Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Chapter 505: 512: Rescue Plan

Chapter 505: Chapter 512: Rescue Plan
 

In Sikong Ling’s view, any reason or explanation was just an excuse and couldn’t be treated as grounds for exoneration. Had Su Wenyue not been lucky this time, with the Phantom just happening to hold a grudge against those five men, and had just happened to receive information about them and went to the rescue, even if Su Wenyue had jumped from the cliff and miraculously survived, the outcome wouldn’t have been much better.

Actually, Sikong Ling wasn’t a person of spotless character. In the past, if he took a fancy to a woman, he had many ways to obtain her, willing or not. However, regarding Su Wenyue, for some unknown reason, Sikong Ling always felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. Therefore, even though he fancied her, he never wanted to force her, and even harbored thoughts of helping and protecting her—provided that Su Wenyue lived happily.

Since Han Yu did not know how to cherish her and made Su Wenyue suffer so much, Sikong Ling felt no need to hold back any longer. Su Wenyue by his side, even if she couldn’t be the legal wife, he was willing to give her everything else. As for the affairs of the backyard, although he never bothered himself with them, he was very clear about them. He simply couldn’t be bothered to intervene, so he turned a blind eye unless things got too excessive. As long as he was protecting her, Su Wenyue wouldn’t suffer any grievances, and at the very least, there would be no concerns for her safety.

“Master, didn’t you say that with the matters of the Marquis Bei’an Mansion, we only needed to assist in secret, without the need to get involved publicly? Why this time?” Qing Zhu actually had some guesses deep down, the only one who could make the master commit such ‘foolishness’ was her.

It was said that she was beautiful, but apart from this, Qing Zhu really didn’t know what else was good about her. Moreover, she was someone else’s wife. How did she come to be valued so greatly by the master? Yet, after the incident with the cliff jumping, Qing Zhu’s view of Su Wenyue had somewhat changed, at the very least, for a woman of such chaste defiance, she felt a newfound respect.

Sikong Ling glanced at Qing Zhu lightly, showing tolerance for this servant who had followed by his side since they were young: “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t, just do your duty well.”

With Sikong Ling’s words, Qing Zhu immediately behaved, knowing full well why, over the years, he had been able to follow Sikong Ling without issue. Besides the emotional attachment from childhood and loyalty, the most important thing was knowing his place. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly have remained by Sikong Ling’s side. In fact, Qing Zhu wasn’t the only one who had been with Sikong Ling for that long, but in the end, he was the only one who had stayed.

Sikong Ling was satisfied with Qing Zhu’s sense of propriety. For his subordinates, apart from loyalty, what he valued most was their awareness of boundaries. Those who thought they were loyal but acted against his wishes might not be completely discarded, but they wouldn’t be trusted with important tasks.

At the same time, Su Hengyi had also received word from Sikong Ling. It was only then that Su Hengyi realized that it was the Young Master of the Sikong Family who had been secretly assisting them with collecting information and maneuvering within the Imperial Court.

It was not that Han Yu and Zhai Mo had intentionally concealed it, but since they had promised Sikong Ling, they naturally didn’t mention it until Sikong Ling himself revealed it.

Certainly, Su Hengyi was surprised. But he knew that Sikong Ling’s help must be due to his brother-in-law, and perhaps his younger sister too. Recalling the confrontation between Han Yu and Sikong Ling at the Su Family’s doorstep, although the Su Family had always pretended not to know, being right outside their own gate, how could they really be oblivious? Yet surprisingly, Han Yu and Sikong Ling ended up working together.

“Please thank your Young Master for me. I was originally worried whether I could pass the hurdles successfully, but with your master here, those worries are no longer an issue.” Regardless, Su Hengyi was grateful that Sikong Ling had stepped in at this time.

Su Hengyi might not understand the reason, but those who served close to the master knew of the master’s concern for Miss Su. Naturally, they didn’t dare to neglect her big brother and responded courteously. The master sending him to communicate with Su Hengyi was no doubt intended to curry favor with Miss Su’s Su Family.

“Brother Hengyi, can we really trust this Young Master Sikong?” Feng Ruolin watched the Sikong Family’s servant depart, her words tinged with worry. With the execution day drawing closer, not only the Prison but the entire Chang’an City had tightened security. It seemed that Wang Mang had become aware of their presence, unable to catch anyone. After planning for so long, this was their only chance to rescue the Marquis Bei’an and his son. Even though they knew that the Young Master Sikong Ling had been helping them in secret, Feng Ruolin still couldn’t completely relax, since she knew little about the Sikong Family and Sikong Ling.

“We have no choice but to trust him now. If Brother-in-law managed to get Young Master Sikong’s assistance, he must be confident. Moreover, with the current situation in Chang’an City, we couldn’t rescue them on our own. The only ones we can rely on, besides Brother-in-law’s men, are Young Master Sikong,” Su Hengyi responded.

Feng Ruolin obviously understood this as well, “That’s the only way.”

“Sister Ruolin, you don’t need to worry too much. Although I don’t know much about the Sikong Family, I trust Brother-in-law. I have also heard some things about Young Master Sikong; he is neither entirely righteous nor evil, unorthodox in his actions, but he values his promises. Since he has agreed to this matter, he should not go back on his word. Let’s consult with Zhai Mo later on. He should know how to deal with the Sikong Family’s affairs,” Su Hengyi comforted Feng Ruolin but was not without worry himself and immediately went to find Zhai Mo.

Zhai Mo was somewhat surprised but answered without hesitation, “Since Young Master Sikong stated it so, he should be able to deliver. At this point, all we can do is trust him.”

Conversely, even if Sikong Ling couldn’t fulfill his promise, they had no way to respond. Although Han Yu had developed to this extent, his foundation wasn’t in Chang’an, and inserting some of his people here couldn’t compare to Sikong Ling. Without Sikong Ling’s assistance, their progress would have been difficult; so now, they could only trust Sikong Ling, who had no reason to concoct such a ruse to deceive them.

Seeing Zhai Mo’s reaction, Su Hengyi finally felt somewhat relieved. As the day of the plan approached and time grew short, although Su Hengyi had made all the arrangements, he checked again to ensure there were no oversights and to guarantee the smooth implementation of the plan on that day.

The father and son of the Marquis Bei’an, along with others in prison, were also unprecedentedly anxious. They had been prepared to face death, but upon receiving the note from Su Hengyi passed from outside, they were not so much glad as they were concerned for Su Hengyi’s safety. No one knew better than they the rigor of the Prison’s security arrangements; Wang Mang, the old villain, had made extensive preparations, specifically waiting for those coming to their rescue to walk into his trap.