Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

  The emperor already devised all sorts of schemes to weaken their authority and drive a wedge between them when he didn't have any wealth. This was a prime example of disposing of the bow once all the birds had been shot down.

  If Li Qitian got his hands on the treasure, only the heavens knew what he would concoct next. No longer a lone wolf, Pang Xiao had others to worry about and thus wasn't about to take any chances.

  Alright, we have to seize the treasure first then. Whether or not he needed to use it for his own forces, he had to keep it out of Li Qitian’s hands for their own safety. But what could they do under such tight surveillance?

  Suddenly, Qin Yining spoke up. "I thought of a way for us to get close to the treasure, but I don't know if it will work. Tell me what you think?"

  Pang Xiao grinned. "Our hearts seem to be beating as one. I was just considering the same problem."

  Qin Yining dimpled and rose to her feet to whisper in his ear. Pang Xiao hesitated for a moment after she finished, but in the end, he nodded tentatively. "Very well. Our chances of success notwithstanding, it will allow you to return to the capital. Better that than staying here to remain in danger and suffering.”

  Chapter 460: Fissure (II)

  Qin Yining's brows furrowed at this. "What are you saying? I didn't bring this up with you so that I can return to the capital. Living conditions may not be as favorable here, but don’t you feel more at ease if you can keep an eye on me yourself? If I am to return, wouldn’t that be the same as sending another hostage his way?"

  His wife’s words rendered Pang Xiao temporarily speechless. This was what it was like to have a wife whose mind was sharp beyond measure—not only would the flaws in his arrangements be pointed out, he had no way of refuting her concerns.

  "I’m just worried you’ll suffer by staying here with me. You may not have noticed, but you've lost so much weight during this time. It's been one disaster after another, which isn’t good for your anemia. Bingtang has always stressed the importance of looking after your health, but you can't do that if you're with me. Not only are you unable to live in blissful peace, you're under constant stress. I took you as my wife so that you can live comfortably, but you’re always suffering because of me."

  Qin Yining's heart was already helplessly soft for him. The fact that a deadly, assertive man like Pang Xiao allowed himself moments of weakness in her presence was the greatest indication of how much he trusted and respected her.

  She extended her arms to embrace her husband. "Don't worry. I was a very healthy child growing up, so I'll be fine. What's more, I have Bingtang looking after me everyday. What can possibly happen to me? This is a matter of life or death. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I abandon you to live in the lap of luxury on my own.

  "Say what you may, but having Azure Justice and the Silver Masks work together was my idea. Now that something’s gone wrong, I must take responsibility."

  "My darling, don't say such a thing. We shared the same thoughts back then. You proposed the idea to help me, and I agreed to it only after careful consideration. Even if you somehow punched a hole in the sky, I would also take responsibility! What kind of man would I be if I hid under the skirts of my wife whenever things went awry?" Pang Xiao involuntarily reached out to grab Qin Yining's hands, his brows furrowed. "Do you understand? No matter what you do, I will share your burden. You are not to push yourself if I don’t ask you to!"

  Her hands began to hurt from his tight grip, but she couldn't bring herself to let go the bony, chapped, yet warm hands covering her own. She knitted her brows together slightly before speaking again.

  "We are tied to one another as husband and wife. I should shoulder whatever burdens you bear for me. I thought we were equals, so what’s this talk about who's hiding behind who’s back? If the one who sits on the throne decides to execute you, do you think he will let me off?"

  "Pah, forget that nonsense at once!" Pang Xiao pinched Qin Yining's cheek. "You little rascal, must you really bring up the greatest worry of all?"

  Qin Yining had hit the nail right on Pang Xiao's deepest fear. His greatest fear wasn’t losing his life, but dragging her down with him because of his selfish decision in marrying her.

  Seeing his face grow red with anxiety, Qin Yining knew he worried for her. She sighed and nestled herself into Pang Xiao's arms to alleviate the tension. "Alright, let's not quarrel over this. In any case, I’m not returning to the capital. What do you think of what I proposed earlier?"

  The prince pursed his lips in long contemplation. "It can be arranged, but it will be very dangerous. You must take everyone you need when you go."

  Qin Yining dimpled. "Don't worry. I will have five Silver Masks with me if I include Auntie Cao. Such an entourage would befit the emperor of Great Yan himself. How dangerous can it be?"

  Pang Xiao was beyond reluctant—how could he not be, knowing Qin Yining was putting herself at risk for his sake? Li Qitian had men stationed around the city, but he gave them no further orders, nor did they take any further action. There was no way of knowing what he was up to. What's more, it was entirely possible that Pang Xiao was being watched everywhere he went, making it impossible for him to join his wife.

  Qin Yining's plan was rather simple.

  The Princess Consort of the First Rank was worn out from extensive travel—and her health had never been good to begin with. The perils she faced on the road had shaken her so badly that she’d fallen ill. Thus, the Faithful Prince of the First Rank was sending Her Highness back to the capital for medical attention.

  So the next day, Qin Yining was overcome by her illness, throwing the servants in the yamen into a frenzy. By the third day, she appeared pale and jaundiced to those who saw her, her eyes unfocused and lifeless as if she would pass out at any moment.

  Seeing the princess consort in such a state, Magistrate Li pulled Pang Xiao's sleeve with great urgency. "This is all because of the earthquake! The esteemed Princess Consort, eating like commoners and living under such duress for so long—it's no wonder someone as frail as she would fall ill!"

  "It’s just like you say," Pang Xiao agreed, vexed. "It's all my fault—I've been so busy that I neglected to look after her. Her body has always been weak, but she trudged through wind and rain to accompany me to the disaster zone. It seems that old afflictions have caught up with her once again."

  "What will you do, Your Highness? Living conditions here are less than ideal, and there aren't any good doctors to consult."

  "I plan to have some men escort her back to the capital so she can be treated. As for His Majesty, I will write a formal report to explain the situation." Pang Xiao couldn't help but sigh.

  Magistrate Li had been spending almost every waking hour of the past few days with the prince, so he had nothing but respect for the war god.

  "Worry not, Your Highness," he replied immediately. "This subordinate's words don't carry much weight, but I will also write to His Majesty so that he won’t misinterpret your actions."

  Moved, Pang Xiao looked at Magistrate Li. Phoenix-shaped eyes filled with gratitude, he smiled and clapped the magistrate on the shoulder. "My thanks!"

  Magistrate Li smiled and waved a hand, his face flushed with embarrassment. "It's the least I can do for the prince and princess consort, as it is my duty to speak the truth to His Majesty. How does that merit your thanks, Your Highness?"

  "Regardless, I must thank you," Pang Xiao replied sincerely. "Government officials with the same sense of justice and duty as Magistrate Li are in the minority."

  Such praise had the magistrate flush even redder. He waved his hands frantically and exchanged a few more pleasantries before hastily excusing himself, very much flustered.

  And so, the day after Pang Xiao and Magistrate Li filed their reports, soldiers and servants escorted Qin Yining out of the yamen. They headed in the direction of the fissure that Cao Yuqing had mentioned.

  Though they traveled by carriage, the road they took had alre
ady been repaired, so they wasted little time and arrived by noon.

  Dressed as a man, Cao Yuqing sat up front as their driver. She lifted her gaze to exchange looks with Jingzhe and the other three Silver Masks. Once they understood their orders, the four Silver Masks headed off in different directions to scout the area.

  It wasn't long before they returned and reported there was no one around lying in wait. Only then did Qin Yining step off the carriage and follow Cao Yuqing to the underground opening with the rest of her retinue.

  Chapter 461: Traitor (I)

  “Look over there.” Cao Yuqing took Qin Yining’s hand and pointed at a crack in the ground. “I suspect this is the entrance. I didn’t get close when I was investigating since I didn’t want to attract unwanted attention, but you can see a light glinting from the hole at night. Though they’ve covered it up with leaves, you can still see the reflection from inside.”

  Qin Yining nodded. “I trust your judgement. Shall we head down now?”

  Cao Yuqing thought for a moment. “Since we’ve come, we might as well take a look inside. I suspect the treasure is here. However, you must keep your guard up and stay close to me. We can’t be certain, but I worry that the ones who hid the treasure will be waiting to attack.”

  Qin Yining nodded. Her brain knew it was possible that Azure Justice had betrayed her, but her heart still refused to believe this.

  Hand in hand, the guard captain led the princess consort forward a few steps before suddenly stopping. “Wait. I still think we should send someone to investigate. There’s no rush, seeing as we’re already here. Xiaoxue.”

  The dark-skinned Xiaoxue stepped forward immediately with a bow.

  “Take a look, stealthily.”

  “Understood.” As the best of the group in levitation skills, Xiaoxue was able carry out tasks such as investigating the terrain without much trouble.

  Cao Yuqing assumed a protective stance in front of Qin Yining, leading Bingtang, Jiyun and the remaining three Silver Masks behind trees by the roadside. Xiaoxue disappeared into the hole.

  An hour passed before he reemerged. Only after seeing him brush away the leaves covering the hole and nod in their direction did Cao Yuqing feel it safe to venture forth.

  “What’s the situation inside?”

  “It’s spacious,” Xiaoxue replied. “The fissure leads to a natural cavern—maybe formed by the earthquake—and there are a few boxes inside. I heard the sound of running water, so there must be other exits, but I didn’t have the time to search for them.”

  Cao Yuqing nodded and looked to Qin Yining in inquiry. The princess consort thought for a moment. “Did you see what was inside the boxes?”

  “Silver ingots. Each worth ten taels apiece.”

  Hearing this, Qin Yining was even more certain a portion of the treasure was hidden here. “Let’s go inside. There’s no one else here, but we should take a look nonetheless.”

  Jingzhe and Xiaoxue went down the fissure first. Next, Cao Yuqing helped Qin Yining in, while Bingtang and Jiyun followed behind them. Xiaoman and Dahan were the last to enter.

  Dahan followed the entire group closely from behind, lighting his way with a torch. However, when they reached a bend in the road, he couldn’t help but look back at the entrance.

  As expected, they quickly arrived at an expansive area after passing through a wide passageway. Dancing torchlight flickered every which way in the wind, bathing them all in an orange hue. Large chests accessorized with camphor corner guards were piled not far away. Red-orange light glinted off the precious snow packed neatly inside, its brilliance dazzling to the eye.

  Qin Yining looked carefully at the wooden boxes, feeling as if she’d seen them somewhere before. “Yes, these are indeed the former emperor’s treasure chests.”

  She and Pang Xiao had been trapped where the treasure was kept for a long time and so were very familiar with the boxes.

  Jingzhe took a big step forward and grabbed a handful of silver ingots for inspection, muttering, “His Majesty, the old emperor, this is really too...”

  As a former spy of the previous emperor, it wasn't proper for him to voice his disapproval, no matter how much dissatisfaction he nursed

  And yet, everyone present possessed their own grievances toward the former ruler of Great Yan. The emperor emeritus would rather his people starve than bring his riches out from the shadows. He only cared about the opportunity to rise again. The thought of such an incompetent emperor who cared so little about the lives of his people still had them itch with hatred—they’d eat him alive if they could!

  A few of the Silver Masks inspected the silver inside the chests. Meanwhile, Qin Yining’s brows frowned fiercely. Noticing there was something off, Cao Yuqing asked quietly, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  The princess consort walked over to the boxes and picked up a silver ingot, weighing it in her hand. “Something’s just not quite right here. There was so much treasure, so why are there only a few chests here?”

  Cao Yuqing smiled. “Perhaps the treasure was split up and hidden in different locations?”

  Qin Yining shook her head. “I don’t think that is the case. Under such abnormal circumstances, there’s no need for them to store a portion of the treasure near the epicenter of the earthquake, even if they wish to hide it.”

  “Do you think...”

  “I think they mean for such a paltry number of boxes to serve as bait.” As Qin Yining spoke, she tossed the ingot back into the box. When the silver rolled downward, she suddenly realized that the silver in the boxes were only two layers high—a wooden board was underneath. When she lifted the board up, the silver ingots tumbled to the bottom with a crash. Beneath the surface layer of silver, the box was empty!

  Her face fell at once. “This is a trap! We must leave now!”

  The group paled and dashed toward the cavern’s entrance. Little did they know that Madame Liao and a dozen others were waiting for them there.

  Qin Yining’s countenance darkly brooding, she laughed sarcastically. “I didn't expect to see Madame Liao here.”

  Madame Liao stared back at Qin Yining with a faint smile. “I also didn't anticipate seeing our alliance head here either.”

  “Oh?” The girl quirked a brow. “I thought Madame Liao would’ve been expecting me. Hadn’t you already finished laying your trap by the time you came to visit that day?”

  “Why, you wound me!” The older woman frowned and clutched her chest as if in pain. “Do you mean to say we are the villains, Alliance Head?”

  Qin Yining pointed at the armed men wearing cold scowls on their faces behind the older woman. “Madame Liao, do you really think I’d believe that you’re loyal, and that you harbor no malicious intent at a time like this?”

  Hearing this, Madame Liao turned back to look at the men behind her, then covered her mouth with a hand as she laughed. “I’ve always known you to be a clever person, Alliance Head. In that case, I will keep you in the dark no longer.”

  “So you mean to end me?”

  Madame Liao looked amazed by the response. “Everyone hails Wise Pan An is a keen strategist—it seems the alliance head has taken a leaf out of his book.”

  That was a quiet affirmation. However, Qin Yining remained unafraid.

  She pursed her lips. “Tell me this first, what happened to my other six subordinates?”

  The older woman beamed merrily. “I imagine someone as smart as the alliance head can surmise what became of them.”

  Hearing this, Qin Yining tilted her head upward and closed her eyes. Though she had never met those six Silver Masks, they’d lost their lives because of her orders—how was she not to grieve their fate?

  Madame Liao stepped forward with her men. One of them handed her a sword. “Those underlings of yours were certainly difficult to shake off,” she said as she approached the princess consort. “If they hadn’t caught on to what we were up to, more of our brothers would still be with us today.”

&
nbsp; Chapter 462: Traitor (II)

  Qin Yining’s pupils constricted slightly as she noted quietly, “Those six had no grudge or enmity with you. I’ve always viewed the alliance as an ally of justice, one that meted out righteousness and protected the people. To me, the alliance seemed to be made up of kind, merciful heroes. But no, even you harm others in pursuit of money!”

  “Don’t talk like you’re so high class.” Madame Liao flushed beet-red and raised her voice. “You had everything in life the moment you were born! What do you know about the hardships of us commoners? The trash emperor didn’t give a rat’s ass about our lives and raised a pack of filthy Silver Masks instead—they did all his dirty work for him! They’re just dogs the trash emperor kept for fun, they should’ve died a long time ago!

  “And what the hell are you, hmm? Dare you admit that you accepted the alliance head position because you only wanted to use Azure Justice? Dare you claim to be any nobler than the trash emperor after you took in his stray dogs?

  “All of you are the minions and pawns of that bastard emperor. All of you are equally repulsive! Now you pull a disgusted expression and interrogate me about harming others and stealing wealth? You just wanted to use us to get the treasure for you so you can build up your husband’s army! You too are harming others and plundering wealth!

  “Don’t treat us all as fools. On what basis do we risk our lives while you make off with all the goods?!” Madame Liao advanced with an unsheathed sword in hand.

  With a grave face, Cao Yuqing kept Qin Yining firmly behind her. The two backed away, covered by Jingzhe and the others.

  Madame Liao however, was in no rush to claim their lives. She walked up to the chests and hefted a silver sycee.

  “This silver is all dirty money! That bastard emperor traded the lives of the people for it! Alliance Head, didn’t you surrender to Great Zhou when your old man did so? Why aren’t you being loyal to your liege and instead sending people out to look for the treasure? Look at you, being a traitorous thing!