A few cock crows came from afar—dawn was approaching.
But the night in the military tent had not yet passed.
Xie Queshan was stunned for a moment, then broke into a relaxed laugh: “Is Your Highness joking with this subject?”
The curve of Wanyan Purao’s lips slowly disappeared, and this pretty face instantly became like an unsheathed sword, revealing a hint of coldness: “If there hadn’t been a traitor among us, Li Du Mansion should have been in our grasp long ago. Why do problems keep arising? Gusha traveled south with you all the way. Though he was somewhat reckless, his suspicions of you couldn’t have been groundless. I’d rather believe such suspicions exist than dismiss them.”
Wanyan Purao stared at the expression on Xie Queshan’s face.
With this cup of poison placed here, the real attack had formally begun.
Her words left an opening, waiting for Xie Queshan’s defense. No one wasn’t afraid of death, and when people became anxious, they easily made mistakes—especially now when his mental defenses were at their weakest.
Attack and defense in interrogation was precisely what Wanyan Purao excelled at. Even without evidence, she could pry flaws from Xie Queshan’s mouth.
But Xie Queshan was stunned, not saying a single word in his defense. Instead, he showed a bewildered expression as if unable to refute. After a long while, he smiled bitterly: “Those who abandon their master are ultimately abandoned… Since the Royal Court no longer trusts me, whatever I say would be futile.”
Having said this, Xie Queshan actually picked up the tea cup directly and drank it in one gulp.
Wanyan Purao shot to her feet—she hadn’t expected him to ignore everything and crash straight into the blade.
What kind of foolish move was this?
Wanyan Purao hurriedly reached out to knock the cup from his hands, but he had already drunk part of the tea.
Blood began seeping from the corner of Xie Queshan’s mouth, and his voice became sluggish. He felt the world spinning, with terrifying blood vessels crawling into his eye sockets as he struggled to support himself against the table: “A scholar dies for one who appreciates him. Please ask Your Highness to give Minister Han a message… tell him… that Xie could not complete his mission and has no face to see him again, so can only… die to prove his loyalty.”
“Someone! Come quickly!”
Wanyan Purao panicked. She had never intended for Xie Queshan to die, nor had she expected him to have such resolve to die.
Strategic advisors were hard to find. If Xie Queshan was truly one of her own, he would be worth ten Gushas.
She had staged such an elaborate performance merely to trick out Xie Queshan’s true position—she knew Xie Queshan was no ordinary person and needed to use some unexpected methods. Everyone had only one life; faced with a cup of poison, who could maintain their composure?
Xie Queshan collapsed with a crash.
He too was gambling.
Gambling that Wanyan Purao hadn’t actually confirmed his death sentence. There were countless ways to kill him—why bother with this theatrical performance?
But he knew clearly that he couldn’t engage in a standoff with Wanyan Purao, or he would eventually be caught showing some flaw. Seeds of suspicion were easy to plant but hard to remove. Without creating some dramatic spectacle, it would be difficult to clear himself of suspicion. Once things fell apart from his end, everything would be beyond salvage, and Song Muchuan would be finished too.
If she wanted him alive, he had to die for her to see—he absolutely couldn’t be led around by the nose.
He was betting that Wanyan Purao couldn’t calculate that he was a madman who could put his life on the gambling table at any time.
If he truly died, the trail would end with him. If he survived this ordeal, Wanyan Purao’s attitude toward him would also change. Unable to determine his identity, she would need to spend time continuing to investigate him.
Right now he needed to buy time by any means necessary.
When Wanyan Purao knocked the cup from his hands, Xie Queshan knew he had won his gamble.
The blood was from biting his tongue hard. He hadn’t drunk much tea, and most of what he had swallowed was spat out with the blood.
But there really was arsenic in the tea. In the moment before losing consciousness, Xie Queshan thought that Wanyan Purao was truly someone who did everything thoroughly—she was a troublesome opponent.
Even the small amount of poison that entered his mouth quickly took effect in his body.
…
The Quling River had a tributary where both sides were steep mountains, the water flowed rapidly, and few people ventured there. A single-story painted pleasure boat was moored on the river—this was a barge without power that was usually just anchored on the river for use as a recreational venue for officials and nobles.
In a bustling city, this would be a money-spending den, but in the middle of a river where few people ventured, it became a prison.
When Xie Queshan awoke, he found himself in this prison. Surrounded on all sides by rushing river water, there was nowhere to escape.
There was also an annoying person in front of him.
Zhang Yuehui.
“Oh, you’re awake. Your life is really tough—no, I should say you’re too cunning. Your acting skills are truly superb.”
This person sat with his legs crossed, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds out of boredom.
Xie Queshan took a deep breath. His internal organs all felt smooth, indicating he was still alive and well. Probably he hadn’t consumed much poison and had been treated promptly.
He ignored Zhang Yuehui and tried to stand, only to discover shackles on his right hand with an iron chain attached to the wall. This limited his range of movement to this room.
Xie Queshan felt somewhat annoyed.
Zhang Yuehui wore a completely smug expression: “This place is well-chosen, isn’t it? Wanyan Purao had me arrange your accommodation. I thought someone as cunning as you could find opportunities anywhere you were placed, but putting you in the middle of this isolated river should prevent any mishaps.”
“Where did Wanyan Purao go?” Xie Queshan was too lazy to circle around with him and cut straight to the point.
Zhang Yuehui narrowed his eyes slightly, paused, then said leisurely: “To solve Li Du Mansion’s problems, one can’t just investigate within Li Du Mansion. Sometimes you need to step outside—maybe the answer lies in Jinling?”
Xie Queshan couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Why the pretentious act? Just directly say that Wanyan Purao went to Jinling to investigate who was the biggest traitor in Li Du Mansion.
Wanyan Purao’s thinking was very clear—she had come to solve problems. If Li Du Mansion was shrouded in fog, she would jump outside the fog to look.
In Jinling, there were indeed people who knew Xie Queshan’s identity.
Jinling’s Bingzhu Bureau controlled all intelligence flowing north and south.
Moreover, Jinling had already produced one traitor. They had never discovered who “Daman” really was. This person was extremely hidden and clever, yet obtained extremely accurate information—very likely hidden within the Bingzhu Bureau itself.
If Wanyan Purao went to join forces with Daman, it would be twice as effective with half the effort. This move of hers was truly fast, accurate, and ruthless.
Until she confirmed Xie Queshan’s identity, he would be under house arrest in this place. And Xie Queshan had a premonition… the day news returned from Jinling would probably be his death date.
Everything there was beyond his control. Even if he had supernatural powers, he couldn’t scheme the slightest bit. Moreover, he was now unable to move a step and could only wait for death here.
Though he had long held the resolve to die, but… now there was still someone who concerned him.
“How did you explain to Wangxue Harbor where I went?”
He didn’t mention Nanyi’s name, but Zhang Yuehui knew what he truly cared about.
Both men understood each other tacitly, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward for a moment.
“Just said you returned to Great Qi. Your attendant He Ping will take the journey in your place to deceive observers.”
Before meeting Wanyan Purao, Xie Queshan had sensed he might not return, so he told He Ping to find a way to return home once and deliver contraceptive medicine to Nanyi.
He couldn’t leave her with troubles.
This matter, He Ping should be able to handle properly. And when Nanyi learned he had returned to Great Qi, she presumably wouldn’t persist either. This kind of departure without farewell might even make her detest him.
A moment of stolen pleasure was truly just a moment. Xie Queshan felt helpless self-mockery in his heart.
Fortunately, every moment he spent with her, he had prepared for parting, so he wasn’t too caught off guard now. She was already strong now; he could let go at any time.
There was nothing left to worry about. He sighed deeply.
“My noble Young Master Queshan, see if there’s anything else you need, and I’ll have someone prepare everything for you later. Her Highness specifically instructed that you must be served well.”
Zhang Yuehui interrupted Xie Queshan’s contemplation, stood up, and dusted the sunflower seed shells off his clothes.
After thinking, he said cheaply: “The nights are long and lonely, sleeping alone is difficult—do you want a woman?”
“Get lost.”
Zhang Yuehui’s gaze ambiguously scrutinized him: “Tsk, you’re so sensitive—I heard you don’t get close to women in Great Qi. You’re not still a virgin, are you?”
Anger appeared on Xie Queshan’s face. Why did this person have to bring such crude matters to the table? But on second thought, what was there for him to be angry about? This person was truly interesting—if he told him the truth, would he jump into the river on the spot?
Xie Queshan shouldn’t have bothered arguing, but seeing Zhang Yuehui’s triumphant petty villain expression just irritated him. He couldn’t help wanting to dampen his arrogance and retorted: “You handle affairs for Wanyan Purao so efficiently—you’re not her male favorite, are you?”
Not only was Zhang Yuehui not annoyed, he proudly fluffed his hair: “I indeed have such capital.”
Xie Queshan realized he had been drawn into Zhang Yuehui’s boring and shameless conversation. He wanted to quickly end it: “Fine, there’s nothing here that needs your dedication. Just help me pass along a message—I imagine this won’t be difficult for the all-capable Boss Zhang.”
Zhang Yuehui’s expression froze, his features somewhat distorting: “Wait, are you actually ordering me around? Get things straight, okay? I’m the owner of Guilai Hall, not some lackey from your Bingzhu Bureau!”
“Gusha’s death—you can’t escape involvement. My mouth isn’t tight—do you want to die at Wanyan Purao’s hands?”
“You bastard,” Zhang Yuehui cursed hatefully. Since “declaring war” with Xie Queshan, he hadn’t gained any satisfying revenge, while Xie Queshan kept digging pits for him. Truly crafty and vicious-hearted. He glared at Xie Queshan for a long while, finally saying, “Just this once.”
Zhang Yuehui flicked his sleeve and walked straight toward the door.
“Aren’t you going to ask what message I want to send?” Xie Queshan called to his retreating figure.
“Too much nonsense.” Zhang Yuehui left without looking back, already having figured it out clearly in his mind.
What else could it be but passing along news of Wanyan Purao’s secret trip to Jinling to the Bingzhu Bureau, letting Jinling prepare their defenses?
He, Zhang Yuehui, already had one foot on the pirate ship—doing one more thing wasn’t much.
It was just very annoying.
He didn’t want to do anything for Xie Queshan at all.
However, passing along a few words of intelligence wasn’t so easy in this tense situation.
Zhang Yuehui didn’t want to expose that this message came from Guilai Hall, which greatly reduced the resources he could use.
Song Muchuan was still being watched by Wanyan Jun, making it difficult for his people to approach him. Zhang Yuehui also didn’t understand the Bingzhu Bureau’s message transmission system—Xie Queshan wouldn’t easily tell him, so he had to use his own methods.
After much consideration, it seemed only having Nanyi pass along the message would be appropriate. She must have ways to contact Song Muchuan. But deep down, Zhang Yuehui didn’t want to drag Nanyi into this.
In the past, he would always find a way to avoid involving Nanyi.
But strangely, though he didn’t want to admit that his girl had become completely different from when he first met her, he also couldn’t stop her from being a warrior.
Armoring a warrior and giving her weapons would make her happy, wouldn’t it?
After long deliberation, Zhang Yuehui still made his decision.