“I’m thrilled to share this urban romance with you! It’s a story full of quirk and passion, set against the backdrop of the city you all love. Check it out on my website and stay tuned for updates! (Bio & link below)”
Chapter 106: A Moment’s Hesitation
The meeting in the Southern Study ended. Everyone left, except for a few senior ministers and close aides of the emperor, as Shen Lang seemed to have more to say.
Gu Chunfang, having just been transferred back to the capital, was naturally not among them.
Zhang Zhe walked with him, a few steps behind, still as silent as ever.
Gu Chunfang observed his expression and said as they walked, “Earlier in the Southern Study, when it was suddenly suggested that you infiltrate the Tianjiao sect disguised as Dujun Shanren, it wasn’t discussed with you beforehand. Don’t take it to heart.”
In fact, there was no way to discuss it in advance.
Gu Chunfang couldn’t have known what Xie Wei would say today; everything was improvised.
Zhang Zhe had never expected to be involved in such complex matters by a twist of fate. He had no grand ambitions in life, only wanting to spend more time caring for his mother.
Being drawn into these disputes was entirely unexpected.
In his previous life, after Xie Wei and Yan Lin’s rebellion, the Tianjiao sect’s forces were also eradicated, with a bloodbath from top to bottom. Even when the sect leader was beheaded, the legendary “Dujun Shanren” never appeared.
If such a person existed and was so important, could they vanish into thin air?
Thus, people believed that the Tianjiao sect never had such a person, and it was just a fabricated figure to deceive the followers and make them believe more in the sect.
Zhang Zhe, having worked in the Ministry of Justice, had dealt with many cases related to the Tianjiao sect and had indeed been ordered to investigate who Dujun Shanren was, but each time he found nothing, and the matter was left unresolved.
But he had some suspicions.
These suspicions were baseless and somewhat far-fetched, so he never shared them with anyone.
In this life, however, there seemed to be some clues.
Yet, Zhang Zhe thought, those had nothing to do with him.
He lowered his eyes and said, “You have always been kind to me, and recommending me this time is an honor. I have no complaints. But since Master Xie proposed this plan, he might have a suitable candidate in mind. Your intervention might make him uneasy…”
Gu Chunfang’s eyes were old but increasingly perceptive.
He stroked his beard and said, “Precisely because Master Xie proposed it, I recommended you.”
Zhang Zhe immediately looked up at Gu Chunfang.
Gu Chunfang rarely frowned, but he did this time, though he quickly relaxed his expression and sighed with a smile, “Perhaps I’m getting old and overly suspicious. I always feel that Master Xie, though young and seemingly unambitious, is very thoughtful and deep, not as simple as he appears. When I was his age, I was still a reckless youth in the court, knowing nothing. I hope I’m just being overly suspicious…”
Zhang Zhe remained silent.
Gu Chunfang gently patted his shoulder and said, “This time, I’ll have to trouble you. By the way, how is your mother’s health?”
Zhang Zhe replied, “She has been better since moving to the capital and is focusing on her recovery. But she still can’t stay idle and always wants to do something at home.”
This couldn’t be helped.
Gu Chunfang shook his head, “You’re a filial child. If my children were half as good as you, I’d be much more at ease!”
As the sun set, the two left the palace.
The people remaining in the Southern Study also came out after half an hour.
Xie Wei walked out of the palace with a smile on his face.
But once he got into the carriage, the warm and gentle expression slowly faded, replaced by a cold stillness.
*
Lu Xian felt uneasy. He had just returned from the Shuxiang Inn, but the two pieces of news he heard kept swirling in his mind as he passed the sealed Yongyi Marquis’s residence and entered Xie’s mansion.
Shares in the salt fields could be freely traded?
Ren Weizhi had come to the capital to settle his lifelong matters and was going to propose marriage at the Qingyuan Earl’s residence in two days?
How could things be so confusing these days?
He frowned deeply, ignoring the greetings from others in the mansion. As he was about to step into the Zhaoqin Hall, he remembered what had happened there a few days ago and shuddered.
He immediately withdrew his foot.
Looking around and seeing that Dao Qin and Jian Shu were not there, he called a servant to bring him a chair and sat in the corridor outside the Zhaoqin Hall, lost in thought.
Lu Xian was waiting for Xie Wei.
Unexpectedly, when Xie Wei finally returned, his face looked no better than Lu Xian’s, causing Lu Xian’s eyelid to twitch.
He asked, “Has something happened at court?”
In the winter courtyard, the flowers and trees were withered.
The withered lotus leaves in the pond were curled up and yellow on the water’s surface.
Xie Wei’s cyan robe fluttered like a falling leaf.
The events of the Southern Study meeting were still on Xie Wei’s mind. When Lu Xian asked, he recounted them expressionlessly.
Hearing about his plan to the emperor, Lu Xian almost felt his scalp explode!
“Using a borrowed knife to kill, what a plan!”
That day, Xie Wei killed Gongyi Cheng, a well-known figure in the Tianjiao sect. If the sect found out, who knows what kind of storm it would cause. Xie Wei’s dual identity in the sect and the court was precarious. If his secrets were exposed, he would be like a person walking in the narrowing gap between two cliffs, destined to be crushed!
So, after killing, it was necessary to immediately control the Tianjiao sect’s forces in the capital.
Those who obeyed would be used, and those who didn’t would be ruthlessly eliminated.
However, such a large movement would inevitably attract attention, and the news would reach the headquarters in Jinling.
Xie Wei had a weakness in their hands.
His identity was the biggest weakness.
Therefore, everything had to be done without anyone knowing!
Although it was Xie Wei who killed Gongyi Cheng, it was now said that he was killed during the Shuntian Prefecture’s raid on the Tianjiao sect, making it “legitimate.”
And if this method continued to be used, it would be the perfect “borrowed knife” strategy!
It was clear that Xie Wei couldn’t eliminate those who obeyed him.
So, by using the court’s power, he could eliminate the forces in the Tianjiao sect that leaned towards Jinling, weakening Jinling’s power and making it easier for Xie Wei to control the capital. To the court, eliminating the Tianjiao sect would be seen as Xie Wei’s great achievement!
Killing three birds with one stone.
Lu Xian couldn’t help but applaud.
However, Xie Wei’s expression didn’t change at all. He simply added the final result—
In the Southern Study meeting, the person decided to impersonate Dujun Shanren was not him.
It was Zhang Zhe.
Lu Xian was stunned, almost unable to believe what he heard: “But… but this… you didn’t oppose it and just let it happen? Won’t Zhang Zhe mess things up?”
Xie Wei closed his eyes slightly and said, “I think Gu Chunfang seems to be very wary of me.”
Lu Xian said, “That old man was just transferred back from the provinces and was previously a censor in Henan. He’s lived most of his life and is certainly shrewd. But if you can deceive the world, deceiving one person just takes more effort and time. But if Zhang Zhe really finds out something, it might not be us who suffer.”
The Tianjiao sect had many branches, secretly distributed everywhere.
Some of them were secretly obeying Xie Wei.
If Xie Wei himself pretended to be Dujun Shanren, he wouldn’t harm his own forces; but if Zhang Zhe went, who knows what trouble he might cause!
Lu Xian, being a businessman, didn’t like risky situations. He frowned and said, “At critical moments, we can’t take risks. Since he has to infiltrate the Tianjiao sect, which is risky, we might as well take advantage of the situation and kill him. If he dies at the hands of the sect members, the court will think the plan failed and won’t suspect us.”
Xie Wei remained silent for a long time.
Lu Xian thought this was the best plan and said, “I’ll go arrange it.”
He had forgotten about Ren Weizhi and the salt fields. He slapped the armrest of the chair and stood up to make arrangements.
Then he heard a voice behind him: “No need.”
Lu Xian was stunned and looked back at Xie Wei, almost unable to believe his ears: “If we let him infiltrate the Tianjiao sect, who knows what will happen! If we don’t eliminate this threat first, it could cause endless trouble! Why not?”
Why?
Xie Wei’s mind flashed with an image of a face, a young girl walking under the dark palace walls, her eyes shining with the light of the lantern he held, as if they were burning with the flame.
Do you like Zhang Zhe?
Yes. Very much, very much…
At that moment, he was momentarily dazed, then looked at Lu Xian’s serious face and slowly said, “This plan is to lure the enemy into a trap. Zhang Zhe will be alone and without support. Since I proposed the plan, the court will let me control the overall situation. Zhang Zhe is a court official. If he gains nothing and dies, I might be blamed. Killing him is easy but also troublesome. It’s better to wait and see what he finds out. If he learns something he shouldn’t, we can eliminate him before he returns to the capital.”
“……”
This was not Xie Wei’s usual style.
Lu Xian sensed that there were reasons beyond what Xie Wei had said. But he didn’t dare to ask too deeply.
Xie Wei stood in the corridor, looked at the darkening sky, and then stepped into the Zhaoqin Hall.
Lu Xian remained in the corridor.
He turned to look into the hall, his frown deepening as he suddenly realized something: “Wait, this isn’t right. Forget Zhang Zhe. Killing Gongyi Cheng, clearing the forces in the capital, and even using a borrowed knife—this is clearly a series of linked plans! You told me you had no plan when you killed Gongyi Cheng?!”
Xie Wei stood facing the blank wall, the hall unlit, his figure hidden in the shadows.
But Lu Xian could hear his clear, calm voice.
He said, “I dared to say it, and you dared to believe it.”
Lu Xian: “…………”
Damn, how did I not realize before that you’re such a scoundrel!
Leave a Reply