Chapter 29: When Were You Bought Off?

Seeing Zhang Huai’s unease and anxiety, Father Song spoke in a steady, unhurried tone. “It is quite simple: take a gamble.”

“Are you not already gambling right now?”

Zhang Huai opened his mouth, wanting to offer a rebuttal, but not a single word came out. As Master Song had pointed out, he was indeed gambling—betting on whether he could survive.

Father Song did not care whether he answered or not and continued, “My family’s situation is such that we are beset by wolves before and tigers behind; too many people want us dead. If we die, you will become the perfect scapegoats, and you will die as well. With no evidence left and your own families dead in ‘accidents,’ there will be no one left to question the matter.”

Zhang Huai felt his skin crawl. It was not that he was unaware of how ruthless and selfish those people in high places were, but he had clung to a sliver of hope—the hope that they would look down on his family enough to simply ignore them. Now, however, it seemed that hope was impossible to realize. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he gritted his teeth. “Master Song, I am willing to cooperate with you, if only you can keep my family alive.”

His wife was still so young, and his children were still so small; no harm could come to them.

Father Song nodded. “I will do everything in my power to protect your family.”

Zhang Huai’s face was pale, his expression fraught with anxiety. “Master Song, would you be willing to write a letter so I can arrange for my family to leave Mingdu?” He deeply regretted not sending his family away from the city before accepting this assignment.

Father Song stroked his chin, offering his own perspective. “If your family leaves Mingdu now, I fear they will have even less of a chance to survive. If nothing is wrong, why would they suddenly leave?” He explained, “Based on my understanding of those people, once your family leaves, they will surely kill them just to be safe.”

Zhang Huai collapsed to the ground, his face full of terror and a hidden trace of resentment. “Why would they do this? I have already done exactly as they asked. Why won’t they let my family go?”

Father Song helped him up and sighed. “This is a matter of life and death. They will certainly eliminate all hidden dangers and troubles to ensure they are not implicated.”

Zhang Huai felt regret to the core. When he first received this task, he should have risked losing his position as a bailiff rather than accepting it. Now, his own family was implicated.

“Master Song,” he pleaded, his face streaked with tears, “I do not ask to survive myself; I only ask that my family lives. It is because of me that they are facing this catastrophe.”

Father Song patted his shoulder, speaking with implication, “As long as you keep those other bailiffs in line, there should be no major problems. I will handle the rest.”

If he guessed correctly, those people would not think to target the bailiffs’ families for the time being—unless something went wrong with the bailiffs, or if they needed a scapegoat and decided to use the families as leverage.

Hearing this, Zhang Huai looked at his companions with a cold, ruthless gaze. “Master Song, I know what I must do.”

“No rush,” Father Song said, having some questions. “When you received this assignment, did you notice anything unusual or suspicious? Or did your superiors give you any other tasks?”

Zhang Huai tried his best to remain calm. He searched his memory before shaking his head. “No. I was forced to take this task. Any bailiff with connections avoided it, as everyone knew it was a thankless job.”

Father Song was just about to say something when he heard the next sentence.

“However, I did hear that someone had been pulling strings at the Ministry of Justice.” Zhang Huai frowned, thinking for a long moment. “I didn't inquire about it at the time; I just heard that such a thing happened.”

Father Song suspected the matter was not so simple. Perhaps someone really had pulled strings to make the exile journey easier for his family, but someone else had likely interfered, using that very fact to their advantage.

“Besides that, did you hear anything else?”

Zhang Huai said there was nothing else. “Master Song, just because I didn't hear it doesn't mean the others didn't.”

Father Song understood his meaning. “Call them over. I will have a word with them.”

Zhang Huai beckoned to the other bailiffs, signaling them to come over. The men looked at each other before finally walking over.

“Master Song, Captain,” they greeted him courteously.

Zhang Huai kept a stern face, speaking fiercely, “I assume you have guessed by now that the poison you were given has not been fully neutralized. If you don’t want to die prematurely, you had better confess everything you know.”

At these words, some bailiffs looked bewildered, some grew tense, and others feigned a relaxed attitude.

“Captain, what could we possibly know?” a sturdy bailiff asked, scratching his head. “Isn’t our mission just to escort the Song family to the place of exile?”

After everything he had been through, Zhang Huai dared not trust them easily. He could not tell if they were truly ignorant or just putting on an act.

“Wang Laosan, after receiving this assignment, did you hear anything regarding the Song family?”

Wang Laosan was the sturdy bailiff. He looked puzzled. “Captain, haven't you heard it too? Everyone is saying that the Song family will surely die on the road, and those who despise them will definitely make their move.”

Zhang Huai was speechless. He could not tell if the man was genuinely simple-minded or had just been playing the fool for too long.

“Wait a moment.” He looked at the other bailiffs and said coldly, “Your expressions just now have said everything. You have two choices: keep silent or confess.”

“Captain, what are you talking about?” a thin, gaunt bailiff said with a fake smile. “Didn't we all just take the job of escorting the Song family?”

Zhang Huai stared at him for several seconds before asking, “When exactly were you bought off?” Before they could answer, he added, “I recall that on the first night, when things almost went wrong, you didn’t look like this.”

Father Song suddenly interjected softly, “It doesn't matter if you don't speak. In a few days, the poison will flare up. Without the antidote, you have only one path: death.”

Having said that, he went to find Song Shiwei.

Seeing him approach, Song Shiwei glanced indifferently at Zhang Huai and the others, asking nothing. She continued to watch Lady Qin and Song Shilan, who were clawing at each other. Although both had lived in luxury for years, Song Shilan had the advantage of youth and a truly vicious, treacherous heart.