Xie Zheng did not answer her directly. He finished the last annotation on the title page, then set down his brush. “I’ve annotated all the difficult passages in these books. If you read through them yourself, you should be able to understand them.”

Hearing him say this, how could Fan Changyu not understand?

He had promised to teach her to read, but it seemed he would not be able to keep that promise after all. So he had painstakingly annotated every book and left them all for her.

For a moment, she felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.

But they were not related, nor did they have any ties to each other. Their sham marriage had merely been a matter of mutual need, and neither owed the other anything. Besides, he had already helped her so much during this time.

Fan Changyu suppressed that strange little ache in her heart and said, “There’s nothing else I want. I already have everything I need. The pork shop is doing well, the braised meat has made a name for itself, and I have a steady source of income. Once spring comes, I can even raise pigs in the pigpen in the countryside…”

As she talked about her plans for the future, she thought of how Yan Zheng would soon be leaving. He probably would not be able to help her with the pig farming either. She could not help looking up at him, only to find that he seemed to be listening to her seriously, his expression calm and gentle. A sudden, inexplicable sadness rose in her heart.

Perhaps it was because, when she had been at her most difficult, the two of them had supported each other through it all. That was why, hearing him say he was leaving, she suddenly found herself unable to get used to the thought.

She said, “The money you left with me—I’ll go to the money shop tomorrow and have it exchanged for silver notes. That’ll make it more convenient for you to carry when you leave.”

银票 (silver notes) — Paper notes issued by money shops or financial institutions and redeemable for silver.

Xie Zheng’s handsome brows drew together, “What I gave you is yours.”

Fan Changyu replied, “When you’re out traveling, there’ll be plenty of places where you’ll need to spend money. And you still have to rebuild your escort agency. Are you planning to drink the northwest wind if you don’t carry any money with you? Besides, one should not accept a reward without earning it. I can’t feel at ease keeping such a large sum of your money.”

Forty taels of silver was no small amount. It was one thing to leave it with her temporarily, but now that he was leaving, Fan Changyu simply could not bring herself to keep the money as though it were rightfully hers.

Adding the six taels they had split between them after selling the braised meat at Yixiang Restaurant yesterday, the total amount he had left with her came to forty-six taels of silver. Fan Changyu planned to add another four taels to make it an even fifty, exchange the whole sum for silver notes, and give them to him. She would also give him some copper wen coins for hiring a cart or stopping somewhere for a meal along the way.

That way, she would not feel as though she owed him anything.

Xie Zheng’s lips pressed into a tighter line as he looked at her. “Wasn’t it supposed to be the money for candies?”

Fan Changyu met his gaze, her eyes clear andguileless, “If you come back someday and still want to eat candies, I’ll buy them for you again.”

She smiled. It sounded almost teasing, yet there was something faintly earnest in her words. “Otherwise, what if you meet some girl out there and want her to buy you some candy, but you’ve run out of money?”

Xie Zheng’s lips pressed even more tightly together, and the last trace of warmth vanished from his expression.

Fan Changyu seemed not to notice. She yawned and said, “It’s very late. You should get some rest.”

Even after Fan Changyu had returned to her room, Xie Zheng remained seated at the table. After a long while, he closed his eyes.

Apart from her, no one else would buy sweets for him anymore.

He did not know whether he would still be alive when he returned from this journey. There were some things he could not bring himself to say.

He Jingyuan’s investigation into the missing 200,000 shi of grain had led him to Zhao Xun. Zhao Xun, in turn, had handed the grain over to Xie Zheng’s long-term subordinates. He Jingyuan had not uncovered anything concrete, but by following the clues, he could still piece together a few things.

Given how outrageously Wei Xuan had been conducting himself, it should not have been difficult for someone of He Jingyuan’s ability, especially within Jizhou Prefecture, to bring Wei Xuan under control. Yet he had not done so.

There was only one reason: he wanted to use the suffering of the common people to force Xie Zheng to reveal himself with those 200,000 shi of grain.

Compared with his life, the people’s suffering and the infamy the Wei faction would incur among the populace clearly meant very little to them.

After all, back then, the Wei faction had gone so far as to plant a spy at his side and have him falsify military intelligence just to eliminate him. The 8,000 soldiers who had followed him onto the battlefield had all been sacrificed as pawns on the Chongzhou battlefield…

This blood-soaked mountain of corpses represented a grudge still waiting to be avenged. Until Wei Yan and his son saw his corpse with their own eyes, how could they possibly sleep soundly?

He could not promise her that he would return. She might seem carefree, but she was actually a woman with firm principles. She would never allow herself to become entangled with him without knowing exactly where she stood, which was why she had insisted on refusing his money.

Only when they owed each other nothing could neither of them carry the other in their thoughts.

He thought: So be it, then. They owed each other nothing. After all, what was so special about the daughter of a butcher?

He rose and paced toward his room. As he passed beneath the eaves, falling snow landed between his brows. The chill that seeped into his skin as it melted reached all the way to his bones, and even the last trace of pride in his heart was worn away by the cold.

His hand rested lightly against the wooden door, yet for a long while, he could not bring himself to push it open. He lowered his head and closed his eyes heavily, hiding the discomposure he could not bear to show in that moment.

How could she possibly be anything less than good?

She was good in every way.

·•—–٠✤٠—–•·

The courtyard stretched deep into the residence, snow piling thickly upon the bamboo branches.

Zhao Xun strode quickly across the snow-covered courtyard and entered the heated chamber. Inside, candlelight illuminated the entire room. Behind an arched, carved moon gate stood a pair of gilded bronze suanni incense burners in the shape of mythical guardian lions, wisps of blue-gray smoke slowly drifting upward through their openwork lids.

Farther inside, before a soft couch, half of a golden gauze curtain hung down. It obscured the appearance of the man seated upon the couch, revealing nothing of his features. Only the hem of his robe, falling to the floor, could be seen—woven with gold thread and embroidered brocade, extraordinarily sumptuous.

Zhao Xun did not dare look any longer. He lowered his head and said respectfully, “Zhuzi, as you instructed, the matter of Wei Xuan forcibly requisitioning grain has been widely publicized in the capital. All the scholars are now denouncing the Wei faction, and Grand Tutor Li has even openly challenged Wei Yan in court.”

A low table had been set before the couch, with teacups arranged upon it. The man reached out and picked one up. His fingers were long and slender, yet unnaturally pale, so thin they looked almost like a few withered bones. He gave a quiet laugh. “Well done.”

Then he asked, “And what of Marquis Wu’an?”

Zhao Xun recalled his previous meeting with Xie Zheng, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared at his temples. Bracing himself, he said, “Marquis Wu’an instructed Shuxia to inform He Jingyuan that Wei Xuan had crossed the border into Jizhou Prefecture to requisition grain, possibly intending for He Jingyuan to stop Wei Xuan from seizing the grain.”

The man behind the gauze curtain let out a low chuckle. It was impossible to tell whether he was mocking the notion or genuinely amused. “An usurping traitor like Wei Yan actually managed to raise a Wai nephew who cares about the suffering of the common people?”

After taking a small sip, he set down the teacup in his hand. “It is hardly surprising that Wei Yan is so wary of him. Under the pretense of buying grain, he managed to uncover more than a dozen of your contact points across Taizhou and Jizhou. When the grain was delivered, he deliberately left a trail for He Jingyuan to follow. One might even call it a generous gift in return for Marquis Wu’an’s courtesy. After all… if Jizhou fails to produce another scandal over grain requisitions, there will be no one to perform on the stage we have set up in the capital.”

Zhao Xun was somewhat worried. “If Marquis Wu’an discovers that we were the ones who left the trail for He Jingyuan…”

The man behind the gauze curtain was unconcerned, “What is there to fear? It is not as though we held a knife to Wei Xuan’s throat and forced him to requisition the grain. If we can repeatedly erode the Wei faction’s standing with the people, while also watching the two blades Wei Yan once wielded take the stage together, why not? Besides, I could even say that I have helped Marquis Wu’an. The deeper the people’s hatred of the Wei faction becomes, the more popular he will be when he eventually steps forward to reclaim the Northwest, will he not?”

Zhao Xun praised him, “Zhu is truly wise.”

He then cautiously broached another matter. “Marquis Wu’an wishes to meet with Zhu in person. What are your thoughts?”

He did not dare repeat even a single word of the arrogant things Xie Zheng had said that day to the man before him.

The man behind the gauze curtain pondered for a moment. “Not yet. Let him and Wei Yan fight it out. Better yet, let them both suffer heavy losses.”

Hearing that the man regarded Xie Zheng solely as a means to an end, Zhao Xun hesitated. “Marquis Wu’an is, after all, the orphaned son of General Xie…”

The man’s eyes turned cold. “The wolf cub Wei Yan raised with his own hands could hardly be some innocent soul. And when military power is involved, it is always safer to have it in one’s own hands than in someone else’s.”

The weather was bitterly cold, yet cold sweat kept breaking out across Zhao Xun’s back. He bowed and said, “Shuxia understands.”

·•—–٠✤٠—–•·

The lights also remained burning late into the night at He Residence.

Dozens of soldiers under Wei Xuan’s command surrounded the residence, and the people within were not permitted to leave without authorization.

Soldiers even patrolled back and forth around the side gates and along the courtyard walls.

In the darkness, hidden arrows shot toward the soldiers stationed before the residence gate like a sudden downpour. The troops at the gate instantly fell into disarray, scrambling for cover.

“Enemy attack!”

“Quick, report to the general!”

“Kill—!”

A contingent of Jizhou Prefecture troops armed with swords and halberds charged out of the darkness, catching Wei Xuan’s soldiers off guard. They quickly gained the upper hand.

The man leading the Jizhou troops was Zheng Wenchang. He raised the horizontal saber in his hand, “Follow me! We’re going in to rescue Daren!”

As one of He Jingyuan’s senior commanders, he was intimately familiar with the layout of He Residence. It did not take long for him to lead his men to the study.

He Jingyuan sat behind his desk, a bamboo scroll spread out before him. He appeared to be reading by lamplight. When he saw Zheng Wenchang and the others storming into the residence with drawn weapons, his expression changed slightly, “Why have you come?”

Zheng Wenchang dropped to one knee and cupped his fist, “Beizhi has brought men to help Daren escape this predicament. Wei Xuan has gone too far! Daren should write a letter to the capital and inform the Prime Minister. Let us see how much longer Wei Xuan dares to act with such impunity!”

Hearing the reason for their arrival, He Jingyuan furrowed his brow and let out a long sigh, “Fools!”

Zheng Wenchang looked puzzled, “What does Daren mean?”

He Jingyuan said nothing more. After rising and pacing back and forth across the study for a while, he gave his order, “Take your men and leave first.”

Zheng Wenchang stared at him in astonishment, “But, Daren, what about you?”

“Wei Xuan would not dare do anything to me. I have my reasons for handling things this way. Go back and await further orders.”

Zheng Wenchang and the other military officers exchanged glances. But out of their respect for and obedience to He Jingyuan, they still cupped their fists, “Beizhi obeys.”

As they were about to leave, He Jingyuan hesitated for a moment before adding, “If you see Wei Xuan’s soldiers oppressing innocent civilians while requisitioning grain, intervene where necessary. Just make sure no one is killed.”

The military officers were puzzled by this, but they merely cupped their fists and acknowledged the order.

Only Zheng Wenchang, the last to leave, turned back before stepping outside and asked in confusion, “Why is Daren afraid of Wei Xuan?”

He Jingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the calligraphic plaque above his desk bearing the words “Where virtue dwells, its fragrance endures.” He let out a sigh, “It is not that I fear him. Do not ask further. Just do as I say.”

明德惟馨 — This is a classical phrase from the Book of Documents (《尚书》), meaning that manifest virtue alone leaves a lasting “fragrance.” Here, the fragrance is metaphorical: a person’s moral virtue leaves behind a good and enduring influence. The phrase is especially poignant beneath the scene in which He Jingyuan reflects on his own sins and the moral cost of his choices.

Zheng Wenchang had no choice but to leave, carrying a bellyful of questions with him.

He Jingyuan, however, continued gazing at the plaque for a long while.

It did not matter that his own hands were stained with countless sins. What mattered was whether the people of Great Yin would one day be forced to struggle for survival amid the flames of war.

When the Son of Heaven is enraged, a million corpses may fall.

When those who hold power fight among themselves, it is ultimately the common people at the bottom who suffer.

If the 200,000 shi of grain purchased by that merchant surnamed Zhao truly were in that man’s hands, then this test would reveal whether he had inherited Wei Yan’s ruthlessness and determination to achieve his ends at any cost, or whether he still had compassion for the common people under Heaven.

If it was the latter, then regarding the Battle of Jinzhou sixteen years ago, what He Jingyuan knew might finally be time to tell him once that man returned.

If it was the former, he would take that secret with him into his grave.

If all he had left was hatred, without even the slightest compassion for the people of the realm, then learning the truth would only lead to more flames of war, bringing nothing but suffering to the people.