Chapter 119: The Bloody Incident at Wen Family Manor

Lin Qingli stood alone, lost in a daze. In just half a day, she had lost everything—her lover, her sisters, and her friends. Only now did she realize that despite the vastness of the world, there was nowhere left for her to go. Finally, she resolved to return to the Kongtong Sect. She did not know if they would take her in, but it was the only path left to try. She set her course and hurried toward the sect.

In the Princess Taiping’s mansion in Chang'an, the Princess gazed at Wang Zhong. The elderly eunuch had been stabbed by Nian Cixi; though not fatal, his advanced age and frail constitution had left him bedridden for nearly two years despite the care of famous physicians. Watching the Princess, Wang Zhong whispered, "I have served in the palace for many years and have seen enough partings and deaths to know better. Your Highness need not worry for me. It is only that I cannot bear the thought of not living to see that treacherous mother-daughter pair, the Wei woman and Anle, brought to justice. I die with deep regret."

Princess Taiping smiled and nodded. "Do not worry, Eunuch Wang. Jian’er and Aman have both dispatched their men to scour the land for Liu Bin. Once we find him and extract a confession regarding Anle’s poisoning of the Emperor, we shall have a just cause. While the Wei woman is ambitious, she lacks true strategy. Once Jian’er returns with those twenty thousand elite troops, seizing them will be as effortless as turning one’s hand."

Wang Zhong shook his head helplessly. "Liu Bin vanished mysteriously after that deed. I fear he may have been silenced by Anle, who even fabricated the story that he fled after stealing palace treasures. Alas, it is a difficult task."

Princess Taiping replied, "Reliable reports have reached me: Liu Bin is alive. He was not silenced. The man is cunning; fearing Anle’s reach, he left Chang’an that very night and disappeared. However, Aman’s men include many capable and extraordinary individuals who have tracked him to the Guazhou region. He has been living quite comfortably, buying an estate and settling down as a landlord to collect rent. Hmph, he even grew a fake beard and bought several concubines to avoid suspicion. Ordinarily, such a life would be unremarkable, but as a eunuch, he could not perform his marital duties. It so happened that one of his concubines was unfaithful and took up with a monk. When that monk was arrested for stealing from pilgrims, he was flogged and confessed to the affair, revealing that the concubine had told him her master was a 'man without shadows.' The magistrate presiding over the case is a protégé of Aman, and he secretly reported this to us immediately. Heh, 'Man proposes, God disposes.' Liu Bin was clever enough to calculate every contingency, but who could have foreseen that a sordid affair would cost him his life?"

Guazhou, Xiliu Town. The Wen Estate was located on the western edge of the town. Though called an estate, it was merely a residence with six courtyards. It was neither grand nor shabby, quite unassuming, and drew little attention from passersby. The surrounding farmers were all tenant laborers on Master Wen’s land. Master Wen kept to himself, and even the townsfolk—including his steward, Wen Lao Si—knew little of his background. Two years ago, when the previous owner, who had made a fortune in trade, decided to leave the countryside, Master Wen had purchased the property. By his own account, he had been a livestock trader from the Youzhou region whose family had perished in a plague, leaving him the sole survivor. Unable to bear the memories of his home, he had come to Guazhou. Master Wen never saw outsiders and did not socialize with the local gentry. Though he had bought several concubines, none had ever conceived in two years, which occasionally sparked gossip, but otherwise, he seemed perfectly normal.

One day, a cargo boat arrived at the ferry near the town. The sailors were short but lean and muscular. As it was a busy ancient ferry, no one paid the vessel any mind. When peddlers approached to sell food, the sailors drove them away viciously; the peddlers cursed and moved on, but the men on the boat did not pursue them. When night fell, the boat, which had been docked all day, began to sway gently, and dozens of agile figures leaped onto the shore, vanishing into the darkness.

Master Wen had been restless for days, contemplating whether it was time to move again. For a man like him, staying in one place too long was dangerous, yet moving too frequently was equally suspicious. Who moved house without reason? And the more places one went, the more likely one was to encounter the wrong people. While he was fretting, Wen Lao Si brought him tea. Wen Lao Si was a simple man, quiet and diligent. He set down the tea and whispered, "Master, it is late. Shall you retire?"

Master Wen nodded. "I will read for a while after my tea. You may go."

As Wen Lao Si opened the door, he let out a sharp cry of terror. Master Wen looked up to see a man in black standing in the doorway, with dozens more behind him in the courtyard, their scimitars glinting menacingly in the moonlight. The man in black spoke in broken Chinese: "Eunuch Liu, my master invites you to Chang'an to settle an old debt."

Wen Lao Si, thinking they were mere bandits, gathered his courage and said, "You have the wrong place! My master’s name is not Liu! If you lack food or coin, I shall send it to you tomorrow. Please, show mercy."

The man in black glanced coldly at Wen Lao Si and sneered, "Eunuch Liu, it would be best if today’s events remain unspoken!" With a motion as swift as lightning, he gripped Wen Lao Si’s throat. A crisp snap followed, and Wen Lao Si fell dead without a sound.

Master Wen was indeed the retired eunuch, Liu Bin. As Wen Lao Si’s body collapsed, muffled screams drifted from the side chambers. Liu Bin understood that his concubines had been dealt with. He remained unmoved; they were merely vases bought to maintain his facade, and he felt no affection for them at all.