Chapter 238: The Pounding Rain

When Jiang Xuening woke up, there were already some noisy sounds outside. She had slept fairly well, so she wasn’t particularly annoyed about being disturbed. As she got up to wash and dress, she casually asked, “Has Wei Liang entered the city?”

Lian’er and Tang’er, her two maids, had been by her side recently. At this moment, Lian’er was combing her hair, smiling sweetly as she replied, “He has. He came looking for you this morning, but he ran into Master Xie, who said you were probably still sleeping. So, he sent Wei Liang to check on the farmlands outside the city first. He also said to let you know when you woke up to go find him there. But in the afternoon, you’ll need to set aside a good half-hour to come back early and practice the qin.”

Jiang Xuening was momentarily speechless.

She clearly remembered Xie Wei saying last night that she didn’t need to practice the qin this morning and could sleep in. She hadn’t expected that while the morning was free, the afternoon practice would go on as usual. It was exactly the kind of thing Xie Ju’an would say and do.

But she didn’t have any objections.

Hearing from Lian’er that Wei Liang had met Xie Ju’an, she didn’t think much of it. After having some porridge, she first went to check on Shen Zhiyi, teased the babbling little Shen Jia for a bit, and then called for a carriage to head out of the city to find Wei Liang.

As she left the residence, the news was passed to Xie Wei.

Jian Shu reported, “Before leaving, Second Miss Ning went to see the princess again.”

Xie Wei was sitting in a pavilion, brewing tea. The surrounding osmanthus trees were already giving off a faint fragrance. Upon hearing this, he slightly furrowed his brow, a trace of dark gloom flashing through his eyes. But his tone remained casual as he asked, “Shen Zhiyi didn’t say anything reckless to her, did she?”

Jian Shu shook his head. “She didn’t.”

Only then did Xie Wei lower his gaze, picking up the tea container and pouring the first round of scalding tea over the purple clay teapot’s lid.

After a moment, he added, “She’s clever enough, keeping the princess’s safety in mind at all times with the chaos in the city.”

Jian Shu understood and simply said, “Yes.”

Xie Wei said nothing more, calmly brewing tea as if waiting for someone.

About half a quarter-hour later, Dao Qin led someone into the garden.

Xie Wei held an empty teacup and stood at the pavilion’s steps, looking up.

Zhang Zhe wasn’t wearing his official robes, dressed simply in a dark blue long robe. His stern face, as always, bore no trace of a smile—like a pine tree rooted in jagged cliffs, unmoved by wind and rain, or a stone standing firm on a steep precipice, unyielding to frost and snow. There was an air of quiet resolve about him.

One could discern a person’s character almost at a glance.

Fearless, unmasked—two or three years had passed, yet he still carried that same upright clarity.

Xie Wei’s fingers tightened slightly around the teacup he was toying with, then slowly relaxed. Suppressing his emotions, he waited until Zhang Zhe approached, then smiled as if greeting an old acquaintance. “Lord Zhang has come from the capital. I’ve been busy and couldn’t personally welcome you, only sending my men. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Zhang Zhe was a man of few words, and facing someone as eloquent as Xie Wei, he seemed even more reserved. He was well aware that he and Xie Wei didn’t get along.

He merely cupped his hands and said, “The court sent me to persuade you, nothing more. Young Master Xie, you’re too kind.”

He had set out from the capital the previous night and should have arrived at Zhending Prefecture at dawn. But while still at the relay station outside the city gates, he was intercepted by a group led by none other than Xie Wei’s subordinate, Dao Qin.

They claimed their master had heard of his arrival and, given the turbulent times, had sent men to escort him to avoid any mishaps that might lead to the court accusing them of “executing an envoy.” However, they said Xie Wei was busy and asked Zhang Zhe to wait.

And so, he wasn’t allowed to enter the city.

It wasn’t until nearly noon, when someone from Zhending Prefecture came to speak with Dao Qin, that they finally set off again, bringing him here to meet Xie Wei.

Xie Wei sized him up and said, “When I first heard, I thought the court had lost its mind. Lord Zhang isn’t with the Ministry of Rites or the Honglu Temple. A mere Vice Minister of Justice, wholly unrelated to this matter, and not even skilled in rhetoric—sending you as an envoy is truly an unexpected move, quite surprising.”

There was a subtle probing tone in his words.

Zhang Zhe stood with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, not beating around the bush. “They believe that after the Tongzhou campaign, where you and I fought side by side, and given my past connection with Second Miss Jiang, I’m the most suitable person.”

When Xie Ju’an heard “Tongzhou campaign,” he felt nothing particular, but the words “past connection” inexplicably stirred a surge of sourness within him.

He gave a cold laugh. “Unfortunately, the court miscalculated.”

Not only were he and Zhang Zhe not comrades who had jointly suppressed the Heavenly Sect, but they had been at odds even back in Tongzhou. Or rather, Xie Wei was deeply wary of this man.

Zhang Zhe said nothing.

Xie Wei pressed, “As an envoy, you should have some leverage. What leverage did the court offer?”

Zhang Zhe replied, “The Jiang household.”

It was widely known, whether true or false, that Xie Wei claimed to hail from the Jinling Xie clan. After arriving in the capital, his entire household consisted solely of himself, with no kin or connections.

And news of Jiang Xuening by his side wasn’t hard to come by.

Thus, it was only natural for the court to think of controlling the Jiang household as leverage to restrain Xie Wei.

He recalled the undercurrents swirling in the court recently and added, “Lord Jiang hasn’t attended court for half a month. No one in the Jiang household, from top to bottom, is allowed to come or go freely. Even the cook buying vegetables is checked three or four times before being let through. Though it’s not explicitly called house arrest, it’s no different.”

Xie Wei found it amusing.

He spun the white porcelain teacup in his hand, then gently set it back on the tea table. Far from showing any pity, his expression carried a hint of intrigued amusement. “Well, that’s interesting. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the grievances Ning’er suffered years ago. Their misfortune saves me the trouble of going to settle scores with them later.”

Zhang Zhe looked at him.

Xie Wei seemed oblivious to how harsh his words were, meeting his gaze without avoidance. He even turned to him and said, “Speaking of which, Lord Jiang was quite fond of Lord Zhang back then, and he and I have some history as well. When you return to the capital, you might pass on a message for me. Tell him not to worry too much—Ning’er is doing quite well under my care.”

His words carried a hint of menace.

Though they had barely exchanged a few sentences, he was already growing impatient. “My alliance with Prince Yan was to escort Her Highness the Princess back to the capital, raising the banner of loyalty to the throne. Please report this truthfully to the court, Lord Zhang. In a few days, once the army is rested, we will surely crush the Heavenly Sect, save the court from peril, and quell the rebellion at the Forbidden City.”

This was a clear dismissal.

Zhang Zhe couldn’t miss it.

However, per Shen Lang’s intentions, sending him to persuade Xie Wei was merely a pretext. Whether he met Xie Wei or Yan Lin, and what might come of the talks, wasn’t truly critical.

A gust of autumn wind blew through.

The sky, previously dotted with a few white clouds, was now covered with large, low-hanging dark clouds, dimming the sunlight that had lazily spilled across the steps.

It seemed rain was coming.

Standing below the pavilion, Zhang Zhe glanced upward, and at that moment, in that place, his thoughts drifted to another time and place.

But summer had passed.

Each autumn rain brought a chill, and this courtyard no longer held the lotus leaves and blossoms that once filled the lake at the summer villa.

He should have bid Xie Wei farewell and taken his leave.

But as he turned to go, he paused.

His thin eyelids lifted, revealing a sharp edge that wasn’t polished smooth. Zhang Zhe fixed his gaze on him for a moment before saying, “Shen Lang sent me to persuade you as a pretext. The real purpose was to meet the princess in secret and deliver something to her.”

Xie Wei’s pupils contracted sharply.

Yet Zhang Zhe said no more. He merely cupped his hands, turned, and descended the steps to go see Shen Zhiyi.

Dao Qin and Jian Shu, standing by, were stunned.

Back in Xinzhou, when Zhou Yinzhi came, he too had delivered something to the princess. Xie Wei knew of it but hadn’t investigated what it was, partly because Shen Zhiyi had once shown kindness to Jiang Xuening and partly because she still had some use. Shen Zhiyi had shown no unusual behavior since.

Now, here was Zhang Zhe…

But why would he so openly tell Xie Wei about something that should have been done covertly?

Jian Shu frowned. “Should we send someone to stop him?”

Xie Wei recalled Tongzhou, when he had Dao Qin and Jian Shu search everywhere for a secret letter he’d written to the Heavenly Sect under the alias Du Jun, only to find it in Zhang Zhe’s hands. Yet Zhang Zhe hadn’t used it against him, simply returning it.

Now he was bringing up Shen Zhiyi…

Their mutual discord was no secret to either of them. Xie Wei didn’t believe someone as solitary and unyielding as Zhang Zhe would align with him. In fact, when Zhang Zhe returned that letter, Xie Wei had briefly considered killing him.

But back then, he was, after all, the man Ning’er cared for…

At this thought, Xie Wei’s lips tightened, his face frosting over. Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he said, “No need.”

It wasn’t the matter itself he feared.

It was not knowing about it at all.

As the sky darkened with impending rain, his irritation grew. He flicked his sleeve and left, saying, “Once he’s done seeing Shen Zhiyi, make him leave immediately. Don’t let him linger in the city a moment longer!”

Dao Qin and Jian Shu, having served him for years and handled matters since morning, knew what truly lay beneath his words.

They had finally managed to keep Second Miss Ning away.

If those two were to meet…

They exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.

Xie Wei returned to his room, feeling unsettled. He took out a Taoist scripture to read, calming himself. Soon, he heard the pattering of rain outside—it had truly begun to fall.

Autumn leaves yellowed, the air bleak and cold.

After reading for a while, the restlessness in his heart subsided. He remembered that Ning’er would need to practice the qin when she returned, so he set the scripture aside, took down a qin hanging on the wall, removed its cover, and carefully tuned it.

Yesterday, when he listened to Ning’er play, one string had been slightly loose. The note was off by a hair’s breadth, but if left untuned, that slight error would compound daily, leading who-knows-where.

His slender fingers slowly tightened the string.

Xie Wei thought, with the rain falling outside, that little trickster and Wei Liang wouldn’t linger in the fields and would likely return early. His fingers paused, and he instructed Jian Shu, “It’s cold and rainy out. Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of warming ginger soup.”

Jian Shu went to carry out the order.

But when he returned, his expression was off.

Xie Wei stood by the qin table, one hand resting lightly on the instrument. He had just finished tuning that string and plucked it gently, the trembling note clear and flowing. A faint smile curved his lips.

The qin was bought, not as finely crafted as one he might make himself.

When he had time later, he should carve one for Ning’er.

Seeing Jian Shu return, he casually asked, “Is she back?”

Jian Shu dropped to one knee. “Second Miss Ning returned early due to the rain. Her carriage reached the city gates and… ran into Lord Zhang. It’s our fault for not handling things properly!”

He kept his head bowed, not daring to look up.

He didn’t even dare speak the full truth.

The curve of Xie Wei’s lips froze for a moment, then slowly faded, like a colorful painting dipped in water, its hues gradually washing away into an eerily calm, chilling black-and-white.

He didn’t scold them.

His gaze lingered on the still-trembling string as he asked softly, “Ning’er went to find him, didn’t she?”

Jian Shu felt an unprecedented weight. “Sir…”

As if a piercing pain stabbed straight through him, Xie Wei’s fingers on the qin tightened imperceptibly. Unable to suppress the deep-seated rage, he lowered his gaze, grabbed the qin, and smashed it against the table’s edge.

A crash rang out.

The qin shattered, its strings snapped.

He stood silently, expressionless, staring at it.

His slender fingers hung at his side, a trickle of blood winding down from a cut torn by the broken wood.

Outside, the rain poured relentlessly.

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