Chapter 33

Together Through the Day and Night

That night, Nan Yi’s wound started to inflame. At first, she was cold and trembling, but by dawn, she felt feverish and restless, tossing and turning.

In her dazed state, she was unaware that Xie Que Shan had stayed awake all night watching over her. She had many fragmented dreams, some of which featured Zhang Yuehui, Xie Que Shan, the deceased Pang Yu, Song Yushu, whom she met only once, and the secluded Princess Ling Fu, who was cut off by the Zhu family.

Then, she was awakened by the loud, grating voice of Gu Sha.

“Xie Que Shan, I have to ask you—The city defense map is a military secret, only you and I have seen it. But the remnants of the Bingchu Si who escaped yesterday seem to know every detail of the city’s defense. Tell me, what the hell is going on here?”

Xie Que Shan feigned surprise. “General Gu Sha, you’re mistaken. The city defense map hasn’t been seen by just you and me.”

“Of course not. You must have leaked it to the Bingchu Si people!” Gu Sha accused.

“You never told me that the city defense map couldn’t be shown to others. Yesterday, I handed it over to Prefect Huang Yankun. If the Bingchu Si remnants are trying to abduct someone, the prefect must cooperate with our defense strategy, don’t you think?”

“You—”

Gu Sha was taken aback. He had suspected Xie Que Shan and had given him the map to test his loyalty. Xie Que Shan’s words were suspicious, yet Gu Sha couldn’t find any concrete evidence, and his doubts only led him to question Huang Yankun’s trustworthiness.

Nan Yi had fully woken up by now, and hearing Xie Que Shan’s words made her realize what a crafty fox he was. Every step he took was calculated.

Gu Sha’s face darkened. “Last night, the guards found someone breaking into Wang Xue Wu. Following the tracks, they discovered you were out there with a woman under the moonlight. How coincidental, isn’t it?”

Gu Sha turned to look at the screen. “Could it be the same person?”

Xie Que Shan sneered. “What, are you interested in my woman?”

Gu Sha and Xie Que Shan stared each other down. At this moment, it was a battle of who had the greater nerve.

Nan Yi, lying in bed, tensed up. If Gu Sha really dared to check, he might recognize her...

Xie Que Shan made the first move, throwing a cup at the screen with great force. The screen fell down with a crash, revealing the entire bedroom.

Nan Yi gasped and quickly turned away, her dark hair spilling across the pillow.

“Do you have the guts to look?” Xie Que Shan challenged.

Gu Sha glanced at the woman on the bed, then, after a moment, he coldly smiled and backed down. “I apologize, Xie Que Shan.”

“Xie Zhu was abducted, Gu Sha. As the one in charge of the guard, you’re not properly reflecting on your duties and instead come here spouting nonsense. I’ll have a hard time speaking up for you in front of the Prime Minister.”

Gu Sha gritted his teeth and cupped his hands. “I will be more diligent in the future. After all, Xie Zhu was just bait. Losing him isn’t a big deal. The ultimate target is still King Ling’an. We have plenty of time.”

Gu Sha left, frustrated, leaving behind a half-hearted threat.

Nan Yi, finally calm, sat up and looked at Xie Que Shan. “With Gu Sha’s suspicions so high, can I still leave Jingfeng Residence and go back?”

“Not yet.”

“When can I leave?”

Xie Que Shan walked over and slowly straightened the screen. “Wait.”

In the afternoon, Xie Que Shan went out.

The news of Xie Zhu’s rescue under the nose of the Qi people quickly spread throughout the city, bringing relief to everyone. The people of Lidufu rallied together. It was said that Wan Yan Jun wanted to take over the Ship Bureau but was met with fierce opposition from the literati inside, who scolded him mercilessly. Xie Que Shan had left to handle this matter.

Nan Yi was anxious, waiting restlessly. She tried to talk to He Ping, but he ignored her completely. In the end, Nan Yi squatted in the yard, idly watching a lone ant in the flowerbed, then dug through the snow to play with some mud.

She molded the mud into a human figure and jabbed it with a dry stick, imagining it was Xie Que Shan as she vented her frustration.

“If you don’t write a name, the curse won’t work.”

Xie Que Shan’s voice came from behind her. Nan Yi didn’t even bother to look up and jabbed the little mud figure once more.

“Then teach me how to write your name, and I’ll curse you to death.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot. You said you wanted me to teach you how to read.”

“...”

Nan Yi stood up, speechless, and turned to look at Xie Que Shan. “You’re not serious, are you?”

The evening sunlight fell on Nan Yi’s face, making her expression come alive with emotion.

Xie Que Shan had been busy all day. The city was still on high alert with no sign of Xie Zhu, and Wan Yan Jun had been scolded by the literati but didn’t dare to take drastic action.

The air was thick with tension, but when he returned to the yard and saw the young girl with her hair untied, crouching in the sunset playing with mud, he unexpectedly felt a sense of relief.

Xie Que Shan smiled. “Well, you’re bored anyway.”

Nan Yi, feeling a bit deflated, followed him into the room.

“Wash your hands.” Xie Que Shan nodded toward the basin of water.

Nan Yi quickly dipped her hands in the water, deeming it enough.

Xie Que Shan frowned, walked over, and pressed her hands back into the basin.

He circled behind her, making her stiffen with a slight sense of unease. She could only let him do as he pleased. He carefully washed her hands with soap three times, and when he saw the grime under her nails, his frown deepened.

Without a word, he pulled her over to the bed and took a pair of scissors from the drawer.

Seeing the scissors, Nan Yi froze and quickly withdrew her hand.

“I was just poking the little mud figure with a stick. You’re not really going to poke me with scissors, are you?”  

Xie Que Shan rolled his eyes, pulling Nan Yi’s hand back and seriously beginning to trim her nails. Nan Yi stared at him nervously for a while, only to realize that he really was just trimming her nails.  

This hand, so decisive and capable of killing, was now trimming her nails?  

In that moment, Nan Yi felt a little confused.  

She looked up at Xie Que Shan’s face. He was looking down, his lashes long enough to shield his typically cold gaze. In this angle, he looked like a young man deeply absorbed in something unrelated to romance, losing countless moments of youth over something so trivial.  

Nan Yi’s hand rested in his palm, and she could feel his slight sweat. The room was silent, only the sound of the scissors closing broke the stillness.  

He suddenly asked, “Who gave you this bracelet?”  

He held her right hand, the bracelet she had worn for a long time glinting on her wrist. He had never asked about it before, so Nan Yi was surprised by his sudden question today.  

A friend? A lover?  

Without thinking, Nan Yi blurted out, “My fiancé.”  

She didn’t even know why she lied, it was almost instinctive—wanting to create some distance between herself and him using a lie.  

But what strange distance could there be between her and him?  

He paused for a moment and then looked up at her.  

Nan Yi became anxious under his gaze and hurriedly added, “He’s from the past.”  

“And where is he now?”  

“Three years ago, he went to join the army. Before we parted, he left me this bracelet.”  

Xie Que Shan scoffed, “He knew it was hard to protect wealth in times of turmoil, yet he left you such a conspicuous and precious thing. He probably didn’t have good intentions.”  

Nan Yi grew agitated and retorted, “You’re talking nonsense! He’s the best person in the world!”  

“If he was so great, then why did he let you end up on the streets, resorting to stealing?”  

Nan Yi wanted to argue back, but she was left speechless.  

What he said didn’t seem entirely wrong. When they first met, she had appeared desperate, caught stealing with the valuable jade bracelet. But that was just how unpredictable life could be.  

Nan Yi still tried to retort, “You, someone who’s incapable of feeling, will never understand.”  

Xie Que Shan didn’t respond, continuing to focus on trimming her nails.  

Nan Yi was beginning to resist, “What exactly are you trying to do?”  

After finishing, Xie Que Shan guided Nan Yi to the desk and told her to sit.  

“To read and write, one must have a clean body and a calm mind.”  

Nan Yi was slightly dazed, realizing that he took reading seriously as a ritual.  

When Xie Sui An spoke of Xie Que Shan’s past, there was always a tone of regret. Nan Yi had once admired her elder brother, but when it came to the present, she wished she could curse Xie Que Shan inside and out, believing he didn’t deserve to be from a noble family or study the classics.  

The image of Pang Yu and the inn’s people dying in front of her had been too traumatic. Nan Yi had always thought of Xie Que Shan as someone who only wielded a sword, bathed in blood, like the king of hell, deciding life and death.  

But now she recalled, when she first met him, she had mistaken him for one of those spotless noble young men from prestigious families.  

There were so many sides to him that she couldn’t fathom. What kind of person was he, and what did he truly believe in?  

“You have an excellent memory, so you should be able to learn characters quickly.”  

Xie Que Shan’s voice broke through Nan Yi’s chaotic thoughts as he opened a calligraphy book.  

“You’re really going to teach me how to read—why?” Nan Yi asked, genuinely confused. He didn’t seem to be joking at all.  

“Because you’ll need it,” Xie Que Shan replied succinctly.  

However, Xie Que Shan wasn’t a good teacher. He was well-read and knowledgeable, but he couldn’t understand the world of someone who had no education, so his patience was limited.  

Just holding the brush took half an hour to teach. Holding the brush with one’s elbow wasn’t comfortable, and Nan Yi had her own way of applying force. Her wrist quickly slumped, and she instinctively tried to find a lazy way to hold the brush. Eventually, Xie Que Shan unsheathed his sword and pressed the blade against her wrist.  

The effect was immediate, but Nan Yi was filled with defiance. As she wrote, she pretended to be pitiful.  

“My shoulder was just injured; I can’t put any strength into it...”  

“You injured your left shoulder. It has nothing to do with your right hand.”  

“...”  

Nan Yi’s little trick was exposed, and with more force, she wrote a rough, ugly character that was inconsistent in thickness.  

Xie Que Shan tapped the desk impatiently, “Focus.”  

Nan Yi looked down at the paper. The characters in the book were written by Xie Que Shan—smooth and powerful, while her own writing was just a mess of shapes. It couldn’t even be called writing, just scribbles.  

She sighed, “The difference in handwriting between people is truly vast.”  

“Everyone’s handwriting is different.”  

This simple statement struck Nan Yi unexpectedly, and she suddenly thought of the letter hidden in Xie Que Shan’s pocket. The handwriting on it clearly wasn’t his. If she compared the handwriting, could she identify the traitor?  

Just then, a knock came at the door.  

He Ping reported, “Young master, Governor Huang requests an audience.”  

“Don’t make a sound,” Xie Que Shan instructed Nan Yi in a low voice, blowing out the candle on the desk, plunging the room into darkness so that no figure could be seen through the screen.  

When Huang Yan Kun entered, he wore an obsequious smile.  

“Young Master Xie, how have you been these past few days?”  

Xie Que Shan didn’t offer any warm greeting and simply said, “I saw Governor Huang during the day. There’s no need for pleasantries, just tell me your purpose.”  

“I have an important matter to report... On the day Xie Zhu was kidnapped, your younger sister, Miss Xie Liu, secretly left the residence and even knocked me out. I’m afraid she’s involved in this case.”  

“Is that so? Then why didn’t you speak up during the day?”  

“I, of course, have compassion for the fairer sex. Miss Xie Liu is so graceful, I’ve admired her for a long time. How could I push her into danger?”  

Nan Yi curiously reached behind the screen, sneaking a glance at what was happening outside.

“Then what does it mean that you’re here to find me?” 

Xie Que Shan lowered his head and prepared tea for Huang Yan Kun, his movements fluid and graceful.

“With someone like Miss Xie Liu in your household, isn’t it a headache for you? General Huo Sha is suspicious, and now another Lord Wanyan has arrived. You must be afraid of making even the smallest mistake, right? I have a way to solve both problems—it can both control Miss Xie Liu and protect her.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“You should marry Miss Xie Liu to me. As you know, I lost my wife many years ago, and I have only one son. I have never remarried. First, I come from a noble family and now hold a high position, so even if I were to remarry, it would not be a hasty decision. Second, I am not one to seek out women frivolously. It’s difficult for ordinary women to catch my eye.”

Xie Que Shan furrowed his brows slightly but did not interrupt.

“I am thirty-five, not too old, and I hold an important military position in the Lidu prefecture. The Xie family is one of the great families in Lidu—if our two families were to marry, it would be a strong alliance. If Miss Xie Liu becomes my wife, I will keep the matter of Xie Zhu’s abduction tightly sealed and will never reveal a word about it.”

Nan Yi’s brows suddenly furrowed. From a pragmatic perspective, Huang Yan Kun’s words did have some merit. Would Xie Que Shan really sell his sister to this old man?!

Huang Yan Kun spoke so eagerly, almost out of breath, and reached for the tea that Xie Que Shan had prepared.

But Xie Que Shan was faster. He picked up the cup before Huang Yan Kun could, and as Huang Yan Kun was about to smile, thinking the tea was being handed to him, Xie Que Shan poured the hot tea directly onto Huang Yan Kun’s hand without hesitation.

Huang Yan Kun yelped in pain, nearly jumping up, looking at Xie Que Shan in shock and confusion.

“Get out.”

Xie Que Shan spat out a single word.

Huang Yan Kun, furious, shouted, “You—you’re not afraid I’ll go to General Huo Sha and report Miss Xie Liu?”

“I gave you the city defense map, and on the day Xie Zhu was kidnapped, you just happened to be on the street. How much weight do you think your words hold in front of General Huo Sha? He hasn’t touched you because I’m protecting you.”

These words made Huang Yan Kun freeze, his whole body stiffening as cold sweat broke out on his back.

Xie Que Shan stared at him coldly. “Xie Sui An is my sister. If you want to be my brother-in-law, you should know your place.”

Huang Yan Kun left after a long while, and Xie Que Shan remained seated, motionless. Nan Yi walked out from behind the screen, took a dry towel, and wiped the water stains off the desk. She then sat down next to him, carefully asking, 

“Why didn’t you agree?”

Xie Que Shan looked at Nan Yi, but there was a faint sadness in his eyes.

He calmly recounted, “Xie Sui An’s fiancé is Pang Yu.”

Nan Yi was stunned, frozen in place.

“Pang Yu? But isn’t he…”

“Dead, in front of you.”