Chapter 132: It Was Actually Him (Part II)

Wang Youwei glanced at the handsome Turkic man who had questioned him, but he had no desire to answer. His mind was racing with a different thought: he needed to return to the Prince’s residence immediately to inform the Prince of Diligence that Yang Yaozong was in the capital. Ignoring A-Yi, he turned to leave, only to have his path blocked by Jie Zhilue.

Seeing the hulking Turkic man standing in his way, Wang Youwei looked back at A-Yi with a frown and demanded sharply, "What are you doing? This is the Great Zhou!"

A-Yi stared at him, her tone brook no argument. "Nothing much. I just want the answers to the two questions I asked you."

Wang Youwei felt a tremor of fear under the intense, piercing gaze of the handsome Turkic youth. However, thinking of the merit he could earn by reporting Yang Yaozong’s presence to the Prince, he steeled himself and asked, "What does it matter to you who he is?"

A-Yi ignored him, her cold, stern gaze fixed upon him. "I told you to answer, not to ask questions!"

Wang Youwei started to retort, "You—!" But before he could finish, Jie Zhilue, who had been standing behind him with his arms crossed, shoved him in the back with his elbow. Wang Youwei stumbled forward, nearly falling to his knees before A-Yi.

Clenching his teeth and telling himself that a wise man does not fight when he is at a disadvantage—promising to settle the score with these Turkic people later—he straightened up. Looking toward the direction where Yang Yaozong had vanished, he told the handsome Turkic man, "That man is Yang Yaozong."

Upon receiving confirmation, A-Yi narrowed her beautiful eyes, looking in the direction where Yang Yaozong had disappeared. She then turned back to Wang Youwei and asked, "Are you close with him? And who are you? What do you do?"

At the mention of Yang Yaozong, Wang Youwei gritted his teeth. "Close? Of course we're close! He is the son-in-law of General Nangong’s household and the Great Zhou’s Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent. I would recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes!" Unaware of how deeply he had offended Wang Youwei, Yang Yaozong had already moved on. Seeing the three people around him frowning, Wang Youwei timidly replied, "I... I am Wang Youwei. I am an official in the Ministry of Rites of the Great Zhou."

Se-Wu had been frowning at Wang Youwei throughout, deeply shocked to learn that the man known as Yang Guo was actually the Grand Tutor, Yang Yaozong.

A-Yi seemed to have discovered something amusing. Suddenly, she clutched the jade pendant at her chest and began to giggle, laughing until tears streamed down her cheeks.

Only then did Wang Youwei realize that the handsome Turkic youth was actually a Turkic woman.

After laughing for a long time, A-Yi wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Wang Youwei. "You hate Yang Yaozong so much; it seems you have suffered quite a bit at his hands. We are the honored guests of the Prince of Diligence. As long as you are obedient, I will let you live." Her smile turned increasingly coquettish, and her voice softened. "Otherwise, I will kill you immediately. The Prince of Diligence would not dare hold us accountable for anything. Then, I will dismember your corpse and feed the pieces to the wild dogs outside."

Looking at the seductive, enchanting A-Yi and hearing her delicate voice, Wang Youwei felt only profound terror. His body trembled uncontrollably, a cold sweat broke out across his forehead and back, and his legs gave way, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

A-Yi cast a look of disdain at Wang Youwei and gave an order to Jie Zhilue. Wang Youwei, unable to understand the Turkic language, only saw the hulking man approach, hoist him up, and drag him into the inn.

A-Yi giggled as she watched the direction where Yang Yaozong had disappeared. "Se-Wu!"

Se-Wu knew that when A-Yi wore such a smile, she was either extremely happy or profoundly furious, though she could not tell which it was now. Se-Wu simply watched, waiting for her to continue.

A-Yi laughed softly. "Our journey back won't be lonely or dull. We shall have many stories to listen to."

***

Yang Yaozong returned to Zhang Lie’s home and accompanied him to his room. A stove had already been lit, and Zhang Lie placed a pot of tea over the fire. "A-Yi’s feelings for you, my lord, seem to be more than just those of a friend."

Yang Yaozong stood by the stove, warming his hands, and chuckled. "She says she is curious about me, and I am curious about her. I cannot read her; I cannot guess what she is thinking. She is a mischievous spirit, but her identity must be extraordinary. Jie Zhilue clearly treats her as his superior, yet she insists on playing the role of his follower. The Prince of Diligence treats Jie Zhilue as an honored guest, which means his status is significant too. Do you think A-Yi could be a Western Turkic princess who ran away?"

Zhang Lie laughed aloud. "That A-Yi’s status is extraordinary is certain, but a Western Turkic princess? I think not. As far as I know, the Western Turkic Khan has only two children. His son is named Ashina Moduo, and while I have not heard the daughter’s name, it is known that the Emperor bestowed upon her the title of Princess Deyue. The current alliance between the Eastern and Western Turks seems to stem from the Western Khan, Yiluo, betrothing Princess Deyue to the Eastern Khan, Tuolie."

Yang Yaozong raised an eyebrow. *A-Yi, Moon, Princess Deyue?* But remembering Zhang Lie’s claim that Princess Deyue had already been betrothed to the Eastern Khan, he felt the possibility of her being the princess was slim. He shook his head and smiled. "Even if she isn't a princess, she must be the daughter of some high-ranking noble."

Zhang Lie frowned. "Should we arrest all the Turkic people who attended the banquet today to stop them from returning to the Turkic lands?"

Yang Yaozong pondered for a moment. "Setting aside the fact that the Prince of Diligence will likely send troops to escort them out of the border, if we forcibly detain A-Yi and Zhishi Sili, the Prince might immediately launch his troops southward. We would have no room to breathe. I have already sent an Eagle Eye agent to deliver news of the Prince’s impending southward advance to the secret scouts outside the city, so they can report back to the Emperor immediately. It will take at least a month for the Emperor to issue orders and arrange military deployments along the provinces. We must find a way to stall the Prince’s march to buy time for the Emperor to deploy his defenses."

Zhang Lie nodded.

The tea was ready. Zhang Lie poured a cup for Yang Yaozong and one for himself. "My lord, the brilliance you displayed today left me in awe. It stunned everyone at the banquet. You should have seen the expressions on Zhishi Sili and that fat Turk; they were truly colorful." He burst into laughter.

Yang Yaozong pursed his lips, smiling sheepishly. "Well... I got a bit carried away and perhaps performed a little too much."

Zhang Lie shook his head. "It was perfect. You have gained the Prince’s appreciation. If you can become a trusted advisor, we will have a better chance of stalling his southward march. But... the way the Prince looked at you—he seemed to recognize you. Has he truly met you before?"

Yang Yaozong shook his head. "No. He has likely only heard of me, which gives him a sense of familiarity. Even if he sends men to investigate, my background will hold up under scrutiny. I made arrangements before I left."

Zhang Lie nodded, smiling. "In that case, even better!"

Yang Yaozong took a sip of tea, frowned, and set the cup down. "This tea tastes the same as the tea I drank two days ago. Hmm..."

Zhang Lie said apologetically, "It has a foul, stagnant taste. I don’t know what is happening. During the rainy days, it was fine, but today, as it cleared up, the taste returned. The water I drank at the yamen today tasted the same. I put in plenty of tea leaves to boil it, but it didn't help."

Yang Yaozong raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh? Then why didn't the tea served at the Prince’s banquet have this taste?"

Zhang Lie smiled. "The water used at the Prince’s residence is mountain spring water brought into the city daily. We use water from the city wells. When I returned home just now, my servants mentioned that the water level in the courtyard well has been mysteriously churning and rising today. I suspect it is related to the change in the water’s taste."

Hearing this, and recalling the strange barking of dogs and crowing of chickens he had heard on his way back—which had left him wondering why the animals were not resting—Yang Yaozong’s eyelids twitched rapidly. A thought struck him, and he muttered, "Perhaps everything is about to become very simple."