Under these surging undercurrents, New Year’s Eve finally arrived.
New peach wood charms replaced the old ones, sweeping away past misfortunes. This New Year came slowly during the most difficult times, with everyone’s hearts filled with many hopes and prayers.
Early in the morning, the sound of cart wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, turning from the long street at the city gate into the ward, until finally the dust-covered carriage stopped in front of Wangxue Hollow.
A young, elegant woman stepped down from the carriage, her right hand leading a boy of about ten years old, while holding in her arms a little girl sleeping soundly like a dumpling.
The little servant guarding the gate was still drowsy-eyed. Seeing the arrivals, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
At the same time, Nanyi, who had been lying over her desk, suddenly jolted awake. On the table lay an open long Buddhist sutra scroll.
Without time to groom herself, she rushed out of her room in haste—she had stayed up all night, checking character by character, sentence by sentence, and she had found that traitor!
Just as she left the courtyard wanting to find Xie Sui’an, she discovered the entire manor was unusually excited, not knowing what had happened.
Xie Sui’an was also rushing toward the gate in great urgency. The two of them collided right at the connecting corridor.
The two actually hadn’t met properly for several days. Now when they saw each other, they both burst into laughter, and their slightly awkward relationship was restored to its original state in this laugh.
After all, they both had the nature of kind young girls. After a bit of bashfulness, everything dissolved away.
Nanyi tugged at Xie Sui’an’s sleeve, confused: “What happened?”
Xie Sui’an’s face radiated enormous joy: “My second sister has returned!”
Only then did Nanyi hear the successive waves of surprised and delighted voices from the front courtyard.
“Madam Gantang has returned!”
Xie Tang’an was the Xie family’s eldest daughter, who had married early into the Dingyuan Marquis Manor. Her husband was the brother of the late empress, so she naturally had a close relationship with the late empress. When she was enfeoffed as a titled lady, the empress specially bestowed the two characters “Gantang” to show her favor.
Nanyi swallowed the words she was about to speak. Discussing spies with Xie Sui’an at this moment seemed inappropriate, and this matter wasn’t so urgent anyway.
Madam Gantang had returned upon receiving news of Xie Hengzai’s death to attend the funeral. It was just that the roads were filled with war, causing many delays. She barely made it by New Year’s Eve and finally arrived home.
Her birth mother, the Xie family’s legitimate wife, had already passed away, but the manor still had her wet nurse, Madam Hu. Madam Hu usually stayed by the Grand Madam’s side caring for her, rarely going out. Now she held her hand and cried like a person made of tears.
Reunions of relatives in chaotic times were even more precious. Even the Grand Madam on her sickbed perked up, holding those two great-grandchildren and smiling so widely her mouth couldn’t close.
The entire Xie manor was immersed in an atmosphere of reunion.
Nanyi felt somewhat out of place. Just as she was about to slink away to a corner, she heard Madam Gantang’s crisp voice: “This must be the widow from eldest brother’s household, right?”
Everyone’s gaze fell on Nanyi.
Nanyi forced a dry smile, stepped forward, and bowed to Madam Gantang.
Madam Gantang looked at her with pity: “She still looks like a child, yet keeps widow’s mourning for the Xie family. You’ve suffered.”
The Xie family members all looked down on her, thinking she was climbing social ladders and deserved whatever hardships she endured. No one had ever spoken such sympathetic words to Nanyi before, and she immediately felt great fondness for her.
“I heard that you’re currently managing the inner courtyard?”
Nanyi pondered her meaning. She should want to remove her from this nominal position, so she proactively said: “Yes, but I’ve always been crude and unrefined, unable to bear such great responsibility. Please, Madam Gantang, find someone more capable.”
“No matter, you can handle it. It just so happens there are many trivial matters during the New Year period. I’ll help you manage things so you can get up to speed quickly.”
She spoke unhurriedly, without beating around the bush or being overbearing, steady and decisive, making people extremely comfortable.
However, Nanyi was still somewhat confused—the Xie family wasn’t lacking in people, so why insist on having her do this troublesome work!
Only Xie Sui’an was happy: “Great, second sister! With you here, sister-in-law will definitely be able to manage the rear courtyard in perfect order!”
Suddenly, the noisy chatter in the hall quieted down.
Xie Queshan had returned.
He stood outside the hall, looking from afar, knowing he had nothing to do with this family reunion. Entering might be inappropriate, but not entering would also seem impolite.
Everyone looked at Xie Queshan, then at Madam Gantang. Each person experienced that moment of awkwardness when reuniting with Xie Queshan.
Though they were blood relatives, their positions were completely different. Whatever affection they once had should now be mostly hate over love.
Madam Gantang’s expression remained unchanged. On her way here, she had already heard that Xie Queshan had returned.
“Xie San, come here.”
Nanyi’s eyes widened—she had never seen anyone dare to order Xie Queshan around so casually!
Yet Xie Queshan showed no displeasure at all, actually walking over obediently and cupping his hands: “Second sister.”
“Since you’ve returned, then live properly.”
The hall was silent; no one dared respond.
“Yes, second sister.” Xie Queshan replied.
“I see the household guards have all been replaced with Qi people.” Madam Gantang said with a smile.
When she had entered earlier, the Qi people didn’t know who she was and tactlessly tried to stop her, nearly causing conflict with the household servants.
Everyone held their breath, sensing a hint of gunpowder in the air.
Madam Gantang remained composed, calling toward the door: “Tang Rong.”
Soon, Madam Gantang’s guard Tang Rong entered from outside, carrying a heavy wooden chest in his hands.
Tang Rong placed the wooden chest on the table and opened it, revealing neatly arranged silver ingots inside.
Madam Gantang pushed the wooden chest toward Xie Queshan: “This is some money for food and drink. Xie San, take this and distribute it to your Qi brothers so they can also have a good New Year.”
The implication was that this New Year, those Qi soldiers should all get out of Wangxue Hollow.
Xie Queshan paused.
This wooden chest bore the insignia of Li Du Mansion’s money house, clearly something Madam Gantang had just withdrawn before returning to the manor. Silver notes weren’t good for distribution, but silver ingots were real wealth. Taking someone’s food makes your mouth soft, taking someone’s money makes your hands short—once the Qi people took the money, they had to withdraw. It seemed she had already planned what the first thing to do upon returning would be.
Before she came, the Xie family had no one who dared do this, or rather, no woman who could both swallow her pride and maintain her position. Lu Jinxiu’s knees were too soft, bending with the wind; Xie Sui’an’s temperament was too fierce, unwilling to yield. As for the rest, the old were old, the young were young, and as for Nanyi, she wasn’t someone who could make decisions at all.
“Is there a problem?” Seeing Xie Queshan not responding, Madam Gantang glanced up. Her eyes still held a smile, but her tone grew heavier.
Everyone didn’t dare breathe, waiting in trepidation for Xie Queshan’s reaction.
“Second sister, this isn’t easy to arrange.” Xie Queshan was very respectful.
“That’s why I’m asking you to make the arrangements.” Her voice was very certain.
“…Yes, second sister.”
Nanyi was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped! Was this still Xie Queshan? He dared to defy even his own father and grandmother, yet was completely respectful toward this sister.
Could this be bloodline suppression?
—Yes, Xie Queshan had been afraid of his second sister since childhood.
Xie Queshan had been mischievous in his youth. Xie Jun paid little attention to his mother, so naturally didn’t care much about this son either. Occasionally remembering him, he would conduct swift and decisive education to display his authority, but this had little effect on someone like Xie Queshan who was rebellious to the bone.
Only in front of his second sister, who was six years older, did he not dare act up. Second sister never made mistakes, understood the big picture, knew the rules, yet wasn’t pedantic and timid like ordinary noble family daughters. She handled matters with great magnanimity. Her rewards and punishments for the younger siblings in the family were fair and just, making people completely convinced. She only needed to darken her expression, and several mischievous younger siblings would immediately know their boundaries.
This respect was carved into his bones.
Even today, Xie Queshan didn’t dare disobey his second sister’s words.
Everyone in the Xie family secretly rejoiced—finally someone who could control that demon Xie Queshan.
However, Nanyi vaguely felt that Madam Gantang’s sudden return home wasn’t so simple. Perhaps there was deeper meaning behind it.
…
This New Year’s Eve, everyone finished their evening meal together, then gathered cheerfully for quite a while before dispersing.
Xie Queshan ate only a few bites before leaving early. Only when he wasn’t there could everyone relax.
Nanyi also excused herself during the meal to return to her room. This Xie family reunion had nothing to do with her anyway, and sitting there would only be boring.
Returning to her room, Nanyi saw a tray placed on the table.
The tray contained a set of new clothes. When she shook them open, the inner garment was a goose-yellow short jacket made of extremely thick material, with chrysanthemum patterns embroidered on the front opening. The lower garment was a gold-printed pleated skirt embroidered with scattered white plum blossoms, and outside was a white long coat with fur-trimmed collar and sleeves. Everything was made of silk and satin.
Nanyi became excited. The clothes she usually wore were randomly picked from the Xie family storehouse by Lu Jinxiu for her. Though warm enough, they were somewhat shabby. This set of clothes, however, had been thoughtfully chosen and was her size.
She assumed this kind of feminine item was sent by Xie Sui’an, but looking more carefully at the tray, she saw a stack of practice calligraphy papers underneath.
The beginning of the practice sheets showed his powerful, penetrating brushwork. Nanyi could only understand the last three characters: year, happiness, joy.
The first character she could only guess was “new.”
Nanyi was shocked. Besides Xie Queshan, who else could it be?
He actually remembered that she couldn’t bear to throw away a blood-stained garment, and on New Year’s Eve had sent her a set of new clothes.
“Happy New Year.”
He spoke to her through the paper.
Nanyi held the clothing, burying her head in it and taking a deep breath.
It was the scent of new clothes, also perfumed with fine sandalwood. She smelled more carefully, trying to detect a trace of scent from having passed through his hands.
She always felt there was some.
Nanyi was very happy. On this night of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, she actually felt an illusion of having found security.
But when her gaze inadvertently fell on the Buddhist sutra spread on the table, a hint of heaviness surfaced again.
Last night she had carefully compared all the handwriting and confirmed that the spy in Wangxue Hollow was Qiao Yinzhi. Today she hadn’t had time to tell Xie Sui’an, and could only discuss countermeasures with her tomorrow.
Before this, she had observed the people in Wangxue Hollow—those who acted furtively or suspiciously, she had suspected them all, but she had never thought it would be this person.
She had witnessed her longing and grief for Xie Hengzai’s passing. Everyone else was busy with new lives, but only she couldn’t move on, staying in Huaixu Courtyard. She was merely a concubine; no one cared how she was doing.
Everyone believed she truly loved Xie Hengzai, and Nanyi had also believed it without doubt.
If Qiao Yinzhi didn’t love Xie Hengzai, how could she have such great hostility toward Nanyi? This hostility came from heartfelt protection of her husband, definitely not mere acting.
Yet it was precisely under this mask of deep love that lurked a heartless spy. She was the one who had betrayed Xie Hengzai’s most important plans.
Nanyi dared to say that Xie Hengzai’s death was also connected to her.
Everyone wore a mask on their face, with greed, anger, ignorance, and resentment hidden within. What she could see was perhaps only one ten-thousandth of what lay beneath the surface.
Thinking of this, Nanyi’s heart, which had just warmed up, calmed down again.
Someone as iron-hearted as Xie Queshan, even if he occasionally showed her some kindness and pity, was probably just trying to buy her loyalty and couldn’t be taken seriously.