"Uh...Ooh!"

In a quiet corner of the courier station, Zhao Pingchuan, propping himself with his left hand on the wall, bent from the waist and vomited, his face terrifyingly pale.

"What happened to Commander Zhao? Why is he barfing so badly?"

Many palace guards observed Zhao Pingchuan walk to the corner and, distantly, saw him throwing up so terribly like he would puke his guts out. All of them felt very surprised.

A bodyguard of Yuwen Tong's walked out, contemptuously gave a sneer, and walked up to him while saying, "Commander Zhao, do you want a pill? Our medic made it by a secret formula. It's a very effective treatment for vomiting."

However, on hearing the voice of this man, Zhao Pingchuan vomited even worse.

Those palace guards were speechless with astonishment.

'What's going on?' they wondered.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, who happened to be standing by a window of a room on the second floor of the courier station, saw what was taking place down there.

"Didn't Commander Zhao go to the room to bear witness to the interrogation? What happened to him? Did he eat bad food and upset his stomach?"

Yuwen Tong replied, "He probably just exposed himself to something too scary."

"Something too scary?" Ling Zhang was surprised. "Did Xie Shi interrogate the assassin in a... scary way? Is it really scary enough to cause a man to throw up for so long?"

In fact, Ling Zhang had wanted to use the word "cruel" or "gory", but after a brief moment's thinking, he felt that it was somewhat inappropriate to use either of the two words to describe it.

"A living assassin will be of more use to us than a dead one. Should we go easier on him?" Ling Zhang continued.

Yao Yi broke in, "Rest assured, Childe Ling, Xie Shi knows very well where the limit is and he never tortures anybody to death. Actually the assassin might not even have lost a single drop of his blood."

'Not even having lost a single drop of his blood? Then what was it that could possibly have been so scary as to cause Zhao Pingchuan to vomit so badly?' Ling Zhang wondered.

"Zhao Pingchuan gets scared too easily," observed Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang inclined his head approvingly, believing that this was probably the real reason. 'Who would have thought that he appears a tough hombre but is actually so cowardly?'

"If only that assassin were also as much of a coward as Zhao Pingchuan is. He would have made a full confession some time ago provided that were the case."

Yao Yi gave a soft cough but made no response.

Yuwen Tong twisted his head around, flicked a glance at him and warned him in a cold tone of voice, "Go and see if Xie Shi has got anything."

"Yes, Marshal." That glance sent chills down Yao Yi's spine and he hurriedly left.

Downstairs, Zhao Pingchuan had already walked out of the corner. Although he was no longer vomiting, he seemed to have been drained of energy and was in a state of prostration, his face so pale that people worried he might pass out at any moment.

"Commander Zhao, how about you go back to your room and have some rest? We'll get a physician here to offer you medical treatment." The bodyguard who had offered to give Zhao Pingchuan a pill a while ago walked up to him.

On seeing him, Zhao Pingchuan subconsciously took a step backward, as if he caught sight of something horrifying.

After this backward step, Zhao Pingchuan came to realize what was going on. His face immediately darkened. "I don't need any physicians. Marshal Yuwen's means of interrogation widened my knowledge today. He's indeed admirable."

The bodyguard replied, "It's very kind of you to say that, Commander Zhao, but actually I feel relieved for you –fortunately that assassin didn't rat you out."

"What's this supposed to mean?" Zhao Pingchuan clenched his fists.

The bodyguard stared fixedly at him. "I think you know exactly what I mean, Commander Zhao."

Zhao Pingchuan responded through gritted his teeth slowly stressing each syllable, "I do not know!"

The bodyguard shrugged his shoulders, turned around and left, a porcelain bottle in his hand, which he had originally meant to give Zhao Pingchuan. 'Since Zhao Pingchuan is so insistent on playing tough, saying he doesn't need any pills, why should I waste my pills?'

Eyes wide with anger, Zhao Pingchuan watched the bodyguard walk far away and heaved a sigh of relief, but with that his face went sullen.

A lot of people were standing nearby looking on. These people had seen it all when he had been vomiting in an undignified way!

"What are you looking at?! Go back to your rooms!" Zhao Pingchuan thundered at his subordinates. Deterred by Zhao Pingchuan, all palace guards obediently followed the order.

But Yuwen Tong's bodyguards and those family security guards brought here by Ling Zhang showed a total disregard for his anger and were still staring at him.

Zhao Pingchuan's face turned livid with rage but there was nothing he could do about it. Having no alternative, he indignantly strode back to his room to change clothes.

"It seems that Guard Xie's interrogation of that assassin scared that Zhao Pingchuan guy really bad. I wonder what kind of methods Guard Xie adopted," said Qiu Bing, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Wang Dashan flicked a warning glance at him. "Be smart. Stay away from the interrogation room."

"Elder Brother Wang, I'm just curious. I won't go there or make any trouble," responded Qiu Bing.

"I know you and your little tricks too well to believe this." Wang Dashan gave him a dirty look.

Upstairs.

"The assassin made a confession. It was the Ninth Princess who ordered the assassination."

After saying this, Yao Yi hung his head and didn't dare to look at the face of Yuwen Tong or Ling Zhang.

"The Ninth Princess?" said Ling Zhang slowly, his face impassive. "The one that the emperor intends to marry to you?"

But Yuwen Tong shook his head. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Ling Zhang looked at him with a disbelieving expression in his eyes.

Yuwen Tong explained in a resigned tone of voice. "The emperor's idea of marrying a princess to me is currently just an idea. There are many princesses in the imperial family and I don't have any acquaintance with any of them. Who knows which princess the emperor plans to use?"

"Then why did the Ninth Princess try to have me assassinated?" Ling Zhang was puzzled. After a few moments' thinking, he asked, "Is it possible that she's the one the emperor has chosen?"

Yuwen Tong replied, "It's inadvisable to draw a conclusion after merely hearing the one-sided story of the assassin. I'll have some men conduct an inquiry into it. To be on the safe side, I suggest you share a table and a bed with me until we reach the capital city."

"I'm okay with sharing a table, but I think I'll pass on sharing a bed." Ling Zhang's face immediately darkened. "Although I'm a male, my identity is different now. Besides..."

Ling Zhang tossed an apathetic glance at Yuwen Tong. He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning of it had been made very clear.

He was very angry at the moment. 'Yuwen Tong should count himself extremely lucky not to have to face my anger, yet he dared to have the fond hope of me sharing a bed with him? What a nerve.'

Yuwen Tong was reduced to an embarrassed silence.

"Childe Ling, Marshal is innocent." Yao Yi hurriedly interceded on behalf of his marshal.

However, this remark sent Yuwen Tong even more embarrassed. He instructed Yao Yi, "That's enough. Leave us. Tell Xie Shi to keep a close watch on that assassin. If there's anybody else secretly having their eye on us, they would almost certainly take another action to make sure the assassin doesn't make it to the capital city alive. Figure out a way to safely escort him to the capital city."

Yao Yi nodded. "I'll go and consult with Xie Shi about it right away."

The moment Yao Yi left, Yuwen Tong said, "No matter to what end did the Ninth Princess resort to this, I'll ascertain the facts and give you an explanation you deem acceptable."

"She's a princess. What could you possibly do about this?" Ling Zhang looked at him.

"Well, the Sixth Prince is a prince, yet I've successfully got him condemned to lifelong house arrest, haven't I?" replied Yuwen Tong.

He made this remark in a bland tone of voice, but if anybody else had heard it, they would definitely be deeply shocked.

However...

Ling Zhang was aware that Yuwen Tong was indeed capable of doing this. Besides, when he arrived in the capital city, he would almost undoubtedly be faced with restrictions in various aspects, so he might as well leave this to Yuwen Tong.

It had been a long hectic night. Originally, Ling Zhang had planned to read the letter given to him by his uncle after returning to the courier station on this night, but it had never crossed his mind that there would be an assassination. And now it was almost daybreak.

"Go and get some sleep. Today we'll stay in this courier station and rest. We depart tomorrow," said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang shook his head. "Let's just depart in the afternoon. Try not to let news of this incident spread to Tanyang. I don't want my family worrying about me."

This would be very difficult. The night before, there were many visitors in the herbal garden, so it wouldn't be easy to have all of them keep their mouths shut, but Yuwen Tong told them that it was him who had been attacked by some assassins, so they were unaware that the actual target of the assassination had been Ling Zhang.

Thinking about this, Yuwen Tong immediately agreed. "Then we'll depart in the afternoon."

'Departing earlier has its compensations. If by any chance Uncle Ling and others hear about this and change their minds asking Ling Zhang to go back home, things would get really tricky,' he thought.

Ling Zhang had no idea what Yuwen Tong was thinking about. Unlike Yuwen Tong, he didn't have powerful internal energy, so he was indeed very tired.

After returning to his room, Ling Zhang casually changed clothes and went to bed.

It was not that he did not want to read the letter but that...

"Young Master, please get some sleep. We'll be here on watch."

Xia Feng was standing right at his bedside. Wang Dashan and other security guards were outside the room. Even Li Sicai and Wang Qing, who had been terribly scared, refused to leave and insisted on staying outside the room. There were people both in and outside the room.

'How am I supposed to read the letter with all these people present?'

Ling Zhang resignedly raised his hand and kneaded his brow. 'It is true what they say, 'Man proposes, God disposes."

"Young Master, are you suffering from headaches? I'll send for a physician right now." Xia Feng immediately went nervous.

"No. There's no need for that. I'm just tired. I'll be okay after a sleep," Ling Zhang hurriedly replied.

"Then please lie down and sleep, Young Master."

Ling Zhang lay down, put his hand on his chest where the letter was, and said to Xia Feng, "Go there and take a seat. I can't sleep with you standing here."

Thinking that he could still keep a watch on the bed from that position, Xia Feng obeyed.

Ling Zhang softly let out a sigh. Apart from anything else, he was indeed exhausted, so before long, he drifted off to sleep.

Shortly after Ling Zhang fell asleep, something else occurred in the courier station. The captured assassin bit off his tongue and committed suicide.

Yuwen Tong flew into a temper and hurled a torrent of rebuke at Xie Shi and others who had been responsible for guarding the assassin. Even Zhao Pingchuan fell victim to Yuwen Tong's rage. He didn't even dare to raise his head while being reprimanded.

The whole courier station was shrouded in a subdued mood. Nobody dared to utter a single word. All people were trying to make themselves scarce for fear of further angering Yuwen Tong.

Zhao Pingchuan heaved a sigh of relief after returning to his own room.

In another room, Zhang Xi was also secretly relieved.

"Gonggong, that assassin is dead. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?" queried the young eunuch.

"Of course it's a good thing. Yuwen Tong refuses to disclose a single word about the result of the interrogation. Whether he really got anything or is just bluffing is still unknown. The man's death was a favorable turn of events. His Majesty has got more room for maneuver," observed Zhang Xi.

The young eunuch inclined his head, as if suggesting that he had learned something from the old eunuch.

"Guide me to my bed. We're going to depart in the afternoon, yet I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. I'm at my advanced age. This sleep deprivation could have killed me."

The young eunuch hurriedly guided Zhang Xi to his bed and helped him lie down. "Gonggong, your physical condition is far better than mine. You're not old at all."

...

"Is it done?" asked Yuwen Tong calmly, who was in the largest and the most comfortable room of the courier station. On his face, there was no trace whatsoever of the fury that he had been showing a while ago.

Yao Yi standing on the side replied, "It's done. They've already departed."

"Tell them to be careful and not to let his death become the truth."

"I've already exhorted them. They'll be cautious."

After a few moments, Yao Yi asked, "Marshal, did Childe Ling get angry with you just now?"

Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at him. "For your own sake, I suggest all of you be on your best behavior and figure out a way to get him brighten up during the next few days."

'We figure out a way to brighten Childe Ling up?' Yao Yi widened his eyes. "Marshal, wouldn't it be better if you do this yourself?"

Yuwen Tong responded, "I don't really need you to remind me about this. Just concentrate your efforts on making him happy."

Yao Yi had no choice but to answer, "Yes, Marshal." However, in his mind, he was muttering to himself. 'I've never done this kind of thing before. What should I do to cheer Childe Ling up?' Thinking about this, he hurriedly went outside to consult with Zhang Liu and others.

After hearing this, Zhang Liu and some others looked at each other, at a loss for words.

"What do we need to do to make Childe Ling happy?"

"This is tricky."

"Tricky how? All we need to do is cheer Childe Ling up."

"This is exactly why we always say you're stupid. This task of making Childe Ling happy needs to be performed in moderation. If we make Childe Ling too happy, all his attention will be drawn to us. In that case, the Marshal will definitely get angry once again!"

"Then what do you suggest we should do?"

"How about we go and ask Wang Dashan and his men for advice?"

Wang Dashan and a couple of others were on guard duty outside the room of Ling Zhang when Yao Yi suddenly came into sight, beckoned to them and said in a lowered voice, "Come here."

Wang Dashan walked over and asked him, "Guard Yao, what's the matter?"

Yao Yi drew him a few paces further away from the others and replied, "Childe Ling is still asleep?"

Wang Dashan tossed a glance at his hand which was still being held by Yao Yi.

Yao Yi hurriedly released his hand and gave an apologetic giggle, "Sorry. Please don't take me wrong."

Wang Dashan was thrown into speechlessness.

'I just asked you to release my hand. What could I possibly have misunderstood?'

In a resigned tone of voice, he said, "Our young master is still asleep. Is there anything particular that the Marshal wants to see our young master about?"

Yao Yi replied, "Not really. It's my intention of consulting with you about something that brings me here."

Wang Dashan was rather surprised, "What is it? Does it have anything to do with the assassin?"

Yao Yi shook his head. "No. It's..." He gave an unnatural cough and continued, "Do you know how to make Childe Ling happy?"

Wang Dashan's eyes dilated with astonishment goggling at him. "Guard Yao, how dare you attempt to poach from the Marshal?"

Yao Yi was sent into embarrassment and hastily gestured for him to lower his voice, "What are you talking about? The Marshal will have me beheaded if this reaches his ears!"

Wang Dashan also felt somewhat awkward. He had just blurted that out in a jolt of dismay. "Then why did you take it into your head to win my young master's favor?"

Yao Yi answered in a deep tone of voice, "It's for the sake of Childe Ling that I'm doing this."

Wang Dashan looked at him in puzzlement. 'For the sake of young master?'

Yao Yi observed, "The attempted assassination must have scared Childe Ling pretty bad. We can even see it on his face. It's just that we want to know if there's anything we can do to cheer Childe Ling up."

Wang Dashan gave a bob of his head. "We are not as considerate as you are. This never crossed the mind of any of us."

Yao Yi patted Wang Dashan on the shoulder. "You're too young to be blamed for it."

Wang Dashan, who was no younger than Yao Yi, fell speechless with embarrassment.

"In the past, every time our young master feels depressed, our second mistress will cook him dishes that she's best at cooking, and young master always cheers up after enjoying them."

Yao Yi raised his head and pondered for a while. "Is there an alternative?"

'The level of difficulty of this method is too high. Surely we can't just return to Tanyang and take Second Mistress Ling here?'

"Sometimes, when our young master feels a bit down, he would play with our second young master and Ada. We can always hear his laughter when he is with them."

Once again, Yao Yi responded in resignation, "I'm afraid I'll have to pass on this one as well. Hey, bro, it's not that I'm being picky, but neither of these two is an option for us. Childe Ling is now away from Tanyang."

Wang Dashan looked at him with a deeply meaningful expression in his eyes and remarked, "As far as I could tell, our young master is actually pretty happy when he's with the Marshal."

Yao Yi was delighted to hear this, but soon something occurred to him and with that his face darkened again. 'This one is not doable either. The reason why the Marshal wants us to cheer Childe Ling up must be that it's not very convenient for him to do it himself. Thinking about this, Yao Yi frowned and said, "Is there by any chance another way? For instance, Childe Ling's favorite food, what he likes to watch the most, what he likes to listen to the most, etc. Whatever and wherever it is, we'll figure out a way to bring it to Childe Ling."

Wang Dashan looked at him with a resigned expression on his face. 'Did I not tell you that our young master likes dishes cooked by our second mistress, likes to watch Childe Maomao playing with Ada and also likes hearing the Marshal say...' Thinking of this, Wang Dashan secretly gave a cough.

Wang Dashan stopped deliberately making impracticable suggestions, which had put Yao Yi in an awkward situation. "Our young master likes Ada pretty much, which he was unable to take with him on this journey to the capital city. Though he didn't say anything, I could tell that he feels somewhat regretful. So maybe you could try get him a puppy?"

Yao Yi's eyes lit up. "Thanks, bro!"

After saying this, he left like the wind.