Chapter 416 Underground City

Chapter 416: The Underground City

The meal dragged on, with plenty of dawdling. Song Tingzhou couldn't even taste the buns, but his good mood was plain to see.

After breakfast, Song Tingzhou went back to interrogate the prisoners held in the back courtyard, while Meng Wan went to check on Chi Yu, whom he had left behind last night.

"Xiaoyu... how are you?" Meng Wan was startled by the scene in the room. Na Tuo was feeding Chi Yu porridge. The two were usually about the same height, walking together like brothers, but would a warrior like Zhang Fei ever feed Guan Yu his meal?

Meng Wan slammed the door shut with a bang. "You finish eating first; we'll talk this afternoon."

Na Tuo chased after him, bowl in hand, "Fulang, Xiaoyu's arm is broken and he can't manage on his own. I'm not—"

Meng Wan had already run off into the distance. There wasn't much to look at in this stronghold, just a few trees planted against the walls. He saw the physician come out of a room, stood under a tree for a moment, then slowly walked over.

Xi Geer lay in bed, his face deathly pale, his left wrist freshly coated with a layer of herbal medicine by the physician. The Tao brothers had followed Song Tingzhou all the way from his days as County Magistrate to his current position as Vice Minister of Justice. Their hands weren't as ruthless as they used to be either—back in Heshan County, Tao Ba would never have been able to bring himself to harm a xiaoge.

Meng Wan stood by the door and watched for a few moments. The young man had been pitifully toyed with between him and the Luo family, but that was the extent of it. Meng Xi had betrayed him once, and there was no telling he wouldn't do it again. Meng Wan didn't trust Meng Xi, and he didn't lack for family. Strictly speaking, Meng Xi had never been his family.

He would settle Meng Xi properly in Lin'an Prefecture. With his courier station there, no one else would dare touch Meng Xi. But that was where it ended.

Meng Wan didn't enter the room; he turned and left. Meng Xi kept his eyes closed the whole time, but he heard the footsteps and caught the faint scent of ink and soap from Meng Wan—so faint he thought it might be his imagination.

Turning his head, Meng Xi silently let two streams of tears fall.

In the afternoon, Lady Yu was released. The remaining assassins were secretly transported to Yangzhou for interrogation. Like Meng Wan, Song Tingzhou didn't trust Lin'an Prefect Xu Yun either.

"Who would've thought you'd be such a loyal dog, daring to act behind my back!"

Luo Zhan was furious beyond measure. He raised his hand and hurled the priceless blue-and-white pressed cup, the crisp sound of shattered porcelain filling the air as it nearly ground to powder.

"Your servant acted on the orders of the family head." Lady Yu knelt motionless on the ground, not even blinking.

Luo Zhan knew perfectly well it had been his second uncle's doing. The death warriors their family trained only obeyed the family head's commands. But he couldn't smash teacups in front of his second uncle, so he could only vent his rage here.

He was so angry he didn't even bother calling him "uncle," cursing instead, "Idiot, an absolute idiot! His head is full of nothing but petty inner-court schemes. If Meng Wan had caught on beforehand, all our careful planning would have been for nothing!"

"Our people didn't succeed. The experts shadowing him captured everyone. I barely escaped by luck." Her face was paler than paper, with no visible wounds—perhaps she'd suffered internal injuries. It was quite convincing.

Luo Zhan's mood remained sour. He snorted coldly, "I've said all along that the people around Meng Wan aren't useless. We've sent people to test them several times and still haven't learned our lesson. This time we sent so many, and they all got taken down. Truly... truly idiotic."

The Luo family didn't cultivate death warriors easily. Keeping them obedient wasn't a matter of pure suppression. Aside from her missions, Lady Yu lived freely and lacked for nothing.

A batch had died on Gibo Island years ago, another batch when the previous family head went to the capital, and now another batch was gone. No matter how vast the Luo family's resources, they couldn't withstand such losses.

This wasn't something he could mourn alone. Luo Zhan brought Lady Yu to the ancestral hall and summoned the clan elders for discussion. His original plan had been to let his second uncle serve as the public face—if he died, others would still be in place to take over. But now it seemed that once his second uncle had taken the seat, his mind had grown restless. It was time to give him a proper warning.

—

Meng Xi's hand was injured, and Meng Wan brought him back to Qingxiao Residence to recover. The residence had silently gained many more guards. When the Luo family's spies came to investigate and reported back, they would simply assume Meng Wan had increased security because something had happened to him.

"You've only been here a few days and already so much has happened? And you've gained a younger brother—is he your real brother?" Fang Jinrong's smile was radiant. Ge Quan had returned last night and was still catching up on sleep in his room.

It felt good to be back on his own turf. Meng Wan sat down, and Zhi Fan immediately replaced his tea with a fresh pot. Holding the teacup, Meng Wan said, "More like a cousin, I suppose. Once the weather cools down in a few days, let's go enjoy West Lake properly." He wouldn't acknowledge Meng Xi as family, to avoid future complications.

Fang Jinrong sat on a rock tossing pebbles into the pond. "Deal. Even if you don't take me, Brother Quan will."

The young master knew exactly who was safe to be around. No matter how restless he got, he wouldn't wander off on his own.

Meng Wan and Fang Jinrong fed the fish in the courtyard. The lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom, pink and white petals layered densely, standing gracefully among the emerald leaves. Occasionally a fish would swim beneath them, stirring ripples across the water.

Zhi Mao came to report, "Fulang, a group of old men are outside the gate requesting an audience."

He didn't mention how insufferable those old men were. When he'd gone to ask their business, they'd been insufferably arrogant, not even lifting their eyelids to speak to him, as if he were an ant on the ground. If not for their age and their claim of coming to visit the Fulang, he would have thrown them out long ago.

Meng Wan didn't ask who had come. He scattered the remaining fish feed into the water, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and said, "Not a moment's peace. Though I suppose they came quickly enough."

He led his people straight to the front gate. A group of men in their sixties, leaning on walking sticks carved with peach patterns, stood waiting outside his door.

Meng Wan had no intention of inviting them in. He demanded with a hostile expression, "What's the meaning of all of you blocking my doorstep? Afraid I'm not dead yet?"

The Luo clan elders had initially been displeased that Meng Wan's servants hadn't invited them inside to wait. But hearing the fire in Meng Wan's words, they immediately softened their posture and said, "What does Meng Fulang mean by that? This old man heard of your assassination attempt last night and came out of concern for your safety, specifically to pay a visit."

They had never intended to kill Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan. The Emperor had set his sights on the great families—even if one Song Tingzhou were killed, there would be another. The Luo family's stance had never changed: it was to win them over.

Meng Wan fanned himself a couple of times, scoffing, "Do you all really expect me to believe you don't know whether I'm fine or not? Save those high-sounding words for children."

Weren't the Luo family just probing his attitude and his true situation? The harsher he was, the more reassured they'd be.

Sure enough, after his words, the Luo family members showed no anger. The white-haired elder at the front was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Whether Meng Fulang believes it or not, last night's affair was by no means our intention. The Luo family has its own internal troubles. We old bones are willing to give Meng Fulang an explanation."

Their purpose in coming was to have Meng Wan continue honoring their previous agreement, yet they never once mentioned the courier station, as if they truly didn't care. Since they didn't bring it up, Meng Wan certainly wouldn't either. Both sides were weighing and testing each other. Meng Wan stood at the gate, watching coldly as the Luo family boarded their ornate carriages and departed.

That night, Song Tingzhou entered Qingxiao Residence together with several courier station personnel. Meng Wan had been waiting for him for some time.

"Rong Geer and Brother Ge already ate in the back courtyard. Why are you so late?" A table full of dishes was laid out in the main hall. With the summer heat, there was no need to reheat anything. Song Tingzhou washed his hands and sat down at the table. "There were people watching the courier station. I only came over when they changed shifts."

Meng Wan served him rice and sat beside him, saying helplessly, "No wonder most people can't hold their ground in the capital. Ever since you got promoted, it's been one thing after another without a moment's rest." Even he, who considered himself reasonably hardworking, found Song Tingzhou's workload exhausting.

"Wan'er, I'm very gratified." Song Tingzhou smiled at Meng Wan. He had an authoritative, handsome face, but most people never got the chance to appreciate it—they were already scared witless by his hellish, judge-like aura.

"The Emperor trusts me and values me. Since coming south, every memorial impeaching me has been suppressed by him personally. I'm fortunate to have found an enlightened ruler." He picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of spare rib—Meng Wan's favorite—into his bowl. "In the past, I wanted to climb higher to protect you, A Yan, and Mother. But now that I'm in this position, I want to shelter the common people."

There were many officials in this world—good ones, bad ones, and mediocre ones. The higher one climbed, the better one understood the Emperor's art of balancing power. Song Tingzhou could never be a corrupt official, but a pure minister was easily attacked from all sides, usually used up and then cast aside forever.

If he was to play this game, he would be a powerful minister—a blade the Emperor couldn't bear to discard, a sword that made corrupt officials tremble. A blade needed an edge, but it also needed a sheath.

Meng Wan understood Song Tingzhou better than anyone. They had supported each other through everything; no one knew him better.

"Our Zhou Lang is a man of grand vision, devoted to saving the world." Meng Wan's brows curved like the new moon outside the window, his voice soft and warm. Before Song Tingzhou, he let down all his defenses. They were lovers, and they were each other's confidants. No matter what they faced, there was always someone behind them, supporting them without expectation, driving them forward without fear.

People had great righteousness and small righteousness. There were good people and bad people, and the line between good and bad was so blurred.

The world was filled with too many injustices. Meng Wan had come from an era of peace, had seen what a fair and just world looked like. He knew that someone always had to stand at the crossroads of the times and lead the masses down the right path.

Even if he and Song Tingzhou couldn't be the pioneers, they wanted to try using their meager strength to stir that great river toward the correct course for generations to come.

—

The Luo family was resolute and could be ruthless. The next morning before dawn, they delivered their own clan head to Meng Wan's doorstep. Along with him came a cart of gold, silver, and jewels. Those treasures weren't displayed openly, but it didn't matter—even ten carts wouldn't have made Meng Wan accept them.

Meng Wan came out draped in his robes and said to Luo Zhan, who had personally escorted the prisoner, "I've never even met your clan head. I never imagined he would do such a thing." He yawned, his dew-beaded lashes lowered, his voice cool. "I've seen the Luo family's sincerity. The arrangement can continue as before, but I won't accept the man or the goods. Your Luo family members are yours to discipline."

His words offered the Luo family a way to save face. But Luo Zhan proved himself one of the most ruthless of the younger generation. To demonstrate his sincerity, he broke his second uncle's leg right there in the street. "Meng Fulang, rest assured—in any dealings with the Luo family, you will never come out at a loss."

"Then let's proceed as originally agreed. No more waiting—bring the goods to the docks tonight." Watching Luo's second uncle lying on the ground with his mouth gagged, drenched in cold sweat, Meng Wan frowned in disgust. The Luo family made good partners, but unfortunately, he was here to cure them.

After closing the door and seeing off the guests, Meng Wan headed straight for his bedroom.

The thin bed curtains were pushed open from within, and Meng Wan collapsed heavily into Song Tingzhou's arms.

"The Luo family's annoying bunch is here, and tonight they're taking people to the docks." Meng Wan closed his eyes, no longer sleepy, but he still didn't get up.

"Gao Siyu is the highest-ranking civil official down south. They're afraid I'll kill another batch now that I'm here, so they're trying to drag you into this mess." Song Tingzhou stroked Meng Wan's silky black hair. "Tonight, Xu Yun will play along with their little act."

"I figured they'd deliberately hand over the troublemakers to the relay station and then stage a scene to report them to the authorities. But Xu Yun is so cunning—would he really get mixed up in this dirty business with the Luo family?" Meng Wan opened his eyes, a bit uneasy.

He'd been stalling until now just to wait for Song Tingzhou. No matter how cunning he was, he still needed someone to keep these people in check. Whether it was the Luo family or Xu Yun, what they feared was Song Tingzhou behind him.

"So what exactly did Gao Siyu spill?"

Song Tingzhou turned him over to the inner side of the bed, and they faced each other, speaking in hushed tones. "The Luo family has secretly built an underground city. Only people who meet their standards can actually get in. According to Gao Siyu, there, with enough money, you can buy anything you desire. Guang Zishun, the deceased Commander of the Suzhou Guard, had also been there."

Meng Wan hissed through his teeth. No wonder the Luo family was frantic—that so-called underground city sounded shady as hell. "What did Guang Zishun buy?"

"He didn't buy anything." Song Tingzhou's voice was low. "He sold his boss's head, and that's how he rose from Thousand Commander to Commander."

Meng Wan was genuinely shocked this time. "Can we track down where that underground city is?"

"Gao Siyu went there three times in total, and each time the entrance was different. When we sent people back to look, it was gone." Song Tingzhou had been pondering this throughout the journey. "The most likely location should be Xian'ge Mountain outside Lin'an City. If we ultimately can't find the entrance, His Majesty said we could borrow gunpowder from nearby garrisons and just blow the mountain up."

Meng Wan swallowed hard. "That would make a hell of a racket. If we can manage to get the info out of them, we should ask. I wonder if Lady Yu might know something."

"Everyone who went in was blindfolded, even the last Luo family head." Song Tingzhou had interrogated Lady Yu; she had been there but didn't know the route.

"Wasn't it built by the Luo family? How could their patriarch not know? That's way too weird." Meng Wan's heart was thumping wildly, and he suddenly thought of the mysterious Cat Ba Island in Annam and the younger siblings that He Niang and the others lost.

Song Tingzhou clasped his slightly cool fingertips and pressed a gentle kiss to them. "This involves a ton of officials and rich merchants down south. If we can round them all up at once, the Equal Field Decree will be a done deal."