Chapter 109: Calling you stupid, and you still won't accept it

Xie Yan lifted his gaze, looking at him calmly, as if he were truly giving it serious thought.

He then chuckled slightly.

Zhai Ji felt it was settled and also showed a relieved smile.

But the next moment, he heard Xie Yan sneer: "The Third Prince himself hasn't sorted out his own mess, yet he's overly concerned about others' family affairs."

Zhai Ji choked for a moment, then realized he dared to mock him!

He had been holding back anger in his chest, which now surged out; he slammed the table and rose, shouting angrily: "What do you mean?!"

Xie Yan, however, had lost his earlier timidity; he simply lifted his hand, picked up the coarse porcelain bowl floating with a few tea leaves before him, and took a slow, shallow sip.

His composed demeanor made it seem as if he were not sitting in this rural thatched hut, but rather standing in a lofty hall, savoring top-grade Longjing tea.

Zhai Ji's eyelid twitched violently; he felt something was off.

Xie Yan smiled faintly and said: "You're astonishingly stupid—do you think you've survived this long because you're truly smart? It's only because keeping you alive is more useful than killing you."

"In other words, you have nothing, yet you lack brains; aside from the empty title of prince on your head, what respectable value do you have that could catch my eye? Even if I were to attach myself to a prince, the Crown Prince, or Prince Rui, any of them would have a brighter future than you."

"If I were you, I'd petition the Emperor for an external posting, flee far from Jingcheng, and never dare reveal any ambition for that position."

Wherever Zhai Ji went, he was always flattered and coddled; when had he ever been so bluntly mocked and rendered worthless?!

He trembled with rage, his face flushed crimson, veins bulging on his forehead and neck; his anger nearly burned through his reason.

"This is outrageous—I'll kill you!!"

Zhai Ji drew the guard's waist sword in one motion and raised it to slash at Xie Yan!

But as he lifted his hand, a chill suddenly struck his neck, and a sharp blade was already placed against it.

Zhai Ji's motion halted abruptly, his whole body frozen in place.

In his peripheral vision, he unintentionally glanced at the vegetable basket on the table, only to see that the blue cloth covering it had slipped aside at some point, leaving the basket empty—nothing inside.

The icy blade pressed tightly against his skin; the woman spoke slowly, with a hint of eerie smile: "So you're the dog emperor's son."

Zhai Ji, shocked and furious, forgot to reprimand Xie Yan and bellowed at the few guards still sitting dazedly by the table: "What are you standing there for?! Hurry up and save me!"

The guard nearest to him, just about to rise, suddenly went limp and collapsed heavily back onto his seat.

"Your... Highness... I seem unable to move."

The others were the same—each slumped limp on the ground, unable to draw a sword, let alone lift a hand.

Zhai Ji immediately realized the chicken soup was problematic, and recalling the woman's earlier remark "dog emperor," he instantly understood they were rebels of the Holy Heaven Sect.

The woman barked low: "Put the knife down!"

A stabbing pain shot through his neck; Zhai Ji, frightened, hastily threw the knife away.

"Xie Yan, I was wrong just now—save me, I'll grant you anything! You can't just stand by and let me die!"

Xie Yan slowly rose from his seat and brushed off nonexistent dust from his clothes.

Seeing that he had clearly drunk the chicken soup yet moved freely, Zhai Ji suddenly realized something, and a chill ran up his spine.

"Who—who exactly are you?!"

Xie Yan shook his head, seemingly resigned: "Calling you stupid, and you still won't accept it."

At that moment, noisy footsteps came from outside, and a faint firelight seeped through the window. Many people were approaching.

Zhai Ji suddenly burst into excited laughter: "Someone's come to fetch me—you're all doomed!"

However, the person who entered didn't even glance at Zhai Ji, heading straight for Xie Yan and saying respectfully: "Sir, everyone has arrived; there's no delay—we'll now escort you away."

This person was none other than Ting Feng, who was supposed to take the token to the camp.

Zhai Ji's smile froze instantly at the corners of his mouth.

He looked at the people outside—many were villagers he had only seen that very day, even the child with the sky-high braid among them, all staring coldly at him.

Zhai Ji: ".........."

After several twists and turns, having endured much hardship just to avoid the rebels, he ended up walking straight into their lair!

And Xie Yan was clearly the leader of this group.

Zhai Ji closed his eyes; just thinking that he had been trying to win over that person earlier made him feel like dying.

How could he be so stupid?

"Sir, how should we deal with these people?" Ting Feng asked.

Xie Yan uttered two words indifferently: "Kill them."

As soon as Xie Yan stepped out of the hut, two sturdy men wielding knives rushed in and slit the throats of the guards one by one.

Seeing Zhai Ji's two pale lips pressed tightly together, finally subdued, he ordered: "Knock him out and take him away to White Horse Temple; we need not return here."

Xie Yan's gaze swept over everyone's faces, then he added: "Has Sui Ying not returned?"

Ting Feng's face darkened: "No."

The Imperial Guard sent to pursue the remnants of the Holy Sect returned, having failed to capture Xie Yan but having taken alive one rebel.

Meng Yang grabbed the man's collar, dragged him into the tent, and shoved him before Pei Zhi.

Inside the tent were Pei Zhi, Yan Zheng, and Xie Lin.

Xie Lin had already learned from Pei Zhi that his elder brother Xie Yan was actually a member of the Holy Sect and had participated in this assassination.

This news struck him like a thunderbolt; he was utterly dazed, his mind a blank.

No matter how he tried, he could not reconcile his refined, courteous elder brother with the term "rebel."

Until now, seeing the man brought back by Deputy Commander Meng—clearly the most capable attendant of his elder brother, Sui Ying—he finally accepted the reality: Pei Zhi had not deceived him.

"Why…?" Xie Lin's voice trembled as he lunged forward in a single stride, seizing Sui Ying's collar, eyes bloodshot: "Tell me why—why did you do this?!"

Sui Ying's face showed no panic; instead, he gave a faint smile, his tone calm to the point of near-indifference: "If the Crown Prince wishes to know, he might as well ask the Marquis—ask what he did back then."

"What does this have to do with Father?!" Xie Lin exclaimed, bewildered, his chest heaving violently, shouting hoarsely: "If my brother has any grievance, let him come at me! Why commit such a grave act of treason? Why implicate the entire marquisate?"

Xie Yan is the legitimate son of the marquis household, his name recorded in the clan genealogy. Under the statutes of Great Liang, one who rebels brings punishment upon the whole family!

Sui Ying simply closed his eyes, remaining silent.

Pei Zhi sat at the head, his face calm as he watched this scene, his emotions unreadable.

After a moment, he gave Yan Zheng a look, and the latter stepped forward to pull the nearly out-of-control Xie Lin away.

Yan Zheng kicked Sui Ying's body and demanded in a cold voice: "Speak! Where is your master hiding?"

Sui Ying lay on the ground, still silent, looking as if he dared you to kill him.

Seeing this, Yan Zheng sneered: "Fine, if you won't toast, you'll drink the penalty!"

Pei Zhi was about to speak when someone rushed in to report.

"Something's wrong, the Third Prince has gone missing!"

Yan Zheng's raised foot froze in shock as he exclaimed: "What? The Third Prince is missing?!"

The frightened soldier said: "The Princess sent someone to say there's no trace of the Third Prince in the camp; later we learned he also went up the mountain this morning, taking a few guards, but he hasn't returned......"

"What time is it now, and he still hasn't returned? Something must have happened."

"We just brought one back, then lost another—and it's a prince, damn it!"

Yan Zheng felt like the sky was collapsing.

"Why would the Third Prince go up the mountain for no reason?!" Yan Zheng yelled frantically. "The Third Prince is missing—how am I to explain this to His Majesty?!"

Pei Zhi calmly said: "Now isn't the time to investigate; Deputy Commander Yan, go find him quickly."

"Right, right, right! We need to find him fast!" Yan Zheng stepped over Sui Ying and rushed out.

Pei Zhi: "Someone, take this rebel and lock him up tight. Deputy Commander Meng, wait outside for me first."

After dismissing everyone else, only Pei Zhi and Xie Lin remained in the tent.

Pei Zhi looked at Xie Lin, who sat stiffly to the side, then rose and walked over to him.

"The truth doesn't matter; what matters is how to protect the entire marquisate."

Xie Lin lifted his gaze to him, eyes full of confusion.

Pei Zhi stood before him and said: "Xie Eldest Young Master is deeply implicated with the rebels, a capital offense; even if the emperor wanted to show leniency to the marquisate, others behind the scenes seek its destruction—worst case, confiscation and extermination of the family; at best, exile to a thousand miles. Don't you know what to do?"

Xie Lin clenched his jaw, seeing in Pei Zhi's eyes an exact reflection of himself.

Pei Zhi said lightly: "You lack the ability to safeguard the marquisate—how could you promise her a future? Would you really let her suffer alongside you?"

The camp is all men, but since the Princess is also here, there are still many palace maids attending.

The two camps' tents are spaced apart, with strict guards.

Though separated by rank, Jing Yu's and Shen Shuangning's tents are apart yet in the same area, just a few steps away.

After bathing upon returning in the day, Shen Shuangning was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep that lasted until night.

Upon waking, she saw the jade pendant on the table and remembered she ought to return it to Xie Lin.

Who would have thought Xie Lin would actually come to her on his own.

"Ning Ning, may I come in?"

Xie Lin's tall silhouette was reflected on the tent, showing a hint of desolation.

The two palace maids guarding outside glanced at each other, too afraid to speak.

Shen Shuangning heard Xie Lin's voice and felt somewhat surprised.

Xie Lin usually kept his distance when with her, yet now he came to her late at night without even having the maids avoid him—could something urgent be happening?

Shen Shuangning hesitated a moment, then softly said: "Come in."

Xie Lin still wore his light armor from the day, which made his slender, upright frame look even more so, but his face appeared far more exhausted than before, his eyes filled with red veins.

He lifted the curtain and entered, then stopped, as if afraid to approach, his reddened eyes fixed on Shen Shuangning, as if holding a heavy sorrow.

"What's wrong?" Shen Shuangning propped herself up on the couch and walked toward him.

Unexpectedly, Xie Lin said nothing and pulled her into his embrace, arms locked tightly around her.

The force was astonishing, as if he wanted to fuse her into his own body before letting go.

Shen Shuangning felt a little constricted, wanting him to ease his grip, but just as she was about to speak, his muffled voice cut her off.

"Don't speak, let me hold you for a while." The youth's voice was hoarse, thick with undisguised dejection, like a small beast trapped in a desperate situation, only able to draw strength from her warmth.

Shen Shuangning slowly blinked, a faint suspicion forming in her mind—he probably already knew about Xie Yan's affair.

She stayed silent for a moment, then lifted her hand and gently stroked his back, offering silent comfort.

The surroundings were utterly quiet, the candlelight flickering lightly, their overlapping shadows cast on the tent.

After a long while, until Shen Shuangning's arm went numb, Xie Lin finally eased his grip, his voice low like a sigh.

"I thought that if I worked hard to join the Golden Warrior Guard and secured a decent future, I could give you a very good life......"