Chapter 129

Chapter 129: Personal Attendants Xie Yunting simply sat down on the wall, grinning lazily. "Duke of Dingguo, I'm climbing over the wall of my own residence—what business is it of yours?" "Xie Yunting, you know exactly what I'm asking!" The Duke of Dingguo had searched the entire military camp and found no trace of the soldier he'd seen that day. Without knowing his name or identity, and unable to openly search for someone using a portrait, he could only come looking for Xie Yunting day after day. He had called on him repeatedly, yet never managed to see Xie Yunting. Every time, he was told Xie Yunting wasn't in. And when court let out, Xie Yunting always left in a hurry. After enough visits, the Duke of Dingguo sensed something was off and had his men lie in wait near the Xie residence to corner Xie Yunting. Today, he'd finally caught him. "Then I truly have no idea." Xie Yunting played dumb. "Duke of Dingguo, why not just come out and say what it is you want from me?" The Duke of Dingguo's gaze was so fierce it seemed to want to bore a hole straight through Xie Yunting. But since he was the one seeking a favor, he could only take a deep breath and soften his tone. "Can you come down? Let's find a place to talk properly." Xie Yunting said no. "I still have to go out for drinks. If the Duke has something to say, say it right here. If you're too embarrassed, then we can talk another day." "You little—!" "Yes, yes, yes, I'm a good-for-nothing scoundrel." Xie Yunting said it about himself. "You already know what kind of person I am, so just be direct—what exactly is this about?" With no other choice, the Duke of Dingguo stepped closer and asked, "The day you returned to the city, besides Shuanzi, there was another soldier with you. What was his name?" Xie Yunting pretended to think, then said, "I have many soldiers around me—Erzhuzi, Mingtang, Qiuhua, Da Dunanzi, Gousheng..." "Enough! I'm not asking you to recite names. Can you gather the men from that day and let me see them?" Just from hearing names, the Duke of Dingguo couldn't tell who was who. "See them? Duke of Guo, why would you want to see them? They're just a bunch of stinking men. Did one of them offend you?" Xie Yunting deliberately circled around the topic, refusing to go where the Duke of Dingguo wanted. The Duke of Dingguo had never had a good temper, even in his youth. Hearing Xie Yunting deliberately dodge and weave, he simply climbed up onto the wall himself. He tried to grab Xie Yunting. But he was old, and his reflexes were no match for Xie Yunting's, who easily dodged him. "Duke of Dingguo, what are you doing?" Xie Yunting jumped back down inside the wall. "I haven't offended you either. If you want to see those lads, I'll call them over for you." Hearing that Xie Yunting had finally stopped stalling, the Duke of Dingguo gave a cold snort and told him to arrange it immediately. Xie Yunting gave the order. While waiting for the men to arrive, he grew curious again. "Why don't you tell me—who exactly are you looking for? Could it be a child you fathered out of wedlock in your wilder days?" The moment he said it, the Duke of Dingguo shot him a glare. Xie Yunting immediately felt he'd hit the mark. Though Cui Zeyu hadn't told him the specifics, this had been his guess from the very beginning. Good heavens—he'd stumbled onto something huge! "You talk too much!" The Duke of Dingguo turned away in disgust, refusing to look at Xie Yunting any longer. He didn't trust Xie Yunting. If Xie Yunting knew the truth, he'd probably go blabbing it everywhere. The Duke of Dingguo had lived most of his life; he didn't want to lose both face and dignity in his old age. The two of them sat in silence for a while. Bored, Xie Yunting took his men to the courtyard to practice martial arts. An hour later, all of Xie Yunting's personal attendants from that day had arrived. "Take a look, Duke of Guo—these are all my personal attendants. See if the person you're looking for is among them," Xie Yunting said. The Duke of Dingguo looked at each one carefully. "Are you certain everyone is here?" Xie Yunting said yes. He waved his hand, and the attendants withdrew. "Duke of Guo, I've cooperated and called everyone over. Could it be that your eyes are failing with age and you didn't see clearly? Mistaking one person for another?" The Duke of Dingguo was indeed getting on in years, but that feeling—he was certain it couldn't be wrong. He stared fixedly at Xie Yunting. That day, Peng'er had also met his gaze. If Peng'er had seen him, he should have come to acknowledge him. Could he really have been mistaken? The Duke of Dingguo was confused. He'd staked out Xie Yunting for so many days. If Peng'er really was someone close to Xie Yunting, he would surely know the Duke was looking for him. So why hadn't Peng'er come forward? The Duke of Dingguo couldn't figure it out. Seeing Xie Yunting look back at him with such an open, honest expression, seemingly without any hint of deception, his hope was dashed once more. His face seemed to age ten years in an instant. "Xie Yunting, you'd better not be lying to me." Leaving those words behind, the Duke of Dingguo walked away. Xie Yunting waved and called out loudly, "Rest assured, Duke of Guo! I, Xie Yunting, never lie." He was all smiles—and that very statement was a lie. Once the Duke of Dingguo was gone, Xie Yunting immediately put on a serious face and summoned his attendant. "Well? Did you notice anything unusual?" "Reporting to the General—two men were following the Duke of Dingguo the whole time. After he left, those two took a roundabout route. Do you know where they ended up?" Xie Yunting asked where. "They went into the Duke of Dingguo's residence," the attendant said. Xie Yunting clicked his tongue, then quickly pieced together the contradiction. He turned and went to find Cui Zeyu—some matters were better handled once everything was made clear.