Lu Jinxiu clutched the bundle filled with valuables against her chest, emerging disheveled from the crowd with dirt streaking her face, cursing her bad luck inwardly.
If not for the shipwreck incident, she would already be aboard a vessel departing Li Du Mansion by now. She had repeatedly suggested to Xie Jun that they should leave Li Du Mansion early while the situation hadn’t deteriorated completely, but unexpectedly, not only did the Xie family refuse to leave, they even expressed their determination to defend Li Du Mansion to the death, sharing the city’s fate.
Ever since her daughter’s death, Lu Jinxiu had been like a startled bird—one moment cursing the Qi people for the blood debt of killing her daughter, the next trembling in terror upon hearing any rumor, always feeling that the sky was about to collapse.
Her secret escape attempt had gone unnoticed by the household, and she had planned to board a ship once the crowds dispersed somewhat, but unexpectedly ran straight into the Xie family’s servants.
The young servant made a polite yet firm gesture of invitation: “Concubine Lu, the master requests your return home.”
Today’s escape was impossible. Lu Jinxiu’s heart sank.
In Xuanying Hall, most of the family was gathered in a circle, with Xie Queshan also present. While storms raged throughout the city outside, there was laughter and conversation within, creating an atmosphere of subtle artificiality—as if everyone was burdened with heavy thoughts yet forcefully maintaining a peaceful facade, pretending everything was normal, even appearing more harmonious than usual.
Xie Jun couldn’t quite join the younger generation’s casual chatter, but he sat there patiently nonetheless. After frowning in silence for quite some time, he suddenly spoke completely out of context: “If you don’t want to fight, then don’t fight. Come home—the family can afford to support idle hands.”
Xie Queshan was startled and looked up at his father.
Just as the hall fell silent, Lu Jinxiu was escorted back. Her appearance was somewhat disheveled, and upon returning, she immediately heard these words. The originally listless woman suddenly showed signs of ferocity, rushing forward to grab Xie Jun’s sleeve.
“You actually want to protect this rebellious son? Hasn’t he caused enough misery for this family and this city?!”
Xie Jun brushed away Lu Jinxiu, showing some displeasure: “Stop talking nonsense!—Someone, take Concubine Lu back to the rear courtyard. Tomorrow I’ll settle accounts with you for your unauthorized escape attempt as well!”
“Escape?” Lu Jinxiu was provoked by these words, violently shaking off the hands of the maids trying to help her up. Her eyes bloodshot, she stood with hostility radiating from her entire being. “Only fools would stay in the city waiting to die! Do you still think the Xie family is the backbone of Li Du Mansion? The city is about to fall, and you people are nothing more than fish on a chopping board, at others’ mercy!”
Those rumors and gossip from outside would still be beautified when they crossed the courtyard walls. Even during wartime, everyone still maintained half their dignity. Yet this usually meek and virtuous woman who normally didn’t dare raise her voice was now speaking so hideously and bluntly that everyone was shocked into momentary speechlessness.
Xie Jun sat with an unchanged expression, seeming to age considerably in an instant. He swept his gaze across everyone in the hall and spoke slowly: “Years ago when I abandoned Lanzhou and fled west, I committed a grave error—the regret of my lifetime. Today, I absolutely will not abandon Li Du Mansion and flee. Even if the city falls, as long as Wangxue Cottage can hold, protecting even one common person for even a moment, I won’t regret it. I just never expected this would force others against their will… Anyone who wants to leave, regardless of status or position, whether master or servant, can go now. I absolutely won’t stop them.”
But no one in the hall rose. Everyone just sat there calmly, and even the servants stood with hands at their sides, making no movement.
Lu Jinxiu spun around frantically, discovering that no one was responding to her at all, making it seem as if only she was greedy for life and afraid of death: “What are you all doing? Death is imminent and you’re still pretending to be righteous—performing for whom? Do you all want to die?”
She thought everyone wanted to live but was just pretending to save face, so she tore away all the veils of propriety, yet still received no response from anyone. She looked exactly like a clown. With this resentment having nowhere to vent, her gaze finally landed on Xie Queshan—yes, the “instigator” was him!
She pointed at his nose and cursed: “Causing Xiaoliu’s death wasn’t enough—you want to destroy the entire Xie family too!”
Madam Gantang quickly spoke up in rebuke: “Xiaoliu was harmed by the Qi people. What does it have to do with Xie Third?”
“It was the letter he wrote to Xiaoliu, telling Xiaoliu to split forces with His Majesty to divide the Qi people’s attention! If not for this, how would Xiaoliu have died!” Lu Jin was already hysterical, and no one could restrain her.
The letter…
Xie Queshan remembered now. Xiaoliu’s belongings had once been sent back to Wangxue Cottage. That letter he had written to Xiaoliu was probably among those belongings and had been seen by Lu Jinxiu.
She was right—Xiaoliu’s death was indirectly his fault.
Xie Queshan froze, his mind going blank. He could only feel Nanyi gripping his hand, which gradually became him tightly grasping hers.
“He’s the one who killed Xiaoliu! He also killed Pang Yu! He’s utterly wicked!”
Suddenly, that hand broke free from his grip. Her figure swayed, and in an instant she was standing in front of him, both hands tightly covering his ears.
Xie Queshan’s entire body stiffened. He even forgot to raise his head to look at her face, only seeing the swaying jewelry at her neck.
That sharp, hysterical cursing instantly became muffled and distant, yet still seemed to thunder and rumble.
“My poor star-crossed lovers can only meet in the underworld! He’s a debt-collecting ghost who wants to drag our entire family to hell! And you still protect this beast! He deserves to die! Listen, all of you—listen to what they’re saying outside! If he died, Li Du Mansion would be saved!”
“Get her out of here!” Xie Jun’s face was iron-dark as he roared angrily.
Lu Jinxiu was being dragged backward but still refused to give up, grabbing whatever she could reach and hurling it at Xie Queshan. Nanyi’s back was shielding Xie Queshan, and seeing the cup about to strike her, Xie Queshan quickly pulled her aside. The cup fell to the ground and shattered to pieces.
Nanyi was both shocked and enraged. Turning to glare at the self-righteous Lu Jinxiu, all the blood in her body rushed to her head, and her last shred of rationality was swept away. Why? What right did she have to throw a cup at Xie Queshan?
Fine, wasn’t this about going mad? Who couldn’t do that!
She rushed forward in fury, pointing at Lu Jinxiu’s nose and cursing: “You still have the face to use Xiaoliu as a shield! You know perfectly well in your heart who killed them. If you want to flee, then flee yourself—don’t look for excuses to blame others! Having a mother like you who can’t distinguish right from wrong, if Xiaoliu has knowledge in the underworld, he should feel ashamed of you—!”
Slap! A vicious slap landed on Nanyi’s face. Lu Jinxiu, driven to shame and anger by the scolding, broke free from the maids and struck with all her strength. Nanyi’s face was even scratched bloody. She paused for a moment, then rushed forward like a madwoman to claw back.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the maids finally snapped to attention and restrained Lu Jinxiu.
Nanyi still wouldn’t give up. Xie Queshan quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, but couldn’t control her in her rage as she struggled wildly with all four limbs, cursing Lu Jinxiu foully.
“Come on, aren’t you quite strong? Since you want revenge so badly, why don’t I see you killing some Qi people? Forget killing—if you even went and cursed at the Qi people, I’d respect you. Do you dare?!”
“You country shrew! You two—you adulterous pair! Disregarding human ethics!”
Nanyi’s strength at this moment was frighteningly great. Xie Queshan was on the verge of having to pick her up entirely and carry her away, but she grabbed onto a pillar with one hand and refused to let go, continuing her shouting match with Lu Jinxiu: “You don’t dare do anything—you just know how to throw your weight around at home! You clearly know that Xie Queshan loves his sister dearly and cherishes his friends, and that these words can truly hurt him, so you dare say them! You know he’s risked his life fighting and won several battles, you know how much time he’s bought defending Li Du Mansion, but besides opportunistically fleeing when the wind changes, what contributions have you made—”
“Enough, Nanyi.”
Xie Queshan finally spoke up to interrupt. Only then did Nanyi cease her tirade, turning back to look at him with both anger and incomprehension.
How could he let Lu Jinxiu curse him like that?
When Lu Jinxiu slapped her, she hadn’t even felt the pain, but facing his quiet expression, she felt her heart clenching up. Suddenly, a sour feeling shot to her nose, her eyes moistening as tears as large as beans brimmed on her lashes.
Xie Queshan touched her scratched and bloodied cheek, his face full of helpless pain.
“It really is enough.”
“They know nothing, yet they’re slandering you there! Why should they! How can this be enough? How can it be!”
But no one answered her questions. The hall was silent as death.
Nanyi felt extremely stifled. She wished she could go to the streets and have a big argument with every person speaking viciously. She wanted a clear yes or no answer, not this current situation where black and white were reversed. She didn’t know whom to blame—she was even angry with Xie Queshan. How could he just swallow all these grievances without crying out his innocence even once?
Nanyi brushed away Xie Queshan’s hand and stormed off in a huff.
Just then, she brushed past Tang Rong who was entering.
Tang Rong, who hadn’t had time to remove his armor, rushed hurriedly into the hall. Having returned to active duty, he normally didn’t stay at Wangxue Cottage, so his sudden return surely meant urgent business.
“Young Master, an envoy has come from the court. Master Song requests your return to the military camp for discussion.”
Glancing around and seeing everyone’s expressions were somewhat tense, Tang Rong quickly explained: “It should be good news.”
…
The envoy was Zhang Zhicun.
He had once been the consort of Princess Imperial Xu Kouyue. When he was captured along with the imperial clan and taken to Great Qi, Wanyan Jun, to humiliate him, made him his horse groom.
Probably beaten into submission, Zhang Zhicun was as obedient as a dog before Wanyan Jun, even willing to kneel on the ground and let Wanyan Jun step on him to mount his horse. He became the laughingstock of the entire city, but he simply discarded all dignity. When people laughed at him, he laughed along, completely lacking his former spirited and outstanding demeanor.
However, in reality, his survival in such a humiliating guise was to prepare for a long-planned emergence. He secretly joined the Bingzhu Division, becoming another important intelligence line for Shen Zhizhong within the Qi forces. The existence of “Daman” was intelligence he had transmitted back. After Wanyan Jun’s death, he found an opportunity to escape and returned to Jinling.
Xu Zhou had waited long for Song Muchuan to enter the capital, realizing that Xie Zhu might not have delivered his personal letter to Li Du Mansion. Regardless of Xie Zhu’s considerations, his unwillingness to save Li Du Mansion was already clear. Among all the court officials, Xu Zhou didn’t know whom else he could trust.
At this point, Xu Kouyue recommended the recently returned Zhang Zhicun to Xu Zhou. Having received secret orders from His Majesty, he immediately departed overnight for Li Du Mansion.
In the military camp, Zhang Zhicun conveyed His Majesty’s oral decree to Song Muchuan and Xie Queshan, hoping they would both enter the capital to prove their innocence. The court, to prevent the Qi forces from breaking through Li Du Mansion and crossing the river, had already assembled heavy troops in the neighboring Huaishuo City. As long as the court agreed to send troops, the army in Huaishuo City could immediately march toward Li Du Mansion, giving them the strength to battle the Qi army.
However, this matter was already several days late. The best opportunity had slipped away in an instant. Even if Song and Xie entered the capital now, the officials already had preconceived notions. They would need to spend much more time proving their innocence and still face the possibility of failure. How much time would this consume? The two armies were facing each other at a critical moment. Forget whether they could afford to wait this long—with two key generals leaving the army, Li Du Mansion would probably be in grave danger.
Another dilemma. The camp fell into contemplation.
The enemy was also racing against time to break through their defenses. It seemed that every time, what they were struggling against was time itself. Or perhaps this was simply fate’s cruel game.
“We can only gamble,” Ying Huai broke the silence. “If reinforcements don’t come, with our lone army fighting, we simply cannot hold Li Du Mansion!”
“With so many citizens’ lives and fortunes at stake, do you dare gamble?” Xie Queshan asked.
Ying Huai fell silent.
Three days was already his limit for defending the city. With current military morale unstable, even three days might be optimistic.
Zhang Zhicun seemed to want to say something but hesitated, showing uncertainty on his face. Perhaps wanting to calm down, or perhaps inexplicably buying time, he picked up the boiling kettle and poured water into cups, preparing tea for everyone.
Song Muchuan noticed Zhang Zhicun’s unusual behavior and said: “Master Zhang, if you have any thoughts, please speak freely.”
But Zhang Zhicun said nothing, only rapidly whisking the tea.
Xie Queshan watched his movements and was unexpectedly absorbed. While everyone’s tea-making process was roughly similar, their techniques were individually distinct. Zhang Zhicun’s hand had apparently been injured—his technique was quick but used only thirty to forty percent strength, causing the tea foam to rise more slowly. He recalled the last time he’d watched someone make tea in a military camp—that encounter when confronting Wanyan Puruò. He inevitably remembered Wanyan Puruò’s skillful technique, and suddenly, an shocking thought struck his mind like lightning.
Too similar.
Wanyan Puruò’s movements almost perfectly overlapped with his memories of Third Uncle’s tea-making technique. His own tea-making skills had also been learned from Third Uncle—he was too familiar with them. It was just that at the time, his attention had been entirely elsewhere, completely missing these subtle details.
The birth of this thought made Xie Queshan feel chilled to the bone.
“Did my Third Uncle say anything about Li Du Mansion’s situation?” Xie Queshan suddenly asked.
“Master Xie has remained silent to avoid suspicion…” Zhang Zhicun responded following his question, but quickly realized that Xie Queshan’s question at this moment seemed to have implications. “His Majesty actually found it strange too and tried to probe Master Xie indirectly, but discovered nothing unusual—do you think he has problems?”
Xie Queshan didn’t answer. His mind was already rapidly reviewing everything. He had been wondering who “Daman” could be, whether he was dead or alive, but had completely overlooked the person closest to him. Yet when he understood at this moment, he wasn’t surprised.
Everything made perfect sense. “Daman”—finally, in this code name, he glimpsed Third Uncle’s unwillingness and ambition. He had once been an idealist who raised his voice high, contributing his strength to the dynasty without seeking fame or profit. But from when had he stopped shouting? The betrayal of such people was terrifying—they forcibly stripped away their own ideals and forcibly created an extreme new ideal. This was also the most unguardable thing. When night fell, only the former night watchman knew the dynasty’s weak points best.
Xie Queshan finally knew who his opponent was. But he had missed the best opportunity.
If his Third Uncle, who was like a teacher and father to him, wanted him to lose, what chance of victory could he still have?
Seeing Xie Queshan’s prolonged silence, Song Muchuan also realized, his face rapidly turning deathly pale.
“Master Xie is Daman?”
“If he is, then our path to prove our innocence in the capital has probably already been blocked.”
Zhang Zhicun looked down at the teacup in his hands—this was an extremely poorly made cup of tea, just like his state of mind. He sighed, the thought in his chest almost bursting forth. He had chewed over this idea repeatedly on his journey here—it was the last resort when there were no other options.
He had also been undercover in Great Qi and was probably one of the few who could truly empathize with Xie Queshan. Only with Xu Kouyue speaking for him could he now have a good ending that cleared his name.
He equally hoped Xie Queshan could see the light of day.
Only his method was too dangerous.