The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 358- 360

Chapter 358: I’ll Tell You Everything

The corners of Ling Zhaowu’s mouth twitched. Yuwen Tong made him sound like some sort of dangerous criminal. He was Zhang’er’s father. Why would he do harm to his own son?

“It’s no good trying to psych me out. I’m not going to…” Ling Zhaowu was just about to reject Yuwen Tong’s request when he suddenly sensed something and twisted his head aside to look out of the window.

Yuwen Tong had risen to his feet. For an instant his face registered astonishment and bemusement, and then he hastened to walk out.

“Brother Zhang? Were–Weren’t you asleep? Why did you come out here?”

The one who had suddenly shown up outside the house was indeed Ling Zhang. He was standing at the edge of the pool of candlelight, silently watching Yuwen Tong stepping out of the house, a mixed expression in his eyes.

A while ago he had awoken to find Yuwen Tong gone. Then he had asked Yao Yi and some others, but they had hemmed and hawed. It hadn’t been until he gave them the third degree that they told him Yuwen Tong left the palace. He had mistakenly believed that Yuwen Tong had fallen for his story, but it had never crossed his mind that Yuwen Tong had actually been suspicious of him for quite some time, that he had just never shown any sign of his suspicions. Yuwen Tong had been anxious but unwilling to force him to tell the truth, and the only thing he had dared to do was sneak out of the palace to ask his father about it late at night.

The reason for all this was merely because Yuwen Tong had perceived the changes of his mood, and because Yuwen Tong regarded him as the light of his life and had been paying attention to his each and every move…

“I’m sorry.”

Yuwen Tong briefly paused and then instantly became somewhat flustered. The distressed look on Ling Zhang’s face made him feel as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around his heart.

“Stop pressuring my father. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

Ling Zhang took a deep breath. If he was able to continue keeping it secret, he would definitely do it, but now Yuwen Tong had started digging, and for one lie to sound plausible, he might have to tell countless more lies. Things between the two of them were not supposed to be like this. Although he feared very much that after he told Yuwen Tong the truth, Yuwen Tong might consider him as a freak, call off the wedding and care about him no more.

“But you must promise me this first – after you know the truth, if you find it unacceptable, you may do whatever you want to me, but don’t hurt anybody else. Let them leave the capital city unharmed.”

Yuwen Tong knitted his brows, but at the sight of the fear in Ling Zhang’s eyes, the frown on his face disappeared. “Stop being so pessimistic. Let’s say goodbye to your father and go back to the palace. You should’ve put on more clothes before coming here. The night wind is so cold.”

His hand held by Yuwen Tong’s, Ling Zhang lowered his head, fighting back the tears.

“Father, I’ve thought about it, and I think it’s time to tell him the truth.”

Watching the two of them holding each other’s hands, Ling Zhaowu let out a sigh and simply said, “Make sure you’re making a decision you won’t regret making.”

Then he shifted his gaze to Yuwen Tong, his eyes becoming piercing. “Please don’t hurt him. My life doesn’t worth much. I’m willing to give it up if that’s what it takes for my son to live.”

“His life means more to me than my own does,” Yuwen Tong replied with only one sentence and then said to Ling Zhang, “Let’s go back.”

It had been Ling Zhaowu that he came here for, and he had originally thought that Ling Zhaowu was the root cause of all this, but now, judging from Ling Zhang’s and Ling Zhaowu’s reactions, the root cause of all this was not Ling Zhaowu but Ling Zhang himself.

Yuwen Tong held Ling Zhang’s wrist tight, feeling as though something fierce was gnawing at his heart. He was feeling irritable because he had failed to find out earlier that Ling Zhang was keeping some even deeper secret. It turned out that what he believed he’d been holding the tightest could be lost to him at any moment.

Ling Zhang’s wrist was aching from Yuwen Tong’s grip, but he didn’t dare utter a word, for Yuwen Tong was very angry at this moment. The courage he had managed to summon up a moment ago ebbed somewhat. He was afraid that things would turn out the way he feared they would the most.

It was when Yuwen Tong had drawn him out of the Ling Mansion that he came to realize Ling Zhang had been unnaturally quiet. He came to a halt, twisted his head around and saw a somewhat pasty-faced man with eyes full of horror.

His stomach contracted abruptly and with that he let out a sigh and loosened his grip. And then, beneath Ling Zhang’s overcautious gaze, he pulled Ling Zhang into his embrace and asked softly, “What are you afraid of exactly? Do you not trust me?”

Eyes stinging from tears, Ling Zhang raised his hands to grasp the back of Yuwen Tong’s robes and answered in a choked voice, “I’m just scared. I don’t want you to dislike me or stop loving me. I want you to never be angry with me. I want you to smile at me. I want us to be together forever.”

The grasp on the back of his robes and the piteous pleading dissolved the smoldering irritation inside Yuwen Tong. He involuntarily pulled a wry face and said, “I don’t know what you’re thinking. I’m angry because I’m feeling both anxious and frightened. You’ve been keeping your secrets so well that I’m worried that some day you’ll leave me without me noticing. My life would be totally meaningless without you in it. How could you have the heart to say these words to me?”

The corners of Ling Zhang’s mouth slightly dropped and he blinked his eyes to keep himself from bursting into tears, which would be quite shameful. “I would by no means leave you,” he said.

“Then tell me everything,” said Yuwen Tong. “Judging from your and your father’s reactions a moment ago, right now I only want to know whether this matter is dangerous, and whether it would put your life at risk. Originally I thought your father affected you, but now I know you’re the root of all this, which makes me so worried. Tell me the truth, or I would never be able to set my mind at ease.”

“I will,” said Ling Zhang. “I said I’d tell you everything and I’ll keep my promise. Now stop hugging me so we can go back to the palace.”

Yuwen Tong said, “Going back on foot takes too long. Hold me tight.”

Carrying Ling Zhang with him, Yuwen Tong leaped onto a rooftop, and then with another couple of flying leaps, the two of them rapidly disappeared into the dark night.

When they had returned to the Infinite Fortune Palace, Yuwen Tong instructed the guards to tighten the security around the imperial bedchamber and not to let anybody approach.

Ling Zhang’s heart started racing again as he realized that the time had really come for him to tell the truth.

Still cuddling him, Yuwen Tong settled the two of them into a broad chair, shifted his position slightly to let Ling Zhang sit leaning against his chest, and then said, “You may begin. I’m all ears.”

Ling Zhang was trying very hard to slacken his heart which was fluttering in his chest. Inwardly telling himself that he had already made a decision and shouldn’t regret it, he collected his thoughts and then confided his deepest secret to Yuwen Tong without keeping anything back.

He related the painful events before his rebirth one by one, and also expressed the hatred and sense of unreality he’d felt after his rebirth.

Yuwen Tong tightened his arms around Ling Zhang’s waist. His countenance changed several times, and his eyes seemed to be becoming deeper and deeper. The incredulity etched on his face was eventually replaced by fear, and his heart was so heavy that for an instant it rendered him unable to breathe.

“… And then you showed up in Tanyang. You know all the subsequent events.” After finishing the whole story, Ling Zhang was in some kind of stupor for a few moments, as though he were a criminal waiting for his sentence to be pronounced. His heart was beating really fast, and his back was tense, but curiously enough, his mind was exceptionally clear. He was quietly waiting for the “verdict”.

“These things,” Yuwen Tong croaked. “Would you keep these things from me forever had I not pushed you?”

“I didn’t dare tell you,” replied Ling Zhang. “Do you believe any of these things?”

“I do,” boomed Yuwen Tong, “because I know you’re not lying.”

Ling Zhang opened his mouth, instantly losing his composure, his throat terribly sore. “Really?”

Yuwen Tong released him and with that Ling Zhang felt as though his heart abruptly leaped into his throat, hammering wildly, cold sweat breaking out over his back. He thought that Yuwen Tong was about to push him away, but the next instant, his vision blurred and when things came into focus again, he found himself in a different sitting position and face to face with Yuwen Tong who was supporting him with his firm, strong hand against his back. Staring at him with burning eyes, Yuwen Tong said, “I believe you.”

When he had been sitting with his back to Yuwen Tong, he hadn’t been able to see Yuwen Tong’s facial expression, but now the two of them were face to face, and he could see it distinctly. Ling Zhang believed that Yuwen Tong truly believed him, for there was no disgust on his face, only heartache and sadness. At the sight of this, Ling Zhang felt as if his heart had heavily thudded back into his chest. The sense of relief so overwhelming that tears blurred his eyes despite all his efforts to hold them back.

Yuwen Tong raised his hand to lightly wipe the tears from the corners of Ling Zhang’s eyes. “I’m very glad that you told me all this. I also regret very much not having found out about it earlier, and I regret even more not having met you earlier in my last incarnation, not having been able to protect you from misfortunes, not having… not having been able to rescue you. I regret it so much.”

With Yuwen Tong wiping his tears, Ling Zhang found that fighting back his tears had become an impossible task. Clearly these things were all water under the bridge, but he was in such deep grief and sobbing so badly that he was unable to utter a word.

Yuwen Tong was consumed with regret and hatred. He couldn’t bear to picture what it had been like for Ling Zhang, after witnessing his whole family’s deaths, to have his legs broken, be tossed into a mass grave filled with corpses and then have his head smashed by rocks. The pain of thinking about that felt as though someone was slicing his heart thinly and slowly. It was cruel but there was no way to vent his fury, because all the foes had died. Their deaths had been so quick, and no torture had been inflicted on them before they died. Yuwen Tong felt as though those people were now teasing him in the underworld, pangs of resentment searing him.

It was not until this day that he truly came to know what kind of hardships the one he cared about the most had been through. However, there was nobody he could take revenge on. He could only hate himself.

He always tended not to make assumptions and tried to avoid using the word “if” whenever he could, but at this moment he couldn’t help thinking inwardly that if he had found out about this earlier, he would definitely make those people suffer a hundred times the pain they’d inflicted on their victims and torture them to death before cutting their dead bodies to pieces; he would put his sweetheart under his constant protection and make sure he was never subjected to any misfortune, and nobody would be able to harm a hair of his head.

However, all these were nothing but suppositions. He felt lucky that in this incarnation his loved one was still in his embrace safe and sound, that he had chanced upon the butler of the Ling family on that mountain road because of the heavy rain on that day, that he had made the decision to go to Tanyang.

“You saved me and all my family.” Ling Zhang forced himself to calm down. “You helped me get my revenge, in both this incarnation and the last.”

The last incarnation? Yuwen Tong had a quizzical look on his face.

“My father told me this,” explained Ling Zhang. “He and I are as much in the dark as you are. If it was because of the Blood of the Phoenix Clan in me that the miracle happened, then what happened to my father would be totally unexplainable. In his last incarnation, after all my family were killed, my father came around and went back to Tanyang only to find that Zhang Chong and those people of the Jia family had died. They had died at your hands.”

Ling Zhang related to Yuwen Tong what Ling Zhaowu had informed him of, and then added, “It was on that very day that my father told me this, which was why your suspicions were aroused.”

For an instant Yuwen Tong was stupefied. He had killed those people as early as his last incarnation?

“So all my family are indebted to you, in both this incarnation and the last.”

It was quite a while before Yuwen Tong spoke again. “No, I was just returning a favor. I’m the one who should feel lucky, because I’d be alone for another lifetime had you not been reborn.”

Chapter 359: Yuwen Feng’s Intercession

“I’m sorry.”

Ling Zhang’s eyes began to sting from tears again at these words of Yuwen Tong’s.

Stroking the corners of Ling Zhang’s eyes, Yuwen Tong said, “For what? In my last incarnation, I didn’t even meet you. I killed Zhang Chong and those people of the Jia family because I wanted to return the favor, so my decision to stay single all my life had nothing to do with you. As for this incarnation, you have even less of a reason to apologize to me. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

His only regret was that he was unable to tell the Yuwen Tong in his last incarnation to go to Tanyang earlier, because if he had found Ling Zhang earlier, he would have been able to rescue him and change the tragic fate of the Ling family.

As Yuwen Tong fingered the corners of his eyes, Ling Zhang subconsciously twisted his head aside to rub his cheek against Yuwen Tong’s palm.

The look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes changed and he heavily swept Ling Zhang into his embrace, cuddling him close.

Ling Zhang conveniently shifted his position, pressing himself tightly against Yuwen Tong, his mind now at ease. “Thank you.”

Yuwen Tong gave him a pinch on the small of his back. “A moment ago you said ‘sorry’ to me, and now you are thanking me? You might as well just kill me.”

“I’m sorry,” Ling Zhang hurriedly said.

Yuwen Tong, “…”

His telling Ling Zhang to stop saying it seemed to be having the opposite effect.

“‘I’m sorry’, ‘Thanks’, ‘It’s my fault’ – I don’t want to hear any of these ever again. If you really feel you need to do something to make it up to me, give me a good kiss and don’t ever hide anything from me again, because I’ll be worried if you do that.”

“Okay.”

Yuwen Tong heaved a sigh of relief, held him tight and asked, “Now we know that you have the Blood of the Phoenix Clan in you. Did Ji Yanlai say anything else about it? Something like, whether or not your body was affected in some way or another after that thing happened.”

Ling Zhang shook his head. “I never told Ji Yanlai about this, but I think he has guessed it. On that day, he seemed to be implying that there’s no precedent for this kind of thing, and neither were there any records about it in the Millennium Pavilion, that the so-called ‘Rising Like a Phoenix From the Ashes’ was nothing but a legendary tale in those ancient books, and it was illusory and shouldn’t be taken seriously, that I was the only exception.

But after my father told me the same thing had happened to him as well, I began to feel that this whole thing’s incomprehensible. Maybe the Blood of the Phoenix Clan had nothing to do with it, but nobody knows the exact reason for it.

As regards its influence on my body, the only one I could think of is that the Blood of the Phoenix Clan in me was enhanced, which is why I make progress in cultivation of internal energy faster than others do. So far there haven’t been any other influences. I’m in excellent physical condition.”

Yuwen Tong mulled over it for a while and then said, “Well, in that case, let’s keep this between you, me and your father and never mention it to anybody else.”

Ling Zhang replied, “I understand.”

“I’m afraid those contradictory things about your father have raised a lot of people’s suspicions. They just haven’t started asking questions yet. Since they’re reserving judgment, we may just keep a poker face and pretend we don’t know anything about it.”

“Okay.”

The two of them conferred with each other and decided to keep this matter secret, and not to breathe a word of it to any outsiders.

“My father said that he would tell me the subsequent events in detail after we get these miscellaneous matters in this city handled,” said Ling Zhang.

“I see,” said Yuwen Tong. “I’d like to be an extra listener if your father’s okay with it.”

Now that those contradictory facts about Ling Zhaowu had been explained, Yuwen Tong became a little curious about what Ling Zhaowu had been through in his last incarnation exactly that had made his intuition so acute.

But before that…

“I owe your father an apology. I was a little blunt back there, and I hope he won’t take offence and refuse to marry you to me.”

A pink flush spread over Ling Zhang’s cheeks and all the way to his ears at these words. “What are you talking about? My father is not a child. He would never do something like that.”

Yuwen Tong hugged him tight and kissed him several times, as though he were some kind of lost treasure he had just recovered. Although Yuwen Tong had no memory of what had happened in his last incarnation, the carry-over of fear was still lingering inside him no matter how hard he tried to dismiss it.

Of course, it also struck fear into his heart to recall that he had almost offended his future father-in-law. With only a few days before the wedding ceremony, if Ling Zhaowu wanted to make things difficult for him, it would really give him headaches and he’d have to spare some time to figure out a way to make amends to Ling Zhaowu.

…

Having told Yuwen Tong the truth, Ling Zhang finally rid himself of the burden of the secret. He had been through some abrupt mood swings during the process, and now, with the stress gone, he looked rather tired and sleepy. Before long, he drifted off. Yuwen Tong was holding him in his arms, stroking his back automatically, unable to sleep, feeling as though there was something burning in his heart.

…

The next day, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong left the palace to see Ling Zhaowu.

Yuwen Tong made an apology on his own initiative at the beginning of the conversation. “It was rude of me to talk to you like that last night. Please forgive me, Father-in-law.”

Seeing the look on Yuwen Tong’s face was calm and Ling Zhang looked in a good mood, Ling Zhaowu came to know that Yuwen Tong had accepted the truth, and inwardly gave a gasp of relief. Having seen what Yuwen Tong had been like in his last incarnation, he knew that there were quite some heterodox ideas in the very marrow of this man’s bones, for otherwise Yuwen Tong wouldn’t have stayed in the north-west like a warlord and never married for his whole life. Also, none of the orthodoxies or prejudices common people had could be seen on Yuwen Tong, so it didn’t really come as a surprise to him that Yuwen Tong had accepted the truth.

“You were looking out for Zhang’er’s best interests, so I have no reason to blame you. Now that Zhang’er has told you everything, you won’t have to suspect that he’s keeping anything else back from you. You two will soon be married, and it’s best if you two nurse no grievance against each other.”

Yuwen Tong said, “You’re right. I’ll keep your words in mind, Father-in-law.”

Ling Zhaowu lifted his eyebrows, finding Yuwen Tong’s obedience quite surprising, given how aggressive he had been the night before.

…

This matter settled, Yao Yi and the other bodyguards could finally relax. During the past few days, they had been caught in the middle between their two masters’ trust issues and had quite a hard time. Though unaware of how Ling Zhang had explained it to Yuwen Tong, they were glad that it had been resolved.

Miao Shiba no longer had a guilty conscience when following Ling Zhang. The very thought of the task that he’d been performing over the past few days by acting like a spy made his head pound.

On this day, the Court Prison sent someone to the palace, who reported that Yuwen Zhi was ill. Surprised, Ling Zhang asked about what kind of illness it was.

“It seems like a cold, and it’s said to be heavy. A court physician has gone there to check on him. Childe Feng made a request for permission to bring Second Master back home to receive treatment, but the Marshal turned it down. Right now Childe Feng is kneeling outside the hall and refuses to leave. Many courtiers are trying to persuade the Marshal,” said Miao Shiba.

Ling Zhang gave it some thought and felt that it was best if he stayed out of this matter.

But unexpectedly, Yuwen Feng came to intercede with him, kneeling outside the Infinite Fortune Palace.

Ling Zhang furrowed his brows. Yuwen Tong happened to be not in the Infinite Fortune Palace at the moment. With nobody able to handle it, Ling Zhang had no choice but to intervene.

“Please rise.” Ling Zhang asked Yuwen Feng to get to his feet. “It’s not my decision to make.”

Yuwen Feng was unwilling to stand up, his thin figure stamped with fatigue. “I know this is too much to ask, but my father caught a heavy cold, and living conditions in the Court Prison are terrible. He’ll die in the cell if I don’t get him out of there. Please do me a favor, Childe Ling. If you intercede with my cousin, he’ll definitely agree. Please.”

Ling Zhang gazed at him for quite a while. He knew that Yuwen Feng wouldn’t stand up if he declined.

“Apart from anything else, my father is my cousin’s uncle. Considering my cousin hasn’t acceded to the throne yet, it would compromise his reputation if people believe that he’s so callous as to watch his own uncle die. I know my father did something wrong, and I don’t dare have the fond hope that my cousin would forgive him entirely. All I ask is that you intercede with my cousin for my father, so that I could bring my father back home to nurse that cold. After he recovers, I’ll personally send him back to the Court Prison.”

That was easy for him to say. Who could guarantee that nothing would go awry? However, Ling Zhang had a hunch that this time around he had to help Yuwen Feng, because Yuwen Feng was Yuwen Tong’s cousin, and the reason why Yuwen Tong had put Yuwen Feng in charge of the Ministry of Rites was that he had bigger plans for Yuwen Feng. If Yuwen Zhi really died in the Court Prison, Yuwen Feng would no longer serve Yuwen Tong wholeheartedly.

Furthermore, Yuwen Tong was a military leader, and civil officials tended to have bias against military officers. If Yuwen Tong was accused of heartlessly murdering his own uncle, it would disadvantage him.

It didn’t matter much whether Yuwen Zhi would survive or not, but this matter must not add to Yuwen Tong’s trouble. Even if Yuwen Zhi was brought out of the prison, there would still be many ways to have him killed, and Ling Zhang believed killing him without arousing anybody’s suspicions wouldn’t be a problem at all.

“Get to your feet. I’ll go and talk to him, but I can’t guarantee he’ll listen to me. Stop kneeling here. By doing this, you’re actually inconveniencing me rather than begging me. If you really want my help, stop causing me trouble right now.”

Yuwen Feng’s body was stiff for an instant and then he slowly rose to his feet. “Thank you.”

“Hold sentiment until it is deserved,” said Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang went to see Yuwen Tong, who glanced at him and asked, “Yuwen Feng left?”

“No. He’s still waiting outside,” answered Ling Zhang. “You know why I’m here.”

“I’ll let Yuwen Zhi go. Tell Yuwen Feng to go to the Court Prison to pick him up,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang looked at him in great surprise. “You’ll let him go? Then why didn’t you just grant Yuwen Feng his request? It would’ve spared us a lot of trouble.”

Yuwen Tong replied, “It’s inappropriate for me to grant his request immediately. Besides, isn’t it a good thing that you’ve got an opportunity to have him owe you a favor?”

Ling Zhang looked at him, a fairly suspicious expression on his face. “Do you… have some ulterior motive for doing this so willingly, by any chance?”

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. “Don’t concern yourself with that. Just go to see Yuwen Feng and do him the favor.”

Though Ling Zhang was unable to fathom out what Yuwen Tong was up to, cooperating with him was within his power. “Okay,” he said.

Ling Zhang intentionally lingered in the hall for a few moments before going out. At the sight of him coming out of the hall, Yuwen Feng’s eyes gleamed with expectation.

Ling Zhang said, “This is the token you need. Bring it to the Court Prison.”

Yuwen Feng was overjoyed. “Thank you! Thank you, Childe Ling!”

“I don’t need your gratitude. I’m doing this because I don’t want Yuwen Tong to be accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Also, you should know very well that your father more than once tried to have us killed. It’s not that we’re impersonal. He was the one who showed disregard for kinship first. At that time the situation was so dangerous, and everybody else was trying to help those close to them, but your father tried to kill his own nephew. I really dislike him very much.”

Yuwen Feng wished the ground could’ve swallowed him up. “I know. This is all my father’s fault. I promise I’ll send him back to the Court Prison immediately after curing him of his illness. I won’t put my cousin in a difficult position.”

Ling Zhang didn’t want this conversation with Yuwen Feng to last any longer, and the latter perceived it, took the token and then took his leave.

An hour later came news that Yuwen Feng had brought Yuwen Zhi out of the Court Prison and back to his abode. Yuwen Zhi had indeed caught a bad cold, what with the poor living conditions in the Court Prison. After returning home, he directly lay down on his bed, feeling lucky that Yuwen Feng had interceded for him and got him out of the prison. Otherwise he would’ve died in his cell.

Chapter 360: I’m Here to Rescue You

Ling Zhang didn’t think Yuwen Tong would forgive Yuwen Zhi after all those things Yuwen Zhi had done that could be seen as a betrayal of the Yuwen family, but he was indeed unable to fathom out what Yuwen Tong was planning to do. Given that Yuwen Tong was unwilling to tell him, either this plan was full of uncertainties or it would burden him with worries if he came to know about it.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he chose to wait and see how it played out.

Meanwhile, after Yuwen Zhi was brought back home and had his cold treated, he had been on the mend. Yuwen Feng had gone to the palace to express his gratitude to his cousin for his kindness. Nobody knew what Yuwen Tong had said to him, but Yuwen Feng had been seen to be in high spirits when he left the palace.

…

On that very night. In the Court Prison.

The Court Prison was a grim place which received virtually no sunlight during daytime, and by night, it was even more fearsome than it was usually described to be in horror stories. Only felons convicted of the most serious crimes would be sent to this place, and it was almost impossible for any one of them to be acquitted. From the warden to prison guards, everybody working here was as malicious-looking as the gatekeeper to the underworld. If any of the prisoners misbehaved, inhumane punishment would be meted out to them.

It had been some days since Fang Quan had been thrown into the Court Prison. At first he had been disgruntled and resisted, but now he seemed to have become a different person. Every time he saw a prison guard coming, he hastened to cower into a corner and remain still. After he’d heard that the Eighth Prince had abdicated in favor of Yuwen Tong, his face had become so pallid and blank that he looked like a ghost. It was as though the prison had sucked the last bit of vitality of his out of his body.

When a voice called his name, he was lying amid some straw, curling up, pretending not to have heard it.

“Your Lordship.” That voice was still calling him.

Prison guards here always called him by his full name, showing him no respect whatsoever. This was the first time that Fang Quan had heard someone address him as ‘Your Lordship’ since he’d been put into this prison.

“Your Lordship, do you really want to stay in that corner forever? You’ve given up and decided to wait for death?” That voice was low and hoarse, as unpleasant to the ear as the sound of sawing wood.

Fang Quan slowly sat up and gingerly pivoted around to look at the man who’d just called him outside the cell railings. Wearing a prison guard’s uniform, the man was quietly standing there with his back to the lighted torch in the distance, his features indistinguishable owing to the poor lighting. Fang Quan had no idea how long the man had been there.

Seeing Fang Quan finally was willing to face him, the man said, “Your Lordship, I’m here to rescue you.”

Unable to believe what he’d just heard, Fang Quan opened his mouth and asked, “Who are you?” in a voice that was just as dry, husky and unpleasant as that of the man.

“I’m from Jiangzhou,” replied the man.

Jiangzhou? On hearing that this man was from Jiangzhou, Fang Quan, who had originally been wary of this unexpected visitor, immediately lowered his guard considerably. “You’re really from Jiangzhou? Who sent you here?” he inquired.

“Our commander, of course. He wants you to pull yourself together and go back to Jiangzhou with us to plan for a comeback,” responded the man.

A comeback? Right now there was no room in Fang Quan’s head to worry about how to make a political comeback, for how to survive was the only thing he could think about, but he also feared that this might be a trap, so he refused to believe the man until the latter produced a token. It was a private token of the commander of Jiangzhou garrison. Previously, when Fang Quan had been corresponding with the Jiangzhou garrison, this token had served as an authenticating object, so Fang Quan recognized it at a glance.

“You really can get me out of here?!” Crawling and trotting, Fang Quan hurried up to the man and pressed himself against the cell railings.

The man promptly threw his hand to his lips with his forefinger held up, signaling Fang Quan to keep quiet. Then he looked around stealthily. Having confirmed that nobody was alarmed, he said, “Chill out, Your Lordship. We’d be in serious trouble if any prison guards hear us.”

It was not until Fang Quan pressed his face against the railings that he recognized this prison guard, who looked somewhat familiar. There had been several occasions when Fang Quan had seen him beating and cursing ill-behaved prisoners. His face was heavy and fierce-looking.

“It–It’s you?” said Fang Quan, hesitantly releasing his grip on the railings, showing the inclination to back away.

The man’s heavy face wrinkled in a grin, looking rather ugly. “How else could I have infiltrated into the Court Prison if not by taking a prison guard’s identity? There’s no need for you to be scared, Your Lordship. The original owner of this appearance is dead. I’m just impersonating him. This face is indeed a little scary, but I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with it.”

Fang Quan held the railings once again. “How do I know I can trust you?”

The man gave another grin, fingered his neck and with that the patch of skin curled up.

After Fang Quan saw it clearly, the man flattened the curled edge of the skin and observed, “It was short notice and I disguised myself in haste, which is why this mask made of human skin doesn’t fit very well, but it’s more than enough to hoodwink those prison guards. Once I bust you out of here, you’ll never have to see this face again, Your Lordship.”

Hu–Human skin? Fang Quan felt a cold shiver of fear run through him, looking at the man with a fairly frightened expression in his eyes.

“Whe–When do you plan to break me out of this place?” asked Fang Quan.

“There’s no hurry. I’ve just familiarized myself with the shift schedule in this prison, so you’ll have to wait another two days,” replied the man.

Two days? Fang Quan had thought that the man could help him escape right away. It’d never crossed his mind that he’d have to wait another two days. He looked in the direction of the end of the corridor which was pitch-dark and lifeless as though something menacing was lurking there staring at him. The sight of this made his blood freeze. To stay in a place like this for another two days was virtually a torture.

“You’ll get me out of here in two days?” Fang Quan asked again to confirm it.

“Absolutely,” replied the man. “Don’t worry, Your Lordship. I said I’d bust you out of here and I will keep my promise. Before we take action, you may do some thinking and see if any of those lords sent here with you is trustworthy. As long as they could be useful for us making a comeback, I’ll rescue them as well.”

Fang Quan was stupefied briefly. He had been locked in this separate cell all along ever since he’d been taken to this prison. At first he had been able to find out the others’ approximate positions by listening to their responses to his yells, but afterward he could only guess where they were locked by the anguished cries of them, and during the past couple of days, even the pained cries had stopped. Fang Quan had even begun to suspect that they had died, feeling as though he were the only prisoner left in this prison. He’d been in horror all the time, fearing that he was the next one to be executed.

“I don’t know whether they’re still alive or not. This place is too quiet. It’s as quiet as death.” Fang Quan flicked a glance at the dark spot and then quickly withdrew his eyes.

The man cast a look at that spot and smiled, “There’s no need to be afraid. That’s just an unoccupied cell. Nobody’s there. Except for Yuwen Zhi, all those sent here with you are still locked in this prison.”

“Yuwen Zhi died?” asked Fang Quan, astonished.

The man answered, “He’s Yuwen Tong’s uncle. How is it possible for him to die in a place like this? He’s been brought back home by his son, the assistant minister.”

Fang Quan’s countenance changed and with that he gave the iron railings a light hit and hissed through gritted teeth, “I thought Yuwen Tong was a righteous man, but it turns out he’s nothing but a base character partial to his kin. Providence must have been totally blind to let the throne fall into the hands of a man like him!”

“Which is why you have to cooperate with our commander to save the situation,” observed the man.

As though this message had served as some kind of stimulus to his mind, Fang Quan’s panic and numbness abated somewhat. “How many of us could you get out?”

“To ensure our successful escape, it’s best if you keep it under three,” replied the man.

That meant Fang Quan could only select two people from those that had rebelled with him, but he didn’t feel any sympathy for those he would have to abandon. Instead, he quickly started pondering who might be the most useful to him.

The man didn’t hurry Fang Quan, waiting patiently. It was after Fang Quan gave him two names that he said, “I’ll figure out a way to make contact with the two lords. All you have to do is wait. I’ll be in touch. Be careful not to raise anybody’s suspicions in the next two days lest our plan be ruined.”

Fang Quan nodded. “I understand. You–You’re doing this all by yourself?”

The man smiled, “Of course not. There are many of us. After all, apart from you, we also have to rescue the Eighth Prince and the Concubine Jin.”

It was only then that Fang Quan recalled that he had a daughter and a grandson, and for an instant his face was unnatural. Then he said, “The Eighth Prince and the Concubine Jin are probably imprisoned somewhere in the palace at this moment. How do you plan to rescue them? If by any chance Yuwen Tong finds out…”

“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Your Lordship. All you have to do is wait here for my message. The Eighth Prince is of direct descent from the deceased emperor. We won’t be able to make a comeback without him. Even if Yuwen Tong finds out, we’ll still have to rescue him. Speaking of which, it’d be best if you gave us a token to help us get the Concubine Jin to trust us, which would spare us from the trouble of explaining to her and save us some time,” said the man.

Fang Quan gave it some thought and then fished a white oval jade pendant out of his innermost pocket. “I’ve been carrying this with me for years. Both my daughter and my grandson could recognize it.”

The man took it. “Thank you for your cooperation, Your Lordship.”

Seeing the man pocketed the token and was about to leave, Fang Quan hastened to ask, “How are you going to break us out of here? This prison is heavily guarded. Apart from prison guards, there are also palace guards, the City Patrol and the guards at the city gates. How many of you are there? Will you be able to handle these guards?”

The man responded, “Rest assured, we’ve got it all planned out. There’s no need to concern yourself with that. Just set your mind at ease and wait. Again – be careful not to arouse anybody’s suspicions. Okay, I’ve been here long enough and I need to get going. I’ll be in touch.”

Fang Quan still had a lot of questions, but there was no time, so he just watched the man leave.

It was after the prison guard left that Fang Quan slowly calmed down. He was positive that the token was authentic, that the man was indeed from Jiangzhou. He had thought that since Yuwen Tong was about to ascend the throne, Jiangzhou garrison should be busy with saving their own skin. It had never crossed his mind that they would send some men to the capital city to rescue him.

Jiangzhou… People there were probably afraid that Yuwen Tong would seek to settle scores with them after his enthronement. By saving a prince of the Zhou family, they would be pitting themselves against Yuwen Tong. Did they have enough strength to fight against Yuwen Tong?

But what did it matter if the Jiangzhou garrison were no match for Yuwen Tong? For him, the first priority right now was to escape from this prison, because he would surely end up dead if he didn’t try it.

A sinister look appeared on Fang Quan’s pasty, vacant face and he stared out of the cell for a few moments. Eventually the sinister look disappeared and his countenance became blank again. He curled up in a corner, pretending nothing had happened just now.