Chapter 21

The Unbeatable Insult

In the prison cell where Xie Zhu was being held, an uninvited guest arrived.

Though it was a prison cell, it was surprisingly considerate. There was a charcoal brazier inside, preventing the cold of the winter from freezing him, and he wasn’t made to wear prison clothes but was instead given a regular cotton coat.

Xie Zhu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his hair not bound by a crown, appearing slightly disheveled. Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few white hairs at his temples. After being relentlessly interrogated through the night, Xie Zhu’s face showed signs of weariness, but his demeanor was not diminished in the slightest.

“I’ve already said, I don’t know anyone from the Bingtian Division, nor do I know the whereabouts of King Ling’an.”

Xie Zhu didn’t even open his eyes and repeated his stance.

“Uncle San, I did not come here for this matter.”

Xie Zhu opened his eyes and saw Xie Que Shan entering the cell while holding a tea tray.

Xie Que Shan placed the tray on the desk and sat on the floor.

There were two cups of freshly brewed tea on the tray, the tea floating with delicate foam that resembled mist, rising in thin wisps of steam.

“The cups here are simple, but I can only brew these two cups of tea. Uncle San, please try them.”

Xie Zhu fell silent for a moment, then reached out and picked up the tea cup to savor it. After a long while, he put it down, seeming to want to speak but hesitated. When he looked back at Xie Que Shan, his gaze was filled with mixed emotions.

Xie Que Shan calmly met his gaze.

He knew that in this cup of long-lost tea, they had both returned to the autumn of Yongkang in the twentieth year, when the ginkgo leaves turned yellow and the fragrance of osmanthus flowers filled the air. At that time, Xie Zhu, still serving as an official in the capital, had invited Xie Que Shan to his residence and patiently taught him how to make tea.

Making tea was the most fashionable and refined activity in Bianjing City at that time. To brew a proper cup of tea required a calm mind and years of practice. Xie Que Shan, having spent his youth wandering and later joining the military, had no knowledge of making tea. He didn’t even know how to properly appreciate a cup of tea.

Even though he was talented in both literature and martial arts, he was ridiculed among the young masters of Bianjing for not knowing how to make tea.

Xie Que Shan was proud and stubborn. He practiced tea-making in silence, but never managed to master it. Unwilling to ask others for help, he ended up avoiding the elegant gatherings in Bianjing.

Later, Xie Zhu saw through his nephew’s intentions and called him to his residence, under the guise of inviting him to taste tea, to teach him the art of tea-making, while also preserving his young pride.

Speaking of it, the things Xie Zhu taught Xie Que Shan were far more than his father had. Their relationship was both like that of a master and disciple, and of father and son.

However, just one year before the shocking spring rebellion, Xie Zhu was demoted to the Ludu Prefecture. The farewell at the willow tree outside Bianjing City became their last meeting in the past few years.

Later, Xie Zhu had tried to send letters to Xie Que Shan, urging him to turn back from the wrong path, but they sank without a trace.

Now, this cup of tea, it was as though everything had changed.

Xie Zhu sighed deeply and said, “You didn’t come here just to offer me this cup of tea, did you?”

“I followed the soldiers of Qi southward and saw them slaughter many cities. Brutality is in their nature, but do you know, Uncle San, why they didn’t slaughter Ludu Prefecture?”

After sitting silently for a long time, until the tea had cooled, Xie Zhu calmly said, “The shipbuilding blueprints in the Shipbuilding Division have already been burned by me.”

Smart people don’t need to spell things out too clearly.

Ludu Prefecture was a major shipbuilding hub, specifically housing the Shipbuilding Division.

The ancestors of the Qi people rose from the Changbai Mountains. They were strong and skilled in horseback archery, but they were not good at naval warfare and didn’t know how to build ships. Now, all that remained of the Yuzhao Dynasty had moved south to Jinling. Once the Qi people reached the south, with its crisscrossing water systems, they would definitely suffer in naval battles.

Thus, the Qi people needed to quickly build their own dragonbone ships and train their own crew. This made the Shipbuilding Division in Ludu Prefecture the most valuable place.

In Ludu Prefecture, the Qi people had to use soft tactics to win hearts. Unless the citizens of the city fought to the death, the Qi people would not choose to massacre the city.

Capturing Xie Zhu was not merely due to the betrayal of the spies, but to control the Shipbuilding Division and produce dragonbone ships. Xie Zhu had already understood the stakes, so the day the Qi people entered Ludu Prefecture, he burned all the shipbuilding blueprints.

He had made his position clear, but Xie Que Shan still had to play the role of a negotiator.

“The blueprints are dead, but the people are alive. If the Qi people want to build ships, they still have to rely on the unity of the Shipbuilding Division, but those craftsmen and engineers in the division are not so easy to manage. If Uncle San is willing to assist in this matter, the cooperation with the Bingtian Division can be forgotten.”

With a “bang,” Xie Zhu swept his sleeve, and the cup shattered on the floor, tea foam spilling everywhere, with a layer of white frost forming.

“Xie Que Shan, a soldier may be killed, but not insulted!” Xie Zhu’s face was full of anger.

Xie Que Shan had already expected this reaction and remained unmoved.

“Uncle San, after all these years, I thought your sharpness had been worn down, but I didn’t expect you to still be so impulsive.”

When Xie Zhu was an official in Bianjing, he advocated for reforms and strongly opposed the court’s policy of conceding land to make peace. Along with the new party, he was ostracized and eventually demoted to the Shipbuilding Division in Ludu Prefecture as the overseer.

In the years since, Xie Zhu had been distant from court politics, living like a carefree hermit, with no ambition left.

“Even the softest mud will one day be shaped into a wall,” Xie Zhu’s face became cold.

“Uncle San, both the dragonbone ships and King Ling’an are things the Qi people must have,” Xie Que Shan calmly stood up and cupped his hands in a salute. “The Qi people’s patience is limited. No matter how strong the spine, it will eventually be broken.”

Xie Que Shan left the prison cell, and the sunlight outside struck his eyes, somewhat blinding.

He squinted, and saw He Ping hurriedly running over.

“Master, the Old Madam... I fear she won’t last.”

At this time, the house at Wangxue Wu had already descended into chaos.

Xie Zhu and Xie Jun were both born of the same mother and were the Old Madam’s most beloved younger son. The Xie family’s members were scattered far and wide, but only Xie Zhu could serve the Old Madam daily. His importance to her was self-evident.

Now that he had been imprisoned by the Qi people, and Xie Jun was under house arrest on the back mountain, the Old Madam, already frail due to her old illness, could not catch her breath and was gravely ill.

The women of the household had gathered outside Songhe Hall.

The doctors from the household came in and out, with various medicinal herbs flowing into Songhe Hall, but no good news had emerged.

Nanyi stood among the women, looking left and right, wondering why Xie Sui’an hadn’t arrived.

She had been dragged out early in the morning by the maids to wait outside Songhe Hall, hoping to run into Xie Sui’an, to remind her to be wary of the Qi people’s trap. But she had not appeared. Could it be that she had already gone into action?

Her eyes anxiously scanned the crowd, when she noticed a somewhat unfamiliar face. During her time at the Xie residence, she had become familiar with most of the people in the back courtyard, but this young girl was rarely seen. Nanyi realized this must be Xie Zhu’s only daughter, Xie Zhao Qiu, whom she had briefly met at Xie Heng’s funeral.

Xie Liu had mentioned that Qiu Jie’er was obsessed with painting, buried in ink and paper, never liking to go out or interact with others.

Qiu Jie’er indeed seemed different from others. She stood quietly under a withered tree, her wide sleeves stained with ink that hadn’t been cleaned off. She kept a distance from the crowd, occasionally making eye contact with someone, her gaze timid like a deer.

When Xie Zhu was at home, he must have protected her well. She seemed as clear as a spring in a deep forest. But now that Xie Zhu was in trouble, she was alone in the world, lost and helpless, as if any speck of dust would weigh her down like a mountain. Even Nanyi felt a sense of pity for her.

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and Nanyi looked up to see Xie Que Shan approaching, and her heart sank. If Xie Que Shan discovered that the Sixth Miss was not present, he would surely send someone to search for her. If Xie Sui’an was caught in the middle of her task, everything would be ruined.

After a brief moment of nervous tension, luckily, Xie Que Shan only glanced at the crowd. Their eyes briefly met, and Nanyi vaguely felt that he had looked at her intentionally, but it seemed like just an illusion. He hurriedly entered the room.

Nanyi’s heart skipped a beat. Now, Xie Que Shan, a major criminal, was going to the Old Madam’s side? Wasn’t that just adding fuel to the fire?

She naturally hoped for the Old Madam’s health to improve, so she wouldn’t have to stay in the courtyard and could go search for Xie Sui’an. The news that the Qi people had used her uncle as bait to capture members of the Bingtian Division had to be delivered to Xie Sui’an as soon as possible.

Nanyi stood on tiptoe, gazing through the paper window, barely making out his figure as he entered the inner room.

The matriarch still had some awareness left. When she saw Xie Que Shan arrive, she opened her mouth with great effort, likely due to a phlegm caught in her throat, producing only fragmented sounds, unable to form a complete sentence.

Xie Que Shan grasped her withered hand but said nothing.

The matriarch became anxious, though her movements were weak. She could only gaze at him, her eyes filled with murky tears of pleading.

Xie Que Shan understood what the matriarch wanted to say. She likely wished for him to promise not to kill Xie Zhu.

But he could not give her that promise.

“Grandmother,” he sighed heavily, “You must stay alive. Only then will I not dare harm Uncle. If you die, no one will protect him anymore. And Autumn Sister… she won’t be safe either.”

The matriarch’s pupils slowly dilated, and her hand trembled violently.

The doctors quickly gathered and began administering needles.

Xie Que Shan withdrew to a corner, the smoke from medicinal herbs enveloping him. He stood there like a lonely spirit.

This day passed slowly and torturously, until the sun began to set. At last, the door of Songhe Hall creaked open from the inside.

Xie Que Shan walked out, striding away quickly.

No one dared to stop him, but everyone’s faces showed confusion and urgency, eager to know what had transpired inside.

Soon after, a maidservant emerged from beside the matriarch and announced that she had pulled through the crisis, but still needed rest. Only then did the crowd exhale in relief and begin to disperse.

Autumn Sister was still standing under the tree, her gaze seemingly hollow, as if lost in thought. Nanyi glanced at her a few more times, intending to approach her, but realizing that finding Xie Sui’an was more important, she left hurriedly.

Nanyi asked the maidservants, but none of them knew anything. Sixth Miss was always free to come and go without restrictions, and very few could interfere with her movements. Even if she hadn’t appeared today, no one thought it strange.

Finally, Nanyi managed to hear from a young servant who had gone out to buy medicine that he had seen Sixth Miss enter Huazhao Pavilion.

Huazhao Pavilion was the most famous restaurant in Litufu, where high-ranking officials held banquets. It offered the finest delicacies and wines, catering to the extravagant tastes of the nobility. One banquet there could cost as much as a thousand coins.

Nanyi couldn’t understand why Xie Sui’an would go to Huazhao Pavilion, but she had no choice but to go and investigate.

Once on the street, she realized the atmosphere had completely changed.

Xie Zhu was a highly respected scholar in Litufu, and his sudden arrest was a big deal among the scholars. All work at the shipbuilding office had stopped, and craftsmen and students gathered in the streets to petition for his release, attempting to pressure the governor into intervening with the Qi people.

The Qi army had entered the city peacefully, and on the surface, they were co-managing Litufu with the governor. The students, unaware of their own limits, thought the governor might still have some influence over the Qi people, but Huang Yankun refused to meet them. They could only protest in the streets, making no difference at all despite the chaos they caused.

Nanyi was not concerned with the students’ petition. She walked against the crowd, focused only on finding Xie Sui’an. Just as she was halfway through, she saw the petitioners heading toward Huazhao Pavilion.

She looked up in confusion and saw a luxurious carriage stop in front of Huazhao Pavilion. Xie Zhu, who should have been in prison, was now dressed neatly and stepping down from the carriage, surrounded by several Qi soldiers as he was escorted into the restaurant.

The Qi people had arranged a grand reception for Xie Zhu, clearing the entire Huazhao Pavilion for a single banquet.

The scholars were discussing among themselves, some suspecting that Xie Zhu had been turned, while others were firmly convinced that he had been coerced. The two groups almost began arguing. Amidst the chatter, Nanyi finally understood—since Xie Zhu was the spiritual leader of Litufu, the Qi people were putting on a show, making it appear as though this leader had sided with Qi, thereby sowing discord and confusion among the people. No matter what the public thought, there would always be some who believed it and others who didn’t. Meanwhile, Xie Zhu, under the control of the Qi people, could not explain himself.

And releasing this bait would also lure the Bingchu Division into their trap. The news of this banquet would easily spread—Xie Sui’an was the one about to bite the hook!

Nanyi panicked. This was obviously a trap, and she had to stop Xie Sui’an. The main entrance was guarded by Qi soldiers, making it impossible to get in. She could only turn back and climb over the high wall at the back.

Huazhao Pavilion had a five-story main building, surrounded by three auxiliary buildings, with aerial bridges connecting them. Servants and courtesans passed through the pavilions freely, giving a clear view of everything.

Inside, the lamps flickered, casting a golden glow. Qi soldiers stood at every corner and stairwell, keeping an eye on everything in the restaurant. Any unusual movement would immediately be questioned.

Fortunately, Nanyi had some stealth skills. She knocked out a courtesan and swapped clothes with her, wearing the tassel veil so she could walk openly within Huazhao Pavilion.

However, after searching places where people might be hiding, she still couldn’t find Xie Sui’an. Just as she was at a loss, she was called out by a madam from the pavilion.

“What are you lingering around for? Haven’t you taken the wine to Qianqiuyuan yet?”

Nanyi realized that she had put on the courtesan’s attire for serving at the banquet. At that moment, surrounded by so many people, she dared not act suspiciously. She could only reluctantly follow the other courtesans, carrying wine into Qianqiuyuan.

Upon entering, she immediately saw Xie Que Shan.