Shi Yu had anticipated that Wei Qingyan would seek out Wu Yuchu upon returning to the capital, but he hadn’t expected her to act so swiftly and decisively.
He had investigated Wu Yuchu before. As Wu Yuchu himself had claimed, there was no evidence to prove he had received the plea for help…
Walking to the bedside, Shi Yu wrapped the unconscious courtesan in a bedsheet, carried her out of the Minister’s residence, and left.
The next day, Wei Qingyan was having breakfast in the inn’s main hall.
“Have you heard? Minister of War Wu was killed by his concubine last night. By the time the servants found him, his body was already stiff, and the concubine had vanished without a trace. They’re searching the entire city for her now.”
“Why would a concubine kill someone? With so many guards in the Minister’s residence, where could a weak woman possibly escape to?” someone retorted.
“I heard that concubine was Ding Xiang, the top courtesan at Yanyu Lou. A wandering swordsman had taken a liking to her and was planning to buy her freedom, but Minister Wu got there first. The swordsman was so enraged that he killed Minister Wu and abducted Ding Xiang.”
“That’s not right. I heard Ding Xiang was a gift from Vice Minister of War Liu to Minister Wu. Do you think Ding Xiang might be…” The speaker gave everyone a meaningful look. “With Minister Wu dead, the position of Minister of War is now vacant. Who stands to benefit?”
Naturally, it would be the two Vice Ministers of War.
Wei Qingyan listened intently to the conversations in the hall before strolling upstairs.
The rumors were a mix of truth and falsehood, clearly pushed by someone behind the scenes.
Was it Shi Yu?
Ever since she left the hot springs, Shi Yu’s men had been following her.
Did he also want to kill Wu Yuchu to avenge her, which was why he took the courtesan and spread rumors to muddy the waters?
She had heard that after finding Abu’s body, he was overwhelmed with grief. He took Abu’s remains to campaign against Beilingjun, only returning to the capital after Beilingjun surrendered. By then, the body had decomposed beyond recognition, which was one of the reasons officials had impeached him.
It was said that every month, he would visit Abu’s grave and sit there for an entire day.
Everyone in the capital praised Prince Rong for his deep brotherly bond with the Guardian General.
Wei Qingyan shook her head with a light laugh. She must have heard such talk too often, to the point of delusion, to think that Shi Yu’s actions had anything to do with her.
When she was sixteen, Shi Yu had abruptly cut ties with her and requested to leave for his fiefdom.
She had written to him, but he never replied, severing their relationship completely.
That was why, when she was trapped at Huangshaling, she had requested troops from Ganzhou near Huangshaling and sought help from the court, but she hadn’t turned to Shi Yu for assistance.
Yet Shi Yu had gone to Huangshaling…
A cooing sound came from the windowsill. Wei Qingyan took a letter from the pigeon’s leg, read it, and smiled faintly at the corners of her mouth.
Whether these rumors were Shi Yu’s doing or someone else seizing the opportunity to stir the waters, she had no regrets about killing Wu Yuchu.
Ganzhou bordered Huangshaling. With eighty thousand Beilingjun troops crossing the border, how could a military governor commanding tens of thousands of soldiers be completely unaware? She refused to believe he was that blind and oblivious.
Despite allowing twenty thousand Guardian soldiers to die tragically, he not only escaped blame but was promoted and returned to the capital.
What kind of corruption lay behind this, Wei Qingyan would uncover in due time.
But she couldn’t wait. So, she would first use Wu Yuchu’s blood to console the spirits of the twenty thousand fallen soldiers.
As for the courtesan, she too had blood on her hands. Being implicated in Wu Yuchu’s death was her just deserts.
Wei Qingyan lit a match and burned the letter, then picked up her bundle and went downstairs, this time dressed as a woman.
…
“Master, I’ve investigated. Ding Xiang harmed someone to compete for the position of top courtesan,” guard Jing Zhe knocked on the door of Shi Yu’s study.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yu said coldly, “Then kill her.”
Jing Zhe pondered for a moment, hesitantly saying, “Master, the palace has been keeping a close eye on you lately. If you help that girl and someone traces it back to you, wouldn’t that just give them another handle against you…”
Shi Yu shot him a glare. “What can a sickly man like me possibly do?”
Jing Zhe choked back his words, not daring to say more.
It was Dong Cang who tentatively asked, “Your Highness, have you… recovered?”
Last night, the prince had gone out alone and even brought someone back tied up, all without the estate’s hidden guards noticing. Such skill was something only the prince of old possessed.
Shi Yu dipped his brush in ink and wrote a large character, “Qing,” on the rice paper.
The words of the monk that day still echoed in his ears: “If this humble monk can bring her back to life, you must offer a wisp of your Soul Fire. Are you willing?”
A person has three wisps of Soul Fire, located at the crown of the head and both shoulders.
Losing even one can lead to illness and weakness in mild cases, or foolishness in severe ones.
He was willing!
“Foolish child,” the monk shook his head. “I will take her with me first. You still have a chance to change your mind. If you decide on that day, follow the method I told you.
If she awakens, her life will be owed to you. Give her a name, so this monk need not trouble himself.”
In this vast world, my only love is you, thinking of you morning and night.
“Shi Yu, don’t disturb my training. I will become an undefeated general who protects the nation and expands the territory of Dawei.”
In his mind, he recalled her stomping her feet in anger, full of life. He said, “Let her be called Chang Qingnian.”
Dipping his brush in ink again, the character “Nian” leaped onto the paper.
The strokes were bold and powerful, already giving Dong Cang his answer.
Dong Cang’s face lit up with joy, and even Jing Zhe, whose mind was not as sharp as Dong Cang’s, understood now. He exclaimed excitedly, “Your Highness, you’ve truly recovered? But how did it happen so suddenly? And what about General Wei?”
Shi Yu didn’t understand how his body, weakened for over two years, had recovered, but it was certainly related to Wei Qingyan.
Yet that night, she hadn’t revealed her identity.
He had tested her with the phrase “river clear, sea calm,” but she hadn’t acknowledged it, meaning there were hidden reasons she couldn’t admit to.
He would respect her wishes.
But his sudden recovery—could it have any effect on her?
Thinking of this, he quickly said, “Dong Cang, have someone keep a distant watch over her.”
These words made even the usually steady Dong Cang widen his eyes, before he nodded emphatically.
That girl was General Wei!
Indeed, apart from General Wei, when had his prince ever paid any real attention to anyone else?
When the hidden guards of Rongwangfu found Wei Qingyan, she was stepping up the stairs, approaching the main gate of Anyuan Marquis Manor.
Standing before the gate of Anyuan Marquis Manor, Wei Qingyan raised her hand and knocked on the door knocker.
The heavy vermilion door opened a crack, and a gatekeeper peeked out, looking her up and down. “This is Anyuan Marquis Manor. Who are you?”
Wei Qingyan looked at the gatekeeper and stated her purpose directly. “I’m looking for Du Xueyi. Please inform him that his biological sister has come to find him.”
“Nonsense! Our marquis has no biological sister…” The gatekeeper’s rebuke trailed off before he finished.
He remembered now—their marquis did have a sister, who had gone missing over a decade ago during a lantern festival.
The marquis had searched for her in earlier years, but with no trace for so long, he had likely given up hope. In recent years, he hadn’t mentioned her.
He scrutinized Wei Qingyan more carefully—a face as beautiful as a painting, eyes as clear as the moon, her back straight, neither humble nor arrogant. There was indeed a certain air reminiscent of their marquis.
Could this person truly be their young lady?
The gatekeeper was inwardly shocked, but with strange occurrences happening frequently in the manor lately and the marquis ordering the estate closed to visitors, he didn’t dare let her in so easily.
But if this truly was the young lady, he could not afford to offend her either. His attitude became somewhat more humble than before. “Please understand, I must first report to the Marquis.”
The vermilion gate closed, and Wei Qingyan stood quietly.
Not long after, the gate opened once more, and the young Marquis of Anyuan, Du Xueyi, stood before Wei Qingyan. “Who are you, and where do you come from?”
A man who had come down from the battlefield carried with him an aura of sternness and killing intent, his gaze heavy as he looked at Wei Qingyan.
Wei Qingyan raised her eyes to meet his, enunciating each word clearly, “Yuzhou, Ling County, Yulan Mountain.”
Boom!
A thunderclap exploded in Du Xueyi’s mind!