Lord Zi told me he usually lived at his grandpa's place in Luoyang and returned to the capital to visit his parents at New Year. His maternal family were ostensibly wealthy, allowing him to lead an even more luxurious life at his home in Luoyang than the imperial palace. He stayed at the capital for longer than scheduled owing to the Orange Prince's revolt. After that, his eldest sister returned to the capital (so he was my relative in a way…). His second sister was then supposed to marry (I was the groom…). As a consequence, he didn't get to spend much time with the Emperor and extended his visit.
After spending so long in the imperial palace, Lord Zi tried to relieve his boredom and left the palace daily to play. The other Princes were no longer around in the palace. He, however, was still young and usually resided elsewhere. As such, he was permitted to enter and leave the palace to his leisure. Jinling, being the large city it was, offered many places he could find entertainment. He spent his days immersed in leisure, almost spending his nights outside the palace. On one certain day, he witnessed a scene at a restaurant that haunted him henceforward.
Lord Zi enjoyed a banquet of more than a dozen dishes by himself on that fateful day and even ordered two pots of wine, believing it made him an adult. Alas, he couldn't triumph over his physiology; he nearly passed out after just one cup. Nevertheless, as the descendant of the dragon, defeat wasn't acceptable. Lord Zi proceeded to down half of the pot, resulting in him almost puking all over the floor. Not wanting to give others grief, the considerate kid held it in until he reached the toilet to unleash a storm from his mouth.
When Lord Zi finished throwing up, he realised his head was spinning so awfully he couldn't navigate his way back, nor did he know where he was. He walked into a random room and eventually succumbed to the alcohol in a chair. When he came to, he didn't have the foggiest idea as to where he was. As he went to get up, he overheard a conversation, consequently informing him he accidentally entered a booked room.
Lord Zi, being the righteous kid he was, intended to apologise but heard a man say, "Thank you for taking me in, My Lords. I have resigned from my duty as an official. His Majesty's entourage is investigating me. Had it not been thanks to Mr. Yang's foresight, I would have been apprehended tonight."
Lord Zi was wise enough to tell he was listening in to something important, since he heard the Emperor's entourage mentioned. It wasn't hard to realise an official the Emperor's entourage investigated couldn't be up to good. He, therefore, instinctively covered his mouth.
"You need not say any more," said an elder, in a composed voice. "Sir Lu, you have always shown this old one respect and taken care of him during your time managing Jinling and Jiangnan. How can this old one sit by and watch you suffer when you have contributed so much?"
Aforementioned Sir Lu was Lu Xiazou, who gratefully responded, "I offer you my heartfelt gratitude, Sir. To avoid exposing you both, I cannot reveal myself. Could I bother you to help organise me an opportunity for me to meet my elder brother? I will not be back for eight to ten years once I leave the Central Plains."
"Eight to ten years? That's too short," said Yang Lianhua, voice high-pitched enough to be mistaken for a woman and be spine-chilling. "I am from Beijiang. I don't know the rules on the Central Plains; however, in Beijiang, it's considered a blessing to die for committing a mistake, for the torture that comes before it is far worse. Even a man as masculine as I am feels intimidated. Lu Xiazou, you think your bribery case will blow over in a meagre few years?"
"How about twenty years, then?"
Yang Lianhua snickered instead of speaking.
"My wife, son and elder brother are here though…" Lu Xiazou cut himself off out of hesitation. Reluctant, he continued, "Fine. In that case, I only ask for the chance to see my wife, son and brother one more time. I shall never return to the Central Plains hereafter."
Despite making the biggest compromise he could make, Lu Xiazou failed to win over the two. The elder suddenly grinned: "Sir Lu, this old one didn't take you from His Majesty's entourage for you to one day turn around and place me in jeopardy."
Shocked and disturbed, Lu Xiaozou exclaimed, "S-Sir, how could you malign me? I did not take a single penny; I gave all of the money to you. I have carried out so many dirty deeds for your sake. How could y-"
"Xiazou, don't bring up dirty deeds, consciences and whatnot. I am merely taking the necessary steps," said the elder, with a calm smile. "Watching this ill nation brings this old one to tears. This old one is going to improve the status quo, but he needs a lot of money to achieve that. Due to his status, he has to rely on subordinates, unfortunately. You are not the first to earn for this old one and won't be the last one, either. You should feel honoured. You will not see tomorrow, but this old one will ensure you are on the first page of 'Monarch's Records'."
Lu Xiazou wasn't surprised to hear the elder's self-righteous speech; he heard them plenty of times before. However, he freaked out upon hearing "You will not see tomorrow…" Panic-stricken, he exclaimed, "What do you mean I will not see tomorrow? I am alive and well!"
"Hahaha, all those years as an official, yet I, another face in the pugilistic world, am more insightful than you are. Secrets are inevitably revealed no matter how long they are hidden for. The only way to permanently bury them is to ensure those who know are dead."
Realising his predicament, Lu Xiazou turned to leave. Lord Zi only managed to get a view of their feet from his angle. He heard Yang Lianhua laugh but didn't hear him attack. He did catch a glimpse of Lu Xiazou falling to the ground and the dark blood flowing onto the rug. He didn't know why Lu Xiazou was killed. Still, it was shocking to see them ruthlessly kill one of their own.
Judging from Yang Lianhua's ability to kill silently, I surmised he specialised in assassinations. Further, he had to either possess a sharp metal weapon or possess incredible internal strength to kill in one strike without making a sound. According to Lord Zi, Yang Lianhua wasn't armed, suggesting Yang Lianhua's style emphasised risky, yet technical, techniques and specialised in maintaining close-distance fights. Since he wasn't armed, he must've killed using his internal energy, thereby classifying him as an expert at both internal and external styles.
Lu Xiazou, on the verge of death, kept muttering, "Old… Old man… you betrayed me, so… I won't let you take it all… I've kept records… of penny you took… I'll be seeing you… on the other side… very soon…"
Lu Xiazou's threat scared the duo, as they didn't expect it. Furious, the elder stomped onto Lu Xiazou's face and cursed, "You are a sinner. You can forget being credited when this old one succeeds! Where did you hide the records?!"
"H-Haha, who gives a toss… about your credit… I've grown tired… of listening to your nonsense… I, at least, have the chance to get it off my chest… before I die… and watch you panic…"
Yang Lianhua pulled the elder back when the latter attempted to stop Lu Xiazou again. Wearing a stern expression, Yang Lianhua suggested, "Don't be rash. There are too many secrets surrounding you; if anything is exposed, it will implicate me. We need to find out where the record is first and foremost."
Life fading gradually, Lu Xiazou laughed: "It's too late… I'm out of time…"
Yang Lianhua knew Lu Xiazou wasn't bluffing, since the former struck a vital in his attempt to finish Lu Xiazou with a single blow.
Wearing a derisive smile, Lu Xiazou continued uttering, "Old man… your ideal… is just your wishful thinking… In reality… You're just nutz…"
Because the elder stomped somewhere on Lu Xiazou, something splattered. Disgusted with the smell of blood, Yang Lianhua covered his nose and walked off.
Because the Yang Lianhua's pronunciation of his last word coincided with Lord Zi's name and the eerie splatter, Lord Zi reactively cried out!
"Someone's here!" exclaimed Yang Lianhua.
The elder looked over his shoulder and brayed, "Who's there?!"
The elder and Lord Zi made eye contact; both of them saw each other's faces. Flustered, the elder brayed, "Stop right there!"
Aware he was in peril, Lord Zi leapt through the window. The seven or eight guards at the door grabbed their blades at their waists upon seeing him leap out. As he wasn't their match, Lord Zi mustered up every ounce of strength in him and charged through the thin wall of the neighbouring room. Blessed with herculean might, Lord Zi charged straight through it and leapt onto the main street from the second floor.
Yang Lianhua finally commanded, "Catch the rat!"
Fortunately for Lord Zi, he managed to pinch a horse and speed off before Yang Lianhua and company could see where he went.
I spent a while analysing everything I heard. Lu Xiazou… was Lu Shangfei's brother. I always thought the Lu brothers sounded as though they were the scapegoats in the story. Having heard Lu Xiazou bribed officials and more on behalf of the elder, I figured the elder also helped promote his business. I associated the elder's need for money and Feiyun Hall; Feiyun Hall could very well be one of his businesses. I never imagined Lord Zi ran into the mastermind I was hunting for.
"Sir Yang, this way please."
I immediately pressed my hand on Lord Zi's mouth upon hearing someone mention Sir Yang at the door. You know, the place sure seemed to be a one of a kind attraction. From what I could tell, the people outside didn't detect our presence. I suspected "Sir Yang" was Yang Lianhua. We heard a male try to speak with a female's high-pitched tone, as Sir Yang didn't bother lowering his volume.
"This place is filthy. Lu Shangfei, you should clean up."
Lord Zi and I were surprised, because it was an unthinkable coincidence for the man I was looking for to present himself to me.