Chapter 89

Nan Yi was at a complete loss, staring at Zhang Yuehui in confusion. Zhang Yuehui, however, only smiled at her, his narrow eyes slightly furrowed, giving him an expression that seemed both sincere and sly.

She turned to seek help from Lady Gantang, but Lady Gantang appeared even more bewildered by the situation.

Her gaze finally flickered nervously toward Xie Que Shan, who remained unmoved, sitting calmly with a cup in his hand, his fingers lightly tracing its edge. She hoped he might say something, but it seemed he had no intention of speaking.

Lady Gantang then stepped in to smooth things over. “A widow remarrying is different from a typical marriage; it’s a matter that requires caution... and, in the end, we have no say in this matter. It must depend on Nan Yi’s own wishes.”

Zhang Yuehui spoke up again, “I am willing to offer the entire Gui Lai Hall as a dowry.”

Nan Yi was completely stunned. Her mouth fell open in shock, and the figure of Zhang Yuehui before her seemed to blur.

He was her childhood crush, someone she had spent much time with. Though she hadn’t known him completely, she could say she was one of the few who understood him. Most of the time, he was carefree and amusing, though he had some strange requirements. Everything he handled had to be perfect, flawless, and meticulous. But these traits were subtle, and he never imposed them on others.

However, life doesn’t always go as planned, and sometimes—quite unexpectedly—he would reveal a stubbornness that wouldn’t let him rest until he got what he wanted. But he would quickly come to his senses and bury this emotion. In the past, Nan Yi had vaguely felt that this might have been the real him.

After their reunion, she had discovered his greatest secret, and though it seemed absurd, there was a strange sense of reason to it. It turned out that he had placed his overwhelming obsession in another matter entirely.

She took a step back, generously forgiving him, not wanting to dwell on past hurts. No one was truly carefree; they merely pretended not to notice. She thought that their past was buried, that dust had returned to dust. But he had reappeared time and again, proclaiming his persistent devotion to her.

She felt anxious and confused. She couldn’t remember what it was between them that he couldn’t let go of.

Zhang Yuehui finally wiped the smile from his face and looked directly into Nan Yi’s eyes. “As long as you agree, Gui Lai Hall will no longer do business with the Qi people, and will be at the disposal of the Bingshu Division.”

He had thrown away the chips he had painstakingly gathered over the years, placing all the initiative entirely in Nan Yi’s hands.

He was a stubborn person, and his life never had a middle ground.

The room fell into a deep silence.

“Wait, what did you say?”

Nan Yi’s mind was buzzing, and she suddenly realized something—he said Bingchu Si? He said Bingchu Si in front of Xie Que Shan? Doesn’t that mean...?

“You all know your own identities,” Zhang Yuehui said calmly, raising his chin toward Xie Que Shan.

Nan Yi was hit with a series of surprises and was left speechless, unable to utter a single word.

Everyone loves to speak in riddles, leaving people guessing, but Zhang Yuehui was completely unreserved. He liked to throw words right into people’s faces, tearing away the veil of pretense, making everyone lose their shame.

Bingchu Si, a forbidden topic for others, was a well-known secret among these four people, an unspoken truth that was never discussed openly.

Zhang Yuehui had judged the situation well, knowing that revealing it wouldn’t cause significant harm.

Xie Que Shan couldn’t deny it—was he supposed to pretend that he had just found out? That would only make him seem even more suspicious. Every word from Zhang Yuehui was pushing him, and his expression darkened like a black cloud ready to destroy the city.

After a long pause, he finally managed to say with biting sarcasm, “Boss Zhang, you really have great sincerity.”

“I was just afraid that Young Master Xie might be put in a difficult position. After all, you serve the emperor’s orders, yet your family members are all resisting the Qi people. You can turn a blind eye to what happens privately within your family, but who knows when you might be forced to betray someone... The matter with Princess Lingfu and the imperial decree, didn’t Young Master Xie voluntarily disclose it to Lord Wanyan? You gained face for yourself in front of the Qi people, but Bingchu Si has now been placed under immense pressure because of it.”

Crash—Lady Gantang’s hand trembled, and the porcelain cup she was holding shattered on the floor, as if receiving a loud and forceful rebuke.

Nan Yi looked at Xie Que Shan in disbelief—how could he have done something like this? Wasn’t he pushing Princess Lingfu into a dangerous position? At the New Year banquet earlier, he had clearly helped her.

She could understand that he had to maintain his composure for the sake of his position, sometimes appearing cold and indifferent, but she always thought that he would never do something that could genuinely harm others.

“Is this true?” She stared at him, trying to catch any hint of denial on his face.

Please don’t admit it, please don’t admit it… she prayed in her heart.

“Yes.” Xie Que Shan calmly spoke.

He had set the trap for Zhang Yuehui, who had subtly turned the tables, using the trap against him. Now, he was forced to swallow the bitter pill.

His clenched fists trembled in his sleeves, but his face remained eerily calm. Finally, he spoke in a detached tone, “Since Boss Zhang has spoken so clearly, it would be rude of me to stop this. Nan Yi can make her own decision.”

Xie Que Shan stood up and stepped over the debris of shattered cups and plates on the floor. As he approached Nan Yi, he caught sight of the glaring red outside the door and paused for a moment.

He wished he could burn away the true feelings that person had exposed, but sadly, he realized that he couldn’t even offer her that.

He couldn’t argue with Zhang Yuehui’s words. In the Xie family and by his side, there was no stability. To earn the trust of the Qi people and help his comrades in secret, he had to place those around him in dangerous positions and then save them. But with Nan Yi, he had already gambled once, and it had been a near-death experience. He couldn’t gamble again. He knew that he had to let her go.

Zhang Yuehui was a capable and selfish person, and such people were the ones who could stand firm and thrive in chaotic times.

He had already decided to let go. It was only a matter of time before she married someone else, and he couldn’t do anything about it. His fist, which had been clenched in his sleeve, suddenly relaxed, and a bitter smile appeared on his face as he muttered near her ear, “Boss Zhang may not be such a bad person after all.”

But he didn’t want to hear her judgment. After saying that, he turned expressionlessly and left without a word.

Lady Gantang tucked her trembling hand into her sleeve, her face drained of color. Her voice was as cold as frost: “What Boss Zhang said is true; the Xie family is not a good place.”

She looked at Nan Yi with a compassionate gaze. “Nan Yi, no matter how prestigious a family may be, in troubled times, it can fall apart in an instant. It can’t protect you forever. I hope you can find a better place to settle down.”

“Is the protection of a man the only good place to settle down? I don’t believe that. I won’t marry.” Nan Yi gritted her teeth, stubbornly retorting.

Xie Que Shan, who had just stepped over the threshold, froze in his tracks and looked back.

“Zhang Yuehui, you can do whatever you wish with your property, and you can help whoever you want. Gui Lai Hall never had anything to do with me. I won’t covet what doesn’t belong to me.”

Zhang Yuehui’s eyes dimmed slightly, but he still smiled at her. “It’s okay. You can think it over. No need to rush into a decision.”

At that moment, Nan Yi couldn’t bring herself to say anything else in front of Zhang Yuehui’s softened eyes. She quickly left, as though fleeing.

Her response caught Xie Que Shan off guard. A flicker of joy rose from his heart, only to be swiftly overshadowed by an even greater unease. He stood there, unable to move, watching her leave. His gaze drifted, unwilling to meet hers, but when she passed by him, she unexpectedly looked up and gave him a harsh glare.

...

In the household, no secret went undetected. The wealthy and influential merchant had come to ask for the hand of a widowed lady, and this strange event soon spread throughout Wang Xue Wu.

At this rate, Nan Yi would only become more conspicuous. She had to leave as soon as possible.

The next day, Xie Que Shan spoke a few words to his second sister. Lady Gantang then called for Song Muchuan.

The reckless Zhang Yuehui couldn’t take her, but surely the harmless Song Muchuan could, right? This young man was full of propriety, not daring to have any ulterior motives, and he wouldn’t put pressure on Nan Yi. They had worked well together in the Bingchu Si, so they were probably already in sync.

Making these decisions wasn’t easy for Xie Que Shan, and his heart ached. He felt utterly pathetic. He couldn’t control every detail. When things started to slip out of his control, especially when it concerned Nan Yi, the pain multiplied a thousandfold, gnawing at his heart.

He was already at some critical point. If he didn’t resolve it soon, he was going to lose his mind.

But even when Song Muchuan came, Nan Yi gave the same answer.

“I won’t leave.”

Song Muchuan was somewhat puzzled; he thought her return to Wang Xue Wu was just an accident.

“Why?”

Nan Yi remained silent for a long while, as if deep in thought.

Song Muchuan didn’t hurry to pressure her. Instead, he told her about the recent events outside.

Princess Lingfu had already been settled, so there was no need to worry.

Wanyan Jun had failed in his duty due to the imperial decree, and the Black Crow Camp had the right to execute first and report later. As a result, they had placed him under house arrest, awaiting the king’s judgment. Gu Sha now held the reins of power and his style was one of iron-fisted suppression. The situation outside had become increasingly grim.

Coincidentally, yesterday, Han Xianwang’s secret letter had arrived in Lidu, mentioning the matter of the imperial decree. Fortunately, they had acted a step ahead.

Upon hearing this, Nan Yi furrowed her brows and asked, “So, the Qi people will eventually find out about the imperial decree on the princess, right?”

“Yes.”

A thought rose in Nan Yi’s mind, though she was still unsure. Perhaps sometimes, stirring up trouble wasn’t such a bad thing?

She raised her head and looked at Song Muchuan, speaking seriously, “Mr. Song, Xie Que Shan is well-informed. If I stay in Wang Xue Wu, I can gather information from him, which will surely help Bingchu Si in their operations.”

Song Muchuan was taken aback.

“This is a dangerous game!”

“I choose to play it.” Nan Yi responded firmly.

...

After Song Muchuan left, Nan Yi sat in the garden for a long time, allowing the strange boiling sensation within her to quiet down. She knew she had made an extremely risky and somewhat impulsive decision, and even she didn’t know whether it was right or wrong.

There were a thousand reasons for her to leave, but she was held back by one almost irrational reason.

As night fell, she returned to her small pavilion, lowering her head. As soon as she pushed open the door, she was yanked forward by an overpowering force.

The person slammed the door shut with one hand, gripping her neck and pressing her against the intricately carved door.

She gasped in pain, her eyes meeting the angry gaze of Xie Que Shan.

“Why aren’t you leaving?!”