Poisoned tea.

Hearing these words, Chu Zhao picked up her own teacup and took a light sip.

“Third Young Master doesn’t trust me?” she said with a smile.

Xie Yanfang also smiled.

“This isn’t a matter of trust or distrust. Even between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, in this kind of situation, one must maintain some vigilance.” He looked at the teapot. “From the same teapot, the tea may not necessarily be the same.”

Chu Zhao slowly finished her tea, looking at the teapot and muttering to herself: “I didn’t know that at the time.”

In that previous life, she and Xiao Xun had shared meals and lodging. She had never thought to be even slightly wary of Xiao Xun, until time after time she drank the poisoned tea he personally poured, her body weakening, losing her child, until finally that last cup of undisguised poisoned wine sent her on her way.

She had never imagined that in this life she would find such things in the palace to use on others.

“It’s not really poison.” she said, looking at Xie Yanfang. “It’s a medicine that makes people temporarily fall into deep sleep.”

Xie Yanfang made a sound: “Oh, so it’s that.”

Standing behind Chu Zhao, Xiao Man felt her palms sweating, yet her mind was somewhat confused. From the moment Xie Yanfang said it was he who wanted to kill Zhong Changrong, she had prepared to attack, but up until now—one person pointing out “you poisoned my tea” and the other explaining what kind of poison it was—the atmosphere remained so peaceful.

Fighting in the capital was indeed different from the battlefield.

Xiao Man felt this place was even more terrifying.

“Your Majesty needn’t do this. If you want something from me, tell me directly.” Xie Yanfang said frankly.

Chu Zhao was equally frank: “I asked you before whether, for the court’s stability, imperial relatives could refrain from holding office. You answered that they could.”

Xie Yanfang nodded: “Of course they can. Not only will I not hold office, I can guarantee that no one from the Xie clan will hold office either.”

Chu Zhao looked at him for a moment and shook her head: “Now I know that the Xie clan is actually irrelevant—whether they hold office or not doesn’t matter. The key person is you, so I hope you will disappear.”

Disappear? Xie Yanfang asked with interest: “How would I disappear?”

“I won’t let you go free, nor will I let you serve in the court.” Chu Zhao said candidly. “I want to confine you, to isolate you from the world.”

Xie Yanfang looked at her and smiled: “Isolated from the world?” Then said, “The best way to make someone disappear is to kill them.”

Chu Zhao shook her head: “Third Young Master, I won’t kill you. I won’t cross the river and destroy the bridge, show ingratitude. You’ve shown great kindness in supporting and assisting both me and A’Yu. But you’re too dangerous. I can’t let you continue to manipulate Da Xia’s affairs and people. So I want to confine you—at least until A’Yu becomes a true Emperor, you cannot appear again.”

Xie Yanfang said: “I believe I’ve already explained clearly that I won’t harm you or A’Yu—”

“No, you will.” Chu Zhao interrupted him. “Third Young Master, your greatest danger is that you’ll turn me and A’Yu into what you want us to be.”

Xie Yanfang looked at her, silent for a moment.

“What you do is for the Emperor and Empress you want, not for me and A’Yu.” Chu Zhao said. “A’Yu and I only want to, and only will, be ourselves.”

Xie Yanfang said: “I haven’t stopped you from being yourselves. It’s just that some things are inconvenient for you to do yourselves, so I do them for you.”

Chu Zhao shook her head: “As long as they’re our own affairs, there’s no inconvenience. We don’t need others to do them for us, and no one else can do them for us.”

Xie Yanfang fell silent.

His silence caused the atmosphere to freeze. Xiao Man felt even her breathing had stopped.

“Very well.”

Just as the suffocating feeling peaked, Xie Yanfang nodded and spoke.

“I’m willing to step aside for the Empress.”

Chu Zhao looked at him and said: “Thank you, Third Young Master.”

Xie Yanfang looked at the teacup in his hand again and suddenly asked with a smile: “Do I still need to drink this tea?”

Chu Zhao also smiled and said: “No need. We’ve come to an understanding.”

“What if I hadn’t noticed and had drunk it earlier?” Xie Yanfang asked with another smile. “The Empress wouldn’t have needed to waste her breath.”

If anyone else had said this, it would sound like accusation and mockery, but when Xie Yanfang said it, one could only feel he was teasing.

“If you’d drunk it, I would have waited for Third Young Master to wake up and then said these things.” Chu Zhao showed no embarrassment and said seriously, “Just in a different order.”

Xie Yanfang smiled and set down the teacup.

……

……

“What does she want to do?”

Hearing Xie Yanfang’s words, Du Qi, who had been waiting in the tent, glared angrily.

“She wants to capture you, Young Master?”

Xie Yanfang corrected: “Confine.”

The young master was still in the mood to joke. Du Qi’s expression was grim as he said: “We knew she was hiding something. Steward Cai said that if she dared investigate the Wei clan, she would make a move against the young master.” He sneered coldly. “I’d like to see how she captures the young master.”

“The entire hunting ground is surrounded by troops in layers.” Xie Yanfang said. “One layer of palace Imperial Guards, one layer of Guard Bureau troops, and the outermost is the capital garrison. I was escorted back. At this very moment our tent has been surrounded by heavy forces, and no one can approach.”

Du Qi said lightly: “So what?”

“I know it’s ‘so what.'” Xie Yanfang said, waving his hand. “Don’t worry about it. She’s angry now and wary of me. Just let her do as she pleases.”

Du Qi said: “Young Master, this is what you call doing as she pleases? She’s harboring murderous intent toward us. This is crossing the river and destroying the bridge, disposing of the donkey after the grinding is done.”

Xie Yanfang said: “The Empress can naturally harbor murderous intent toward anyone. I’ve been waiting for her to investigate me, curious about what she would do.” At this point he nodded. “Not bad, not bad. Very well done.”

Du Qi shrugged beside him: “Young Master, you’re still praising her. Would you be happy even if she killed you?” He couldn’t help muttering, “If Steward Cai were here, he’d surely be nagging again.”

Though there was no rush—Steward Cai would know soon enough.

Hearing his words, Xie Yanfang stopped smiling and became thoughtful: “Still not quite like me.”

If it were him, the tea wouldn’t just make someone unconscious—it would poison them to death. And he wouldn’t confine a living person—only bury a dead one.

“The Empress can’t bear to kill me.”

But this was also like him, because he couldn’t bear to kill her either.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile.

They truly were alike.

……

……

“This is what you call persuasion?”

In the Empress’s tent, Xiao Man unusually grabbed hold of Chu Zhao, her expression furious as she asked.

“First poisoning, then directly saying you want to confine him.”

Could such things even persuade anyone?

Had she thought about how she felt being present at the time!

Chu Zhao smiled: “It is persuasion. Look—didn’t I persuade him?”

Xiao Man stared at her wide-eyed.

“Third Young Master Xie is an intelligent person. When speaking with him, you must be direct and decisive.” Chu Zhao gripped her hand and said softly.

Xiao Man’s expression was skeptical: “He’s so smart, so formidable—and you could persuade him like this, so he’ll obediently let himself be confined?”

Chu Zhao said: “He wasn’t persuaded by me. He was persuaded by himself. He’s too intelligent, too confident. The only one who can persuade him is himself. He actually doesn’t take me seriously at all.”

Not quite understanding, Xiao Man couldn’t help rubbing her forehead: “Then what do we do next? If he doesn’t want to be confined, he can go back on his word anytime.”

Chu Zhao looked at the gradually falling dusk and said: “I need to make it so he can’t go back on his word, before he has the chance to.”

……

……

As dusk fell over the capital, troops suddenly surged in. The city gates closed, but fortunately the galloping soldiers proclaimed throughout the streets “Capturing Xi Liang spies, idle people stay clear,” which somewhat eased the people’s tension.

Capturing Xi Liang spies! The people couldn’t help discussing—who were the Xi Liang spies?

The troops dispersed throughout the city then converged on two residences.

The lanterns in the Xie family’s inner residence had just been lit, brilliant and radiant, but at this moment the people within had no song or dance or joy—only shocked expressions.

“Xi Liang spies? Us, the Xie clan?” Seventh Master Xie stood under the eaves, and after his initial shock, laughed heartily. “The Empress’s excuse is too perfunctory. We’re imperial relatives, the Emperor’s only family. Even if you used the charge of corruption, it would be more convincing to the masses.”

And at the same time in the Liang residence, besides shock there was also panic. This was the second time the Liang clan had experienced this—how could it happen again so quickly? People rushed about in chaos: “What’s happening?” “How could we be spies?” “The Liang clan has merit.” “This is the Empress taking personal revenge.”

Amid the general terror, Liang Qiang’s expression remained calm, but his hands hanging at his sides were clenched together.

So even though he hadn’t spoken, the Empress had actually discovered the truth.

Then this time, could the Empress win?