The window lattice was half-open, with the sun hanging in the sky as just a pale shadow without much warmth, casting a few faint golden rays.
Half of Xie Zheng’s face was illuminated by sunlight, while the other half remained hidden in shadow, his eyes calm and unperturbed.
Fan Changyu wanted to deny it, but upon meeting his gaze, she couldn’t open her mouth. She hugged her knees and sat on a nearby stool, her voice somewhat muffled: “The misfortunes of my family have indeed entangled you twice now. You no longer owe me anything. If you distance yourself from my family, perhaps you’ll be safer.”
Xie Zheng asked her, “Do you believe the words of that ignorant old woman?”
Fan Changyu pressed her lips together, remaining silent.
Of course, she didn’t believe it, but with her parents gone, Fan Da was killed, and Changningg and Yan Zheng were nearly harmed, if the soldiers hadn’t arrived in time last night, who knows if Mrs. Zhao and Carpenter Zhao would have been implicated as well.
Perhaps… it was true as Song Mother and Madam Kang had said, that she was indeed born under an ill-fated star, and those close to her would never come to a good end.
Seeing her silence, Xie Zheng understood. His handsome brows furrowed slightly as he asked, “You think it’s for my good to distance yourself from me, but what about your sister? Will you distance yourself from her too?”
Fan Changyu’s hands, clasped in front of her knees, tightened, her heart a tangled mess.
Yes, she could try to stay away from the Zhao couple and Yan Zheng to avoid implicating them, but what about Changningg?
Changningg was only five years old, with only her family left in this world.
As she remained silent, Xie Zheng slowly said, “In this world, what’s more terrifying than talk of ghosts, spirits, and fate is the human heart.”
Fan Changyu raised her almond eyes, seeming somewhat confused.
The corner of Xie Zheng’s exquisite mouth twitched slightly, his voice tinged with mockery: “There aren’t that many supernatural occurrences in this world. Even talk of national fate is just to fool people, let alone talk of personal destiny.”
Fan Changyu still didn’t understand: “What do you mean?”
Xie Zheng raised his eyes and said, “Some people do evil and like to use supernatural excuses to cover for themselves. Just like how you scared that old woman earlier, saying she fell because she was possessed. Not knowing the truth, she became anxious and half-believed it, but you and I know clearly that she fell because she was hit by the pine nut candy.”
Fan Changyu lowered her eyes, and after a while, she said, “Of course, I know that the Song family’s talk of fate was just an excuse to break off the engagement, but the frequent misfortunes in my family are also a fact, which is why I feel uneasy.”
Xie Zheng said, “Your parents made enemies in their early years; they didn’t offend any spirits. What are you uneasy about?”
Fan Changyu stared at him blankly, feeling that this man’s words were indeed harsh, but the heaviness in her heart had indeed eased somewhat.
She sighed and said resignedly, “I understand everything you’re saying. I just felt upset after hearing those words, but once this feeling passes, I’ll be fine.”
Xie Zheng said without mercy, “Whoever makes you upset, you should teach them a lesson. It’s fine to say those things to me, but if you distance yourself from this old man’s family too, see if they’re sad or happy about it.”
Fan Changyu lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, “I’m sorry, I was impulsive earlier.”
Xie Zheng’s eyelashes swept out a beautiful arc at the corner of his eyes, his expression finally brightening a bit. He said, “You’re not usually one to take things lying down. This morning when you came back and got splashed with water, instead of teaching them a lesson on the spot, you came back to sulk. How disappointing.”
Fan Changyu was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve heard a saying called ‘the law does not punish the masses,’ meaning that if many people break the law, the authorities won’t punish everyone together. Now, everyone in town fears my ill-fated star, and the entire town is gossiping about me behind my back. I might be able to teach one person a lesson, but can I teach everyone a lesson?”
Xie Zheng was slightly stunned, a hidden corner of his heart stirred by her words, awakening some buried memories.
He had been orphaned at a young age and lived in the Wei Mansion. Naturally, his path to today hadn’t been smooth sailing either.
He still remembered the taste of having his ribs broken by that person’s son and his gang, his face pressed into a bloody mud puddle under their embroidered boots.
Fighting on the battlefield, facing life and death countless times, exchanging military merits for a back full of scars from swords and axes, only to be secretly cursed for disgracing the Xie family name and being someone’s lapdog just because his uncle was Wei Yan.
He raised his eyes slightly, his thin lips uttering a few words: “Have you ever heard of the phrase ‘killing the chicken to scare the monkey’?”
“Human nature is inherently evil. If you appear weak and easy to bully, no matter how kind you are, few people will lend you a helping hand. If you rise to power and success, even if you truly commit heinous acts, there will be a bunch of people rushing to flatter you. Isn’t that what your former fiancé is like?”
Listening to these words, Fan Changyu fell silent again, hugging her knees and staring at the red coals burning in the iron basin without a word.
Xie Zheng’s fingers, which had been lightly tapping on the bamboo armrest, paused. His eyes half-closed, his words carrying an acidity he wasn’t even aware of: “Still not over your former fiancé? Feeling upset again at the mention of him?”
Fan Changyu raised her head and stared at him for a moment, feeling puzzled. Then she remembered that she had previously lied about not being over Song Yan to avoid misunderstanding her intentions towards him.
Lying indeed comes with a price.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, only sighed and said, “I am a bit upset. He’s a man who has achieved scholarly honors. The entire Qingping County only produced one Juren this year, and it was him. Even the County Magistrate treats him with respect. You can’t blame others for following the trend. He has indeed risen to success, how can I compare to him?”
Xie Zheng snorted lightly: “It’s just a Juren title, nothing more. How many Juren does the Great Yin Dynasty produce each year from its capital and seventeen prefectures? What does your former fiancé amount to?”
Fan Changyu couldn’t help but look at him and say, “It’s fine for you to say these things to me, but don’t say them in front of others. You’ll be laughed at.”
Xie Zheng frowned: “Laughed at for what?”
Fan Changyu felt that this man had no self-awareness. She said helplessly, “You don’t even have a Xiucai degree, yet you speak this way about someone who has passed the Juren examination…”
She paused, then added, “I know you’re saying these things to cheer me up.”
Fan Changyu felt that saying these things was a bit affected, so she scratched her head and said, “Actually, I was just talking casually. I’m not that upset about it. Life is always lived for oneself. His success as a Juren is his business, what does it have to do with me? Those who follow the trend and step on me, saying a few words about me, can’t get any benefits from the Song family. It’s nothing more than idle gossip.”
Xie Zheng’s expression was strange as he said, “Why would I need to cheer you up? Being a Juren truly doesn’t amount to much.”
Fan Changyu choked: “You think you’re some high-ranking official?”
Xie Zheng fell silent.
Fan Changyu found it amusing in her heart. Remembering that he could read and write, and even compose essays, she started planning for him: “I think you’re quite smart, and your handwriting is good. Your injuries keep recurring, and the doctor said that if they don’t heal properly, you’ll likely have chronic issues in the future. Being an escort is dangerous. Why don’t you study for the imperial examinations? Who knows, you might even pass the Juren exam and become an official someday!”
Xie Zheng: “…My ambitions don’t lie in officialdom.”
Fan Changyu sighed: “That’s a pity then.”
She half-jokingly said, “If you ever have the chance to become an official, and your rank is higher than that Song fellow’s, I’m counting on you to give him a hard time for me!”
Xie Zheng’s eyebrows imperceptibly raised, and he said, “Alright.”
With this banter, the previous unpleasantness had completely dissipated.
Fan Changyu remembered that she had been stewing chicken soup and said, “I have chicken soup stewing in the clay pot. It should be ready by now. I’ll go serve some for you.”
As she stood up, she noticed that the sugar packet by his bed had deflated. She said with a pained expression, “I’ll find you some small stones. In the future, don’t use candy to hit people. This stuff is expensive, it’s not worth it!”
After she went downstairs, Xie Zheng stared at the paper packets containing the candy, his brows furrowed.
He didn’t like sweet foods, and in the past, his daily needs had always been taken care of by his guards. He indeed didn’t know the price of these things.
She was always frugal, yet she bought this expensive candy for him, just because she misunderstood that he was afraid of the bitterness of medicine that day.
Xie Zheng closed his eyes, his mood somewhat complex.
Two days later, Zheng Wenchang led the soldiers back to the small town of Lin’an.
Fan Changyu, upon receiving the news, went to the front door to greet them.
Zheng Wenchang, sitting high on his horse, said, “The cause of several murder cases in town has been determined. They were indeed committed by mountain bandits.”
Hearing this answer, Fan Changyu’s heart sank. She said, “But my home was invaded by criminals twice…”
Zheng Wenchang interrupted her words: “The two attacks on your home were due to an escort job your father took years ago. It’s rumored that he was transporting a treasure map belonging to the former imperial family. More than a decade ago, everyone in the escort agency was killed by people trying to steal the treasure map. Your father escaped death and returned home, only then living peacefully for these years. Recently, with the unrest in Chongzhou, the matter of the treasure map was brought up again. Some mountain bandits traced your father’s whereabouts, which is why they came to your home several times looking for the treasure map.”
This reason could indeed explain all the strange events that had happened in Lin’an town recently. Fan Changyu asked, “Were my parents also killed by these mountain bandits?”
Zheng Wenchang frowned slightly, avoiding Fan Changyu’s gaze as he said, “Naturally.”
Learning the true cause of her parent’s death, Fan Changyu still felt heavy-hearted. She thought that this must be why her father had taught her martial arts but forbidden her from using them in public, fearing it would attract these criminals.
She said, “I’ve never heard my parents mention anything about a treasure map. Could there be some misunderstanding?”
Zheng Wenchang said, “The news that the treasure map was in your father’s possession was, of course, false. A few days ago, the rebels in Chongzhou released information saying they had obtained the treasure map. The mountain bandits won’t come to town anymore, so you can rest assured.”
As he spoke, he made a gesture, and a subordinate brought forward a tray with silver taels. He looked at Fan Changyu with a subtle, almost imperceptible strangeness in his gaze: “Lord He, the Governor of Jizhou, is considerate of the people’s plight and has specially ordered me to bring fifty taels of silver as condolence money.”
Fan Changyu expressed her sincere gratitude.
The neighbors and townspeople also praised, “Lord He is truly the blue sky of Jizhou Prefecture. For those who suffered at the hands of those mountain bandits and lost family members, the government has provided condolence money!”
Someone asked, “I heard that other families only received twenty-five taels, but the Fan family got fifty taels?”
Immediately, someone explained, “Those families only lost one person, but both Fan Er and his wife were killed, so naturally, they received more silver.”
…
With the case concluded, the seals on the Fan family’s door were removed.
Fan Changyu thoroughly cleaned every corner of the house, especially the courtyard and rooms where blood had been shed. Besides washing them several times with water, she also sprinkled water boiled with pomelo leaves, saying it could ward off evil and harm.
After everything in the house was properly arranged, Fan Changyu finally brought Changningg and Xie Zheng back from the neighbors’ homes.
She lit an incense stick and placed it in front of her parents’ memorial tablets, the corners of her eyes slightly sore: “Father, Mother, you can rest in peace now.”
Only Xie Zheng remained frowning.
He had long known that those people were Wei family’s death squads, and naturally couldn’t be the mountain bandits Zheng Wenchang spoke of. What they were looking for was not some nonsensical treasure map.
However, the authorities had gone to great lengths to concoct a plausible lie to close the case and even sent silver to the affected families, which indeed took some effort.
Xie Zheng couldn’t understand it.
If He Jingyuan also wanted to get that letter for Wei Yan, he should have sent soldiers to seal off the Fan family’s house and search it thoroughly.
Now, however, he had returned the house to Fan Changyu and gone to great lengths to settle several murder cases, as if he didn’t want to disrupt her family’s original life and wanted her to continue living in this town.
What was He Jingyuan’s intention?
Or was it that he did this because the letter that the Wei family’s death squads were looking for was no longer in the Fan family’s possession?
Xie Zheng looked at the two memorial tablets on the altar. He Jingyuan should know the true identities of this couple, and perhaps he also knew the secret of that letter.