Chapter 9

Growing Suspicion

Nan Yi struggled in the lake. She wasn’t a poor swimmer, but having jumped into the cold water unprepared, her movements became frantic. The water rushed into her nostrils, and the biting cold spread through her limbs.

This coldness instantly transported her back to the icy, snowy Tiger Kneeling Mountain. During those days, she had been running through the snow-covered mountains, until she reached that dilapidated Daoist temple.

Although Pang Yu had told her that it would be enough to send a message to Guyu Pavilion, Nan Yi feared she wouldn’t make it to Lidu Mansion alive, so she wanted to make more preparations.

The Daoist temple was now a ruin, with no one to be found. There was, indeed, a withered tree in the yard.

Nan Yi couldn’t read, but she had an exceptional memory. She only needed a single glance at the silk letter, and if she thought of each character as a pattern, she memorized all the patterns on the letter at once.

Nan Yi found a talisman but couldn’t find any ink or brushes. In desperation, she bit her finger until it bled, using the blood from her fingertip to carefully replicate the characters from the silk letter onto the talisman, then buried the talisman beneath the large tree.

After completing all of this, she went to the Qin family’s door in Luyang Town.

But after several days had passed, she didn’t dare recall what had happened. What was the plan? Had it succeeded? Had the message buried beneath the tree been seen by King Ling’an? If King Ling’an was captured, would she become the eternal sinner? She was confused. She was just a small thief, never intending to become involved in any earth-shattering events.

It was only now, as the icy water enveloped her, that she remembered these things.

Soon, Nan Yi was pulled from the water. The waiting maidservants immediately wrapped her in a thick blanket and handed her hot ginger tea to warm her up. Even so, Nan Yi still sneezed several times.

“Quickly, take the young mistress to change her clothes.”

The woman who spoke was Lu Jinxiu, the third concubine of the main branch of the Xie family. She had a gentle appearance, but her movements were sharp and decisive.

Nan Yi, dazed, was surrounded by the maids and led forward, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

Sensing Nan Yi’s unease, Lu Jinxiu stepped forward and smiled reassuringly.

“Earlier, the officials searched for the assassins in the wedding hall, but the young mistress was missing. Everyone assumed...” Lu Jinxiu trailed off. “But no one expected that the young mistress was such a loyal woman, willing to sacrifice herself for the eldest son.”

Nan Yi felt a little relief in her heart. At least someone believed her performance. However, as she looked around, Xie Que Shan was nowhere to be seen.

Husha stood on the high city wall, in a position where he could see the green-roofed, red-eaved Xie family’s Wangxuewu.

The winding corridors connected to the courtyards, and blurry figures passed under the eaves. Despite the great upheaval, the imposing and dignified air of the great family still prevailed.

The two spies who had infiltrated the wedding hall returned and reported to Husha: “General, Xie Hengzai is dead.”

“Did you act?”

“It’s strange. The prefect and Young Master Que Shan suddenly arrived. We didn’t find a suitable opportunity to act, but Xie Hengzai died suddenly. The doctor said it was caused by a heart attack from extreme stress. There were no external injuries, but we don’t know if there’s another hidden cause…”

Husha wasn’t surprised. Instead, he revealed a knowing sneer.

“The prefect used the investigation into Xie Hengzai’s death as an excuse to surround Wangxuewu with soldiers. They’ve searched the place inside and out but found no trace of King Ling’an. The soldiers have already withdrawn.”

“Looks like the Xie family didn’t help King Ling’an...” Husha mused. “Someone must have warned King Ling’an about the ambush in the mountain valley, but there was no time to inform Xie Hengzai. That’s why he didn’t know King Ling’an wouldn’t show up. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent so many assassins. It’s clear that he was prepared for a desperate last stand.”

“But… who warned King Ling’an? Could there be a spy in our army?”

Husha closed his eyes, his mind quickly processing the situation.

He knew that the flow of intelligence would directly impact the direction of the battle. From the moment they got the intelligence about Xie Hengzai’s plan to aid King Ling’an, they had decided to trap him. Husha had intentionally sealed off information. Only a few trusted individuals knew the location and time of the operation; the rest of the soldiers found out just before they set off.

Though Husha appeared to be a rough and hasty man, he was in fact meticulous and highly observant.

He mentally went over the soldiers who had accompanied him, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious everyone seemed—especially Xie Que Shan.

To be honest, even though Xie Que Shan had served the Qi royal court for many years, Husha still didn’t trust this person from the Central Plains. “Those not of our blood are bound to have different intentions.”

From the moment Xie Que Shan had handled the intelligence from Lidu Mansion, Husha had kept a close watch on him, observing his every move. Xie Que Shan hadn’t given any signs of leaking information.

Husha recalled the day Xie Que Shan’s purse was stolen, but the thief, along with Pang Yu, who had dealt with the intelligence, and everyone at the inn, was now dead…

So, who was the spy? Who had notified King Ling’an?

Husha was determined to root out the person responsible, regardless of the cost. If he didn’t, future operations would be severely hindered. His expression darkened, and he slammed his fist against the brick wall.

Xie Que Shan stood in the mourning hall, staring at the lifeless man in the coffin. The Xie family had hung red ribbons for his wedding and had replaced the candles for his funeral, and all of this had changed in a single night.

“Big Brother, forgive me.”

Xie Que Shan leaned forward, prying open Xie Hengzai’s mouth, and inserted a silver needle into his throat. The silver needle showed no reaction.

He motioned for He Ping, who immediately stepped forward and helped him steady the needle.

Xie Que Shan unbuttoned Xie Hengzai’s coat and, using a towel soaked in hot vinegar, slowly wiped his abdomen, moving toward the throat. The deep-lying poison began to surface, turning the needle black.

He Ping observed the needle with surprise and whispered, “The eldest son was poisoned!”

“And the poison had been in his system for a long time, requiring years of slow ingestion to create the illusion of a sudden heart attack tonight.”

Xie Que Shan retrieved the towel, quickly wiping the water marks from Xie Hengzai’s body with a dry towel and resecuring his clothes, making everything appear normal again.

He Ping realized something. “So, the eldest son’s chronic illness these past years…”

Xie Que Shan nodded, analyzing, “The poisoner must be hiding within the Xie family. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to poison him so discreetly.”

“That person… is it a spy that Husha planted within the Xie family?”

“Yes.”

“But then Husha sent two assassins into the wedding hall to take action, yet he didn’t inform the young master…”

“He doesn’t trust me,” Xie Que Shan said with a self-deprecating smile. “I still carry foreign blood. Even though I’ve served in the Qi royal court for many years, I’m still an outsider.”

He Ping felt indignant for his master. “Even the Prime Minister trusts you deeply. Why would a small general question you?”

“Husha is no small general. In one year, he achieved the accomplishments that others can only hope to achieve in five. If he succeeds in capturing King Ling’an this time and returns to the royal court, his position might rival that of the Prime Minister.”

He Ping pouted in dissatisfaction, but he had no rebuttal.

“Do not speak of the poisoning of the eldest son to anyone.”

“If you don’t speak, then the Xie family will continue to misunderstand that you were the one who angered the eldest son to death. If you want to return to the Xie family, you can’t let them continue treating you with such disregard.”

“They despise me. Did that only start after my elder brother’s death tonight?”

He Ping was left speechless.

Having betrayed his country and his family, his path was already much harder than others’. There was no need for argument; he just had to keep walking forward.

As they spoke, Xie Que Shan had already redressed Xie Hengzai. He carefully and solemnly smoothed out the folds on his elder brother’s clothing, then lifted his face, his expression as calm as usual.

“Take these things back and keep them safe. I’ll stay here for a while longer.”

He Ping cupped his hands and said, “Yes, young master.”