Ning Chen narrowed his eyes a little.

The Fifth Prince?

A fine Fifth Prince he is. Buried deep indeed.

It is hard to imagine a man playing the fool for more than ten years.

Not one of the Xuan Emperor’s sons is a lamp that burns cheap oil.

Silence said suddenly, “Oh — my lord had me put men on the Sixth Prince’s house. Somebody did indeed call on the Sixth Prince today.”

Ning Chen looked at him. “The Right Chancellor?”

Silence blinked, then nodded. “Just so.”

Ning Chen gave a cold laugh. “Turning the flood aside first and then killing with a borrowed knife. Dirty work.”

“If I am not mistaken, a lot of evidence will point at the Sixth Prince after this… It seems he means to use my hand to get rid of the Sixth Prince.”

Silence said, “It seems my lord has already guessed who the man behind the Right Chancellor is.”

Ning Chen took the painting out of his robe and handed it to Silence. “The girl you sent to my house has woken. This was painted from her description.”

Silence took it and opened it, and his eyes narrowed to points. “The Fifth Prince?”

Ning Chen inclined his head slightly.

Silence said heavily, “I never imagined that of all the Great Xuan emperor’s sons, the one buried deepest would be this Fifth Prince.”

Ning Chen smiled coldly. “So it is. Who could have imagined that a simple, dull-witted, feeble-minded fool, harmless to man and beast, was putting it on — and had been putting it on for more than ten years.”

Silence said, “Is my lord going to move against the Fifth Prince?”

Ning Chen shook his head. “I can’t.”

“If my lord takes men and searches and seizes that house, and then has the woman we saved last night identify him on the spot — is that still not enough to move against the Fifth Prince?”

Ning Chen let out a breath. “To try to move against a prince on one woman’s word is a mayfly trying to shake a tree.”

“Everybody knows the Fifth Prince is an idiot. If a woman stands up and names him, what will people think?”

Silence thought about it. “That somebody put the woman up to it.”

Ning Chen inclined his head slightly. “To bring the Fifth Prince down, the false face has to come off him first… People have to be shown that he is no idiot.”

“Now that we know the man behind it is the Fifth Prince, having a target makes it easy enough.”

“Tomorrow I set out for the Wu Kingdom. That is an imperial edict and it cannot be put off… Once I have gone, put on more men. Watch the Fifth Prince and don’t let go.”

Silence nodded.

Ning Chen stood up to leave, and stopped again at the door.

“The girl says that every so often a lot of women are sent for the Fifth Prince’s pleasure, and when he has had enough of them he kills them and closes their mouths… Somebody is certain to send the Fifth Prince another lot of women soon.”

“Silence. Have them watched closely. The moment you see it, tell the Inspectorate quietly and have that house sealed.”

Silence hesitated a moment. “That would beat the grass and startle the snake.”

Ning Chen let out a breath. “It doesn’t matter. Those women are innocent… It will be two months at the least before I am back from the Wu Kingdom, and if I leave it alone there is no telling how many innocent women will die at that animal’s hands.”

Silence inclined his head slightly. “Good. I know what to do.”

Ning Chen came out by the back door of the Carefree Escort House and went to the inn where Zisu was.

Zisu’s face changed at the sight of Ning Chen. “What are you doing here?”

Ning Chen said, “Tomorrow I go as envoy to the Wu Kingdom. It isn’t safe here. I’ve come to take you home.”

Zisu’s fine brows drew together. “The man who sent the letter is nearly on the hook… I think he’ll be coming to me in the next few days.”

“There’s no need. I already know who the man behind him is.”

Zisu gave a start. “Who?”

“Don’t ask. Come home first.”

Zisu shook her head. “I’m not going back… Since you already know who the man behind it is, it’s time for me to go too.”

Ning Chen frowned. “Where will you go?”

“Wandering the jianghu.”

“Are you still angry with me?”

Zisu shook her head. “No. Zhirou was right. It had nothing to do with you, and you have done enough for us… I should not have taken it out on you.”

“Ning Chen, a master’s death and a family’s ruin — I can’t get past it in my own heart… I will take my own revenge.”

Ning Chen gave a start. “You mean to kill Prince Duan?”

Zisu inclined her head slightly.

Ning Chen frowned. Kill a prince of the blood? How is that ever to be done?

“Zisu. Do you trust me?”

Zisu nodded slightly.

Ning Chen said, “Prince Duan was wronged. Everything in that letter is false… You know my nature well enough. If Prince Duan really had anything to do with your father’s death, would I have let it rest?”

“I investigated your father’s death myself. From beginning to end I never found a scrap of evidence that Prince Duan had a hand in it.”

“Think it over again. If Prince Duan were the man who really killed your father, and he knew you were alive, why would he not cut the grass and pull the root with it?”

“We went to Xiuzhou. I was reduced to commoner then, and dealing with you would have been the easiest thing in the world for Prince Duan. And he did nothing of the kind.”

Zisu looked at Ning Chen, dazed.

“But when that letter appeared, you did not deny that Prince Duan had killed my father.”

Ning Chen let out a breath. “What was written in that letter was so detailed that I thought it was true myself. And you were beside yourself at the time, with your mind fixed on Prince Duan as the man who really killed your father. Nothing I said would have been believed.”

“And at the time I did have a selfish reason. I wanted to use you to find out the man behind it all.”

Zisu’s face was full of doubt. “But you took Prince Duan’s silver.”

“I took it only after I was certain your father’s death had nothing to do with Prince Duan.”

Ning Chen came forward and gathered Zisu into his arms. “Come home with me. I will keep men investigating your father’s death, and if it really does turn out to be Prince Duan, I will not let him go.”

“You go rushing off alone to kill Prince Duan — never mind whether Prince Duan is innocent, and never mind whether you succeed… Assassinating a prince of the blood is a capital crime.”

“I did not get you out of the cells to have you throw your life away for nothing… You and Yudie are the two dearest and closest people I have, and I do not want to lose either of you.”

Zisu looked at Ning Chen’s handsome face, and her heart wavered.

Ning Chen struck while the iron was hot and planted a quick kiss on her red little mouth. “You don’t know what these few days have been like. With you gone, Yudie has had a hard time waiting on me alone.”

“I’m used to having you lying beside me. These few days without you I haven’t slept a night through.”

Zisu’s small face went crimson, and she spat lightly at him.

Ning Chen bent all at once and picked Zisu up and carried her toward the bed.

“Tomorrow I go as envoy to the Wu Kingdom. I’ll be two months at the least. You had better see me off properly.”

It was dark before Ning Chen came out of the room with Zisu by the hand.

He took Zisu back to the marquis’s house.

Nobody was happier about it than Yudie.

“Sister Zisu, it’s so good that you’re back… You don’t know. Ning, dear, is too much for me. I couldn’t wait on him properly by myself.”

Zisu’s pretty face went crimson. I have just had a taste of how much of a man he is. One woman really can’t hold her ground against him.

Ning Chen looked at the smile on Zisu’s face and felt some guilt.

Because he had lied to Zisu. The root of the whole evil really was Prince Duan.

But how is a prince of the blood ever to be moved against?

Zisu’s father and Yudie’s father have had their names cleared and Yudie has her freedom back. That is the best result there could be.

(End of Chapter 413)