Pei Xiao’s heart trembled at her question.
In the past half year, he hadn’t even gone to pleasure houses. Where would great misfortune come from?
“Could I be implicated by Xie Wushi’s misfortune?”
“Possible!”
Li Buyan pondered: “Then… could the four of us be grasshoppers on the same rope—if one falls into misfortune, all fall together?”
“Also possible!”
Pei Xiao nodded in complete agreement: “I think the root is still that incense stick.”
“Exactly, it’s that incense stick.”
Li Buyan leaned forward: “Do you have any good ideas, Young Master Pei?”
Pei Xiao shook his head.
Li Buyan: “Think again?”
Pei Xiao thought for a long time: “Only one method.”
“What?”
“Go to temples more often to burn incense and worship Buddha. Perhaps it can resolve things somewhat.”
“Are you sure?”
“Among the capital’s noble families, whenever someone in the residence offends the Year Star, the families all go to temples to worship.”
“Let’s go. Let’s go now.”
“Now?”
Dark night and high wind?
You and me?
A lone man and woman—bad for your reputation.
“Not quite appropriate!”
Young Master Pei coughed: “We should return early. If we’re late, it’ll be hard to explain to Yan Sanhe.”
“Then we’ll go tomorrow. Come on, back to the residence.”
Li Buyan stood, then paused: “About going to the Zhu residence—don’t tell anyone. Don’t make everyone panic.”
Pei Xiao: “Then what reason should we find…”
“No good! There’s an assassin! Quickly catch the assassin…”
Li Buyan’s expression changed. Listening intently to the commotion outside, she rushed to the window and pushed it open with a bang. In the distance on a rooftop, a black shadow rose and fell.
“The capital has deep waters. Don’t meddle in affairs. I’ll go outside to see what’s happening.”
“Young Master Pei, wait for me.”
The assassination occurred in the private room next to theirs. An arrow flew in through the window, grazing past someone’s face and embedding in the wall behind them.
Li Buyan was craning her neck to watch more of the excitement when Young Master Pei grabbed her and pulled her downstairs.
“Soon the Five Cities Command and Embroidered Uniform Guard will come. We’d better leave first to avoid being seen and word reaching Xie Wushi’s ears.”
Li Buyan asked curiously: “Who was in that private room? What wicked deed did they do to be assassinated?”
“I don’t recognize them either, but they look somewhat familiar. Eh…”
Pei Xiao pointed at a distant carriage: “Isn’t that the Xie family’s carriage? This late at night, who’s sitting in it?”
Li Buyan sneered: “Stop mentioning the Xie family to me. Disgusting.”
Pei Xiao rubbed his eyes, thinking the driver looked like Steward Xie from behind.
…
Young Master Pei wasn’t wrong. The driver was indeed Steward Xie.
He deftly cracked the long whip, heading straight out of the city.
Reaching the city gate, he pulled the reins and jumped down from the carriage, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed city gate.
He didn’t know how long he waited before the city gate creaked open.
“Third Master has returned.”
Xie Xiaohua called into the carriage and ran over gleefully. Halfway there, he froze—someone was following behind Third Master.
He’d seen this person before—the victorious General Bu.
General Bu tossed a purse to the guard at the gate. Looking up, his expression changed slightly as he called out softly: “Third Master?”
Xie Zhifei followed his line of sight. His heart jumped—
Under the moonlight, Xie Daozhi stood by the carriage in old robes, hands behind his back.
Bu Liu suppressed his murderous aura, mounted his horse, cupped his fists toward Third Master, then turned his horse and rode away.
“Third Master, the eldest young master and eldest young madam waited at the estate for you for ages. When you didn’t return, they reported to the Master. The Master was worried about Third Master’s health and came here with this old servant to wait.”
Seeing Third Master standing motionless, Xie Xiaohua stepped forward and pushed gently, lowering his voice:
“The Master’s body isn’t well either. His fever just broke. Why don’t you hurry over? What are you standing around for?”
Xie Zhifei remained motionless.
Hey!
Xie Xiaohua was so anxious his mouth twitched.
The boy has heart palpitations—that doesn’t affect his brain. Why has he turned into wood?
“Third Brother.”
Xie Daozhi walked forward, his gaze kind: “Keep Father company for a walk?”
Xie Zhifei looked at him quietly for a moment, then tossed the reins to Xie Xiaohua.
The most chilling thing in this world was the silence between family members with nothing to say. Though father and son walked side by side, neither opened their mouth to speak.
This scene truly pained Xie Xiaohua.
Usually Third Master chattered away endlessly, livelier than anyone.
Though the Master scolded verbally, not a trace of anger showed on his face. His eyes stayed on Third Master—pure indulgence.
What was wrong with this father and son today?
“Third Brother.”
Xie Daozhi gently broached the subject: “Is your health better?”
“No problems.”
“Is the medicine bitter?”
“It’s alright.”
Xie Daozhi sighed: “No matter how great the matter, none is more important than your health.”
Xie Zhifei’s expression was empty, not responding.
There was no response to give.
Though Xie Xiaohua following behind didn’t know, this man should know full well whose fault Third Master’s illness was.
Coming now to say health was important—where was he before?
“When Father was young, my father died early. I don’t even remember what he looked like. I especially envied other families’ children.”
Xie Daozhi glanced at Xie Zhifei and smiled.
“Later when I became a father myself, thinking of the hardships I’d suffered, not wanting my children to taste them again, I fought desperately to climb upward.
Our family’s children are all grown now. Only your eldest brother is married.
Your eldest brother is the eldest son and grandson. He’ll have to support the Xie family’s enterprise in the future, so I haven’t indulged him. I beat and scold him as needed. As for the rest of you…”
Xie Daozhi closed his eyes.
“I haven’t even been willing to let your eldest sister marry. It’s not that she can’t find a match. Once she marries, she’s no longer my daughter. No matter how much I love her, if she’s mistreated, at most I can only give a few hints from the sidelines.”
Xie Zhifei’s face and tone were both poor.
“Why say all this?”
“Father just wants to tell you—Father has done right by all of you.”
“But you’ve wronged them!” Xie Zhifei suppressed his voice, suppressed his anger.
“Child.”
Xie Daozhi turned to look at him.
“In this lifetime, people must do some things against their conscience, say some words against their conscience. You’re still young. In a few more years, you’ll understand.”
Xie Zhifei stopped walking, turned around, and spoke word by word:
“I just want to ask one thing, Xie Daozhi. In the dead of night, when you think of those people, those matters, does your conscience rest easy? Can you sleep?”
“I won’t think about them. I only think about the Crown Prince smoothly ascending the throne. The Crown Prince’s heir entering Duanmu Palace, becoming Crown Prince. I only think that the tragedy of the former Crown Prince hasn’t repeated itself.”
Xie Daozhi looked directly into his eyes: “Thinking of these things, I sleep more soundly than anyone.”
“You…”
Xie Zhifei ground his teeth: “In Xie Daozhi’s view, using any means necessary, disregarding human life—that’s right?”
“The capable trampled beneath others’ feet, the incapable sitting in high positions. The gentle and courteous meeting the King of Hell, the ambitious achieving great enterprises.”
Xie Daozhi sneered coldly: “The well-read and proper bullied by their in-laws, the unreasonable troublemakers whom no one dares provoke. You tell me—what is right and what is wrong?”
Xie Zhifei choked.
“In this world there is no right or wrong. If you think it’s worth it, then it’s right.”
Xie Daozhi called out to him lowly from his throat.
“Third Son, Father only hopes that from now on you’ll face fewer trials, more joy, and live to a ripe old age. Then it will be worth it. Everything will be worth it.”