Chapter 35: Things Are Different From the Previous Life

Li Xubai felt utterly bewildered.

He could not fathom it. The Lulutong Carriage and Horse Agency had no back exit, and the front courtyard was sealed off tight by the Imperial Guard. Given Gu Shiyan’s frail constitution, it was clearly impossible for her to scale walls or climb trees.

Where, then, could they have gone?

It was a tiny courtyard; you could hardly hide your head without exposing your rear. How had they managed to evade the Imperial Guard’s inch-by-inch search?

Not until the agency closed for the evening, and Li Xubai helped the staff put up the door panels and set the locks, did he manage to figure out where Gu Shiyan had taken the two of them.

Facing the gentle evening breeze, Li Xubai walked to the highest point of the State Bridge. The two-story building was dark and silent, appearing desolate from afar.

Li Xubai paused for a moment. Suddenly, frowning, he descended the bridge and circled back to the agency’s rear courtyard.

He took two running steps, leaped into the air, and cleared the ten-foot wall as if it were a low stack of firewood, landing nimbly on the other side. He pondered for a moment in the yard, then suddenly shoveled aside the mountain of fodder piled in the horse trough.

Gu Shiyan and the child emerged instantly, gasping for air.

"You really weren't afraid of suffocating," Li Xubai said, his face pale with fright as he hurriedly pulled them out. "It’s a good thing this trough is deep, otherwise you two wouldn't have been able to hide."

Gu Shiyan held the child firmly in her arms, shielding his face from Li Xubai. Her own face was streaked with grime, and she glared at Li Xubai with wary eyes. "Why did you come back?"

"..." Li Xubai touched his neck, feeling baffled. "If you were so afraid I’d report you, you shouldn't have called me earlier. Now you’re looking at me like you want to kill me—what’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to silence me?"

"I was crying from hunger, and Seventh Sister had no choice but to call you," the child said, peeking out from Gu Shiyan's embrace with a crisp voice.

Gu Shiyan hurriedly pushed the child’s head back down. All her previous arrogance and willfulness were gone; instead, she pleaded in a trembling, low voice, "We—we are leaving now. You... just pretend you never saw us."

Li Xubai neither agreed nor refused, standing in silence.

Gu Shiyan picked up the child and had taken only two steps when Li Xubai called out to her.

"The Imperial Guard is everywhere outside, the city gates are locked, and the Gu estate is sealed. With her in your arms, where can you go?" For some reason, Li Xubai felt a sudden pang of pity for this young girl with the fierce temper. Perhaps it was because he had heard so much about Gu Qingzhi being the model for all scholars under heaven, and he could not bear to see his bloodline cut off. Or perhaps it was because of the sudden collapse he had witnessed in Song Shiyu, making him feel that if he didn't reach out a hand, he wouldn't be able to live with his own conscience.

Gu Shiyan’s footsteps faltered. In the dim, dark night, the road ahead was lost in uncertainty.

"Seventh Sister, I'm scared," the child whispered, clutching Gu Shiyan’s neck in terror.

Gu Shiyan patted him, comforting him in a low voice: "Don't be afraid, Ninth Brother. Seventh Sister is here."

The city gates of Bianliang closed at the hour of the dog, though there was no curfew within the city. However, the Inspection Bureau had set up roadblocks, and patrols would stop and question any suspicious vehicles or people.

A donkey cart loaded with fodder moved slowly through the alleyways.

"Stop!" a patrolman from the Inspection Bureau shouted suddenly, cutting off the cart.

Li Xubai jumped down in a hurry, bowing and scraping as he asked, "Officer, this cart is just fodder. Usually, you don’t check it; what’s happening today?"

The patrolman eyed Li Xubai, subjected him to a round of questioning, and then said, "Two fugitives escaped from the Gu estate. Don't you see the Imperial Guard searching all of Bianliang for them?"

Li Xubai shivered. "This... Officer, my cart is so small, it couldn't possibly hold any fugitives, could it?"

The patrolman looked at the cart, which was only big enough for one person to lie down in, especially with it piled high with fodder. He jabbed his blade into the fodder a few times, and seeing that the blade came out clean, he sighed in relief. He then tried to intimidate Li Xubai: "Things are chaotic in the city these past few days. Don't go out after dark. If you get hauled into the Inspection Bureau as a suspect, don't come crying to me."

"Yes, yes. Thank you for the advice, Officer. Thank you for the advice." Li Xubai drove off, feigning deep gratitude.

The donkey cart entered Banyan Alley and slipped into the courtyard under the cover of night, without alerting the neighbors.

Li Xuzhang and Li Yunnuan were waiting in the yard.

"Second Brother, why are you back so late today?"

"Sister-in-law is back, but she went straight to her room upon returning. She didn't even have dinner."

"The Imperial Guard came today and searched our house from top to bottom. What are they looking for?"

Li Xubai looked deeply at Song Shiyu’s room and said to Li Xuzhang and Li Yunnuan: "You two go back to your rooms. No matter what sounds you hear, do not come out."

The two looked at each other. Although they did not understand what Li Xubai meant, their second brother had undergone a complete personality change these past few days, showing the burgeoning authority of a head of the household. They dared not disobey him. They went back to their rooms obediently and blew out the candles.

"Alright, come down," Li Xubai said, driving the cart to a corner of the yard and whispering toward the underside of the vehicle.

He reached out his hands to catch the two people from beneath the cart.

Only then did Gu Shiyan dare to release her grip from the crevices of the cart. She finally felt the sharp pain in her hands; looking down, she saw that the nails on all ten of her fingers had been torn off, leaving them bleeding profusely.

Li Xubai gasped and hurriedly untied the child from Gu Shiyan.

"Go to the middle room. Don't light any lamps. I’ll bring you some food in a moment," Li Xubai said, keeping his voice extremely low.

Gu Shiyan hugged the child and slipped along the wall into the room.

At the same time, Li Xubai walked toward Song Shiyu’s door with heavy, deliberate footsteps to mask the sounds in the yard.

"Open the door. I have something to say to you," Li Xubai said through the door, his tone unfriendly.

There was a moment of silence inside. The candlelight that had been burning suddenly went out, only to be lit again a moment later. It seemed the person inside had struggled with the idea before finally relenting.

The door creaked open, leaving a narrow gap.

Song Shiyu stood inside. She did not intend to let Li Xubai in and asked with deep wariness: "Whatever you have to say, say it here."

Li Xubai tilted his head and frowned. "Are you sure?"

Song Shiyu’s brows twitched, and she stepped aside to let him in. In the lamplight, Song Shiyu’s face was pale, her eye sockets sunken, and the bloodshot veins in her eyes were starkly visible. She looked utterly haggard.

Li Xubai tapped his fingers on the table. "Shopkeeper Su said today that Lü Yijian’s son, Lü Yunting, has been appointed as the Grand Tutor."

Song Shiyu had already heard the news. Even though events were not unfolding exactly as they had in her previous life, the resurgence of the Lü family was imminent, so she hadn't exactly deceived Xiong Tianqiang. She said calmly, "Since when did you start caring about court affairs, Second Brother?"

Li Xubai leaned in slightly. "Shopkeeper Su also said that while rumors in the streets suggested Lü Yijian would be re-employed as Grand Tutor, the Emperor has now appointed his son instead. That means the entire Gu family is likely beyond salvation."

Song Shiyu bit her teeth together hard. After hearing the news, she had already anticipated this outcome.

Li Xubai narrowed his eyes. "The position of Grand Tutor is a sinecure, holding no real power. It’s just a prestigious title. If the Emperor had appointed Lü Yijian, given his past influence and pull in the court, he might have been able to save the Gu family, even with a nominal title. But now, Lü Yunting doesn't have that capability."

"Did Shopkeeper Su tell you that, too?" Song Shiyu asked.

"You went to the Chengfeng Gambling House today, but judging by your state of mind, you didn't achieve your goal, did you?" Li Xubai had no interest in the power struggles of these ancient officials, but that didn't prevent him from having basic political sensitivity.

Hearing this, Song Shiyu’s expression darkened even further.