Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Grand Tutor Tao prided himself on knowing his stubborn disciple well, but after Fan Changyu was taken away by him, he suddenly felt uncertain. He frequently glanced out the carriage window and eventually stepped out to pace around the carriage, occasionally looking in the direction where Xie Zheng had led Fan Changyu away.

A young officer approached to ask, "Grand Tutor, the army has been resting here for quite some time. Should we... continue the journey?"

Grand Tutor Tao clasped his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. "Let’s wait a little longer," he said.

The officer saluted and withdrew.

Changning poked her head out of the carriage window, resting her chin on the sill. "Grandfather, when will my sister be back?" she asked.

Grand Tutor Tao’s heart was unsettled, and he didn’t bother correcting her address. "She should be back soon," he replied.

He reasoned that even if Xie Zheng had been provoked enough to take Changyu away on the spot, there was still the younger sister here. Surely, he wouldn’t leave her behind?

This thought eased his mind slightly.

Suddenly, Changning, still leaning on the windowsill, cried out joyfully, "Sister!"

Grand Tutor Tao snapped out of his thoughts and looked in the direction of her gaze. There, the young man who had left with a stormy expression now appeared calm as he led his horse, escorting his newly adopted daughter back.

Watching this scene, an odd thought crossed Grand Tutor Tao’s mind: "There’s always someone who can tame another."

After dismounting from the gentle slope, Fan Changyu walked side by side with Xie Zheng. Her lips still felt numb and sore. She touched them lightly—they were probably swollen.

Fan Changyu decided she needed to learn her lesson: she couldn’t keep biting him every time. This time, her attempt had backfired spectacularly. When he bit back, it was far worse—for a moment, she thought he might actually devour her.

His breathing had been ragged as he held her, panting heavily for a long time. Near the bite mark on her shoulder, he had nipped her a few more times.

It wasn’t exactly a bite—it didn’t break the skin or hurt much, but it left several red marks.

When she met Grand Tutor Tao, Fan Changyu pressed her lips together tightly, afraid he might notice the swelling. "Father," she greeted.

Before Grand Tutor Tao could examine her closely, Changning bounded out of the carriage like an agile little rabbit, arms outstretched. "Sister, hold me!" she demanded.

Fan Changyu picked her up, chuckling helplessly. "Ning Niang, are you a sticky rice cake? I’ve never seen anyone as clingy as you."

Changning pouted but didn’t reply, clinging tightly to her sister’s neck. Only when she caught Xie Zheng’s gaze from the corner of her eye did she obediently murmur, "Brother-in-law."

Ever since she had pricked Xie Zheng awake with a needle and seen his terrifying, ghost-like expression, Changning had been afraid of him.

Xie Zheng acknowledged her greeting with a slight nod before turning his attention back to Grand Tutor Tao.

Though his gaze was calm now, Grand Tutor Tao inexplicably felt a pang of unease under his scrutiny.

"I entrust her to you, Teacher," Xie Zheng said.

Grand Tutor Tao understood this was a request to protect Fan Changyu. He straightened his expression. "This old man finally has an adopted daughter to cherish. Of course, I’ll guard her like a treasure—no need for you to remind me."

Once Fan Changyu and Changning were back in the carriage, the army prepared to move again.

Xie Zheng remained on horseback by the roadside, the wind rustling through the forest billowing his robes around his tall, straight figure. Fan Changyu lifted the carriage curtain to look at him. "I’m leaving now," she said.

Xie Zheng nodded. "Be careful on the road," he added.Changning squeezed her head out from the corner of the carriage window, clinging to the edge as she said, "Ning Niang is leaving too."

With her elder sister by her side, she wasn’t as afraid of her brother-in-law anymore, even waving her chubby little hand in farewell.

Xie Zheng had little experience dealing with children and wasn’t sure how to coax them, so he simply said, "Listen to your elder sister."

Changning proudly declared, "Ning Niang is the most obedient."

A sharp cry echoed from the sky as the Gyrfalcon that had been searching for Xie Zheng swooped down. He raised his arm, and the bird landed steadily on his forearm.

Changning’s eyes immediately lit up. "Falcon-falcon!"

Under Fan Changyu’s astonished gaze, Xie Zheng extended the Gyrfalcon toward the carriage window and said, "Take the Gyrfalcon with you. It delivers messages faster."

Fan Changyu asked, "What about you?"

Xie Zheng replied, "If you send it to deliver a message to me, it can find me. But if I send it to you, it might not locate you as easily."

Before Fan Changyu could respond, Changning already chimed in, "Ning Niang will raise little chickens to feed the falcon!"

Grand Tutor Tao, standing nearby, remarked, "Girl, this lad is rarely so generous—don’t hold back on his account. All these years, he’s never shown such filial piety to this old man, yet now he’s willing to part with his treasures..."

He couldn’t help feeling a bit sour, silently grumbling that the old saying was indeed true—boys forget their mothers once they take a wife. His status as a half-father figure wasn’t faring much better.

But then it occurred to him that this half-daughter-in-law was also his own adopted daughter. Having a clever girl protected by a cunning boy with eight hundred tricks up his sleeve wasn’t such a bad thing. His bitterness faded, replaced by a strange sense of relief.

In the end, the Gyrfalcon was carried into the carriage by Changning. As the carriage slowly advanced through the infantry formation, Xie Zheng turned to Xie Wu and Xie Qi, who were mounted behind him, and said, "Go. Protect her well."

Xie Wu and Xie Qi clasped their fists and spurred their horses to follow the army.

Xie Zheng and the remaining personal guards stood at the mouth of the official road until the tail end of the Jizhou army disappeared from sight. Only then did he tug the reins, turning his horse around. "Back to camp."

Yanzhou Military Camp.

When Gongsun Yin learned that Xie Zheng had personally pursued Fan Changyu yet failed to bring her back, he gleefully approached, fan in hand, ready to offer a few perfunctory words of consolation.

To his surprise, upon entering the camp, he found the heavyweights of Yanzhou and their advisors packed into the command tent. Xie Zheng, clad in a black arrow-sleeved long robe, sat at the head of the table, with maps of Kangcheng and its defensive layouts spread before him. He was deep in discussion with his generals, a far cry from the dejected figure Gongsun Yin had imagined.

Spotting him, Xie Zheng raised a hand and tossed the map over. "Perfect timing. You’ll guide them on the siege tactics for the western gate."

Gongsun Yin barely caught the flung map and scanned the newly marked areas, clicking his tongue. "I thought we were just wearing Kangcheng down, waiting for He Jingyuan to take Chongzhou before making a move?"

After all, the siege of Kangcheng was merely a show for the imperial court after conceding the military merits of Chongzhou. If they took Kangcheng with overwhelming force, they’d still have to divert troops to reinforce Chongzhou, risking entanglement in Wei Yan and the Li family’s power struggle again.

Xie Zheng’s sharp phoenix eyes lifted slightly, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Who said I was planning to take Kangcheng outright?"

Gongsun Yin scrutinized the marked areas on the map again, puzzled. "Isn’t this a blitzkrieg assault?"Xie Zheng said, "Once we've pulled out all the claws and fangs of the rebels in Kangcheng, letting them linger on their last breath will only be a matter of time."

Gongsun Yin pondered this. The words weren't wrong, but hadn't their initial strategy been to encircle the city without attacking, wearing down the rebels' patience before launching an assault? Why the sudden change in tactics?

The discussions and deployments continued late into the night. As the generals and advisors in the central military tent gradually dispersed, Gongsun Yin gulped down a cup of tea to soothe his throat before asking, "Did you fail to bring her back and now want to vent your frustration through battle?"

The tent was brightly lit by tall candles, the cold gleam reflecting off the dark iron vambraces at Xie Zheng's sleeves. Holding a bamboo scroll, he replied, "Three days. I want Kangcheng stripped of any ability to send out troops, forced into a desperate defense."

He looked up at Gongsun Yin. "After three days, you'll lead the troops to besiege Kangcheng. Wait for news of victory from Chongzhou before breaching the city gates."

Gongsun Yin mulled over his words, then suddenly paled. "You're planning to dump this mess on me?"

Xie Zheng glanced at him. "I'll leave the Kangcheng rebels barely clinging to life before I go. If you still can't hold the city afterward, there's no need for you to serve under me in the future."

Gongsun Yin could easily guess why he had rushed back to handle these matters. Considering how he had raced nonstop to intercept someone, only to return empty-handed, Gongsun Yin suddenly felt less aggrieved about being left behind in Kangcheng.

Fanning himself, he offered a few words of consolation, fearing Xie Zheng might be blinded by impulse: "Alright, alright. In three days, you're planning to go to Chongzhou for Miss Fan, aren't you? Don't blame her for being harsh. I actually think her joining the Jizhou army isn't a bad thing. Although He Jingyuan handed the Tiger Tally over to you, if Li Huaian truly uncovers something in Jizhou Prefecture and brings down He Jingyuan, that tally will eventually be reclaimed by the court. If Miss Fan can become a general in Jizhou by then, with Grand Tutor Tao's support, at least the military power there won't fall into others' hands."

Xie Zheng responded coldly, "A true man's ambition is to achieve glory for his wife and descendants. This marquis is not so incompetent as to rely on a woman to secure military power. If I want Jizhou, I don’t have to return the tally at all. Whether it's the Li Faction or the Wei Faction, what can their courtly schemes do against steel and blood? At worst, it just means more killing."

As he spoke, his expression was icy, his eyes devoid of any warmth. Even Gongsun Yin, who prided himself on understanding Xie Zheng well, felt a chill run down his spine.

"But if we kill them all, the Great Yin court will become an empty shell. Decrees and policies must be implemented layer by layer—someone has to carry them out, or the common people will only suffer greater chaos." He idly twisted the white jade qilin ring on his finger. "Dynastic reforms have taken decades in past eras. After all, you must first cultivate replacements for those positions before making a move."

He then scoffed lightly. "Let the young emperor worry about such matters. This marquis won’t trouble himself with them."

Gongsun Yin thought to himself, Thank heavens he has no interest in the throne. With Wei Yan ahead and this wolf behind him, the young emperor would live in constant fear—if he didn’t die young from sheer terror, it would only be by divine mercy.

Puzzled, he asked, "So you plan to bring Miss Fan back in three days?"

Given Xie Zheng's temperament, if he truly intended to retrieve her, he wouldn’t have returned empty-handed after chasing after her today.Xie Zheng lowered his gaze to the bamboo scroll in his hand and said, "Her aspirations lie within this. I can protect her, but I shouldn't stand in her way."

Gongsun Yin shuddered, shaking off goosebumps, and replied, "Then let's hope Miss Fan appreciates your sentiments."

Xie Zheng suddenly remarked, "I've heard many young ladies admire you."

Gongsun Yin straightened his posture slightly, his fan-waving becoming even more dashing: "Not many, not many. Just enough to fill a carriage with fruits whenever I step out."

Without looking up from the scroll, Xie Zheng continued, "Has any lady ever been so inspired by your extraordinary talents or your reputation as a sage of Hejian that she resolved to study diligently and become a renowned scholar herself?"

Gongsun Yin opened his mouth, at a loss for words, when Xie Zheng added, "She said she wants to walk the path I've taken and become someone like me."

Gongsun Yin froze for a moment before finally realizing the roundabout point Xie Zheng had been making.

No wonder he'd been acting this way since returning!

Gongsun Yin's face twisted with envy as he rose abruptly, flicking his sleeves. "I take my leave!"