Chapter 159

Fan Changyu remembered that when they returned to the manor, the sky had only just cleared after the snowfall.

When she woke up and pushed open the lattice window, she discovered that snow was falling once more.

Perhaps because she had slept well, aside from some lingering soreness throughout her body, she felt refreshed and energetic.

She was also a little hungry.

Familiar with the room by now, Fan Changyu went to the chest where her clothes were usually kept and searched for something to wear.

But even after digging through everything, she found only outer robes and no matching undergarments.

A well-defined arm lifted the bed curtains.

From wrist to shoulder, faint red scratch marks covered the skin. There was even a faint bite mark on his shoulder.

The man’s voice, still rough from sleep, carried a low, husky warmth.

“Not sleeping a little longer?”

Fan Changyu answered honestly,

“I’m hungry.”

Xie Zheng seemed to laugh softly.

He put on a robe and rose from bed.

The muscles along his waist and abdomen were clearly defined. Even more red scratch marks covered his broad back and shoulders.

His armor had been stained almost entirely with other people’s blood.

The most serious wound on him remained the missing chunk of flesh on his left palm.

Fragments of yesterday’s chaotic memories suddenly returned.

Fan Changyu lowered her head and didn’t dare continue looking.

She only heard him say:

“I’ll have someone bring food.”

Only then did she ask,

“Do you have any other clothes of mine here?”

Xie Zheng turned back to look at her.

“The chest only has outer robes.”

The underclothes she had worn after falling into the water previously had at least been usable.

This time, however, her clothes had long since been soaked through with blood.

There was no way to make do with them.

The garment she was currently wearing had been borrowed from him.

Xie Zheng said,

“I haven’t prepared any yet. Wear mine for now. I’ll have someone bring you a set later.”

Fan Changyu didn’t see anything wrong with that.

After thinking it over, it seemed like the only option.

So she nodded.

The servants quickly set out a meal in the outer room.

After washing up, Fan Changyu sat down and ate three full bowls before finally stopping.

The snowy weather left the sky gloomy and made it difficult to judge the time.

After eating, she glanced at the hourglass in Xie Zheng’s room and frowned.

“Has noon not passed yet?”

When they had returned from the palace, it had already been around eight in the morning.

Then he had…

Well.

Done all sorts of things afterward.

She felt as though she had slept for a very long time.

How could only two hours have passed?

Xie Zheng was drinking tea.

Hearing her question, he suddenly covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

A rare trace of awkwardness appeared on his refined face.

“It’s already the second day of the month.”

Fan Changyu stared at him blankly for two breaths.

When she finally understood, her face instantly darkened.

What two hours?

An entire day and night had passed!

The Li faction and Wei faction had just been eliminated. The young emperor was still missing. Countless matters demanded attention.

And he had still managed to sit around doing nothing?

Xie Eleven arrived carrying a stack of documents.

Before he even reached the doorway, a series of loud crashes erupted from inside.

Steeling himself, he said:

“Master, Mr. Gongsun says these memorials require your review.”

“Understood. Leave them at the door.”

The voice from inside remained as calm and clear as ever.

Only his breathing sounded somewhat unsteady.

Xie Eleven’s ears turned bright red.

He set the documents down and fled.

Inside the room, Fan Changyu had Xie Zheng pinned to the floor with her legs locked around his neck.

Looking at her slightly loosened collar, Xie Zheng said in a low voice:

“My ancestor, if you’ve vented your anger, get up. If you don’t get up now, neither of us will be getting up today.”

Fan Changyu’s face instantly turned crimson.

She tightened her hold and glared at him.

“You’re talking nonsense again!”

With his uninjured hand, Xie Zheng grabbed one of her ankles.

A sudden burst of force sent her spinning.

The next moment, she found herself pinned beneath him instead.

One hand slipped through her open collar and gave a firm squeeze.

Fan Changyu felt as though her face might burst into flames.

She struggled even harder.

“You… scoundrel!”

Xie Zheng’s breathing had already become uneven.

Lowering his head slightly, he looked at her with dark eyes.

“Haven’t we done much worse things already?”

“You—”

Fan Changyu choked on her words.

Realizing she was completely at his mercy, she wisely chose a tactical retreat.

“I… I’m still sore.”

Her bright eyes darted toward the door.

“Um… Eleven was looking for you. There are so many matters in court right now. Aren’t you going to review them?”

The combination of cowardice, stubbornness, and refusal to admit defeat made her irresistibly endearing.

A strange itch rose from the roots of Xie Zheng’s teeth.

Holding her chin, he thoroughly kissed her before finally letting her go.

The moment she regained her freedom, Fan Changyu hurriedly pulled her collar closed and sat far away.

Half angry, half embarrassed, she muttered:

“I don’t want to wear your clothes anymore. I want my own.”

Xie Zheng stretched out an arm and pulled her right back into his embrace.

Burying his face against her shoulder, he laughed quietly.

“Fine. Whatever you want.”

His breath tickled her neck.

Expressionless, Fan Changyu pushed his face away.

Her eyes drooped slightly, lips tightly pressed together.

For some reason, she felt annoyed.

He kept saying he’d do whatever she wanted.

Yet she was clearly the one being bullied.

—

By the time Xie Zheng brought the memorials Xie Eleven had left at the door into the room to review them, Fan Changyu had already found a large saber in the armory and gone outside to practice.

Snow drifted down gently.

In the courtyard, she wielded the massive blade with fierce momentum.

Every slash and strike carried killing intent.

No one knew who she was imagining as she hacked at the falling snow.

Leaning on one elbow, Xie Zheng watched for a while.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Then he lowered his gaze and continued reading the memorials.

When he reached one of them, his eyebrow rose slightly.

“The Military Governor of Lingnan entered the capital at a time like this?”

Fan Changyu had just finished a sequence of movements.

Leaning on her saber, she turned and asked:

“Another backup plan of Wei Yan’s?”

Xie Zheng shook his head.

“The scouts report that he entered the capital alone.”

Just then, Xie Eleven hurried into the courtyard.

“Master, Madam Wei requests an audience.”

Xie Zheng’s eyes lowered slightly.

“Take her to the reception hall.”

—

A short while later, Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu entered the reception hall together.

Madam Wei was dressed entirely in mourning white.

The moment she saw Xie Zheng, she immediately knelt.

Fan Changyu was startled by the sudden gesture.

Before she could react, Xie Zheng had already moved forward to help her up.

“Aunt, what are you doing?”

Madam Wei refused to rise.

Her face was pale.

A faint smile barely touched her lips.

“Please don’t call me that, Marquis. I am unworthy of it.”

Xie Zheng’s eyes darkened.

“No matter what Wei Yan did, I still regard you as my aunt.”

Madam Wei shook her head.

A sorrowful expression appeared on her face.

“I truly am unworthy of that title. I merely survived under the Prime Minister’s protection for over twenty years and raised Xuan’er…”

Fan Changyu immediately sensed something unusual.

Xie Zheng asked slowly,

“What do you mean?”

Madam Wei finally revealed the truth.

“I was originally only the illegitimate daughter of a minor household. Someone like me could never have reached the Prime Minister’s status.

“My family arranged for me to become the second wife of a sixth-rank official. That official’s son was several years older than I was…

“I refused.

“I secretly pledged myself to one of the family guards. To save enough money to marry me, he joined the army.

“When the official came to propose marriage, I was already three months pregnant.

“My family discovered it and wanted to force me to abort the child.

“I ran away and went to the military camp to find Xuan’er’s father.

“But… Xuan’er’s father had already died in battle.”

At this point, her eyes seemed almost numb.

Yet tears still slid down her cheeks.

She smiled bitterly.

“I truly lost all hope then.

“My family followed me to the camp and said they would drag me back and drown me in a pig cage to satisfy the official’s family.

“I thought that since I was going to die anyway, I might as well end my own life and go be with Xuan’er’s father.”

Her voice trembled.

“I tried to throw myself against a pillar.

“But someone stopped me.

“The Prime Minister acknowledged the child in my womb and said he would formally propose marriage shortly.

“He suppressed the entire matter that very day. Even now, very few people know about it.

“He said Xuan’er’s father had been one of his officers.

“He had never intended to marry in this lifetime, but his family continued pressuring him. Since I had nowhere left to go with a child in my womb, this became a solution that benefited us both.”

Xie Zheng’s expression changed.

“Wei Xuan wasn’t Wei Yan’s son?”

“No.”

Madam Wei shook her head.

“The Prime Minister is a man who respects propriety. Over all these years, he only visited my courtyard during major holidays so that the servants wouldn’t look down on Xuan’er.”

Looking at Xie Zheng, she pleaded:

“I came today to beg you, Marquis.

“I am only a woman. I don’t know much about the things the Prime Minister has done.

“But he gave both me and Xuan’er a second life.

“I can only repay that kindness as best I can.

“Please, for the sake of Xuan’er taking that blade for you, spare the Prime Minister’s life.”

Fan Changyu was astonished.

She had never imagined there were so many hidden truths behind Wei Yan’s marriage.

The hand Xie Zheng had used to support Madam Wei slowly loosened.

No emotion showed in his eyes.

He only asked:

“Wei Yan never married… because of Consort Shu?”

Madam Wei shook her head.

“I don’t know.

“But with the Prime Minister’s personality, if he truly cared for Consort Shu, I cannot believe he would burn her and her unborn child alive.”

Even Fan Changyu, who hated Wei Yan to the bone, found herself troubled by the inconsistency.

Qi Min had claimed Wei Yan orchestrated the Jinzhou tragedy for Consort Shu and the child in her womb.

Wei Yan himself had no children.

And later, he had still managed to overthrow an emperor and place a powerless child on the throne.

A man capable of such feats—

Why would he burn Consort Shu to death?

She glanced toward Xie Zheng.

Xie Zheng said to Madam Wei:

“Wei Yan’s crimes will be investigated thoroughly and announced to the world. Judgment will come afterward. Please return home for now.”

Since he had already spoken so clearly, Madam Wei could only stop pleading.

After kowtowing once, she departed sadly.

Only then did Fan Changyu say:

“Wei Yan has already been arrested. I’ll take some men and search his residence again. Maybe we’ll find something.”

Xie Zheng replied:

“Gongsun already searched it. Wei Yan was too cautious. Once he decided to rebel, he had already prepared for defeat. Every document that could be destroyed was burned.”

He paused before adding:

“My teacher has been found. Wei Yan had kept him confined in the residence. He’s already been returned to the Xie estate. You can visit him later.”

Fan Changyu’s eyes widened with joy.

“Godfather has been found?”

Xie Zheng nodded.

“Then I’ll go see him right now.”

Xie Zheng ordered someone to escort her.

The moment Fan Changyu entered the courtyard, she heard Changning slamming a table.

“I want my sister!”

“Your sister is off suppressing a rebellion.”

An elderly but vigorous voice answered.

“You little troublemaker. Stop disrupting my chess game on purpose.”

Fan Changyu quickly stepped into the doorway.

“Ningniang.”

Changning, whose chin had been resting on the chessboard, instantly turned around.

Without even putting on her shoes, she ran across the room in her socks with her arms spread wide.

“Sister! Hug!”

Fan Changyu effortlessly picked her up with one arm.

Then she looked at Grand Tutor Tao.

Though still as skinny as ever, he appeared not to have suffered at all.

All the sadness she had prepared on the way vanished.

In the end, she only managed:

“Godfather.”

Holding a chess piece, Grand Tutor Tao responded with a casual grunt.

He glanced at her.

“I heard you’ve become a third-rank official. Not bad.”

Fan Changyu felt she ought to be humble.

“It’s all thanks to your teaching, Godfather.”

Grand Tutor Tao lifted an eyebrow.

“I didn’t teach you that much. Wasn’t it that brat who taught you?”

Possibly because of her guilt over sleeping for an entire day and night, Fan Changyu blushed all the way to her ears.

Her neck was probably red too.

Fortunately, she had wrapped a rabbit-fur scarf around it.

Grand Tutor Tao knew exactly how straightforward and thin-skinned she was.

Thinking about how easily she’d suffer in the hands of that crafty boy in the future, he couldn’t help blowing his beard in annoyance.

“If he taught you, then he taught you. What’s there to be embarrassed about? Not only will he have to come marry you properly one day, but he’s also your senior brother. Teaching you is only natural!”

The moment Grand Tutor Tao started lecturing, Fan Changyu instinctively sat upright.

“Godfather is absolutely right!”

Only then did he look satisfied.

His tone softened.

“Come. Sit down and play a game of chess with me.”

Yu Bao’er, who had been trapped playing chess with him for most of the day, quietly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly gave up her seat.

“Please, Aunt Changyu.”

Fan Changyu: “…”

As she desperately tried to figure out where to place her next piece, Grand Tutor Tao casually asked about the situation in the capital.

“The Li family has fallen. That old thing from the Wei family has finally reached this point. You know what that brat plans to do next, don’t you?”

Fan Changyu nodded.

She was about to place a white piece when she suddenly looked up.

“Grand Tutor, may I ask you something about Wei Yan?”

The wrinkled eyelids of Grand Tutor Tao lifted slightly.

“Are you asking for yourself? Or for that brat?”

“For the truth from seventeen years ago.”

Grand Tutor Tao chuckled.

“You, child…”

He returned the chess piece to the bowl.

After pouring himself a cup of tea from the red clay stove and taking a sip, he gazed at the falling snow outside.

“That brat has probably gone to see Wei Yan in prison by now.”

Fan Changyu said nothing.

Earlier, she had sensed that Xie Zheng wanted to meet Wei Yan alone.

That was why she had chosen to come visit Grand Tutor Tao instead.

Grand Tutor Tao slowly continued:

“Wei Yan had no son. That brat was raised under his care. Truth be told, he turned out exactly like Wei Yan when he was young. Once he decides on something, not even ten oxen can pull him back…”