WNST - 102

Wanyan Manor.

The manor, which had been desolate for some time, was now brightly lit.

Wanyan Jun was under house arrest, waiting for the imperial court to issue its decree to exile him. Yet, he had not completely given up the struggle. He continuously sent people out to search for Xu Kouyue, hoping to make amends for his mistakes and reverse his situation.

At the same time, he kept a close watch on Hu Sha—if he could find something incriminating against Hu Sha and cause him to stumble, it might give him a chance to stage a comeback.

But alas, his efforts yielded nothing. Worse, he had heard that Hu Sha was close to uncovering the truth about the mountain explosion: the Yu City troops were not killed at all, and those who died were entirely Hu Sha’s own men.

If this turned out to be true, Wanyan Jun would be utterly ruined. Forget about a comeback—returning to the court would be a death sentence, even if he had nine lives to spare.

Wanyan Jun wished for nothing more than Hu Sha’s death. If Hu Sha were gone, no one would keep harping on the Yu City troops and Xu Kouyue’s matters. But killing Hu Sha? That was as hard as ascending to heaven.

Until tonight, when one of his informants suddenly came to tell him that Hu Sha was dead.

Wanyan Jun was utterly shocked—how did he die? Who was the killer?

Before he could make sense of it, Xie Que Shan arrived at his manor with troops. At first, Wanyan Jun thought he had come to investigate Hu Sha’s death. He had no part in it, but he was terrified that Xie Que Shan might pin the blame on him.

However, Xie Que Shan was surprisingly courteous. He explained that the assassin had already been caught and that he had come to invite Wanyan Jun to interrogate the suspect together, to set the record straight.

A man who had lost all power and influence—why would Xie Que Shan bother to show him such respect? The olive branch seemed too sudden. Wanyan Jun grew suspicious and asked for details about what had happened.

“Song Muchuan was someone you, Lord Wanyan, personally promoted to oversee the shipbuilding efforts. Hu Sha had no evidence but insisted he was a member of the Bingzhu Division. Tonight, at the Bingtian Division, he forced me to kill Song Muchuan under threat of labeling me a traitor. Many Qi soldiers at the Bingtian Division witnessed this.”

Wanyan Jun’s expression hardened, and he instinctively took on a defensive posture. “And what choice did you make, Sir?”

“If I killed Song Muchuan, I would have wronged you, my lord. But if I refused, I would have branded myself disloyal. Just as I was torn, an arrow came out of nowhere and killed General Hu Sha.”

Chapter 103: The Plan to Turn Enemies

Wanyan Jun listened to Xie Que Shan’s words but felt increasingly uneasy.

He discerned the circumstances of Hu Sha’s death—Hu Sha suspected Xie Que Shan of being a traitor, and then Hu Sha died. This meant Xie Que Shan must be in a very precarious position right now.

After all, the Black Raven Corps was watching in the shadows. No matter how much or how little Xie Que Shan did, it would be easy for others to seize on something to accuse him.

At present, there was no one more suitable than Wanyan Jun in Lidu Prefecture to step forward in such a situation.

Realizing the stakes, Wanyan Jun suddenly felt invigorated—wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for him to regain power? Just when the road seemed blocked, another path had appeared, leading to new hope.

Immediately, Wanyan Jun accompanied Xie Que Shan to the prison.

The assassin was not a member of the Bingzhu Division faction but rather a Qi soldier.

Based on the wound, Hu Sha was indeed killed by a standard Qi military crossbow bolt.

The Qi soldier’s name was A Dian. He had previously been one of Hu Sha’s trusted confidants and was presumed dead on the day of the mountain explosion. Yet, unexpectedly, he had survived, though he now had a crippled leg.

When Xie Que Shan saw that the captured assassin was A Dian, he immediately understood. His suspicions were correct—this was a chess piece planted by Zhang Yuehui, who must have orchestrated something behind the scenes. It seemed that Zhang Yuehui had spent his money well.

From here, Xie Que Shan only needed to step back and watch the show from behind Wanyan Jun.

A Dian was tight-lipped. Even after being beaten half to death, he refused to reveal why he had killed Hu Sha and was determined to die.

But Wanyan Jun was no pushover. It didn’t take long for him to dig into A Dian’s background and discover that he had an elderly mother and two younger brothers. Using their lives as leverage, he threatened A Dian.

Hearing this, the badly injured A Dian suddenly cried out in anguish: “My family is already dead anyway! I have nothing to fear! If you dare, just kill me!”

This raised Wanyan Jun’s suspicions. Why would his entire family have been killed?

Changing his approach, Wanyan Jun ordered A Dian to be untied and spoke to him gently: “If you have grievances, just tell me. I will see justice done for you.”

This tactic worked, breaking through A Dian’s defenses. Seizing the opportunity, Wanyan Jun pressed further, repeatedly offering assurances until A Dian finally confessed.

Although he had appeared to be one of Hu Sha’s trusted confidants, in reality, he was coerced into doing Hu Sha’s dirty work. He resented Hu Sha but could not resist because his family’s lives were at stake. One day, he discovered that his family had long since been killed by Hu Sha, and in his grief and rage, he decided to kill Hu Sha in revenge.

Since he worked closely with Hu Sha, he was privy to many of Hu Sha’s operations and schemes. He chose to act tonight at the Ship Bureau because Hu Sha was plotting to frame Xie Que Shan and Song Muchuan. Hu Sha’s bodyguards were focused on those two, leaving him an opening to strike.

At this point, Xie Que Shan, who had been silent until now, asked, “You said Hu Sha was plotting against me and Mr. Song. What exactly was he planning?”

A Dian replied, “General Hu Sha has been making a big show in Lidu Prefecture recently, but he hasn’t managed to catch a single key member of the Bingzhu Division. All the intelligence he’s gathered has been trivial. However, when he transferred the Black Raven Corps here, he swore an oath to the court that he would achieve results. He couldn’t return empty-handed. So, he decided to frame Mr. Song, who is in charge of the Ship Bureau, as a member of the Bingzhu Division faction. Since Mr. Song is an old friend of yours, it would be easy to accuse both of you of being co-conspirators. This way, he could eliminate all his rivals in Lidu Prefecture.”

Wanyan Jun frowned and scrutinized A Dian suspiciously. He wasn’t entirely convinced—this testimony cleared Xie Que Shan completely, almost too perfectly.

He still felt that the alleged conflict between A Dian and Hu Sha seemed odd. What kind of grudge or secret would drive a master and his confidant to turn on each other like this?

“What exactly were you helping Hu Sha with before?”

A Dian’s gaze wavered, and he hesitated, lowering his head in silence.

“He used your family’s lives to coerce you, so this matter must be extremely important. If you refuse to speak, today you will be remembered as a traitor who killed a general, while Hu Sha will be praised as a loyal patriot who died for his country. The injustice your family suffered will never see the light of day!”

A Dian remained silent for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, “It’s about the Yu City troops!”

Wanyan Jun froze, stunned that after all this roundabout intrigue, they had circled back to the very issue that worried him most. This matter was tied to his survival, and he immediately grew tense.

“That night, I did see the Yu City troops in the tunnel and even fought them. Suddenly, the wellhead exploded. I happened to be far from the blast, so I was the only one who survived. When I returned to report to General Hu Sha, I thought he would pity my injury and let me return home. Instead, he was unwilling to give up and forced me to stay in Lidu Prefecture to fabricate evidence, claiming there were no Yu City troops in the tunnel. That way, all the blame could be shifted onto you, Lord Wanyan.”

This was Wanyan Jun’s deepest fear.

For days, he had been desperate to know whether he had killed the Yu City troops that night. Was it a false report from Hu Sha to frame him, or had the Bingzhu Division truly outsmarted him?

Clearly, if it was the former, it was Hu Sha’s fault. If it was the latter, it was his own mistake. Naturally, he desperately wanted it to be Hu Sha’s deceit. Hearing this clear testimony, the tension he had been carrying for so long finally eased—he had to believe it!

All his doubts dissipated in an instant, replaced by uncontrollable rage.

Hu Sha’s greed truly knew no bounds.

“Continue!” he demanded.

“General Hu Sha had me fabricate evidence that the Yu City troops were still alive so he could request the Black Raven Corps from the royal court to help him secure his success. When the Black Raven Corps arrived, they still found no traces of the Yu City troops. Fearing exposure, the general bribed a prisoner to falsely claim that he was a liaison between the Bingzhu Division and the Yu City troops, and that the Yu City troops were hiding on the shadowed side of Hukou Mountain.”

At this point, the truth seemed clear. Hu Sha’s downfall was entirely self-inflicted, a result of his insatiable greed.

Xie Que Shan felt like applauding Zhang Yuehui. With just four words of instruction, Zhang had tied up all the loose ends so seamlessly. How much money must Boss Zhang have spent to ensure this soldier gave such logical, step-by-step testimony, even performing the act of forced confession so convincingly? It completely pulled Wan Yan Jun into the trap.

The family members that the soldier claimed were dead were likely already relocated and cared for by Guilai Tang at this point. As for Hu Sha—how could a dead man complain about being made a scapegoat? He certainly couldn’t rise from the grave to clear his name.

The brilliance of this testimony lay in the fact that, whether Wan Yan Jun fully believed it or not, if he wanted to absolve himself of guilt in the Yu City Army incident, he had to accept everything A Dian had said.

Zhang Yuehui was the kind of person you’d fear as an opponent but regret not having as an ally.

Wan Yan Jun and Xie Que Shan exited the prison. The cold moonlit night brought a sharp chill, and both men let out a slow breath of relief.

Now, what remained was the matter between them. Wan Yan Jun dismissed the others and got straight to the point with Xie Que Shan.

“Tell me, Que Shan Gongzi, what is it you truly want?”

Wan Yan Jun, always suspicious by nature, had just endured a period of significant setbacks. His trust in those around him was at an all-time low.

In this matter, Xie Que Shan’s actions had been too flawless. He hadn’t been entangled in any of the conflicts between Hu Sha and Wan Yan Jun, yet he was clearly the greatest beneficiary. However, tonight, Xie had voluntarily approached Wan Yan Jun, essentially handing over immense wealth and power to someone else.

The most terrifying people are those whose intentions are unclear. From Wan Yan Jun’s understanding of Xie Que Shan, he was neither a lamb to the slaughter nor an altruist.

“I do have personal motives,” Xie Que Shan admitted with striking honesty.

Wan Yan Jun’s posture relaxed slightly. His instincts told him this was the truth.

But lies, of course, were most effective when mixed with truth.

Xie Que Shan continued, “Although Hu Sha summoned the Black Crow Battalion, they don’t solely answer to him. Behind Ya Jiu stands the Grand Princess Wan Yan Pu Ruo, who must be closely observing every move in Lidu  Prefecture. The foolish actions Hu Sha took are already done. Fortunately, they didn’t cause irreparable damage. What the court truly cares about is who can accomplish the task at hand. But no matter who it is, it cannot be me. I have no faction or backing. Even with credit to my name, I have no roots. Returning to court afterward, my future would likely be bleak.”

Wan Yan Jun understood. Everyone viewed Lidu  Prefecture as a prize, competing for credit in taking control of the city. But if that credit were claimed by a Han Chinese man, how could the old and new aristocracy in the court save face? At that point, Xie Que Shan would become a target for everyone.

Outwardly, Wan Yan Jun still offered polite refusals. “You’re Chancellor Han’s trusted aide. Surely, he would protect you. As for me, I made mistakes in the matter with the imperial princess. The court may no longer place trust in me.”

“Hu Sha issued a military pledge to offset his crimes. Why can’t you do the same?”

Besides, with Hu Sha gone, only Wan Yan Jun was left to manage Lidu  Prefecture. The Black Crow Battalion might be a powerful intelligence force, but Wan Yan Pu Ruo, ambitious as she was, couldn’t take control of an entire army. Someone was still needed to officially lead.

“I’m not seeking credit. I’m willing to hand over all real authority to you. I only have one request,” Xie Que Shan stated candidly.

Wan Yan Jun’s expression hardened. “Oh?”

“Lidu  Prefecture is my hometown. My family is here. No one is immune to attachments, and I can’t deny my own personal biases in certain matters. But these biases could give opportunists a reason to exploit me, leaving me with no means of survival. Hu Sha’s downfall is proof of this. Only by having you as the true leader of Lidu  Prefecture can I avoid accusations. I ask only that, no matter how the situation in Lidu  Prefecture evolves, you protect the safety of my family and friends.”

By voluntarily exposing his weakness, Xie Que Shan was skillfully baiting Wan Yan Jun’s trust.

What he needed was for Wan Yan Jun to step forward and explain the night’s events to the Black Crow Battalion. A Dian’s testimony, extracted under Wan Yan Jun’s watch, carried a degree of credibility.

Xie Que Shan knew his own innocence would be hard to prove completely, but by leveraging Wan Yan Jun, he could buy time—enough time for Song Mu Chuan to accomplish his mission. At that point, Xie’s own task would also be complete.

“Fine, I’ll agree to this. But… Gongzi, you’ll need to wait a little longer. Tonight’s events, the Shipyard Department, and Song Mu Chuan—I’ll investigate everything myself, including the testimony we just heard. I’ll confirm it all.”

“Then I’ll wait for your word with peace of mind.”

Xie Que Shan finally allowed himself to exhale fully.

It was just a matter of sending people to Tiger Kneeling Mountain’s shaded side to search for traces of the Yu City Army. But the Yu City Army had long since moved on. Even a meticulous search would yield nothing.

As for Song Mu Chuan and the Shipyard Department… Thankfully, Song Mu Chuan had burned the frame storehouse to the ground. All the tampering he’d done with the shipbuilding would leave no evidence behind.

Conveniently, this matter could also be blamed on Hu Sha.

They could say that Hu Sha, knowing no evidence would be found, had burned the frame storehouse himself to create doubts. After all, many witnesses saw that Song Mu Chuan wasn’t present when the fire broke out.

The very evidence meant to frame Wan Yan Jun had now, by some twist of fate, been used against Hu Sha. Though this was a desperate measure, it was better than a complete collapse.

After a night of nerve-wracking events, Xie Que Shan only wanted to return home.

He wanted to see Nan Yi.

But until the dust fully settled, he had to wait a little longer.