Chapter 43

A Concubine’s Intentions

Everyone was keeping vigil in Lady Gantang’s courtyard, but Huai Xu Courtyard remained desolate and quiet.

In previous years, even if Xie Heng Zai’s health was poor, he and Qiao Yin Zhi would still stay together to keep the New Year’s vigil. But this year, only Qiao Yin Zhi was left, sitting alone with a white candle.

This year, Xie Heng Zai’s new clothes had long been made. They had used the same fabric for their outfits, which he had personally chosen.

Though she was only a concubine, he treated her as his wife.

After sitting in a daze for a while, Qiao Yin Zhi heard the sound of the midnight bell marking the transition to the New Year. Weary, she prepared to rest but was suddenly alerted by the sound of footsteps outside.

At this late hour, the female servants were all gathered together to keep the vigil, so no one would come here. She had no idea who it might be.

Qiao Yin Zhi draped her outer robe over her shoulders and stood to open the door, only to find the outside empty.

She hesitated, peering out, but there was nothing to be seen. She shut the door and returned to her room, but suddenly froze in her tracks.

A figure had appeared behind the screen, silently making its way to the study.

Qiao Yin Zhi stood still, and the gentle demeanor typical of a family concubine slowly faded away, revealing a rare sense of resolve. She stepped forward to the screen, discreetly saluted, and showed no sign of panic.

“Master.”

Qiao Yin Zhi entered without surprise at Xie Que Shan’s appearance.

There were three cups of tea on the table: one for Xie Que Shan himself, and two placed across from him.

“These two cups of tea,” Xie Que Shan said, “one is for your elder brother, and the other is for you.”

After a brief pause, he added, “One cup is poisoned, the other is not.”

Qiao Yin Zhi sat down without speaking, casually picking up one of the cups and calmly drinking it down.

The incense smoke curled up from the table. After a long moment, Qiao Yin Zhi remained unharmed.

Xie Que Shan smiled and picked up the other cup, lifting the lid and letting the steam rise.

“Qiao,” he said, “it seems you’re quite lucky. Before this cup of tea cools, you still have a chance to speak your last words.”

It was a simple test, yet it carried a sharp edge.

If Qiao Yin Zhi had refused to drink, it would have shown that she feared death, and Xie Que Shan would have immediately drawn his sword to end her life without another word.

A person’s reaction in the face of death cannot deceive anyone.

Looking at her expression now, it was resolute yet sorrowful. A betrayer should not show such emotions.

After all, she had been by his elder brother’s side for more than ten years. After his brother’s death, she must have had many opportunities to escape, but she hadn’t. Instead, she had quietly stayed in the manor, and at this moment, Xie Que Shan was curious to hear the complicated story behind her actions.

“Master, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. At this point, I will speak without concealment.”

“You’ve been in the Xie family for over ten years. How did Gu Sha persuade you to serve him?”

She answered calmly, “I was originally a spy. At first, I was an informant placed in the Xie family by a court official. Later, the entire organization was sold to the Qi people, and I was assigned to serve General Gu Sha.”

“Do you have any weaknesses in his hands?”

“My child.”

“Were you ever married?”

“No.”

Xie Que Shan paused for a moment.

A wandering woman, trained as a spy since her youth, had surely been involved in unspeakable deeds. As for who the father of her child was, she probably didn’t even know.

A mother’s strength—no wonder, even with Xie Heng Zai’s protection, she couldn’t be swayed.

“Was it you who leaked the plan to rescue King Ling’an?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill my elder brother?”

Qiao Yin Zhi raised her eyes, and her gaze was filled with unshed tears.

“Elder Brother left a letter for you. He instructed me that if you ever came, I was to give it to you.”

A sealed letter was passed into Xie Que Shan’s hands, bearing the private seal of Xie Heng Zai. His seal had been placed by Xie Que Shan himself when he buried Xie Heng Zai in the coffin—there could be no fakes.

This letter had indeed been written by Xie Heng Zai before his death.

Xie Que Shan seemed somewhat curious. “You never opened it?”

“Elder Brother said it could only be read by you.”

Xie Que Shan opened the letter, and inside was a thin sheet of paper—blank, with no words written on it.

He tried holding the paper over the candle flame, but nothing happened.

He even sniffed it but could detect no ink scent—just an empty sheet of paper.

Qiao Yin Zhi didn’t speak, and Xie Que Shan didn’t ask further.

They sat in silence for a while. He grasped at a thread of thought and then looked up at Qiao Yin Zhi. “So, did my elder brother commit suicide?”

If he hadn’t foreseen his own death, why would he leave such an odd letter for his bedfellow?

“I don’t know.”

Her tears fell. She truly didn’t know the cause of Xie Heng Zai’s death. She had considered many possibilities, and while she suspected it might have been suicide, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

She would rather remain ignorant than face the hidden emotions that lay beneath, until the moment Xie Que Shan had uncovered the truth.

She remembered the day they were to meet at Tiger Kneel Mountain for the wedding, when Xie Heng Zai realized the intelligence had been leaked and that there was a spy among them. At that time, he had already begun to suspect her.

After Xie Xiao Liu left to support Tiger Kneel Mountain, only the two of them remained in the study.

He had asked her, “Zhi Niang, have you ever betrayed me?”

She was a well-trained spy, and no amount of torture could extract a word from her. But when he looked at her so seriously, his usual gentle tone, she had faltered. She panicked and tried to cover it with a forced smile, but even she knew it was awkward.

It was a huge flaw. Someone as sharp as Xie Heng Zai must have noticed it.

They had respected each other for over ten years. He was a reserved man, dignified and gentle, with no overwhelming emotions. It flowed like a gentle stream, and others believed they were deeply in love. But to her, it was only Xie Heng Zai appreciating her meticulous care, giving her respect.

She had always believed that their feelings were based on the gentle and considerate persona she had created as a concubine. If Xie Heng Zai had discovered her true identity, he would have dealt with her.

On the chaotic day when the wedding plan failed, a fierce battle was about to erupt, and the bride entered the Xie family gates. He had so many urgent matters to attend to. She thought that once everything was over, he would come to hold her accountable.

She had even considered fleeing, coming up with countless excuses to cover herself. She had received a secret letter from Gu Sha, instructing her to kill him.

She had thought about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

And then, unexpectedly, he died without warning, leaving no final words.

“Did you poison him?”

“I poisoned him in the early years, but I stopped later. I didn’t expect Elder Brother’s health to worsen so much that those years of slow poisoning would harm his foundation.”

Xie Que Shan closed his eyes, deep in thought, considering how to deal with the woman in front of him.

He had originally intended to kill her and place the blame on the Candlelight Bureau, quietly removing a mole from Wang Xue Wu.

After his elder brother realized that the first rescue plan had failed, he drank poison, using his life and death as a game to let King Ling’an enter the city—this was his great righteousness. He didn’t kill her, instead keeping her alive in silence, which was his personal selfishness.

And this blank letter... was his silent plea for mercy.

Xie Heng Zai had always been cautious. His weak body from a young age made him wary of putting himself in danger. He was more calculating than others, trying to minimize every risk with each step he took.

But he never truly understood what lay beneath the woman’s skin—whether it was good or evil—and yet, he still pleaded for her, keeping her in Wang Xue Wu. This was his gamble.

Qiao Yin Zhi had not betrayed his kindness. After his death, she had not revealed any information.

Unfortunately, when they were alive, neither of them knew the other loved them. Only after death, in the separation of life and death, could they see the overwhelming love hidden within.

Xie Que Shan didn’t open his eyes, his voice carrying an exhaustion that could not be concealed. “Tomorrow morning, you should leave.”

Qiao Yin Zhi, who had long accepted the certainty of her death, looked up in surprise, staring at Xie Que Shan.