AYM Chapter 58

This residence was a two-courtyard compound. It wasn’t large, but it was comfortable and elegant. The inner quarters had three bedchambers. The room arranged for Xu Xinyao happened to be across the courtyard, directly opposite.

 

Earlier, there had been faint but unusual noises outside, soft yet persistent, and Xu Xinyao who hadn’t managed to fall asleep, couldn’t help getting up to take a look.

 

He saw the small courtyard, which had been utterly quiet, suddenly filled with five or six servants moving about in a rush. What made it even stranger was that these servants were carrying large buckets of hot water back and forth, yet their steps were so light they were almost soundless.

 

His Xu family was the wealthiest in Linjing. Their servants, if not the best of the best, were at least thoroughly trained. Even so, the sight before him sent a chill through Xu Xinyao. 

 

He watched for a while, but was unable to discern anything. Then his heart skipped a beat, and he looked towards the other bedchamber.

 

That room was supposed to belong to Zhao Chufeng.

 

Yet even though it was still early, that room had never been lit. He didn’t know whether the person inside was asleep or simply not there.

 

Xu Xinyao hid in the shadows under the eaves when no one was paying attention. After the servants carried out the used water and a short while passed, Zhao Chufeng suddenly stepped out from that very room. He took a few steps, then looked straight towards Xu Xinyao’s hiding place. That gaze was like a blade, slicing through the darkness.

 

With Yan Yihuan refusing to see him earlier, his voice unsteady, and everything Xu Xinyao had just witnessed linked together, he couldn’t be clearer about what had happened inside that room. Shocked and ready to confront him, he suddenly found himself somewhat afraid of Zhao Chufeng standing before him.

 

But on second thought, he was the one formally betrothed to Yan Yihuan. No matter who the other person was, he had every right to question him!

 

“Did you just come out of Yihuan’s room?”

 

Li Xuanming sized Xu Xinyao up and down, as if only now remembering to see what this person actually looked like. Then, he turned and walked away as if he didn’t exist. 

 

This man was merely a minor official from the Censorate, and no matter how low their standing, even merchants shouldn’t be looked down on so blatantly.

 

Xu Xinyao glanced again at Yan Yihuan’s tightly shut door, and anger surged through him. The man had shown no intention of hiding anything, as if he were deliberately letting him see!

 

“Stop!” Xu Xinyao strode forward, but a flash of cold light suddenly appeared before him. A sword had been drawn and raised right in front of his eyes. Startled, he let out a low shout and stumbled back several steps.

 

The door behind him creaked open. Yan Yihuan, barefoot and flustered, stood at the entrance, staring in shock at the scene in the courtyard. His voice trembled as he asked,

 

“What’s going on?”

 

He hadn’t even had time to put on a robe. Fresh from his bath, his skin was pale with a faint flush, and the fresh marks along his neck were starkly visible, trailing down from his collar like petals of red plum blossoms stabbing straight into Xu Xinyao’s eyes.

 

Xu Xinyao’s eyes widened. His breath caught. A lump of air stuck in his chest as his trembling hand pointed at Yan Yihuan, yet he couldn’t force out a single word.

 

Li Xuanming had been ready to turn and leave, but when he saw how Yan Yihuan rushed out the moment he heard Xu Xinyao’s voice, still warm from his bath and standing barefoot in the cold wind, his anger only grew,

 

“Li Jiang, take him inside!”

 

The sudden, unprecedented shout made Yan Yihuan flinch. He looked at Li Xuanming with an expression full of grievance and disbelief.

 

Yan Yihuan truly did not dare defy the order, but Han Zhen’s blade was less than half a foot from Xu Xinyao. If his wrist slipped even a little, Xu Xinyao would die on the spot.

 

He did not know how the two ended up facing off in the blink of an eye, but if the emperor wanted someone dead, it did not matter if they were a commoner or a high-ranking minister. A single word could end a life. How could this be tolerated?

 

Yan Yihuan pushed away Li Jiang, who had been trying to pull him back, and instead took two steps forward, panic showing in his eyes.

 

“Your Maj… Lord Zhao, how can you raise a weapon against Big Brother Xu?”

 

The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of bone-deep cold washed over him. His teeth began to chatter, and the chill did not come only from the night air. Most of it came from the emperor’s gaze on him.

 

And when those eyes swept over Xu Xinyao, they grew even darker. Yan Yihuan swayed a little, sensing danger unlike anything he had ever felt.

 

“Grand Historian Yan.” Li Jiang grabbed his arm again and spoke in a low voice, “You should go back. Can’t you see that the more you try to persuade His Majesty, the angrier he becomes?”

 

Yan Yihuan grew flustered in his panic. Only when Li Jiang reminded him did he snap back to his senses. His lips moved a few times, but in the end he dared not say another word and allowed Li Jiang to escort him back inside.

 

Seeing him obey Zhao Chufeng so readily, Xu Xinyao felt both anxious and furious, yet he did not dare move an inch. His eyes stayed fixed on the sword glinting with a cold light, terrified it would swing toward him at any moment.

 

“Zhao Chufeng, so what if you are an official. This is the capital under the emperor’s rule. You cannot kill as you please!”

 

Although Xu Xinyao’s words seemed full of outrage, his bloodless face and shaking voice gave him away. The quieter and more ominous Zhao Chufeng became, the more frightened he was.

 

“Tell him to put the sword away. Whatever happened between you and Yihuan, I…” Sweat beaded on Xu Xinyao’s forehead in large drops. His clenched jaw ached from how hard he was grinding his teeth. “I can overlook it.”

 

“Oh? You can overlook it?” Li Xuanming let out a cold laugh, as if he had heard a joke. He did not even spare a glance at Xu Xinyao, who was full of anger yet shaking like a leaf.

 

“Han Zhen.”

 

Han Zhen lowered his eyes and moved the sword along Xu Xinyao’s neck before sheathing it, making Xu Xinyao scream in fright. 

 

Xu Xinyao remained frozen in a defensive stance for a long moment. That instant had truly terrified him, and his scream caused Yan Yihuan’s door to stir. Li Jiang must have stopped him from coming out, for Yan Yihuan did not appear.

 

At this time of year, the night wind was warmer, but it still made Xu Xinyao shiver as it hit his sweat-soaked body. Realizing Zhao Chufeng had no real intention of killing him, Xu Xinyao forced himself to calm down. His heart still pounded like a drum, but at least he could manage to stand more steadily.

 

Li Xuanming ignored Xu Xinyao entirely and said to Shen Zhaoquan, who had been standing nearby, “Keep an eye on him.”

 

“Yes.” Shen Zhaoquan understood he was to stay behind and stepped back a few paces.

 

Xu Xinyao stared blankly at the scene. He couldn’t believe how arrogant this low-ranking official was. He also realized that Zhao Chufeng had never once taken him seriously.

 

Especially when he thought of the unsightly marks on Yan Yihuan’s body, he felt his blood boil,

 

“You, stop right there!”

 

“Young Master Xu, please stop.”

 

Xu Xinyao tried to push past Shen Zhaoquan, but even though he used almost all his strength, the man’s arm did not budge an inch.

 

“Young Master Xu, I advise you to return to the inn. If you insist on staying here, I cannot guarantee what might happen,” Shen Zhaoquan said. His expression was calm and kind, his tone respectful and flawless, yet there was no doubt he meant it.

 

Watching Zhao Chufeng disappear into the night, Xu Xinyao realized this servant was also no ordinary person.

 

“What’s your master’s real status!”