Chapter 464: Chapter 471: Dragon’s Den and Tiger’s Lair
Zhai Mo clearly understood this as well, just as Sikong Ling and the master said—Sikong was as sinister and cunning as they come, taking advantage of such an opportunity to make a proposal he knew couldn’t be refused. However, Sikong Ling was also right in saying this was a mutually beneficial arrangement, even though the Sikong Family stood to gain a bit more.
“Fine, just as Young Master Sikong said, I’ll go arrange it right away. However, I will still need Young Master Sikong’s assistance.” Although Zhai Mo had quite a network in Chang’an, they were mostly from the Jianghu, and he didn’t have much of a connection with these old-established noble families.
“Of course, I’ll arrange it for you. It’s just a charade to make Wang Mang suspicious, which isn’t difficult.” Sikong Ling had long wanted to deal with the Shangguan Family and was naturally well prepared. Since he had brought it up, Zhai Mo didn’t need to worry. In fact, ever since he had received Han Yu’s secret letter, Sikong Ling had been scheming in the shadows, monitoring the situation of Marquis Beian and his son, and it was indeed the Shangguan Family that hindered this rescue.
After leaving the Sikong Mansion, Zhai Mo went to meet Mr. and Mrs. Su Hengyi and informed them of the situation of Marquis Beian and his son. Naturally, he didn’t reveal his source, even though Su Hengyi was the master’s brother-in-law. After all, the Su Family and the Han Family were two separate entities, and some secrets had to be kept, just as the Su Family wouldn’t disclose some of their own confidential matters to Han Yu.
Su Hengyi had already prepared for all sorts of difficulties and hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. He had only just arrived in Chang’an and had already learned so much, all thanks to the people Han Yu had arranged for him.
“Knowing that Uncle and the others are safe and well looked after, I can finally be somewhat at ease.” Su Hengyi’s worry finally lessened a bit, and he looked at Zhai Mo differently. To be able to manage things inside the Prison while under Wang Mang’s watchful eye wasn’t a common skill. Even before the Marquis Mansion’s fall, it would have been no easy feat.
Zhai Mo, feeling Mr. and Mrs. Su Hengyi’s gaze, still had a cold expression but spoke in a relatively mild tone, “It was all arranged by the master when we came to Chang’an, with some friends looking out for us.”
“My brother-in-law is considerate.” As picky as Su Hengyi was, at this moment, he had to acknowledge that his brother-in-law genuinely cared for his sister. This was why he went to such lengths to help with his family’s affair. Yiyang City was in desperate need of help, and at a time when they needed people the most, his brother-in-law had sent Zhai Mo to assist him, and to have such deep connections in Chang’an was unexpected.
As for who Han Yu’s friend in Chang’an was, both Su Hengyi and Feng Ruolin tactfully did not inquire. They probably could have gotten the information from Zhai Mo, but smart people know their boundaries.
With the information from Zhai Mo, Su Hengyi began to devise a rescue plan. Of course, he didn’t forget to call both Manager Fang and Zhai Mo to discuss it. Manager Fang and Zhai Mo had both worked under Han Yu before; it wasn’t their first meeting. How their private relationship was, nobody knew, but they just nodded each other in greeting as if not very familiar. Only during collaboration did their tacit understanding become evident.
“Old master, how exactly is our son doing in the Capital City? We haven’t heard from him to this day; could it be that he’s run into some trouble?” In fact, what Madam Su feared more was their son and daughter-in-law being discovered by Wang Mang’s men and encountering danger. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to speak of such things, always feeling it was inauspicious. They say good omens never come true while bad ones do, which is what she feared.
Master Su was worried as well, yet he couldn’t show it and had to comfort his somewhat agitated wife, “Don’t worry, Hengyi is cautious and clever. Having traveled everywhere with me, he’s seen all sorts of things and has toughened up. Even if there is danger, he’ll be able to avoid it. There won’t be any trouble. Besides, the daughter-in-law is with him—her skills are no less than Hengyi’s. With friends from the Jianghu helping out, she can provide significant support. The son-in-law has also sent experts over, so there won’t be any problems. Don’t scare yourself with such wild thoughts.”
“But if they were truly safe, why haven’t they sent a letter back after all this time? By my calculations, they should have reached Chang’an by now.” Madam Su was still worried.
“Chang’an is so far away. Even if they’ve arrived, sending a letter back takes time. Besides, we don’t know what the situation is like inside Chang’an City. It could be inconvenient for them to send a letter, or perhaps they’ve already sent one to the son-in-law. After all, our departure from Yiyang Prefecture was decided after Hengyi left. The messenger wouldn’t know our whereabouts and would have to send news to the son-in-law. Just wait calmly—we might get news from Hengyi once we safely reach our destination,” Master Su said, attempting to look on the bright side, providing comfort to his wife, and perhaps also consoling himself.
Master Su, often out and about, had a clearer view of certain matters. Wang Mang, desperate to deal with Liu Xiu and Han Yu, would not let the Marquis Bei’an and his son off easily, given their close relationship to both Han Yu and Liu Xiu. It wasn’t simply to make an example out of Marquis Bei’an and his son; it was more likely that traps were set, waiting for someone to attempt a rescue. Chang’an City was undoubtedly a dangerous den for Su Hengyi.
Yet, even if it was a dangerous den, Su Hengyi had to go. The principles governing a man’s actions differ from those of a woman. Even with knowledge of the potential dangers, as the eldest son of the Second House of the Su Family, it was his undeniable duty. He just hoped his son would be blessed by a lucky star and safely rescue Marquis Bei’an and his family.
Su Wenyue, seeing her parents’ concern for her elder brother, felt uneasy. She worried about her big brother as well. Although in her previous life, her brother had lived well, the turn of events in this life, due to her rebirth, had changed so much—who knew what could happen? At the very least, the turn of events with Liu Xiu never occurred in her past life—was the Bei’an Marquis Mansion implicated because of it?
“Father and Mother, don’t worry. Elder Brother is a good man. Heaven will surely protect him and keep him safe. I’ll write a letter back right away and ask my husband to send us any news about Elder Brother immediately,” she said.
Madam Su highly approved of this, “Good, write the letter immediately. Ask the son-in-law to send us news about your elder brother as soon as he has it. Inquire about how your second brother is doing too. I’ve heard the battle has begun, so tell them to be careful.”
“Mother, leave it to me. Rest assured. I see you haven’t rested well these past two days because you’re worried about Elder Brother. Your complexion has even turned pale. You should get some rest early.”
Su Wenyue comforted her parents a bit more before returning to her room to write the letter to Han Yu. She informed him about her and the children’s situation, some amusing moments on the road, and inquired about Su Hengyi and Su Hengxuan’s status. She urged Han Yu to take care of certain things in life. After writing no less than eight pages, she felt it was too much and finally put down her pen, sealed the letter, and had it sent to Han Yu.