Chapter 34 Repeating Came crying for revenge.

Chapter 34: Repetition: A Tearful Quest for Revenge.

Zhong Yao wasn't hurt at all, but Madam Zhong was still worried. After bringing her back to the residence, she gave her a thorough check-up, fed her a large bowl of ginseng soup, then sent people to send their regards to both the Yong'an Marquis Estate and Minister Chen's residence. After that, she barred anyone from leaving the estate.

The next day, there was a general conclusion regarding the collapse of the riverside viewing platform. It was said dozens were injured, mostly nobles and their servants.

The incident spread like wildfire. Some said it was due to the platform's age and the authorities' failure to conduct regular inspections and repairs. Others claimed it was sabotaged with explosives, and there were even rumors that the Dragon King of the River was angry...

The rumors among the common folk varied widely. Because many officials' family members were involved, the authorities hadn't issued a clear statement yet. Madam Zhong, wanting to find out more, went out to meet with a few close lady friends but only gathered scraps of information, suggesting it was related to the Fourth Prince.

Madam Zhong, afraid of the Fourth Prince, patted her chest and said, "No matter what really happened, it has nothing to do with our household."

She summoned the steward and instructed everyone in the residence, ordering a ban on all discussion of the matter.

These orders had just been given at noon when, in the afternoon, Zhong Lan returned to the capital. However, he didn't come home; he went straight to the palace gates with Young Master Chen.

Madam Zhong was overjoyed yet alarmed. She waited anxiously at home for half a day, but instead of her eldest son returning, she received news that Chen Luoling had also been summoned to the palace.

She knew little about Zhong Lan's affairs, which made her beside herself with anxiety. She waited restlessly all night, but he still didn't return.

Zhong Yao, who knew almost everything about her brother's matters, guessed it must be related to the news of First Miss Chen's death and that her eldest brother was being detained in the palace for questioning.

Although Zhong Yao knew a lot, when her eldest brother returned from the palace the next day and told her and their mother everything, she was still confused.

"After my leg injury healed, I escorted the Chen family's eldest daughter and young master back to the capital. On the way, we encountered bandits. The eldest daughter's carriage was driven off a cliff, and she disappeared without a trace, neither seen alive nor found dead," Zhong Lan said.

This was false; Zhong Yao knew that.

Xie Chi didn't want to get involved in the princes' power struggles. The Chen Luoling siblings wanted to help their eldest sister escape the marriage. Her own eldest brother was trying to protect their family. Thus, First Miss Chen's "death" became the catalyst for the Crown Prince to act against the Fourth Prince.

But the rest...

"The Fourth Prince blew up the viewing platform to harm Chen Luoling?"

Zhong Lan said, "Second Miss Chen has a letter written by First Miss Chen before the incident. The letter mentioned someone following her, seemingly the Fourth Prince's men. Second Miss Chen also wrote back to First Miss Chen..."

These two letters connected the events, painting a picture: the Fourth Prince tried to kidnap First Miss Chen but failed, indirectly causing her death. To cover up his crime, he then targeted Chen Luoling, leading to the platform collapse and injuring countless people.

"Didn't the Fourth Prince refute it?"

"With witnesses and evidence present, how could he refute it?"

Zhong Yao whispered, "Isn't this framing someone..."

Madam Zhong was also shocked by the news, but overall, this matter wasn't closely related to the Zhong family, and it made the Fourth Prince take a major fall. She was willing to believe it.

Just as Madam Zhong was feeling relieved and overseeing the preparation of the midday meal, she didn't hear Zhong Yao's words.

Zhong Lan heard them and also whispered, "It's wrong, but do you have a better way to deal with the Fourth Prince?"

"No," Zhong Yao shook her head.

"He relies on the Emperor's favor, acts with reckless abandon, never considering the consequences or the harm he causes others. Such an irrational, unrestrained person becomes more dangerous the more power he holds," Zhong Lan said. "He must be brought to justice."

Zhong Yao thought about the Fourth Prince's threats to her, the common people struggling in the water after the platform collapsed, and that sword strike he swung at Xie Chi in his rage, and felt her brother was right.

—He would even strike at Xie Chi without hesitation, let alone ordinary commoners!

Yet even so, the Fourth Prince was only placed under temporary confinement. His specific punishment required further investigation.

"You and Mother should leave the capital quickly. Return only after the Crown Prince and Fourth Prince have reached a conclusion..." Zhong Lan instructed Zhong Yao once more.

Zhong Yao nodded vigorously and asked, "How is Xie... Xue Fang?"

"The Fourth Prince insisted that Xue Fang was the one who attacked underwater. Firstly, they're just a kid; secondly, it's a young girl. Without evidence, naturally no one would believe it. Besides, with Heir Xie protecting her, of course no one could do anything to her."

Zhong Lan added, recalling, "But after all, she's a girl. Being accused like that by the Fourth Prince was too much for her to bear. She cried very miserably and even said she wanted to follow the old Marquis to the temple to become a lay Buddhist..."

This again shifted the blame onto the Fourth Prince.

But how could Xue Fang, with her fiery temper, come out with such a pitiful line?

Zhong Yao sighed inwardly. Looking up to ask further about how Xie Chi was, she noticed her eldest brother looking at her with an odd expression.

She touched her face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Zhong Lan said. "It's just that I now understand why you and Miss Xue Fang have such a deep sisterly bond. Her expression at that time..."

Zhong Lan looked at Zhong Yao, his expression hard to describe.

Zhong Yao didn't understand and widened her eyes, asking, "What about it?"

Zhong Lan said helplessly, "Nothing, nothing."

After talking at length about the others, he finally mentioned Xie Chi.

"The Fourth Prince went mad in the court..." Zhong Lan paused, skipping over this part, and said, "In short, Heir Xie deliberately made himself scarce and has already petitioned to leave the capital."

Zhong Lan repeated, "Little sister, you and Mother should also leave the capital as soon as possible."

Zhong Yao said, "I know, eldest brother. You must be very careful alone in the capital. If you really can't handle it, go ask Chen Luoling for help. She's more capable than you."

Zhong Lan: "..."

He raised his hand and lightly tapped Zhong Yao on the head.

Later, when Madam Zhong returned after arranging the meal, she had many questions for her eldest son, having been worried about him for so long. Zhong Yao played the obedient girl beside them and listened to quite a bit.

Only then did she realize her eldest brother had left out a great deal.

For example, the Fourth Prince mocked the Crown Prince's fiancée for impropriety with another man. Second Miss Chen came forward to admit that *she* was the one involved and was publicly slapped twice by Minister Chen in court. Also, the Dowager Marchioness Xie held Xue Fang and wept bitterly, fainting in court, and so on.

Zhong Yao thought to herself that although the Yong'an Marquis Estate had few people, they were all very good at putting on a pitiful act.

I wonder if Xie Chi pretended as well?

Imagining that scene, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved up. She really wanted to write Xie Chi a letter to ask if he felt ashamed.

But thinking that Xie Chi had already left the capital, Zhong Yao felt a bit empty inside.

She guessed it was because ever since the troubles at home began, she had distanced herself from all her friends. Now, having no one to share her joys and sorrows with, this feeling emerged.

Come to think of it, she and Xie Chi could probably be considered friends.

It's a pity there's the distinction between men and women...

If only Xie Chi were a girl.

But even without the constraints of gender norms, not being in contact for several months would also lead to fading memories.

When Zhong Yao was a child and visited her ancestral hometown, she used to play with the little spotted dog at her granduncle’s house. However, after just half a year apart, the dog no longer recognized her upon her return, always barking at her.

Zhong Yao felt the urge to write to Xie Chi again, wanting to tell him that he was just like that little spotted dog.

After two days of such idle thoughts, the day came for them to return to their hometown. Zhong Yao and Madam Zhong set off on the road leaving the capital.

.

Xue Fang galloped his horse in a circle, then jumped into the carriage, sweating profusely. Inside, he found Xie Chi propping his chin on one hand, a book in hand, his left foot propped on the side cushion, one leg bent and the other stretched out.

Tall and long-limbed, Xie Chi’s posture—more unrestrained than elegant—almost filled the entire carriage.

He was a far cry from the gentle facade he had maintained in the capital.

“Brother, your book is upside down.”

Xue Fang pointed out bluntly, trying to squeeze past along the carriage wall. But Xie Chi lifted his eyelids and kicked out with his bent leg, aiming for Xue Fang’s face.

Unfazed, Xue Fang nimbly flipped backward out of the carriage and leaned against the driver, a guard.

“Heh heh!” he chuckled triumphantly, only for the guard to shift aside, leaving Xue Fang with no support. He fell flat on his back off the carriage.

A moment later, he climbed back into the carriage, covered in dust, and asked, “Brother, are you thinking about a woman?”

Xie Chi, who had been somewhat relaxed, suddenly turned stern at these words, his brows furrowing sharply as he asked coldly, “Who taught you to say such things?”

“Grandmother,” Xue Fang replied without fear. “Grandmother said all boys are like this when they grow up, so they need to be disciplined from a young age.”

Crude but not unreasonable.

Xie Chi’s mouth twitched. He pulled his leg back to let Xue Fang in.

Too young to understand matters of romance, Xue Fang wiped his sweat and started eating as soon as he entered the carriage. Between bites, he said, “Grandmother also told me to keep an eye on you. She said if you often space out or cry silently, I should tell you that she’s agreed to let the humble woman be her granddaughter-in-law.”

Xie Chi: “…”

He should have kicked him farther away earlier.

That day in the hall, the Fourth Prince, framed and enraged, had raged like a madman, insulting everyone and tearing off the veil to reveal many of his underhanded schemes. The mastermind behind the attempted coup was undoubtedly him, and the Crown Prince’s anger had been thoroughly provoked.

With his goal achieved, Xie Chi immediately requested permission to go to Misty Mountain to capture the “instigators” who had “encouraged” the Fourth Prince’s coup.

The Emperor, though indulgent toward the Fourth Prince, knew his son’s nature well and deeply believed Chen Luoling’s testimony.

Unable to kill the Fourth Prince and unwilling to entrust the empire to this somewhat deranged son, the Emperor stepped down from the proverbial ledge Xie Chi had provided, had the Fourth Prince imprisoned, and granted Xie Chi’s request for the expedition.

This was the third day since Xie Chi had left the capital.

The Misty Mountain Bandits had been entrenched for a long time, with countless spies in the surrounding areas. Xie Chi’s mission was to uproot them entirely, so he was in no hurry. The personnel he needed were few but elite, traveling separately and gathering intelligence covertly.

Unhurried, he had even waited outside the capital for a few days to avoid alerting the enemy—first, to ensure no major changes in the capital’s situation, and second, to wait for Xue Fang.

After Xie Chi left the capital, Xue Fang had “mournfully” moved to a villa outside the city, claiming he was “too ashamed to show his face.” Now, free from the capital’s restrictions and having been picked up by Xie Chi, he had already galloped his little red horse joyfully several times.

“Brother, seriously, if you really like the humble woman, I’d be okay with it. As long as you let me fight back when she hits me in the future.”

Xie Chi said helplessly, “I’ve told you, my feelings for her aren’t that kind.”

“I said the same thing!” Xue Fang exclaimed as if finding a kindred spirit, clutching a pastry. Then he deflated. “But Grandmother said if you really do like the humble woman and can’t be together because of her interference, you’ll definitely resent her in the future—deliberately leaving her cold, letting her go hungry, not letting her live out her old age in peace. And you’d definitely resent me too, making me study and write all day!”

“…You’d have to study and write all day even if I didn’t resent you.”

Xie Chi felt he had left the capital too early; he should have set a few rules for his future granddaughter-in-law on behalf of his grandmother before leaving.

These things were impossible to explain clearly to a half-grown child, and he had already said them many times.

Xie Chi picked up several books about the Misty Mountain Bandits beside him and tossed them at Xue Fang. “What I’m thinking about is none of your business. You can start thinking about the contents of these books now.”

Xue Fang, who disliked reading, flipped through a few pages haphazardly. “They’re all bad people anyway, so why not just kill them all?”

“Xu Su and the humble woman’s second brother might be there too.”

“Ugh!” Xue Fang grumbled unhappily, taking a few bites of his pastry. “So we have to capture them alive and bring them to you one by one for identification? What a hassle.”

Xie Chi said, “I don’t know Zhong Shu either.”

Zhong Shu was Zhong Yao’s second brother, who had entered official service last year. Xie Chi had never met him.

“Then what do we do?” Xue Fang asked. “If no one knows him, what if we accidentally kill him by mistake? The humble woman would definitely come crying to our mansion for revenge!”

The latter part made Xie Chi smile.

She really might.

Xie Chi said, “No need for you to worry about that. Go read your book.”

Under his brother’s pressure, Xue Fang sighed and picked up the book, staring blankly for a while before suddenly saying, “Maybe Zhong Shu looks a lot like the humble woman? That would make it easier to identify.”

Then he negated his own idea. “No, Zhong Lan doesn’t look like her, so Zhong Shu probably doesn’t either… We should have brought the humble woman along. But she’d definitely be scared to tears by those bad guys! She’s even afraid of dogs barking, haha, what a coward!”

Listening to Xue Fang’s rambling, Xie Chi felt that perhaps he had grown too accustomed to the noise. With only one voice chattering beside him now, he actually felt somewhat unaccustomed to the quiet.

He touched the coral bead in his sleeve and glanced at Xue Fang. “Who taught you to read with your mouth?”

Xue Fang finally fell silent, wearing a pained expression.

The rumbling of the carriage wheels and the hoofbeats of the guards’ horses kicked up dust as they traveled into the distance. After nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a long, clear whistle rippled through the air like water, reaching Xie Chi’s ears.

The driving guard heard it too and turned to inquire, “Young Master?”

Xie Chi frowned. “Stop.”

“Yes.”

The carriage halted by the roadside. Before long, a lightly equipped man rode up on horseback, dismounted beside the carriage, and reported, “Young Master, the Fourth Prince has left the city with a contingent of men!”

“Wasn’t he imprisoned?”

“He was initially imprisoned. This morning, His Majesty visited him. After their conversation, His Majesty released him and assigned a few soldiers to keep him under close watch.”

Given the Fourth Prince’s deranged temperament, a few soldiers would be utterly insufficient to restrain him.

“Which direction did he head?”

“He left the city heading south,” the guard added. “The Crown Prince went to investigate the site of the incident involving First Miss Chen and is not in the capital. Lord Zhong Lan learned of this and has already taken men to follow.”

South was precisely the direction Zhong Yao and Madam Zhong were taking to return to their ancestral hometown.

No one knew better than the Fourth Prince himself which accusations against him were fabricated by others. By now, the people he likely hated most were the Zhong family and Chen Luoling.

Within the capital, it would have been difficult for him to act.

The Zhong ancestral home was too far from the capital, so even if he wanted to intervene personally, he couldn't make the trip.

But he could act while still on the road, not far from the capital.

Xie Chi was silent for a moment, then said, "Since Zhong Lan has already taken people there, why chase after me?"

"It was the Dowager who ordered me to follow you. She said... to give you..." The guard hesitated, then continued in a low voice, "...to give you a way out..."

Xie Chi: "..."

He let out a heavy sigh. "Understood. Go back and protect the Dowager."

"Yes!"

After the guard left, Xue Fang leaned over and asked, "Are we going back to help her?"

"No need," Xie Chi replied. "The Crown Prince has most of the Fourth Prince's men under watch. The few remaining ones, Zhong Lan can handle."

Xue Fang let out an "oh," then asked, "Really not going?"

"No."

"Really, really, really, really not going?" Xue Fang pressed again, only to be met with Xie Chi's icy glare.

Unfazed, he shot back, "Grandmother said men often say one thing but mean another. She told me to ask you a few more times whenever she's involved, so you won't regret it later and blame me or Grandmother!"

Xie Chi: "...Shut up!"

After shutting up his annoying younger brother, Xie Chi calmly ordered the guards to continue forward.

Go back? She didn't need him at all.