Chapter 222: Sowing Discord
In the Xu residence at night, someone rose from bed and lit an oil lamp.
The bedding beside her was empty—Xu Zhiheng had once again spent the night in his study.
He Xinying walked to the table, picked up an outer robe to drape over herself, and gazed at the flickering wick in the oil lamp, her expression complicated.
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had started, but an invisible barrier seemed to have grown between her and Xu Zhiheng. To be precise, it was after the last palace banquet that Xu Zhiheng had become particularly strange. Later, she had encountered the Marquis of Wu’an, He Yan, at Jade Splendor Temple—a woman who shared the same name as her late elder sister. Not long after returning to the residence, He Rufei had come to visit her. It felt less like a visit and more like a probe.
Once suspicion takes root, it becomes impossible to let go. He Xinying could sense that the Xu family harbored a great secret, perhaps related to her deceased elder sister, or perhaps… even connected to the He family.
She stood by the window. The winters in Shuojing were bitterly cold, and on such frigid nights, the servants had all retired to their rooms to sleep. He Xinying stared at the bare branches outside the window for a long time before finally wrapping herself in a cloak, picking up an oil lamp, and stepping out of her room.
Her movements were light, her steps cautious, and she did not disturb anyone. The night watchmen at the Xu residence guarded the main courtyard and would not venture inside. The light from the oil lamp was dim, barely illuminating the path beneath her feet. He Xinying groped her way to the entrance of an abandoned courtyard.
This deserted courtyard was where her late elder sister, He Yan, had once lived. Even after He Yan’s death, Xu Zhiheng had preserved the courtyard in its original state. The last time He Xinying was here, she had witnessed Xu Zhiheng frantically rummaging through drawers and cabinets. She hadn’t been able to see what he was searching for before she was discovered. This time, with no one around for the moment, she wanted to take a closer look.
Although no one lived in the courtyard now, the snow inside had been swept clean. She walked to He Yan’s room, which was unlocked. With a gentle push, the door swung open.
He Xinying stepped inside.
The room emitted a musty, stale odor—damp and chilly. He Xinying was slightly taken aback. Wasn’t it said that Xu Zhiheng often reminisced about her elder sister? But if he truly cherished her memory, why was the room left uncleaned, covered in dust as if no one had set foot inside for a long time, as if it were deliberately avoided?
He Xinying held up the oil lamp and looked around.
This was a woman’s bedchamber. At the front stood a shelf, casually adorned with inexpensive vases and trinkets. In the center was a small table, blanketed with a thick layer of dust, its teacups and teapot even draped in cobwebs. Further in was a large wooden bed, which, by comparison, seemed slightly cleaner, covered with a thin blanket. The room felt desolate and empty, lacking the warmth and refinement typical of a young woman’s chamber. Upon entering, a chill seemed to rush toward her.
Even back in the He family, though He Yan had returned home only briefly before marrying, her pre-wedding chamber had been meticulously arranged. If this was indeed the room where He Yan had lived in the Xu residence, preserved as it was during her lifetime, then He Xinying thought to herself, her early-departed elder sister likely hadn’t lived as happily in the Xu family as the rumors suggested.If the reason was that the master was blind and the room shouldn't have too many objects to avoid tripping, then the furnishings and utensils here were pitifully shabby and perfunctory. There were no amusements to speak of either. If a blind person lived alone in such a large room, she herself would probably have gone mad long ago.
He Xinying walked to the table. Last time, she had seen Xu Zhiheng rummaging through the drawers here, searching for something. She pulled out a wooden drawer, and sure enough, it was empty. Of course, if there had been anything, Xu Zhiheng would have taken it long ago.
Unconsciously, she had already placed Xu Zhiheng in an opposing position. Toward this gentle and considerate husband, she no longer felt the same reliance and trust as before. Instead, it was replaced by caution and suspicion. Even the warmth and affection of the past now seemed hypocritical in He Xinying's eyes.
He Xinying walked around the room, checking all the wooden drawers and shelves, but found nothing useful. She had been out too long, and it was cold outside, the wind biting at her knees. Rubbing her numb legs, she glanced at the relatively clean bed and sat down at its edge.
Only the oil lamp in her hand cast a faint glow in the room. Sitting here felt inexplicably eerie. In the quiet, He Xinying began to regret coming here for no reason. There was no one around, and she had heard that the souls of the dead lingered in places they frequented in life. If her elder sister were here... Though they were blood relatives, they had never been particularly close. Besides, encountering a ghost at night could truly scare someone to death.
He Xinying couldn't help but grip the bedpost tightly—a habit from her childhood. Timid as a child, she had always slept with her mother. When she grew older and could no longer share a bed with her mother, she had her own courtyard. Even then, living alone, He Xinying was still afraid. At her most frightened, she would press against the inner side of the bed at night, clutching the bedpost near the wall and softly praying for the Bodhisattva's protection.
Today was no different.
However, as her fingers slid down the bedpost, she suddenly sensed something amiss. He Xinying paused, then reached out to touch the spot again, realizing something. She climbed onto the head of the bed, holding the oil lamp up to look inside, and suddenly noticed a slight bulge in the wood on the side of the bedpost facing the wall.
With a girl's attention to detail, she pried at the wooden plank with her fingers, and it fell off, revealing a roll of yellow paper with something written on it. Her heart raced, understanding that something hidden here must be important. Perhaps this was exactly what Xu Zhiheng had been searching for earlier.
Someone might come at any moment. He Xinying tugged at the book-like object from the deliberately hollowed-out bedpost, quickly hid it in her robe, and hurriedly reattached the wooden plank before carefully leaving with the oil lamp.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. He Xinying stealthily made her way back to her own room before daring to take out the book from her robe. Under the faint light of the oil lamp, she saw that it was indeed a scroll. After flipping through a few pages, she froze—this was... a military strategy book?The book recorded various military strategies, with notes and personal insights written in the margins by the reader. Judging by the handwriting, it certainly wasn’t Xu Zhiheng’s. No one in the Xu family had ever pursued a military career, and the book was hidden so secretly in He Yan’s room. By all accounts, this military manual must have been left behind by her deceased elder sister.
But… why would He Yan read military manuals?
It would make more sense if it were her cousin He Rufei, but there was no reason for He Rufei’s military manuals to appear in the Xu residence, hidden away with such care.
He Xinying held the military manual in her hand, her mind unable to make sense of the situation. Just then, voices suddenly sounded from outside. Startled, He Xinying quickly blew out the oil lamp, hid the book in the lowest drawer under the table, and hurried to the bed to lie down. No sooner had she settled than a maid knocked on the door: "Madam? Madam?"
"What is it?" He Xinying replied, feigning drowsiness.
There was a moment of silence outside before someone said, "A thief has entered the courtyard. The master sent us to check on you, Madam."
"A thief?" He Xinying felt nervous but forced herself to sound surprised. She draped her outer garment over her shoulders and opened the door for the maid, asking with feigned confusion, "How could a thief enter the estate?"
"I don’t know," the maid replied, seeming relieved to see He Xinying safe and sound in her room. "The master is interrogating the thief now."
"I’ll go take a look," He Xinying said. After closing the door, she followed the maid to the main hall.
In the main hall, Xu Zhiheng sat in the central chair, surrounded by maids and servants. Kneeling on the floor was a man dressed as a servant, kowtowing frantically to Xu Zhiheng: "Master, spare my life! I really didn’t take anything, nothing at all!"
Xu Zhiheng’s face was dark with fury as he glared at the man. "Enough nonsense! Hand over what you stole from Madam’s bedpost, or you’ll die here today!"
As he spoke, his eyes were sinister and fierce, a stark contrast to his usual gentle and amiable demeanor. He Xinying was startled, and upon hearing the words "bedpost," she grew even more anxious. Forcing a smile, she walked over to Xu Zhiheng’s side. "Husband, what’s going on?"
Seeing He Xinying, Xu Zhiheng’s expression softened slightly. He pointed at the man on the floor and said, "This man sneaked into A-He’s former courtyard late at night and stole her belongings from the bedpost. He is utterly despicable!"
Fuwang—the servant on the floor—hurriedly defended himself: "Master, it really wasn’t me! When I found the bedpost, it was already empty. I truly didn’t take anything from it!"
Fuwang inwardly lamented his misfortune. He had taken advantage of the quiet night to sneak into the former madam’s room, hoping to find old belongings for the mysterious person who had tasked him. After searching the room, he noticed something unusual about the bedpost near the inner chamber. Thinking it might contain secrets, he opened it, only to find it empty. Before he could even feel disappointed, he was somehow discovered and dragged before Xu Zhiheng.
"Master, I really didn’t do it. If you don’t believe me… search me, search my quarters… I’m innocent!"He Xinying watched the servant kowtowing frantically for mercy, her heart pounding with dread. It seemed this servant had become her scapegoat. However, if it were merely ordinary valuables, given Xu Zhiheng's temperament, he wouldn't be so harsh—at most, he'd have the servant beaten and driven out of the estate. Yet now, it looked as though he wouldn't rest until the matter was settled with death. Could it be that Xu Zhiheng knew what was hidden inside the bedpost? But it was just an exceptionally ordinary-looking military manual!
He Xinying couldn't quite understand.
"You're full of lies, not a word of truth. Since that's the case, keeping you here won't uncover the reason. I'll hand you over to the authorities for disposal," Xu Zhiheng said coldly.
At these words, Fuwang's face turned pale. Since ancient times, servants handed over to the authorities by their masters mostly faced death, and a particularly torturous one at that. He had only been greedy for money, never imagining he'd risk his life. Moreover, he was so wronged—after all, he hadn't gotten anything. In that case, saving his own life was the most important thing. Fuwang pleaded, "I beg you, Master, don't hand me over to the authorities. In truth, I was commissioned by someone to steal. I'll tell you everything I know. Could you spare my life?"
"Commissioned by someone?" Xu Zhiheng looked at him.
"Yes, yes," Fuwang kowtowed so hard his head thudded against the floor. "Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare steal from the estate!"
Xu Zhiheng stared at Fuwang, as if trying to discern whether his words were true or false. After a moment, he said to those around him, "All of you, leave. I have questions for this thief."
He Xinying glanced at the servant on the floor. "Husband, I—"
"You too, leave." Xu Zhiheng's attitude was firm.
He Xinying said nothing more and withdrew. Once the door closed, she looked back toward the room, only then realizing that her palms were damp with sweat.
That military manual... what exactly was going on?
Inside the room, Xu Zhiheng asked, "Speak. Who sent you to steal from the Xu family?"
"It... it was General He."
"You dare lie to me?" Xu Zhiheng roared in anger.
Fuwang was so frightened he immediately prostrated himself again. "I wouldn't dare deceive you, Master. The person who contacted me said their master was General He!"
Xu Zhiheng clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions. "Why would He Rufei send you to steal?"
"I don't know," Fuwang wiped the sweat from his forehead. "They gave me a sum of silver, and I was momentarily blinded by greed. I thought, it was just stealing something and gathering information about a person, not doing anything heinous, so I agreed."
"Gathering information about a person?" Xu Zhiheng narrowed his eyes. "What exactly did they want you to do?"Fuwang only hoped to escape with his life, so he didn't care about anything else and simply spilled everything he knew. "They wanted me to find some of the late madam's old belongings, as well as people connected to her before she passed. When I entered the household, the madam was already gone, so I couldn't find anyone. I only thought I might be able to steal a few things." He was cunning, only saying he hadn't yet managed to do anything for the other party before being caught, and didn't mention Nanny Qin at all. "Tonight, when I snuck into the madam's room, I hadn't even found anything before I was discovered. But, Master, the things inside the bedpost—I swear I didn't take them! When I found the bedpost, it was already empty!"
What he said wasn't false, but unfortunately, Xu Zhiheng still only half-believed him.
"Please spare my life, Master! I'll never dare to do it again!" he pleaded.
The usually soft-hearted and easygoing Master Xu, however, did not reply for a long time today. Fuwang mustered the courage to look up and saw, in the flickering light of the lamp, the man's face half-lit and half-shadowed. One half appeared as ordinary as anyone else's, but the other half was twisted like a ferocious demon, chilling to the bone.
It felt like an eternity had passed. Just as Fuwang thought his life was about to end, the man above finally spoke. Xu Zhiheng said, "Since you claim General He entrusted you with this task, I'll spare your life. But..." His voice lowered. "The next time they arrange to meet with you, you must tell them you found nothing, and you cannot let them know I discovered you."
Was he being asked to deceive He Rufei's people? A flicker of doubt passed through Fuwang's mind, but he quickly lowered his head and spoke with tearful gratitude, "Thank you, Master! I will serve you well!"
Xu Zhiheng looked down at the servant kneeling and kowtowing at his feet but said nothing.
He Rufei had actually sent someone in secret to investigate He Yan's old belongings—what was he trying to do? Was he looking for leverage to threaten him?
Yes, a few days ago, a fire broke out at the Virtuous Prosperity Academy, and by sheer coincidence, it burned the childhood journals of "He Rufei." As soon as the news reached the Xu family, Xu Zhiheng guessed that He Rufei must have been behind it. It seemed that the appearance of that cousin with the same name had not left He Rufei as calm as he appeared on the surface.
The He family had too many secrets—Lady He the Second, He Rufei himself, and the two brothers He Yuansheng and He Yuanliang. In comparison, the Xu family had far fewer vulnerabilities. Even in He Yan's death, he hadn't been the one to act. If the truth ever came to light, Xu Zhiheng could easily walk away unscathed.
Perhaps it was this very fact that made He Rufei uneasy, which was why he was going to such lengths to find evidence against He Yan in the Xu household. This way, if he could prove that Xu Zhiheng had also known about the identity swap between He Yan and He Rufei, then when the truth eventually came out, the Xu family wouldn't be able to escape either.
He Rufei was afraid, so the more desperate the situation became, the more he wanted to drag the Xu family down with him.
Xu Zhiheng's expression darkened.
Even though he had known about this from the beginning and understood that the He and Xu families were already in the same boat, when it happened right under his nose, he still couldn't help but feel displeased. When everything was peaceful, of course, they all wished each other well and shared in the glory. But once trouble arose... He Rufei's actions were truly lacking in honor.Since He Rufei had gone this far, there was no need for him to show any mercy. Just as Fuwang had searched He Yan's room but found nothing, if something really happened, as long as there was no evidence, Xu Zhiheng could still protect himself.
...
That night, He Yan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
She knew He Rufei was not the Flying Goose General—there were countless flaws—but the world demanded evidence. With just her word alone, the truth could not be revealed. Moreover, the truth itself sounded so unbelievable.
There were no living witnesses left in the Pacify Yue Army. Nanny Qin alone was not enough, and to catch He Rufei's weakness, she had to start with the Battle of Huayuan. In that battle, He Rufei must have had some unspeakable dealings with the Wutuo people.
He Rufei was cautious and meticulous in his actions. To find evidence of his treason and collusion with the enemy, perhaps she had to go to the He residence.
The He residence...
He Yan sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard, gazing at the bed curtains as her thoughts drifted far away.
In truth, she was not afraid to set foot in the He family again. In that "He family," she had endured enough exploitation and cold indifference. Returning now would not rekindle any old affections.
But the thought of facing Lady He the Second again left her unsure of how to confront it.
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel