Chapter 154: He Xu Returns to the Capital
Xie Shi'an took his invitation card and went to visit a former classmate.
When his carriage encountered a blocked road ahead, he had no choice but to continue on foot. After walking just a few steps, he spotted a familiar figure on the street.
His pupils contracted involuntarily as he quickened his pace to catch up.
But the figure disappeared through an alleyway, slipping into some unknown shop and vanishing from sight.
Xie Shi'an looked up to find himself standing before a gambling den.
His expression immediately darkened.
If he hadn't been mistaken, that figure was none other than He Xu, who had disappeared several months ago.
Though he had only seen a side profile, he was certain it was his maternal uncle, originally named He Xu.
With someone in the capital investigating the He family affairs, He Xu's appearance in the capital was extremely dangerous.
His own mother had been driven to death because of this, yet He Xu was still living carefreely. If he were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable...
Xie Shi'an decisively entered the gambling den. The place was bustling with noise and crowded with people pushing against each other. After searching through the entire establishment, he found no trace of He Xu.
Forgetting about delivering the invitation to his classmate, he immediately turned back toward the Xie residence.
He went to the study looking for Xie Jingyu, but the servants said he hadn't returned yet.
He knew that ever since his elder sister became the Princess Consort, his father had been granted an "imperial exemption" from mourning, allowing him to end his filial observance early and take on a lucrative official position.
Reportedly, it was a coveted position in the Ministry of Revenue where he counted treasury silver daily...
It wasn't until nightfall that Xie Jingyu returned.
His health had never been good, and combined with consecutive days of exhaustion, he walked with a limp and stooped posture, dragging his left leg along the ground—completely devoid of the elegant demeanor he once had as the Number One Scholar.
Yet his face shone with vibrant energy and radiance.
Xie Shi'an hurried over to support his father, helping him sit in the study chair before quickly pouring a cup of tea.
Instead of drinking immediately, Xie Jingyu pulled out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve—amounting to at least five or six thousand taels of silver.
Xie Shi'an looked at him in disbelief. "Father, where did this money come from?"
After Old Madam's funeral, the Xie family had little silver left—otherwise they wouldn't have been unable to prepare a proper dowry for their elder sister.
"The Ministry of Revenue's accounts are complex and convoluted," Xie Jingyu said, his voice tinged with concealed excitement. "These past few days, I've been rechecking and reorganizing the accounts from the past five years, and this extra silver emerged. This shows how incompetent the previous account managers were—some entries were overstated, others understated. After all the additions and subtractions, there was a surplus of exactly seven thousand one hundred taels. I only took five thousand, recording the remaining two thousand plus in the public accounts."
Xie Shi'an frowned. "Father, you've just taken over this position. Isn't this inappropriate?"
Wouldn't it be safer to wait until he was firmly established in the position and fewer eyes were watching before doing such things?
"You don't understand."
Xie Jingyu shook his head.
He had obtained this lucrative position through Prince Pingxi's connections, and he needed to produce results to earn the prince's confidence.
From the five thousand taels in banknotes, he set aside half in his study. The other half he placed in a box, planning to accumulate enough before presenting the box of banknotes to Prince Pingxi—a clear demonstration of his loyalty.Xie Shi'an's lips parted, intending to persuade further, but he suddenly remembered he had more pressing matters and shifted the topic: "Father, I think I saw He Xu on the street today."
"Really?" Xie Jingyu stood up urgently. "Didn't he flee the capital long ago, afraid of being killed by debt collectors after owing over ten thousand taels of silver?"
Xie Shi'an replied gravely, "I saw him enter the gambling den, but I couldn't find him inside. I'm not sure if I misidentified him."
How could He Xu dare return to the capital and enter a gambling den with such massive debts? And how would the gambling den even allow him in?
Could it have been a mistake?
"Whether you saw correctly or not, we cannot take this lightly." Xie Jingyu tapped his fingers on the table. "I'll station some men at the gambling den. The moment he appears, they'll take him to a secluded spot... Only the dead keep secrets forever."
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyelids.
Having personally driven his own birth mother to her death, a maternal uncle seemed insignificant by comparison.
When he achieves fame and official rank, when he restores the He family's honor, he would erect memorial tablets for his mother and uncle, ensuring generations of descendants make offerings...
Just as Xie Jingyu dispatched men to the gambling den, Yun Chu's people had already brought He Xu from the den to a temporary residence.
Upon entering the courtyard gate, He Xu spotted Chen Defu drinking tea in the yard. Guiltily, he explained, "Uncle Chen, I just went out for a stroll—didn't gamble at all..."
Back when he had been mutilated between the legs and nearly killed, it was Uncle Chen who saved him.
It was Uncle Chen who arranged his escort back to his hometown in Jizhou.
Growing bored in Jizhou, he'd returned to the capital seeking amusement, again with Uncle Chen providing funds and arranging this spacious lodging.
On his second day back, he'd intended to visit the Xie residence to squeeze some money from his sister He Lingying but failed to find her, so he wandered into the gambling den instead. He feared Uncle Chen's anger and abandonment—that would be his end.
"He Xu, do you realize you nearly lost your life?" Chen Defu said coldly. "I saved you with great effort hoping you'd live, not throw your life away recklessly."
He Xu shrugged indifferently. "I still owe the gambling den too much silver—they won't kill me. At worst, I'll get a beating."
Chen Defu shook his head. "The one who wants you dead is the Xie family's eldest young master, Xie Shi'an."
"What? Xie Shi'an?" He Xu frowned. "Why would he kill me? Uncle Chen, you must be mistaken."
He was An Ge'er's own maternal uncle—bound by blood.
"Since I raised you myself, I'll be frank with you." Chen Defu looked at him. "You and the Xie residence's Concubine He are full siblings, correct?"
He Xu's expression tightened. "How did you know?"
"I also know Concubine He is the birth mother of the Xie family's eldest and second young masters and the eldest young lady. Moreover, I know she was the He family's legitimate daughter." Chen Defu's voice dropped low. "The Xie family has offended powerful figures. Someone is investigating the He family affairs, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the Xies... Thus, Concubine He—a key witness—was driven to her death by the Xie father and son together... Xie Jingyu and Xie Shi'an have been searching for you all along. The moment you returned to the capital, they spotted you. You're the next to die!"
"No... impossible!" He Xu's face paled dramatically. "My sister is tough—she can't be dead! You're lying to me!""Ah—" Chen Defu let out a long sigh. "If you don't believe me, just wait and see. I can say no more than this."
He patted He Xu's shoulder and strode out.
When he reached the courtyard gate, he turned back to the two guards in the shadows and said, "Keep a close watch on him. Make sure he doesn't die under any circumstances."
After monitoring He Xu for several months, he was finally about to be put to use. The only question was whether the Xie family could withstand the grand gift the Madam had specially prepared for them.
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