At first, Nanyi was still a bit nervous and made some roundabout inquiries. Only then did she learn that during her absence from Wangxue Harbor, Xie Queshan had often stayed out overnight. The military camp was far from Wangxue Harbor, making the journey inconvenient. Sometimes when he was too busy to manage the trip, he would simply rest directly at the military camp.

Nanyi no longer thought the worst. The matter of Gusha had already been covered up seamlessly, and Wanyan Jun had investigated everything he needed to. What more turmoil could arise?

She only speculated that everything that night had been too sudden, and perhaps he also needed some time to sort out the relationship between them.

But she was a bit angry—what was the meaning of running off without saying a single word?

Her heart churned with sour resentment as she secretly resolved that when he returned home, she would treat him as if he were invisible, coldly passing by him.

A day passed, and Xie Queshan still hadn’t returned.

A trace of unease arose in Nanyi’s heart, but she subconsciously avoided it. Such a person of high position and great authority—unless he wanted to hide himself, how could he possibly disappear without any news?

Today she escorted Xie Qin to Song Muchuan’s place as usual, only to discover that Song Muchuan’s residence was surrounded inside and out by Qi soldiers. The Qi soldiers blocked her way, saying only that Master Song was concentrating on meeting his deadline and it was inconvenient to receive visitors. She couldn’t see him.

Gusha had indeed ignited Wanyan Jun’s suspicions. He had become wary of Song Muchuan and would keep him under tight surveillance until the ship was completed, not allowing the slightest mistake.

Nanyi deliberately showed her authority in front of the Qi soldiers, invoking Xie Queshan’s name to pressure them, insisting on seeing Song Muchuan. The Qi soldiers still didn’t let her in, but their words became much more courteous.

Seeing the Qi soldiers’ reaction, they still respected Xie Queshan, so presumably he hadn’t fallen from grace among the Qi people yet.

She felt somewhat reassured, comforting herself that the current situation was all reasonable and nothing would happen. Xie Queshan was always an old fox who could think of ways to extricate himself.

The atmosphere in the streets and alleys was becoming increasingly tense, with several checkpoints requiring travel permits for entry and exit. Nanyi didn’t dare linger outside and hurriedly led Xie Qin home.

There was also a squad of Qi soldiers at home. Nanyi’s heart skipped a beat, and her steps unconsciously quickened. Outside Xie Queshan’s Jingfeng Residence stood several Qi soldiers, the door wide open with people inside.

Nanyi could no longer care about her planned coldness. The thread of confusion that had been lingering in her heart had already reached a boiling point—she had deliberately ignored it, but the slightest abnormality in the situation had triggered her anxiety.

Xie Queshan was nowhere to be seen in the room; only He Ping was packing things.

“Where is the… master of the house?”

He Ping turned around and bowed: “Young Madam, the master has urgent business and must return to the Great Qi Royal Court. He ordered this humble servant to come back and pack his luggage.”

Nanyi was stunned. So urgent? Why didn’t he come back personally?

She opened her mouth, full of questions but didn’t know where to start, nor whether it was appropriate to ask in front of everyone.

“The master is well and will return shortly. Young Madam need not worry.” As He Ping spoke, his gaze casually drifted toward the desk. Nanyi noticed there was a corner of paper pressed under the tea tray.

Nanyi quietly took the neatly folded paper and only dared to open it after returning to her own room.

Written on the paper were: Chuanxiong, Danggui, Taoren, Honghua, Jiang Tan, Zhi Gancao, and Yuntai Zi. There were several characters Nanyi didn’t recognize, but she could still easily tell this was a medicinal prescription.

There must be some hidden code in this. Xie Queshan’s current situation was probably not very good.

But she still couldn’t understand what kind of person could detain Xie Queshan. Wanyan Jun and he were clearly already in the same boat.

Xie Queshan had never been like the current situation, disappearing without leaving any backup plan. Such a cunning person—what kind of situation could make him so passive?

Nanyi puzzled over the paper for a long time but couldn’t figure out anything. The next day, she went to a nearby pharmacy and recited the prescription from memory to the assistant, asking him to prepare the medicine according to it.

While waiting, Nanyi casually asked: “What is this medicine for?”

The assistant looked Nanyi up and down. Today she had deliberately worn a veil when going out, not wanting people to see her face. The assistant showed an ambiguous smile and said: “Madam, this is contraceptive medicine.”

Like sudden dawn light, then immediately dark clouds crushing the city, all hope dashed.

She suddenly understood—the prescription was just a prescription, with no hidden meaning.

The sourness that swept through her entire body spread from her chest. She clearly couldn’t say what the problem was; she didn’t want to become pregnant with a child either, but the only words he left behind—how could it be this?

Cold and merciless.

She didn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend, but she could no longer catch hold of him to ask for clarity. He had run off with complete composure, leaving her in a broken dream.

Did he know long ago that he would return to Great Qi? But that night, he hadn’t told her.

Nanyi always felt she could understand him, but between people, there are always impenetrable gaps. Perhaps in his bones he remained an extremely cold person. Moreover, he had never acknowledged his own personality—it was all her guessing.

When she stood from a position of doubt, everything she had constructed about him began to fall apart.

Nanyi numbly dragged her heavy steps homeward. Someone called out to stop her and pressed the medicine she had forgotten to take into her hands.

The medicine packet seemed to burn her hand. She wanted to let go and throw it away, but her fingers still gripped it tightly.

Three days earlier at dawn, Xie Queshan had been summoned away by Wanyan Jun. The person who came to fetch him said there was urgent business at the military camp.

On the way there, Xie Queshan didn’t notice anything amiss. He had only left Wanyan Jun’s residence at midnight, and they had already reached complete consensus. Even if Wanyan Jun still had doubts, he would have to turn a blind eye. In just one short night, what variables could arise?

However, upon reaching the military camp, Xie Queshan sensed something unusual—Wanyan Jun appeared exceptionally nervous.

When no one else was around, Wanyan Jun lowered his voice to tip him off: “The Princess Imperial has arrived.”

Xie Queshan’s heart sank, realizing things weren’t so simple. A formidable figure had come.

Previously, various factions had kept each other in check, and others’ suspicions about him lacked evidence, so they couldn’t do anything to him. But when Princess Imperial Wanyan Purao wanted to eliminate someone, she needed no reason.

He had no personal relationship with this Princess Imperial, but his ability to establish a foothold in the Great Qi Royal Court had been helped by her influence.

This Princess Imperial was a woman of considerable skill. Unlike other Qi people, she was neither arrogant nor dismissive of the Yu Dynasty. On the contrary, she truly appreciated Han culture, having said more than once in various settings that such traditions were the orthodox way of ensuring a dynasty’s longevity.

Her study of the Yu Dynasty could be called thorough and penetrating. She even promoted Han culture and institutions within Great Qi, introducing the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, ordering all court officials to learn the Han language and writing, preparing for future southern expansion.

Appreciation aside, her methods were predatory.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. She employed a group of scholars connected to the Yu Dynasty—the current Prime Minister Han Xianwang’s father had been a Qi merchant in the Yu Dynasty who took the Han surname “Han.” The eldest son followed the Han surname, while the second son kept the original surname, still called Wanyan. The brothers Han Xianwang and Wanyan Jun had both spent time in Bianjing and were very familiar with the Yu Dynasty. With their rapid rise in the Great Qi Dynasty, Xie Queshan, as a Han person, was able to receive promotion and reach his current high position.

However, employing people without suspicion and suspecting people without employing them—Wanyan Purao’s style had always been swift and decisive, cutting through complications quickly.

Xie Queshan waited alone in the military tent for a long time. This was a military camp; he couldn’t act rashly.

This was a soft interrogation of wearing down his resistance. He sat rigidly through the night. Several times when he wanted to doze briefly, soldiers would enter to add candles, waking him up.

Counting it all, he had already gone three nights without proper sleep. Even someone made of iron couldn’t withstand such torment. By dawn, he also felt somewhat dizzy and unclear in mind.

This was precisely when the long night was about to end, when people were most drowsy. Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Wanyan Purao finally made her belated entrance into the tent.

She wore Han-style spring clothing—a paired red short jacket and moon-white gauze skirt. If one didn’t look carefully at her features, she could be mistaken for some noble family’s female relative, charming and precious. She had never married nor borne children, and though past thirty, appeared exceptionally youthful.

“Your Highness.” Xie Queshan rose and bowed.

Wanyan Purao carried tea ceremony implements in her hands, moving gracefully past Xie Queshan. Seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, she sat in the main seat and said with feigned concern: “Young Master Queshan, didn’t you rest well? You look rather tired.”

Nonsense—having not slept all night, how could he not be exhausted? Right now he just wanted to find a bed and sleep. But he had to muster all his energy to face Wanyan Purao.

“People have been coming and going in the tent, making rest inconvenient. I am indeed very weary. I wonder what instructions Your Highness has in coming here?” Xie Queshan answered openly and honestly, without the slightest sign of guilt.

Wanyan Purao unhurriedly lit the stove and began heating water, then arranged the tea ceremony implements on the table and began grinding tea to make tea powder.

This entire process was not simple at all. Xie Queshan didn’t bother to hide his yawns as he waited for her to speak.

Only after the tea powder had finally been put into the jar did Wanyan Purao raise her eyes to look at Xie Queshan and ask directly: “Gusha died from suspecting you—am I right or wrong?”

The water was boiling, bubbling and steaming.

Xie Queshan frowned slightly. This was a clever word game, and Wanyan Purao had indeed learned the essence of the Han language. He replied: “General Gusha died at the scene of his confrontation with me. The murderer has been apprehended.”

Wanyan Purao smiled lightly, lifted the stove to warm the cups, then ladled tea powder into the cup to make a paste, added hot water, and began whisking tea. Her hands moved skillfully, and only when the tea was nearly ready did she begin to speak.

“Do you know? I especially love the Han way of tea ceremony. The process is extremely elaborate and requires constant whisking—the force cannot be too light or too heavy—and only then can this simple, froth-like thing be presented.”

Wanyan Purao set down the tea whisk. The tea was now ready, with delicate, dense foam like scattered stars and pale moon.

“Only you Han people can stir muddy water into something so beautiful. If someone doesn’t know the method behind it, how would they know this cup of tea originally started as just a black, shriveled tea cake?—Tell me, doesn’t the current situation in Li Du Mansion resemble someone secretly preparing an exquisite cup of tea behind the scenes? What outsiders see is only the carefully adorned peace.”

As she spoke, she produced a packet of powder from her sleeve and directly sprinkled it over the tea cup. The powder was also white and quickly merged with the tea.

“I wonder what arsenic tastes like mixed with tea—this is something I specially prepared for you, Master Queshan, the tea master.”

Wanyan Purao smiled as she pushed the tea cup toward Xie Queshan.