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Several Imperial Physicians have diagnosed Bai Yunsheng and prescribed medicine, but there is no major issue.
Qin Yaru also examined Bai Yunsheng and confirmed that it was merely a case of anger affecting his heart, which could be remedied with some rest. He is young and a martial artist, so even if he has faced heavy blows and lost his composure, he will recover quickly.
"Cough, I might have caught a cold from the rain, my head feels foggy."
Bai Yunsheng lay on the bed and said to Qin Yaru with an expressionless face.
Although he looked haggard, there was not a trace of sadness in his demeanor. If it weren't for the fact that most of those around him were doctors, particularly skilled Imperial Physicians, others might truly think he was not ill because of Zhan Yu.
Qin Yaru naturally would not expose him and did not know how to organize her words to offer comfort.
Fortunately, Bai Yunsheng was indeed a man of strong character who never vented his anger on others. Even though he knew that Gao Feng had asked Zhan Yu to investigate the case that led to Zhan Yu's death, he merely raised an eyebrow and coldly said, "It's no one else's fault; it's all his own stupidity. He wasn't even a constable from Kaifeng Prefecture, rushing to help others investigate a case. Investigating is one thing, but going to the Brothel Management Office is nothing. To die inexplicably there—if he hadn't died, I would have killed him myself to avoid embarrassing my master!"
After this outburst, Bai Yunsheng's face turned red, but his spirits lifted somewhat; however, he ultimately could not hold back the tears in his eyes.
"However, even though it was his fault, I cannot allow others to slander him, even for the sake of my master." Bai Yunsheng took a deep breath. "That person is stubborn and wholeheartedly loyal to the Official. He cares deeply about national affairs but pays little attention to his own matters—especially when it comes to establishing a family. He has never thought about it at all. Even when the Official offered him beautiful women as rewards, he always declined. At his age, he's still like a child. If he had died from exhaustion, I would believe it; if he died because of a woman, I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me. Qin Yaru, tell me—who exactly did he offend?"
Qin Yaru sighed and shook her head. "You should ask Gao Feng; I don't know the specifics. However, it likely has something to do with Xiangyang Wangfu and the Pang Family."
In front of Zhan Yu, Bai Yunsheng might not seem very composed, but he was not an impulsive person by nature. Especially when away from Zhan Yu's sight, he was the type of man who remained calm and decisive even in dire situations. However, when Qin Yaru mentioned the Pang Family, his expression immediately darkened.
His gaze flickered as Bai Yunsheng gritted his teeth and said, "It really is related to the Pang Family; it must be one of their usual methods of killing to silence witnesses. The Pang Family has done this kind of thing more than once or twice."
Clearly, this person had deep grievances with the Pang Family; however, there seemed to be some other entanglements as well; otherwise, his attitude towards them would not be so peculiar.
Qin Yaru did not ask further questions as she truly did not know what else to say.
Bai Yunsheng was genuinely heartbroken. Even though he tried hard to recover, after lying ill for so long, he could not get out of bed. He had previously had an excellent relationship with Zhan Yu. Zhan Yu was five years older than him and had been taken in by their master at a young age. He had always been gentle and kind-hearted towards others. Later on, when he unexpectedly gained such a precious junior brother like Bai Yunsheng, he cherished and cared for him deeply without being dissatisfied due to Bai Yunsheng's proud nature.
However, as Bai Yunsheng grew up, their personalities became increasingly different. Misunderstandings inevitably arose between them until they gradually drifted apart—especially since Bai Yunsheng found Zhan Yu's slow nature quite intolerable.
But at that time, it was merely some minor disagreements; occasionally meeting each other led Bai Yunsheng to coldly mock Zhan Yu a few times—it was nothing serious—until their master passed away.
Their master's surname was Gu; his name was Gu Ziyi. He was not an extraordinary figure but had traveled the martial world in his youth as a bodyguard and had also done escort work. Later on, due to an accident where he saved the Eighth Prince, he was invited by the Eighth Prince to teach at home while enjoying his retirement.
The so-called disciples of the Top Scholar, without a Top Scholar master, is indeed the case. Do not be misled by his abilities, which are merely average; however, both of his disciples are outstanding individuals. Zhan Yu, despite his young age, has already gained recognition in martial arts and is valued by the officials. Bai Yunsheng, on the other hand, did not rely on his family background to achieve success, even though his career does have a hint of being somewhat unorthodox.
Gu Ziyi has grown older and suffers from various health issues. However, his two disciples are dutiful, and he spends his later years relatively well, often taking a birdcage to the streets for tea.
Having practiced martial arts for many years, although his body is failing him, he still loves to champion justice and meddle in others' affairs as he did in his youth. It is remarkable that he could teach a disciple like Bai Yunsheng; however, it is even more astonishing that he raised a student like Zhan Yu.
One day, as he left the teahouse, he happened to see Pang Yuanying and a group of sycophants harassing respectable women in the street. In truth, it was mutual teasing; however, the 'respectable women,' being women after all, maintained some modesty and pretended to be shy while trying to play hard to get.
Gu Ziyi has a straightforward personality and harbors a deep hatred for evil. Seeing Pang Yuanying act like a spoiled rich kid infuriated him, prompting him to rush forward to defend the women.
Pang Yuanying's subordinates were no pushovers. Especially in the capital city, they were all elite soldiers arranged by his family. Gu Ziyi might have managed to take on one hundred men when he was younger, but now that he is old and frail, dealing with ten or eight of them is quite taxing.
Fortunately, this was the capital city; Pang Yuanying still had some reservations and did not allow anyone to use lethal force. Gu Ziyi's skills were quite good as well; they fought evenly matched. Gu Ziyi sustained some injuries but they were not particularly severe. Among Pang Yuanying's subordinates, several had their limbs broken due to Gu Ziyi's counterattacks.
When the patrol Yamen Runner from Kaifeng Prefecture arrived and saw both parties' identities, Gu Ziyi himself held no significant status; however, he was the lifesaver of the Eighth Prince and had two exceptional disciples. Pang Yuanying was also a notorious figure in the capital and did not dare to drag anyone off to Kaifeng Prefecture. Instead, he merely uttered some grandiose words and sent people to escort both parties home respectfully.
If matters had ended there, it would have been just an ordinary brawl; such incidents happen frequently in Tokyo City. Unfortunately, Gu Ziyi truly felt old; after returning home, he grew increasingly depressed—especially after one of Pang Yuanying's subordinates had been particularly arrogant and made several extremely unpleasant remarks.
He felt stifled by this resentment and believed himself old and useless. One day he caught a chill and developed a cold. Stubborn as he was, he refused to seek medical attention. His two disciples were busy themselves and inevitably overlooked him. By the time they realized their master was ill, Gu Ziyi had already suffered from delayed treatment and could not be saved.
In this era, a cold could indeed be fatal.
Gu Ziyi passed away at over sixty years old; while this age is not considered particularly long-lived at that time, Bai Yunsheng could not accept it. In a fit of anger, he rushed to the Pang Family intending to kill Pang Yuanying.
Zhan Yu naturally tried his best to stop him; after all, while Pang Yuanying was at fault, he was not the main cause of Gu Ziyi's death and could not bear all the blame. Moreover, Bai Yunsheng's status also posed some complications with Pang Yuanying. Zhan Yu was unwilling for his junior brother to regret his actions later on. The two had a huge argument where Bai Yunsheng caused chaos in the Pang Family and in his rage smashed many imperial gifts meant for Empress Dowager’s birthday.
Empress Dowager was furious as well; she became dizzy with anger and fell seriously ill. The officials ordered strict punishment against Bai Yunsheng and forced him out of the capital.
He had a tough time ahead of him; however, Pang Yuanying also faced difficulties. Although Gu Ziyi's death technically had nothing to do with him, he had caused too much trouble previously. This time he directly clashed with someone from the Eighth Prince’s circle and 'caused' a death. At the very least, his behavior of teasing women was sinful; thus officials could not ignore it for punishment. Unfortunately for them, Empress Dowager was bedridden and fiercely protective of Pang Yuanying—no one was allowed to touch even a hair on his head.
The officials were purely filial and naturally dared not go against Empress Dowager’s wishes; however, as more people came forward with complaints against Pang Yuanying, they could only find him a distant post to send him away.
Once Pang Yuanying left the capital city, Bai Yunsheng set his sights on him. He attempted several times to teach him a lesson but was repeatedly stopped by Zhan Yu. Later on, after encountering an inexplicable assassination attempt where Bai Yunsheng sustained serious injuries himself, it seemed that after multiple conversations with Zhan Yu, he began to sense something amiss and ultimately abandoned any thoughts of killing Pang Yuanying for revenge.
But the relationship between Zhan Yu and Bai Yunsheng suddenly deteriorated to the point of becoming enemies.
Since their parting in the capital, every time they met, it ended in a fight or injury, and they never had a serious conversation. Just recently, when Bai Yunsheng left the capital on business, Zhan Yu went to see him off, but Bai Yunsheng completely ignored him and did not even touch the wine that Zhan Yu had poured for him, riding away without a glance back.
Bai Yunsheng could never have imagined that this farewell would be a permanent one; the senior brother who had cared for him like a younger brother since childhood was gone forever.
Gao Feng, however, could not afford to care about Bai Yunsheng's heartbreak at this moment. He realized that Xiangyang Wang must have already been enraged and was acting recklessly, disregarding his reputation. Zhan Yu must have obtained very important evidence.
"This won't do. Xiangyang Wang has been plotting for years and has raised many sycophants under him. Now he dares to kill court officials at will; his actions will surely become even more insane in the future. Wen Yuan and Qin Yaru must be extremely cautious and should not leave their homes for any reason. I will send people to guard them strictly and will not allow anyone to cross our boundaries."
He truly regretted it now; while the strategy of alarming the snake was indeed effective, once the snake was startled and went mad, the price they paid was far too severe.
If exposing Xiangyang Wang's conspiracy meant risking the lives of Qin Yaru, Wen Yuan, and other friends and family, Gao Feng clearly would never agree to that.
Qin Yaru was also afraid and worried about Da Lang, but at this moment, fear was useless: "You all need to find out what Zhan Commander has discovered as soon as possible; it might be crucial."
Gao Feng sighed: "I only asked him to investigate the source of Ouyang Yue's dragon-headed cane and phoenix hairpin; I just wanted him to ask Ouyang Yue about it. I never expected..." (To be continued)
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