Several days later, Xie Hengzai’s funeral procession began. Nearly half the people of Li Du Mansion came to see off this benevolent eldest son of the Xie clan.
The funeral procession wound from Wangxue Manor to the city gates, with paper money floating through the sky like a magnificent snowfall.
This winter cunningly delivered cold to people’s hearts in various forms—no one could see an end to this great snow.
Nanyi was caught in the middle of the procession, surrounded on all sides by people who could block her path. She had nowhere to escape.
Xie Queshan walked alone on the procession’s periphery, with no one willing to accompany him. As they walked, the formation loosened, and he imperceptibly moved to Nanyi’s side.
“Why are you still obediently staying here? Didn’t you want to escape?”
His voice wasn’t loud, only she could hear it.
Nanyi looked up at Xie Queshan. Days of keeping vigil had left her face somewhat haggard, but without any dejected color.
“Wasn’t it you who said, my lord, that escaping is useless?”
“You’re being obedient now.”
“Since I can’t run away, I think I should die before you, otherwise wouldn’t that make things boring for you?” Nanyi’s expression was very docile, but her tone was somewhat sarcastic.
After speaking, Nanyi quickened her pace and left Xie Queshan behind.
Xie Queshan watched her retreating figure and smiled faintly—she didn’t look like someone preparing to die.
Just as the funeral procession left the city, Gusha led a troop of Qi soldiers to follow closely behind.
Thanks to the prefect’s defection, Qi soldiers now moved freely in and out of Li Du Mansion, occupying tremendous advantage.
Although he had received no intelligence, he remained extra vigilant. Any occasion with mixed crowds could potentially become a place for diversionary tactics. But propriety forbade attacking during mourning—they couldn’t brazenly stop an aristocratic family’s funeral, only deploy more personnel to watch.
…
The Xie family cemetery lay in an auspicious feng shui location in Tiger Kneel Mountain. Everyone climbed the mountain path accompanied by mournful music, arriving before the Xie ancestral graves.
The lengthy ceremony began—rising, kneeling, bowing, chanting. The elaborate rituals were so numerous they almost numbed the mind. Then the coffin was finally lowered into the earth, and everyone tactfully made way as a cup of poisoned wine was brought before Nanyi.
The master of ceremonies chanted: “Lady Qin of Luoyang and the Xie clan was born intelligent and pure in appearance and conduct, loyal and chaste in nature, deeply devoted to her husband Lord Xie Hengzai. In matters of great righteousness she distinguished clearly and held firm, willing to accompany her husband to the Yellow Springs and marry again in the next life. Her devoted heart and sincere blood can be witnessed by gods and spirits, and could penetrate metal and stone.”
Nanyi couldn’t understand the flowery language, but roughly knew it was nothing more than praising her first, then having her obediently die.
Nanyi felt countless sympathetic gazes from the crowd, but behind those silent looks was also the implication that everyone believed this was how things should be. She gripped the dagger in her sleeve tightly.
Several days ago, she had chosen not to escape precisely to gamble at this moment. But she wasn’t entirely certain—when people face overwhelming force, they occasionally feel the weariness of “how troublesome, might as well die.”
“Young Madam, please accompany the eldest son to the Yellow Springs.”
Seeing Nanyi hesitate to take the poisoned wine cup, the maidservant quietly reminded her.
The maidservant’s words immediately pulled Nanyi back to reality. Nanyi woodenly accepted the wine cup, looking at that small water surface in the cup that reflected her eyes. She was that fish in the pond.
“I still have unfulfilled final wishes.” Nanyi slowly raised her head and spoke loudly, word by word.
But before anyone could ask her, she suddenly drew the dagger hidden in her sleeve and poured all the poisoned wine onto the white blade. She violently threw the wine cup to the ground, and the flawless white jade cup shattered everywhere.
“Young Madam! What are you doing?”
Nanyi waved the dagger to frighten away those trying to stop her. Even the maidservants in aristocratic families were pampered—where had they seen desperate criminals? Not daring to advance toward the white blade, they screamed and dodged away.
Seizing this opening, Nanyi charged directly at Xie Queshan. She had only one thought—take Xie Queshan hostage.
Everyone was completely unprepared for Nanyi’s path, and no one instinctively moved to protect Xie Queshan. The Qi soldiers followed far behind the funeral procession and couldn’t possibly reach here in time.
Xie Queshan’s rod wounds hadn’t healed, making his movements slow. With perfect timing, location, and circumstances, Nanyi actually managed to get her dagger to Xie Queshan’s throat.
Nanyi shouted breathlessly: “It was Xie Queshan, this treacherous minister and traitor, who angered my husband to death! I want to avenge my husband!”
All the Xie family members were stunned. The funeral procession also included many common people who had voluntarily come to see him off. They didn’t know Nanyi was supposed to die as a burial sacrifice for Xie Hengzai—they only heard this passionate declaration. Everyone’s anger toward the Qi people and traitors was immediately ignited, and the crowd began seething like a pot had exploded.
“A loyal and heroic woman!”
“Kill Xie Queshan!”
“Kill the traitor to avenge Master Xie!”
Xie Queshan calmly lowered his eyes, seeing that Nanyi was struggling on her tiptoes to get the dagger across his throat. He found this inappropriately amusing and a fleeting smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Gusha quickly led the Qi soldiers to surround them. But after all, they were greatly outnumbered—the people blocked the Qi soldiers, and Gusha couldn’t very well massacre them all, so he was temporarily constrained.
“Move aside! This is our Great Qi’s envoy!”
But the more he emphasized Great Qi, the angrier the people became.
Prefect Huang Yankun also led people to surround them. Like a jumping clown, he spun around anxiously, urgently trying to persuade Nanyi.
“Don’t be impulsive, don’t be impulsive! If you kill the Great Qi envoy, Great Qi will definitely wage war on Li Du Mansion. Whatever demands you have can all be discussed!”
Taking advantage of the prefect’s attempt to persuade Nanyi, Gusha nocked an arrow and aimed at Nanyi.
Nanyi saw that arrowhead. She needed to add more fuel to the fire.
“Husband! Your wife is coming to accompany you now!” Nanyi suddenly raised her hand, making as if to thrust the dagger into Xie Queshan’s throat. At that moment the arrow came breaking through the air, but Xie Queshan suddenly shifted his body, bringing Nanyi with him to dodge slightly. The arrowhead grazed Nanyi’s arm and embedded itself in the rock behind them.
Nanyi was injured and the dagger flew from her hand. Qi soldiers immediately swarmed to subdue her, with sword blades surrounding her from all directions.
Gusha walked to Xie Queshan’s side and, seeing he was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at Nanyi with disgust. She wore mourning clothes with a hat covering most of her face. Combined with her beggar-like appearance from that day being only glimpsed briefly and now looking quite different, Gusha didn’t recognize her. He turned to ask Xie Queshan: “Young Master Queshan, this woman—how do you wish to deal with her?”
The crowd began murmuring, but fearing the Qi people’s weapons, no one dared be the first to speak out. Only Xie Zhu pushed through the crowd, stepped forward from among the Xie clan members, and stood before Nanyi.
Nanyi looked up and saw the corner of the scholar’s plain white robe, standing like a pine or cypress in the bitter cold wind.
Xie Zhu was like a stabilizing pillar—just by standing there, the crowd quieted down. Even Nanyi felt some inexplicable peace. Though she didn’t know Xie Zhu, she felt his words would surely represent justice and the people’s hearts.
Xie Zhu gazed at Xie Queshan, neither humble nor arrogant: “Xie Queshan, this is a woman of our Xie family. It’s not your place to deal with her.”
Xie Queshan looked back at his third uncle: “Third Uncle, she offended me. May I not kill her?”
Huang Yankun nervously tried to mediate: “Everyone, everyone, today is Master Xie’s funeral. Everyone came with hearts to see him off one last time. It’s inappropriate to have conflicts. There must be some misunderstanding here that can be cleared up with explanation!”
Huang Yankun walked to Xie Queshan’s side and lowered his voice to advise: “Young Master Queshan, popular anger has risen. If you insist on killing Master Xie’s widow, wouldn’t this confirm suspicions that you angered the eldest son to death? For your future convenience in acting within Li Du Mansion and the Xie family, no matter what, she must live today.”
Xie Queshan frowned, putting on a dissatisfied expression.
Nanyi knelt on the ground with her head down, awaiting the final judgment about her fate.
She was gambling with her own life, betting she could put Xie Queshan in an impossible position. At this moment, she was no longer that little beggar whose life was like grass—she represented aristocratic family integrity, standing on the moral high ground of loyalty and righteousness. If he wanted to remain in the Xie family and Li Du Mansion, he couldn’t do things absolutely and kill her.
And if even Xie Queshan allowed Nanyi to live, then the Xie family had even less reason to let her die, or they would appear less humane than the Qi people—and aristocratic families cared most about face.
“Fine,” Xie Queshan compromised, “Lady Qin is a virtuous woman, deeply devoted to my elder brother, and thus has some misunderstanding toward me. I won’t hold it against her. Let this woman continue to live as a widow for my elder brother.”
The verdict was settled—her life was spared.
Instantly, Nanyi completely collapsed.
She had staked everything and didn’t even have a shred of strength left to stand up after surviving the catastrophe. She forgot how she returned to the Xie family, only vaguely remembering that the entire funeral procession was in an uproar, with chaos seeming to exceed her imagination.
At that time, maidservants helped her up and put her in a sedan chair. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Xie Queshan seemingly smiling at her. What did that smile mean? Or had she seen wrong?
Many vague thoughts flashed through her mind, but she had no energy to think carefully. Her mind was filled with only one enormous and chaotic thought—
She had finally survived.