xymnovel Chapter 76 Zhang Mansion
Chapter 76 Zhang Mansion
By the window on the second floor of the small building, Yin'e's tense and stiff body finally relaxed.
He leaned against the window frame, his back against the wood, and let out a long breath.
As long as Yin De is there, there's nothing to be afraid of.
He knew Yin De very well; he was skilled in martial arts.
He wasn't the kind of weak and scholarly official who only served tea and water; he had served as an imperial bodyguard and had even accompanied Emperor Kangxi in his campaign against Galdan.
Even now, he holds the rank of a third-grade military officer.
Although he had been managing miscellaneous affairs in the mansion for years and looked like an accountant, he had never lost the ruthlessness he had brought from the battlefield.
He might not be able to win against three opponents by himself; but he could easily protect Batu as he left Juxianju.
Yin'e tucked the copy of "Overheard" into his sleeve, turned around, walked back to the table, picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back, and downed the remaining wine in the glass.
He put down his wine glass, looked up, and stared at the eighth and ninth brothers.
"Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother," he cupped his hands in greeting, "was your operation today considered a success?"
The Ninth Prince threw the osmanthus cake in his hand onto the table, patted the crumbs off his hands, stood up, and looked Yin'e up and down.
"Tenth Brother, you really gave me and Eighth Brother a surprise today. I thought you'd mess it up since it was your first time on a mission."
"I didn't expect you to actually set Juxianju on fire and arrest that guy surnamed Gao. Impressive tactics!"
Lao Ba also stood up.
He straightened his clothes, walked up to Yin'e, reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
"That's right, it really surprised us. You did a great job."
Yin'e looked into the eyes of the Eighth Prince.
Those eyes held approval, relief, and a sense of satisfaction that said, "I didn't misjudge you."
But Yin'e knew that the Eighth Prince was not one to praise people easily.
If he says "not bad," then it really is very good. If he says "very good," then it's excellent.
Yin'e nodded, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a serious expression.
"Then we'll leave the rest to you, Brother Ba. Whether you can get Gao Mengyuan to talk depends on your skills, Brother Ba."
Lao Ba withdrew his hand, turned around, and walked to the window.
He lifted a corner of the gauze curtain, looked at the towering flames and chaotic crowd at Juxianju across the street, and remained silent for a moment.
Then he lowered the gauze curtain, turned around, and looked at Yin'e.
"Don't worry, tenth brother, you've already gone to such lengths, so I certainly won't let you down."
His gaze shifted from Yin'e's face to the Ninth Prince.
"Ninth Brother, let's go."
Old Nine paused for a moment, then stood up and patted the wrinkles on his robe.
He glanced at Yin'e, opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed it back. He simply nodded and followed the Eighth Prince toward the door.
When Lao Ba reached the door, he paused for a moment.
He turned around and glanced at Yin'e.
There was a lot in that glance: surprise, joy, and a fleeting glimpse of something that Yin'e saw clearly but wished he hadn't.
fear.
He knew that Lao Ba would feel this way sooner or later.
This is the rule of the Eighth Prince's Party: you can get things done, but you can't be too good at it; you can have merit, but you can't have merit that surpasses that of the eldest brother.
Yin'e watched as the backs of the Eighth and Ninth Princes disappeared at the top of the stairs, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Then he turned around, walked to the window, and looked at Juxianju across the street one last time.
Then he looked away, turned around, and walked towards the door.
"Fuquan, I'm leaving." He said without turning his head.
The two went downstairs, came out through the side door, and got into the sedan chair parked at the alley entrance.
The moment the sedan curtain was lowered, Yin'e leaned against the sedan wall and let out a long breath.
His body felt completely drained, limp and powerless.
Overall, today's plans and actions went well, with only one minor mishap.
In the original plan, Yin'e was to have Batu find an opportunity to kill Gao Mengyuan, leaving only his corpse to prove everything.
But not only did Xiao Guoxing suddenly appear out of nowhere, a martial arts master also stood in the way.
This not only prevented them from killing him to cover their tracks, but also exposed Batu himself.
Moreover, Batu's exposure could very well implicate him, something he needs to carefully consider.
The sedan chair swayed and rocked its way back to the mansion.
The night breeze stirred the sedan curtains, and the air that wafted in carried a hint of coolness and the smell of cooking fires.
At the entrance of the Tenth Prince's Mansion, two lanterns swayed in the night breeze, casting a small patch of warm light on the blue brick ground.
Ulan stood at the door, wearing a light purple qipao with a cloak over it.
Her hands were clasped together in front of her, her fingers clutching a handkerchief.
Her face looked terrible; her lips were pursed and her brows were furrowed.
Su Mo'er stood behind her, holding a lantern in her hand, without saying a word.
Ulan paced back and forth at the door.
He took three steps, then stopped and glanced at the alley entrance.
He took three more steps, then stopped and looked at it one more time.
"Su Mo'er, what time is it?" she asked without turning her head.
"Reporting to the Lady, it's just past midnight."
"It's past midnight," Wulan repeated, her steps unwavering. "He said he had something to do tonight and told me to go to sleep. But how can I possibly sleep?"
My brother is inside, he's outside, and I…”
She didn't continue.
Her voice trailed off, as if something was stuck in her throat, something she couldn't swallow.
Su Mo'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but found that she couldn't utter a single word.
She simply raised the lantern in her hand a little higher, so that the light could shine further.
Finally, a figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.
First came a few blurry shadows, then footsteps, growing closer and clearer.
Ulan stopped abruptly, craning her neck to look towards the alley entrance.
The sedan chair arrived at the door first.
The sedan curtain was lifted, and Yin'e emerged from inside.
His face was somewhat pale, but he was in good spirits, and his clothes were neat and tidy, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Ulan quickly stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve.
She looked at Yin'e's face, her lips trembled slightly, and her voice shook a little.
"Tenth Prince, how is my brother? Is he alright?"
Yin'e reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, feeling the coldness and trembling of her fingers.
"Don't worry, he didn't..."
That statement was only half-said.
Footsteps echoed from the alley entrance again.
It was also mixed with heavy breathing and the rustling of clothes.
Yin'e and Wulan turned their heads at the same time.
Two figures appeared at the alley entrance.
Walking in front was Yin De, whose dark blue short jacket was stained with black ash and blood, and the cuff was torn, revealing a white undergarment underneath.
He had a few dark marks on his face, but he was in good spirits, walked steadily, and stood up straight.
Walking behind him was Batu.