Chapter 84

The early spring chill hung in the air, and the woman, dressed in thin clothing, was bound to a tree in the backyard. Her beautiful face was pale from the cold, and her head hung weakly.

When Xie Que Shan passed by, he paused imperceptibly for a moment before walking indifferently toward the hall.

The tea brewed by Wan Yan Jun had already cooled, with a faint wisp of steam curling around the rim of the cup. He seemed lost in thought, only lifting his head when he heard footsteps and gestured for Xie Que Shan to sit.

A man who rarely showed his emotions, Wan Yan Jun now looked troubled.

“It seems the news has reached you quickly, Lord Wan Yan,” Xie Que Shan said, directly pointing to the courtyard with a tilt of his chin.

Wan Yan Jun was taken aback. “You know too?”

Xie Que Shan hissed in mock surprise. “I learned from Boss Zhang...”

Seeing Wan Yan Jun’s brows furrow, Xie Que Shan guessed, “Could it be that Boss Zhang has sold this same piece of news to several people?”

His casual remark hit the right nerve in Wan Yan Jun.

Xu Kou Yue was someone close to him, someone he had brought to the Li Du mansion despite opposition. If she had hidden such an important item in the mansion, he would have to take responsibility for it. Now that Hu Sha was watching his back, he wanted to find the imperial decree and destroy it before it became widely known. That way, everything could stay calm.

But to his surprise, Zhang Yuehui had sold the same news to several people! If things blew up, it would become troublesome for Wan Yan Jun.

The issue of whether or not the imperial decree existed was easy to deal with. What made it tricky was that it was rumored to be out there, but nothing had actually been found. That subtlety created tension.

“That crooked merchant!” Wan Yan Jun exclaimed angrily.

Xie Que Shan feigned agreement, saying, “He dares to make money from anything, doesn’t even fear losing his life.”

If Zhang Yuehui had been present, he might have jumped in rage, wishing to throw his hot tea straight in Xie Que Shan’s face.

But behind someone’s back, how could the person involved hear it?

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuehui, far away at the Hua Chao Pavilion, sneezed, unaware that Xie Que Shan had effortlessly trampled on him.

“Since Zhang Yuehui has sold you this news, what do you think about it?” Xie Que Shan asked.

Xie Que Shan then declared, “Lord Wan Yan, I stand with you. Everything should be in the interest of the court. I came to ask if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Due to Han Xian Wang’s influence, Wan Yan Jun did not harbor as much hostility toward Xie Que Shan as he did toward Hu Sha. They were from the same faction. Although they hadn’t built trust yet, after a few encounters, he hadn’t found any fault with Xie Que Shan, who had even helped him out on several occasions. Since Xie Que Shan had come to offer his allegiance first, Wan Yan Jun, in need of an ally, accepted it.

“Do you think Zhang Yuehui has sold this news to Hu Sha as well?” Wan Yan Jun asked.

The conflict between Wan Yan Jun and Hu Sha had intensified ever since the Yucheng army incident. They belonged to different factions under the great Qi royal court. While the royal court promoted newly risen nobles to fight across the southern and northern fronts, they also relied on the old nobles to stabilize the court and economy. As the territory expanded, the conflict between these two factions grew more fierce.

Xie Que Shan pondered for a moment and then said, “With General Hu Sha’s temper, if he knew, he would have come immediately to search the place... He probably doesn’t know yet.”

Wan Yan Jun thought this made sense but still felt something was off.

“Since Zhang Yuehui was able to sell this news to you, he can’t have missed the chance to make money off of Hu Sha...” he muttered.

But why hadn’t Hu Sha come to provoke him? He had been on the rise lately, and this would have been the perfect opportunity.

“Speaking of General Hu Sha, there’s something I noticed and was about to discuss with you, Lord Wan Yan,” Xie Que Shan said.

“Please, go ahead.”

Xie Que Shan pulled out a torn piece of silk from his pocket and handed it to Wan Yan Jun.

Wan Yan Jun examined it carefully. The silk had dark crow embroidery on it. His expression changed. “The Black Crow Camp?”

He suddenly understood why Hu Sha had been so active recently. The court had bypassed him and secretly transferred the Black Crow Camp to Hu Sha!

This small piece of silk sent a chill down his spine. With the Black Crow Camp in Hu Sha’s hands, it would only be a matter of time before Hu Sha replaced him and sent him back to the great Qi.

“It seems that Hu Sha is still investigating the Yucheng army incident...” Xie Que Shan continued. “After all, it was your explosives that caused the deaths of his men. He’s probably not willing to let that go and wants to find fault with you...”

Wan Yan Jun forced a smile. “Hu Sha is an interesting man. We’re colleagues, yet he doesn’t go after the Ling An Prince but targets me. He really doesn’t know how to be considerate.”

“Lord, we both understand the situation. What worries me is that General Hu Sha might take things too far and turn the blade on his own people...” Xie Que Shan said, his words subtly insinuating Hu Sha’s actions.

With Wan Yan Jun’s suspicions growing, a frightening thought formed in his mind.

Could it be that the imperial decree was fabricated? Was it a trap set by Hu Sha and Zhang Yuehui to set him up? Last time, he had forced Zhang Yuehui and secretly offended this crooked merchant. Since Hu Sha was already at odds with him, the two could have teamed up—Hu Sha using the Black Crow Camp to investigate the Yucheng army incident and Zhang Yuehui using Xu Kou Yue and the imperial decree to create chaos in his backyard and distract him.

The more Wan Yan Jun thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He sent Xie Que Shan away and marched straight to Xu Kou Yue.

He had to hear the truth from this woman’s mouth to make a judgment.

Xu Kou Yue had been bound for a day and was on the verge of death.

Though Wan Yan Jun had brought her back from the women’s prison and kept her under surveillance, he had refrained from physically harming her until now.

This time, however, he was truly enraged.

He grabbed her by the neck and forced her to lift her head. Her skull hit the tree trunk, and the cold, fragrant air rushed into her nose, snapping her back to consciousness.

“The imperial decree, does it exist or not?” he demanded.

Tears streaked across her pale face, her will nearly shattered. Only one word escaped her throat: “Pain...”

Wan Yan Jun’s hand instinctively loosened a little.

“Please... don’t torture me with such ridiculous reasons... please... kill me...”

This was the first time she had pleaded with him so sincerely.

In the past, she had always endured whatever came her way. Even when imprisoned, she still held onto a shred of pride. Though her knees may have knelt, her heart had never done so.

But this time, she was actually begging him. A crack opened in Wan Yan Jun’s heart.

Extreme anger and extreme fear burned in him, and at that moment, it felt as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over him, extinguishing the flames abruptly. He couldn’t even comprehend what he was doing. By the time he regained his senses, he had already loosened Xu Kou Yue’s ropes.

He knew he was taking a risk, but she had begged him! Wasn’t this the dark desire he had secretly harbored for all these years?

Even Xu Kou Yue herself had forgotten it.

He had softened. Perhaps Xu Kou Yue hadn’t lied to him—maybe there was no imperial decree after all. Though she was a prisoner, he had treated her well, and she would only cry when faced with hardship. Such a woman would succumb to even the slightest bit of suffering.

But these were merely guesses. How could he trust Xu Kou Yue? This woman had never shown him any affection, and all her obedience was a lie.

His heart waged a fierce internal battle. Though the ropes were loosened, he tightly grasped Xu Kou Yue’s shoulders. “Don’t lie to me.”

He was the absolute ruler of this power game, yet his tone carried a faint hint of pleading.

The human heart is the most complex game in the world.

If you want to stand above everyone else, you cannot be moved by emotions. If you allow yourself to feel, you can forget about remaining invincible.

“I wouldn’t dare lie to you,” Xu Kou Yue sobbed.

“If you lie to me, I’ll have your mother and your sister tortured. Even if you die, I’ll have the soldiers trample your corpse, throw you into the wilds, and feed you to the dogs. Even as a ghost, you won’t find peace!”

“Fine,” Xu Kou Yue answered hollowly, her gaze fixed on him. “If I lie to you, we’ll both go to hell.”

Wan Yan Jun released his grip and staggered back a few steps.

He waved his hand, signaling for the maidservants to take Xu Kou Yue back to her room.

He had temporarily spared her. He hoped that Xu Kou Yue hadn’t lied, but this matter was too important for him to take risks. His surveillance and confinement of Xu Kou Yue would only tighten. If the imperial decree really existed, someone would surely come to make contact. Wan Yan Jun couldn’t entirely rule out that possibility.

The plan to rescue Xu Kou Yue was still in the works when Nan Yi suddenly received an urgent mission.

There was a secret letter to be delivered to the most mysterious spy in the Bing Zhu Si, codenamed “Yan.”

Due to the Black Crow Camp’s formidable influence, most of the spies in Bing Zhu Si had been silenced, and Nan Yi, being a new face, wouldn’t attract suspicion. So, the task of delivering the letter fell to her.

This codename, “Yan,” struck a chord deep within Nan Yi. She had once revealed her identity as “Yan” in front of Xie Xiao Liu, giving herself a safer position, and because of this step, she had mistakenly ended up in the Bing Zhu Si. She felt some gratitude towards this person, but also a deep sense of unease, fearing that she might be exposed. She was even more curious about who “Yan” truly was—this person had meticulously planned the Prince Ling An’s entry into the city and was now quietly hiding in the shadows.

That string in her heart, which had been silent for a long time, was now being plucked, causing a considerable tremor inside her.

The land ahead.

The stone statue of the Earth God, once split into two by Hu Sha, had been patched up by the nearby villagers with clay. To hide the cracks, vines were wrapped around it, giving it an oddly lively appearance.

The incense burner had been replaced with a new one, with incense sticks lit in small groups. Strangely, in times of turmoil, even the gods could not protect their own statues, let alone the people. Yet each stick of incense burned represented the sincere helplessness and hope of the one offering it.

Nan Yi hid the bamboo strip containing the secret letter in the incense ash. According to the plan, she should leave immediately, but she couldn’t resist pacing around the nearby street corner, curious to see who would come for the exchange.

She watched nervously as people passed by in the streets, each face unfamiliar to her.

Though she had a vague guess in her heart about who “Yan” might be, that guess was too bold and absurd. Every time it crossed her mind, she would dismiss it immediately.

Who would come?