Nephew… how could I do such a heinous thing? I brought the servants only to protect you."

"Protect me?" Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but sneer. Xu Zhengying was spouting lie after lie—no three‑year‑old would believe it. Hu Xiaotian said, "Isn't this carriage a wreck? It can't compare to the one you previously sent me."

Xu Zhengying silently cursed; the boy's words hid a threat. He was clearly hinting that Xu Zhengying had once bribed him, and if he fell into the law's net, he would surely spill everything Xu Zhengying had done. Xu Zhengying said, "Nephew, you shouldn't have come to see me this way. My family thinks I've been kidnapped. They will certainly report it to the authorities, and before long the constables of the Capital Prefecture will search the whole city. By then, you might not be able to escape." He showed concern but was actually threatening Hu Xiaotian—this kid really had the gall to abduct him right under the noses of his dozen or so servants.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Since I dared to come here to find you, I'm not afraid of being caught by them—worst case, we die together. Having company on the road to the Yellow Springs wouldn't be so lonely." Hu Xiaotian inwardly sneered, "You, Xu Zhengying, brought all those people out not to do anything else but to capture me and claim a reward from the court. If I really believed you, I'd probably already be a prisoner." Hu Xiaotian asked, "Where are my parents now, and how does the court intend to deal with them?"

Xu Zhengying dared not lie; he frankly told Hu Xiaotian the current situation of Hu Buwei and his wife, putting on a false show of benevolence as he sighed: "Nephew, I see this matter is beyond remedy. You had best leave the capital as soon as possible. If the authorities catch you, I fear the Hu line will be cut off entirely."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is there still any chance to turn things around?"

Xu Zhengying shook his head and said, "Unless the emperor grants special mercy, or the newly appointed Left Chancellor Lord Zhou steps forward to plead for your father."…

Hu Xiaotian said, "What if I have the Crimson Script Iron Voucher?"

Xu Zhengying said, "This Crimson Script Iron Voucher was a personal gift from the former emperor. It might have some effect, but even if you produce it, it may not prove genuine." Xu Zhengying's meaning was clear: if the emperor is determined to kill your father, he could still declare the voucher a fake, charge you with deceiving the sovereign, pile on the penalties, and the punishment would likely be harsher than before.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is there a eunuch named Ande Quan serving at the present emperor's side?"

Hearing Hu Xiaotian's question, Xu Zhengying blinked in surprise, then shook his head: "I've never heard of him. There are thousands of eunuchs in the inner palace, and I rarely get a chance to enter it, so how would I know whether such a person exists?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, raised an Ebony Token, and asked, "Do you recognize this thing?"

Xu Zhengying stared closely, but saw nothing special about the Ebony Token: the upper half bore a "forbidden" character, the lower half was engraved with cloud patterns, and the reverse side had the two small characters "Cheng'en." He frowned; he had never seen such a token, though the characters "Cheng'en" were familiar, and he suddenly recalled Cheng'en Manor. Cheng'en Manor is where imperial relatives are confined; when the present emperor, Long Yelin, was deposed, he was once kept under house arrest there. Could this token be related to the manor? He murmured, "It might be something from Cheng'en Manor—I don't know what use this token has."

Hu Xiaotian said "good," then suddenly swung his hand and struck Xu Zhengying hard on the back of the neck. Xu Zhengying's vision went black, and he fainted at once.

Hu Xiaotian had Gao Yuan drive the carriage to a secluded corner, first ransacking Xu Zhengying of all valuables, then shoving him out, after which the two quickly left the scene. Although Hu Xiaotian did not obtain the help he wanted this time, he had learned a little about his parents' recent situation from Xu Zhengying. After thinking it over, he decided to try his luck at Cheng'en Manor, hoping to find the Senior Eunuch Ande Quan, who had given him this token—surely it meant something—and perhaps it could help rescue his parents.

Before departing, Hu Xiaotian summoned Gao Yuan to his room, having already packed his belongings and placed the remaining silver into a small bundle.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Gao Yuan, I have to go out on business today; I don't know if I'll be able to return after this trip."

Gao Yuan knelt with a thump before Hu Xiaotian and said, "Master, wherever you go, I will follow; we share life and death together."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Who would choose death when they can live? You've shared life and death with me these past two days; you must have guessed my identity. My name is Hu Xiaotian. My father is the current Minister of Revenue. Because he offended the present emperor, the Hu household was raided and the whole family found guilty. My parents are temporarily imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishments, and I fear it's more likely to be ill fortune than good. As a son, I cannot merely survive by hiding; this token was given to me by a departed friend, and today I go to find him, hoping he can help the Hu family escape calamity."

Gao Yuan said, "Master, I will go with you."

Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder, pulled him up from the ground, and said, "Frankly, I have no confidence in this matter. If he refuses to help me, this trip will likely be one‑way; bringing another person would just mean another life lost. We've met, and that's enough of a bond. I own nothing now—only this silver I give you. You're clever and capable; you can surely look after yourself. If I happen to succeed by luck, we will meet again someday. If I meet an unfortunate end, you should quickly leave the capital, find an inland town untouched by war, and live there. On each anniversary of my death, go out to the wilds, face the capital's direction, and burn some paper money for our whole family—it will not be in vain that we've known each other."…

Gao Yuan, hearing this, couldn't help but burst into tears: "Master, since you know the danger, why go ahead? It would be better to leave the capital, hide our names, and live as ordinary commoners. The heavens are high and the emperor far away; given enough time, no one will remember you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "One does what one must and refrains from what one must not. As a son, I have to do something for my parents. Gao Yuan, I have one more thing: keep this short dagger for me. If you ever meet a female constable who once worked at the Capital Prefecture, her name is Murong Feiyan, give her this dagger and tell her that someone once liked her." As Hu Xiaotian spoke, Murong Feiyan's pretty face appeared before his eyes, and his voice involuntarily choked up. He drew a deep breath to dispel his sorrow, pressed his lips together, nodded firmly, and said, "Gao Yuan, I'm leaving! Remember my words."

Gao Yuan remained kneeling for a long time, unable to rise, tears streaming down.

Hu Xiaotian left the inn where they were staying, tidied his clothes, and aside from the Crimson Script Iron Voucher and that wooden token, he had nothing else of importance on him. He then strode head‑high toward Cheng'en Manor.

Hu Xiaotian did not know what purpose Ande Quan had in giving him this token; he felt desperate, grasping at straws, and aside from Ande Quan he could think of no one in the capital capable of helping him. According to what Ande Quan said in Blue Cloud, when he rescued that girl Qiqi at Lanruo Temple, she was very likely the daughter of the Eldest Imperial Prince Long Yelin; otherwise Ande Quan would not have gone to such trouble to send her to Xichuan Zhou Ruiyuan. If his speculation is correct, then he has a debt of gratitude to Long Yelin, who is the present emperor, and perhaps the emperor will grant special mercy and spare the Hu family.

Whether this succeeds hinges on finding two people: first, the Senior Eunuch Ande Quan; second, the young lady Qiqi. Both are deep‑scheming individuals, and considering their past actions, one cannot rule out that they might repay kindness with enmity. Hu Xiaotian now has no other options; this mysterious Senior Eunuch Ande Quan ought to be a figure of great importance beside the new ruler. Yet his movements are inscrutable. When Prince Zhou went to Blue Cloud to receive the Shaka envoy, he had appeared there, but no one knows why he vanished afterward amid the turmoil. Looking back, it seems that when he gave me this token, he had already foreseen today's events, and he even said that relying on this token could one day save my life.

Recently work has been extremely busy, so updates have been a bit slow. Zhangyu is striving to adjust the writing schedule as soon as possible, hoping to improve in the second half of the month!