Chapter 29

Conspiracy Planning

Early the next morning, the sky was still gloomy, and it was only just starting to lighten in the east when Nan Yi, exhausted, returned to Wang Xuewu. After two sleepless nights, her body felt like it had been torn apart.

Xie Queshan was sitting in the room waiting for her. When she walked in, he lazily yawned.

“If you hadn’t come back, the roosters would have crowed.”

Nan Yi, too tired to even greet him, immediately grabbed the water jug and drank deeply, regaining enough strength to speak. She shot Xie Queshan an accusing look.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“You didn’t die, did you?”

Nan Yi grit her teeth and threw an arrowhead at Xie Queshan. In her frantic escape, she only remembered to pick it up at the last moment. Sure enough, the arrowhead was dull. If she had noticed earlier, she would have just stood still and let them shoot.

“You’re going to drive me mad.”

Nan Yi collapsed onto the couch, lying as stiff as a corpse, forgetting for the moment to be deferential in front of Xie Queshan. Once she was sure he wouldn’t kill her, she became more openly defiant, not putting in any more effort than necessary.

Xie Queshan pulled out a scroll of sheepskin from his sleeve and tapped her on the head.

“Don’t want to look at it?”

Nan Yi groggily climbed back up.

“Fine, I’ll look.”

Xie Queshan unrolled the city defense map but, in the blink of an eye, rolled it back up again.

“You’re really just going to show me for a second?!”

“I always keep my word.”

Nan Yi rolled her eyes and lay back down, too lazy to respond to him.

Xie Queshan stood up to leave. “Once you’ve made your plan, tell me.”

Nan Yi muttered to herself, “If I told you the truth, that would be a disaster.” But she obediently replied, “Understood.”

Just as Xie Queshan reached the door, he turned back, seemingly able to see right through her.

“If I find out you’re lying, you’re dead.”

Nan Yi’s heart skipped a beat.

—She had to come up with a way to tell Xie Queshan the truth, while also ensuring that Xie Sui’an could act without interference.

After receiving the full city defense map, Xie Sui’an was stunned. The number of troops the Qiyi had stationed along the city walls far exceeded her expectations.

“How are we supposed to break through this...” Xie Sui’an scratched her head in frustration.

Nan Yi nearly shouted in disbelief. “Your original plan was to just break in?”

“Yeah,” Xie Sui’an replied matter-of-factly.

Nan Yi had assumed that once they had the city defense map, they would immediately start planning with a brilliant backup in mind. But, as always, Xie Sui’an was sticking to her reckless nature.

Her plan was to use the map to find gaps in the Qiyi’s defenses and break through, only to realize how difficult it actually was when the time came.

Xie Sui’an had been placed in the most visible spot on the city walls. To rescue him under everyone’s watch, the city walls were a critical battleground. The Qiyi were waiting for a big catch, so the defenses were tight, almost impossible to penetrate.

Since the traitor had not yet been dealt with, and aside from Chang Yan, Xie Sui’an couldn’t dare use any other members of the Bing Zhu Si. But even if she gathered the Bing Zhu Si’s most loyal warriors, a direct confrontation with the soldiers on the city walls was no guarantee of success.

Xie Sui’an scratched her hair and muttered nervously, “Big Brother passed away, and now my uncle’s been captured. The Bing Zhu Si has no leader, and everyone’s actions are a mess. I’m not someone who can make decisions—Sister-in-law, you must have a good idea, right?”

Nan Yi felt overwhelmed; she was just faking it, she didn’t have any brilliant ideas.

The two of them stared at each other blankly.

When the room fell quiet, the sound of water dripping could be heard from outside.

Nan Yi stuck her head out and saw that the icicles hanging from the eaves were melting. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She pondered for a moment before speaking thoughtfully, “As for the guards, there are still some blind spots.”

Xie Sui’an looked up curiously. “Where are the blind spots?”

“In the city gates.”

Xie Sui’an’s pen stopped in midair.

“The entrances and exits of the city gates are only guarded with routine checks, because everyone assumes that to rescue someone, you must go over the city walls. But maybe we can rescue him from below the walls?”

“How can we rescue him without going over the walls?”

Nan Yi paused, just as a drop of melted ice water fell with a crisp sound.

“Let him fall,” Nan Yi answered with certainty.

Although Xie Sui’an was straightforward, she was also smart. She immediately understood and a delighted smile spread across her face. “Sister-in-law, this plan is brilliant!”

“But there’s still one problem—how are you going to leave this room? Xie Queshan is keeping a close watch on you.”

“I’ve already prepared for that. You just need to give a letter to Prefect Huang Yankun and ask him to invite me out.”

“The prefect is also from Bing Zhu Si?” Nan Yi was shocked.

“Of course not. Huang Yankun is just a loyal dog of the Qiyi. However, he’s tried to court me before, hoping to marry me and connect with the Xie family. If I send a message asking him to invite me, he won’t pass up the opportunity.”

“So, you feel that way about him…?”

“I’m just using him!” Xie Sui’an quickly clarified. “I already have a fiancé.”

Nan Yi was curious. “Why have I never seen him come to the residence?”

“He’s not in Lidufu, but we share the same ambitions. Once the world is at peace and the new emperor ascends the throne, we’ll get married,” Xie Sui’an said with certainty.

Xie Sui’an’s conviction affected Nan Yi, and in that moment, she too believed that once peace was restored, she could fulfill her dream, find Zhang Yuehui, marry him, and live a peaceful life together.

Before that, all the suffering would be worth it.

In the afternoon, the invitation from Prefect Huang Yankun was delivered to Xie Sui’an’s room. Lu Jinxi, not daring to stop the prefect, reluctantly let Xie Sui’an go.

Meanwhile, Nan Yi informed Xie Queshan, trimming the details: “The prefect will take Xie Sui’an out for dinner. During the meal, Xie Sui’an will pretend to have a stomach ache and leave, then go to the city walls to rescue someone.”

“How many people will she bring?” Xie Queshan asked.

“Bing Zhu Si’s insiders will cooperate with her. She should have quite a few people with her.”

Xie Queshan frowned. “What’s her plan?”

“She’s prepared explosives to break in.”

Xie Queshan pondered for a moment and then looked at Nan Yi. “And what about you? What’s your role in the plan?”

“She asked me to prepare a mule cart, to help her escape after the mission... But you must have already figured out her movements in advance. You’ll surely strengthen the defenses on the city walls. She probably won’t be able to get away, right?” Nan Yi cautiously looked at Xie Queshan.

Xie Queshan didn’t answer.

“She’s your sister.”

Xie Queshan glanced at Nan Yi. “If we’re talking about closeness, shouldn’t you be closer to her? Xie Liu treats you so well, and when you betray her, aren’t you at all worried?”

Nan Yi froze, cold sweat breaking out on her back.

“Or are you lying to me, so you’re not worried at all?”

Nan Yi quickly forced a smile. “Young Master, how could I lie to you? I’m just a heartless, unfeeling person. I only care about saving my own life, I can’t worry about others.”

Xie Queshan didn’t respond.

“Go do what you need to do.”

With those words, Nan Yi felt a weight lift from her shoulders and quickly made her exit.

Nan Yi had only given a partial truth—yes, there were explosives and a mule cart, but their purpose wasn’t exactly as stated.

By dusk, the market in the city closed, the vendors packing up and heading home. People leaving the city would hurry back before the curfew, and this was the time when the city gates were busiest and most chaotic, with many mule carts loaded with goods. The guards wouldn’t be too strict.

The explosives placed earlier near the city walls would be detonated first to attract the Qiyi’s attention and weaken the defenses at the city gate.

By then, Xie Sui’an should have already slipped away from the prefect’s banquet. After some disguise, she would board the mule cart Nan Yi had prepared and enter the city from the outside.

Chang Yan would find the best vantage point on the roof of Huachao Pavilion and shoot an arrow at the city wall, cutting the ropes binding Xie Zhu.

As Xie Zhu fell, according to the plan, Xie Sui’an would be passing through the city gate, and he would land on the waiting mule cart.

After retrieving him, Xie Sui’an would force her way through the guards and bring Xie Zhu into the city.

The complex layout of the city would actually be safer than the wide-open city walls. It would be easy to hide a person in the city, like a drop of water blending into the sea. By the time the Qiyi reacted, Xie Sui’an’s skills would allow her to escape unharmed.

The three couldn’t contact each other in time, so everything would depend on the evening drum signal. When the drum sounded, the crossbow bolts would be released. Xie Sui’an had to drive the cart to the city gate. If she didn’t, the plan would fail.

Nan Yi wasn’t worried about telling Xie Queshan the time and place. She knew that the Qiyi needed to publicly capture those who were rescuing Xie Zhu in order to firmly attach the blame of the remaining Bing Zhu Si rebels to them, leaving the people of Lidufu no chance to complain.

They had set this trap in front of everyone, and their goal was the same—to ensure that Xie Sui’an had to appear and rescue Xie Zhu to meet the Qiyi’s expectations. She didn’t think Xie Queshan would try to stop her in advance.

In Nan Yi’s mind, the plan had no obvious flaws.

The only uncertainty was if the timing was wrong and Xie Zhu didn’t land on the mule cart. That would cause trouble. But Nan Yi wasn’t too worried about Xie Sui’an’s skills—she could escape quickly if needed.

Having spent years on the streets, Nan Yi knew it wasn’t hard to find an inconspicuous mule cart. She had also filled it with straw to cushion Xie Zhu’s fall, ensuring he wouldn’t get hurt. Once everything was set, she waited outside the city early, ready for Xie Sui’an to come find her.

However, as dusk approached, Xie Sui’an still hadn’t appeared.