Chapter 16

Who is the Wild Goose?

It was rare that the snow had stopped, and the sun had come out. Inside the house and outside, the temperature was the same, so Nan Yi decided to sit in the courtyard and bask in the sun.

The maids came and went, seemingly ignoring Nan Yi, tacitly overlooking her presence.

She sat there until the afternoon. By then, she was truly starving. She remembered Xie Que Shan’s words and thought to herself: With such a large place as the Xie family estate, surely they wouldn’t let someone starve in the courtyard.

She decided to give it a try. Gathering her courage, she stopped a group of maids and ordered them in a commanding tone.

“Bring me a pot of water— and... and a bowl of lamb noodles.”

Nan Yi expected she would have to argue with the maids, but to her surprise, they merely nodded expressionlessly and said, “Yes, ma’am.” All the words Nan Yi had prepared were suddenly stuck in her throat— it was that simple?

Soon, the things she had asked for were delivered. Hot water and hot lamb noodles, just as she had requested, but nothing extra was given.

“Name is more important than substance,” Xie Que Shan’s words lingered in Nan Yi’s mind. As she carefully put them into practice, she realized that every word he had said was true.

She devoured the steaming bowl of lamb noodles quickly, as if they were swept away by the wind. Only after finishing did Nan Yi feel like she had come back to life. To her, survival was just one meal and one night’s sleep at a time. Little by little, this was how she made it through.

Every day she lived, she felt grateful.

Nan Yi patted her now-full belly and decided to move around a little in the courtyard. Just as she was about to get up, a maid’s announcement came.

“Sixth Miss is here.”

Nan Yi turned around to see a young girl in red hurrying towards her. Nan Yi didn’t know who the Sixth Miss was, but she assumed she must be a noble, so she quickly knelt down to greet her.

“Sixth Miss.”

Xie Sui’an was startled and quickly helped Nan Yi up.

“Sister-in-law, you’ve startled me. We’re family, why such a formal greeting?”

“Do I not... need to kneel?” In noble families, Nan Yi felt she was of a lower rank, so when someone treated her so courteously, she became a little nervous.

Xie Sui’an kindly pulled Nan Yi to sit in the pavilion and then instructed the surrounding maids.

“You all go away. I have something to discuss with my sister-in-law. No one is allowed to enter this courtyard.”

Xie Sui’an turned her head and smiled at Nan Yi. “My name is Xie Sui’an. I’m the sixth in the family. Sister-in-law, just call me Xiao Liu. How could a sister-in-law bow to her younger sister?”

Xie Sui’an propped her elbow on the table and leaned forward, curiously eyeing Nan Yi.

Nan Yi carefully looked at Xie Sui’an as well.

She appeared to be about the same age as Nan Yi, but there was an aura of vitality about her. Her crescent-shaped eyes were paired with a pair of thick, sword-like eyebrows. Even though she had used dark eyeliner to soften the ends of her brows, the boldness of her features still couldn’t be concealed.

“Sixth Miss, are you... looking at me?”

“It’s you, right? Sister-in-law.”

Nan Yi was confused.

“My older brother mentioned that there’s a secret pawn from the Bingchu Division, code-named ‘Wild Goose,’ is it you?”

“I... don’t understand what the Sixth Miss is saying.”

Xie Sui’an looked at her with an expression that said, “I know.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re cautious, but I’m one of our own. I also work for the Bingchu Division. You can trust me. If it weren’t for the intelligence you spread saying you would create chaos at the funeral, giving our people a chance to help Prince Ling’an, how would Prince Ling’an have been able to enter Lidu Prefecture so smoothly?”

This news, casually dropped by Xie Sui’an, struck Nan Yi like a thunderclap.

So that’s how it was!

When she kidnapped Xie Que Shan, all of Qi Bing’s soldiers surrounded her, so no one was watching the entire funeral procession. It must have been during that time that they managed to complete the rescue.

But she had never told anyone about her plan to kidnap Xie Que Shan. Who had plotted to bring her into the plan?

Xie Que Shan?

If not for that conversation in the ancestral hall, she would never have changed her mind and stayed behind to await the sacrificial burial. But how could Xie Que Shan know what she would do? Even though he was skilled at reading people’s hearts, why would he help Prince Ling’an? He was a traitor of the Yu Dynasty.

Could it be...

No, that was impossible. A bizarre thought flashed through Nan Yi’s mind but she quickly dismissed it. She speculated that perhaps someone had designed another accident, but her own actions had inadvertently helped them complete the plan. She wasn’t the “Wild Goose,” and that “Wild Goose” hadn’t shown itself, right?

“Name is more important than substance,” Xie Que Shan’s words once again echoed in her mind. Nan Yi made a quick decision.

“Yes, it’s me. I know about the rescue plan from Hu Gui Mountain.”

“Sure enough, it’s you!” Xie Sui’an was even more delighted. “Sister-in-law, you truly have a brilliant plan! Then, your identity as a member of the Qin family is fake too?”

“My identity is naturally fake. All of this was planned with Young Master. He would never just find any woman to help him rescue the new emperor from Hu Gui Mountain using her wedding procession. I had to sit in the bridal sedan to help him keep an eye on everything.”

Nan Yi spoke without hesitation.

Xie Sui’an appeared bright and lively, very much favored. If Nan Yi could gain her favor, it would help her establish herself in the Xie family faster. Since she couldn’t escape from this place for now, she had to find a way to make her life more comfortable. Moreover, who could guarantee that the Xie family wouldn’t one day decide she was unlucky and assign her a new death sentence?

At this moment, Xie Sui’an was completely convinced of Nan Yi’s identity.

If she weren’t the “Wild Goose,” how could she possibly know such crucial information, like using the wedding procession to assist Prince Ling’an, or how she managed to create chaos at the funeral site?

Xie Sui’an, moved, took Nan Yi’s hand in hers.

“That’s wonderful, sister-in-law. Although the Xie family is a prestigious family in Lidu Prefecture, with influence everywhere, the things we do are always life-threatening and must remain secret. It’s like crossing a river on a single log, fragile and vulnerable. Having one more ally means one more chance of success.”

Nan Yi felt a bitter feeling in her heart. She had no grand ideals of serving the country. She didn’t want to risk her life for anything. She had adopted this identity just to find some protection, never expecting that the other side would want to drag her into the action as well.

However, she still maintained a flawless performance on the outside, smiling at Xie Sui’an. There was no other choice—Xie Sui’an was her best option at the moment.

At the very least, by becoming Xie Sui’an’s ally and gaining the protection of the Bingchu Division, the Xie family wouldn’t so easily take her life. Even if she accepted the identity of “Wild Goose,” staying in the back courtyard of Wang Xuewu might still keep her out of significant trouble.

Just as she was thinking this, Xie Sui’an’s next words shattered Nan Yi’s fantasy.

“Sister-in-law, the upcoming tasks will only get more difficult.”

Nan Yi froze. “What tasks?”

“Lidu Prefecture is a key transit point, both by land and water. Now that Prince Ling’an is being kept in a highly secretive location within the city, our next task is to find a way to get him onto a boat at the ferry.”

“Just getting him onto the boat... how hard could that be?”

“The Qu Ling River runs through Lidu Prefecture, and the city only has one southward ferry. That ferry used to be under the control of the Tiger Kneeling Army, but the magistrate, Huang Yankun, is a coward. When he saw the Qi forces advancing like a tide, he panicked and surrendered to them, opening the city gates for the Qi troops. Now, the only ferry has fallen into the hands of the Qi forces, and it’s heavily guarded. Getting anyone out of there is like trying to climb to the heavens.”

Xie Sui’an looked eagerly at Nan Yi, full of expectation. “Sister-in-law, you are so clever. Do you have any good ideas?”

Nan Yi stared blankly at Xie Sui’an.

Her mind was spinning rapidly—she wanted to say something useful, but she was just an outsider. What did she know?

Suddenly, Nan Yi thought of Xie Que Shan and that letter. How had the plan been leaked to him? There must be a mole by Xie Heng’s side.

Just as she was about to speak, a commotion came from outside. Xie Sui’an immediately became alert.

“I’ll go see what happened.”

Without another word, Xie Sui’an hurried out, and Nan Yi quickly followed. She didn’t want to be left behind as if she were invisible.

“Sixth Miss, I’ll come with you.”

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, Nan Yi and Xie Sui’an saw a group of officials escorting a middle-aged man.

Before Nan Yi could ask anything, she heard a whoosh sound. Xie Sui’an’s soft sword had already been drawn and was swiftly brandished, blocking the officials’ path.

“On what grounds are you arresting my uncle?”

The man being escorted was none other than Xie Zhu, who held an official position as the head of the shipyard in Lidu Prefecture. He was on his way to the shipyard office, still wearing his official robes, though his hands were shackled and he looked disheveled.

The leading official was relatively polite and answered Xie Sui’an, “We are following the magistrate’s orders, escorting a suspect in a murder case to the magistrate’s office.”

“What murder case?”

“Last night, a Qi person was found dead in a tavern, and someone saw Lord Xie leaving the tavern that night.”

“That’s nonsense! Who saw this? Bring them here to confront him!”

Xie Sui’an was relentless, unwilling to let her uncle be taken so easily. A Qi person was dead, but it was just an excuse to accuse him. Something more urgent must have happened, or the magistrate wouldn’t have dared to target Xie Zhu.

The officials didn’t respond and didn’t back down, their attitude firm: “Please cooperate with the government’s work, Miss Xie.”

“Xiao Liu—” Xie Zhu stopped Xie Sui’an, shaking his head at her, his eyes full of meaning.

Xie Sui’an suppressed her anger. “Punishments don’t apply to officials. My uncle holds an official position; you can’t humiliate him with shackles.”

The leading official exchanged looks with his subordinates and then bowed to Xie Zhu. “We have offended you.”

Just as the officials pulled out the key to unlock the shackles, Xie Sui’an swiftly snatched it from them.

“Clumsy. I’ll do it myself.”

She moved forward to unlock the shackles from Xie Zhu. She gave him a meaningful look, silently signaling that he could entrust her with any information.

Xie Zhu opened his clenched fist, spreading his fingers. His thumb remained pressed against the palm for a moment before he concealed his hand in his robes.

This was a special signal used by the Bingchu Division, meaning “There is a mole, the information has been leaked.”

Xie Sui’an’s expression shifted.