This trip by Dao Qin to the capital hadn’t been as smooth as imagined.

Zhou Yinzhi was no longer like he was before making his fortune. Now with his newly renovated residence and holding an important position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he paid particular attention to his own safety. Most of the guards in his residence were skilled fighters who patrolled day and night. To abduct a living person from the rear courtyard without anyone knowing truly required considerable effort. In the end, it was Xiao Dingfei, who had clawed his way up from the streets and markets, who had the idea. He found female assassins that the Heavenly Teachings had specially trained in the past to assassinate court officials, had them pose as embroiderers, carry in a large chest filled with clothes, then carry out a large chest filled with a living person—truly a feat of deception, performing magic tricks right under Zhou Yinzhi’s nose.

Getting out through the city gates was another ordeal.

Only thus were they able to bring the person to Zhending Prefecture.

Jiang Xuening naturally knew of Yao Niang’s fear, but who would return her living Fangying to her?

Even if there was compassion, it was suppressed by hatred.

She didn’t say much more, only withdrew her hand and instructed: “Take her down and watch her well. After all, she’s someone with child—be careful.”

Dao Qin then took the person away first.

Yao Niang seemed to have thousands of words she wanted to say, but had always been clumsy with words and couldn’t speak them.

Moreover, Jiang Xuening didn’t want to listen anyway.

After the person left, she sat alone in the room for a while. Seeing the starry river filling the sky outside the window and the crescent moon gradually waxing, she actually felt a wave of desolation spreading in her heart, completely without sleepiness.

So she simply rose and walked outside.

The soldiers patrolling at night all lightened their footsteps. Seeing her, they would stop and call out “Second Miss Ning.” She only nodded in acknowledgment, not stopping, heading straight toward the most secluded courtyard where Xie Wei resided.

However, the deep-night courtyard was surprisingly quiet.

Though a lamp was lit in the room, it was empty of people.

Only Xiao Bao sat under the corridor outside. Upon seeing her, he smiled, and without her even asking, he opened his mouth and said: “The master went to the back kitchen.”

Jiang Xuening only felt puzzled, thinking to herself, what was Xie Ju’an doing going to the back kitchen in the middle of the night?

She didn’t ask more questions and turned to go there.

Arriving outside the back kitchen, she indeed saw lights burning inside. The sound of a knife hitting the cutting board—neither too light nor too heavy, just right—came in fine and dense succession. One could tell that the person using the knife had skilled knife work, probably cutting vegetables.

Jiang Xuening walked in, looked once, and said: “Are you hungry?”

Clean bowls and plates sat on the kitchen counter.

Hot porridge simmered over a low fire on the stove.

Xie Wei stood tall beside the cooking range, sleeves rolled up, eyes lowered as he cut the yam on the cutting board into cubes, pushed them aside into a pile, then raised his eyes to look at her, saying indifferently: “I’m not hungry, but I figured you might want to eat something tonight.”

The back kitchen couldn’t compare to the study—only two oil lamps were lit, making it quite dim. But this insufficiently bright lighting happened to outline his tall and slender form, painting pale shadows on the side of his neck, as if veiled with a layer of genuine worldly atmosphere.

Jiang Xuening actually felt sourness rising from the bottom of her heart.

This person always knew everything.

She had once thought that if she truly got together with Xie Ju’an, with him being so formidable and not truly easy to get along with, inwardly both obsessive and mad, it would be as Yan Lin said—very tiring, even uncomfortable.

But over these past several months…

A small portion of time learning the qin, most of the time traveling, from eating to using things, from people to matters, surprisingly not a single unpleasant incident had occurred. Xie Ju’an always arranged everything perfectly. Matters she shouldn’t worry about—he didn’t let her interfere with a single one. Matters she should handle—he didn’t ask about even half of them.

As for learning the qin, sometimes he got annoyed at her laziness and would strike her with the discipline ruler just the same.

Only when she falsely cried out twice, and he grasped her hand and pressed his lips together, he couldn’t really bring himself to strike down hard. In the end, he mostly could only let her be, even having to brew her a pot of tea, serve a plate of snacks, letting her rest and eat for a while before continuing.

But there were also times when she really provoked him.

At such times, Xie Ju’an found it very difficult to let her off lightly. On two occasions when she stirred up his anger, in broad daylight he stripped off half her clothing, pressed her against the wall, face against the window lattice, making her feel afraid in her heart, her whole body going soft, then asking her voice by voice: Do you still dare?

When she said she didn’t dare, he would release her.

But if her stubborn temperament came up and she refused to admit fault, that was asking for suffering. By the time qin practice ended, her hands might not necessarily be sore, but her legs would definitely be weak.

Only afterward, it would often be Xie Ju’an’s turn to coax her, pulling her into his embrace to kiss away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes, yet only laughing and saying: See if you dare talk back next time.

Jiang Xuening truly felt he had fused both the saint and demon sides into one body.

But no matter when, his gaze watching her was always peaceful and profound. Sometimes when she spoke with others, occasionally raising her head, she would often meet his watching gaze. At first when she discovered this, the person would still have a little discomfort. Only after a long time did he become open and aboveboard about it, very frank.

She had also asked: Can’t get enough of looking?

Xie Ju’an hadn’t answered her at first.

Not until they had taken Jinan Prefecture, at the victory banquet when people toasted him with two extra cups of burning spring liquor, that night he somehow produced a handful of foxnuts from somewhere, sitting slumped on the footstool beside her bed, peeling them one by one for her to eat.

She thought he was drunk.

Xie Wei said: I’m completely sober.

In that moment the room had no light. His pair of eyes seemed soaked in water. Then he leaned over to kiss her, as if afraid of shattering an illusion, being extremely careful, then asked her: You won’t leave, will you?

Jiang Xuening fell silent.

She truly didn’t know what was surging in the bottom of her heart at that moment.

Only after a long while did she answer: Won’t leave.

Jiang Xuening didn’t ask him how he knew she occasionally loved eating these things, but afterward she very rarely saw Yan Lin. Even when they occasionally ran into each other, there were always other people present. After exchanging pleasantries, each had matters to attend to.

And today, she had said nothing, done nothing, yet Xie Wei seemed to know what she was thinking.

She indeed wanted to find someone to talk to.

Only after knowing that he knew, it all went without saying, seemingly no longer needing to be spoken.

Jiang Xuening quietly sat down on the small wooden stool beside the fire stove, watching Xie Wei put all those finely cut cubes into the porridge that was almost cooked, took a spoon to slowly stir inside, and finally said: “I haven’t truly killed anyone yet.”

Xie Wei finished stirring and covered the clay pot with its lid again.

He also sat down beside the fire stove, next to her, his gaze falling on the red-hot charcoal fire, exceptionally calm: “There’s always a first time.”

Jiang Xuening then slowly hugged her own knees, bending down, blinking her eyes, seeming to think more deeply, and didn’t speak anymore.

Xie Wei stayed by her side to keep her company.

After quite some time, when it had become completely quiet outside, he ladled some of the cooked porridge into a bowl and served it to her. The two of them didn’t bother moving over another table. They only sat by the fire stove, and in this slightly cold frosty night, ate about half a warm bowl, waiting until the red-hot charcoal fire gradually dimmed before leaving the back kitchen together.

Xie Wei escorted her back to her room. Knowing her mood wasn’t particularly good, he watched over her as he tucked her into the bedding, kissed her once on the lips, and said: “No qin practice tomorrow morning. You can sleep in.”

Jiang Xuening’s entire person was wrapped in the bedding, with just one face exposed.

She smiled: “You’ve been quite the proper gentleman lately.”

Xie Wei raised his eyes and stared at her: “If you want to die a quick death in the middle of this night, I’ll satisfy you right now.”

Jiang Xuening immediately shrank her head down, then giggled once. She truly didn’t dare provoke him anymore and obediently closed her eyes.

Xie Wei watched for quite a while before saying: “I’m leaving.”

Jiang Xuening opened her eyes to look at him again.

Xie Wei’s hand rested on her forehead, gently kissing her drooping lashes once more, then truly let go, walked out of her room, and when leaving, turned back to close the door.

Stars and moon were already sparse.

Cool wind struck his face.

He had originally meant to go back, but upon reaching the corridor corner, he stopped again, looked for a moment toward Jiang Xuening’s already tightly closed door, before finally returning to his own room.

Dao Qin had just returned.

Jianshu was organizing the desk.

When Xie Wei entered, his eyelids drooped, and several traces of the night’s darkness were dyed into his indifferent eyes. He sat down beside the qin table and for a long time didn’t speak.

Both Dao Qin and Jianshu had been by his side for a long time and roughly guessed something.

Jianshu wanted to speak but hesitated.

But Dao Qin was straightforward, saying: “Keeping her is a disaster. Once matters are settled, might as well kill her—uproot the problem entirely.”

Zhou Yinzhi would die without question. Whether it was Jiang Xuening or Xie Wei, neither would spare his life.

But this Yao Niang was a disaster.

Yet she still had a child in her belly. How could they know what it would grow into in the future?

Xie Wei lowered his eyes to look at that scar in his left palm, recalling the warm way Jiang Xuening had gazed at him just now, and also recalling that heavy snow in the palace many years ago. He slowly clenched his hand into a fist, and after a while finally said: “No need.”

Both Dao Qin and Jianshu looked at him.

He said: “If Zhou Yinzhi dies, it’s his own doing. Ning’er and I have clear consciences—no need to kill them all.”

Releasing the Heavenly Teachings, driving them across the realm—he calculated everything, never showing mercy.

Sometimes to ensure absolute certainty, being caught between the court and the Heavenly Teachings, he had done countless blood-stained deeds—absolutely not a benevolent sort.

Toward Yao Niang, he had indeed harbored killing intent.

Only because he himself had walked this path all along and deeply knew how great the power of hatred was. But the tomb of three hundred righteous children still held resentful spirits, and that snowfall from over twenty years ago still piled up in his heart, not yet fully melted…

Xie Wei asked again: “What’s the situation in the capital?”

Dao Qin said: “Chaos has already arisen. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has secretly captured and killed quite a few court officials. Everywhere people are in a state of anxiety. When this subordinate left the city, I heard rumors saying that Yuan Ji had also packed up his belongings. Probably seeing the situation wasn’t good, he secretly slipped out of the city.”

Xie Wei gave a cold sneer.

Jianshu asked: “In earlier years this person often opposed the master. This time…”

Xie Wei said: “Meng Yang will naturally deal with him. Perhaps he’s already lying dead in a mass grave by now. Earlier he was only used to restrain Wan Xiuzi. Now that the Heavenly Teachings have reached the capital, he’s lost his usefulness. Better that he die early.”

Jianshu then nodded.

Only Dao Qin’s brows were knitted, as if there were still words left unspoken.

Xie Wei raised his eyes and caught sight of this, then asked: “What else?”

Dao Qin didn’t quite dare to speak: “News came from the palace. It seems they want to send someone to negotiate, to join forces to suppress the Heavenly Teachings first…”

This was fundamentally impossible to succeed.

But this wasn’t enough to make Dao Qin hesitate.

Xie Wei thought of something, and the corner of his eye suddenly twitched lightly. He asked in a heavy voice: “Who does Shen Lang want to send?”

Dao Qin lowered his head, his voice much quieter: “Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Justice.”