Chapter 20

Becoming an Inside Agent

Nan Yi anxiously entered Zhe Yue Pavilion alone.

As she pushed open the door, a warm atmosphere greeted her.

The high-quality silver charcoal in the brazier burned quietly, with no visible smoke or embers, filling the room with a gentle warmth. The small pavilion was elegant and cozy, with every decoration placed just right, exuding the poise and dignity of a noble family.

This would be the place where she would live from now on.

But she couldn’t feel any joy. It felt more like a delicate, warm cage.

She shouldn’t have been caught up in the intrigue of Wang Xuewu, but whether she wanted to or not, it didn’t matter—she was merely a pawn in Xie Que Shan’s game.

She couldn’t understand Xie Que Shan’s every move. He clearly treated her like a plaything, yet if she looked at the results carefully, it seemed as though, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he was pushing her towards a better outcome. But if he was helping her, he constantly put her in difficult and embarrassing situations.

Then there was the “wild goose” that Xie Sui An mentioned—another knot in Nan Yi’s heart. What exactly was Xie Que Shan’s stance?

No, she had to ask him directly. But a late-night meeting between an uncle and his niece... that seemed inappropriate. The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. After all, they had already had many private encounters when no one else knew, so what difference would one more make?

Xie Que Shan lived in Jing Feng Residence, which was located diagonally across from Zhe Yue Pavilion, separated by an arrow passage. There had originally been a small door facing the passage, but it had been sealed with wooden bars.

To get to Jing Feng Residence, one would have to make a long detour around most of Wang Xuewu, and Nan Yi didn’t want to draw attention. Her skills in moving stealthily like a thief would come in handy.

When Nan Yi jumped through the window into Jing Feng Residence, the room was dimly lit and filled with the strong smell of herbs. She thought Xie Que Shan wasn’t there. But as she glanced around, she noticed him sitting in the study, only a small candle burning on the desk, casting half his body in shadow.

He seemed to enjoy sitting in the dark, with that lonely expression on his face again. Today, he had become the head of the Xie family and had delivered a harsh blow to Aunt Lu, so he should be feeling triumphant. But his demeanor didn’t resemble that of a villain who had succeeded. Instead, it was more like a child who had been abandoned.

Hearing the sound, Xie Que Shan looked up at Nan Yi, but didn’t seem surprised.

Nan Yi found it strange and asked, “Did you know I was coming?”

Xie Que Shan smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.

Nan Yi didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries. She went straight to the point: “What exactly do you want?”

“You’ve already gained Xie Sui An’s trust. From now on, whatever she tells you or does, you’ll report to me.”

Nan Yi was stunned and took a step back. Several doubts immediately connected in her mind.

From the very beginning, she had been Xie Que Shan’s pawn. In the ancestral hall, he had subtly guided her, showing her a path to survival, but in reality, he was using her to help King Ling An enter the city. Once King Ling An was inside, they could block the exits and complete their trap. He knew that both Xie Sui An and Xie Zhu were members of Bing Chu Si, and by capturing that old fox, they could leave behind a naive little rabbit—her, to be precise. Then, whatever Xie Sui An knew would be passed on to her, and Nan Yi would report it to her “wild goose,” which was also Xie Que Shan.

In all this, Xie Que Shan had only manipulated Nan Yi’s desire to survive. With just a few well-chosen words, he had turned her into a key piece of his plan.

Ultimately, the information from Bing Chu Si would flow to Nan Yi, and from her, it would flow to Xie Que Shan.

But how could she betray Xie Sui An? Moreover, betraying Xie Sui An meant betraying King Ling An. The safety of the new emperor was paid for with the lives of Pang Yu, Xie Heng, and countless others she hadn’t even seen. She didn’t want to become that inside agent.

Seeing Nan Yi remain silent, Xie Que Shan only smiled lightly, not in a hurry.

“It’s fine. I’ve never been one to force or threaten others. Take your time, think it over, and answer me when you’re ready.”

At that moment, a voice from outside came announcing.

“Young master, General Hu Sha has arrived.”

“Tell him to wait.”

Upon hearing the name Hu Sha, Nan Yi instinctively clenched her sleeve in fear—there was nothing on her face to hide her emotions, and if Hu Sha recognized her... Xie Que Shan wasn’t someone who wouldn’t use threats! He simply didn’t like getting his hands dirty and preferred not to personally wield the knife.

Nan Yi felt a different kind of fear toward Hu Sha and Xie Que Shan. Hu Sha was straightforward and brutal, a man who would attack without hesitation. Xie Que Shan, on the other hand, was like a dull knife, gradually wearing you down. At least with him, you wouldn’t be killed immediately, and you might even fool yourself into thinking you could escape at some point.

Xie Que Shan casually picked up the half-burned candle by the desk and lit the candles one by one, filling the room with light. Soon, the room was brightly lit, and there was no longer any shadow. When he raised his head again, Nan Yi had already disappeared, leaving only a window slightly ajar.

“She runs fast, like a silent cat.”

Xie Que Shan walked to the window, but there was not a single shadow outside.

“Not every escape is successful,” he muttered to himself, casually closing the window.

Nan Yi was crouched in the corner outside the window, listening intently to his words.

—It doesn’t matter whether it’s effective or not, if I can escape once, it’s worth it.

Nan Yi hunched her back and carefully moved along the wall, hearing footsteps approaching from inside and the sound of the door opening. It seemed that Hu Sha had entered. She dared not make a sound, afraid that even the slightest noise would alert Hu Sha.

The night was eerily quiet, and though Nan Yi didn’t want to listen, the voices from within the room still reached her ears.

“Xie Zhu is stubborn, insisting that he isn’t a member of Bing Chu Si and doesn’t know where King Ling An is hiding. If we use harsh punishment, it might get a bit ugly. After all, he’s still your third uncle, so I’m here to ask your opinion.”

“My third uncle is a man of loyalty and righteousness. Getting information from him won’t be easy. Perhaps we should use him as bait to lure out Bing Chu Si’s accomplices and catch them all at once.”

Nan Yi’s eyelids twitched, and she immediately thought of Xie Sui An—what if the one who falls into the trap is Xie Sui An?

Unconsciously, Nan Yi inched closer to the window so she could hear more clearly.

Inside the room, Hu Sha thought for a moment and agreed with Xie Que Shan’s plan. “Alright, we’ll do as you suggest.”

Afterward, Hu Sha took a scroll of parchment from his chest and placed it on the low table. “I’ve reassigned the city’s defense forces in Lidu. Our soldiers are now in place throughout the city. This map of the defenses is confidential—there are only two copies. One is for you to keep, and the other stays with the military.”

“Good.”

Xie Que Shan succinctly accepted the map and put it in a drawer, then looked up at Hu Sha, signaling the end of the conversation.

When Hu Sha didn’t seem to be leaving, Xie Que Shan raised an eyebrow. “Is there anything else?”

Hu Sha hesitated for a moment but still asked, “...I heard you’ve placed the widow who just joined the Xie family in charge of the Xie family’s rear courtyard. Why is that?”

Hearing them discuss her, Nan Yi grew tense. She tried to press her ear closer to the wall but accidentally made a small scraping sound with her foot.

Her movement froze, and cold sweat broke out on her back.

Meow—A soft cat’s meow echoed into the room. Hu Sha, on alert, let out a breath, and Xie Que Shan gave a barely noticeable smile.

Xie Que Shan’s voice was devoid of any emotion. “The order of the Xie family—I intend to overturn it from the inside out. The more of an outsider they are, the more effectively they can destroy them.”

Each word clearly reached Nan Yi’s ears, and her hair stood on end.

Every time she felt a bit of empathy for Xie Que Shan, reality would slap her back with brutal force.

No wonder he had elevated her from such a lowly position to such a high one. He was intent on upending moral order, challenging centuries of tradition, all to take revenge on the Xie family.

Xie Sui An wasn’t wrong at all—he was a madman.