WNST - 105

Chapter 105: Tea Ceremony

At first, Nan Yi was a bit nervous, casually inquiring and learning that during the time she had been away from Wang Xue Wu, Xie Que Shan had often stayed outside. The military camp was far from Wang Xue Wu, and it was inconvenient to travel back and forth. Sometimes, when busy, he would simply stay at the camp.

Nan Yi didn’t want to think too negatively. The matter with Hu Sha had been covered up perfectly, and Wan Yan Jun had already clarified everything. What could possibly cause more trouble?

She imagined that everything from that night had happened too suddenly, and perhaps he needed some time to sort out their relationship.

But she was a bit angry. What was the meaning of leaving without a word?

Her heart churned with pent-up frustration. She silently vowed that when he returned, she would pretend not to see him and coldly pass by.

Another day passed, and Xie Que Shan still hadn’t returned.

A sense of unease began to creep into Nan Yi’s heart, but she instinctively avoided it. A person as powerful as him could disappear without a trace only if he wanted to, right?

Today, as usual, she took Xie Qin to Song Mu Chuan’s place, only to find that the house was surrounded by Qi soldiers. They stopped her at the entrance, saying that Mr. Song was busy with his work and could not meet with anyone. She was unable to see him.

The matter with Hu Sha had indeed aroused suspicion in Wan Yan Jun, who had grown cautious of Song Mu Chuan. Until the ship was completed, he would keep a close watch on him, not allowing any mistakes.

Nan Yi deliberately put on an air of authority in front of the Qi soldiers, mentioning Xie Que Shan’s name to pressure them into letting her meet Song Mu Chuan. The soldiers still wouldn’t let her in, but their tone was much more polite.

From their reaction, it was clear they still respected Xie Que Shan, meaning he hadn’t fallen out of favor with the Qi people.

She felt slightly relieved, reassuring herself that the situation was reasonable and there was no cause for alarm. Xie Que Shan was a cunning fox who could always find a way to escape danger.

The atmosphere in the streets was becoming more tense, and everyone had to undergo several checks to pass through. Nan Yi didn’t want to linger outside any longer, so she hurried back home with Xie Qin.

At home, there was another group of Qi soldiers. Nan Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and her steps involuntarily quickened. Outside Xie Que Shan’s Jing Feng residence, a few Qi soldiers were stationed, and the door was wide open, with someone inside.

Nan Yi couldn’t hold back her plans to act indifferent. The confusion swirling in her heart had already reached its boiling point, and she couldn’t ignore it anymore. Any small anomaly in the situation would make her anxiety explode.

Inside, there was no sign of Xie Que Shan, only He Ping, who was tidying up.

“Where... is the master?” Nan Yi asked.

He Ping turned around, cupping his hands respectfully, and said, “Young Madam, the master had urgent business and had to return to the Great Qi royal court. He sent me back to pack his things.”

Nan Yi was stunned for a moment. Why was he in such a hurry? Why didn’t he return personally?

She opened her mouth, full of questions, not knowing where to begin or if it was appropriate to ask them in front of others.

“The master is fine, and will return soon. Please don’t worry, madam,” He Ping said, his gaze casually drifting towards the table. Nan Yi noticed a corner of a piece of paper under the tea tray.

She silently took the neatly folded paper and, after returning to her room, dared to open it.

The paper contained a prescription: Chuanxiong, Danggui, Taoren, Honghua, Jiangtan, Zhi Gancao, and Yuntaizi. Some of the characters were unfamiliar to Nan Yi, but it was easy to tell that this was a medicinal recipe.

There must be a hidden message in this. It seemed that Xie Que Shan’s current situation was not good.

But she still couldn’t understand—who could have captured Xie Que Shan? Wasn’t Wanyan Jun already on his side?

Xie Que Shan had never been in such a passive situation before, without any backup, disappearing without a trace. This cunning man, what kind of situation could have put him in such a position?

Nan Yi stared at the prescription for a long time, but couldn’t make sense of it. The next day, she went to a nearby pharmacy, silently reciting the prescription and handing it over to the young servant to prepare a dose.

While waiting, she casually asked, “What is this medicine for?”

The servant glanced at Nan Yi, who had specifically worn a veil today to avoid being recognized. The servant gave a subtle smile and said, “Madam, this is a contraceptive.”

It was like the dawn breaking, only for dark clouds to suddenly engulf the sky, leaving her despondent.

She suddenly understood. The prescription was just a prescription, without any hidden meaning.

The overwhelming ache spread from her chest. She couldn’t say what the problem was. She didn’t want to be pregnant, but his only message, his parting note, was this?

Cold and indifferent.

She didn’t understand, and she couldn’t figure it out, but now she couldn’t reach him anymore. He had left without a word, leaving her in a half-dream.

Had he known he was returning to Great Qi all along? But that night, he hadn’t told her.

Nan Yi always thought she could understand him, but there would always be gaps between people that couldn’t be seen through. Maybe deep down, he was still an extremely indifferent person. Moreover, he had never admitted to his personality—she had only guessed.

When she looked at him from a suspicious angle, everything she had built around him began to collapse.

Nan Yi numbly dragged her heavy steps back. Someone called out to her, handing her the medicine she had forgotten to take.

The medicine packet seemed to burn her hands. She wanted to let go and throw it away, but her fingers still tightly clutched it.

Three days ago, early in the morning, Xie Que Shan had been called away by Wanyan Jun. The messenger said there was an urgent matter in the military camp.

On the way, Xie Que Shan didn’t sense anything unusual. He had just come from Wanyan Jun’s residence at midnight, and they had reached a complete consensus. Even if Wanyan Jun still had doubts, he had to turn a blind eye. What could change in such a short night?

However, upon arriving at the military camp, Xie Que Shan felt something was wrong. Wanyan Jun seemed unusually nervous.

Only when they were alone did Wanyan Jun lower his voice and inform him, “The Crown Princess has arrived.”

Xie Que Shan’s heart sank as he realized things were more complicated than he thought. A formidable figure had arrived.

In the past, various factions had kept each other in check. Others’ suspicions of him had no evidence, so they couldn’t do anything. But the Crown Princess didn’t need a reason to remove someone.

He had no personal ties with this Crown Princess, but his ability to stand firm in the Great Qi royal court had been aided by her.

The Crown Princess was a shrewd woman. Unlike other Qiren, she wasn’t arrogant or dismissive of the Yuzhao Dynasty. On the contrary, she genuinely admired Han culture and had spoken more than once in various occasions, claiming that it was the true path for a nation to endure.

Her understanding of Yuzhao was profound. She had even promoted Han culture and institutions in Great Qi, introducing Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and ordered all officials to learn the Han language and write in Han characters to prepare for the future southern expansion.

She admired it, but her methods were predatory.

To know oneself and one’s enemy is key to victory. She had recruited several scholars from the Yuzhao Dynasty—now the prime minister, Han Xianwang, whose father had been a Qiren businessman in Yuzhao, and had taken the Han surname “Han.” His eldest son followed the Han surname, while his second son retained the original surname, Wanyan. Both brothers had spent time in Bianjing and were familiar with Yuzhao. With their rise in the Great Qi Dynasty, Xie Que Shan, as a Han, had been promoted to his current high position.

However, Wanyan Puruo’s style had always been swift and decisive.

Xie Que Shan waited alone in the tent for a long time. This was a military camp, and he couldn’t act rashly.

This was a slow interrogation. He had been sitting stiffly all night. Every time he tried to rest, soldiers would come in and add more candlelight, waking him up.

By now, he hadn’t had a good sleep for three nights, and even someone as tough as him couldn’t endure this kind of torture. By dawn, he began to feel dizzy and exhausted, his will fading.

At that moment, just as the long night was ending and he was at his most weary, the curtain was lifted, and Wanyan Puruo finally entered the tent.

She wore a Han-style spring shirt with a red short jacket and moon-white skirt. If one didn’t look closely at her brows and eyes, they might think she was some noblewoman, delicate and dignified. She had never married or had children, and though she was over thirty, she appeared remarkably youthful.

“Your Highness,” Xie Que Shan stood up and greeted her.

Wanyan Puruo, holding tea utensils, gracefully passed by him and sat at the main seat. Seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, she feigned concern and asked, “Xie Que Shan, haven’t you rested well? You look a little tired.”

What a ridiculous question—how could he not be exhausted after a sleepless night? He just wanted to find a bed to sleep in, but he had to remain fully alert facing Wanyan Puruo.

The camp was bustling with activity, making it inconvenient to rest. “I am indeed very fatigued,” replied Xie Que Shan openly, without any sign of guilt. “I wonder, Your Highness, what brings you here today?”

Wanyan Puruo, not in a hurry, started the stove to boil water, then laid out tea utensils on the table and began grinding tea into powder.

The process was quite elaborate, and Xie Que Shan did not try to hide his yawns while waiting for her to speak.

When the tea powder was finally in the pot, Wanyan Puruo raised her eyes to look at Xie Que Shan and asked straightforwardly, “Gusha died because he suspected you, am I right?”

The water was boiling, bubbling loudly.

Xie Que Shan frowned slightly. This was a clever wordplay, and Wanyan Puruo’s grasp of the Chinese language had reached an advanced level. He replied, “General Gusha died on the scene of our confrontation, and the murderer has already been caught.”

Wanyan Puruo smiled lightly, picked up the teapot, and carefully brewed the tea, expertly preparing the tea in the cup. Only when the tea was ready did she speak again.

“Do you know, I particularly enjoy the Chinese tea ceremony. The process is extremely meticulous, requiring constant stirring, and the strength must be just right—not too light, nor too strong—only then can the final, simple cup of tea with foam be presented.”

Wanyan Puruo set the cup down, and the tea was now ready. The delicate foam resembled sparse stars and a pale moon.

“It is only your people, the Han, who can stir such cloudy water into something so beautiful. If one does not know the trick, how would they know that this cup of tea was once a dark, dry, shriveled tea cake? You see, the current situation in Lidu Prefecture—doesn’t it resemble someone brewing an exquisite cup of tea behind the scenes? What outsiders see is only a picture of embellished peace.”

As she spoke, she pulled a packet of powder from her sleeve and sprinkled it directly onto the tea in the cup. The white powder quickly blended with the tea.

“I wonder what it tastes like when arsenic is mixed into tea—this is something I prepared especially for you, Lord Xie, the tea master.”

Wanyan Puruo smiled sweetly as she pushed the tea cup toward Xie Que Shan.