Chapter 561: Chapter 561: Reply Letter

Shen Yanchuan said, "Maybe, maybe not."

His heart sank.

Shen Yanchuan’s words were ambiguous, but Xie Anbai was no fool.

’This is practically an admission—the letter is definitely connected to the Xie Family!’

"How could that be?"

It took Xie Anbai a long moment to recover, still unwilling to believe it.

"I know my father’s character. He helped the Grand Ancestor build this empire; he would never be disloyal. He wishes he could kill all of those Wazhen people; there’s no way he’d contact them privately."

Suddenly, he thought of something and trailed off.

"Could it be—"

’If it wasn’t my father, then... it could only be my "dear" older brother!’

"But how is that possible!?" Xie Anbai’s brow furrowed. "He’s ambitious, I know, but surely he isn’t *this* stupid! Besides, his position as the heir is perfectly secure. All he has to do is enjoy his comfortable life in the Capital City. Why would he get involved in such a thankless endeavor?"

Shen Yanchuan suddenly asked, "How do you know if he acted on his own or if he was forced? Even if he didn’t want to, what if someone *made* him do it?"

Xie Anbai replied instinctively, "Who could possibly force—"

The words had barely left his mouth when he fell silent. After a long moment, he finally mumbled.

"...So, it really is him?"

The room fell into a deathly silence.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Yanchuan finally spoke. "You’re right. With his noble status, he must have a reason for doing this. But no matter what, it’s a fatal move."

Xie Anbai’s mind went blank.

He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

’Shen Yanchuan’s information is never wrong. If he’s being this direct, he must already have conclusive evidence.’

’He’s only telling me today out of consideration for our years of friendship, giving me a heads-up.’

But...

"I just don’t get it. I really don’t," Xie Anbai said, his voice strained.

Shen Yanchuan’s elegant eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you really not understand?"

Xie Anbai was silent for a long time.

He slumped back in his chair and scrubbed his face hard with both hands. He took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm the turmoil in his heart.

’It would be a lie to say I have no idea why Xie Anjun would do this.’

’For one thing, Xie Anjun has made quite a name for himself over the years. He has private dealings with many court officials and appears to be thriving, completely in his element.’

’His status as the Heir of Duke Zhongyong alone wouldn’t be enough to get him this far.’

’Xie Anbai knew his brother was secretly involved in dealings for personal gain, but he chose not to look into it too deeply.’

’As the saying goes, "Water that is too pure has no fish." How many of those officials at court are truly clean anyway?’

’As long as Xie Anjun didn’t bother him, he was content to keep his distance and let each of them mind their own business.’

’But never in his wildest dreams did Xie Anbai imagine that Xie Anjun would be so incredibly audacious!’

After a long silence, Xie Anbai finally asked:

"Is it related to Xiao Chengxuan?"

Shen Yanchuan replied coolly, "If you already knew, why ask me?"

The words he had overheard that night surfaced in Xie Anbai’s mind again.

He had never seen his father scold his older brother in such a tone.

At the time, he had thought his father was only angry because something had happened to Xiao Chengxuan, and Xie Anjun was known to have close dealings with him.

He had never imagined that the connection between Xie Anjun and Xiao Chengxuan ran so deep!

Suddenly, Xie Anbai looked up. "If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that Xiao Chengxuan and the Wazhen—"

The rest of the sentence went unsaid. They both understood.

Shen Yanchuan mulled it over for a long while before saying, "He would have no reason to do something like that. At least, not in the past."

"Then..."

Xie Anbai was full of shocked disbelief.

"But Zhuola himself sent the letter. If even he is making this accusation, then how could it be impossible?"

Shen Yanchuan looked out the window.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. There was an indescribable strangeness to the situation, hidden in the details.

But he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

He leaned back.

"Regardless, the Wazhen Mission is due to arrive in the Capital City for peace talks tomorrow. What happens then is anyone’s guess."

Xie Anbai paced back and forth uneasily.

It was his family, after all. He might not care about Xie Anjun, but he couldn’t possibly be indifferent to his father’s fate.

"Then what do you plan to do? That letter—"

’The one about Zhuola, about... all those secret dealings!’

Shen Yanchuan raised his eyes and let out a soft laugh.

"What letter?"

...

"A single letter, of course, isn’t enough."

Ye Chutang double-checked the bottles and jars lined up on the table one by one before placing them in a nearby chest.

It was padded with the new cotton-padded clothes and shoes she had made for Ye Yunfeng.

Xia City was a bitterly cold place. Winter lasted for half the year, and sandstorms swept across the land.

It was always good to pack some extra warm clothing.

Xiao Wu sat cross-legged to one side, meticulously checking the broken silver and silver notes tucked into the cotton-padded clothes.

The cuffs and collar had been made with hidden compartments to discretely stash the money.

Since the clothes were padded, a quick touch wouldn’t reveal anything unusual.

’Older Sister said that Fourth Brother is out there all by himself and will surely need money, so she made sure to prepare plenty.’

’This way, Fourth Brother’s life over there should be a little easier, right?’

Once Xiao Wu finished her inspection, she carefully placed a letter on top of the clothes.

The letter was a reply to Ye Yunfeng, penned by Ye Jingyan, though it naturally included dictation from Ye Chutang and gestures from Xiao Wu.

—Her gesturing had been particularly prolific; she’d wanted to include everything, even the fact that two trees in the courtyard had died. Ye Jingyan ended up writing several pages.

"He should be pretty happy to receive all this," Ye Chutang said, placing the last bottle of medicine in the chest and letting out a long sigh.

’Finally, it’s ready to be sealed.’

Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly.

She had even carefully wrapped a few pastries in oil paper and put them inside.

If her older sister hadn’t told her that the journey was long and most food would spoil, she would have packed up half the shops in the Capital City to send along.

’Just a few pastries probably isn’t even enough for Fourth Brother for one meal, but it’s the thought that counts!’

Ye Chutang smiled and gently tapped her on the nose.

"Stop staring. We’re sending it out today. If all goes well, your fourth brother will receive it before the New Year."

Xiao Wu looked up with a huge smile and threw herself against Chutang’s legs in a hug.

Ye Chutang patted her head and realized she seemed to have grown quite a bit taller.

"When your fourth brother comes back and sees how fast you’re growing, he’ll definitely be very happy."

Xiao Wu’s smile grew even wider.

However, a moment later, some thought made her smile freeze, and she turned her head to stare blankly at the chest.

She gently pursed her lips.

’If only... I could speak.’

’Fourth Brother would be so happy then, wouldn’t he?’

Seeing the forlorn expression on the little girl’s face, Ye Chutang knew exactly what she was thinking.

’But this sort of thing can’t be rushed. We can only wait and see.’

Suddenly, the sound of a servant’s hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Second Miss! Second Miss! Someone from the palace is here!"

Ye Chutang rose and went to the door. "What is it?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.