Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Xie Zheng didn't seem to intend for Tang Peiyi and the others to know that Chengde Crown Prince's descendant was still alive.

To prevent the news from leaking, he temporarily hid Yu Qianqian and her son in a private villa in the city's outskirts. When Changning heard that Bao'er and his mother were in Jizhou, she clamored to see him. Fan Changyu thought it would be good for the two children to have a playmate, so after informing Xie Zheng, she took Changning to the villa.

The children's reunion was not what Fan Changyu had expected. They didn't immediately start playing together. Instead, their eyes reddened, and neither spoke a word.

Fan Changyu teased Changning, "Weren't you clamoring to see Bao'er? Why are you silent now that you've seen him?"

Changning clutched a corner of her clothes, pursed her lips, and then looked at Yu Bao'er, who was standing beside Yu Qianqian. "I didn't lie to you. I told you I'd have my big sister and brother-in-law come save you, didn't I?"

Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian were both smiling. Only Yu Bao'er gave Changning a slight nod. "I know."

Yu Qianqian said to Fan Changyu, "The children haven't seen each other in a long time, so they seem a bit distant. Let's let them play on their own for a while. They'll warm up to each other soon enough."

She invited Fan Changyu to sit inside, letting Changning and Bao'er play outside.

The courtyard was large, and there were guards outside, so nothing could go wrong.

Changning hung her head and kicked at the ground with the side of her shoe, looking unhappy.

It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that Yu Bao'er, who had been the same height as her, was now half a head taller after just half a year.

She shook a pile of trinkets in her hand and stuffed them all into Yu Bao'er's arms, saying, "These are the new butterflies and katydids Zhao Da Shu wove for me. They're all for you."

Yu Bao'er, not knowing how he had upset her, asked, "After that man took you away, he didn't hit you, did he?"

At the mention of being taken to the battlefield by Sui Yuanqing, Changning finally perked up. She sat on a stone stool, gesticulating wildly. "He was so fierce! He put me on a big horse that was several times taller than me and rode with me through the mountains in the dark of night. So many people died, and the ghosts on the mountain were all wailing in the wind..."

Yu Bao'er's expression turned grim. "He took you to a battlefield?"

Changning finally remembered that the place where those people fought was called a battlefield and nodded vigorously. "Luckily, my brother-in-law came to save me! That bad guy couldn't beat my brother-in-law, so he threw me into the air and tried to poke me with his spear, which was as thick as a bowl. But my brother-in-law knocked it away with a weapon even thicker than a pillar!"

As she spoke, she spread her arms wide to show how thick it was.

Yu Bao'er imagined Xie Zheng on horseback, wielding a large pillar as a weapon. He frowned, then said, just as she wished, "Your brother-in-law is really amazing."

Changning proudly puffed out her small chest. "My big sister is the most amazing, and my brother-in-law is the second most amazing. Don't be scared in the future. If any more bad guys come, I'll protect you! My big sister is a general now, and she's in charge of lots of people! Uncle Xiao Wu, Uncle Xiao Qi, and Uncle Xiao Qin..."

As Fan Changyu and Yu Qianqian spoke in the room, she glanced outside and saw the two children sitting on the steps, fiddling with a pile of trinkets and whispering about something.

Yu Qianqian smiled. "Bao'er wasn't shy with strangers before. I don't know what he suffered during his time locked up in the Changxin Prince Manor, but when I saw him again, he no longer liked to smile or talk. I heard they even found playmates for him, but he ignored them. Seeing him able to play with Ning Niang again puts my mind at ease."

"Perhaps he was frightened," Fan Changyu said.

Yu Qianqian said, "I have nothing left to ask for in this life. The only one I worry about is Bao'er."

Fan Changyu heard the worry in her voice about Yu Bao'er's future and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Bao'er is no longer the remnant of a traitor. He is the descendant of Chengde Crown Prince. No one will dare to do anything to him."

Yu Qianqian gave a bitter smile. "Will the one in the palace tolerate the descendant of Chengde Crown Prince?"

This question stumped Fan Changyu.

The Li family had already joined forces with Qi Min, wanting the young emperor to abdicate. The emperor likely already saw Chengde Crown Prince's descendant as a thorn in his eye, a thorn in his flesh.

Fan Changyu was silent for only a moment before saying, "I will do everything in my power to protect you."

Fan Changyu's impression of the emperor in the palace was not good. Back when the rebellion had not yet been quelled, the emperor had not hesitated to sentence a military officer like her to death just to make Xie Zheng marry the grand princess without worry.

Loyalty, it seemed, was not important. As long as you were in the way, you should be eliminated.

As for Qi Min, he was a man who, in order to topple Wei Yan, could concoct a venomous plot with the Li family that treated the lives of thousands of soldiers as a joke. Fan Changyu didn't think he would be a good emperor if he took the throne either.

Perhaps because she had spent her first dozen or so years as a commoner who only cared about her own survival, Fan Changyu, while revering imperial power, had not reached the point of blind loyalty.

After returning that day, she went specifically to find Xie Zheng. He was dealing with a pile of official documents on his desk, so she sat to one side, lost in thought.

Xie Zheng asked her, "Something on your mind?"

Fan Changyu asked, "What if the emperor wants to kill Bao'er?"

Xie Zheng sneered, "He can barely protect himself right now."

He handed Fan Changyu a letter sent from the capital.

These official documents were written in a convoluted, literary style. Fan Changyu struggled to read it, but when she finally understood its meaning, her eyes widened. "The Li family wants Qi Min to formally appear in the imperial court?"

The letter wasn't about anything else but the fact that officials from the Directorate of Astronomy had observed the stars at night and noticed a change in the Emperor Star.

Meanwhile, several elderly, venerable officials at court all claimed to have dreamt of the Late Emperor at night. The Late Emperor, they said, was weeping, unable to bear the thought of Chengde Crown Prince's descendant wandering among the common people.

Now, the entire capital was abuzz with rumors that the emperor's eldest grandson was not dead. There was also talk that the great floods and droughts of recent years were all because the Son of Heaven's virtue did not match his position.

The common people had long been dissatisfied with Wei Yan's usurpation of imperial power, and the young emperor's impression on the court officials and the world had always been one of weakness and incompetence. Now, there was an outlet for their frustrations. The people were clamoring that the succession of Chengde Crown Prince's heir was the only legitimate path.

The emperor had previously relied on the Li family to suppress Wei Yan, but now the Li family had turned against him. With the little real power he held, he couldn't topple anyone.

Xie Zheng stated with near certainty, "Wei Yan is also setting a trap. The moment the Li family's true intentions are revealed will be the moment Wei Yan closes his net."

The capital, the Imperial Palace.

On the steps below the Dragon Desk in the imperial study, memorials had long been thrown all over the floor. Any cups or utensils that could be smashed had already been smashed.

"Treason! They all want to commit treason!"

With nothing left to smash, Emperor Qi Sheng, enraged, overturned the Dragon Desk itself. His wide dragon robe dragged on the floor, and he accidentally stepped on it, tripping and falling. His forehead struck the steps, drawing blood.

Today's fury was a stark contrast to his initial ecstasy when the Li family's impeachment memorials against Wei Yan had first arrived.

So the Li family's move to topple Wei Yan wasn't at his behest—they had harbored treacherous intentions all along!

A nearby eunuch, trembling with fear, hurried forward to help him up. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you all right?"

Qi Sheng shoved away the eunuch who tried to help him, his expression sinister as he pointed at him. "I know. None of you have ever treated me as the true Son of Heaven. I know everything..."

His expression was so ferocious he looked like he wanted to eat someone.

The eunuch, ignoring the cut he got from the broken porcelain on the floor when he fell, quickly knelt to profess his loyalty. "Your Majesty, my loyalty to you can be witnessed by heaven and earth!"

But Qi Sheng paid him no mind, muttering almost to himself, "That Xie Zheng dares to defy my decree, and now the Li family wants to support another puppet to replace me..."

As he spoke, his face suddenly contorted, and he shrieked hysterically, "I am the true dragon, the Son of Heaven! No one but me will ever sit on that dragon throne!"

The eunuch stared blankly at Qi Sheng's unhinged state, for a moment even suspecting he had gone mad.

But Qi Sheng, dragging his dragon robe with one sleeve half-torn off, began pacing back and forth in the imperial study. He paid no heed to his crooked golden crown, only muttering, "There's still a way... There's still a way..."

The eunuch watched his frenzied state with terror. Thinking of the rumors in the court and among the people, he tried to slip out of the study unnoticed. He had almost reached the door when Qi Sheng, who had been pacing, somehow noticed him. He tilted his head and looked at him. "Where are you going?"

A cold sweat instantly broke out all over the eunuch's body. Having served before the emperor for so many years, he managed not to stutter. "This... this old servant saw that Your Majesty was troubled and wanted to go brew a pot of tea for you."

"Is that so?" Qi Sheng seemed unconvinced. He took the Longquan Sword from a nearby sword rack and dragged its tip along the steps as he walked toward the old eunuch.

The old eunuch was scared out of his wits. His legs went so soft he couldn't walk, and he collapsed to the floor, begging for mercy. "This old servant really was going to brew tea for Your Majesty..."

Qi Sheng looked at him and smiled. "If you were going to brew tea, then go. Why are you trembling like this?"

The sharp tip of the sword pierced the eunuch's leg. The old eunuch let out a miserable scream. Qi Sheng felt the malice clamoring in his heart find an outlet in that scream, and every pore in his body suddenly relaxed in comfort.

In high spirits, he stabbed the old eunuch again. Seeing the fresh blood stain his bright yellow dragon robe red, he laughed with delight. "Such a beautiful color. No wonder those eight hundred personal guards under Xie Zheng are called the Blood-Clad Cavalry."

The old eunuch was already convulsing in pain, trying to crawl away with his hands and feet. But behind him, Qi Sheng, as if having discovered a new toy, began to wield the Longquan Sword like a cleaver. He gripped the hilt with both hands and, as if chopping melons or firewood, swung it with all his pent-up rage at the old eunuch's body.

The old eunuch's initial professions of loyalty and pleas for mercy eventually faded until he could no longer even utter a single word of begging or pleading.

The floor tiles of the great hall were splattered with blood and bits of flesh.

Qi Sheng only stopped when his arms were sore from hacking. He looked at the corpse, which he had chopped into a pile of mangled flesh, threw the sword aside, and called for the young eunuchs to come clean up as he sat back down on the dragon throne, panting.

The young eunuchs who entered the hall turned pale and vomited repeatedly at the sight of the pile of blood and flesh in the center of the hall.

Qi Sheng watched their wretched state, finding it extremely amusing, and finally laughed with glee. "Eunuch Gao had treacherous thoughts against me. He deserved to die! This is the fate of anyone else who dares to have treacherous thoughts against me!"

The group of young eunuchs, their faces ashen, knelt to profess their loyalty.

Qi Sheng watched this scene with extreme satisfaction, feeling a sense of comfort throughout his body. This was the taste of power he craved!

One day, the Li family and the Xie family would also kneel before him like this, wagging their tails and begging for mercy!

But before that, he had to endure for a while longer.

After venting his rage, Qi Sheng had completely calmed down. His face was grim as he said, "Someone, attend to me. I will change my clothes."

The autumn night grew cooler, the cicadas' cries mournful.

Ever since the Li family had impeached him for colluding with rebels, Wei Yan had claimed illness and stopped attending court.

Moonlight cast a frosty white sheen on the stone-paved path of the courtyard, as if a first snow had fallen.

A single flame flickered in the study window. An attendant passed through the layers of imperial guards standing watch outside the courtyard, pushed open the door, and addressed the old man sitting on the floor before a low table, playing chess against himself. "Prime Minister, you have a distinguished guest."

Wei Yan's train of thought was interrupted. His heavily wrinkled eyelids lifted slightly, reflecting the candlelight beside the chessboard. His voice was imposing without being angry. "Did I not give instructions that I am not to see anyone?"

The attendant held up an object with both hands for him to see.

It was a white jade ring carved with a dragon pattern.

This was an item worn by the emperor.

Wei Yan merely glanced at it before looking away, seemingly paying it no mind. In that moment, he had already remembered the move he wanted to make. His old, sinewy index and middle fingers picked up a black stone and placed it on the board, instantly reversing the tide of the entire battle.

He said, "After so many years of learning from that old man Li, he still has no patience."

The attendant didn't dare to reply, waiting for his further instructions.

Wei Yan said, "Since he has come, let him in."

A moment later, Qi Sheng, who had changed into common clothes and was wearing a wide cloak, appeared outside Wei Yan's study.

He tried to enter the study, but the imperial guards in the courtyard crossed their halberds, signaling that he could go no further.

Qi Sheng's face was grim as he stood still for a moment. Thinking of what the Li family was planning to do, he immediately cast aside his pride. Just as he had done countless times over the past dozen years, groveling before Wei Yan, he covered his face and began to weep. "Prime Minister, save me! The Li family wants to depose me and install a new monarch!"

No one in the study made a sound. Through the shadow cast on the screen door, Qi Sheng could tell that Wei Yan was playing chess by himself.

Qi Sheng secretly gritted his teeth and continued to plead with tears streaming down his face, "Prime Minister, I will be obedient. Everything in the past was because I was deceived by the Li family. I know that only the Prime Minister truly has my best interests at heart. The Li family even wants to frame the Prime Minister for colluding with rebels. I will seek justice for the Prime Minister!"

Qi Sheng said all the nice things he could think of, but the figure in the study seemed to turn a deaf ear.

Only then did Qi Sheng truly feel afraid. The thought of being driven off the throne, or even being secretly executed, made him forget his fine words and just sob, his face a mess of tears and snot.

He didn't even know when the study door opened. It wasn't until Wei Yan's deep, authoritative voice cut through the cold autumn night wind and reached his ears: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. You should have the bearing of a Son of Heaven."

Qi Sheng quickly looked up. He saw Wei Yan standing at the study door, dressed in a simple cloth robe, yet possessing the imposing air of a mountain by a chasm. Like a stray dog, he wagged his tail and begged, "Prime Minister, save me..."

Wei Yan cut him off coldly. "Have the rebel armies reached the city walls? Or has Li Sui forced his way into the palace?"

Li Sui was Grand Tutor Li's given name.

Qi Sheng was speechless. For so many years, fearing Wei Yan seemed to have become an instinct carved into his very bones.

"The imperial city still stands, and the palace is secure. What does Your Majesty have to fear?"

Wei Yan continued to question him. His voice was not loud, but it made Qi Sheng feel breathless.

However, with these words, Qi Sheng felt half his worries lift.

He continued to act like a frightened, naive child, looking at Wei Yan helplessly. "It... it was I who lost my composure tonight."

Wei Yan turned and closed the door. "In that case, Your Majesty should return to the palace."

Qi Sheng shouted, "Prime Minister!"

An attendant stepped forward and made a "please" gesture to Qi Sheng. Though respectful, his posture was firm and unyielding.

Qi Sheng stared at the closed study door and continued, "Seventeen years ago, it was the Prime Minister who put me on the throne. I know that only the Prime Minister will always be on my side. In this world, I only trust the Prime Minister."

Qi Sheng's voice was no longer heard from the courtyard; it seemed the attendant had already led him far away. Wei Yan sat before the chessboard, a rare look of deep-seated loathing appearing in his usually inscrutable eyes.

It was unclear whether he loathed Qi Sheng, or the fact that his mouth full of lies so closely resembled a certain person from the past.

A long time later, he finally spoke. "Since the Li family wants the emperor's eldest grandson to appear before the world, release a bait from the dungeon. If he is truly the descendant of Chengde Crown Prince, he will not remain indifferent to this."

Xie Zheng had been very busy lately; Fan Changyu often didn't see him in the military camp.

Occasionally, she would try to subtly ask Tang Peiyi, but he would also say he didn't know. However, the look in his eyes always made Fan Changyu feel a little uncomfortable, so she couldn't ask any more.

The meritorious soldiers were to enter the capital to receive their enfeoffments. The army was preparing for the journey today. With Tang Peiyi and Deputy General He busy with these matters, Fan Changyu was happy to have some leisure time.

That night, as she slept in her room, she sensed someone approaching. She subtly adjusted her breathing. Just as the person was about to touch her bed, she grabbed their wrist, twisted it back, and was about to pin them down when her knee was hooked and lifted. She lost her balance and fell down with him.

Xie Zheng pulled her into his arms and didn't let go. His voice held a faint weariness as he praised her, "Your alertness is not bad."

The moment her waist was encircled, Fan Changyu guessed it was him. She struggled twice but couldn't break free, so she jabbed his chest with her elbow and asked, "Where have you been the last two days?"

Hearing her question, Xie Zheng opened his eyes in the darkness. "You were looking for me?"

He currently had two places to stay in Jizhou: the military camp and the city lord's manor.

After they had reconciled, Fan Changyu rarely took the initiative to look for him outside of official business. Now, hearing his question, she felt a little embarrassed and said, "I just noticed you were gone for a few days and asked casually."

Xie Zheng didn't expose her, stealing two kisses from her face before letting go. "I had some things to deal with. I went to gather some men and make arrangements."

Fan Changyu asked, "What things?"

Xie Zheng, while unfastening her clothes, said, "News came from the capital. Some of your maternal grandfather's subordinates who were transporting grain back then didn't die. They've been under Wei Yan's control all this time."

The moment Fan Changyu heard it was related to the grain transport incident, her attention was completely captured. When a chill hit her shoulder and she realized what Xie Zheng was doing, she slapped the back of his hand hard and hissed, "What are you doing!"

Xie Zheng felt a bit wronged by the slap. He placed a small iron box in Fan Changyu's hand. "I had someone find this scar-removing ointment for you. I came specially to apply it for you."

Fan Changyu glared, but still said fiercely, "Give me the ointment, I can apply it myself. What do you think you're doing, undressing me without a word?"

Xie Zheng had personally returned to the Xie family estate in Huizhou to arrange for his subordinates to go back to the capital and investigate. He had been exhausted from traveling day and night. He had slipped into her room in Jizhou just to give her the ointment and sleep next to her for a while to catch up on rest.

Lately, whenever his mind was in turmoil, he could only find peace by her side.

But now, seeing her so jumpy and wary, like a fledgling tiger with its fur on end, his eyes suddenly darkened. He pressed her into his arms and kissed her from head to toe, then bit her shoulder resentfully. "You're asking for it."

The bite wasn't light. Fan Changyu winced for a moment, then pulled open his clothes to bite him back.

He seemed to have bathed before coming over. He didn't have any unpleasant sweaty smell; instead, he had the light scent of soap. Fan Changyu's sharp canine teeth tightened, drawing a muffled grunt from him. His whole body tensed up like a rock.

"Get off," Xie Zheng's voice was already off.

Unfortunately, it was night, and his voice was already low. Fan Changyu didn't notice. She gnawed on his shoulder, not yet satisfied, and mumbled, "So you're allowed to bite me, you dog..."

In the next instant, she was flipped over by Xie Zheng, and their positions were reversed.

He didn't say a word, just looked at her once before lowering his head and kissing her fiercely, almost frantically. One hand slipped inside her already loosened collar.

For convenience in the army, Fan Changyu would usually bind her chest. At night, when she rested, she would untie the binding.

Xie Zheng didn't know her dressing habits. He thought she would at least have another layer underneath. When his calloused hand unexpectedly touched a heavy, smooth, warm softness, both of them froze.

Fan Changyu reflexively raised her leg to kick him, but Xie Zheng caught and pinned her leg down.

When he buried his head in the crook of her neck to pant, his breath felt like it was on fire.

Fan Changyu was mortified and furious, hissing, "Get off me!"

Xie Zheng didn't speak, but Fan Changyu felt him squeeze her firmly. She felt like she was about to emit steam and scolded him, "You're shameless!"

The commotion that followed sounded like they were dismantling the bed. Someone's foot kicked the bed frame, making the whole bed seem on the verge of collapse.

Aunt Zhao, getting up in the night, heard the noise from Fan Changyu's room and knocked on the door. "Changyu, what's that noise in your room?"

Fan Changyu said through gritted teeth, "A rat got into the room. I'm killing it!"

Aunt Zhao was puzzled. "Why don't you light a lamp to kill a rat?"

Fan Changyu could only continue to make things up. "I... I have good eyesight. I don't need a lamp. I've already killed the rat. Auntie, you should go back to bed."

Aunt Zhao told her to go to bed early too, then returned to her room.

Because of their recent struggle, Fan Changyu was already covered in a layer of sweat. Their limbs were tangled together, neither able to subdue the other. As Fan Changyu breathed, her chest heaved violently.

Xie Zheng's robes had been pulled apart when she bit his shoulder. Now, with one arm twisted behind Fan Changyu's back, he pressed her into the bedding. The places where their skin touched felt like they were on fire, the flesh and blood beneath sizzling.

Fan Changyu's other hand was pressed against his jaw. If this wasn't mutual destruction, nothing was.

Fan Changyu whispered, "I'll count to three, and we'll let go together."

Xie Zheng replied in a hoarse voice, "Alright."

Fan Changyu then began to count, "One, two... three!"

When the count of three was finished, neither of them had let go of the other.

Fan Changyu accused, "Why didn't you keep your word!"

Xie Zheng only said, "You didn't let go either, did you?"

Both of them fell silent.

After a moment, it was Fan Changyu who spoke, "One of us has to give in. Do you want to stay like this all night?"

"...I wouldn't be against it."

The moment those words were out, Fan Changyu nearly bristled with anger again, saying fiercely, "In your dreams! You're just trying to take advantage of me!"

Xie Zheng's voice was a little hoarse. "The front of my robe has been torn by you."

Fan Changyu's eyes were practically breathing fire. "That's from our fight! It's not like I have improper designs on you!"

The air was silent for a breath or two before Xie Zheng, as if throwing all caution to the wind, suddenly said, "It is true that I have designs on you."

Fan Changyu froze, not expecting him to be so direct right now. She stammered, "It's good that you know."

Unexpectedly, he asked her, "What do you propose we do about it?"

Fan Changyu glared. "Of course, you should let go of me immediately and get out of my room."

Her hand was pressed against Xie Zheng's jaw. She didn't know how he moved, but Fan Changyu only felt him suddenly turn his head, and she lost her hold on his jaw. Instead, her hand was bitten, neither too lightly nor too heavily, by his teeth.

Xie Zheng looked down at her and said, "In your dreams."

Fan Changyu was speechless with anger.

After all this commotion, Xie Zheng was probably tired too. He planted two more kisses on her shoulder, then helped her wrap her lapels properly and pulled her into his arms. "Don't move," he said wearily. "Let me hold you and sleep for a while. I'll leave at dawn and be back in half a month."

When Fan Changyu heard that he had just returned only to leave again for half a month, the anger in her heart dissipated. In the end, she didn't move again and only asked, "Where are you going?"

Lying on his side, Xie Zheng rested his chin on her shoulder, inhaling her scent as he mumbled, "A trip to the capital. Regardless of whether the news that was released is true or false, it concerns the truth behind Jinzhou, so I must go and investigate."