Chapter 399: Sacrifice or Strive for Survival

Robes of dukes, marquises, imperial sons-in-law, and earls were adorned with embroidery of qilin and Bai Ze. Aside from the eunuchs serving the emperor closely, only high-ranking officials of the Jinyiwei and a few military officers were granted such robes—of course, exceptions like Zhang Yue didn’t count.

Though it was already night, the Meng family’s courtyard was brightly lit by hanging lanterns. When Meng Xian stepped out through the double doors and saw Yuan Fang standing in the courtyard, his gaze immediately fell on the qilin robe. Though he had often dreamed of becoming a duke or marquis, he had never examined such a robe as carefully as he did today.

The robe had a crossed collar, wide sleeves, and a waistband. Made of thick, fine red silk gauze, it was ideal for the cold weather. Patterns of qilin, clouds, waves, and seas on the front, back, shoulders, and sleeves were embroidered using multicolored threads with rolling and random stitch techniques—reportedly requiring even the best embroiderers a full month of work. If he wasn’t mistaken, the hemming of the robe and sleeves was also meticulously crafted. The effort put into this single robe was second only to that of the emperor’s dragon robe and the imperial family’s python robes. It was a pity that, due to being born into the wrong family, he would never wear such a robe, no matter how hard he tried.

“What brings Lord Yuan here at this late hour?”

Meng Xian had been imprisoned by the Jinyiwei before, and Yuan Fang had interrogated him then. He understood the emperor’s intentions clearly, and out of respect for Zhang Yue, he not only refrained from using torture but also ordered that Meng Xian not be humiliated. When Zhang Yue’s marriage to Du Wan was finalized, he had felt somewhat relieved—after all, he thought Zhang Yue would face endless troubles with a father-in-law like Meng Xian. Yet, this day came sooner than expected.

“Lord Meng, you’re not new to being an official. The Jinyiwei is the emperor’s personal guard. Unless there’s a major case, I wouldn’t have come knocking on your door.” Yuan Fang glanced at Meng San, who quietly stepped back behind Meng Xian. He sneered inwardly before straightening his expression. “By the emperor’s orders, we’re here to arrest traitors. Bring him—arrest Meng Xian and Meng San!”

At the command, the twelve Jinyiwei in the courtyard immediately drew their swords, their identical Xiu Chun dao blades gleaming with a chilling light. Seeing this, the Meng family members still in the courtyard were instantly terrified; some of the more timid ones even sat down on the ground. While Meng Xian’s expression changed slightly, Meng San stepped back in shock. Instinctively reaching into his bosom for a dagger, he realized it had been left in the main house. Realizing that falling into the hands of the Jinyiwei meant certain death, he panicked and turned to run inside. Yet before he could take a few steps, his collar was firmly grabbed, and he was lifted into the air as if by magic.

Bang—

When Meng San landed face down on the ground, everyone in the courtyard was stunned. Yuan Fang looked at Meng Xian standing beside Meng San and couldn’t help but frown, but he waved his hand to stop the Jinyiwei from rushing forward. He had been in charge of the Jinyiwei for several years; although he might not be able to control his subordinates completely, he had indeed sensed something was amiss this time. In his view, letting these people act up wouldn’t do any harm—at least, the emperor, who deeply trusted eunuchs, might become more restrained, and those troublesome royal relatives might calm down a bit. He also knew exactly what Meng San had been up to these days.

“Elder… brother!”

“You still have the nerve to call me brother!” If Meng Xian had held back earlier in the main house, now he no longer bothered to conceal his anger. He grabbed Meng San’s front robe and lifted him half up, then sneered, “You used my name to deceive people outside, then rushed here to urge me to rebel and commit treason, telling me to act now rather than wait, saying that positions of nobility were within reach. And now, at this critical moment, you know to run away? Old San, old San, your second brother said you were good for nothing, but I didn’t believe it. Now I finally understand—I really can’t compare to him in judging people!”

As brothers born of the same mother, although Meng San was looked down upon by others, his second brother had at least always treated him well, usually just giving him mild scolds. But after that fall, he was completely disoriented, with a metallic taste in his mouth. Seeing Meng Xian’s deep, bottomless eyes, his shock turned into panic. Glancing down at Meng Xian’s right hand hanging limply, he had no doubt that the clenched fist would kill him before the Jinyiwei could.

“Brother, it will end the same way no matter what—whether I die or not. If I hadn’t used your name, how would they listen to me! Since things have already happened, what’s the difference between what I did and what you did? Rebellion is a grave crime that affects the entire family. Even Second Brother, the Marquis of Baoding, can’t escape! Anyway, we’re all going to die. I just wanted to see if I could escape and leave a chance for our Meng family… Can’t I repay you in the next life for all I owe you in this one…?” Before he could finish speaking, he felt the hands gripping his clothes suddenly loosen, and he fell to the ground again. Seeing Meng Xian step back a few feet, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He managed to get up with difficulty, but as soon as he stood straight, a cold blade flashed past his face. Glancing at the ground beside him, he saw a dagger embedded in the snow near his fingers, which terrified him almost to the point of incontinence.

“Just now you treated that dagger as if it were tofu. Why are you trembling like this now? If you’re a man, get up and face your punishment! Don’t embarrass our Meng family by acting so cowardly!”

At that moment, seeing Meng Xian abandon the worthless third son of the Meng family and step forward to kneel in the snow, Yuan Fang’s already furrowed brows tightened even more, but soon they relaxed as he grew thoughtful. Seeing his subordinates still acting as if facing a great threat and glancing at the open gate, he sneered inwardly.

Although he knew Meng Xian wasn’t innocent and had always harbored rebellious thoughts, he couldn’t help but admire the sudden quick wits of this man—what a Meng Xian! His lips curled slightly, and then he ordered in a deep voice, “Meng Xian, do you intend to surrender?”

“I, Meng Xian, deserve death…”

“Someone, chase after Meng San!”

The moment Meng Xian spoke those words, Meng San, who had just been unable to get up from the ground, suddenly pulled out the dagger from the snow and ran toward the gate. Almost at the same time, Yuan Fang shouted in frustration. Yet Meng Xian, who had seemingly given up and was ready to be captured, suddenly sprang up from the snow and chased after him, once again grabbing Meng San by the collar. Just as the Jinyiwei, who had already taken a few steps forward, thought it was a repeat of the earlier scene, they saw Meng San suddenly stab backward with force, followed by a loud thud.

Meng Xian could only watch in horror as the sharp blade rushed toward him. Yet he remained motionless, using all his strength in the final moment to pull and grab, successfully throwing Meng San back inside the door. Seeing his brother, who had ruined everything, scream as he rolled down the five-step staircase in front of the door and crashed headfirst into the bluestone in front of it, only to lie motionless in the snow, he burst into laughter—laughter filled with an indescribable bitterness.
“How could our Meng family have someone as worthless as you! You have the desire to steal but not the courage; you cause trouble for your family yet dare not take responsibility… I really shouldn’t have helped you. It’s a pity there’s no remedy for regret…”
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the crowd in the courtyard finally reacted, they saw Meng San lying on the ground, unable to get up, and Meng Xian, one hand on the door and the other gripping a dagger at his side, with a large pool of blood seeping from his chest. Even Yuan Fang, who had initially thought he understood Meng Xian’s intentions, was stunned by this sudden turn of events. After a moment, he ordered the Jinyiwei to step forward and investigate.
By the time the Meng family members arrived, the courtyard was in chaos. Meng Tao and Meng Fan, held back by the Jinyiwei, were horrified upon seeing the shocking pool of blood on their father’s clothes. Meng Min, who had arrived a step earlier, was allowed to go ahead. She knelt there, holding her father’s hand, watching as two Jinyiwei officers skillfully bandaged his chest.
“It’s fine. It’s so cold; the blood will clot soon. He won’t die!”
Zhang Yue, who had rushed over in a hurry, heard these words before seeing the mess around him. He didn’t know Meng San, so he wasn’t too concerned when he saw a half-dead man being carried away by the Jinyiwei. But when he saw Meng Xian, pale and being bandaged by two Jinyiwei officers, he was shocked and quickly stepped forward.
Yuan Fang, who was always keeping an eye on everything, frowned as soon as he saw Zhang Yue appear. He had clearly given orders to keep him away—so why had Zhang Yue come to this troubled place? Before anyone else could notice him, he rushed forward to block him and asked in a low voice, “Why have you come here, Lord Zhang?”
“I was sent by the emperor; I had no choice but to come.”

Receiving such an answer, Yuan Fang couldn’t help but feel helpless. Noticing Zhang Yue’s gaze directed at Meng Xian, he had no choice but to recount the thrilling scene that had just taken place, then sighed, “Anyway, both Meng Xian and Marquis Baoding have been suffered greatly by this fool Meng San. Yet it’s uncertain whether Meng Xian’s move of ‘a hero cutting off his own arm’ will actually work.”
Having recovered from his initial shock and seeing Meng Xian being helped to stand up, Zhang Yue thought of something entirely different—rather than it being an act of ‘a hero cutting off his own arm,’ it was more like seeking survival in death!