Chapter 417: The Same Miserable End
Gu Qingzhi departed with absolute finality. Before her death, she had sprinkled corrosive potion over her belongings. Before Xiao Changqing could sort through her remains, these items had already deteriorated into piles of decay.
She truly wished to vanish completely from his life, as if she had never existed.
This was both an act of heartlessness and a hope that he could let go completely, so neither would remain bound to the other.
Therefore, when Ye Wantang appeared before Xiao Changqing with this seal, he treasured it like a rare jewel. He carefully took it, gently and meticulously caressing it, bowing his head to gaze at it for a long time—so long that he forgot the presence of everyone around him.
It was only when Xiao Changying lightly coughed that he snapped back to reality: "What does Fourth Sister-in-Law desire?"
Ye Wantang’s gaze lingered reluctantly on the seal in Xiao Changqing’s hand—a small, thumb-sized, square piece engraved with a gardenia flower.
She and Gu Qingzhi had been close friends since before their marriages, and after marrying into the same family, they became sisters-in-law, sharing a deep bond. Otherwise, Gu Qingzhi would not have entrusted her with the final significant task of her life—a testament to profound trust.
"I brought this item with no intention of threat," Ye Wantang explained somewhat feebly.
Gu Qingzhi had taken her own life, and the child in her womb was naturally not harmed by the Fan family. She herself had used two living lives to complete her retaliation against the emperor and her final repayment to the Gu family—a matter in which Ye Wantang had been involved.
Now, bringing this item here was undoubtedly telling Xiao Changqing that she knew everything, carrying an implication of coercion.
"Fourth Sister-in-Law need not explain; I understand." Gu Qingzhi was just like her name, resembling a gardenia—resilient and steadfast, cool and noble.
Her recognition of Ye Wantang and entrusting such an important matter at the end of her life proved she trusted Ye Wantang’s character. Otherwise, clearing the Gu family’s name would have been like drawing water with a bamboo basket—ultimately futile.
She was gone, taking everything that belonged to her, not leaving a single memento for him, let alone a debt of gratitude for him to repay.
Ye Wantang was not leveraging a favor for repayment; she knew of his longing for anything related to Gu Qingzhi and had specifically brought it, seeking something from him.
In the end, she had betrayed their friendship. She knew Gu Qingzhi did not wish her possessions to fall into Xiao Changqing’s hands. Her resolute decisiveness was something Ye Wantang would admire and never attain in her lifetime.
Taking a soft, deep breath, Ye Wantang said, "Ensure my husband and I leave the capital safely and unharmed."
A flicker of understanding passed through Xiao Changqing’s eyes: "When?"
"Ten days from now," Ye Wantang replied.
"Agreed," Xiao Changqing consented without hesitation.
Ye Wantang did not stay long. Having achieved her goal, she cautiously departed. She had come in disguise to evade the Hidden Guards stationed around the Ye residence.
"Brother..." Xiao Changying began hesitantly after Ye Wantang had left.
Xiao Changtai had been the one he shot into the river with an arrow. The thought of Xiao Changtai scheming to harm Shen Xihe made him wish he could immediately lead troops to surround the Ye residence, drag Xiao Changtai out, and tear him to pieces.
But seeing his elder brother bow his head, intently gazing at the seal in his hand, made it difficult for him to speak. A year ago, he had not understood the complexities of love and found his brother’s actions incomprehensible. Now, being able to empathize, he could no longer bring himself to speak.
Xiao Changqing clenched the seal tightly in his fist, his grip firm yet hollow in the middle, afraid that a surge of emotion might destroy the tiny seal.
His dark pupils deep and profound, Xiao Changqing said, "I called you here to reassure Old Fourth."
"Huh?" Xiao Changying was puzzled.Xiao Changqing's lips curved slightly. "It is known to all that Zhaoning County Princess saved your life. Moreover, it was you who shot him into the river that day. If we claim it was merely a coincidence, he would never believe it. Knowing full well of our close brotherly bond, he still allowed Fourth Sister-in-law to seek us out, precisely to sow confusion in the minds of the Crown Prince and Zhaoning County Princess."
Xiao Changtai did not hesitate to sacrifice a hidden pawn to send him a letter precisely because seeking his help was the safest course of action.
Given his deep fraternal bond with Xiao Changying, and since Xiao Changying personally shot Xiao Changtai into the river, no one would suspect that he, aware of his younger brother's intent to kill Xiao Changtai, would secretly assist Xiao Changtai instead.
"He has been cunning and deceitful since childhood." If asked which of all his brothers Xiao Changying detested the most, it would undoubtedly be Xiao Changtai.
Even before Shen Xihe entered the picture, Xiao Changying loathed Xiao Changtai's hypocritical nature—the more he desired something, the more he feigned nonchalance and indifference, even righteously advising others to remain calm and prioritize affection and loyalty.
With Shen Xihe involved, his detestation for Xiao Changtai only deepened.
Xiao Changqing glanced at his younger brother with a gentle smile, sometimes regretting how he had sheltered him too well, fostering his upright and uncompromising character, intolerant of any impurity.
Yet at other times, seeing him so straightforward, with emotions clear as day, frank and open-hearted, he felt a sense of relief.
"Therefore, when I guessed Fourth Sister-in-law's intention in visiting, I called for you. Only this way can Old Fourth know that you also agreed to this matter, which will lower his guard somewhat," Xiao Changqing said, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.
"What does it matter if his guard is lowered?" Xiao Changying frowned slightly. "Could I possibly make Brother a man who breaks his word?"
It would not do to go back on one's word.
"Break my word?" Xiao Changqing let out an ambiguous chuckle. "He only asked me to escort him safely out of the capital. If he is ambushed and killed after leaving the capital, that would not mean I failed to keep my promise."
Xiao Changying's eyes lit up in understanding. Since Xiao Changtai requested Brother's men to escort him out of the capital, Brother would naturally know his whereabouts. He could set an ambush outside the capital...
Xiao Changying did not feel the slightest shame for such a scheme—this was simply the art of war, where deception is permissible.
Seeing Xiao Changying's delight, Xiao Changqing also smiled.
He lowered his head, gazing at the seal twirling between his fingers, and murmured softly, "Everything you said has come true."
Long, long ago, he had deeply admired the unwavering love and trust between Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law. That day, returning to the estate and seeing Fourth Brother personally come to fetch Ye Wantang, he could not help but say to her, "When will we ever be as inseparable and free of reservations as they are?"
Gu Qingzhi had laughed then, a cold and distant laugh. She said, "It is all merely surface appearance. Just as before a storm strikes, the rivers and seas appear vast, blue, and enchantingly beautiful—it is merely the calm before the devastating tempest brews."
She said: They are no different from us—they will not end well.
He had not believed her then, thinking that Gu Qingzhi, unwilling to respond to his feelings or give him hope, simply scorned all forms of affection.
Back then, he believed that a true man should harbor grand ambitions. What woman would not wish for her father, brothers, and husband to stand tall between heaven and earth, achieving great feats and accomplishments?
If a man lacked ambition, would he not have lived in vain? What woman would willingly bind herself to someone without drive?
She did not argue with him. She was always like that—speaking her piece and then paying him no further mind. Throughout their years of marriage, they never once quarreled, for she would always fall silent just as a dispute was about to begin.Amid this maddening silence, he gradually lost his composure and became utterly unrecognizable.
(End of Chapter)
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