Chapter 6 Awakening from Hibernation (Part 5)

  Upon seeing Bai Hua's tears, Wang Xun's heart immediately ached. He stretched out his hand and grasped the other person's hand, saying in a low voice: "Don't cry, no matter who it is that has come, I will take the blame for all of them. I don't believe it - to privately nurture assassins, to steal the Fowu bow, and yet the evidence of these crimes can be made public, and still everyone in this city of Chang'an can pretend not to see!"

  "Second Brother, I...I..." Hearing Wang Xuan's frank and magnanimous words, Bai Hua's heart felt increasingly desolate, sobbing uncontrollably as tears fell in streams. As a woman of humble origins trying to marry a founding general, the vast difference in social status between them had already made this marriage as fragile as thin ice. Now, with the added crime of being a troublemaker who causes men problems, it would be even more difficult for her to gain acceptance from the Wang family, a feat as impossible as ascending to heaven.

  The crowd turned their heads away, their faces filled with awkward expressions. "So it's a scandalous affair!" The Qin brothers whispered to each other, regretting not asking clearly before following Bai Huaqi over. "This woman is probably a seductress like Xi Shi or Green Pearl! It's better for the Wang brothers to turn back now." Even Zhang Zhou, who was normally composed and serious, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Only Lei Wanchun furrowed his brow and said loudly, "If someone else killed you, how did it become your fault? Which son of a bitch is so despicable? Tell me, if the authorities won't take care of it, I'll stand up for you!"

  "Lei Ge......" Bai Wei raised her head and looked at Lei Wanchun for a moment, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.

  "Sister Bai, at least tell us who wants to take you away, can't you cry and come back? If he doesn't get you this time, it's inevitable that he'll come again a second time." Little Ma is the most straightforward in thinking and speaking. "Maybe he also hates Second Brother, we should make some preparations in advance, just in case."

  "It's Weiwei Shaoying Wang Zhun!" He lightly grasped Bai Hua's hand, and Wang Xun answered for her. "The assassins have already confessed. The three of them planned to scare Sister Bai half to death today, then snatch her away in the chaos. If they failed, they would kill her and silence her!"

  As soon as she heard the four words "kill and silence", Bai Wei's body shuddered violently. She raised her tearful eyes to look at Wang Xuan, but couldn't see any hint of disgust on his face. On the contrary, a warm feeling kept coming from his palms, making her icy heart gradually soften.

  "It was him, no wonder he dared to plagiarize the Fubo bow!" Qin Guoying's words came just in time, entering Bai Weizi's ears without a single word being missed. "That kid has been relying on his father's power and has been lawless all along. This time, the sneak attack didn't succeed, and he may not be willing to give up easily. However..."

  "He's not just trying to kidnap me!" Bai Wei suddenly stopped crying, shouting loudly. "He's afraid I'll reveal his secret, so...so..."

  She looked at Wang Xuan's face, hoping to get his approval. Wang Xuan smiled and nodded, whispering encouragement, "It's okay, you say it out loud, let everyone be prepared too. After all, the trouble involved here is not small!"

  "Uh-huh!" Bai Huaji nodded gently, her voice unexpectedly soft and gentle. "Three days ago, a man who claimed to be called Wang Zhun came to book my room. Hong Gu saw that he was generous with his money, so she agreed. Who would have thought that after he entered the room, he refused to listen to me sing properly, but instead spoke nonsense, saying that I should marry into the Taiyuan Public House and become his concubine? I refused to agree, and he pulled out a large gold ingot, asking if I remembered what some previous customers had said while they were here. I told him that many people come to Jinhua Building to listen to me sing, so who could remember what was said? Please don't insult me. Afterwards, he threw down a few harsh words and stormed out. I thought he was just a spoiled young master, so I didn't take it to heart. Who would have thought that the events of today would happen!"

  "What does he want to know exactly?"

  "Do you still remember which guests he asked?" Yan Jiming and Zhang Xun, one after the other, asked two extremely similar questions.

  She lightly bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. She looked up at Wang's angular face and nodded, saying in a low voice: "He asked about Zhou Bojun, Zhang Shuang, and Gongsun Liang - whether they had ever come together to drink and listen to music here, and if they had discussed the Taiyuan Gongfu during that time. The other three people were also involved in a similar case several months ago, but were released from prison a few days later than Zidu. They did indeed come to Jinhualou to listen to music and relieve their worries, but only that one time! After that, they never came again!"

  "They can't come to Jin Hua Lou again. Zhang Xiao Hou Ye fell into Qu Jiang Chi and drowned two months ago! Wu Wen Zi Da's eyebrows jumped, and he added in a low voice. Zhou Xiao Bo Ye was knocked off his horse by a wild boar while hunting last month and broke his neck. Only Gong Sun Liang, who had just been released from prison for a few days, was sent to Yu Yang by his grandfather with a letter, and joined An Lu Shan's camp, barely keeping his life!"

  "Ah?" The crowd couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice. If Yuwen hadn't spoken up to remind them, no one would have connected the two unexpected events that often occurred in the capital with Bai Hua's assassination today.

  "Wang Zhun wants to hide, it's probably not an ordinary secret!" Among the crowd, Zhang Xun, who was the oldest, also changed his face, furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "Bai Xingjun, what did they say that day? Can't you really remember anything?"

  "I, how can I possibly remember!" Bai Wei Ci shook her head and choked with sobs. She was worried earlier that Wang Zhun's treacherous plot would affect Wang Xuan's view of herself. Now, she found out that she might be implicated in Wang Xuan risking his life and future, and in a panic, tears fell again without stopping.

  "Alright, alright, the sky won't fall down yet!" Unable to bear seeing her cry so sorrowfully, Wang Xuan smiled and softly comforted. "The assassin is locked up in the White Horse Fortress military camp. The stolen crossbow he used has also been taken away by General Zhou. If he still doesn't know what's good for him, I'll just send the evidence to the higher-ups and see who ends up with a good ending!"

  Listening to him speak with determination, Bai Wei's heart slowly regained some courage. After thinking for a moment, she said in a low voice: "But Erlang, the future you've just planned..."

  "No big deal, the royal family's reach doesn't extend to the Imperial Guard yet." Wang Xuan smiled slightly, his face full of nonchalance. Both assassins had been killed by themselves, what else could go wrong? Could it be that because of Wang Quan and his son's great power, he would push Bai Huaqi out instead? In that case, what kind of person would he become, and how would he stand in this world in the future?

  "If the royal family cheats too much, we'll fight them together!" Ma Fang also waved his curved knife and loudly expressed his stance. "The capital is under the emperor's feet, can't the royal family buy off all officials?"

  Qin Guo looked at his younger brother and smiled, "That's not necessarily true. From what I know, Wang Kuan himself has been having a tough time lately. This matter, 10 out of 10 is Wang Zhun hiding it from his grandfather to do. That guy never knew the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth."

  "Yes, about last time. Li is quite dissatisfied with Wang Jingchu!" Qin Guoquan nodded in agreement, adding an annotation to his brother's words.

  "This is a secret that others cannot touch, and for a moment, everyone's attention was drawn to Qin Guozhen. Under the gaze of the crowd urging him on, Qin Guozhen could only add in a low voice, "Last time, Yang Guozhong used a handle to force Wang Huan to retreat first. Later, due to fear of Gao Lishi's intervention, Li Linfu had to shake hands with Yang Guozhong and make peace. But in his heart, Li Linfu was extremely resentful that Wang Huan had betrayed him. Now, stuck between the two great powers of Yang and Li, Wang Huan is already struggling with all his might. Who would have thought that his son Wang Zhun would still not wake up at this critical moment and continue to cause trouble for the Wang family? If..."

  If today's events were to be exploited by those with ulterior motives, the Wang family might be doomed. Qin Guozhen didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present heard it loud and clear. "So, Bai Xingchu and Ming Yun, you two don't have to worry about Wang Zhun using his father's influence to deal with you in secret." Qin Guo picked up where his brother left off, smiling as he added, "If it's just a covert attack, as long as we're on our guard, there's no need to be afraid of him!"

  "Ming Yun, don't worry about your safety in the military camp. As for Bai Xing Shou's side, I'll take a look and see if I can find some old friends to secretly take care of things!" Lei Wan Chun thought for a moment before taking the initiative to help his friend out of trouble.

  "It's better to take the initiative and force him to back down than to passively respond!" Yan Jiming shook his head, smiling in disapproval. "Brother Wang has a living assassin in his hands, doesn't he? Make a copy of his confession and send it to Taiyuan Prefecture, I'm sure they won't dare make another move!"

  This move was exactly the same as Zhang Shouzhi's trick of deceiving Yang Guozhong last time, and everyone immediately turned their heads towards him. Yan Jiming felt a bit embarrassed under the gaze of the crowd, and he cupped his hands in all directions, smiling and introducing himself, "Langya Yan Jiming, nice to meet you brothers!"

  It wasn't until then that Wang Xun realized he hadn't introduced his newly acquainted friend to everyone, so he quickly let go of Bai Hua's hand and smiled as he saluted the group with a fist, "Gentlemen, I apologize for my oversight. This Brother Yan helped me out greatly this morning. If it weren't for him, I'm afraid I would have ended up in the Long'an County prison by now!"

  "Brother Wang, you're being too serious. I just happened to be there at the time and couldn't just stand by and do nothing!" Yan Jiming's face turned red with praise, and he smiled humbly.

  "Langya Yan family, could it be the same clan as Pingyuan Yan Taigong?" Qin Guo pondered deeply about the genealogy of various families and surnames. Upon hearing that his opponent was from Langya, he thought for a moment before smiling and asking.

  "It's exactly Yan Mou's second uncle!" Yan Jiming nodded and smiled in response.

  "It turned out to be the son of Yan Shi, the governor of Huozhou!" Zhang Xun also immediately came to his senses and smiled as he stepped forward to greet the other party. "I am Zhang Xun, your humble brother, and I have had several meetings with your esteemed father!"

  "Little nephew had guessed it was Uncle Zhang just now, but didn't dare to rashly recognize him!" Yan Jiming hastily dismounted his horse and paid respects as a junior.

  Zhang Zhou also jumped down from his horseback, laughing and pulling him up, "Let's just count separately. Otherwise, all the brothers here would be one generation older than you."

  Yan Jiming also burst out laughing, and following Zhang Xun's words, he addressed the other as "brother". Zhang Xun smiled and pulled him along to meet Qin Shi, Ma Fang, Yuwen Zhi and others again. It turned out that their elders had some connections with each other, and it was not excessive to call them old acquaintances.

  After all the fuss, Wang Xuan and Bai Huaqi ended up on one side. Taking advantage of everyone's attention being elsewhere, Wang Xuan thought for a moment, then whispered to Bai Huaqi: "Don't be afraid, I'm here, no one can bully you. After I discuss it with Cloud Aunt, we can have the sedan chair carry you into the mansion. I don't believe that in broad daylight, they would dare to come to Chongren Alley to kidnap someone!"

  If this were said in the past, Bai Wei would have definitely asked herself what identity she had entered the Wang family with. Now, however, she could only feel a strong concern from Wang Xuan's words. She nodded slightly and murmured a low "uh-huh", and in an instant, a red flush spread from her cheeks to her neck.

  Seeing the white lotus with two red eyes, yet shy and unable to win, Wang Xuan's heart felt very interesting. For the time being, he put aside how to deal with King Wu's father and son, and wholeheartedly considered for the other party: "Cloud Aunt is actually a very good person to get along with, as long as you don't intentionally offend her. Zi Luan that little girl has a bit of a temper, but she won't target you everywhere. I'll go back and set rules for the lower people, not allowing them to be rude to you, so even if I'm not at home..."

  Just as the words were spoken, they were suddenly interrupted by a sudden burst of urgent hoofbeats. Everyone turned their heads to see dozens of black-clad ruffians, led by a man in brocade finery with consumption, surrounding them with an air of ferocity.

  "Be careful!" Leiwanchun shouted loudly, drawing his weapon first. Nan Xiyun drew her long sword and rode alongside him. The dozen or so Qin family guards, well-trained, quickly formed two rows with Lei and Nan as the vanguard, in a V-formation, shielding the rest of the people tightly in the center of the formation.

  It was around 11 am, and there were many people on the official road. Seeing two groups of people with swords drawn, they were frightened and fled into the open fields, taking a detour far away. In an instant, the wide official road was vacated.

  The leader of the leprosy ghosts gave an order, and the evil servants quickly formed a phalanx. They formed a messy square formation, although they had many people, their momentum was not as good as this side by at least one point.

  "Halt!" Just as the two sides were about to clash, Qin Guo intervened, separating the crowd and riding his horse to the front of the troops. He bowed slightly towards Wang Xiaoyi and asked, "Under broad daylight, why is General Wang blocking our path?"

  "Haha, I was wondering whose house servant it was, and yet they're trained even better than the royal guards? It turns out they're from the Hu Guogong Fu! Qin Xiao Gongzi, dare to ask, relying on the remaining prestige of Hu Guogong, can you forcefully take away my family's runaway concubine?"

  "Is she a runaway concubine of your household?" Seeing the other party speaking as if it were true, Qin Guo couldn't help but pause for a moment. Immediately, he realized that the other party was trying to frame him first, and coldly laughed several times, shaking his head in rebuke, "I only saw someone relying on their family's power, attempting to forcibly abduct a commoner's daughter. But I didn't see any runaway concubine of your household anywhere? Could it be that for Wang Shaoyan, as long as he sees a woman with some looks, he has to claim she is a runaway concubine of his household?"

  "Cut the crap, hand over that woman and we won't bother with you!" A tall and sturdy Western Regions man with a loud voice shouted from behind the consumptive devil.

  "Right, less nonsense, hurry up and hand over the person and scram!" A group of household slaves, pretending to be brave, charged at Qin Guo, constantly waving their weapons.

  The Qin state's tolerance was very good, ignoring those evil slaves, his eyes fixed on the leader of the leprosy ghosts. The leprosy ghost seemed to have not heard what his subordinates were saying, with both hands clasped in front of his chest, and a look of complacency on his face.

  At this moment, without anyone introducing him, Wang Xuan guessed who the visitor was just by looking at Bai Hua's terrified face. He also parted the crowd and came to Qin Guo's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Not speaking, his eyes were like knives, staring at those noisy and unruly servants.

  Four months of military training had made him stand out like a mountain. Adding to that the bloodstains on his body that hadn't been washed off yet, it instantly made the evil slaves opposite him hold their breath. Wherever Wang Xuan's gaze fell, the shouting in that direction would subside. Before he could even finish scanning the area, the troops in front of him had fallen silent.

  "Do you want to take the place of that cheap woman?" The consumptive ghost king Wang Zhun was unwilling to lose momentum, and he urged his horse forward, raising his whip and pointing at Wang Xuan, "You're not even worthy of your own weight, your master Wang..."

  "Your master Wang has no time to idle away with you today!" Wang Xun snatched the whip from his hand, gave it a light flick, and split it into three pieces. He tossed them to the ground and said viciously: "The three assassins you sent were killed by me, two of them are dead, and the remaining one was directly sent to the military camp. If you want to file a lawsuit, let's go straight to the Temple of Justice. Your master Wang will accompany you to the end. Do you want to take revenge on them? Come at me with your horse!"

  "You, you......" The King of Ghosts, Wang Zhuanben, had planned to take advantage of the crowd and first snatch away Bai Hua. Then he would slowly think of a way to cover up the basket that was stabbed by the assassin this morning. But he didn't expect the other party to be so arrogant, daring to admit in front of so many people that the assassin was killed by him, and even gave himself a warning at the beginning.

  This was completely beyond his calculations. In the past, Wang Zhongxiu relied on his power to bully others, and even Li Xue, the son of Prime Minister Li Linfu, would yield to him. Who would have thought that this small seventh-grade military officer would be bolder than Li Xue? For a songstress, he actually dared to challenge the Wang family of Taiyuan!

  However, after stammering and shouting for half a day, he still didn't say anything more threatening. If this matter were to be made public at the Temple of Great Awakening, his theft of military equipment would likely be exposed immediately. But if he were to return empty-handed like this, it would also leave behind another deadly hidden danger.

  Two evils weigh against each other, and neither seems light. Shouting and hesitating, Wang Zhun feels increasingly frustrated. "Take him down for me!" Finally, he thinks of a way to turn the situation around, quickly turning his horse's head while loudly summoning the evil slaves behind him to take action, "Qin brothers, this is my personal vendetta with him, you two mind your own business!"

  Note 1: Xi Yan, the wife of Xi Hou during the Spring and Autumn period, brought about the downfall of her husband's state due to her beauty. Lu Zhu, the concubine of Shi Chong during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, was envied for her beauty, leading to Shi Chong's family being exterminated.