Chapter 109: Clear Conscience

“What… is that?”

Lu Xian sat opposite Xie Wei. The characters were not very neat, making it difficult for him to read. He couldn’t help but lean forward to get a closer look. “What is written there? Is it some kind of secret code?”

However, as soon as he leaned a bit closer, Xie Wei’s eyes lifted, giving him a faint glance.

Xie Wei naturally gathered the stack of silver notes under his hand.

Lu Xian was dumbfounded.

Xie Wei explained, “It’s not written for you.”

“……”

A hint of suspicion appeared on Lu Xian’s face as he glanced at the neatly stacked silver notes.

Frowning, he exclaimed, “A love letter from You Fangyin?”

“……”

A dog can’t spit out ivory.

The gloom that had previously shrouded Xie Wei dissipated with a smile, and he returned to his usual calm and detached demeanor. “No.”

Lu Xian said, “I guessed as much. Miss You is about to get married and has no connection with you. She wouldn’t write to you at this time. So, which girl wrote you a love letter?”

Xie Wei frowned slightly. “What love letter?”

Lu Xian’s gaze didn’t move from the stack of silver notes in Xie Wei’s hand, his eyes sharp with scrutiny. “If it’s not from a girl, and it’s something important, why can’t I see it?”

The 50,000 silver notes found on the secret agent directly under Gongyi Cheng included the 15,000 taels he had previously given to You Fangyin. When stacked together, the fifteen 1,000-tael notes revealed hidden characters.

The whole matter concerned the safety of the Yongyi Marquis’ residence.

After reading the message, Xie Wei seemed to relax, as if the matter was under control and not a big deal.

However, Lu Xian felt the opposite.

It wasn’t the matter itself that made him uneasy, but the state Xie Wei had shown for a moment, a state he felt shouldn’t appear on Xie Wei.

Xie Wei was indeed stumped by his question.

The handwriting, the tone, and the little turtle he had seen before, even without a signature, he knew who had left the writing and understood who was behind You Fangyin, so he felt at ease.

An Li said that both the matter and the writing should be shown to Lu Zhaoyin.

However…

He didn’t want to.

Raising his eyes, he met Lu Xian’s gaze directly. Xie Wei was sharp enough to catch the implication in Lu Xian’s words.

Lu Xian said, “Do you know what I admire most about you after all these years?”

Xie Wei didn’t respond immediately.

Lu Xian smiled slightly, but there was little humor in his eyes. “It’s not your intelligence or your endurance—it’s your disinterest in women.”

However, Xie Wei reviewed everything and didn’t feel he had done anything wrong. Ning’er was his student, and neither the writing nor the drawing was significant.

Moreover…

Ning’er was different from others.

He only wanted to test the girl’s intentions and guide her to prevent her from going astray. He had no personal motives or desires, treating her as a student and a junior, feeling that Lu Xian was worrying unnecessarily.

Xie Wei pressed the stack of silver notes beside him, still not intending to return them to Lu Xian. “Just some minor tricks, not worth mentioning. Showing them to others would only be laughable. You’re overthinking it.”

Lu Xian couldn’t help but judge the truth of his words.

But seeing Xie Wei’s calm expression, he began to doubt his own suspicions. “It’s better to overthink than to underthink. It seems the trouble has been resolved. Did you figure out who received the letter, or did the other party state it in the message? If it’s the latter, did you inform anyone about our actions in advance?”

“……”

Xie Wei’s fingers on the silver notes tightened slightly.

Lu Xian noticed and raised an eyebrow.

They had known each other for so long that he could tell from Xie Wei’s subtle expression that he had hit a nerve. But a wise person would stop here.

Looking out the dark window, Lu Xian said, “You should go back.”

Xie Wei got up to leave.

He took the 15,000 taels of silver notes with him.

Lu Xian didn’t stop him and saw him to the door.

However, as he boarded the carriage back to the mansion, Xie Wei leaned back in the carriage, staring at the ink marks on the silver notes, thinking for a long time.

When he arrived at the mansion gate, he got off the carriage.

Dao Qin noticed something was off about his expression.

Xie Wei lowered his eyes, then suddenly smiled as if he had thought of something. “Tomorrow, go to the Jiang residence and ask Ning’er to come and learn the qin. Although she doesn’t need to go to the Fengchen Hall, her studies must not fall behind.”

*

Zhou Yinzhi was secretly shocked.

Jiang Xuening had gathered enough money by the afternoon. It was hard to give such a large sum directly, and these people were secret agents left by the Tianjiao. Even if they couldn’t intercept the money, capturing these people would be an achievement.

So when she informed Xie Wei, she also made a second plan.

The evening transaction was intentional.

The ambush within the city was too conspicuous, so he had Zhou Yinzhi find another excuse to deploy some Jinyiwei outside the city gates. They even released the two Tianjiao rebels they had previously captured, waiting for this group to leave the city so they could intercept and kill them, hoping to retrieve the 50,000 taels.

But after waiting all night, no one left the city.

The next morning, Zhou Yinzhi arrived at the yamen and heard from his colleagues that several Tianjiao rebels had been shot dead by the city gate guards the previous night. It seemed they had bribed the guards to leave the city, but the guards had pretended to agree, only to trap them.

Zhou Yinzhi had dealt with those Tianjiao rebels before.

People in the martial world are loyal but shrewd. They could tell from clues that their informant had been captured, then used half a letter to force them into compliance, negotiating a daring deal. How could they fall at the bribery stage?

Unless the person they contacted was someone they trusted!

But something went wrong.

The other party betrayed them, leading them into a trap.

The matter was undoubtedly complex. Zhou Yinzhi didn’t fully understand the internal workings of Tianjiao, but upon hearing the news, he could clearly sense that besides his and Jiang Xuening’s plans, there was a thick, mysterious shadow over the matter.

Larger and more secretive.

He couldn’t help but think of Jiang Xuening’s previous instruction to leak the information: could it be related to the renowned Xie Wei, whom he had never dealt with?

Once again, Zhou Yinzhi felt that in this treacherous capital, he was just a small wave in the vast sea, no different from the grains of sand carried by the waves.

Entering the world, one realizes its vastness.

Since becoming a Jinyiwei commander and establishing himself in the yamen, he had begun to consider what Jiang Xuening, a seemingly insignificant girl, could offer him after the fall of the Yongyi Marquis’ residence.

However, this time, he discovered—

He hadn’t even fully understood this girl.

Zhou Yinzhi returned to the Jiang residence, putting away his authoritative demeanor in front of his subordinates, appearing humble and patient as he did when he first arrived in the capital and worked at the Jiang residence.

Jiang Xuening had been worried since she hadn’t received any news from Zhou Yinzhi the previous night.

Unexpectedly, he arrived just as she was thinking about it.

She asked, “How did it go?”

Zhou Yinzhi recounted the events of the previous night and what he had heard at the yamen that morning.

He observed Jiang Xuening’s expression.

Surprisingly, Jiang Xuening didn’t seem as serious as he had expected. Instead, she seemed relieved, though she frowned slightly, showing a hint of worry.

Zhou Yinzhi tentatively asked, “Should we investigate secretly?”

Jiang Xuening, holding the corner of the carved redwood table, slowly sat down and immediately shook her head. “No need.”

At times like this, the more you do, the more mistakes you make.

She said, “I already know about it. You can go back and don’t worry about it anymore.”

Zhou Yinzhi felt her words were more profound than ever, with an elusive mystery, making him unusually hesitant.

Jiang Xuening asked, “Is there anything else?”

Zhou Yinzhi collected his thoughts. Although he wanted to ask about the hidden details, he remembered how she had previously revealed his intention to infiltrate the Yongyi Marquis’ residence, making him wary of displeasing her. He said, “Nothing, just a bit unexpected. I’ll take my leave now. If you need me, send someone to find me. If I’m not at the yamen, you can find Wei Xi.”

Jiang Xuening recalled the blushing young man she had seen at Zhou Yinzhi’s residence and thought he was a good choice. She nodded, “Got it.”

Zhou Yinzhi then took his leave.

As soon as he left, Jiang Xuening sat quietly for a long time, then suddenly banged her head on the table. “It was him, we’re doomed!”

That was 50,000 taels!

She had exchanged so many things given by Yan Lin, used her own savings, and even sold her rising shares in the Ren family salt fields at a low price to gather the money.

Being coerced by the Tianjiao people, although it was spent wisely, still left her feeling uneasy.

She also worried about being double-crossed, so she made three plans.

First, she honestly gave the money, hoping to get the letter smoothly.

This worked.

The other party was indeed trustworthy, perhaps thinking they were loyal and trustworthy for spending money on the Yongyi Marquis’ affairs, and handed over the letter.

Second, she had Zhou Yinzhi’s men ambush outside the city gates, just in case. Whether they intercepted the letter or retrieved the money, it would be an achievement.

This didn’t work.

This led to the third plan.

Third, she also secretly leaked the information, hoping Xie Wei would notice the clues and get involved, adding an extra layer of security to the overall plan.

She couldn’t guarantee the first two steps would be foolproof.

This was a matter of life and death for the Yongyi Marquis’ residence.

Losing money or even exposing herself seemed insignificant in comparison.

Jiang Xuening couldn’t afford to fail.

So she took a gamble—

She bet that Xie Wei, whom she knew in her previous life, was secretly a terrifyingly powerful person. She bet that once he knew the information, he would have the ability to control the situation. She also bet on his concern for the Yongyi Marquis’ residence, or rather, she bet on…

You Fangyin’s unconfirmed suspicion from her previous life!

However, Jiang Xuening didn’t know whether to consider herself lucky or unlucky, as this suspicion was almost confirmed by her current self in this life!

Think about it, Xie Ju’an was born in Jinling and grew up in Jiangnan, with no deep ties to the Yongyi Marquis’ residence. Teaching Yan Lin was just a side task while presiding over the lectures at the Wenyuan Pavilion. He had no personal stakes or deep bonds of gratitude, yet he was willing to take great risks and set up a deadly trap at the city gate based on some vague information. Such ruthless and efficient actions couldn’t be unrelated to the Marquis’ residence.

In her previous life, Jiang Xuening also knew a secret.

That was, the person who later returned to the Xiao family, causing chaos with his debauchery, was not the real heir, Xiao Dingfei!

This person was drunk at the time.

Initially, everyone believed he was the real heir because he knew everything about the past. But over time, people started to doubt how such a good person could turn out like this.

She had her suspicions too.

So, she cunningly asked him about his experiences while he was “wandering outside.”

The rogue, swaying unsteadily, took advantage of the moment when no one was watching to get close to her, almost whispering in her ear, “Do you think I’ll spill some ‘truth’ because I’m drunk?”

Jiang Xuening was startled and tried to pull away.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed her sleeve, his lips curling into a wicked smile, his eyes locking onto hers. “If you sleep with me, I’ll tell you I’m not the real heir.”

He said he wasn’t the real heir!

This shocked her.

His boldness was beyond her expectations.

She didn’t expect him to be so brazen even in the palace, and she immediately pulled away, her face cold.

Xiao Dingfei, unsteady on his feet, didn’t lose his smile. He even sniffed the sleeve he had grabbed, his eyes filled with insolence.

Jiang Xuening’s gaze turned cold. “You’re courting death!”

Xiao Dingfei raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. He pressed his finger to his lips, leaving a kiss, and laughed, “I think you don’t know your situation, always probing into things you shouldn’t. If ‘he’ knew what you heard today, even if he didn’t want to, he’d have to kill you first.”

The palace servant who had gone to fetch her cloak returned, startled to see Xiao Dingfei.

She closed her mouth and said nothing more.

Xiao Dingfei, still unsteady, bowed to her and left the pavilion, probably returning to the banquet.

From that moment, Jiang Xuening couldn’t stop thinking: Who was the “he” Xiao Dingfei mentioned? And if “he” didn’t want to kill her, it meant he had the ability…

But she couldn’t figure it out.

Xiao Dingfei knew everything the real heir should know, so she was sure that if there was a mastermind, they must be closely connected to the real heir. Maybe it was the real heir himself!

But until her death in Kunning Palace, she never uncovered the truth.

Now…

Jiang Xuening, her forehead resting on the carved table, suddenly lifted her head. “How is that possible?”

She frowned, deeply puzzled.

If this person was Xie Wei, as Xiao Dingfei suggested, why wouldn’t he want to kill her?

No…

She couldn’t be sure it was Xie Wei yet.

There could be others involved in the capital. Maybe the Tianjiao people were careless and got caught.

The key was the fifteen silver notes.

If the mastermind was Xie Wei, and with Lu Xian involved, he would recognize the notes and discover the hidden characters, revealing her identity!

Jiang Xuening feared the mastermind was Xie Wei, so she wrote those words on the notes after much consideration.

She didn’t have time to exchange the notes.

Even if she did, such a large sum could be traced.

If the mastermind wasn’t Xie Wei, it wouldn’t matter. Others wouldn’t understand the message, and it would just be a waste of 50,000 taels. But if it was Xie Wei, he would investigate the missing letter after seeing the notes.

The truth would come out.

She couldn’t compare to Xie Wei’s power.

To be safe, she decided to admit her mistake first, as she had no ill intentions and had helped the Yongyi Marquis’ residence. If Xie Wei found out on his own, it would be too late, causing suspicion and distrust.

Moreover…

She hoped that if it was Xie Wei, she might get the 50,000 taels back.

So, who got the fifteen silver notes? Jiang Xuening’s eyelid twitched.

Tang’er, who had gone to collect the monthly allowance, returned with a cautious expression. “Second Miss, someone from Master Xie Wei’s side is here, asking you to go learn the qin. Your studies must not fall behind.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

A sense of foreboding hit her.

She pressed her eyelid. “Alright, I’ll go another day.”

Tang’er, trembling, said, “He said it can’t be another day. Master Xie Wei is busy, and you must go today.”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

So urgent, as if he was rushing to finish teaching her the qin before dying? So the fifteen silver notes ended up with Xie, didn’t they?

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