Volume Two: The Great and the Small, Chapter 76: Overnight (Part Two)

It was the fourth watch, and the long night was already halfway through. Yet, in the study at the back of the Yang residence, the lights remained bright.

Yang Tinghe, the Grand Secretary, exhausted from a day of managing state affairs, felt not a hint of sleepiness. He looked at his eldest son, Yang Shen, kneeling before him; his eyes held nothing but fatigue and a profound sense of disappointment.

After a long silence and a steady gaze, he finally spoke: "What did I instruct you and your brother on New Year's Eve?"

Yang Shen’s body trembled slightly before he replied, "You told me to focus on my work at the Hanlin Academy, compiling the Veritable Records of the late Emperor, and told my younger brother to stay home and prepare for his examinations..."

"Then how did you end up causing such a disaster? And to keep it from me! Do you still regard me as your father? Do you still respect the laws of our Great Ming?"

"Father, please calm your anger. It was my own impulsive decision... But Yongcheng (Yang Dun) had already taken the wrong first step, and I had no choice but to save him..."

"Absurd!" Yang Tinghe’s face shifted into a mask of fury. "You call this saving him? You are clearly destroying him! Do you think sending him back to Sichuan will make this go away?"

"Do you know what kind of calamity you have invited? You orchestrated the kidnapping of children from the family of the Duke of Dingguo, the Xu family, only to use it as a pretext to strike at Huang Ming, yet you were outmaneuvered by him."

"And then, to cover up that mistake, you had someone assassinate Zhu Yuntong of the Jinxiu Association! Do you have any idea how many interests and relationships are tied to Zhu Yuntong? His death will bring ruin upon countless silk merchants in Sichuan."

"You think you are sacrificing a limb to save the body, but in truth, you are falling upon your own sword!"

"Furthermore, do you think the imperial court will simply let this rest? Such a murder in the capital, committed right under the noses of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—even I would not dare to suppress the consequences!"

Facing his father’s relentless reprimands, Yang Shen could only bow his head and acknowledge his faults, admitting that his judgment had been flawed and that he would bear the consequences himself.

"You bear them? Can you carry this burden? You are but a compiler at the Hanlin Academy; you have no such standing. They will inevitably aim their arrows at me, Yang Tinghe!"

Yang Tinghe sighed, his face etched with disappointment. "Yongxiu, oh Yongxiu, you were always so steady and clever. How did you become so reckless this time, acting without a single thought for the consequences?"

At this, his expression suddenly shifted. "Unless there is a hidden motive!"

"Speak! What is the real reason behind this? It cannot simply be a personal grudge between Yongcheng and Huang Ming that would cause him to lose all sense of proportion!"

This question made Yang Shen tremble again. He realized that his lack of experience meant he could never hide the truth from his father. But the matter was so vast, and the stakes so high, that he dared not speak.

"Speak! Or I shall invoke the family discipline!"

Yang Tinghe immediately sensed his son’s hesitation. His expression grew even darker, and his eyes locked onto him. "Raise your head and look at me when you answer!"

Yang Shen dared not defy him. He slowly lifted his head, meeting his father’s piercing gaze—a look that seemed capable of seeing through everything. He shuddered violently. "I..." There were some things he truly dared not utter.

Just as Yang Tinghe was about to press him further, a soft knock sounded at the study door. "Master..."

Yang Tinghe’s expression flickered. At this hour, the only person who would dare disturb him was his most trusted old steward. If he were knocking now, it could only mean a major crisis.

The Grand Secretary paused to steady himself and softened his tone. "What is it?"

"Zhu Chen, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is at the gate. He requests an audience, claiming he has an urgent matter to report."

Yang Tinghe was taken aback. He glanced at his kneeling son and said, "Stay here and think. When you have truly reflected, tell me the truth. Have the Commander wait in the parlor; I will change and meet him shortly."

Given Zhu Chen’s position, his arrival at such an hour meant something grave had occurred—something requiring a private audience. Yang Tinghe knew he could not afford to delay.

Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Yang Tinghe met the visibly restless Zhu Chen.

Upon seeing the Grand Secretary, Zhu Chen immediately rose to pay his respects. "Grand Secretary, please forgive my intrusion at this late hour. There is a matter I must disclose to you so that you may decide how to proceed."

Yang Tinghe, shedding the frustration he showed his son, sat with the composure of a mountain. He wore a calm, unreadable smile. "Sit, Commander Zhu. Please, sit and speak."

"Thank you, Grand Secretary." Zhu Chen was clearly anxious and skipped the pleasantries. Once seated, he continued, "This matter concerns your son... er, Yang Dun, Yang Yongcheng."

Yang Tinghe’s face remained impassive, though his heart sank. "Is that so? Has that unfilial son of mine caused more trouble?"

"Grand Secretary, your days are filled with the affairs of the state; you are likely unaware that several cases occurred in Beijing today. First, Zhu Yuntong of the Jinxiu Association was murdered. It happened right before the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers who had come to arrest him."

"After the assassin was captured, he... he confessed directly. He claimed to be acting under the orders of your second son. He owed your son a life, and he was paying it with his own."

Yang Tinghe’s eyes narrowed slightly. The implications were profound. An assassin who intended to die for his cause would not easily confess to being hired by Yang Dun. It was clear the Guard had used every method at their disposal to extract the truth.

Still, he remained calm. "And what else?"

"We also apprehended a candidate named Wang Mao, who has marital ties to the Duke of Dingguo’s household. He confessed that, at the request of your second son, he helped a pair of siblings from the Xu family reach the Shuiyue Nunnery outside the city. He scouted the details for them, which allowed them to kidnap the siblings, Xu Yunzhi and Xu Qingzhi."

"How are they now? Have they been rescued?" Yang Tinghe asked with forced concern.

"Grand Secretary, please rest assured, they have already been rescued by my men. I will be frank with you: the true target of those men was Huang Ming, the son of the palace eunuch Huang Jin. But Huang Ming is remarkably shrewd and managed to resolve the crisis himself."

"That is good. So, you are saying all these cases involve my unfilial son, and you have come to make an arrest?" As he spoke, his gaze locked firmly onto Zhu Chen’s face.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a man feared by the common folk as a living Yama, was visibly shaken. "No, I would not dare. My visit tonight is, in fact, to bring you a warning."

"There are those within the Guard who wish to pursue this to the very end. They have been watching your residence for some time, so they were aware the moment your second son left."

Yang Tinghe let out an 'Oh' of understanding. "So you have come to tip me off?"

"No, I merely wish to remind you, Grand Secretary, that the truth can no longer be hidden. You must act quickly. As for your second son, the Embroidered Uniform Guard certainly would not dare touch him, but he cannot go to his ancestral home in Xindu, Sichuan. He must find another place where no one can track him."

Yang Tinghe looked at the commander, deep in thought. It was only then that he realized the man had come to curry favor.