Chapter 184

What is Shen Shuangning going to do in Quanzhou? Su Wan knows it all too well; although the fighting in Quanzhou has already been quelled, it is still a war-torn place, very unsafe.

But Shen Shuangning's mind is made up, so Su Wan couldn't press her further.

Shen Shuangning naturally wasn't going alone; she had Ah Heng, Qingyun, and the guards Xiao Jingyuan had left her with.

Thus the party packed up their belongings and set off southward at once.

With Shen Shuangning, the heir's consort, accompanying them, the city gate guards let them through without trouble.

Su Wan had originally been a bit uneasy, worried her identity would be exposed, but as the carriage convoy left the prosperous Jingcheng behind, she gradually calmed down.

After the carriage had gone some distance, Su Wan couldn't help lifting the curtain and glanced back at Jingcheng.

This time they were really leaving......

At the same time, in the secret chamber of the Jinyiwei, a candle burned on the long table, its wick sputtering tiny sparks that made the several silhouettes on the wall flicker between light and dark.

In that dazed, anxious atmosphere, an added sense of oppression and solemnity grew.

Ten grand chairs were lined up on either side, filled with people; the foremost chair, symbolizing the host's seat, stood empty, while opposite it sat the current Junior Tutor, Pei Zhi, in white robes, sitting silently.

But in the yellow candlelight, his white robes also took on a darkish hue; his face lay in shadow beyond the candle's reach, his expression unreadable, deep and inscrutable.

To Pei Zhi's left sat Su Chen and three Commandants of a Thousand; to his right were Gong Fengchun, Zhang Zhong, and two other officials—the two sides were clearly distinct, yet strangely harmonious.

"That Xiao Ze, it's said he has already been welcomed back to the Prince Yan's manor." Minister of War Liu Zheng twirled his goat beard and said, "At this critical juncture, the sudden appearance of this 'true heir'—could it ruin our plans?"

Su Chen said: "Minister Liu, rest assured—Xiao Ze's return to the manor is precisely because the heir ordered his life spared, intentionally letting him go back."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

Liu Zheng asked, bewildered: "What does the heir mean by this? Xiao Ze showing up now is clearly of ill intent; letting him return to the Prince Yan's manor is hardly anything but inviting a wolf into the house."

Su Chen gave a slight smile: "One Xiao Ze is no threat. Whether it's inviting a wolf in or catching a turtle in a jar, it's still uncertain."

"Moreover, the lord doesn't care about that heir's position."

Everyone's expression tightened; all present were sharp-witted, and they instantly grasped the deeper meaning in those words.

Xiao Ze's appearance is obvious to anyone with eyes: it is the enemy's scheme to drive a wedge between Xiao Jingyuan and the Prince Yan's manor.

Prince Yan is advanced in years, while Xiao Jingyuan is the one his political rivals truly fear.

If they could use Xiao Ze to sow discord from within between Xiao Jingyuan and the Prince Yan's manor—and even the Xiao clan—it would be, for the enemy, a virtually effortless masterstroke! As for whether Xiao Ze is genuine, what does it matter?

Although Xiao Jingyuan is an adopted son, over the years he has also won considerable military honor for the Xiao clan, long since repaying the debt of his upbringing.

If the Xiao clan were ungrateful, and immediately after his 'death' gave the heir's position to Xiao Ze, it would chill the adopted son's heart—he might very well sever ties with the Xiao clan altogether.

Liu Zheng and the others didn't care about the Prince Yan's manor's internal affairs; they only worried that Xiao Ze as a variable might affect the grand plan. But since Xiao Jingyuan's confidants all said this, it showed Xiao Jingyuan already had a plan, so they ceased to question.

Liu Zheng turned his head to look at Pei Zhi and asked, "The heir's side has already moved—should we also act now?"

Pei Zhi lightly tapped his fingers on the table, narrowed his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Wait a bit longer; let this fire burn a little hotter."

After the crowd had dispersed one by one, Su Chen and a Commandant of a Thousand remained seated in the secret chamber.

The Commandant asked, "That Junior Tutor Pei—are we really supposed to trust him?"

Even allies need to keep a third of their guard up. Pei Zhi and the heir share the same goal, but to claim they have no private motives—no one dares guarantee that.

The Commandant said, "Then what should we do next?"

Su Chen replied, "Let's wait for the heir's word."

"Are we really going to keep the heir's fake death a secret from his consort?"

The heir's feigned-death plan was kept from even close attendants like Qingyun; only Su Chen and a few Commandants of a Thousand in the Jinyiwei knew the full truth from start to finish.

Su Chen still didn't know that Shen Shuangning had already fled; he paused, a hint of incomprehension rising in his eyes: "This is the heir's intention. Perhaps he wants the plan to be more thorough, after all this act must deceive everyone—including those in the manor."

The Prince Yan's manor is no impregnable fortress; there are surely enemy spies hidden within. Now that Xiao Jingyuan's corpse has not been found, Prince Rui will not be completely at ease.

Upon leaving the Jinyiwei, the sky had already darkened.

In the leaden sky, goose-feather-like snow began to drift down at some point, quickly laying a thin white layer on the ground, dyeing Jingcheng's streets and alleys in a hushed stillness.

Pei Zhi wore a dark black overcoat, its collar and cuffs trimmed with a ring of snow-white fox fur; his warm, jade-like brows and eyes, upon closer look, held a hint of gloom in their depths.

He reached out to touch a falling snowflake; the icy sensation just landed on his fingertip before it swiftly melted away.

This year's first snowfall had finally arrived.

From where he stood, lifting his gaze, he could just see the direction of the Imperial City, as if lost in thought.

Just then, a subordinate hurried up and said, "Junior Tutor, we just received word from the city gate that the heir's consort left at noon!"

How could Shen Shuangning suddenly leave the city? She ought to be mourning Xiao Jingyuan in the manor.

"Quanzhou, it must be Quanzhou!" Pei Zhi muttered, clenching his fists tightly and shutting his eyes.

Shen Shuangning's party traveled day and night, reaching Suzhou City three days later and settling Su Wan there.

Wearied from the journey, they decided to rest a night in Suzhou.

They did not choose a bustling inn, but went to a residence that had been prepared in advance.

It was a three‑gate Jiangnan cottage hidden deep in Suzhou's old lanes, with white walls and dark‑blue tiles, two red lanterns hanging at the gate—nothing remarkable to look at.

The servants had already cleaned the residence spotless; upon seeing the masters arrive, they hurriedly served hot tea and snacks.

The steward was a man in his fifties, dressed in a respectable blue‑cloth long robe; he had only received word from Jingcheng that "distinguished guests would be staying long," and so needed to make proper preparations.

But he hadn't expected over twenty people to come all at once, leaving him momentarily flustered.

Only after seeing the heir's attendant Qingyun and privately asking about the situation did he learn that the heir's consort had also arrived!

The steward had never seen the heir's consort before, nor did he know what had happened outside; after confirming which lady was the consort, he brought out the finest tea to entertain her and ordered the servants to clean out the most pristine wing.

He didn't dare to ask more than a few words, and simply did his work honestly.

Qingyun looked at the dark circles under Shen Shuangning's eyes and the fatigue in her brows, and couldn't help but worry.

The Heir Apparent's Consort had made up her mind to go to Quanzhou to find the Heir Apparent; he knew it was improper, but he could not stop her at all, so he could only follow to protect her.

After the exhausting journey, Shen Shuangning felt her bones about to fall apart; that night, after washing up, she fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

She never expected that, upon pushing the door open the next day, she would actually see Pei Zhi in the courtyard!

Only see, beneath the half-bloomed winter plum tree in the courtyard, a man stood with his hands behind his back, the edge of his cloak dotted with a little morning dew, his profile sharp in the morning sun, revealing a hint of warmth.

But when he turned his head at the sound, a layer of thin ice condensed in his deep eyes, as if bringing the biting chill of Jingcheng to Jiangnan, instantly dispelling the surrounding warmth.

Lingering spirit!

How did he find his way here?!

Shen Shuangning's scalp went "buzz" and a chill shot up her spine; she instinctively stepped back half a step and said, "What are you doing here?"

Pei Zhi said, "I should be the one asking you that—you left Jingcheng without a word, what are you up to?"

Shen Shuangning's face was cold as she said in a cold tone, "What I'm doing is none of your business, Junior Tutor."

Pei Zhi's mouth curled into a slight arc, though he wasn't smiling, and he strode over.

Shen Shuangning's alarm bells rang at once, and she shouted, "Qingyun! Aheng!"

But her voice went out and received no reply.

Pei Zhi had already walked up to her, his gaze locked firmly on her.

"Come back to the capital with me!"

Before his words finished, he grabbed her wrist in one grip, his finger bones hard, his strength astonishing, and without another word he tried to drag her out of the courtyard.

"Xie Yan, let go of me!!"

Pei Zhi pressed his thin lips tightly, not turning back, when suddenly a sharp pain came from his hand.

It turned out that, in her desperation, Shen Shuangning had bitten his hand.

Pei Zhi winced from the pain and instinctively loosened his grip on her.

A clear ring of tooth marks circled his wrist, his bones ached, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

As he lifted his gaze, he met Shen Shuangning's bloodshot eyes, brimming with stubbornness and ferocity, like a young beast driven to bay, glaring fixedly at him.