My father Zhao Kuangyin

The lights in front of the mansion were bright, while those behind it were dim.

Zhao Dezhao emerged from the small path and met up with Wei and Xu at the corner of the rammed earth wall.

Upon seeing him arrive, Wei Liang showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, he asked with a melancholy tone, "Does my lord really have to go in person?"

"How can one achieve great things if one is too concerned with saving one's life?"

Upon seeing the black birchwood and bow and arrows, Zhao Dezhao did not linger for a moment and hurriedly ran towards the Imperial Street.

...............

Across the street from the Drum Courtyard, on a vermilion building inscribed with "delicious food," three men sat side by side behind the railing, their eyes never leaving the large, round, and imposing Dengwen Drum.

Two of them are familiar faces: Gao Qiong and Guo Zhi.

The other person had a thin face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He sipped cold tea with one hand and pushed the other back and forth on the table like a domino.

"What time is it?"

"The third quarter of the hour of Wu."

"Why is no one here yet?"

"I want Brother Chen to know that the clerk from the Prime Minister's office is right behind us, and we can't get rid of him even if we cut off the tail," Guo Zhi explained with a troubled expression.

This rather profound third party was clearly the one who reported Li Shouxin, the newly appointed Supply Depot Manager Chen Congxin.

Guo Zhi added, "Zhao Pu already knew this, but he only revealed it today."

"He served as prime minister for ten years; do you think he's some kind of He Jin?"

After being rebuked by Chen Congxin, Guo Zhi was speechless.

Chen Congxin murmured, "If we miss the opportune moment, and given that the Prime Minister's residence has already made preparations, this plan... is likely to fail."

"All of this is factual evidence. Even if Lei Youlin hadn't beaten the drum, but instead sent someone to report it to the Emperor, and the Emperor investigated further, the result would have been the same."

Guo Zhi remained relatively calm and focused on reassuring the troops.

"I hope so."

After Chen Congxin finished speaking, he had nothing more to say and could only silently drink his cold tea.

Fifteen minutes later, Gao Qiong, who had remained silent the whole time, pointed with her big finger.

"The person has arrived."

The two immediately stood up and looked towards the alley outside the drum courtyard.

Lei Youlin, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, pushed open the gate of the Drum Courtyard, which was unattended, and hurriedly entered.

"They're inside."

Chen Congxin said with slight impatience, "I know, everyone's watching."

Gao Qiong, growing even more impatient, said, "Now that you've seen it, give me a straight answer: shoot or not?"

Great plans don't require many people. Gao Qiong wasn't originally part of the plan, but Guo Zhi summoned her from her bedside at dinner time because the Prime Minister's residence had made preparations. She was somewhat resentful.

"Whether you shoot or not is up to you. You can just stay here and watch over them; what's the harm in that?"

Compared to Guo Zhi, Chen Congxin was a veteran of Kaifeng Prefecture and was not intimidated at all. He frowned and scolded him.

Gao Qiong pursed her lips, sighed urgently, and sat down heavily, almost breaking the chair leg.

Despite her anger, Gao Qiong was still relatively obedient, staring at the drum troupe almost without blinking.

"Someone's here."

"I know..."

Just as Chen Congxin was about to refute, he saw three clerks with swords rushing over, and his brows gradually furrowed.

Outside the drum embassy, ​​Zhao Dezhao stood guard like a wolf or eagle. When he finally spotted the brightly lit red building, his eyebrows and beard, hidden under his hat, immediately furrowed.

"How many steps is it from the courtyard to that red building?"

The two people behind him were stunned for a moment before answering.

"I see, it seems to be... one hundred and twenty or thirty paces."

Zhao Dezhao nodded, paused briefly, and led the two men into the inner path, climbing over into the courtyard.

At this moment, Lei Youlin was on edge. Upon seeing the unusual movement, he trembled and nearly dropped the mallet in his hand.

"Who...who is it!"

Only Zhao Dezhao and Xu Jiebao were admitted to the hospital.

"Lord Lei, would you please hear me out?"

Upon seeing this, Lei Youlin stood still.

Just when Zhao Dezhao thought he could appease them, the former suddenly raised his hand and struck the Dengwen Drum heavily.

"Thump!!"

"Don't knock!"

Zhao Dezhao pulled off the turban, revealing his true face.

Lei Youlin was about to raise his hand when he caught a glimpse of the angular shape in the darkness and froze.

The moonlight shone down, illuminating the bridge of his nose and making his round cheeks, which were shrouded in gloom, appear and disappear. His disheveled hair swayed like a beard. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be... an official?!

Lei Youlin had no time to savor the shouts mixed with the beating of drums; in that daze,

With just one glance, he felt the unpredictability of the heavens, his legs went weak, and he trembled involuntarily.

"An official...an official?"

Zhao Dezhao frowned slightly, paused, and then took three steps forward.

"Lei Jun, did you see it clearly?"

"Look closely..." Lei Youlin looked again and realized that he had mistaken Zhao Erlang for someone else. He was stunned and speechless.

"In this dark and opportune moment, you dare to beat the drum and appeal for justice? How dare you!"

This outburst was indeed a genuine expression of Zhao Dezhao's long-suppressed emotions.

Lei Youlin's actions were motivated by revenge against Zhao Pu, not by any personal grudge against Zhao Erlang, the Vice-Chancellor. Even if the two joined forces, it would only be indirectly so.

In short, hatred and injustice had no power over Zhao Dezhao.

In fact, even if he were to confront Zhao Pu face-to-face, he would be extremely hesitant to speak out...

Although Lei Youlin was somewhat flustered and remorseful when he came to his senses, he did not move the club in his hand an inch.

"I know the pain of your inability to perform your duties, and I know your father was unjustly exiled. But today you want to appeal for justice. Leaving aside whether you can bring down Minister Zhao, can you even survive? And can your father survive and be exonerated?"

"How could you possibly know, sir..." Upon hearing this, Lei Youlin stopped beating the drum and, with tears streaming down his face, retorted, "How could you possibly know how I've spent these past three years! How could you know how I survived during my father's three years of exile! And how I repeatedly failed the imperial examinations because of Zhao Pu's machinations?!"

Zhao Dezhao wanted to refute, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

One can only reminisce about past lives in a fleeting, dreamlike manner.

It is said that he was born in a province known for its rigorous imperial examinations, and from a young age, he had a tendency to be unbalanced in mathematics and physics.

During the imperial examinations, he was just a hair's breadth away from passing and was unwilling to let his parents spend a fortune to send him to an expensive but useless private school.

After that, he spent five years studying at the Imperial Academy, two years preparing for postgraduate entrance exams, and two more years preparing for civil service exams. Countless days and nights caused him to prematurely shave his head...

Calming himself, Zhao Dezhao glanced at the corner of the courtyard, paused for a moment, then removed his sword and strode forward.

Lei Youlin was pouring out his grievances when he saw this scene. He held back his anger, determined to beat the drum again.

"Whether you succeed or not, my uncle will kill you. Listen to me this time, and after today, I will personally report to my father to clear his name."

"Your kindness and righteousness are beyond even the Emperor's reach... Please, my lord, say no more."

Just as he was feeling lost and depressed, an arrow was shot out from the shadows.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow flew between the two of them and landed softly on the ground.

Lei Youlin was taken aback when he saw this.

Zhao Dezhao quickly feigned panic and pleaded, "You've seen it?! He's determined to kill you to silence you! So he can frame Zhao Pu for stabbing those who came to seek justice! Listen to me! From today onwards, I will definitely clear your father's name!"

"call out!"

Just as he approached Lei Youlin, who was in a daze, and began to persuade him with rapid-fire words, the arrow changed angle and shot down from high above.

An arrow landed squarely in the center of the drum, startling the four people in the courtyard.

At that moment, Xu Jiebao rushed forward, trying to act as a human shield to block the hidden arrows.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Dezhao did not retreat, but instead ran towards the increasingly bright spot, which was the location of the Dengwen Drum, where Lei Youlin was.

"When the truth comes out, I swear to clear your father's name!"

In an instant, Lei Youlin was stunned by the two arrows and two words, and the club in his hand fell from his grasp and remained motionless.

A moment later, his lips trembled slightly, and he immediately made a move to get up and flee.

"Watch out, Ah Lang!"

Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Xu Jiebao and Wei Liang, who rushed out from the corner, tensed up and pounced.

"puff!"

Three figures blocked his way, like dark clouds pressing down, obscuring Lei Youlin from view.

Zhao Dezhao touched the warm, splattered blood, his expression remaining unchanged.

"You didn't believe anything I said before... But do you know that since ancient times, the greatest merit for a subject is to save the emperor? Although I am not your father, I am willing to come here to save you this very night..." Zhao Dezhao seemed speechless, and after a moment of contemplation, he glared and gritted his teeth, saying, "No matter what, I have come to save you... Can you even hear me?! Can you even see me?!"

The drumbeats had long since faded away, but in Lei Youlin's ears, they continued to buzz, like thunder.