Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The content of Haitang’s letter was very simple. The language was also not old-fashioned and overflowing. Her style was of the modern script, in Fan An Zhi’s light style:
Are you well, An Zhi?
I have received your previous letter. The mail roads are indeed very convenient. It only took ten days for a month-long journey. Counting backwards, when you said that Jingdou had just had its first snow, Shangjing had already had multiple snowfalls, and all were the type that never seem to stop. The cold weather makes one weary.
I am strange in that while others may find the spring and autumn to be sleepy seasons, I tend to be lazy in the winter. Not because of anything other than that the heavy and dull snow completely covers all the colors. There are no beautiful sceneries to enjoy, no tree branches to weave into circlets, and no flowers to bring close and smell. Although the garden has a few plum blossoms, this year has been colder than previous years, and those few red flowers seem tragic in their beauty. They’ve been frozen by the cold snow and have barely any spirit. I cannot find it in myself to admire them.
I have already sold the donkey you once saw. Don’t worry, the millstone is still being pushed by the kid. There isn’t much soybean anyway, so there only needs to be 50 revolutions a day. Using the money from selling the donkey, I bought some bamboo charcoal. You said that if the room is not well ventilated, it is easy to be poisoned. So I have followed the blueprint you sent and made a chimney. To my surprise, the air in the room is actually much better.
The chicks have long grown up, but I’m still worried about them freezing, so I’m raising them indoors. Naturally, the smell is not pleasant but, as you know, I now have a servant, so with daily cleaning and sweeping, it is tolerable.
Sir Wang has come to the garden a few times, saying he wants to take me to eat. But, you said he isn’t good at drinking, so I kept this in mind and rejected him. After all, you know that I like to watch other people drink. Particularly watching them become drunk.
Half a year ago, at the Century Pine Inn, I liked the little song you hummed after you became drunk. It was that lyric in ‘Stay in Qing’ from ‘The Story of the Stone.’ The other day, I sang this to my teacher, and he liked it a lot too. He said that the history of sister Qiao’s child was wretched, and that there was something interesting about it. That it was something to think about.
That day, the wind and snow were very heavy outside, and the cold had seeped into the room. Teacher and I sat opposite each other drinking tea, and conversing pleasantly on state matters. It was very comfortable. For some reason, I thought of our travels months ago in Shangjing. It was a slice of joy and nature, and it felt very happy. I seem to see you, see that bright round moon, that little temple, and that ridge. You were a sorry figure as you ran from behind the ridge to outside.
Oh, right—I heard news that surprised me greatly. I heard that Sir Xiao En’s body was found in a precipice in Xi Mountain. Although he has already been buried, I thought I should let you know for peace of mind since you once traveled north together with this old man.
Having only read to here, Fan Xian felt the letter was a little strange. As he continued reading it seemed that the village girl was hiding many things in her words. He was also so surprised by his brother being used for labor that he could find no words and only laugh, and did not notice. Following this, he became excited by Haitang’s other comment. Was she really going to pass on to him the Heart of Tianyi Dao?
And so he had not guessed the true message Haitang wanted to convey. However, he considered it again, and finally found a sense of unease as he pieced together the discovery of Xiao En’s body, Ku He’s discussion of him, and the riddle.
Particularly the comment:
The history of sister Qiao’s child was wretched, and there was something interesting about it.
He furrowed his brows and read it again, and finally his gaze landed on the talk of the bright moon, the little temple, and the ridge. The appearance of this comment was very unexpected and did not seem to connect to the rest of the letter. This comment was about the most embarrassing moment of Fan Xian’s life. After he had been given an aphrodisiac, he became frustrated and ran towards the outside of the temple while holding up his pants. At the time, the croaking of frogs was thunderous and the mud was wet.
This… should be what Haitang was telling him about.
From behind the ridge to outside?
Fan Xian furrowed his brows and suddenly inspiration flashed through his mind. He removed the useless phrases and only looked at the last line. For Fan Xian, this kind of character riddle was very easy. Running out from the fields was the
gu
character.
No—it was the
ye
character!
The
ye
from lianye, the
ye
from heye… the
ye
from Ye Qingmei!
Fan Xian’s face was full of shock. The hand that gripped the letter shook slightly. Connecting together the clues in the letter, the talk of past histories, he immediately understood exactly what Haitang was trying to tell him.
Ku He knew he was a descendent of the Ye family!
He inhaled deeply and rubbed his somewhat stiff jaw. He forced himself to calm down, and to not let this sudden information disrupt his thoughts.
The meaning in Haitang’s letter was very clear, and since she was secretly sending him the message, that meant that Ku He, who held the secret of his past, already had a plan to release this information. Only in this case would she rush to tell him so he could prepare for it.
Right now he did not have time to consider what kind of being this Great Grandmaster was to be able to determine his connection to the Ye family. The most important question in front of him was how to face the oncoming situation!
Based on time, after Northern Qi released the information that he was a descendent of the Ye family, the rumor would sprout wings and fly. It would only be a few days slower than the Overwatch Council report route. Within ten days at the latest, the streets and alleys of Jingdou would start to circulate this information. Everyone would open their big mouths behind his back and express their shock.
Logically speaking, no one would have any real evidence, and no one would be able to say with certainty that Fan Xian was a descendent of the Ye family. The most Northern Qi could do was spread some rumors. However, Fan Xian knew very well that rumors like this could cause massive damage. Once the news broke, people would purposely dig into the strange happenings that had occured after his arrival in the capital, and from there they would gradually believe this was the truth.
And this really was the truth.
The human heart was a strange and remarkable thing. Before anyone brought up the matter, people wouldn’t connect Fan Xian to the Ye family. However, once someone started this line of thought, the seed of this suspicion would be planted in their hearts, gradually growing roots and sprouting, before eventually taking over everything. From then on, a rumor became a global truth that no one dared to acknowledge aloud.
And for those involved that year, for the people in the palace, for those whose interests conflicted with his… the matter of him being a descendent of the Ye family would make them suddenly feel like the clouds had cleared and the moon was shining with their realization. They could be ones who ended up believing this the most.
He just didn’t know how his past would be used by the other party.
Fan Xian’s lips were a little dry. He turned to the table behind him and swallowed a couple mouthfuls of tea. The water in the tea had been added by She Chanli and so it was a little hot. The heat made him shiver and after a pause he heavily threw the teapot and cursed.
With a crash, the porcelain teapot landed on the ground and smashed into pieces. Porcelain flew in all directions.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought his secretive past would one day be revealed by someone. Actually, in regards to the Ye half, he was full of eager anticipation. One day, he would declare in a loud voice in front of everyone that he was Ye Qingmei’s son.
But, it shouldn’t have been like this.
Before Fan Xian had time to mentally prepare himself or prepare any plans, this shocking news would spread all over Jingdou. From there it would bring him unforeseeable danger and powerful attacks. No one could know what would happen. Fan Xian hated this feeling of passivity, and was a little afraid of the situation completely leaving his control for the first time.
And that is why he felt helplessly angry.
His feet walked over the broken porcelain pieces and he approached the glass window with a wooden expression. Watching the cold snow and north wind, he was silent for a long time. After countless deep breaths, he finally calmed down and began preparing to face this sudden situation.
At this moment, the serving girls—who had heard the sound in his room—rushed over and were given a fright by the look on his face. They were too scared to enter the room to tidy up.
Fan Xian shook his head and waved the serving girls away with his hand. He picked up the stack of letters again and prepared to destroy them. Like usual, he closed his palms, thinking to crush the letters, but unexpectedly the letters were crushed into a ball and not destroyed.
He paused momentarily, and a bitter smile rose to his lips. Haitang’s letter for him had shocked him so much he’d forgotten that his body was empty of zhenqi.
Going around the winding corridor, he came to the quietest room in the villa. Fan Xian did not knock on the door; he just pushed it open and entered. Although he had no zhenli, he had brute strength, and the doorpost broke with a crack.
Fei Jie raised his slightly-tired face from where he was carefully mixing a medicinal pill. He looked at his student and coughed.
…What happened? Why are you so panicked?
Fan Xian looked at his teacher and said directly,
Sir, something big is going to happen.
Fei Jie was startled and wondered what had happened to make this strange creature panic. After Fan Xian told Fei Jie about the message Haitang had taken the risk to send, Fei Jie also immediately started to panic. He rubbed his medicine-powered hands, his messy hair flew wildly, and he didn’t say anything for a moment.
Fan Xian watched this scene and couldn’t help sighing quietly. He knew it had been a bad idea to come find his teacher at such an urgent moment. Although Fei Jie was in the realm of the Grandmasters when it came to killing people with poison, making quick and decisive decisions in the face of enemies was not his strong suit.
I’ll immediately head down the mountain.
I’ll immediately head down the mountain.
Student and teacher opened their mouths and spoke at the same time. Their eyes met, and they instantly understood the other’s intention. Fei Jie narrowed his brown eyes; murder glinted in them.
I’ll go to the Chen Garden; you go find the Minister. We’ll go separate ways.
Yes, when the situation was this dire, teacher and student thought of the two old foxes in Jingdou at the same time. Fan Xian saluted with a headache. He turned around and ordered his subordinates to prepare a carriage.
As he was leaving, Fei Jie suddenly said,
Don’t be afraid.
Fan Xian turned his head, stunned.
Fei Jie raised his voice, and said eerily with a not-quite-there smile,
Kid, don’t be afraid. What happened dozens of years ago will not happen again. We can poison tens of thousands of people and then kill our way out of Jingdou, and who would be able to
stop us?
Fan Xian felt a chill go up his spine and thought that his teacher really was looking out for him, heart and soul. Only, he was probably not as hard-hearted as him.
…
…
There wasn’t time to notify the women in the villa, and Fan Xian only said goodbye to Sisi, who was embroidering, before he and Fei Jie were taking two different carriages down the snowy mountain roads. Going down Cang Mountain, the carriage wheels crushed countless pieces of ice and picked up threads of frozen mud.
The soldiers responsible for protection were split into two groups. Half of the Sixth Bureau swordsman followed the two men down the mountain, while Gao Da’s Tiger Guards were carefully left by Fan Xian on the mountain.
At dusk, Fei Jie’s carriage, under close protection, entered a manor on the outskirts of the capital that was even more elegant and extravagant than the imperial temporary palace.
Mister Fei?
The old servant guarding the door saw that Sir Fei Jie’s face was serious as he dismounted the carriage, and couldn’t help feeling a little worried. He wasn’t sure what had happened.
In just a little while, the garden was brightly lit. Fei Jie and Chen Pingping, who was in a wheelchair, left the garden with serious faces. They boarded the carriage under heavy guard.
To the palace,
Chen Pingping said coldly. After saying this, his face immediately softened and he said gently,
I wondered what the big deal was. Was it really necessary for both of you to panic like this?
Fei Jie rubbed his hands and replied in shock,
If this isn’t a big deal, then what is?
Chen Pingping gently stroked the smooth armrests of his wheelchair and mocked,
You spend all your days with your medicines so you can be forgiven for not seeing things clearly. However, Fan Xian has disappointed me greatly. He only has to think slightly to see that this isn’t a problem… never mind, he is a child. This matter has weighed on his heart for a long time. It is no surprise he’s terrified now that someone has revealed it.
The carriage creaked its way towards Jingdou and they were soon rolling through the city gate. The city gate had not yet closed. Of course, even if it were closed, if the Director of the Overwatch Council wanted to enter the capital, even the Qin family, garrison of the gate, would not dare to bar his way.
Just as the carriage was about to arrive at the imperial palace, Chen Pingping opened his eyes from his rest, and said lightly,
This isn’t a bad thing, it’s a good thing.
Fei Jie shook his head.
It’s out of my control. I’m going now to the Eighth Bureau to have them prepare.
From outside the palace gates came the sound of a key turning. Chen Pingping had the exclusive power to enter the palace at any time to discuss matters—a very special position. The old man leaned towards the familiar sound and said without expression,
When the news arrives in Jingdou, have them suppress it for two days. This kind of effort must be made for others to see. As for Fan Xian’s past… it was always going to come to light someday. This time is the best time.
Inside the Fan Manor study, the Minister of Revenue of the Qing Kingdom was currently sucking on a winter cherry while watching Fan Xian before him. There was the trace of a mocking smile at the corner of his lips.
Finally I have seen you panic; usually I believe your heart is made of ice.
Fan Xian laughed bitterly,
Father, how can you make jokes at a time like this? What exactly are we going to do when the news reaches Jingdou?
He stared into his father’s eyes and, after a beat of silence, added slowly,
Since this matter has been hidden from everyone for such a long time, there must be someone who doesn’t want me to appear.
Fan Jian observed his son with a clear gaze, and said quietly,
But the truth is that you have appeared, and you have appeared in a beautiful way. Your connection with the Ye family could not be hidden forever. If I had to pick a moment for it to be revealed, I think right now… is the best time.
