Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 354 The Secret of the Zhang Family (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Early in the morning, Sun Yanwan was summoned by Marquis Huo Feihu to the old residence of the Zhang family in Tianwu, which was also the location of the Tianwu prison.

Originally, this matter was to be handled by Grand Tutor Wenxi. This old Grand Tutor, who was in charge of the country, personally led troops to seal off Tianwu Prison, and did not want Sun Yanwan to get involved. He even refused to respond to the questions from the ministers.

This time, when Marquis Wu summoned Sun Yanwan, Sun Yanwan was quite surprised. He asked a few questions, and Huo Feihu could only smile wryly and reply, "I don't know either. Let's wait until we see the Grand Tutor and Scholar Sun ask him himself."

The two arrived at the Zhang family's old residence. The exterior of the old residence was quite ordinary. Apart from being particularly large, it did not appear particularly luxurious. In fact, after the establishment of the Da Lang Dynasty, the emperors of successive dynasties did not carry out any major renovations, but only made occasional repairs to prevent it from falling into disrepair.

After entering the old house, Sun Yanwan felt that there were more martial arts arenas than usual. There were twenty or thirty martial arts arenas in the entire old house, which shows how prosperous the martial arts culture of the Zhang family of Tianwu was back then.

Sun Yanwan thought to herself, "Now that I am married, I will surely have countless children in the future. I will also pass on my literary and martial arts skills, produce some scientific and technological documents, and do some business."

"We can't end up like the Zhang family of Tianwu, who made everyone in the world their enemy."

When Sun Yanwan met Wenxi, the old Grand Tutor was sitting upright to one side, while on the other side were more than twenty disabled men, each of them barely breathing. He could tell at a glance that they were the prisoners who had failed to escape. He wondered what Wenxi meant.

Wenxi said calmly, "There were originally thirty-one prisoners, but several have died in the past few days, leaving only twenty-seven."

Sun Yanwan asked, "It's a pity!"

Wenxi pointed and said, "Those over there were originally officials appointed by the imperial court, while these over here came from the military. Two of them were once comrades-in-arms with Marquis Wu, and their martial arts skills are no less than his."

"The rest are all martial arts practitioners..."

"They have a deep-seated hatred for the Zhang family, but now that the dynasty has changed, I wish to let them live out their remaining years in peace. However, I am a remnant of the previous dynasty. Although I have been favored by the new emperor and have not been held accountable for my crimes, I cannot make the decision myself. I can only ask General Sun to come over. I wonder what General Sun's thoughts are?"

He then pointed at Sun Yanwan and said, "This is the new emperor's younger brother. He played a significant role in this change of dynasty and is capable of making decisions on everything. If you have anything to say, you can speak to General Sun." When this Grand Tutor of the State spoke these words, his face was solemn, as if he were speaking the truth.

A tall, emaciated old man shouted in a hoarse voice, "I want to see the heads of those bastards from the Zhang family with my own eyes."

Some of the twenty-odd disabled people were no longer able to speak, but they still managed to make hoarse noises. Those who could speak were furious and shouted that they wanted to see the corpses of the Zhang family members.

Sun Yanwan clapped his hands and said, "It turns out that the Grand Tutor was acting out of compassion. However, I have no connection with any of you, and I am very busy with official duties. Let's discuss this later."

As he turned to leave, the emaciated old man shouted, "I know the Zhang family's great secret. If you help me with this, I will tell you everything."

Sun Yanwan chuckled and didn't say another word. Just as she was about to take a step, Wen Xi sighed and said, "General Sun is a young and talented man. He is already a Grandmaster before he is twenty years old. He is expected to be at the top in the future. Power and beauty are at his fingertips. There is no secret in the world that can shake his mind."

"Everyone should slow down their expectations and not try to hoard these rare commodities."

The gaunt old man, his face contorted with madness, shouted, "Even the Zhang family wants the secret, how could you not?"

Sun Yanwan strode away, and Wen Xi did not stop him, but sighed and said, "Why bother, everyone? Times have changed."

Sun Yanwan waited outside for a while, and Wen Xi also came out, leading him to another side hall. There was a man covered in scabies, who had lost both legs and only had one eye left, and his face was full of eager expectation. Sun Yanwan thought to himself, "He is indeed cunning and treacherous."

He asked softly, "What is this person's background?"

Wenxi said, "He was originally the top military general of this dynasty, ranked even above the Marquis of Wujun, named Chi He! Later, he was imprisoned on fabricated charges and has been here for twenty-five years now!"

When Chi He still had his legs, he must have been very tall. He had a large frame, and if his body were intact, he would have been very strong. But now he was as humble as a dog. He didn't even dare to interrupt when Wenxi and Sun Yanwan were talking.

It wasn't until Wenxi asked, "General Chihe, you know me well. I never lie in my life. You can tell General Sun what you have to say."

Chi He's voice was hoarse as he whispered, "If I can live, I'm willing to tell you everything about the Zhang family."

Sun Yanwan sat down with an air of authority and listened patiently as the man recounted how he was framed, how he was captured, how he was forcibly interrogated about his martial arts skills, and how he was used to test various mental techniques.

Sun Yanwan glanced at Wenxi and understood. This man didn't know any secrets. Wenxi was just using this man to test Sun Yanwan's attitude. He said indifferently, "Are General Chi He's family members still alive?"

Wenxi said calmly, "His son is gone, but he has several grandchildren, all of whom were born after he was imprisoned in Tianwu Prison."

Chi He was overjoyed, his face beaming with emotion, but Sun Yanwan couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Those who get involved in politics are all corrupt."

How could the Zhang family not eradicate Chi He after he had been tortured to such an extent? How could there be a case of a son gone but a grandson still alive? This Wenxi was some unknown young man, impersonating Chi He's grandson. Knowing he had an heir, even in dire straits, he still held a glimmer of hope. Though crippled, he possessed martial arts skills he could pass on to his grandson, ensuring the Chi family's continued prosperity.

Sun Yanwan said calmly, "Write down everything you know, and I can send you and the younger generation to Northern Yan to enjoy your old age."

Chi He was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.

Sun Yanwan walked out of the side hall. After a while, Wenxi also came out and said in a low voice, "This time... some people will definitely have their families wiped out and their clans exterminated. I can't save those many people, but the children are innocent. It's better for them to change their surnames than to die a miserable death."

Sun Yanwan remained silent for a moment, then said, "I will take good care of Black Dragon City once we arrive."

These people definitely cannot stay in Luojing. They are a huge problem for Zhang Qingxi. There is no other way but to kill them all. However, if Sun Yanwan takes them away, they will have a way to survive.

As for Wenxi's personal motives—wanting to save some innocent people who would inevitably be implicated after the change of dynasties—that's only human nature.

The more than twenty cities under Sun Yanwan's rule were divided into five levels: gang, community, residence, neighborhood, and team. Each team consisted of about twenty households who supported each other. Families with elderly, disabled, or young children could make a living with the help of their fellow team members.

Wenxi sighed and said, "These people were originally loyal subjects of Da Lang..."

Sun Yanwan now understood why Wenxi had summoned him, and the old Grand Tutor's heart grew cold.

(End of this chapter)