Unwilling in heart and reluctant in feeling, Jiang Xuening still tidied herself up and, carrying the qin she’d brought back, went to the Xie manor.

Though it had only been a short while since she’d last come, the manor’s servants seemed to still remember her.

They led her all the way from the entrance, heading straight for Zhuoqin Hall.

Bamboo still green in winter was planted along the courtyard edges. The withered lotus in the pond was covered with a layer of unmelted white snow. Green fish were all beneath the lotus leaves, occasionally swimming about.

A courtyard like those of Jiangnan’s water towns.

This wasn’t common in the capital and was quite exquisite.

However, at this moment, Jiang Xuening had no heart to appreciate it. Her mind was full of Xie Wei’s pair of eyes tinged with scrutiny, swaying back and forth. Only when the servant told her “we’ve arrived” did she come to her senses and hurriedly express her thanks.

Inside the hall, Xie Wei waited at leisure, holding a cup of tea as he stood by the window. He’d already been waiting for a while.

Outside, Jiang Xuening dawdled, not very wanting to enter.

Xie Wei gently set that cup of tea on the windowsill. Without turning his head back, he said, “You dared stick your foot into such a major affair, yet now when called to study the qin, your courage seems to have been gnawed by worms. If you won’t come in, must I come out to invite you?”

Jiang Xuening’s face turned slightly pale. Finally, she still gritted her teeth, carefully stepped over the threshold, and walked in. She performed a curtsy toward Xie Wei. “This student greets her teacher.”

Only then did Xie Wei turn to look at her.

The little young lady held a qin, not even daring to raise her head. Burying it downward, her pair of eyes seemed to stare at her own toes, showing him only the top of her head. She looked quite like a timid, trouble-avoiding refined lady.

Unfortunately, she just wasn’t very obedient.

Today he was at home, wearing loose pale green robes. He pointed to the qin table that had already been cleared beside him, indicating for her to set down the qin first, then asked lightly, “Know your mistake?”

Hearing these words, Jiang Xuening understood everything.

Wasn’t this exactly what she’d written on the banknotes earlier!

That surnamed Xie had indeed taken her money!

Jiang Xuening cried out in her heart, but after setting down the qin, she didn’t dare sit. She only stood properly beside it and honestly said, “I know my mistake.”

The attitude of admitting error must be good. No matter what, don’t quibble.

If Xie Wei said she was wrong, then she was wrong!

However, unexpectedly, Xie Wei’s next sentence was, “Oh, where were you wrong?”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

She vaguely felt that if she didn’t admit error first, she would die miserably. But to truly make her say where she was wrong—thinking carefully, it was very difficult to articulate. After all, she also didn’t feel she’d erred.

Xie Wei tossed that stack of banknotes onto the desk, also tossing them before her eyes. The ink marks on the back of each banknote, though not many, appeared before Jiang Xuening’s eyes.

Her eyelids jumped seeing them.

Xie Wei said, “Didn’t you do quite well? Even your teacher was kept in the dark by you.”

Jiang Xuening only felt this person’s speech today especially carried a teasing flavor, making her unable to resist wanting to open her mouth to refute. However, thinking of the enemy being strong while she was weak, ultimately she still acknowledged defeat and didn’t dare.

She said dully, “The matter was so major, this student didn’t dare trust others.”

Xie Wei only asked, “How did you know it would be me who obtained these banknotes?”

Jiang Xuening was very honest, not daring to conceal anything. “It was I who entrusted Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Lord Zhou Yinzhi to spread the word. I knew you would know, teacher, so I guessed it was you, teacher.”

But she still used a bit of cunning.

She neither said “I sent Zhou Yinzhi” nor directly called Zhou Yinzhi by name, but rather said “Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Lord Zhou Yinzhi,” trying her best to distance her relationship with Zhou Yinzhi, avoiding making Xie Wei feel she was secretly cultivating her own forces.

After all, she felt dealing with Zhou Yinzhi was like seeking skin from a tiger.

If because of this she was resented again by Xie Wei, wouldn’t that be wrongful?

Xie Wei said again, “Then why spread word to me?”

Jiang Xuening suddenly found herself somewhat speechless.

Xie Wei’s gaze settled on her face. When she secretly lifted her eyes for a moment and met his, she only felt that deep in those dark eyes condensed some sharp scrutiny. Frightened again, she buried her head down and hurriedly said, “Beyond Teacher Xie, I didn’t know anyone else. I only felt that if Teacher Xie knew, perhaps he would think of some solution. Treating a dead horse as if it were alive.”

Treating a dead horse as if it were alive?

That’s all?

Xie Wei paced around her for two steps, then suddenly laughed and said with interest, “Do I look like a good person?”

Jiang Xuening didn’t dare say she was testing something, nor did she dare mention her other plans. She threw caution to the wind and continued fabricating. “Teacher Xie is also Yan Lin’s teacher. Moreover, at that time you even performed the capping ceremony for Yan Lin. The marquis manor suffered injustice—they are loyal subjects. If there were some turn in the matter, surely Teacher Xie would help if able, wouldn’t stand by with folded arms, much less kick someone when they’re down. Since this was so, why not try? Doesn’t this now prove that you, teacher, are benevolent and kindhearted, a good person?”

Xie Wei said, “The little swindler speaks better than she sings.”

That small mouth chattered away feeding people sweet talk, fearing she’d praised someone until they couldn’t find north. Her distinct black and white eyes cleverly darted about. Her face still wore several traces of sweet, ingratiating smile, yet not one sentence from her mouth could be believed!

Standing before him, Jiang Xuening was truly extremely constrained. She inexplicably felt prickly all over, always wanting to move her feet, move her hands, but had to restrain herself and didn’t dare move, holding it in uncomfortably.

Hearing Xie Wei call her “little swindler,” she didn’t dare refute.

She pressed her lips, bitterly contemplating how she could escape this predicament.

However, Xie Wei said, “I’m afraid you also couldn’t be certain it was me. But supposing it was me, you also feared being discovered afterward through my investigation. Better to write it in advance. If the person holding the banknotes isn’t me, what you wrote, others wouldn’t understand anyway. If the person holding the banknotes is me, then you’ve gambled correctly. Either way, you don’t lose out.”

Everything he said hit the mark.

This Xie Wei’s brain was just too quick—quick to the point of being frightening.

What Jiang Xuening feared most was standing before him. Now that everything had been exposed, she could only bite the bullet and acknowledge it, saying in a small voice, “Teacher Xie perceives autumn’s chill from a single fallen leaf. Whatever petty thoughts this student has are seen through by you. I don’t dare say otherwise.”

Admitting it now, she still seemed honest.

Though Ningning didn’t like Yan Lin, people’s feelings couldn’t be forced from the start. One couldn’t say that because Yan Lin liked her and treated her well, she had to return the same feelings. With Ningning’s past domineering and difficult behavior, that she could remember Yan Lin’s past affection and sacrifice these fifty thousand taels of great wealth to save people and save the marquis manor was already extremely rare.

Even if Xie Wei truly had a heart of stone, he wouldn’t do anything to her.

He then lowered his eyes and extended his hand toward her. “Did you bring the letter?”

When his people had come earlier to summon her to “study the qin,” Jiang Xuening had vaguely anticipated what would happen now. At this moment, she didn’t dare say one extra word. She simply took that letter from her sleeve and respectfully handed it to Xie Wei.

Half was given at first, then the other half later.

Put together, it was complete. She’d placed both in one envelope.

Xie Wei pinched the letter with his fingers, drew it out, and quickly read through it once.

He was silent for a long time.

The expression on his face had subtle changes, sinking considerably, even showing a moment of distraction and dazed confusion.

Jiang Xuening secretly watched him.

Only after he silently refolded the letter did he ask her, “Did you read it?”

Jiang Xuening immediately felt her scalp tingle. Heaven knew that before coming, what she feared most was Xie Wei asking this question. Now that he indeed asked, she knew that if she said she hadn’t read it, not even a ghost would believe her. She could only acknowledge it firmly. “I read it.”

What the letter stated was that Marquis Yongyi’s manor’s Yan Muming had actively proposed conspiring with the Celestial Doctrine!

This could be called earth-shattering!

Xie Wei then said, “You said earlier you felt Marquis Yongyi’s manor was a family of loyal subjects, so you didn’t wish to see them suffer injustice. But after reading this letter, do you still feel they suffered injustice?”

What a terrifying question!

Cold sweat nearly broke out on Jiang Xuening’s forehead.

Who in court and countryside would still think the marquis manor suffered injustice after reading this letter? If she felt the marquis manor suffered injustice, what would her intentions be? But if she felt the marquis manor didn’t suffer injustice, the person before her eyes was Xie Wei—wasn’t saying so seeking death?

Only…

Jiang Xuening’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. Forcefully suppressing that trace of unease in her heart, she said haltingly, “Precisely because of this, this student wanted teacher to discern the truth. Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding—it’s not impossible. But once the letter is submitted to the court, it cannot be taken back. The court situation is also so complex—this student didn’t dare.”

“I didn’t know there were things you didn’t dare do.” Xie Wei said lightly, putting the letter back but showing no intention of returning it to Jiang Xuening. “What misunderstanding could there be?”

Jiang Xuening boldly glanced at him and said, “I heard there are some rumors at court that the marquis wanted to investigate the whereabouts of Heir Dingfei, who should have perished twenty years ago along with the three hundred righteous children, and therefore ventured at great risk to have correspondence with Prince Pingnan’s rebel party. If—if that Celestial Doctrine was treacherous, using this as bait, and the marquis merely played along, pretending conspiracy to learn of the heir’s whereabouts—this is also not impossible?”

“…”

In this instant, Xie Wei’s gaze became ice-cold to the extreme, falling straight upon her, as if wanting to pierce through her in this flash of lightning!

Jiang Xuening’s entire person shook with fright, yet she put on an appearance of not quite understanding, as if not comprehending why Xie Wei suddenly looked at her this way. Rather bewildered, she opened her mouth tremblingly. “This student was only wildly guessing…”

This appearance of hers made Xie Wei realize his own loss of composure.

Yes, how could Jiang Xuening possibly guess?

He shouldn’t have shown such obvious reaction. Thus he calmly withdrew his gaze, only saying, “You’re quite willing to find reasons for the marquis manor. This letter will remain with me. You have no objection?”

Jiang Xuening dared have what ghost of an objection!

She was only more worried about her own little life.

Seeing Xie Wei place that letter on the desk, she carefully edged forward and said, “Well, although I read the letter, teacher, please rest assured—the matter is significant. I definitely won’t speak of it outside.”

The implication was: could you please not silence me?

Xie Wei had no intention of silencing her, much less toward her at this moment. However, the meaning in her words made it seem she was extremely afraid. Thus for a moment, he suddenly found her somewhat noisy.

Turning his head, he wanted to say: speak nonsense again and I’ll have someone pull out your tongue.

However, when his gaze turned back, he only saw the young lady behind him looking at him with somewhat pitiful moist eyes. Her slightly parted cherry lips revealed snow-white teeth behind them, the tip of her tongue showing a touch of bright red with an alluring color, pressed behind her teeth, softly contained in her mouth.

In that flash of thought, the seductive demon spirits painted on wild mountain temple walls flashed through his mind.

Xie Wei suddenly recalled Lu Xian’s words.

However, this fleeting thought came quickly and left quickly, not letting him grasp anything. He only somehow put away the slight impatience that had just surfaced and said, “I have no such intention.”

Jiang Xuening finally set her mind at ease. Breathing a sigh of relief, a smile floated to her lips as she said, “Thank you, teacher!”

Xie Wei pointed at the qin table. “It’s been quite a while since leaving the palace. Let’s see how your lessons are progressing.”

This was calling her to play the qin.

Jiang Xuening’s expression became slightly dazed as she looked at Xie Wei, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Xie Wei looked back, frowning. “What?”

Jiang Xuening lightly bit her lip, appearing extremely hesitant. However, thinking of her fifty thousand taels of silver, she finally mustered her courage and said haltingly, “Teacher, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Xie Wei said, “What did I forget?”

Jiang Xuening steeled her heart. “That letter I gave you earlier—I spent fifty thousand taels of silver on it. Now the banknotes are in your hands. You see, shouldn’t you, shouldn’t you… shouldn’t you return…”

When her words reached this point, she lifted her eyes and met Xie Wei’s gaze.

Those eyes held moonlight from a winter night—quite chilling.

She was frightened into swallowing back the rest of her words.

Xie Wei already understood what she wanted to say. He glanced down at the banknotes on the desk, then lifted his eyelids to gaze at her, saying quietly, “Extend your hand.”

Was he going to give them to her?

Jiang Xuening’s eyes brightened slightly. Though somewhat hesitant, she still extended her hand.

“Smack.”

Xie Wei reached out and gave her palm a slap.

It hurt a bit.

Jiang Xuening immediately drew her hand back. Her eyes lifted, almost unable to believe she was looking at this sanctimonious person before her. Both shocked and frightened, with a bit of anger she didn’t quite dare show, her eyes rimmed red in an instant. Clutching her palm, she dared to be angry but didn’t dare speak.

Xie Wei said lightly, “Speaking of which, I haven’t even asked—where does a young lady like you get so much money, and what did you use it for?”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

Xie Wei curved his lips in a light smile. “Extend your hand. I’ll give it to you.”

Jiang Xuening quietly moved both her hands behind her back, truly not daring to extend them again, fearing Xie Wei would ask where the money came from and what the circumstances were before and after. She didn’t dare answer, couldn’t explain clearly. So she hurriedly smiled apologetically. “Never mind, never mind. Consider it all an offering to teacher.”

Xie Wei’s eyebrows rose slightly, putting on an upright appearance. “This tuition is too expensive—this teacher doesn’t dare accept it. Rest assured, I will still return it to you. However, this depends on how well you’ve learned your lessons.”

He pointed at the qin table.

Jiang Xuening: “…”

She suddenly very much wanted to curse.

Though she held back a breath in her heart, she didn’t dare express it before Xie Wei’s face. Without making a sound, she sat before that qin table, thinking she would play what Xie Wei had previously taught—”Colored Clouds Chasing the Moon.”

However, this past month she had indeed grown rusty.

Though she still remembered the finger techniques, when playing the qin she was very unfamiliar, consecutively playing several wrong notes.

Xie Wei stood by that windowsill drinking tea. Each time she played a wrong note, he would turn his head to look at her.

The more he looked, the more nervous Jiang Xuening became.

Toward the end, she fundamentally couldn’t continue playing. She simply pushed the qin away and became sullenly angry.

Xie Wei suppressed his smile. “Don’t want the money anymore?”

Jiang Xuening couldn’t help wanting to submit again, saying thickly, “I’ve been somewhat rusty these days. How about you teach me again and I’ll try once more?”

Xie Wei then set down his teacup, saying, “All right.”

However, when he leaned forward, coming to Jiang Xuening’s side, raising those slender fingers about to rest on the qin, he saw his own transparent fingernails.

The scene of blood staining between his fingers not long ago, unable to be washed away for so long, suddenly overlapped in his mind.

Xie Wei’s movements stopped. His fingers suspended above the qin strings but didn’t descend.

Jiang Xuening was waiting for him to place his fingers on the strings. For a moment she felt somewhat puzzled and couldn’t help turning her head to look at him.

Xie Wei’s expression showed some unfathomable fluctuation.

She tentatively asked in a soft voice, “Does Teacher Xie also have times when he doesn’t want to play the qin?”

Xie Wei turned his eyes to meet her gaze.

The young lady looked at him rather carefully, yet seemed to still somewhat anticipate him playing the qin as demonstration. He wanted to withdraw his fingers and distance them far from those qin strings, but somehow, in the end his heart still softened and they descended.

Only when the qin’s sound accompanied Xie Wei’s explaining voice, Jiang Xuening’s thoughts wandered somewhat.

She suddenly felt she’d seen this expression of his before.

After thinking for a long time, she finally remembered.

It was a certain palace banquet in her previous life.

At that time, Shen Jie hadn’t yet become bedridden with illness, and she was still in favor, so inevitably she became somewhat carried away. During the banquet, the musician playing the qin made an error and was terrified.

She then clapped her hands jokingly, saying why not invite Teacher Xie to play.

All the officials at the banquet slightly changed their expressions.

Xie Wei also seemed to furrow his brow. However, at that time she was quite intoxicated and didn’t have much fear. In her daze, he seemed to have glanced at her, also with an expression like this moment.

Did he play in the end?

Jiang Xuening only remembered feeling very drowsy. Before long, her eyes were blurred with wine. Hazily, she only remembered qin music lingering at her ears, but whether it was Xie Wei who later played the qin, she had no impression at all.

After re-explaining the finger techniques, Xie Wei turned his head and asked her, “Have you learned it?”

Hearing this, Jiang Xuening was startled and only then came back to her senses, instinctively also turning her head.

The two faces suddenly drew close in distance, nearly colliding.

Four eyes met, breaths intermingling.

The young lady’s body carried a sweet gardenia fragrance. Dense long lashes pressed over clear pupils. Her jade-like nose, sandalwood lips slightly parted, two ruby-carved earrings hanging from snow-white earlobes—like two ripening red cherries adorning rich green leaves, awaiting someone to pluck them.

Like a budding young lady, carrying fresh, tender luster.

Jiang Xuening had never been what one would call dignified in appearance. After entering the capital, she gradually shed her greenness, matured, and grew taller. Her neck was slender, her figure exquisite. The skin exposed outside her garments was all delicate enough to break at a breath, as if covering it with five fingers would leave red marks—that fragile.

Xie Wei saw again that reddened tip of her tongue.

Thus, he suddenly had an unprecedentedly clear cognition: though in his heart he regarded Ningning as that little young lady from years ago who hadn’t yet grown up, four years had already passed. After the turn of the year in the first month would be her birthday. In another year, she should reach the hairpin ceremony. She had grown up. This appearance floating with alluring color was sufficient to make countless men in the capital flock to her like ducks, their dream souls entangled with her.

I have no desire for physical relations between men and women toward Ningning.

Xie Wei suddenly captured what he hadn’t grasped in that earlier fleeting thought. Standing near her, his form became slightly stiff.

Jiang Xuening felt the current Xie Wei seemed somewhat off. After retreating, he just stood there looking at her without moving.

She called twice, but Xie Wei didn’t respond.

She then extended her hand wanting to tug at Xie Wei’s sleeve, tentatively calling again, “Teacher Xie?”

Unexpectedly, Xie Wei glanced at her, gently drew his arm inward, raised his fingers to press that sleeve section, as if avoiding suspicion and not letting her touch it. He also didn’t step forward again, only saying, “You’re merely a bit rusty. You haven’t forgotten the finger techniques. Try playing again.”

Jiang Xuening felt he was strange.

But hearing him speak of playing the qin, she also no longer spent thought on that moment of grasping empty air, instead seriously playing the qin.

She played twice, finally finishing without much error.

Several traces of joy appeared between her brows.

Jiang Xuening happily turned her head back, smiling brilliantly. “Teacher, money!”

Right there on the desk was that stack of banknotes.

But Xie Wei actually didn’t take those. Instead, he opened a case placed beside them. Opening it, inside was full of banknotes.

Jiang Xuening was immediately full of anticipation.

However, what was handed to her the next moment wasn’t a stack but a single note!

Only one thousand taels!

Her joyful expression immediately froze.

Xie Wei said, “Don’t want it?”

As he spoke, he made as if to take it back.

Jiang Xuening hurriedly grabbed it, saying, “Want it!”

But after pulling this banknote back from Xie Wei’s hand, her heart was full of indignation, feeling she’d been deceived. “Didn’t you say if I played the qin, you’d return the money to me?”

Xie Wei raised his eyebrows, looking at her lightly. “I said it depends on how your lessons are done. The future is long—what are you rushing for?”

Jiang Xuening nearly stamped her feet. “Is my playing only worth this much?”

Xie Wei stood far from her, turning away to close that case full of banknotes. The corner of his mouth pulled slightly as he only replied, “Playing like that, in any other place, even if you paid me, I wouldn’t go listen.”