{"id":4008,"date":"2026-06-14T22:15:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-128\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T22:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:15:32","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-128","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-128\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 128"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 128

Zhu Youchang was still unaware of the schemes Qi Min and the Li family had carried out together. He said angrily,

\u201cMarquis, since the Imperial Great-Grandson is still alive, I can serve as a witness, and the tiger tally I gave him can serve as physical evidence. There is no way we cannot bring Wei Yan down!\u201d

Xie Zhong also felt sorrow for the injustice Meng Shuyuan had borne for so many years. But as an outsider, he was somewhat calmer.

He advised,

\u201cMarquis, General Zhu, the more one thinks about what happened back then, the more suspicious it becomes. Wei Yan is a man of immense capability and cunning. We should proceed cautiously and make long-term plans.\u201d

Neither Xie Zheng nor Zhu Youchang spoke.

Xie Zhong continued,

\u201cWei Qilin was originally a retainer of the Wei family before becoming General Meng’s son-in-law. Since the Changzhou tiger tally he delivered was genuine, yet the Marquis can find no record of its deployment in the archives, there are only two possibilities.\u201d

\u201cEither the tally truly was issued by the late Emperor, and because they wished to cover up the Sixteenth Prince’s mistakes, no record was entered into the Ministry of War’s archives\u2026\u201d

\u201cOr\u2026\u201d

His expression darkened.

\u201cOr Wei Yan already possessed enough power back then to secretly mobilize military tiger tallies without authorization.\u201d

Outside, the rainstorm continued unabated.

The cold dampness seemed to seep into the room itself.

The truth behind the Jinzhou massacre and the real cause of his mother’s death caused the veins at Xie Zheng’s temples to bulge. A throbbing pain pounded inside his skull.

His handsome face was pale with coldness, like snow resting on the edge of a blade.

A faint redness tinged the corners of his eyes.

\u201cThe person behind all this went to great lengths to delay General Meng’s grain transport,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir true objective was for Jinzhou to fall.\u201d

Or rather\u2014

For Crown Prince Chengde to die.

Everyone knew what the fall of Jinzhou would mean for Great Yin.

Even if Crown Prince Chengde had survived the battle, he likely would have been stripped of his position upon returning to the capital.

Xie Linshan had merely been another sacrifice in a struggle for imperial power.

After Xie Zheng’s explanation, Xie Zhong quickly grasped the key point.

His face filled with shock.

\u201cCould it be that the Sixteenth Prince deliberately put himself in danger? Just to ensure Crown Prince Chengde died at Jinzhou and clear the way for his own claim to the throne?\u201d

Zhu Youchang was a straightforward military man. His mind was not as sharp as Xie Zhong’s.

Hearing this, he frowned.

\u201cBut wouldn’t that have been far too risky? He practically delivered himself into the enemy’s jaws. Was he really that certain the late Emperor would spare no effort to save him?\u201d

In reality, the Sixteenth Prince had indeed died in Luo City.

Luo City was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

When news of Jinzhou’s fall reached Luo City, the imperial army was devastated.

Both Crown Prince Chengde and Xie Linshan were dead.

The soldiers’ morale collapsed along with them.

Once the Northern Di forces inside Luo City learned that the main Northern Di army could now sweep unhindered into Great Yin, they no longer had any need for the Sixteenth Prince as a hostage.

They executed him and used his blood to consecrate their banners.

The most beloved heir of the realm and the late Emperor’s favorite son had both died.

For the first time, Zhu Youchang realized just how complicated the truth behind Jinzhou’s fall truly was.

After hearing Zhu Youchang’s reasoning, even Xie Zhong felt his own speculation no longer held up.

After a moment’s thought, he said,

\u201cThere is an old saying: when the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits.\u201d

\u201cThe late Emperor favored the Sixteenth Prince. Crown Prince Chengde personally supervised the defense of Jinzhou in order to win support within the military.\u201d

\u201cThe Sixteenth Prince, eager for military achievements, petitioned the Emperor afterward and secured a position overseeing grain transport so he could accompany the campaign.\u201d

\u201cIn the end, both Crown Prince Chengde and the Sixteenth Prince died…\u201d

His eyes suddenly widened.

He looked at Xie Zheng.

\u201cCould another prince have been manipulating events behind the scenes in pursuit of the throne?\u201d

After a brief consideration, Zhu Youchang immediately ground his teeth in hatred.

\u201cWei Yan! It must have been Wei Yan!\u201d

\u201cAfter Crown Prince Chengde and the Sixteenth Prince died, the late Emperor succumbed to grief and passed away soon afterward.\u201d

\u201cWei Yan then brushed aside all opposition and placed the Nineteenth Prince\u2014who had no political foundation whatsoever\u2014on the throne!\u201d

\u201cThat beast isn’t even fit to be called human! For power, he was willing to sacrifice even his own sister and brother-in-law!\u201d

\u201cIf he hadn’t feared arousing suspicion, he probably would have sat on the Dragon Throne himself!\u201d

Overcome with grief, Zhu Youchang’s voice became hoarse.

\u201cWei Qilin truly was Wei Yan’s perfect dog!\u201d

\u201cGeneral Meng treated him generously!\u201d

\u201cSister Lihua was even carrying his child at the time. How could he bear to help Wei Yan frame General Meng?\u201d

Afraid Xie Zheng might harbor resentment toward Meng Shuyuan’s descendants because of Wei Qilin, Zhu Youchang hurriedly added,

\u201cMarquis, if one of Lihua’s children carries Wei Qilin’s blood, you needn’t regard her as a member of the Wei family.\u201d

\u201cThe Meng family does not acknowledge that ungrateful traitor!\u201d

\u201cShe is only Meng family blood!\u201d

When Zhu Youchang mentioned Wei Qilin again, Xie Zheng’s pale face remained unreadable.

His dark lashes lowered slightly.

He merely asked,

\u201cThe letter Wei Yan wrote to General Meng could also serve as evidence against him. Does General Zhu know what became of it?\u201d

Filled with regret, Zhu Youchang replied,

\u201cWhen news of Jinzhou’s fall arrived, the entire army descended into chaos.\u201d

\u201cAt the time, I never imagined Wei Yan had framed General Meng. It never occurred to me that the letter would become important evidence.\u201d

\u201cBy the time the court’s accusations arrived and I thought to look for it, the letter had already vanished…\u201d

The pounding headache returned.

Xie Zheng unconsciously frowned.

The letter had ultimately ended up in Wei Qilin’s hands.

Something else must have happened along the way.

But even Zhu Youchang didn’t know what.

The paler Xie Zheng became, the calmer he appeared.

Now that he had obtained the answers he sought, he said,

\u201cWei Yan has already been impeached by the Li family for colluding with rebels.\u201d

\u201cSoon he will be held accountable before the Golden Throne.\u201d

\u201cGeneral Zhu should focus on recovering.\u201d

\u201cAs for the blood debt from seventeen years ago\u2026\u201d

His voice was ice-cold.

\u201cThis Marquis will collect it from that Wei dog, one debt at a time.\u201d


—

After leaving Zhu Youchang’s residence, Xie Zhong followed closely behind Xie Zheng.

Several times he opened his mouth to speak, only to stop himself.

The rain had weakened.

From the eaves of the corridor, only fine strings of droplets remained, hanging like curtains of pearls.

Dressed in a dark crimson robe, Xie Zheng stood beneath the eaves with one hand behind his back.

Before him stretched a courtyard of lush green bamboo.

His refined features appeared calm and indifferent, yet there was a terrifying sense of murderous gloom that even his innate nobility could not conceal.

After hesitating repeatedly, Xie Zhong finally spoke.

\u201cMarquis…\u201d

Without even raising his eyelids, Xie Zheng said,

\u201cYou needn’t follow me. Leave.\u201d

For perhaps the first time in years, Xie Zhong dared to overstep.

\u201cMadam’s actions back then were surely done to protect you, Marquis. She had no other choice.\u201d

\u201cPlease don’t grieve too deeply.\u201d

\u201cIf the General and Madam knew what you’ve accomplished today, they would surely smile in the afterlife.\u201d

Xie Zheng’s gaze instantly turned cold.

\u201cLeave.\u201d

Xie Zhong looked at his rigid back and sighed inwardly.

He had always known that Madam Xie’s suicide was a wound that had never healed in Xie Zheng’s heart.

Now that the truth had come to light, the pain would only be worse.

For more than ten years, Xie Zheng had hated her weakness.

He had hated her for abandoning him.

For leaving him to be raised by the very enemy responsible for his family’s destruction.

Yet the truth was that after discovering Wei Yan’s conspiracy, Madam Xie had taken her own life to protect Zhu Youchang and the surviving members of the Xie faction.

Wei Yan could imprison Zhu Youchang forever.

But he could not imprison his own sister forever.

As long as Madam Xie lived, Xie Zheng would one day learn the truth.

Given Wei Yan’s methods, he would likely have eradicated them all.

Madam Xie had chosen death to preserve Xie Zheng’s life.

Her final request that Wei Yan raise him had been made so that Wei Yan would keep the child under his own watch and lower his guard completely.

A year ago, when Xie Zheng began investigating the Jinzhou case after hearing rumors, Wei Yan had indeed set a deadly trap and nearly had him killed during the Chongzhou rebellion campaign.

The mother he had hated and missed for over a decade…

Had died for his sake.

Xie Zhong could not imagine the agony within the young man before him\u2014a man who had carried the honor and burden of the entire Xie family on his shoulders since adolescence.

Knowing Xie Zheng’s temperament, he found no words of comfort adequate.

After bowing respectfully, he finally withdrew.

The long corridor was left empty.

Only Xie Zheng remained.

The cold wind rose again.

Fine rain drifted sideways into the corridor, brushing against his pale face and leaving a chilling dampness behind.

Leaning against a pillar, Xie Zheng lifted one leg and sat on the wooden railing.

His thick black lashes lowered like a fan.

Without blinking, he stared at the rainwater gathering upon bamboo leaves until the droplets grew too heavy and finally fell from the leaf tips.

He tried very hard to remember.

But he could no longer recall that woman’s face.

In his mind remained only a vague figure smiling gently.

A woman who seemed capable of forgiving every fault in the world.

Yet the final memory she left him was different.

He stood at the doorway.

Inside the room, he saw only the lower half of her skirt swaying in midair.

That image had haunted countless nights.

It jolted him awake from nightmares drenched in cold sweat.

He had hated her for being weak.

He had hated her for being selfish.

Yet she had died to protect him.

The cold wind blew strands of hair across his eyes.

Xie Zheng tilted his head back slightly and covered his eyes with one hand.

He remained motionless in that posture for a very long time.


—

Wei Residence.

This autumn rain seemed determined to wash all the dust from the world.

Two lanterns burned before the grand gates of the Wei estate.

Hidden beneath the dense shadows of parasol and poplar trees, they resembled the crimson eyes of a beast lurking in the darkness.

Outside the study window, wild chrysanthemums stood proudly amid the cold rain and bitter wind.

Their thin stems struggled to support the flower buds.

Whether it was stubbornness or unyielding pride was impossible to say.

The entire court knew Wei Yan loved chrysanthemums.

Yet he disliked rare and precious varieties.

Instead, he favored the ordinary wild chrysanthemums that grew everywhere in the mountains.

Throughout the Chancellor’s estate, these flowers were planted in abundance.

Their growth was so aggressive that if the servants neglected the gardens even slightly, the wild chrysanthemums would overwhelm every other flower bed.

Warm candlelight illuminated the desk.

An elderly man with powerful bones and sinews sat reviewing documents.

Despite the chilly autumn night, he wore only a single layer of clothing.

Yet he looked anything but frail.

A man knelt below him, cold sweat soaking his body as he reported the events of the day.

\u201c…There were two separate groups attempting to break into the prison.\u201d

\u201cYou searched for the Changzhou tiger tally for many years without success. It turns out Zhu Youchang had sewn it inside his severed leg.\u201d

\u201cWhen the first group rescued him, they were intercepted by the Heaven-Class operatives.\u201d

\u201cUnable to walk properly and afraid he would slow them down, Zhu Youchang picked up a dagger, cut open his own leg, and removed the tiger tally, handing it to them…\u201d

\u201cLater, another group appeared.\u201d

\u201cJudging from their martial arts, they seemed to belong to the Xie family.\u201d

\u201cThey took advantage of the Heaven-Class operatives pursuing the first group and rescued Zhu Youchang…\u201d

The old man never paused his writing.

Under the yellow candlelight, black ink flowed across the paper.

Each stroke was powerful and vigorous.

Hooks and horizontal strokes resembled iron bent and gold cleaved apart.

The fashionable script of the era was running or cursive style.

Officials were especially praised for elegant pavilion-style calligraphy.

Wei Yan, however, was famous for his slender-gold script.

Just like the man himself.

Lean.

Hard.

Unyielding.

Seeing that the old man remained silent, the kneeling man’s fear only deepened.

Cold sweat dripped steadily from his forehead.

When the pressure finally became unbearable, he slammed his head against the floor.

\u201cPlease punish this subordinate, Chancellor!\u201d

Only then did the old man set down his brush.

He cast a casual glance downward.

\u201cGo to the punishment chamber and receive your sentence.\u201d

For the death warriors raised by the Wei family, entering the punishment chamber was tantamount to losing half one’s life.

Yet at this moment, the kneeling man felt only overwhelming relief.

He had survived.

After bowing once more, he quietly withdrew from the study.

A servant stepped forward to clean the ink brush.

In a low voice, he said,

\u201cChancellor, the truth about what happened back then… I’m afraid it can no longer be concealed.\u201d

Wei Yan rose and walked to the window.

The cold wind rushed into his sleeves, making them snap loudly.

The flickering candlelight stretched his shadow long and imposing across the floor.

Like a mountain.

Looking at the wild chrysanthemums swaying beneath the cold rain in the courtyard, he said:

\u201cSend word to the palace.\u201d

A pause.

\u201cIt’s time for the Western Expedition Army to return to the capital and receive its rewards.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-4008","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/4008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4008"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/4008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4009,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/4008\/revisions\/4009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=4008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}