Chapter 170: A Comeback in Sight

Madam Ruan sat frozen, watching Shao Pingbo’s back disappear.

She had already experienced the ruthlessness of the Shao family’s legitimate eldest son firsthand.

Every member of her own natal clan whom she had raised up and supported was dead.

He had stripped away every outside source of support available to her and her sons.

And she knew exactly whose two lives he had meant.

The thought sent a chill through her.

The moment Shao Pingbo was gone, Shao Wubo and Shao Fubo arrived.

They had deliberately waited until he left.

Seeing that their mother’s expression was wrong, Shao Wubo asked, “Mother, what happened?”

Madam Ruan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Find some way to dissolve that poetry society. We could not hide it from him. He saw through it.”

Shao Fubo asked, “What did he say?”

Madam Ruan shook her head as tears spilled down her face.

“It is all because the two of you are so disappointing. Neither accomplished in civil affairs nor martial ones. Otherwise, how would he dare threaten me to my face?”

“Dissolve it. Whenever I think of what happened to your maternal grandmother’s entire family, I become afraid!”

She collapsed over the table and began sobbing.

Her shoulders trembled violently with grief.

No son could bear watching his own mother cry like that.

Hearing that Shao Pingbo had threatened her directly, and seeing her reduced to this state, the armored Shao Fubo exploded.

“That bastard! I’ll drag him in front of Father and demand an accounting!”

“Come back!”

Shao Wubo grabbed him.

“If he could mention the poetry society, then he already knows what is going on. Drag this before Father, and you will be the first one unable to explain yourself!”

Shao Fubo pointed toward their weeping mother as though asking whether they were simply supposed to let the matter end there.

But after thinking about it, he knew they could do nothing to Shao Pingbo.

He stamped his foot hard, dropped into a seat to the side, turned his head away, and sulked in furious silence...

Yanjing. The Song residence.

An inexplicable, oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire estate.

A power built upon official authority begins to collapse the moment that authority is lost.

Ever since Wang Heng took his daughter back, a change in the political wind had chilled the Song family to the bone.

In the past, visitors had nearly worn down the threshold.

Now no one came at all.

Even the cultivators who normally guarded the Song residence had been recalled one after another by their sects.

Fortunately, this was still the capital.

And fortunately, Grand Minister of Works Tong Mo did not want his other followers to feel chilled by the Song family’s fate.

For the moment, no one dared come openly looking for trouble.

For the same reason, Song Quan still held his post at the yamen.

But only he knew how cold things had become.

The attitudes of the colleagues around him were enough to make him shiver.

Sarcastic remarks came from every direction.

He knew being kicked out of office was only a matter of time.

After finishing work, Song Quan returned home dispirited.

On the way to pay his respects to his father, he encountered a servant leading another man toward the same destination.

Ordinarily, Song Quan might not even have remembered this person.

Now, however, he remembered him very clearly.

Chen Guishuo.

The only cultivator who had not left the Song family.

Song Quan even took the initiative to smile and chat with him for a few words.

Inside the main hall of the inner residence, Song Jiuming sat upright.

Song Shu and Liu Lu stood to either side.

The two newcomers naturally offered their greetings.

The normally stern Song Jiuming showed Chen Guishuo a rare smile and sighed.

“Those who could leave have left. Those who could scatter have scattered. Of all the Song family’s cultivators, you alone remain.”

“Only in adversity does one see true feeling.”

“I never expected Yanqing to have made one sincere friend while he was alive.”

“We have been short of manpower lately. You have worked hard.”

Chen Guishuo was speechless inside.

He wanted to leave too.

Who wanted to remain here waiting for trouble to descend?

But he had no choice.

Niu Youdao had forced him into this place.

Until Niu Youdao sent word, leaving on his own was inconvenient.

Fortunately, Niu Youdao had arranged a retreat for him.

Once his work here was finished, he would at least have somewhere to go.

Otherwise, if he simply ran now, he genuinely would not know where to turn.

The Shangqing Sect still wanted to clean house and deal with him.

“Old Sir speaks too seriously,” Chen Guishuo said. “Senior Brother treated me well while he was alive. A man cannot forget gratitude and righteousness. Wherever Martial Uncle goes, I will follow.”

He looked toward Song Shu as he spoke.

Song Shu smiled, visibly pleased, wearing the expression of a man who believed he had judged someone correctly.

Song Jiuming nodded with genuine appreciation.

He too was filled with emotion.

At a time like this, people such as Chen Guishuo truly were rare.

He waved toward Liu Lu.

Liu Lu took out gold drafts worth one hundred thousand and came over to press them into Chen Guishuo’s hands.

Chen Guishuo stared at the amount.

He had never possessed so much money in his life. Inside, he did not know whether to laugh or cry. Who would have imagined that remaining here would earn him a sudden fortune? The Song family’s wealth truly was extraordinary. He hurriedly made a show of refusing. “One should not accept reward without merit.” He tried to push the drafts back toward Liu Lu.

Song Shu barked, “What are you putting on airs for? If it is given to you, take it. You earned this.”

Seeing that, Chen Guishuo could only cup his hands and accept with an embarrassed smile.

Song Jiuming said, “From today onward, you are no outsider. You are one of the Song family. So long as this old man can rise again, I will never treat you poorly.”

He had barely finished speaking when a servant appeared at the doorway holding a letter.

Liu Lu went over, accepted it, asked a few questions, tore it open, and read.

Then he hurried back.

“Master, the Beizhou contact stationed in the capital has sent a letter.”

Everyone in the room looked surprised.

Song Jiuming frowned. “A letter from Shao Dengyun?”

“They did not say who wrote it. Please look.”

Liu Lu handed it over.

Song Jiuming read the letter.

His entire spirit seemed to revive.

He stood abruptly and looked around at everyone.

“This old man has hope of making a comeback!”

Everyone else immediately brightened as well. Song Quan hurriedly asked, “How?” Song Jiuming said heavily, “The letter says Niu Youdao is in the State of Han. Beizhou has already determined that he intends to go to the Northern Great Snowy Mountains and seek a Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit from the Ice and Snow Pavilion to treat Hai Ruyue’s son. If we capture Niu Youdao, I will have redeemed my fault through merit. The Grand Minister will then have grounds to speak on my behalf.”

Song Shu asked, “Father, could this be a trap?”

Song Jiuming lifted the letter. “Since it came through Beizhou’s contact in the capital, it is unlikely to be false. Besides, in my present state, what reason would Beizhou have to scheme against me? I had wondered why that bastard kept wandering all over the place. Now many of the mysteries finally make sense. So it was the Scarlet Yang Vermilion Fruit!”

Song Quan was both excited and worried.

“What does Beizhou gain by doing this?”

“At a time like this, Beizhou extending a hand is sending charcoal in the snow,” Song Jiuming said. “They probably expect this old man to be useful to them later.”

“I will accept the favor.”

Song Quan asked, “If Niu Youdao is captured, can the Grand Minister truly help Father return to office?”

“I followed him for so many years. Everyone saw it. If I redeem my fault through merit and he still refuses to remember any old feeling at all, the others around him will feel chilled. In any case, hope is better than no hope.”

Song Shu clenched his teeth. “That little thief has ruined the Song family. I will go personally and deal with him. Only then will the hatred in my heart be satisfied!”

“What use is one or two of you going?” Song Jiuming immediately rebuked him. “Do you have absolute confidence? Have you still not learned how cunning that little thief is? Do you want this old man to lose another son as well? You are already this old. Use your head. A man of a certain standing should do the work suited to that standing. Leave the fighting and killing to those self-important brutes. If they die, they brought it on themselves.” He turned toward Liu Lu. “Contact the Liuxian Sect. Tell them that if Niu Youdao is taken, this old man can return to office.”

Song Shu pointed angrily outside. “All their people ran away. A pack of petty men who turn with the wind. Why go looking for them now?”

“What meaning is there in fussing over that and making yourself angry?” Song Jiuming scolded. “They followed you for profit in the first place. If you cannot give them profit, do you still expect them to throw away their lives for you for nothing? Besides, with the situation as it is, they did not want to invite trouble. That is understandable. And other than these few sects, who can we even ask for help now? If we approach someone else, they may refuse to help. Worse, they might go straight to the court and claim merit for turning us in. These people were affected by this old man’s fall as well. In the present climate, they will not easily find another powerful patron so quickly. They will put in the effort.”

Then he said to Liu Lu again, “They also have an account to settle with Niu Youdao. Tell them that once the matter succeeds, this old man will not treat them poorly. This time they must use their full strength. They cannot fail again.”

“Yes.”

Liu Lu accepted the order.

Standing there, Chen Guishuo’s eyes shifted slightly from time to time...

Two hours later, Chen Guishuo left the Song residence. He went to a restaurant not far from the Song estate, ordered a pot of wine, took a table, and slowly drank several cups. When no one was paying attention, he slipped a tiny rolled paper note to the waiter wiping down his table...

Shang Chaozong, his face bruised and swollen, was helped upright.

He wiped the blood from beneath his nose and watched Feng Ruonan storm away with a group of people behind her.

There was no helping it.

Paper could not wrap fire forever.

Feng Ruonan had finally learned the truth.

There had never been any hundred thousand Crow Generals.

The entire marriage had been a deception from beginning to end.

Feng Ruonan exploded in fury.

She felt she had been nothing more than a tool used from start to finish.

When she went to confront Shang Chaozong, she lost control of her anger and the two ended up fighting.

Shang Chaozong was still no match for her.

Bai Yao seemed intentionally willing to let Shang Chaozong suffer a little.

Not only did he refuse to interfere, he stopped others from stepping in to break up the fight.

“Why are you still standing there? Go see to the Princess Consort!”

Lan Ruoting barked at the people below.

A personal guard immediately ran after Feng Ruonan.

Yuan Fang had been drawn over by the commotion and stood to the side shaking his head with endless sympathy for Shang Chaozong.

Marrying a wife like that really was enough to make a man suffer.

Back then, if I hadn’t helped, you probably wouldn’t even have managed to consummate the marriage.

He stepped forward and used spiritual power to check Shang Chaozong’s condition.

Then he turned to the worried Shang Shuqing.

“Commandery Princess, no need to worry. Only superficial injuries. Nothing serious.”

They had barely helped Shang Chaozong back inside and begun applying medicine when the guard returned.

“Your Highness, the Princess Consort has left. She took a group of men out of the city and said she is returning to her family in Guangyi Commandery.”

“Good that she left! She can stay gone forever, that shrew!”

Shang Chaozong roared.

The movement tugged at the split corner of his mouth and immediately made him hiss through his teeth in pain.

Shang Shuqing, who was applying medicine for him, advised softly, “Brother, any woman would be angry after learning something like this.”

“Sister-in-law is still in the heat of her anger. Yield to her a little.”

“Send someone after her quickly.”

Shang Chaozong was furious too.

He slapped the tea table.

“No one is allowed to chase her!”

Lan Ruoting waved toward Shang Shuqing.

“Commandery Princess, with the Princess Consort’s temper, I doubt anyone could bring her back right now anyway.”

“Better to let her return home and cool down.”

“Once both sides have calmed down and are willing to face the matter properly, we can send people to invite her back.”

“Ah.”

Shang Shuqing gave a bitter sigh.

After thinking about it, she could only nod.

Another personal guard entered from outside and handed over an intelligence report.

Lan Ruoting read it and turned toward Shang Chaozong.

“Your Highness, there is news that the covert agents Yan planted in relay stations throughout the various states have been subjected to a sweeping purge by all six states. The losses are severe.”

Yuan Fang, who was circulating spiritual power to help Shang Chaozong disperse the bruising, could not stop himself from grinning.

“Heh-heh.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Lan Ruoting asked, “From Master Yuan’s expression, it seems you already knew about this?”

Yuan Fang laughed.

“Those secret agents were sent by the court of the State of Yan specifically for Master Dao.”

“They watched us, chased us, tried to kill us, and intercepted us all along the road.”

“They caused Master Dao no small amount of trouble and forced us to hide, double back, and run all over the place.”

“In the end, they forced Master Dao to make a move and wrestle with them properly.”

“Master Dao finally caught hold of their tail.”

“I knew they were no match for him.”

“See? Now they’re the ones having bad luck!”

[End of Chapter 170]