Chapter 19: The Xu Residence
When Wen Ning’an and Feng Qi returned to the villa, night had already fallen. The surroundings were pitch black, but Fu Che had people hang many red lanterns on the branches along the path, illuminating their way back.
Wen Ning’an looked at the round lanterns and their warm light, feeling an inexplicable sense of happiness.
“What’s wrong?”
Wen Ning’an smiled and shook his head.
Seeing that Wen Ning’an seemed to be in a good mood, Feng Qi also felt happy without realizing it.
Xingxing excitedly jumped out and rubbed against Wen Ning’an’s leg. Wen Ning’an felt a tickle on his calf, smiled, and pulled his leg back, then picked Xingxing up.
“Your Majesty, General Wen.” Fu Che also greeted them at the hall entrance with a smile. “The hot spring is ready.”
As if remembering something, Wen Ning’an asked Fu Che, “How is Ah Bai?”
Feng Qi’s subtle reminder this morning had made Wen Ning’an a little worried.
“That child…” Fu Che lowered his head, seeming to find it difficult to speak.
Wen Ning’an’s heart tightened, and his hands clenched into fists without him realizing it.
“Is he still alive?”
Fu Che immediately said, “Still alive, still alive! Just suffered some injuries…”
Wen Ning’an let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his heart.
It turned out that those eunuchs and maids had been punished by Fu Che with five strokes of the cane and then had to clean the pond for three consecutive days. The pond in the villa was as large as a small lake, and a group of people had been busy for three days without actually finishing the work. Therefore, they resented Ah Bai even more and held a grudge.
Just yesterday, they had locked Ah Bai in the woodshed without food or water and abused him. If Fu Che hadn’t arrived in time, Ah Bai would have been long dead.
“These people… are simply too much!” Wen Ning’an gritted his teeth. “Where is Ah Bai now?”
Fu Che led Wen Ning’an to one of the young eunuch’s rooms. That young eunuch seemed to be the one taking care of Ah Bai. Ah Bai was lying weakly on the bed, not a single part of his body unscathed. Bruises, whip marks, and burn marks were densely intertwined, and he also showed signs of dehydration.
Wen Ning’an held Ah Bai’s small body in his arms. Ah Bai was already thin and small, and now holding him felt even more bony. Wen Ning’an felt a deep sense of guilt. It was all his own foolishness; otherwise, Ah Bai wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Ah Bai had tried hard to hold back his tears when he was being bullied by those people, not wanting to show them any weakness. But now, being gently held by Wen Ning’an, he couldn’t help but wail.
Seeing Wen Ning’an holding Ah Bai, Xingxing also jumped onto the wooden bed and licked Ah Bai’s arm. Ah Bai was stunned, seeming a little surprised and confused by the wolf cub.
“It’s alright, it’s alright… From now on, you’ll stay by my side. I definitely won’t let you be bullied by those villains again,” Wen Ning’an coaxed in a low voice, gently patting Ah Bai’s heaving back.
“Thank you, big brother…”
The young eunuch reminded him in a low voice, “It’s General Wen.”
“It’s alright.” Wen Ning’an stroked the top of Ah Bai’s head. “You rest well. After you’ve recovered, come to my place. You can be a page boy, or follow Fu Che and do some chores like serving tea. None of it is hard work.”
“Mmm, big brother is so nice…” His voice was thick with tears, but his words were soft. Wen Ning’an felt his heart was about to melt and couldn’t help but ruffle Ah Bai’s head again.
“This is Xingxing, my wolf cub.” Wen Ning’an placed Xingxing on Ah Bai’s lap and smiled. “Let Xingxing accompany you tonight. I’m going back now. Rest well.”
Ah Bai watched Wen Ning’an’s retreating back, his eyes full of reluctance.
And Feng Qi stood at the side, watching the interaction between the big and the small, and smiled, shaking his head.
The next day, Feng Qi and Wen Ning’an woke up early. After washing up and changing, they headed to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.
After Wen Ning’an showed his token to the head jailer, the jailer didn’t need to guess who the noble-looking man beside him was. Seeing the legendary tyrant for the first time in his life, his face turned pale with fright. He immediately dropped to his knees with a “thud,” his head touching the ground as he respectfully invited the two of them in.
Wen Ning’an lowered his voice. “Huaitian’s authority reaches the heavens. Everyone respects and fears you.”
“Not respect and fear, but pure fear, right?” Feng Qi leaned closer to Wen Ning’an. “You’re afraid of me too, aren’t you?”
Wen Ning’an shrank back, saying nothing.
“The world may fear me, but you don’t have to. I swear I will never harm you. It doesn’t matter how you treat me, because you are the most special. I am not your Son of Heaven, I am your…”
Feng Qi didn’t finish the sentence, but it still made Wen Ning’an’s cheeks burn.
Wen Ning’an said in a low voice, “No matter when, no matter what, no matter what happens, you won’t be angry with me…”
“Yes. I will always love you, protect you, and respect you.”
Looking at Feng Qi’s serious eyes, Wen Ning’an felt his heart beating as if it were out of control, and a smile couldn’t help but slowly creep onto his lips.
He had completely lost his defenses.
“You promised. You can’t go back on your word in the future.”
The two walked around a few times and finally found a wooden plaque with “Wang Zhengyi” carved on it in front of one of the cells.
Inside the cell, a man was leaning in a corner. It was too dark to see his face clearly, only a rough outline could be seen from the sunlight filtering in through a small window not far away. He was tall, with strong features, and looked like an honest man.
Wen Ning’an took out the key that the head jailer had presented and opened the cell door.
Hearing the noise, Wang Zhengyi looked up slightly. Wen Ning’an saw that his hair was messy, his face was covered in filth and stubble, and his eyes were dark and sunken. He looked as wretched as could be.
Wen Ning’an got straight to the point. “Spar with me. If you win, I’ll let you out.”
“You think I’ll believe you? The state has its laws. Even if you are from the Xu family, you can’t be so arrogant as to release someone just because you say so. If you’re looking for fun, go elsewhere. Why trouble a death row prisoner like me?”
Wen Ning’an raised an eyebrow and, without explaining, lunged at Wang Zhengyi.
Wang Zhengyi was startled and subconsciously leaped to the side to dodge Wen Ning’an’s fist. The iron chains on his body clanged with his movement.
However, after that, Wang Zhengyi didn’t move again, seeming to completely refuse to spar with Wen Ning’an. He closed his eyes and sat there like an unmoving mountain. Wen Ning’an punched him in the left chest. Wang Zhengyi let out a muffled grunt but remained as still as a rock.
Wen Ning’an frowned.
“Oh my… Your Majesty!”
A sound of footsteps and a man’s exclamation came from outside the cell.
The Minister of Justice, Xu Bingyuan, who was also Xu Binghua’s younger brother, rushed over with a group of people.
“Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.”
After Feng Qi gestured for Xu Bingyuan to rise, Xu Bingyuan said nervously, “This humble subject heard from my subordinates that Your Majesty and General Wen have graced us with your presence. Is there a problem? To trouble Your Majesty to come in person, it truly makes this humble subject uneasy.”
“It’s nothing. I and Yixin were bored at the villa, so we went for a stroll in Tonghua Village. Yixin heard about Wang Zhengyi and An Su and was just curious.”
Xu Bingyuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, “Since Your Majesty and General Wen are free, if you don’t mind, please come and sit at my place. The Longevity Festival is also approaching. This humble subject has had someone send for some fine white jade from Dongwu. Would Your Majesty be willing to take a look? If you are satisfied, this humble subject will immediately have someone take it to be finely carved!”
Feng Qi shrugged.
Xu Bingyuan immediately beamed with joy and had his servants prepare a palanquin with fruits and soft cushions inside.
After Wen Ning’an stepped out of the cell, Feng Qi lowered his voice and asked, “Any discoveries?”
Wen Ning’an shook his head.
“You saw it too. That Wang Zhengyi deliberately hid his strength. I can’t determine how skilled he is in martial arts, or whether he could kill seven adult men.”
“It’s alright. Wang Zhengyi’s deliberate concealment, plus Xu Bingyuan’s eagerness to get us away—isn’t that just a guilty conscience? A guilty conscience means there’s a problem,” Feng Qi licked his lower lip with a wicked smile, looking at the figure in the cell with interest.
It was now close to noon, and Feng Qi was very satisfied with Xu Bingyuan’s arrangement of a palanquin. He turned to look at Wen Ning’an again. His injuries were almost healed. Firstly, Wen Ning’an had a good constitution, and secondly, he himself was also being a little more careful.
Feng Qi could guess in his heart that this person was eagerly waiting for his wounds to heal so he could spar with him.
After arriving at the Xu Residence, Xu Bingyuan led the two of them to the main hall.
This was the Xu family’s main residence in the capital, as vast as a small village. The ones living here were all from the direct line, like the Xu family patriarch and his sons, Xu Binghua and Xu Bingyuan.
Xu Bingyuan hosted the two of them well, having his servants serve the best tea and pastries. Wen Ning’an ate the exquisite pastries, with someone fanning him from behind, and sighed. This must be the benefit of latching onto a golden thigh.
The Xu family patriarch, Xu Tongda, also came to the main hall to greet Feng Qi, smiling. “Your Majesty’s presence truly brings splendor to this humble abode.”
As the Grand Tutor of Bei Miao, although Xu Tongda was already over fifty, he was still radiant and walked with a spring in his step. He was truly hale and hearty.
Feng Qi rested his cheek on the back of his hand, his elbow propped on the table beside him for support, and looked at Xu Tongda with a sidelong glance, smiling. “Brings splendor? Beloved Minister Xu is joking. I see this place is already magnificent and full of noble air. When I think of my own palace, I feel ashamed.”
Wen Ning’an looked around. The carved wooden decorations on the beams and pillars and these grand tutor chairs were all made of the finest wood, plated with a layer of dark gold. Ancient porcelain from Dongwu and local areas were placed in the four corners.
Hearing Feng Qi’s sarcasm, Xu Tongda remained composed and replied, “That is because Your Majesty governs the country well, the rivers are clear and the seas are calm, and the people are all prosperous and happy. The Xu family is also blessed by Your Majesty to be able to live a plentiful life.”
Feng Qi just smiled.
A servant brought up the jade. Xu Bingyuan carefully took it out from the soft cushion in the wooden box and presented it to Feng Qi with both hands as if it were a treasure. “Your Majesty, please have a look. This is the finest Hotan yellow jade. Not only is it rare and hard to come by, but most importantly, this piece of jade is unprecedentedly large! This is an auspicious sign, an auspicious sign!”
Feng Qi took the jade and looked at it. The thick, large piece of jade had sharp corners and was almost perfect, without any flaws or cracks. The color was uniform, the entire piece a saturated yellow. Holding it in his hand, it felt warm and smooth.
Wen Ning’an also leaned over to look and saw the dual reflections of himself and Feng Qi on the jade. He couldn’t help but reach out and tap the jade with his index finger. Hearing the clear sound, he couldn’t help but smile. “This is a flawless piece of fine jade.”
Feng Qi nodded slightly. It was indeed not bad.
Feng Qi thought to himself, The Xu family has really gone to great lengths. Xu Huayi was Xu Tongda’s own daughter. At this moment, they clearly resented him for what happened to her, yet they still had to smile and flatter him.
Heh, this is the joy of being an emperor.
Feng Qi rubbed his chin, feeling his mood lift.
Xu Bingyuan said proudly, “If Your Majesty is satisfied, then this humble subject will immediately have someone carve it, a nine-heavens divine dragon for Your Majesty!”
“No,” Feng Qi said. “Make me a pair. A phoenix and a fenghuang, anything is fine, as long as it’s a pair and has a good meaning.”
Xu Bingyuan couldn’t help but glance at Wen Ning’an, then quickly looked away and agreed.
A cold wind blew into the main hall. Feng Qi looked at the darkening sky and turned to Wen Ning’an. “It seems to be a fixed pattern for it to rain in the afternoon these two days. Let’s stay here for the night.”
Wen Ning’an nodded. Although he didn’t like the Xu family, the roads to the villa were slippery, and Feng Qi would definitely not be willing to go back. The Xu Residence was so large. Feng Qi asked Xu Bingyuan for a secluded courtyard, which was no different from an inn outside, but quieter and more convenient.
