Chapter 757: Chapter 719: Accidental Killing (First Update)

At such a critical juncture, if it were in the past, Wen Wan would insist on accompanying Song Wei. Unfortunately, after returning from the hunting ground, Qi Bao fell ill, suffering from high fevers at night and having restless sleep.

The little one, just over a year old, cries only for her mother; no one else can hold her.

Wen Wan felt sorry for her daughter and couldn’t bear to leave her behind, so she had to ask Song Yuanbao to take leave and go with Song Wei to suppress the Tongji Association.

In her premonitions, Song Wei was killed by the Tongji Association amidst the chaos. Wen Wan described all the details she saw to Song Wei and advised him to avoid them at all costs.

As for Song Yuanbao, Wen Wan couldn’t disclose too much to him and only told him that the Tongji Association was part of Chief Minister Yang’s conspiracy. This suppression was particularly dangerous, and no matter what, he should stay by Song Wei’s side and not let him act alone.

Song Yuanbao was well aware of the seriousness of the situation. Ever since returning from the hunting field, he couldn’t focus on his studies; images of Zhao Xi being escorted away and his own bold speculations filled his mind.

Especially at this moment, the Tongji Association was wreaking havoc everywhere under the name of the Crown Prince. He had been holding back a bellyful of anger and was eager to find a place to vent it.

"Mother, don’t worry. I will protect father."

Not being able to personally oversee the situation made Wen Wan uneasy. "The Capital is under the Emperor’s foot, as long as I try not to go out these days, there shouldn’t be any major problems. When the time comes, take Wei Qian with you, and bring along the Hidden Guard just in case."

Chief Minister Yang is not like the former Duke Su, he’s not easy to deal with. With incidents happening one after another, Wen Wan was certain that it was inextricably linked to the Yang Family.

...

After Song Wei and his son set out with the court-appointed personnel, Granny Song learned from Wen Wan that her son might be in danger. She immediately scolded Wen Wan, saying that she was already a grown-up yet didn’t know the severity of the situation. Qi Bao had a wet nurse to take care of her, and if worse came to worst, there was a grandmother to oversee things. With so many people watching in their own mansion, how could anything happen to the little one? She knew that the Third Son was born with an unfortunate fate, and now that his life was at stake, how could she leave her husband behind at home to take care of the child? There was no such wife as her.

Facing her mother-in-law’s anger, Wen Wan could only respond with silence.

She wanted to go too, but as if it were predetermined, Qi Bao’s condition not only failed to improve but worsened, burning her into unconsciousness, crying out at night always needing her mother.

If she left, Qi Bao would surely die.

This was the new premonition Wen Wan saw on the day Song Wei departed.

Weighing the importance, Wen Wan had no choice.

These days, she was practically watching over Qi Bao’s crib without a moment’s rest, her eyes darkened from exhaustion.

Yun Cai and Linglong felt terribly for her, "Madam, please go back to your room and rest. We are here, and the household doctor is waiting in the adjacent room. If anything happens, we will notify him immediately."

Wen Wan took the hot towel handed over by Linglong, casually wiped her face, and shook her head, "I can’t sleep."

Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Song Wei being cut down by blades flooded her mind.

Now separated from Song Wei, she couldn’t foresee all the bad things that might happen along the way, leaving her worries to turn into anxiety.

Under Linglong’s earnest persuasion, Wen Wan had a few sips of bird’s nest soup, and taking advantage of Qi Bao’s sleep, she went to the ancestral hall.

After the Bing Mansion, the East and West Courtyards together occupied most of the street, and the ancestral hall had been moved to the West Courtyard, constructed particularly grandly.

Wen Wan stood in front of the spirit tablet and offered incense to the Da Lang couple, silently praying for them to protect Song Wei and bring him back safely.

——

As for Song Wei and his son, after leaving the Capital, they traveled west.

Song Wei continued his usual streak of misfortunes, encountering numerous troubles.

Thanks to Wen Wan’s foresight in having Song Yuanbao bring Wei Qian and others along, though they faced constant troubles, none were life-threatening.

In private, when no one was around, Song Yuanbao couldn’t help but complain, "Father has already been promoted to a fourth-rank official, yet he remains as unlucky as ever. Did you offend the heavens in your past life?"

After days of tiring travel, a rare faint smile appeared on Song Wei’s composed face. Wanwan is the fated noblewoman, and having married her, the heavens must require him to pay some price.

After thirty-some years, he had long gotten used to it.

After the joke, Song Yuanbao brought the conversation back on track, "Along the way, I gathered quite a bit of information. The Tongji Association isn’t an ordinary civilian organization but a cult that has entrenched itself in the region for years. This sudden rise must be backed by someone, making them tough to deal with. Before formally confronting them, we must plan our strategy in advance."

"Their objectives are nothing but twofold," Song Wei said, "to overthrow the Crown Prince’s reputation for virtue and to put me to death. The first, they have virtually achieved; throughout this journey, the cries against the Crown Prince are everywhere. If the Tongji Association keeps pushing, it won’t be long before the officers and officials jointly petition for the Crown Prince’s dethroning. As for the second..."

"Father!" Song Yuanbao said firmly, "As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you."

Song Wei smiled, "It’s not necessarily a good thing that I didn’t get into trouble."

...

Song Wei and his group’s movements weren’t concealed, and the Tongji Association quickly got wind of it and began rushing towards them.

Of course, while traveling, they didn’t forget to smear the Crown Prince.

Three days later, the two parties met in Cangzhou.

One side wanted to "seek justice" for the Crown Prince, while the other wanted to eradicate evil for the court.

In Wen Wan’s premonition, Song Wei didn’t start fighting directly but chose negotiations, first meeting with the Tongji Association leader. The negotiation did not go smoothly; the leader refused to retreat, and an argument ensued, leading to a chaotic confrontation with someone attacking Song Wei from behind.

Before setting off, Wen Wan repeatedly instructed him to avoid the meeting and think of other methods.

Song Wei also knew the danger, but he had to follow the original trajectory; only then could he catch the big fish.

Having made up his mind, Song Wei instructed Yuanbao, "Have someone deliver a message saying that at noon tomorrow, I will meet their leader at the West City Horse Yard."

According to Wen Wan’s intuition, this meeting should actually be at a tavern.

Considering the crowds at a tavern and the potential harm to innocents, Song Wei changed it to the relatively sparsely populated West City Horse Yard.

The location of the meeting isn’t important; what matters is that the two sides will eventually clash in a life-or-death battle.

In fact, at noon the next day at the West City Horse Yard, things went exactly as Song Wei anticipated; the meeting did not go smoothly. When Song Wei suggested they voluntarily retreat, the Tongji Association leader was furious, stating that the Crown Prince had favored them, and now that their benefactor was in dire straits, it was absolutely impossible for them to stand by and watch—they were determined to storm the Capital and dismember the traitor.

Their righteous stance momentarily made Song Wei feel like a notorious villain.

At that moment of distraction, the two sides had already begun fighting.

The horse yard’s open terrain couldn’t avoid the dust-cloud battles.

Song Wei’s troops were elite soldiers of the Imperial City, all professionally trained and extraordinarily skilled.

Both sides consisted of people arranged by Chief Minister Yang, so the disparity in strength was naturally not too great; thus, the battle prolonged without a clear victor, only a whirl of yellow sand in the air, making it hard to keep one’s eyes open.

Amid the chaos, Wei Qian led three or four Hidden Guards into the fray, shielding Yuanbao and Song Wei.

The Tongji Association brought masters today; their target was obviously Song Wei, with everyone trying to get close to him.

Yuanbao wielded a long sword, slashing left and right, defensive and protective of his father. He had only studied for two years and lacked solid basic skills, useful against ordinary minions but at a disadvantage against so many experts with every strike.

Watching as the elite soldiers fell one by one, his stamina dwindled, leaving him to place his hopes on Wei Qian and the others.

The clashing of swords and sabers was grating, filled with a metallic, bloody scent.

Aimed directly at vital spots, with petals and leaves flying, sand obscuring vision—this kind of full-scale battle was something Yuanbao had rarely experienced; though it fired his fighting spirit, he readily admitted that he was merely a novice in martial arts.

"Father, how about I take advantage of the chaos to lead you away!" Yuanbao recalled Wen Wan’s instructions before departure and couldn’t bear to let Song Wei suffer even the slightest harm, speaking while swallowing dust as he turned back to Song Wei.

Song Wei scanned the scene, his thick eyebrows furrowing, "Let’s wait a bit longer."

"If we wait any longer, it’ll truly be dangerous."

Yuanbao’s heart was anxious; the Tongji Association’s strength markedly surpassed his estimates.

Without Emperor Guangxi’s order, no one could mobilize the Jinyi Guard, and the elite soldiers arranged by Chief Minister Yang were essentially sacrificing themselves. After a dozen rounds, it was clear from the casualties which side had the upper hand.

Solely relying on elite soldiers, they could only face obliteration today.

"Let the Hidden Guards hold the line; I’ll first take you away." Yuanbao disregarded everything and grabbed Song Wei’s arm.

At that moment, someone forcefully pushed him, and Yuanbao stumbled forward, still clutching Song Wei’s arm with one hand, while his other hand’s sword plunged straight into Song Wei’s chest.

The sound of the weapon piercing through the sternum left Yuanbao’s mind momentarily blank.