Chapter 35

Night.

Xie Qingya returned to his study.

He came back a little later tonight. As he entered the courtyard and saw Lingji rushing to greet him, he had a faint feeling of what might have happened.

In the study now.

After Lingji finished reporting the events of the day, Xie Qingya held the teacup in his hand, his gaze lowered, and he remained silent.

It was Chang Feng, standing nearby, who furrowed his brows and asked, “You said the young lady named Shiyu, who’s with the princess, took that suspicious maid away halfway?”

“Then what happened?”

“What happened next?” he asked Lingji.

Lingji didn’t dare to hide anything and relayed all that he knew: “Our brother saw that maid coming out of Linfeng Pavilion, and then he sneaked around avoiding people, trying to get to the prince’s study. But before he could get close to the study, that Shiyu suddenly appeared and took the person away.”

“Since the prince had warned us beforehand, our brother didn’t dare to get too close, afraid of drawing Shiyu’s attention. We don’t know exactly what they said, but we do know that Shiyu took the maid back to Linfeng Pavilion, and after that, the maid never appeared again.”

“As for Shiyu, after dark, she stayed by the screen, waiting for the princess. It was clear she had something to say.”

“Half an hour ago, the princess returned, and the three of them went back to Linfeng Pavilion… We still don’t know exactly what happened inside.”

“I’ve ordered people to continue watching over there. If anything happens, someone will report it in time.”

After Lingji finished speaking, he looked at Xie Qingya.

Chang Feng also turned to the silent man beside him: “Your Highness…”

He called him softly.

Chang Feng furrowed his brows, his expression far from pleasant: “What should we do now?”

They had already identified the problematic person, but they didn’t understand the princess’s intentions… But it was obvious the princess also knew that there was something wrong with her maid.

The question was, what role was the princess playing in all of this?

Why did she bring the maid back halfway, and what was her purpose?

Thinking back to the conversation between the princess and the prince by the screen that day, it was still fresh in his mind, and now this situation arose, leaving people unsure of what to say.

That day, Chang Feng had wondered what they would do if it were ever revealed that the princess had issues. He hadn’t expected that day to come so soon.

Xie Qingya remained silent.

Lingji was about to speak when Chang Feng grabbed his arm and shook his head at him.

Although he didn’t understand the reason, Lingji, still puzzled, closed his mouth.

After a moment, Xie Qingya finally set down his tea cup: “Since we already know who the problematic person is, let’s continue monitoring. As for—”

As for what?

Xie Qingya fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice calm: “Don’t make any hasty moves.”

Both men acknowledged with “Yes.”

Lingji nodded and turned to leave, intending to instruct the undercover agents to keep an eye on the maid.

Just as he was about to leave, a man in black entered the room.

This man was one of the undercover agents.

These agents were the secret guards left behind by the Grand Princess Liu Yuan.

Over the years, these secret guards had been divided into several groups—one stayed in the manor to protect the three siblings, while others were assigned by Xie Qingya to various industries to gather intelligence. For example, the woman named Furong, whom Xu Duanyi had encountered that day… she was both Xie Qingya’s “close confidante” and a skilled information gatherer.

The man in black who had just entered the courtyard was one of the undercover agents Xie Qingya had sent to watch Linfeng Pavilion.

Seeing him arrive, Lingji was quite surprised.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, then added, “Just in time, the prince has something for you.”

The undercover agent replied, “If it’s about the maid, then yes, I’m here for her.”

“So soon?” Lingji was shocked.

Before he could speak further, Chang Feng, hearing the movement outside, also came out.

He told the agent, “The prince calls for you.”

Although someone was keeping watch outside, and any unusual situation would be reported, Chang Feng glanced outside before quickly letting the agent in.

The agent didn’t dare to delay, nodded at Chang Feng, and immediately entered.

Lingji waited outside.

Chang Feng accompanied the agent inside.

Xie Qingya had already heard the noise from outside, and now seeing the man in black entering, he couldn’t help but tense his hand, instinctively gripping it tighter.

He feared the agent might reveal something he didn’t want to hear.

In that moment, Xie Qingya realized his palm had started sweating without him noticing.

He frowned at this realization.

The agent and Changfeng saw this but thought little of it, assuming the prince was upset about the day’s events.

“Your Highness.”

Once inside, the agent bowed and greeted Xie Qingya.

Xie Qingya nodded faintly, placing his palm on his knee to hide any signs of discomfort. Once the agent stood up, he asked, “What did you find out?”

The agent didn’t dare to hide anything and reported the events at Linfeng Pavilion: “Today, we discovered that the maid we suspected suddenly left Linfeng Pavilion and went to Fushui Residence.”

“Fushui Residence?”

Xie Qingya furrowed his brows, unsure of what that place was.

Chang Feng, who had investigated beforehand, had some knowledge of it and added, “Is that where the princess stores her dowry?”

The agent nodded, “Exactly.”

“Why would she go there so late?” Chang Feng was confused.

Although Xie Qingya didn’t speak, his eyes were fixed on the agent, waiting for him to continue.

The agent, not daring to withhold anything, truthfully replied: “I followed her for a while and found out that the maid was sent there by the princess. It seems she’ll stay in Fushui Residence from now on and will no longer serve in Linfeng Pavilion. As to why she was sent, I’m not sure, but the maid’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying. The girl beside her, named Xiuyu, was comforting her.”

This only made things more confusing.

Chang Feng furrowed his brows and pondered but couldn’t figure it out. He could only look toward Xie Qingya and say, “Your Highness…”

Just as he finished speaking, a sudden chime of a bell rang through the room.

The sound was particularly clear in the quiet of the night.

And the only one who could cause this bell to ring was one person.

Chang Feng momentarily cleared his thoughts, then whispered to Xie Qingya, “Your Highness, it’s Lord Mei.”

Xie Qingya naturally knew who had come.

But instinctively, tonight, he particularly did not want to see Mei Xuezhen, and even more so, did not want him to know what had happened in the mansion tonight.

The hand resting on his knee had unknowingly clenched into a fist.

His fingers, clearly defined, were now tense and rigid.

But this silence and sense of avoidance lasted only a moment. Xie Qingya loosened his fingers, lowered his eyelids, and spoke, “Go open the door.”

“Yes!” Chang Feng acknowledged and left to attend to the matter.

The undercover agent also knew Lord Mei’s identity, so he did not hide his presence and instead faced Xie Qingya, asking, “Your Highness, what should we do now?”

Before Xie Qingya could respond, footsteps were heard from behind.

“I thought you’d be here by now,” Mei Xuezhen casually remarked as he entered.

He was about to look toward Xie Qingya when his eyes suddenly caught sight of someone else.

Upon seeing the man in black, Mei Xuezhen’s face, which had been relaxed and smiling, suddenly froze.

When the undercover agent bowed and called out, “Lord Mei,” Mei Xuezhen seemed to snap back to attention.

“How are you here? Did you find something wrong? Who is it?” Mei Xuezhen asked as he walked, his face turning pale with urgency.

The undercover agent glanced at Xie Qingya.

Seeing that he made no objection, the agent didn’t hide anything and told Mei Xuezhen everything that had happened that day.

After hearing this, Mei Xuezhen’s initial panic shifted to confusion. Just like when they first learned of this matter, he furrowed his brow, “Taken away halfway and then assigned somewhere else… What is the Crown Princess trying to do?”

“Is there no other news?” Mei Xuezhen asked the agent.

The agent reluctantly shook his head.

“His Highness told us that Miss Yu’s martial arts are not low, so we were afraid that getting too close to Linfeng Pavilion might attract attention…”

Mei Xuezhen didn’t speak further.

He simply sat silently opposite Xie Qingya.

After a while, he looked up at Xie Qingya, “What do you think?”

Xie Qingya replied, “Keep watching for now.”

That was the only course of action for now, and Mei Xuezhen had no better plan.

Seeing that there were no further orders, the undercover agent said, “Then I will return and have someone continue to monitor Linfeng Pavilion and Fushui Residence. We will see if we can uncover any clues.”

Xie Qingya nodded.

The agent didn’t linger and, after saluting both of them, took his leave.

After he left, Changfeng poured tea for Mei Xuezhen.

Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly heard Mei Xuezhen ask, “What do you think the Crown Princess means by all this?”

Chang Feng halted his steps.

But he didn’t dare look back, fearing that Mei Xuezhen would notice something and cause a dispute between the Princess and the Prince.

He remained silent and continued walking out.

“I don’t know.”

The voice of the Prince came from behind him.

At this moment, Mei Xuezhen didn’t sense anything amiss.

He simply assumed that Xie Qingya genuinely couldn’t figure it out.

He couldn’t either.

“Regardless of what she means, one thing is now clear: the Crown Princess clearly doesn’t know nothing.”

“Qingya, you need to be careful.”

When Mei Xuezhen said this, he suddenly looked up, his gaze deep and alert as he stared at Xie Qingya.

Xie Qingya’s hand on his knee subconsciously tightened once more.

He looked at his tense fingers, then lightly acknowledged with a “Hmm” and after a moment, deliberately shifted his gaze and changed the subject, asking Mei Xuezhen, “What brings you here so late?”

They had agreed beforehand.

If there was no urgent matter, they wouldn’t meet privately.

Mei Xuezhen, reminded by Xie Qingya, recalled the reason for his visit today.

“I almost forgot because of what happened earlier,” Mei Xuezhen said, then explained his purpose. “Quan Fangtong is preparing to come to the capital, and he’s expected to arrive in about half a month.”

“I’ve already informed His Majesty about your plans, and His Majesty has no objections. When he arrives, I will approach him and mention that His Majesty has intended for him to be the Inspector of Salt Affairs.”

“Mm.”

Xie Qingya nodded.

“However, Qingya—”

Mei Xuezhen suddenly changed his tone, his brow furrowing, “Do you really think this will work? Quan Fangtong has always feared Cao Da. Do you think he will defy Cao Da’s wishes?”

“Cao Da has given him quite a lot over the years.”

Mei Xuezhen was worried that this wouldn’t work.

If it didn’t, could they control Quan Fangtong? Could they make him turn on his brother and reveal the truth of what happened years ago?

Xie Qingya didn’t seem as concerned as Mei Xuezhen. He said, “Quan Fangtong is always greedy. How could he be satisfied with the little Cao Da has given him?”

Quan Fangtong had his own people.

Xie Qingya knew his character and his insatiable greed.

On this point, he never worried.

Though Quan Fangtong and Cao Da were brothers, they weren’t full brothers.

Even full-blooded brothers sometimes harbor grudges—let alone these two. They were never that close.

“Moreover—”

Xie Qingya’s tone suddenly shifted, and he said in a low voice, “Whether he is willing to defy or not isn’t important. What matters is sowing discord between them, making them realize that he isn’t important to Cao Da. Only then can we extract the truth from his mouth, including who was behind the scene being fabricated back then.”

Four years ago.

It was the second year after the Changye Battle.

That year, after the death of his father, brothers, and mother, he had been in a haze, drowning in wine and debauchery. Then one day, a masked man in black found him and revealed the hidden truth behind the Changye Battle.

At that time, he was taken by the black-clad man to meet an old general whose body had been severely burned. The old general’s face was destroyed, and his vocal cords were damaged, making it impossible for him to speak.

Through the black-clad man’s hint, he learned that the old general had once served under his father.

When his father and brothers led their troops into battle, this old general was with them.

At that moment, he understood.

The reason his father, brothers, and many soldiers died in the Changye Battle was not a coincidence.

The fatal cause stemmed from the armor they wore!

In any battle, the most crucial things for soldiers were their armor and weapons.

The Jizhou Camp and Liaodong Camp were the two most powerful and vital military camps in the Great Xia.

Because their commanding officers, one being the King of Nanan and the other being the Duke of Wuan, were well-known, and their positions were high-ranking, they always received the best equipment.

Whenever they went to war, they never lacked the best gear.

However, the armor sent by Quan Fangtong at that time was made from defective materials.

Good armor could withstand sharp weapons and protect lives on the battlefield. But the defective armor was lethal!

His father and brothers, fearing he might be reckless and fall into an enemy trap, hurried to lead their troops to pursue, but unfortunately, the armor they wore was the replacement gear provided by Quan Fangtong.

Due to the urgency, they didn’t even have time to inspect it and went straight to the battlefield.

When they fought the enemy, this armor that was supposed to save their lives became the very thing that cost them their lives.

Even though his father and brothers were great warriors, they couldn’t withstand the treachery. They died on the battlefield.

By the time he realized this and led his troops to catch up, his father and brothers were already dead and caught in a sea of flames.

He had thought it was the enemy who set the fire, intending to humiliate and provoke his father and brothers after their deaths.

When he saw that scene, he was consumed with anger and despair.

He went mad, capturing enemy soldiers one after another, interrogating them to find out who had set the fire.

But no one confessed.

He killed them all.

In the end, even though he killed everyone, no one admitted to setting the fire.

At the time, he thought the enemy was afraid of him and dared not confess.

It wasn’t until a year later, when the black-clad man came with the injured old general, that he learned the truth behind the incident.

The old general had also been in a life-or-death situation.

He managed to survive because the wound he suffered wasn’t fatal, and he escaped from the fire.

However, even though the old general was saved by the black-clad man, he was gravely injured and remained unconscious for a whole year.

When he finally woke up, he was brought before Xie Qingya and personally wrote a letter explaining what had happened.

Only then did Xie Qingya learn that the fire had actually been set by their own people. Even the defective armor was replaced with proper ones after their deaths. The old general, sensing something was wrong, secretly hid a few pieces of the defective armor, and when the fire broke out, he waited for the others to leave before crawling out of the fire.

Unfortunately, the old general never saw who exactly was behind it, only that it was someone from their side, and their rank was probably quite high.

If not for his cooperation with Quan Fangtong to cover up the incident, it would have been exposed, and Quan Fangtong would never have survived to this day.

Back then, Quan Fangtong had been the head of the Ministry of Revenue. He was doing well when Cao Da suddenly sent him to Jiangning. If Cao Da wasn’t involved, how could that have happened?

Perhaps this whole incident was orchestrated by Cao Da; it wasn’t entirely impossible.

But Xie Qingya still hadn’t figured out who in the Jizhou Camp had colluded with Quan Fangtong.

His father had seven subordinates, and apart from the vice general Cen, who had perished alongside his father and brothers, six remained.

These six subordinates included one who had become the current Jizhou General, two still serving as vice generals in the Jizhou Camp, and three who had retired to their hometowns.

Over the years, Xie Qingya had met them and even interacted with them. Some expressed sympathy for his situation, while others criticized him for his failures.

Yet, Xie Qingya could no longer trust any of these men, who had once been so close to him.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have avoided all contact with them in the past years.

If Cao Da deserved to die, then so did the person who helped cover up the truth for Quan Fangtong!

Every time he thought of that person, who had once been his father’s right-hand man, but had stood idly by, watching his father and brothers perish in the flames to conceal the truth…

If Xie Qingya hadn’t arrived in time back then…

His father and brothers would have been burned to ashes, and no remains would have been left.

At this thought, Xie Qingya’s expression darkened uncontrollably, his face twisted with rage. His hands, hidden beneath the table, clenched into tight fists once again.

He had to uncover the truth of what happened that year and avenge his father and brothers!

Seeing his expression, Mei Xuezhen knew that he was once again immersed in past memories and pain. He understood that the events of the past had always been a source of hurt for Qingya, and he wanted to uncover the truth about those events as soon as possible, to bring comfort to their uncle’s spirit.

Therefore, he wouldn’t stop him.

Mei Xuezhen had come today to discuss the next steps with Xie Qingya.

“Cao Da is a clever man. All these years, he has been on guard against you. After Quan Fangtong returns to the capital, he will certainly send someone to watch him closely,” Mei Xuezhen said.

“If it’s discovered that Quan Fangtong intends to betray him, he definitely won’t let him off.”

“…I know.”

Xie Qingya detached himself from his pain and spoke in a hoarse voice, “When that time comes, I will arrange for someone to protect Quan Fangtong’s safety. Until the truth about what happened back then is clear, I won’t let anything happen to him.”

Mei Xuezhen trusted Xie Qingya’s abilities. He also knew that it wasn’t just Cao Da who had been guarding against Xie Qingya all these years; Qingya too had been preparing, not without reason.

“Leave Quan Fangtong’s matter to me. As for what’s going on in your household—”

At this point, Mei Xuezhen couldn’t help but frown. He knew Qingya, due to his respect for Prince Wen Zhao and General Wu An, didn’t want to act against their eldest princess.

But being caught in this current of events, even the smallest trouble could change the course of things.

And if this eldest princess really had a problem, it would not be a small issue but a fatal weakness that could lead to their total defeat.

“Qingya, I don’t know what she’s doing, what her intentions are. Maybe she’s not what we think she is, maybe she means well, but there’s also the possibility that she’s doing this deliberately for us to see…” Mei Xuezhen said.

He saw the handsome young man across from him, whose gaze flickered several times under the candlelight after hearing these words.

Mei Xuezhen knew that Qingya must also understand these things. What he could think of, Qingya could hardly have missed.

But Qingya, deep down, always had that sense of duty and responsibility.

This seemingly indifferent man, who cared for nothing except vengeance, actually had a soft spot for emotions more than anyone else.

But sometimes, morality and responsibility could be a trap.

“Qingya, we can’t afford to gamble,” Mei Xuezhen said, lightly patting Qingya’s arm before heading towards the secret passage.

The door to the passage was quietly closed.

Inside the room, only Xie Qingya remained.

The flickering light of the candles illuminated the room.

Xie Qingya sat alone beside the light, head lowered, silent.

“What happened to the master?”

Outside, Ling Ji looked at the scene and was about to enter, but Chang Feng stopped him and asked.

Chang Feng said nothing.

—-

Late at night.

The world was silent.

As usual, Xie Qingya couldn’t sleep tonight.

In the past, he would punch and sweat it out, and once tired, he would easily fall asleep.

But tonight, no matter what, he couldn’t sleep.

Tossing and turning, sleep eluded him.

The candles in the room had already gone out, and only a sliver of moonlight filtered through the white curtain outside the window.

Xie Qingya lay with his hands behind his head, silently staring at the ceiling.

Suddenly—

He pulled the blanket aside, stood up, and walked out.

Near midnight.

At this hour, the palace was completely silent.

Xie Qingya moved through the dark like a shadow, heading toward Linfeng Pavilion.

The area outside Linfeng Pavilion was eerily quiet.

To avoid being detected by Xu Duanyi and her attendant Shiyu, there were no spies around Linfeng Pavilion.

Xie Qingya climbed over the wall and entered the yard.

Apart from a few lanterns in the corridor, there was no light inside Linfeng Pavilion.

Xie Qingya stood beneath the peach tree, looking at the house ahead.

He didn’t know why he was here.

He just felt an uncontrollable urge to come.

Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to do.

He stood there for a while.

Frowning and rubbing his forehead, Xie Qingya knew he should turn and leave, but his steps were not under control as he walked toward the window.

A place he knew better than anyone.

No one knew this place better than Xie Qingya.

Reaching a window, Xie Qingya stretched out his hand and gently moved it.

As expected, the broken window had not been fixed.

Xie Qingya silently propped up the window and climbed inside.

He had long since gotten used to the dark. Through the moonlight, he scanned the room. Everything was as it had been before, and all his belongings were still there.

In nearly half a month, nothing had changed here.

But there was one thing that had changed.

This room, which once belonged to him alone, now had many more items, even though the person using it had tried to avoid leaving traces. But it was impossible to live here without leaving some.

Xie Qingya could still smell a faint, refreshing fragrance in the air.

After standing still for a while, he suddenly walked toward the canopy bed.

The bed curtains were still the same as the other day.

The bright red “mandarin ducks playing in the water” design was gaudy and unattractive.

Xie Qingya lifted one corner of the curtain, his face expressionless as he peered inside. The first things his eyes landed on were two pillows, followed by a familiar face.

On such a large bed, she had curled up by herself, occupying only a small portion of it.

Her beautiful eyebrows were furrowed for some unknown reason, her lips tightly pressed together, and she looked even more distressed than she did that day when she slept in the armchair.

The quilt on her was only half covering her body.

This passage touches on themes of memories, pain, unresolved issues, and the complexity of emotions, with the characters grappling with their past actions and relationships.

Xie Qingya only realized on their wedding night that the sleeping Xu Duanyi was far from as composed as when awake.

That night, he didn’t know how many times he had picked up the blankets for her.

In the end, he wished he could tie her and the blanket together with a rope.

It was the same now.

Xu Duanyi, curled up like a kitten, had only half of her body covered, and her feet, up to her ankles, were bare and exposed.

It was still only April, and the night air was cold.

She didn’t know how long it had been like this.

Xie Qingya could only watch as she grew colder and colder. She tried to hide her feet but couldn’t manage to tuck them back under the blanket that had slipped down onto the footrest.

He didn’t immediately pick up the blanket.

He simply watched her calmly, even coldly, letting her struggle in the cold.

It was as if he were looking at a stranger, not caring about her well-being.

He still seemed to hear Mei Xuezhen’s earlier words in his ears.

He knew.

But what he had thought earlier was more about the possibility that Xu Duanyi didn’t know, or that she had sent that maid away for another reason, that they had overthought things, or perhaps… he had even wondered if Xu Duanyi was helping him.

This was his most secret hope.

But Mei Xuezhen was right.

…They couldn’t afford to gamble.

If there was something wrong with Xu Duanyi, then everything they had done would be in vain, even turning into a blade pointed at them.

He couldn’t take the risk.

So he couldn’t ask.

He should stay far away from her, treating her like a stranger, keeping his distance, not letting her have any opportunity to influence him.

Or… he could kill her.

If Xu Duanyi were dead, then he wouldn’t be troubled like this.

He shouldn’t have been troubled at all.

There were already enough things to consider; this shouldn’t be one of them.

It was like being bewitched, like a nightmare.

Suddenly, Xie Qingya reached out toward Xu Duanyi. His fingers stopped at her slender neck, and he could even feel the pulse there.

As long as he grabbed her neck, he could kill her.

And from then on, no one would be able to affect his mood.

But Xie Qingya—

In the end, he still closed his eyes.

His fingers left her neck. He opened his eyes in silence, looked at her again, then bent down to pick up the half-fallen blanket.

Her cold feet finally found warmth.

Xie Qingya saw that she wasn’t curled up as she had been before.

He looked at her for a moment, preparing to leave.

But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a faint sob.

His steps halted immediately.

Xie Qingya frowned, unable to believe it, and turned back. Sure enough, he saw a string of crystal-clear tears fall from the corner of Xu Duanyi’s eye.

Even when Xu Duanyi cried, it was softly.

If he hadn’t been so close, he wouldn’t have noticed her tears.

Xie Qingya didn’t understand why she was crying in her sleep.

Hadn’t she grown up?

Hadn’t she become independent and fearless?

She hadn’t cried when he publicly humiliated her before, so why was she crying now?

Xie Qingya didn’t know.

But he knew, he couldn’t leave.

He had never been able to leave when she was crying.

Xie Qingya sat down on the edge of the bed.

The faint light coming through allowed him to see her face.

Xie Qingya’s face showed no expression, but his hand reached out to gently wipe the tears from her face.

But for some reason, the tears just kept coming, no matter how much he wiped.

In the end, Xie Qingya sighed and said, “Xu Duanyi, why are you crying?”

He said it casually.

He never expected the person in her dreams to answer him.

He didn’t expect her to wake up.

So when he saw Xu Duanyi open her eyes, Xie Qingya froze.

He didn’t dare move, his mind went blank, just staring at her.

What shocked him even more was that, in the next moment, Xu Duanyi, with red eyes, suddenly hugged him.