Chapter 29

Xie Ci, Gu Wan, and their companions found a vantage point from which they could watch the envoy’s headquarters and the distant city dwellings. Standing atop the pavilion, they gazed into the dusk as squads of imperial guards thundered past on horseback.

The matter finally reached its resolution on the third day. Zhang Linhan had been meticulous in covering his tracks, but when handling chests upon chests of gold and jewels, greed overcame him; he could not resist pocketing several dozen priceless items. When the initial search yielded nothing, Feng Kun ordered every inch of Zhang Linhan’s barracks, residence, and private quarters to be dug up. In the end, traces were found in the small garden outside his main courtyard, where a chest of treasure was unearthed.

Thus, Zhang Linhan was caught red-handed with the stolen goods and was arrested on the spot. Alongside him, his trusted aides and many household stewards were also apprehended. Under severe interrogation throughout the night, someone finally confessed to the process of concealing the loot, while another disclosed vague clues about the location of the large cache. With this, the case saw a major breakthrough. Whether Zhang Linhan had accomplices or superiors was still under investigation, but Qin Xian was now completely cleared of suspicion and restored to his post.

All of Lingzhou breathed a collective sigh of relief. The heated debates and disbelief that had clouded the city were swept away. Whether in the military or civil governance, Qin Xian shared much of Xie Xinchong’s style and had won the deep affection of both the army and the people. Everyone rejoiced.

With the new year just around the corner, the news was on everyone’s lips, from neighbors in alleyways to crowded streets. In the pavilion, Xie Ci closed the half-open wooden window, shutting out the biting north wind. “Let’s go,” he said. Gu Wan nodded.

At last, they could meet Qin Xian—the most loyal of Xie Xinchong’s former generals.

As they spoke, the two exchanged a glance. Though not related by blood like Xun Rongbi, Xie Ci had seen Qin Xian many times before. He was skilled with a golden saber and had even taught Xie Ci swordplay in his youth. In Xie Ci’s memory, he was a forthright, hot-tempered man, unwaveringly loyal to Xie Xinchong. But mention of Xun Rongbi inevitably brought their thoughts back to Suzhou.

Despite careful analysis—knowing that Xun Xiao’s goals aligned with theirs, that he now stood by their side, and that his thirst for vengeance was no less than theirs—it seemed impossible for him to fabricate the story. Lingzhou’s situation was entirely different from that of Xun Rongbi and his father; the court had even sent an imperial envoy. This was a circumstance unlike any before.

In the end, Qin Xian’s fate had hung by a thread. Had they failed to buy time and root out Zhang Linhan’s crimes, Qin Xian would already have been on his way to the capital in chains.

Gu Wan had also consulted the original text. And then there was Second Sister-in-law Xie.

Her given name was Qin Ying, Qin Xian’s own niece—the only sister of Qin Guan, left behind by her late father along with a brother. Men like Xun Rongbi were rare indeed.

Xie Ci and Gu Wan had analyzed the situation countless times and were confident that Qin Xian was above suspicion. Yet, now that the final moment had arrived, their nerves were taut. Even Gu Wan felt a flicker of anxiety.

She muttered to herself, “After all this, surely Qin Xian isn’t a hidden danger?”

She had never been superstitious, but after all she had been through, she could no longer claim to be entirely rational. Silently, she recited every deity and spirit she could think of.

Isn’t it said that after the storm comes the rainbow?

Please, let everything go smoothly.

Elsewhere—

At the height of the winter sun, the iron doors of the barracks, long used as a holding cell, clattered open. At last, Qin Xian, Qin Guan, and Qin Yong—uncle, nephew, and son—were released from confinement.

Qin Xian, a general in his early forties, was tall and imposing, with thick brows and keen eyes—a man who exuded martial strength. Dressed still in the black armor he’d worn during his detention, his hair disheveled from days without grooming, he nonetheless strode out with a soldier’s confident gait, showing not the least sign of defeat.

“Damn it! That treacherous dog Zhang Linhan!” His voice was thunderous. At the sudden return to sunlight, the three instinctively shielded their eyes, but Qin Xian quickly let his hand drop, squinted up at the blazing sun, and broke into a stream of curses.

Yet, even as he ranted, laughter broke out among the crowd. Dou Wu, Wei Qin, and his loyal officers, along with the various commanders of Lingzhou, had all gathered to greet him. Emotions ran high; the ordeal had been perilous, and more than once they had feared all was lost. But at last, light had broken through the darkness.

“General!” they called out, voices trembling with excitement.

“General!” one after another, they surged forward. Qin Xian exhaled deeply, his stern features melting into a broad smile as he embraced each of them in turn.

“Madam and the young ladies are waiting at home, General—you must hurry back!”

As the initial excitement faded, someone remembered Lady Qin Wenxuan and the others and hurriedly reminded the general.

“This time, it was all thanks to Wenxuan’s friend Brother Gu. She’s grown up so much, too—she shouldered tremendous responsibility, and Second Madam was even injured…”

Qin Xian’s heart leapt at the news. Without pausing to wash or compose himself, he rushed home to his wife and children.

Lady Wen and Qin Wenxuan had already returned to the general’s residence, which had only just been unsealed. They did not want their father to see them in disarray and feel guilty, so they hurried home to tidy up, preparing to greet their husband and father with their best faces forward.

The family waited with bated breath as Qin Xian and his sons galloped home. The pounding of military boots echoed along the corridor up to the courtyard gate. At the familiar, powerful stride, Lady Wen, trembling with emotion, struggled to sit up with her daughter’s help. The little son rushed out, sobbing, “Father! Father!”

The days of anxiety and terror broke at once; the family collapsed into tears.

Qin Xian caught his youngest son in a fierce embrace. This tiger of the battlefield, who had never shed a tear for blood or wounds, now found his eyes brimming. He wiped them quickly and strode forward. “Wife, Wenxuan, Kun! I’m home!”

They fell into a heap, weeping with joy.

After a moment, Lady Wen began to cough. Qin Xian, seeing the steaming bowl of medicine by the bed, quickly sat her up and helped her drink. Qin Wenxuan, after hugging her brothers, stood by the bedside, watching her father gently feed medicine to her mother while her brothers adjusted the pillows.

Once the emotional reunion had passed, Qin Wenxuan’s thoughts quickly turned to other matters. She glanced at her father, stepped forward, and after a moment whispered, “Father, Xie Ci is here—Brother Gu is really him.”

Qin Xian, halfway to standing, was struck as if by lightning. The medicine bowl slipped from his hands and shattered. “What did you say?!”

It was Xie Ci. Truly Xie Ci.

The one his father had missed for so long, Marshal Xie’s only surviving adult son—Xie Ci.

For a moment, Qin Xian was overwhelmed with urgency. “Where is he? Where is he now?!”

Now cleared, Qin Xian naturally resumed his command. That very day, the family reclaimed their posts. Qin Xian paid formal visits to Envoy Feng Kun and the Imperial Uncle Lin.

The following day, at last with time to spare, Qin Xian held a modest yet solemn banquet in his mansion, inviting his loyal officers and brothers who had worried and toiled for him through this ordeal.

The grand hall was filled, several large round tables packed with people.

“General, what are you saying? We’ve defended Lingzhou’s borders through heat and hardship for years—how could we allow anyone to frame you?!”

“Exactly! You saved my life; I’d risk everything before I let them succeed! That scoundrel Zhang Linhan…”

Glasses were raised, teacups standing in for wine, everyone on their feet.

As the evening sun blazed, clouds tinted red, Qin Xian, though moved by all he had endured, fell silent at the second-to-last toast. He shook his head. “Wei Qin, you’re wrong.”

He paused, exhaled slowly, and said, “If I were truly wronged and condemned, you must all take care of yourselves. Do not throw your lives away in vain.”

At his words, all knew he was thinking of Marshal Xie and General Zhao Heng. After Marshal Xie was imprisoned, Zhao Heng—another of Xie Xinchong’s confidants—had followed him to his death.

Qin Xian drew a deep breath, wiped his face, then forced a smile. “Enough of that. Tonight, let’s eat and drink. Come, come!”

He pushed aside his turbulent thoughts, raised his cup with a smile, and glanced often toward the doorway, asking casually, “Why haven’t I seen the two Gu brothers?”

“Oh, they came with Dou Wu!” Wei Qin replied. Wei Zhen added eagerly, “General, you don’t know how amazing Brother Gu is! He took one sniff and saw right through that scoundrel’s lies! If not for him, we’d never have uncovered the fake accounts!”

Wei Qin shot his son a look, but the others all chimed in, heaping praise—so young, yet so talented!

As the accolades poured in, Qin Xian’s heart surged with emotion. He struggled to contain it. Good, good! The Marshal’s son—how could he not be extraordinary? For a moment, his eyes shone with unshed tears.

In the guest courtyard, Gu Wan lit a lamp. When Xie Ci had removed his disguise, she touched up his face, deepened the shadows at his cheeks, and together they donned the armor of ordinary guards, blending in among Dou Wu’s men.

Dou Wu, after changing into lighter armor, led the party at a gallop. The horses’ hooves clattered over the flagstones, and as dusk fell, they reached the mansion’s main avenue. Xie Ci dismounted and filed in with the others.

Before ascending the steps, he glanced up at the plaque above the gate—“Lingzhou Grand General’s Residence.”

Qin Xian, like Xie Xinchong, was stubborn to the bone. In the past, others had changed the plaque to “Governor’s Mansion” or “Military Commissioner’s Mansion,” but Qin Xian insisted on using the old title.

Dou Wu led a few guards swiftly toward the banquet hall, Xie Ci among them. The sound of their boots echoed down the stone corridor, matching the beat of Xie Ci’s own heart.

At last, they entered the lively hall.

“Come, come, here they are, General—these are the Gu brothers!”

Qin Xian laughed heartily, but the moment his eyes met Xie Ci’s face, his laughter faltered.

Gu Wan had only touched up the sides of his face—he looked no different in profile, but from the front, with just a little refinement, he resembled his old self even more.

Those striking, jet-black eyes, the bold lines of his brows, the youth’s posture straight as a spear, his presence now more tempered but no less fierce—those sword-like brows were more and more like his father’s.

Those eyes—so achingly familiar—Xie Xinchong had scolded him harshly in public, but in private was always immensely proud of his fourth son, Xie Ci.

Even though Qin Wenxuan had warned him and he had braced himself through a sleepless night, when Qin Xian truly saw Xie Ci’s face, his heart was shaken to its core. His hand trembled, nearly spilling his drink, and a cry almost escaped him.

—Fourth Young Master!

In the end, the surge of joy was overcome by sorrow. At the sight of Xie Ci, Qin Xian’s eyes brimmed with tears.

But he forced himself to endure, maintaining composure and offering Xie Ci a warm greeting, even clapping him on the shoulder and drinking with him, before rejoining the festivities.

After the boisterous banquet, lanterns lit the night. As the guests departed, Qin Xian found an excuse to keep Xie Ci behind.

When at last the doors shut with a bang and the hall was empty, Qin Xian cried out, “Fourth Young Master—!”

Tears burst forth uncontrollably.

This was a man who had never flinched at a blade, yet now, for the second time in as many days, he wept without restraint.

In that moment, with news of the Xie family at last reaching him, he thought not of his niece Ying—his brother’s orphan whom he had raised as his own—but of the Xie family themselves! Xie Ci, Lady Xun, all the remaining kin of the Marshal—his family, whom he had protected with all his might.

For generations, the Qin and Xie families had been bound by military service. The Qin family had been ennobled for their loyalty after the rebellion, serving as trusted arms of the Xie household. After Second Sister-in-law Xie was betrothed, her father fell in battle, and it was Xie Xinchong who saw them through their hardships. Qin Xian, able and diligent, had restored his household’s honor.

Qin Xian’s feelings for Xie Xinchong ran deep—far beyond loyalty, encompassing gratitude and affection.

Now, at last, he broke down, kneeling and weeping with a grief that aged him, his face lined with sorrow, his sobs raw and wrenching.

Compared to this, Xun Rongbi’s tears seemed but a shallow display.

The hall was silent—only Qin Guan and Qin Yong stood nearby, heads bowed in silent grief.

Xie Ci, who had held himself so tightly for so long, felt his own defenses slipping away. The sound of Qin Xian’s sobs gripped his throat, and he tipped back his head, fighting back tears.

At last, Qin Xian wiped his eyes, rose, and embraced Xie Ci fiercely.

“It’s alright. It’s alright now!”

“You’ve grown so much!” Qin Xian stepped back, studying the youth before him, sharp as a newly drawn silver spear. “You look so well. Surely the Marshal’s spirit in heaven would be comforted!”

His voice was both proud and pained.

Xie Ci’s tears, so long suppressed, finally fell. So did Qin Xian’s.

Though the table was a mess of cups and sorrow, amid all the grief a different emotion surged in Xie Ci’s heart.

After so long, after so many trials and dangers, he had finally taken this crucial step. He had found a true and loyal old comrade of his father’s. He was no longer alone.

At last, he had found a strength he could rely on—a force to wield.

Through shimmering tears, Xie Ci looked up to meet Gu Wan’s gaze. She beamed at him, her smile wide and sincere.

It had not been easy.

But finally, everything was alright.