Chapter 142

“Giggling...”

“Tease, tease... fly!”

“Giggling...”

“Supreme in the martial world, with the treasured Dragon-Slaying Saber, commanding all under heaven, none dare disobey. Without the Heaven-Reliant Sword’s emergence, who can contend?”

“Giggling...”

“Why hasn’t your mother come back yet? She’s been gone so long. She said it would only take half an hour for a round trip! You think she’s bragging, don’t you? Bragging!”

“Oh dear! You wet yourself again? Your father was just teasing your mother, and you’re upset? You little stinker!”

Yin Ruyun had been listening outside the door for some time. She had returned some time ago and felt warmth hearing Yang Yaozong’s playful coaxing of little Yang Fan. Hearing that Yang Fan had wet himself, she hurried inside, worried that Yang Yaozong, flustered, might not manage properly.

Yang Yaozong was bent over changing little Yang Fan’s diaper on the bed. Hearing the door, he looked back to see Yin Ruyun entering and approaching, likely to help. Hastily, he said, “No need, I’ve already taken care of it.”

He placed the used diaper into a basin, about to clean it, when Yin Ruyun quickly stepped forward, “I’ll wash it.”

Yang Yaozong smiled and blocked her way with his body. “It’s just one diaper.” When she still tried to snatch it, he raised the diaper, cocked his head, and smiled. Yin Ruyun furrowed her brows. “Look at you, sweating from exhaustion. Go play with Yang Fan. You know, a child’s urine wards off evil. Someone like me, who plots behind others’ backs, better keep away.”

Yin Ruyun shot him a playful glare, knowing his teasing was care masked by cold words. Though his surface was frosty, her heart was warmed.

***********

For Liao Qiniang and her group, since death seemed inevitable no matter what, trusting Yang Yaozong was not without reason.

Yang Yaozong had already learned from Liao Dingyuan that the new magistrate of Jining, Gu Youning, was the son of the head of the Xinglong Escort Agency, who had been killed by Liao Dingyuan years ago. Though Gu Youning had not launched a purge, he exploited them to amass wealth while suppressing their growth, even using grain supplies to control them.

Autumn marked the season for stockpiling grain in the mountain stronghold. Both official and private granaries were guarded heavily by Gu Youning’s troops. Since the second-in-command, Judge, was the liaison with Gu Youning, Liao Qiniang sent him to negotiate grain supplies. Gu Youning demanded they exchange the lost tribute silver from years ago for grain. That sum had vanished, and Gu Youning, having been young at the time and unaware of his father’s death’s full story, was convinced the silver remained with Liao Dingyuan.

Upon hearing this, Liao Qiniang realized Gu Youning was the son of the slain Escort Agency leader. Though she knew even if the silver was truly with her father, handing it over wouldn’t spare them from Gu Youning’s wrath. So while scheming to seize grain, she also ascended to the mountain peak to question her father about the tragic past.

Analysis showed the lost silver was not with Liao Dingyuan. For a man in his fifties, keeping the silver without passing it to his children or using it made no sense. Moreover, if he had it, he wouldn’t have fled prison with a few men to become bandits. But Gu Youning refused to believe any explanation and remained convinced the silver was with Liao Dingyuan.

Just as Liao Qiniang prepared to raid the granary, Qin Haizhou arrived to besiege the stronghold, trapping them inside.

Using Qin Haizhou’s siege as leverage, Gu Youning approached Judge, promising that if Liao Qiniang and her father were handed over, the other brothers might be spared and even pardoned. This sparked a rift within the stronghold between supporters of Liao Qiniang and those of Judge, leading to disputes and even fights.

Not wanting to see internal bloodshed, Liao Qiniang took her loyal brothers to the mountain peak, only to be besieged by Judge’s men there. This is what Yang Yaozong knew: with grain supplies cut off, Liao Qiniang and her father were distressed and quarreling.

Yang Yaozong had a plan. He sent Yin Ruyun to inform Qin Haizhou—first to assure him of Yang’s safety, calming Qin’s mind; second, to urge Qin to boldly negotiate with Judge, offering pardon to Liao Qiniang and seeing how Judge and his followers would respond.

If Qin’s pardon succeeded, the best outcome would be Liao Qiniang reuniting the stronghold under pardon. The worst: Judge rejects the pardon, revealing his collusion with Gu Youning, forcing Qin to bombard the bandits and clear Judge’s faction. Yang Yaozong would then find a way to protect Liao Qiniang and her people stranded on the mountain peak.

This was a result Liao Qiniang wished to avoid. As for Gu Youning, lacking concrete evidence, accusations from Liao Qiniang’s group alone could not justify action against him.

To gain their trust, Yang Yaozong revealed his true identity. Yet Liao Dingyuan and Liao Qiniang seemed indifferent to his status as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. They had never heard of him or, if they had, paid no attention since it was irrelevant to their lives. They also knew nothing of Yang Yaozong’s involvement in the coup at Pingtian. This was unsurprising to Yang Yaozong, as the bandits cared little for court affairs.

However, it clarified to them why the court had sent troops against them—the simple reason: Liao Qiniang had captured Yang Yaozong, the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor.

**********

Now, Yang Yaozong lay on the heated kang bed, little Yang Fan nestled in the center, and Yin Ruyun lying beside the edge, dressed lightly. Yin Ruyun’s presence on the bed was only because Yang Yaozong had insisted throughout their journey back from the capital, even resorting to playful stubbornness to have her share the bed.

Yang Yaozong turned to look at the peacefully sleeping little Yang Fan, then at Yin Ruyun on the edge, and smiled. “I just remembered a joke.”

Yin Ruyun, eyes closed, ignored him. Seeing this, Yang Yaozong felt bored and was about to lie down when he heard her softly ask, “What joke?”

Perking up, Yang Yaozong propped himself on his side with a grin and began, “Once upon a time, a scholar and a young lady fell in love. One day, caught in a heavy rain, they took shelter in an empty house and stayed the night. There was only one bed. Though they loved each other, they didn’t cross any lines. The lady, shy yet considerate, invited the scholar to share the bed but placed a pillow between them with a note: ‘Who crosses this line is a beast.’ The scholar, a true gentleman, refrained all night.”

Yin Ruyun opened her eyes, expecting the story to end there but not seeing the humor. She looked at Yang Yaozong, puzzled, “What’s so funny about that?”

Yang Yaozong, suppressing a smile, continued, “The next morning, the lady left without a word, leaving a note…”

Seeing Yin Ruyun’s curiosity, he cleared his throat. “The note said, ‘You are worse than a beast.’”

Yin Ruyun glanced at Yang Yaozong’s mischievous smile, snorted softly, turned away facing outward, and smiled broadly though she held back laughter, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Yang Yaozong looked at her back and then at little Yang Fan sleeping soundly between them. “You see, this little one is like that pillow. So, do you wish me to be a beast, or worse than one?”

In response, Yin Ruyun flicked her finger, extinguishing the candle’s flame on the table, her voice cold, “Go to sleep!”

Yang Yaozong sighed softly, lying back down, feigning grievance, “So I’m worse than a beast!”

In the darkness, Yin Ruyun’s smile grew even sweeter.

(To be continued.)