Chu Ruoyan was startled, but then she saw Young Master Lang straighten up, his handsome face once again resuming its usual roguish demeanor. "Oh? Seems you know quite a lot?"
Yan Zheng snorted coldly. "The Pavilion Master's younger sister passed away from illness years ago—hardly as tragic as you made it sound. What, resorting to such pitiful tactics just to gain sympathy?"
Young Master Lang raised an eyebrow. "So the Marquis of Anning believes in 'setting fire to the official's house while forbidding the commoners to light a lamp'?"
"When have I ever resorted to pity-seeking? More importantly, Pavilion Master, don’t forget our prior agreement!" Yan Zheng glared at him, his stance clearly signaling a willingness to cut ties. Young Master Lang chuckled. "Fine, fine. I won’t tease her anymore. Let’s discuss serious matters. The weapons and city defense plans are settled. The remaining issue is the provisions."
As he spoke, he cast a meaningful glance at Chu Ruoyan.
Yan Zheng’s brows furrowed. "Take this outside!"
Chu Ruoyan knew all too well that provisions fell under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue—overseen by her uncle, Cao Yang.
If the Yan family’s provisions had been sabotaged, Cao Yang would hardly escape blame.
Yan Zheng had likely delayed this long out of consideration for her, not wanting to put her in a difficult position.
"Third Master, Pavilion Master, there’s no need to leave. Let’s speak here." Chu Ruoyan lifted her gaze, her expression calm. "My uncle is no corrupt official, nor would he act out of favoritism. If this truly involves the Ministry of Revenue, he might even become our ally."
Hearing the word "our," Yan Zheng couldn’t help but smirk. "True. Cao Yang is trustworthy. He’ll be an asset."
Young Master Lang watched their seamless exchange and let out a dry laugh. "So it seems I’ve been the petty one? Very well. The official in charge of transporting the provisions was named Wu Sui. After the Yan family’s defeat, he fled to Hulao Pass and later disappeared. My men recently tracked him down to Yuzhou, living under a false name. He’s been captured and brought back. Yan Zheng, do you wish to interrogate him yourself?"
Yan Zheng nodded, but Young Master Lang didn’t move.
Understanding his intent, Yan Zheng said in a low voice, "If I take control of the Ministry of Justice, you may assign one of your men as deputy."
Only then did Young Master Lang show a trace of a smile. "Good. Reciprocity—I do enjoy working with clever men."
Chu Ruoyan watched in silent astonishment.
This was another transaction: Young Master Lang using Yan Zheng to infiltrate the imperial court and plant his own people, while Yan Zheng leveraged his intelligence network and underworld connections to uncover the truth behind the Yan family’s downfall.
Both were brilliant strategists, and their alliance was formidable.
But if they ever turned against each other, they would become each other’s most dangerous enemies...
Soon, Wu Sui was dragged into the adjacent room. Yan Zheng glanced at Chu Ruoyan. "You’re still recovering. Stay here."
She nodded in acknowledgment. Moments later, Wu Sui’s agonized screams echoed through the walls.
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk!! It was Deputy Minister Yuan—he said the imperial treasury was empty and couldn’t sustain such massive military provisions, so he ordered us to mix animal feed into the grain! The idea was to stretch one person’s ration to feed three, but it backfired—the soldiers exhausted a month’s worth of supplies in less than ten days!"
Chu Ruoyan swayed, barely keeping her footing.
Mama Zhou rushed to steady her, only to find her face as pale as paper.
Deputy Minister Yuan?!
Wasn’t that the very man her uncle had mentioned—the one who stole his official seal and hunted down Little Man and his grandmother?
Her uncle had said Deputy Minister Yuan was the second prince’s man...
Did this mean Imperial Son-in-law Cao was behind it all?!
Next door, Meng Yang’s icy voice cut through the air. "Nonsense! Soldiers march and train daily—their energy expenditure is immense! Diluting their rations with chaff forced them to consume more just to sustain themselves. No wonder the provisions ran out prematurely!"
Wu Sui wept and kowtowed desperately. "I didn’t know—I truly didn’t know it would turn out like this! Spare me, Third Young General! Spare me—AHH!!"
His left hand was severed in an instant, blood spraying. As Yan Zheng’s dagger hovered over his right hand, Wu Sui screamed, "I’ll confess everything! Deputy Minister Yuan said someone higher up—someone powerful—specifically ordered this!"
The three men tensed. Meng Yang demanded, "Who?"
"I don’t know, I swear! Deputy Minister Yuan only said that if we followed orders, the Yan family would be forced into an early decisive battle. He claimed that while General Yan was unmatched in bravery, his weapons had been sabotaged, ensuring his defeat. And with the city defense plans compromised, the Young Master Yan couldn’t hold the city. Trapped with no retreat, the entire army would be annihilated—so we needn’t fear retaliation!"
"......"
The room fell deathly silent.
Chu Ruoyan clapped a hand over her mouth.
The implication was unmistakable: the provisions, the weapons, the city defense plans—all orchestrated by Imperial Son-in-law Cao.
He had been determined to wipe out the entire Yan family.
No further questions were needed. When Young Master Lang and Yan Zheng returned, they found Chu Ruoyan sitting on the edge of the bed, her face ghostly pale and drenched in cold sweat.
Yan Zheng immediately wheeled closer. "What’s wrong?"
She reflexively pulled her hand away. "N-nothing..."
"Ruoyan! Your hands are shaking!"
His voice was heavy, his eyes brimming with unconcealed concern.
Chu Ruoyan covered her face, finally choking out, "It’s Imperial Son-in-law Cao..."
"What?"
"Deputy Minister Yuan... is his man..."
The truth couldn’t be hidden. Too many lives had been lost, and justice would one day be served.
Yan Zheng’s face drained of color. "Say that again."
Through gritted teeth, she repeated, "My uncle once told me Deputy Minister Yuan serves Imperial Son-in-law Cao. When Little Man’s incident occurred, Cao ordered him to silence the witnesses. Even the debt collectors hounding the Yan family were acting on his orders..."
A silence more suffocating than death settled over them.
The air itself seemed to freeze.
Yan Zheng’s face turned ashen, his eyes hollow—as if he’d been thrust back into the day of the massacre. Meng Yang opened his mouth, but no words came.
Amid the stillness, only Young Master Lang wore a faint smile, his usually languid voice tinged with melancholy. "As Liaokong said: Yan Zheng, you were saved by Princess Ansheng, but the miscarriage it caused earned you Imperial Son-in-law Cao’s hatred. Now your entire family has paid the price. The title of 'Lone Star' is both deserved... and unjust."
Deserved, because it all stemmed from him.
Unjust, because none of it was his fault, nor within his control—yet here they were.
Seeing the darkness in his eyes and the rising fury, Chu Ruoyan grabbed his hand without hesitation. "Yan Zheng! Listen to me—the blame lies with the true culprit, not you!"
Slowly, the bloodlust in his vision faded, revealing her delicate, pale face.
At least she was always there when he needed her.
Yan Zheng’s gaze steadied. He reached up, gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "Don’t cry."
Only then did she realize she’d been weeping.
Before, she’d believed justice demanded sacrificing family ties.
But now, with Imperial Son-in-law Cao implicated, fear gripped her—for her uncle, for Old Madam Cao, for the unbearable weight of the truth...
She pressed her lips together and suddenly knelt before him.
"Ah Yan?"
Chu Ruoyan lifted her head, her voice resolute. "Yan Zheng, I won't beg you to spare the culprit, but I ask you to give me some time. Deputy Minister Yuan acted under Imperial Son-in-law Cao's orders—but that was only my uncle's word at the time. What if there were unforeseen circumstances? Or if someone else was truly behind Deputy Minister Yuan's actions? We can't place all the blame on him alone!"
Yan Zheng fell silent for a moment. "You want to investigate this yourself?"
Chu Ruoyan nodded.
Only by going herself would she have a chance to make things right. At the very least, she could buy the Cao family some time to prepare.
"Fine. Three days—that's your limit. If you can't uncover the truth by then, leave it be. This is men's business. You shouldn't bear the burden."
Chu Ruoyan's heart swelled with relief. "Thank you!"
