Chapter 34

Recalling the Past

After a long while, Nan Yi finally processed the news.

Her mind was in a chaotic whirlwind. When Xie Que Shan was preparing for the imperial examination in Bianjing, Xie Sui An had run away from home to find her brother. At that time, Xie Que Shan and Pang Yu were close friends, so it wasn’t surprising that Xie Sui An and Pang Yu had met.

But Pang Yu was already dead, killed in front of Xie Que Shan, and Xie Sui An still didn’t know.

Xie Que Shan must have felt an immense guilt towards his sister, which was why he protected her so fiercely.

The entire room fell into a heavy silence. Nan Yi didn’t know what to say in response to this sudden revelation.

Xie Que Shan’s gaze grew distant as his thoughts drifted back to a long time ago. “The year Xie Xiao Liu came to Bianjing to find me, she dressed as a man and claimed to be my younger brother. Song Mu Chuan, with his keen insight, saw through it right away, but Pang Yu, being honest and straightforward, didn’t catch on. He didn’t know Xie Xiao Liu was a woman. He was obsessed with martial arts and always wanted to spar with her. At first, he was constantly defeated by Xie Xiao Liu, of course. Actually, Pang Yu was letting her win; he just enjoyed being around her. Even though she often teased and bullied him, he didn’t mind. Losing to her gave him an excuse to keep seeking her out under the pretext of asking for guidance. One day, Pang Yu suddenly realized that he might be attracted to men, and for days he was unsettled, distracted, even rejecting all the marriage proposals his family suggested. Eventually, he found out Xie Xiao Liu was a woman. Can you guess what his reaction was?”

“Perhaps he was happy? His lover was a woman, and they could be together without the judgment of society.”

Xie Que Shan smiled slightly. “He was angry. Very angry.”

Nan Yi was puzzled. “Why?”

“Pang Yu was straightforward and never lied, so he never thought anyone would lie to him. He thought he was a man with a special affection for other men. After struggling with this for a long time, he finally accepted it, only to discover his lover was a woman. She had deceived him for so long, and he couldn’t accept it, so he stopped speaking to Xie Xiao Liu.”

“Then how did they end up together?”

“Xie Xiao Liu chased after Pang Yu every day, and she finally wore him down. My older brother and third uncle were in the capital at the time, so they made the decision for them to be betrothed... Originally, they were supposed to marry then, but Pang Yu said he wanted to pass the imperial examination first. His family wasn’t wealthy, and he feared he wouldn’t be good enough for Xie Xiao Liu.”

“Those days you spent in Bianjing must have been happy, right?”

Xie Que Shan nodded. “Song Mu Chuan was elegant, always present at gatherings full of flowers and the beauty of the seasons. Pang Yu was loyal and trustworthy, a man elders could rely on. He could always be used as an excuse for anything; if you said you were with Pang Yu, the elders would leave you alone. As for me...” He paused, calmly uttering two words, “Cunning.”

The fond memories turned abruptly, falling into the harshly derogatory term.

Nan Yi felt a tightness in her chest.

A heavy silence fell between them again.

After a long time, Nan Yi spoke softly, “Xie Xiao Liu still doesn’t know that Pang Yu is dead.”

“Don’t tell her. Let him live on in her heart a little longer.”

Tears welled up in Nan Yi’s eyes.

Xie Que Shan met her eyes, her sadness both comforting and piercing him. He raised his hand to cradle her face, gazing at her in an extremely intimate manner, but he did nothing—only using the rough pads of his fingers to gently wipe away her tears.

Nan Yi had a strange illusion, as if what he was trying to wipe away wasn’t her tears, but his own past.

“When he died, you must have felt terrible, right?”

“Focusing too much on your own heart will prevent you from achieving anything,” he let go of her and sighed heavily, his voice weary. “Go to sleep.”

This was the second night, and Xie Que Shan still hadn’t planned to send her back. Nan Yi, confused, asked, “What are you waiting for?”

She waited for a long time without receiving an answer, and no longer asked. Sensing the situation, she stood up and walked into the inner room behind the screen.

Xie Que Shan watched her figure, and at this moment, he felt a strange sense of relief. In this lonely night, she was by his side, listening to him recall the past—memories that seemed like they were from a lifetime ago.

She hadn’t scorned him.

He didn’t care about the world’s scorn, but at this moment, he felt fortunate for this small piece of luck.

Soon, Nan Yi understood what Xie Que Shan had been waiting for.

The next day, Xie Sui An arrived at Jingfeng Residence, bringing with her a woman of similar height to Nan Yi, dressed in her clothes.

Xie Sui An gave Xie Que Shan a cold reception, not even bothering with pleasantries, and went straight to the point. “Is my sister-in-law here with you?”

Xie Zhu had already been rescued, and Lu Jin Xiu, suspecting her daughter’s involvement in the matter, had no reason to keep her anymore since she had come out of it unharmed. Xie Sui An, noticing that Nan Yi hadn’t returned to Zhe Yue Pavilion, immediately arranged for a woman of similar stature to impersonate her, locking her in a room while she searched for Nan Yi’s whereabouts.

After some investigation, Xie Sui An learned that that night, Xie Que Shan had been charming under the moon, returning with a “female servant” to Jingfeng Residence.

Xie Sui An guessed that the person must have been Nan Yi. Though she didn’t know why Xie Que Shan was protecting Nan Yi, since the matter had not been exposed to the Qi troops, it seemed there was still room for negotiation. So she wasted no time, bringing people to Jingfeng Residence to “replace” Nan Yi.

The woman Xie Sui An brought was reliable and could pretend to be one of Xie Que Shan’s concubines. After they swapped Nan Yi out, the woman could walk out of Jingfeng Residence without drawing suspicion from the Qi guards.

Nan Yi heard Xie Sui An’s voice and walked out from the inner room. Xie Sui An hurried to meet her, looking nervously at Nan Yi.

“He didn’t do anything to you, right?”

Nan Yi gave Xie Sui An a reassuring smile and shook her head.

Xie Que Shan, unhurried, took a sip of tea and glanced at the sisters’ deep bond. “Xie Xiao Liu, I protected your accomplice and let you escape unharmed. Is this the attitude you have for thanking me?”

Xie Sui An immediately grew nervous, explaining, “She’s not an accomplice! Sister-in-law was forced by me, it was all my idea, I needed a helper to make her do it.”

“The matter’s already happened. It doesn’t matter who took the lead; in the end, it was to rescue my third uncle. I’ll turn a blind eye.”

“I owe you a favor, and I will repay it.”

“Then repay it now.”

“What do you want?”

“Tell me, since you forced her to make her your helper, what did you promise her?”

Xie Que Shan’s cold, distant gaze lingered on the two of them.

Both Xie Sui An and Nan Yi’s faces were as pale as death.

Xie Sui An feared Xie Que Shan would discover Nan Yi’s true identity as “Yan.”

Nan Yi, on the other hand, felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. She had considered many possibilities—what Xie Que Shan was waiting for to allow her to return safely to Zhe Yue Pavilion. She had spent two days with him, even developing the illusion that he was on her side, yet she hadn’t realized that he had already begun to harbor suspicions about her.

She thought she was clever, balancing both sides, keeping Xie Que Shan calm while having Xie Sui An help her escape. But she never imagined that Xie Que Shan had already seen through her completely.

He had calmly waited with her for two nights, all to bring Xie Sui An here, to easily return her favor, and force her to reveal her true intentions!

This person... so astute, it bordered on the supernatural. His depths were unfathomable!

No one spoke, and Xie Que Shan set down his teacup, looking at Xie Sui An. “If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll kill her.”

Xie Sui An struggled to speak, trying to stall for time, buying herself more thinking space. “How do you know if I’m telling the truth?”

“If it doesn’t satisfy me, it’s not the truth.”

Nan Yi gritted her teeth and spoke first, ahead of Xie Sui An. “I don’t want to stay a widow in the Xie family. I asked Sixth Sister to help me leave the Xie family and go to Jinling.”

Xie Que Shan locked eyes with Xie Sui An. “Is that so?”

Xie Sui An stiffly nodded. She knew it was the truth, but only half of it. Nan Yi had hidden her identity, and Xie Que Shan might not believe her.

Xie Que Shan smiled and turned his gaze to Nan Yi. “Sister-in-law, in front of my brother’s tomb, I promised in front of everyone to let you stay loyal to him. But now you’ve run away. Without loyalty and chastity, what’s left of your miserable life? How do you expect to survive and reach Jinling?”

Nan Yi’s whole body went cold.