Xie Qi

"Wan-jie, is she ill?"

Seeing that Li Wan's face was pale and her breathing was rapid, Zou hurriedly asked her what was wrong.

Jiangnan Yue's expression tightened, and he ordered his servants, "Go and find a doctor immediately."

Li Wan shook her head, took a deep breath to calm herself down, and said, "Father and Mother, don't worry, your daughter is fine."

Jiang Nanyue insisted on finding a doctor, so Li Wan had no choice but to return to Changfuyuan to rest.

After taking her pulse, the doctor prescribed medicine to calm her nerves and advised her that since her body was already weak, she must not have any emotional outbursts.

A light rain began to fall outside, pattering against the orchid leaves outside the window.

Li Wan lay on the bed, smelling the strong medicine and feeling helpless. This delicate girl's body was too useless. She almost fainted from anger. Back in Niutian Village, she could carry two buckets of manure for two miles.

Looking up at the top of the bed canopy, she couldn't help but think of her father and brothers in Niutian Village.

She became the eldest daughter of a wealthy family, enjoying delicacies and a life of comfort, but her father and brother were still on the border.

Their lives are relatively peaceful now, but three years later, when war breaks out, they will still be unable to escape the fate of their previous life.

Not just my father and brother, but all the men in Niutian Village, all the men in the neighboring villages, all the men in the town, and the entire Jinlin Army... a total of 120,000 men!

Thinking of the hellish sea and mountains of corpses at Yugu Pass, Li Wan felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Are we just going to do nothing and wait for history to repeat itself?

No! Li Wan sat up abruptly, her thoughts suddenly clearing.

That's it. Why did God send her to the capital to be a noble lady? She wasn't a great philanthropist in her previous life, so it certainly wasn't meant for her to enjoy a life of luxury.

At that time, she was known in the village for her diligence and competence. Thinking of this, Li Wan felt her body heat up immediately, and she habitually rolled up her sleeves.

She understood; God had sent her to work!

Then, a strong voice called out from inside Miss Jiang's boudoir, "Xiuzhu."

Xiuzhu, who was decocting medicine outside, was startled by the shout. When did her daughter become so loud?

She hurriedly ran into the house.

"Xiuzhu, please sit down." Li Wan patted the edge of the bed with a serious expression.

Xiuzhu sat down carefully, "Miss, you..."

Li Wan raised her hand to interrupt her, "I'll ask, you answer."

Xiuzhu nodded in surprise.

Li Wan asked, "Do you know Xie Qi?"

Xiuzhu felt a lump in her throat and almost suffocated. She whispered, "Lord Xie is the Empress's nephew and holds a high position of power. Someone of my status has never even seen his shoes."

Xiuzhu had never seen it, so the original owner, Jiang Feiwan, must have never seen it either.

Do you know where you can find him?

Xiuzhu blushed. "Miss, Madam just said that Princess Heshun belongs to Lord Xie."

"What do you mean?" Li Wan asked, puzzled.

Xiuzhu sighed inwardly. The young lady, having lived a secluded life, was simple-minded and unaware of the complexities of aristocratic families. She could only speak frankly: "Lord Xie has even married a princess; he is truly a dragon among men. Many noble ladies are interested in him. Madam, do you think you…?"

“I’m not good enough for you,” Li Wan said bluntly.

Xiuzhu lowered her head even further, "No, perhaps Madam thinks you are not well and should take care of your health first."

Li Wan waved her hand impatiently and said, "Just tell me where you can see him."

Xiuzhu didn't know when the young lady had developed feelings for this Lord Xie, but judging from the young lady's appearance, she must have been quite fond of him. Thinking about it, the young lady was quite pitiful. She was already of marriageable age, but she had been confined to her bed and had never even seen a man outside the home.

Now that I've finally developed feelings for a young master, how can I bear to let her have a one-sided love?

Xiuzhu steeled her resolve and said, "I heard from the guards who escorted the master that every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), all the civil and military officials would pass through the main street of the West Gate after leaving court."

"Alright, we'll go to the main street of the West Gate tomorrow to wait for him." Li Wan snorted inwardly, wanting to see what kind of person he was first.

My thoughts were racing all night.

The next day at dawn, Ximen Street was bustling with people, and all kinds of vendors set up their stalls, with the steam rising from the steamers condensing into wisps of mist.

In a corner, a pair of women wearing white veils were looking towards the palace.

"Miss, are you feeling alright?" Xiuzhu asked worriedly. In fact, she regretted bringing the girl out as soon as she did. The early winter air was bitterly cold, and if the girl caught a cold, she would be in big trouble.

They had been waiting there for half an hour, but the officials still hadn't come down from court. Xiuzhu stamped her foot anxiously, "Why aren't they here yet?"

Compared to Xiuzhu, Li Wan seemed much more composed. Having been here for over a month, this was her first time outside the Jiang residence. Looking at the multi-story restaurants and inns on both sides of the road, and the exquisite goods being sold by street vendors, she couldn't help but sigh, "This is truly the capital city."

She subconsciously picked up some green vegetables from a nearby vendor, and even the leaves were greener than those grown on their border.

"They're here, they're here," Xiuzhu said in a low voice, her voice filled with joy.

Two rows of lightly armored guards led the way, and groups of officials leaving court came from the direction of the palace, some on horseback and some in sedan chairs.

“Miss, that is the Xie family’s carriage.”

Following Xiuzhu's pointing finger, Li Wan saw a magnificent four-horse carriage slowly approaching, with a sandalwood plaque hanging in front of it, bearing the powerful and gilded character "Xie".

Xiuzhu said dejectedly, "It's a pity that Lord Xie rode in a carriage today; I couldn't even see a corner of his clothes."

Fearing that Li Wan would be saddened, she added, "However, everyone in the capital says that Lord Xie is exceptionally handsome and has the demeanor and bearing of a model young master from a noble family."

Li Wan gripped her fingers beneath her wide sleeves, inwardly scoffing. What a role model! He was nothing but a coward obsessed with romantic love.

But she hadn't come here today to see what he looked like. Through the gauze curtain, her gaze swept over the stern-faced guards surrounding the Xie family's carriage, and she asked, "Does he always bring so many guards when he travels?"

She sighed and continued in a low voice, "If only I could find him alone."

Xiuzhu was shocked upon hearing this and looked at Li Wan in disbelief, thinking to herself: What does the young lady mean? Does she want to leave Lord Xie alone so that she can take the opportunity to express her feelings to him? The young lady is already so infatuated!

As the newly appointed master's most trusted confidante, Xiuzhu knew that she must not directly criticize the young lady at this moment, so she gently advised her.

"This servant understands your feelings, young lady, but matters between men and women should not be rushed. Why don't we first inquire which young lady has expressed her feelings to Lord Xie, and what his reaction has been? This way we can know ourselves and our options."

Li Wan stared at the Xie family's luxurious carriage and waved her hand dismissively: "Why bother with that?"

What? Xiuzhu asked, puzzled.

Li Wan's lips twitched coldly as she pointed to a large yellow dog huddled in the corner in the distance. "In the village, if you don't like your male dog bothering other people's female dogs every day, do you know what to do?"

Xiuzhu was even more bewildered. What did Lord Xie have to do with a dog?

Li Wan said to herself, "Just give that barefoot doctor five coins, and he'll cut off the root of the problem once and for all."

After much deliberation yesterday, Li Wan felt that this method was the most appropriate.

In his previous life, the reason for the defeat of the Great Jin army was that Xie Qi committed suicide for love.

Having been given a second chance at life, she was determined to prevent a disastrous defeat, and she had to start with Xie Qi.

If we kill him directly, we cannot guarantee that the general who replaces him will be as skilled in battle and troop deployment as he was. If we replace him with a less capable one, he might not even last until the Battle of Yugu Pass.

Therefore, he was the only one who could be the Grand General.

However, even Xiuzhu knew that this man was good at attracting women, and he could even seduce a princess. So who knew who he would fall for four years later, or who he would commit suicide for!

They decided to completely eliminate his ability to seduce women without harming him or delaying the battle.

This method is excellent.

Li Wan couldn't help but applaud her own method, but when she turned her head, she was startled by Xiu Zhu's wide eyes and open mouth.

Just as Li Wan was about to ask what was wrong, she suddenly heard a cry of injustice.

An old woman, leading a child of about seven or eight years old, knelt in the middle of the road and blocked the Xie family's carriage.

The old woman and the child were well-dressed and behaved in a refined manner, clearly belonging to a wealthy family.

The old woman, her face streaked with tears, said, “I am sorry to have disturbed you, Lord Xie. I am the mother of Yang Ti, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. My son was arrested last night by the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review on trumped-up charges. I have nowhere to appeal, so I have come to beg you, Lord Xie, to seek justice for my son.”

The elderly man choked up as he pleaded for help, while a child beside him sobbed softly. The sight of the two, one old and one young, was truly heartbreaking.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, everyone expected that Lord Xie would at least get out of the carriage and say a few words of comfort, but unexpectedly, only a deep and magnetic voice came from inside the carriage.

"The carriage of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is right behind mine; you should go and find him."

As soon as he finished speaking, two guards forcibly pulled the old woman and child to the side of the road.

The Xie family's carriage immediately set off.

"Smack!" Suddenly, an egg flew out from nowhere and hit the car window.

Silence fell instantly, except for the yellow and white egg liquid that meandered down the carved wooden frame.

"Girl!" Xiuzhu was so surprised she almost cried out.

Li Wan was also at a loss. She already wanted to devour Xie Qi whole, and seeing how perfunctorily he dealt with the wrongful conviction, she couldn't contain her anger and subconsciously grabbed an egg from the vegetable stall and threw it at him.

More and more eyes were drawn to this side, and Li Wan lowered her head lower and lower, wishing she could disappear immediately.

A moment later, a pair of black official boots appeared under the gauze. Li Wan followed the boots up a pair of strong, long legs and saw a tall man in a brown brocade robe with a cold expression standing in front of her.

Li Wan's legs went weak, and she forced herself to deny it: "Lord Xie, no... I didn't throw it."

The man before her paused, his voice icy: "Miss Jiang, I am Chen Jie of the Ministry of War."

It wasn't Xie Qi, which put Li Wan at ease, but she was still wearing a veil, so how could he recognize her as Jiang Feiwan?

Before she could ask, the man named Shen Jie spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Lord Xie asks why you haven't sent any more messages lately. Is it because of what happened last time that angered you?"

Li Wan: ...

"The master has invited you to meet at Zuiyue Tower tomorrow at 5 PM. He hopes you will keep your appointment."

After saying that, he put down a sum of money on the vegetable stall, saying, "Lord Xie said he would pay for the eggs."

Before Li Wan could react, he turned around, mounted his horse, and led the Xie family's carriage away.

Soon, the crowd dispersed, and the surroundings returned to their usual clamor, but Li Wan remained lost in thought for a long time.

"Miss, miss, let's go back to the manor quickly."

Xiuzhu was so scared she almost cried. Before she came to serve the young lady, no one had told her that the delicate and frail eldest daughter of the Jiang family could not only make shocking remarks, but also throw eggs at court officials in the street.

Fortunately, Lord Xie only sent someone to reprimand her a few times; if the girl had been arrested and punished, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Not daring to delay, she quickly helped her master back to the mansion.

At midday, the sun was shining brightly.

Li Wan finished her meal in a daze and sat in the courtyard, lost in thought.

The maids and servants of Changfu Garden all looked confused and worried about their mistress, but they dared not disturb her rashly. They could only do their work carefully while secretly observing the young lady's situation.

Xiuhe was a first-class maid who was transferred with Xiuzhu. She knew that Xiuzhu had secretly taken the young lady out of the mansion today. When she saw the young lady return, she was listless and angry, so she pinched Xiuzhu.

Xiuzhu felt guilty and brought a plate of plum blossom cakes, wanting to comfort the young lady. "Miss, did Lord Xie's men say something harsh that upset you?"

Li Wan shook her head, then suddenly looked up and stared intently at Xiuzhu, asking urgently, "Jiang Fei... no, is it someone I knew before, Xie Qi?"

Xiuzhu answered honestly, "I used to serve in the front courtyard and don't know much about your affairs, but I've never heard of you ever seeing a man like Lord Xie."

"What about the maid who served me before?"

Xiuzhu whispered, "You mean Xiutao? A few months ago, when you were seriously ill, the master blamed her for not taking good care of you, so he sold her off."

Sold? Doesn't that mean no one will know anything about Jiang Feiwan's past?

Li Wan felt a wave of despair: How could she possibly know what Xie Qi's men had said about the letter, what had angered him, and what exactly had happened?