A light moved in Ning Chen's eyes. "The men on the chains are the robbers from that day?"

Zong Sibo nodded.

"They were not really robbers, though, were they?"

Zong Sibo said, "A power out of the jianghu, acting on orders."

"Orders from the last Left Chancellor?"

"My lord prince is as clever as they say."

Ning Chen said coolly, "That Chang did not do the thing cleanly. He never killed you — never cut the grass and pulled the root with it?"

Zong Sibo said, low and hard, "Because while he was there I could never come back to court and never take my revenge... To see your own family die horribly in front of you and be able to do nothing is worse to live with than being dead."

Ning Chen gave a slight nod. "True enough."

"So you took them and brought them back and keep them as dogs."

Zong Sibo nodded. "The first thing this old man did on coming back to court was to have them taken, cut out their tongues, and make them live like dogs."

"I just did not expect one of them to get out today, and for my lord prince to see it."

Ning Chen smiled. "If they run out, break their legs, or shut them in cages."

Zong Sibo looked at Ning Chen with astonishment all over his face.

"My lord prince does not mean to impeach me to His Majesty?"

Ning Chen said, smiling, "Why would I impeach you?"

Zong Sibo said, "I have heard that my lord prince hates wickedness the way a man hates an enemy."

Ning Chen looked at him. "This prince does hate wickedness the way a man hates an enemy. But who is the wicked one here? They are."

"If a thing like that had happened to this prince, this prince would have gone further than you did."

Zong Sibo was brought up short for a long moment.

All at once he bowed. "If my lord prince ever has a use for this old man hereafter, only give the order."

"In truth, if my…