Bai Su was utterly confused. He couldn’t understand how a person claiming to follow Yuan Du had suddenly appeared. What he understood even less was why this person had come to identify himself.

Bai Su could not believe it easily, and didn’t know where to start questioning him.

It wasn’t until Du Dongfeng took out a letter that Bai Su became even more stunned.

“This is my brother’s handwriting. Did my brother have dealings with you when he was working here?” Bai Su felt like his head was going to explode.

“Yes, we were under the care of First Young Master Bai eight years ago. Second Young Master, if you trust this letter and want to know the truth, please come with me. My father wants to see you. You should also be made aware of First Young Master Bai’s ultimate fate.”

There was no hesitation this time. Bai Su nodded at once. He wanted to know what was going on.

Du Dongfeng took Bai Su away quietly, and Qin Yu and He Lan followed.

On the roof, Huo Fenglie gently held Liu Zhenqing’s hand, bringing him out of his daze.

“Qing-ge?”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and said with a sigh: “It turns out to be that clever little child. I’ve actually seen him before. He’s grown so big. Time really does fly.”

Seeing that he looked all right, Huo Fenglie said: “Do you also remember why you gave a jade pendant to that person and permitted him to admire you?”

Liu Zhenqing choked and gave Huo Fenglie a helpless look, saying: “I really didn’t give it to him. But I did still wear a willow leaf jade pendant at that time, and wore the one you gave me since then.”

Huo Fenglie was slightly startled, and couldn’t help the blush at the base of his ears. He pretended to be calm and coughed, then raised his arms to carry Liu Zhenqing and fly toward Du Dongfeng’s home.

When they arrived, they saw the sick and weak Yuan Du kneeling shakily toward Bai Su.

“It really is him.” Liu Zhenqing sighed with complicated emotions.

Huo Fenglie had come here before and had seen Du Dongfeng’s father, but he didn’t recognize this man. This was not just because his appearance had changed with age, but because when Yuan Du was well-known, Huo Fenglie had also reached the age of majority and joined the military, so he was rarely in the capital.

The same went for He Lan. When he entered the capital, Yuan Du was no longer there. He could only ask Qin Yu next to him, who nodded. He had served in the palace when he was a child, so he naturally knew him.

Bai Su also recognized him and couldn’t believe it when he saw that this person was actually alive.

“Yuan-daren, please get up quickly, this junior can’t bear it!” Bai Su hastily helped him up. 

“I can bear it, I can bear it. If First Young Master Bai hadn’t protected me all the way, this old man would have died long ago. How could I have survived with my family for so long?” Yuan Du’s eyes reddened uncontrollably as he said, “I am fortunate to be able to see First Young Master Bai’s family again now.”

Bai Su’s eyes quivered. “What…..what on earth is going on?”

Du Dongfeng quickly helped his father sit down and invited Bai Su to take a seat. The old man slowly told the truth about that year.

“At that time, there was a serious tax problem in Tongmao Prefecture. People sent thousands of hand-printed letters to the capital to complain, and there was such a commotion that the Imperial court planned to send people to investigate the case in order to quell public anger. But back then, I was stubborn and opinionated, obstinate and against change…..”

Bai Su hurriedly said: “Don’t say that, Yuan-daren. Your reputation is still known to this day. People say that Yuan-daren is not afraid of the powerful, is upright, and petitions for the common people. He can be regarded as a role model for officials.”

Yuan Du smiled bitterly and shook his head: “Thinking about it now, many times I was just paranoid and didn’t know how to be flexible. Back then, I was angry that the government was hesitant about such an issue. Even Prime Minister Liu was unwilling to take action, as if he wanted to suppress the matter. So I took the initiative and vowed to root out the illness, so that the corrupt officials would not be able to hide, and also so that those ministers would feel ashamed of their inferiority. But I was wrong in the end.”

Bai Su said hesitantly: “There were rumors…..no, not rumors. After the subsequent investigation, there was evidence that Liu Zhenqing sent people to assassinate you right after you left the capital, and even slaughtered your entire family. This…..what is going on? Could it be that my brother secretly protected you?”

It was not surprising for Bai Su to think this way. After all, his brother later tried to collect evidence of Liu Zhenqing’s crimes, but was silenced by the remnants of Liu Zhenqing’s party.

When he thought of his brother’s character and what happened in Yanqiu Prefecture, he felt an indescribable sense of dissonance. 

Bai Su was full of doubts, and could only look at Yuan Du.

As a result, Yuan Du shook his head and said with a sad expression: “I didn’t expect that even the Second Young Master would misunderstand him like this. Everyone has wronged him.”

“Wronged…..who? Liu Zhenqing?” Bai Su said speechlessly.

“Exactly!” Du Dongfeng immediately said loudly and with agitation: “No one in the world understands how good Prime Minister Liu was. If he hadn’t arrived in time, our whole family would have died long ago!”

Bai Su stared at Du Dongfeng in astonishment and was speechless for a moment.

“Second Young Master, think about it, your brother was Prime Minister Liu’s right-hand man back then. If Prime Minister Liu didn’t okay it, would First Young Master Bai take action?” Yuan Du said with a sigh: “Back then, I was targeted just after leaving the capital. It was Prime Minister Liu who sent someone to pretend to intercept and kill me in advance, as well as give me medicine to fake my death. I watched the real assassins attack with my own eyes and rummage through my convoy. At the last moment, I died on the spot. After those people left, Prime Minister Liu’s people secretly hid me until my family could be sent over.”

Yuan Du couldn’t help but weep as he spoke.

Du Dongfeng said: “At that time, my father had just left and a group of men in black came to the house at night to kill us. My older brother resisted desperately and was killed first. The others were caught. I asked why they wanted to kill us, and they said that Father shouldn’t have overstepped his bounds, and that he deserved it.”

As Du Dongfeng spoke, he looked at his mother and younger siblings not far away. They all still remembered the terror of that time, and hugged each other with choked sobs.

“We were all in despair then. It was Prime Minister Liu and his men who suddenly appeared and fought with the men in black. Prime Minister Liu was even stabbed when he was trying to save me!”

When he said this, Du Dongfeng took out the jade pendant around his neck. Bai Su had also seen Liu Zhenqing wearing it, so he recognized it.

“At that time, this jade pendant was cut off by a knife and I picked it up. I will always remember that scene, the way he stood in front of me. He was the best person in the world.”

Bai Su looked at them in shock. This was far from what he knew.

On the roof, Huo Fenglie’s pupils quivered and he turned to look at Liu Zhenqing. He had not been with him at that time.

“You blocked a knife for him?”

Liu Zhenqing blinked. “That seems to be the case.” Seeing Huo Fenglie’s unhappy look, he quickly said: “It was just a flesh wound.”

In those days, there were so many injuries that a scratch was nothing.

Du Dongfeng continued: “Then Prime Minister Liu secretly sent our family away in the night, burned down the manor, and pretended that we were all dead. We met up with Father afterward. Then First Young Master Bai appeared and escorted us all the way south, gave us new identities, and settled us in.”

“Why? Why would he do this?” Bai Su asked in confusion.

“Because the tax fraud case was untouchable, and I had already touched it. All the common people knew. As long as I wasn’t dead, it would have to be investigated, but once I investigated it, our entire family would die in vain. This was the only way Prime Minister Liu could think of to save the lives of our family,” Yuan Du said bitterly.

“Why couldn’t it be investigated? It aroused public outrage!”

“So what if the people were outraged? The common people could only see their own lives, and couldn’t see that their country and their families were about to be destroyed. Even I couldn’t see through the situation.” Yuan Du gritted his teeth and said: “When First Young Master Bai came to pick us up, he said that he would also bow down and apologize on Prime Minister Liu’s behalf. But when he explained the reason, I was angry and ashamed.”

“Because behind the officials involved in the tax fraud were the ministers in the capital, cabinet ministers and veterans of two dynasties, all of whom held positions of power. But the emperor’s foundation was not stable, and the three kings were eyeing the throne. Once the emperor investigated the tax fraud case, it would be tantamount to attacking the veterans who stabilized the government.”

Bai Su’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and Yuan Du asked, “If this was the case, what do you think they would do?”

Bai Su felt a chill go down his spine. Back then, the new emperor had absolutely no voice, and those ministers were constantly keeping an eye on the situation.

Yuan Du said in a dark, cold tone: “They would abandon this new emperor and switch to one of the three kings. Whoever did not act against their interests was who they would follow, and the balance that Prime Minister Liu worked so hard to maintain would be broken. By then, many things were crumbling, and it was like walking on thin ice. Any wrong step would lead to an abyss. But my impulse risked the new emperor’s life.”

“I was self-righteous, thinking that everyone was drunk and I was the only sober one. That I was the only good official who worked hard for the emperor and the Great Zhou Dynasty. But I didn’t think that a single move would affect the whole country. If it was really because of me that those people defected to the three kings and the balance between them was broken, that would start a war. The Great Zhou Dynasty would certainly be devastated, and I would be to blame for the disaster.”

Yuan Du was so agitated that he couldn’t help but cough. Du Dongfeng on the side assisted him.

Bai Su was stunned by these shocking remarks. “He…..didn’t he have all the power and not take the new emperor seriously? Didn’t he commit all kinds of crimes that are too numerous to mention?”

“He was definitely not such a person.” Du Dongfeng spoke up in his defense again with red eyes. “Although…..although I don’t understand many things, I know that someone who was willing to protect a child like me was definitely not a bad person! After all…..apart from adding to his burden, was there any benefit to saving our family? Clearly, letting those people kill us was also a way to solve the dilemma, right?”

Bai Su could no longer argue at all, and just stared at the father and son blankly.

Yuan Du gave a deep sigh, and said after calming down: “Second Young Master, I dare not talk about other things. I can’t see through them with my block-headed brain. But this, at least, is the truth of our matter. Afterward, when news of my death came out, everyone thought it was Prime Minister Liu who did it, and he never defended himself. On the other hand, the emperor still had to explain the tax fraud case to the common people, so Prime Minister Liu suggested that First Young Master Bai come to investigate it. In fact, this was just to settle us down, and he delayed the investigation on the way in order to prepare for a real investigation once the emperor came into power. And in the capital, Prime Minister Liu reassured those ministers on the surface that this matter would be settled. At this point I understood. Everything Prime Minister Liu did was to draw the bow without releasing it. His patience and determination was beyond the reach of veterans like me.”

Bai Su’s eyes flickered, and many scenes of meeting Liu Zhenqing flashed through his memory. He only felt that this man was so high-ranking and powerful, and his every frown or smile seemed to have hidden meanings, making people not dare to peek.

Du Dongfeng said: “Actually, First Young Master Bai said that Prime Minister Liu promised to help us restore our identities and let us go home in the future, but…..” At this point, Du Dongfeng punched the table.

But after a long time, the three kings were killed one after another, the court was stabilized, and Liu Zhenqing died. The rumors about this late powerful official were not cleaned up. Instead, evidence of his crimes emerged frequently, nailing Liu Zhenqing to the sinners column on the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar.

“Why did such a good person as Prime Minister Liu end up like this? The heavens are unfair!”

On the roof, Liu Zhenqing didn’t feel much upon hearing these words in his defense. On the other hand, Huo Fenglie’s expression became more and more fearsome, and his fists nearly made a cracking sound.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback by the malevolent aura released by his body, and when he turned around, he saw the faint dark red in the other’s eyes. Although he didn’t understand, he still sensed that something was wrong and lightly nudged Huo Fenglie with his shoulder.

Huo Fenglie was startled, and looked at Liu Zhenqing as if he had just returned to his senses. Liu Zhenqing tilted his head and smiled at him, then raised his hand and scratched the other’s chin as if playing with a dog.

Then he leaned his whole body against him, indicating that he was tired from crouching and had no strength left.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes couldn’t help but take on a soft light, and he put his arms around Liu Zhenqing, letting him recline lazily against him.

Bai Su below no longer knew what to say. After all, Liu Zhenqing had long been a treacherous and powerful minister. Later, various pieces of evidence emerged, and his brother…..

Bai Su’s eyes flashed, and he asked at once: “Then what happened to my brother? Wasn’t he…..”

When he heard this question, Liu Zhenqing finally became interested. He also wanted to know what had happened to Bai Yu after his death. Although Bai Yu was indeed his subordinate at that time, the Bai family’s generations of Grand Tutors and Imperial teachers had a clean family background. Even if he himself had to be exposed and criticized, Bai Yu should have been safe. How could he have died?

In any case, one thing Liu Zhenqing was sure of was that he had no remaining followers at that time.

Yuan Du said: “I know this is completely contrary to the rumors. It just depends on whether the Second Young Master believes it or not. When the news of Prime Minister Liu’s death came and the court wanted to expose his crimes, we were quite shocked, so we contacted First Young Master Bai. He said that the situation wasn’t right, and asked us not to reveal our identities for the time being. Then he began to collect evidence to vindicate Prime Minister Liu. I also helped organize the evidence. After it was completed, First Young Master Bai set out to return to the capital. As a result, within three days, news of First Young Master Bai’s death came. Second Young Master, the First Young Master went back just for Prime Minister Liu, so tell me, how could he have been silenced by so-called remnant followers? The evidence we collected was clearly evidence that Prime Minister Liu was a loyal minister, so how could it have become evidence of his guilt! This was all…..”

Yuan Du couldn’t speak further. It had felt like there were countless hands covering their mouths in the dark of night, and the invisible and ubiquitous fear made them unable to resist. All they could do was tremble.

After listening to Yuan Du’s account of what happened back then, Bai Su felt as if he had lost all the strength in his body, and his back was soaked with sweat.

Bai Su had an intuition that what Yuan Du said was true, because that was his brother’s character. Bai Yu, Bai Wangshu, had admired Prime Minister Liu very much, so how could he trample on him after his death? 

Liu Zhenqing on the roof also understood, and sighed soundlessly. How could a person as smart as Bai Yu not know that something was fishy back then? He should have taken advantage of the situation to protect himself, but he just had to be stubborn. Bai Yu had followed him for many years, and he had also taught Bai Yu for many years how to behave tactfully. When you should be a villain, don’t be a gentleman, and when you should be cunning, don’t be upright. He had obviously learned well, but acted foolishly at the critical moment and lost his life. Liu Zhenqing was dead, so what was the point of peristing like this? It seemed that Bai Yu still hadn’t learned enough.

He hoped the other one wouldn’t be as foolish as Bai Yu, and would live well instead of dying somewhere.

Bai Su’s eyes gradually became moist. “Someone wanted Liu Zhenqing to be a treacherous official forever, so my brother, who had the truth and evidence and was determined to exonerate him, was a thorn in their side. Who was it? Who killed my Gege?”

“We don’t know. In the past eight years, there have been so many ministers in the Imperial court. Countless people have been convicted, resigned, or died of illness. Everyone I once suspected is gone, so I can’t verify it,” Yuan Du said. 

Bai Su’s thoughts received a jolt, and he said urgently: “Why didn’t you come out and tell the truth! Yuan-daren is an innocent person, so you could absolutely…..”

“Because someone was tracking us,” Du Dongfeng said. “Not long after the news of First Young Master Bai’s death came, someone went to Tongmao Prefecture to secretly search for us, just because the evidence from that year mentioned us. But it didn’t say that we were still alive. The identities that First Young Master Bai gave us were too perfect, and he had never exposed us to the outside world, so after investigating to no avail, they left.”

Yuan Du nodded and said: “We didn’t know what was going on, but we also realized that there were people who didn’t want Prime Minister Liu to be vindicated. We were helpless and didn’t dare take risks, so we could only survive until now.”

Bai Su asked in confusion: “But…..but eight years have passed. Didn’t you say that many ministers have been replaced? Now that the emperor is in power, no one can threaten you anymore, right?”

Now, Yuan Du and his son were silent.

The courtyard was quiet for a long moment before Yuan Du opened his mouth and said: “First Young Master Bai told us one thing before he left.”

“What was it?”

“First Young Master Bai said that if he failed to exonerate him, Prime Minister Liu would remain a treacherous official. We could go back, but we could never tell the truth. We could only say that we cleverly escaped when we were being hunted and kept our names anonymous. We could not speak for Prime Minister Liu until his reputation was restored. But this was not easy. After all, in the eyes of the common people, Prime Minister Liu clearly covered the sky with his hands, but still condoned the corrupt officials who were greedy for tax money.” When Yuan Du said this, his thin, hunched body almost shook.

He said with hatred: “We are already indebted to Prime Minister Liu, so how could we do this? If I were made to lie, I would rather be Old Man Du Yuan forever and not have an official position!”

“Right, we don’t care!” Du Dongfeng also said firmly.

Bai Su was shaken. Right, ah, it was the same in Yanqiu Prefecture before. In the eyes of the common people, although they had a fewest deaths, Prime Minister Liu had allowed corrupt officials to embezzle disaster relief funds. This was an irrefutable fact, and would be forever engraved in the minds of the people.

And as for Yuan-daren and his family, they knew that they could not change the opinions of the world, so they could only choose to use the clumsiest method and stick to their inner conscience.

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Chapter Forty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-One