When Jiang Xuening woke from her sleep, there were already some noisy sounds outside. She had slept quite well, so there was no displeasure at being disturbed. When she got up to wash, she casually asked: “Has Wei Liang entered the city?”

The two maids Lian’er and Tang’er had also been following by her side during this time.

At this moment, Lian’er was combing her hair, smiling sweetly, and said: “He has. He even came looking for you this morning, but ran into Master Xie, who said you were most likely still sleeping, so he sent him to look at the farmland outside the city first. He also said that after you wake up, he’d inform you so you could go there to find him. However, in the afternoon, you still need to spare most of an hour to come back early to practice the qin.”

Jiang Xuening was immediately speechless.

She still remembered that last night Xie Wei had said there was no need to practice qin this morning, letting her sleep in properly. Who would have thought—no practice in the morning, but the afternoon remained as usual. It truly was something Xie Ju’an would say and do.

Only she had no objections.

Hearing Lian’er say that Wei Liang had encountered Xie Ju’an, she didn’t think much of it. After having some porridge and rice, she first went to check on Shen Zhiyi, then played with little Shen Jia who could already babble, and only then had someone prepare a carriage to leave the city to find Wei Liang.

When she left the residence, the news was delivered to Xie Wei.

Jianshu said: “Before leaving, Second Miss Ning went to see the Princess again.”

Xie Wei sat in the pavilion brewing tea.

The cassia trees planted all around already had a faint drifting fragrance.

Hearing this, he lightly knitted his brows, a trace of hidden gloom sweeping through his eyes, yet he asked in an ordinary tone: “Shen Zhiyi didn’t say anything improper to her, did she?”

Jianshu shook his head: “She did not.”

Only then did Xie Wei lower his eyelids, picked up the tea sea, and used the scalding first round of tea water to rinse the purple clay tea lid.

After a while, he said again: “She’s fairly clever after all. With chaos in the city, she keeps close watch over the Princess’s safety at all times.”

Jianshu understood and only said: “Yes.”

Xie Wei said nothing more, calmly and peacefully brewing tea, as if waiting for someone.

After approximately a quarter hour, Dao Qin led someone into the garden.

Xie Wei grasped an empty teacup, stood at the pavilion’s edge on the steps, and raised his eyes to look over.

Zhang Zhe wasn’t wearing official robes—just a simple dark blue long robe. His solemn and cold countenance habitually bore no smile, like a pine or cypress rooted in craggy rock unmoved by wind and rain, or like a firm stone standing on a sheer cliff unchanged by frost and snow, making one feel several points of steadiness and composure.

A person’s temperament could be known almost at a glance.

Neither fearful nor evasive, after two or three years had passed, he still carried that upright and honorable bearing.

The fingers toying with the teacup tightened somewhat, then slowly relaxed. Xie Wei gradually suppressed his emotions. Seeing the person approach near, he smiled as if seeing an acquaintance: “Minister Zhang comes from the capital. Xie has been busy with matters and couldn’t personally welcome you, only sending subordinates to go. Please forgive me.”

Zhang Zhe was originally taciturn by nature. Facing someone as eloquent and skilled in argument as Xie Wei, he naturally appeared even more sparing with words.

Moreover, he knew he and Xie Wei were not compatible.

At this moment, he only cupped his hands once and said: “The court has commanded me to come negotiate. Minister Xie’s words are too serious.”

He had originally set out from the capital last night. By the time he reached Zhending Prefecture, it should have been the dawn with its first rays of light. Who would have thought that while he was still at the post station outside the city gate, he would be stopped by a group of people who temporarily wouldn’t let him go.

The leader was precisely Dao Qin from Xie Wei’s side.

She said that their master had already heard of his grand arrival and, because the times were quite chaotic, had specially sent people to escort him, lest something happen later and the court blame them for “beheading the envoy.” Only Xie Wei was also busy with matters and might have to trouble him to wait a bit.

Thus they wouldn’t let him enter the city.

Seeing it was nearly noon, someone from Zhending Prefecture came and said something to Dao Qin. Only then did they finally set out again and arrive here to see Xie Wei.

Xie Wei looked him over and said: “When I first heard, I thought the court had lost its mind. Minister Zhang is neither in the Ministry of Rites nor the Court of State Ceremonial—just a Vice Minister of Justice completely unrelated to this matter. Moreover, you’re not skilled in speaking. For the Emperor to send you to be a negotiator is truly unconventional, enough to surprise people.”

These words carried a faint probing flavor.

Zhang Zhe kept both hands tucked in his wide hanging sleeves, but didn’t speak in roundabout ways, only saying: “They think that in the Battle of Tongzhou, this official and Minister Xie exerted our utmost effort together, and that I have connections with Second Miss Jiang, making me the most suitable person.”

When Xie Ju’an heard “Battle of Tongzhou,” he still felt nothing much, but upon hearing the two words “have connections,” somehow he only felt waves upon waves of sourness surging outward.

He laughed coldly: “Unfortunately, the court thought wrong.”

Zhang Zhe was not only not some colleague who had jointly suppressed the Heavenly Teachings together with him—even back in Tongzhou, they had already gotten along very poorly. Or rather, he was extremely wary of this person.

Zhang Zhe didn’t speak.

Xie Wei said again: “Coming as a negotiator, there should be some bargaining chip. What bargaining chip did the court give?”

Zhang Zhe said: “The Jiang residence.”

Everyone knew that whether true or false, Xie Wei claimed to outsiders that he was born of the Xie clan of Jinling. After coming to the capital alone, from top to bottom in his residence there was only him with the surname Xie—no relatives, no connections.

And the news that Jiang Xuening was by his side wasn’t difficult to gather either.

Coming and going, the court’s idea to first control the Jiang residence as a bargaining chip to constrain Xie Wei was a perfectly normal thing.

He recalled the situation of hidden currents surging in the court during this time and said: “Minister Jiang hasn’t attended court for nearly half a month. All people inside and outside the Jiang residence cannot freely enter or exit. Even the cook buying vegetables has to be checked three or four times before being allowed through. Though not explicitly called house arrest, it’s actually no different.”

Hearing this, Xie Wei only found it laughable.

He turned that white porcelain teacup once in his hand, then gently set it back on the tea table. Not only was there not half a point of pity between his brows and eyes, but several points of interested amusement floated up: “How wonderful. Recently I’ve been constantly thinking of the grievances Ning’er suffered in those earlier years. Their bad luck saves me the trouble of going to find them for retribution later.”

Zhang Zhe looked toward him.

Xie Wei was completely unaware of how excessive his words were, nor did he avoid his gaze. He even turned his head toward him and said: “Speaking of which, back then Jiang Boyou regarded Minister Zhang quite favorably, and he and I also have some old connections. When Minister Zhang returns to the capital, you might as well carry a message for Xie—please tell him not to worry too much. I’m raising Ning’er quite well.”

When these words landed, they inevitably carried some malevolent energy.

Clearly they hadn’t even exchanged a few sentences, yet he was already somewhat impatient, only saying: “Xie and Prince Yan originally were returning to the capital in service of Princess Highness, raising the banner of rescuing the Emperor. Please ask Minister Zhang to return and report truthfully. In two days, once the great army has rested well, we will certainly annihilate the Heavenly Teachings in one stroke, save the court from fire and flood, and eliminate rebellion from the Forbidden City.”

This was directly issuing an order to leave.

Zhang Zhe couldn’t fail to hear it.

Only, according to Shen Lang’s intention, sending him to negotiate was merely a pretense anyway. Whether or not he saw Xie Wei and Yan Lin, and what could actually be negotiated, wasn’t that important.

A gust of autumn wind blew over.

The sky’s edge, originally covered with some white clouds, now had large patches of low, heavy dark clouds drifting over. The lazy sunlight that had been falling on the steps in front dimmed several points accordingly.

It looked like it was going to rain.

He stood beneath the pavilion and looked up at the sky. At this time and place, he actually recalled that time and place.

Only summer had already ended.

One autumn rain, one degree colder. This courtyard no longer had the lake full of lotus leaves and flowers from the summer retreat of years past.

At this time, he should have taken leave of Xie Wei and then departed.

Only when he was about to turn, he stopped.

His thin eyelids lifted, vaguely carrying an unsmooth sharpness. Zhang Zhe stared at him for a moment, then actually said: “Shen Lang sending me to negotiate is false. Secretly meeting the Princess is true—there’s another item to deliver.”

Xie Wei’s pupils suddenly contracted.

However, Zhang Zhe said nothing more. He only cupped his hands toward him once, turned and descended the steps, going directly to meet Shen Zhiyi.

Dao Qin and Jianshu stood attending at the side, both equally astonished.

Previously in Xinzhou, when Zhou Yinzhi came, he had also delivered an item to Princess Highness.

Xie Wei knew about it.

Only, first, she had once shown kindness to Jiang Xuening; second, she still had some utilization value. He hadn’t sent anyone to investigate what exactly the item was, and Shen Zhiyi hadn’t made any unusual moves either.

Now came another Zhang Zhe…

But this matter that should have been done in secret and concealment—why did he tell Xie Wei so plainly?

Jianshu frowned: “Should we send someone to stop him?”

Xie Wei recalled that back in Tongzhou, when he had Dao Qin and Jianshu search everywhere for the secret correspondence he had written to the Heavenly Teachings under the identity of Du Jun but couldn’t find it, only to turn around and find it in Zhang Zhe’s hands—yet he hadn’t used this thing to make an issue of it, only returned it to him.

Now he brought up the matter of Shen Zhiyi again…

The incompatibility between him and Zhang Zhe was something both were well aware of. He wouldn’t think this kind of solitary and aloof person who didn’t fit in with groups would form cliques and stand on his side. In fact, when Zhang Zhe returned that secret letter to him, he had harbored killing intent.

Only, at that time he was after all the person in Ning’er’s heart…

Thinking of this, Xie Wei pressed his thin lips even tighter, his face covered with frost. Ultimately, he suppressed all the churning emotions and said: “No need.”

What he feared wasn’t the matter itself.

What he feared was only not knowing about this matter.

Watching the sky grow dark and heavy with impending rain, he felt increasingly stifled. He simply flicked his sleeves and left, leaving behind words: “After he finishes seeing Shen Zhiyi, tell him to leave quickly. Don’t let him stay in the city even one moment longer!”

Dao Qin and Jianshu had followed him for many years. Moreover, they’d been handling matters since this morning—how could they not know what he truly feared beneath these words?

With great difficulty, they had sent Second Miss Ning away.

If these two people were to meet face to face…

The two exchanged glances, understanding without words.

Xie Wei returned to his room. Because his heart wasn’t very settled, he took out a scroll of Daoist scripture to read. After calming down somewhat, he heard the pattering sound outside the window—it had actually started raining.

Autumn leaves drifted yellow, desolate and cold.

Only after reading for a while did it wash away that agitation in his heart. At this time, he thought that Ning’er would still need to practice qin when she returned in a bit. So he put down the Daoist scripture in his hand, took down a qin hanging on the wall, untied the qin cover, and carefully tuned the strings.

Yesterday when he was listening to Ning’er play, one string had loosened slightly. Though the sound it produced differed only by a hair’s breadth, if not tuned for one day, and it differed by a hair’s breadth each day, then who knew how far off it would be.

His slender fingers tightened the qin string bit by bit.

Xie Wei thought, since it was raining outside, that little swindler and Wei Liang wouldn’t continue busying themselves in the fields, and should return early. His fingers stopped, and he instructed Jianshu: “The wind is cool and rain is heavy outside. Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of ginger soup to dispel the cold.”

Jianshu went once on this errand.

However, when he returned, his expression was somewhat wrong.

Xie Wei stood beside the qin table, one hand diagonally supporting the qin, having just finished tuning that string from before. He casually plucked it lightly—the trembling sound rippled—and several points of a smile floated at the corners of his lips.

Only, after all, this was a purchased qin, not as satisfying as one he made himself.

Later when he had leisure, he should craft one for Ning’er.

Seeing Jianshu return, he casually asked: “Has she returned?”

Jianshu immediately knelt on one knee: “Second Miss Ning returned a bit early because of the rain. The carriage was at the city gate and happened to run into Minister Zhang. She… it’s all because we subordinates were incompetent in our work!”

He kept his head lowered, not daring to raise it.

He didn’t even dare say the exact words.

The arc at the corners of Xie Wei’s lips froze for a moment, then slowly, bit by bit, faded away, like a colored painting placed in water, gradually losing its color, becoming completely calm yet extremely frightening black and white.

He surprisingly didn’t blame them.

His gaze stopping on that string still lightly trembling, he asked softly: “Ning’er went to find him, didn’t she?”

Jianshu only felt an unprecedented oppression: “Master…”

As if a sharp pain stabbed straight in, Xie Wei’s fingers resting on the qin body gradually darkened and tightened. In the end, he couldn’t hold back that deeply buried malevolent energy. Eyes lowered, he grabbed that qin and smashed it against the corner of the table.

A crash sounded.

The qin scattered, the strings broke.

He only stood there silently, expressionlessly watching.

His slender fingers hung at his side, a thread of fresh blood winding and dripping down from the wound cut by the broken wood.

Outside the window was pattering rain and gusting wind.