Fan Changyu had drunk too much the previous night and was still reeking of alcohol. After changing into the clean robes brought by Xie Wu, she noticed Xie Zheng ordering his men to prepare a carriage as if he was about to go out. Grabbing two large white steamed buns from the breakfast that had been served, she followed him outside.
This amused Xie Zheng. "Really that hungry?"
Ignoring him, Fan Changyu boarded the carriage and began munching on her bun. The buns from the city lord's residence were soft, fluffy, and sweet—far tastier than the military rations.
Xie Zheng hadn't felt hungry initially, but watching her eat stirred his appetite. Leaning against the opposite side of the carriage, he studied her for a moment before asking, "Are they really that good?"
Considering he hadn't eaten anything since morning either, Fan Changyu generously offered the other bun in her hand. "Here, have one."
Instead of taking it, Xie Zheng leaned forward and caught her other wrist. The half-eaten bun she had been about to bite into was now missing a chunk—snatched by him.
Fan Changyu glared at him furiously, but he chewed and swallowed unperturbed before nodding. "Quite sweet indeed."
The double entendre made her flush with embarrassment. "Picking at others' leftovers!" she snapped.
Xie Zheng raised his eyes. "How does taking a bite of your food equate to 'picking at others' leftovers'?"
Meeting her slightly bewildered gaze, he paused for a beat before suddenly asking, "Did you think 'picking at others' leftovers' meant someone taking a bite after you've eaten something?"
Fan Changyu nodded honestly. "Isn't that what it means?"
Xie Zheng pressed his fingers to his temple in exasperation. "What exactly has that old man been teaching you?"
She muttered under her breath, "I figured this out myself from reading."
This nearly made Xie Zheng laugh in disbelief. His phoenix eyes half-lidded as he gave her a sidelong glance. "Quite the prodigy, aren't you?"
Fan Changyu wasn't stupid—she knew that wasn't a compliment. She quickly finished the last of her bun. "Hiring advisors during wartime costs money. Now that there's no war, I'll get myself a private tutor later."
Xie Zheng said, "No need to go to such trouble."
"'Picking' means to gather; 'leftovers' refers to others' words. Collecting others' words and passing them off as your own—it usually means plagiarism or imitation."
His voice was deep and magnetic, patiently explaining the nuances. The usual military sternness faded, replaced by an elegance Fan Changyu couldn't quite describe.
Noticing her distraction, Xie Zheng flicked her forehead lightly. "Starting today, come study with me for two hours daily. Otherwise, when the old man returns and sees what you've learned, he might keel over from rage."
Rubbing her forehead, Fan Changyu forgot her anger at the mention of Grand Tutor Tao. "Do you have news about your foster father?"
Xie Zheng's expression darkened. "No. But Wei Yan is undoubtedly involved."
His voice turned icy on that last sentence.
Just then, the carriage halted. Xie Shiyi's voice came from ahead: "Master, we've arrived."
Xie Zheng stepped out first and extended a hand for Fan Changyu to take. Dressed in martial attire, she easily leaped down without assistance, then turned to shoot him a faintly triumphant smirk.
Autumn sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling her face. The smile on her lips held a youthful radiance—bright, clear, warm, and vibrant, hovering between boyish charm and girlish innocence.Seeing her smile, Xie Zheng also curved his lips slightly. "I was just worried you'd pull on your wound."
Fan Changyu waved it off carelessly. "It stopped hurting long ago."
She walked forward along the secluded path strewn with yellow leaves. Xie Zheng followed leisurely a step behind, yet could precisely grasp her hand. "I know. But I'm afraid of you being in pain."
These words struck Fan Changyu's ears, sending an unexpected numbness through her chest.
She turned to look at Xie Zheng, only to find him gazing straight ahead as he said, "We're here."
At the end of the path stood a detached courtyard, guarded by dozens of black-armored soldiers. Upon seeing Xie Zheng, they all knelt on one knee in unison. "Marquis."
Xie Zheng gave a slight nod and ordered, "Open the gate."
As the vermilion-lacquered gates slowly swung open, the mother and son inside the courtyard looked up toward the entrance.
Overjoyed, Fan Changyu hurried forward. "Qianqian?"
Yu Qianqian was equally surprised and delighted, grasping Fan Changyu's hands to examine her. "I never thought I'd see you here again..."
She then urged her noticeably taller son, Yu Bao'er, to greet Fan Changyu. "Bao'er, this is your Aunt Changyu. Aren't you going to say hello?"
Yu Bao'er kept glancing toward the gate, only turning to Fan Changyu after confirming that Xie Zheng was the only one who had entered with her. "Aunt Changyu."
After this greeting, he clenched his hidden sleeve-covered hand and asked with unconscious tension, "Where's Changning?"
Their last parting had been at Changxin Prince Manor nearly half a year ago. He didn't know whether Changning had been rescued or taken elsewhere by those people.
Fan Changyu patted his head. "I just learned you were here too. Ning Niang's at home—I'll bring her over later."
Yu Bao'er visibly relaxed and obediently agreed.
Yu Qianqian, who seemed to have already learned Xie Zheng's identity, appeared somewhat awkward upon seeing him again. "Thank you for your rescue, Marquis."
Xie Zheng sidestepped her bow, saying only, "It was our duty."
This subtle form of address made both Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian sense something unusual.
Just then, Xie Shiyi hurried into the courtyard, apparently with urgent news but hesitant to speak in front of others.
Xie Zheng said, "You two catch up first."
After Xie Zheng left, Yu Qianqian pulled Fan Changyu to sit down and poured her tea before asking, "The Marquis is still your husband, right?"
After being recaptured by Qi Min, she'd received little information. Now knowing Xie Zheng was Wu'an Marquis, she wasn't clear about their current relationship.
Fan Changyu thoughtfully held her teacup. "Not exactly. Our marriage was fake from the beginning."
Yu Qianqian's hand paused while pouring her own tea. Assuming Fan Changyu was now following Xie Zheng without status, she looked at her with complex, pained eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring this up..."
Fan Changyu dismissed it. "It's nothing."
Seeing her genuine indifference, Yu Qianqian relaxed slightly before shaking her head with a wry smile. "You... being so thick-skinned, who knows if it's fortune or misfortune... Never mind. With your military merits, you'll probably get an official position and government salary someday. No need to worry about marriage then."
Fan Changyu looked baffled—why were they suddenly discussing marriage?
Clearing her throat, she said, "That's all far in the future."Yu Qianqian sighed and asked, "So, you and the Marquis plan to just carry on like this?"
Fan Changyu scratched her head, carefully considering the meaning behind Yu Qianqian's words—"just carry on like this." Grand Tutor Tao hadn't been found yet, Wei Yan hadn't been overthrown, and the Meng family's grievances hadn't been cleared. With so many pressing matters at hand, of course they had to resolve these issues before worrying about marriage.
So Fan Changyu nodded and said, "This is fine for now."
The look of pity in Yu Qianqian's eyes deepened. She smacked Fan Changyu's arm hard and scolded, "You silly girl!"
Then she sighed deeply and advised, "I know the Marquis is a dragon among men, the kind of Unrivaled Hero every woman admires. But one day, he will have to marry. If you follow him like this without any status, you'll only suffer in the end."
Only then did Fan Changyu realize Yu Qianqian had misunderstood. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly and said, "He actually wants to marry me... I just don’t think it’s the right time yet..."
Yu Qianqian: "..."
So all her worries had been for nothing.
Pretending to be angry, Yu Qianqian waited as Fan Changyu honestly revealed her background. Yu Qianqian's expression shifted several times before she finally said with complex emotions, "Despite the enmity between your families, the Marquis still treats you this way. His sincerity is as clear as the sun and moon."
Fan Changyu smiled faintly. "I won’t let him spend the rest of his life tormented by guilt, nor will I allow my grandfather’s name to remain unjustly tarnished."
Moved by Fan Changyu's determination and spirit in that moment, Yu Qianqian also smiled and said, "Then keep investigating. If you hit a dead end, maybe try starting with the Sui family."
Fan Changyu was surprised. "The Sui family?"
Yu Qianqian nodded.
She had only learned Qi Min's true identity after being rescued by the Blood-Clad Cavalry.
Before, she had always found Qi Min's relationship with the Changxin Prince Manor extremely strange. Lan Shi and Zhao Xun appeared to be servants of the manor, yet they were constantly wary of the people there.
At first, she thought it might be because the two Sui brothers didn’t get along, given they weren’t blood siblings.
But after the Changxin Prince and Sui Yuanqing fell from power one after another, Qi Min staged a golden cicada shedding its shell with her and Bao'er, even going so far as to kill the Changxin Princess, who had treated him like her own son. That was when Yu Qianqian truly realized how terrifying he was.
His face had been splattered with the blood of the Changxin Princess. He gripped the dagger in her still-warm hand to stage her suicide—only for Yu Qianqian to accidentally lift the curtain and witness it. The look he gave her when their eyes met still haunted her nightmares to this day.
He was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Yu Qianqian said, "I’ve always felt that Qi Min seems to harbor an extraordinary hatred for the Sui family. Back then, when the Chengde Crown Princess chose the Sui family as Qi Min’s hiding place, there must have been a reason."
Though the speaker might not have intended it, the listener took it to heart.
After leaving Yu Qianqian, Fan Changyu was lost in thought the entire way back.
Xie Zheng tapped his knuckles against the small table in the carriage and asked, "What’s on your mind?"
Fan Changyu replied, "Qianqian said Qi Min seems to despise the Sui family. The Chengde Crown Princess probably didn’t hide him there on a whim."
Xie Zheng narrowed his eyes. "The Changxin Prince is dead, and Sui Yuanqing is still in my hands. Once we capture Qi Min, we’ll interrogate him thoroughly."
Fan Changyu asked, "Earlier, Eleven came to see you. Did he have news about Qi Min?"Xie Zheng nodded. "The Blood-Clad Cavalry has already followed Li Huaian and found him."
Last time during the Blood-Clad Cavalry's siege, the Li family's Martial Assassins and the royal Shadow Guards around Qi Min managed to escape with him, causing Xie Zheng to lose their trail.
Li Huaian secretly left Lucheng to rendezvous with Qi Min, inadvertently leading Xie Zheng's men straight to them—
The torrential rain had stopped, but water still dripped from the broken temple's eaves, pooling in puddles below that shimmered with a ghastly, rouge-like hue.
Corpses littered the ground, their blood staining the rainwater crimson.
Li Huaian lay at the temple entrance, blood frothing at his lips. Seeing Sui Yuanqing stride toward Qi Min with his spear, he struggled to rise and stop him, but it was too late. His voice was hoarse with agony as he cried, "Your Highness, run! Run—!"
Sui Yuanqing stepped on Li Huaian's hand, grinding his foot into the back of it as he sneered at the man's contorted face. "The Li family sure knows how to raise loyal dogs. Pity their loyalty is wasted on the wrong master."
Step by step, he advanced toward Qi Min, who sat by the fire. The blood-soaked tassel beneath his spearhead left thick, sticky trails of red on the temple's floor tiles as he moved.
Outside, the Blood-Clad Cavalry, having dealt with the remaining Martial Assassins, saw Sui Yuanqing intent on killing Qi Min and shouted, "The Marquis has ordered this man to be taken alive!"
Sui Yuanqing bared his teeth in a grin at the speaker, his eyes alight with the madness and glee of impending vengeance. "What does Xie Zheng's order have to do with me, Sui Yuanqing? You think I fear the poison you lot fed me? Once I kill this bastard, I'll join my father and mother in the afterlife!"
Several Blood-Clad Cavalrymen rushed in to stop him, but he swept them aside with a single swing of his spear.
The tip of his spear now pointed at Qi Min's throat as he sneered, "You've lived like a rat under someone else's name for over a decade. I doubt you have any last words—"
Qi Min calmly called out, "Qing-di."
A vein bulged at Sui Yuanqing's temple. With a sharp twist of his spear, he slashed a bloody gash from the corner of Qi Min's mouth to his cheek.
"You don't get to call me that!" he snarled.
Sui Yuanqing had spent half his life steeped in deceit, but never had he been betrayed so thoroughly.
Over a decade of brotherhood—all a lie!
The elder brother who, despite his scarred face and mercurial temper, had always called him "Qing-di" with warmth and urged him to study hard—also a lie!
Though his lip was split, Qi Min remained composed. He lowered his gaze and said, "At this point, I owe you an apology. Whether you believe it or not, I never intended to harm you."
Those words only poured oil on the fire. In his fury, Sui Yuanqing even discarded his spear, stepping forward to seize Qi Min by the collar and roaring, "Never intended to harm me? Or just never got the chance? My mother treated you as her own—how could you—"
Before he could finish, a sudden chill pierced his chest.
The metallic tang of blood rose in his throat. He looked down to see a dagger buried in his left breast—its hilt gripped in Qi Min's hand.
With great effort, he lifted his head to stare at Qi Min, his smile uglier than tears. "...Never intended... to harm me?"
Without blinking, Qi Min pushed the dagger deeper, watching coldly as Sui Yuanqing's body convulsed. "And you believed that? You deserve this death."
Sui Yuanqing could no longer hold himself up. He collapsed to his knees, tears rolling from his bloodshot eyes. "...I always... always saw you as my brother..."Qi Min expressionlessly drew his dagger, not sparing another glance at the corpse behind him, and said coldly, "This is what your Su family owes me!"
Li Huaian, who had collapsed at the entrance of the ruined temple, was utterly stunned by this sudden turn of events.
When Qi Min approached him, he paused briefly and said, "I thought you were with these people. Since you've shown loyalty to me, I'll spare your life."
Half of his face was slashed and covered in blood. The way he looked down at people from that angle made him resemble a vicious ghost wearing human skin.
Under his gaze, Li Huaian felt momentarily paralyzed.
Outside, the Blood-Clad Cavalry sensed danger and prepared to attack Qi Min, but suddenly another group of Shadow Guards descended from the temple roof. Moving like lightning, they swiftly took the lives of those cavalrymen.
Li Huaian broke out in a cold sweat—his Shadow Guards hadn't been wiped out after all!
He had prepared a backup plan from the very beginning!
Qi Min watched coldly as the Shadow Guards retrieved a black iron token from one of the cavalrymen's bodies. Picking it up, he threw it to Li Huaian, his gaze as venomous as a snake's. "Go. Bring my people back to me."
Li Huaian caught the bloodstained token and glanced back at Lan Shi, who had died shielding Qi Min by the fire pit earlier. A chill ran through his entire body.
Would the man the Li family was supporting truly be a wise ruler if he ascended the throne?
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