Xie Queshan leisurely leaned back, closed his eyes to rest, his fingers lightly tapping his knee, unhurried and calm.
“If you can’t figure it out, then go outside and think it through.”
Nanyi finally understood what Xie Queshan meant when he said “running away won’t work every time.”
Now she truly could not escape even with wings. She could only cling tightly to Xie Queshan like a lone boat. Once she let go, she would be swept into the raging sea and stormy waves.
But this wasn’t something she could decide. If she wanted to board his boat, he still had to nod his permission. Her life and death were just in Xie Queshan’s single thought.
Couldn’t she have even a little initiative?
In an instant, a bold idea crashed into Nanyi’s mind.
“If you make me get out, I’ll tell Gusha that you sent me to Huachao Pavilion. You don’t want your dear sister to be in danger but couldn’t appear personally,” Nanyi’s voice became urgent. At this moment, she had broken through that window paper, her tone containing some determination of mutual destruction. “And at Tiger Kneel Mountain, it was you who let me go. At Xie Hengzai’s funeral, it was you who instructed me to cause a scene. Which side you’re really on depends on how Gusha sees you. Anyway, I’m your person—dead, I’m still your ghost. Either we stand on shore together, or we go into the water together.”
Xie Queshan opened his eyes and stared at Nanyi.
After finishing this speech, Nanyi felt parched and shaking all over—not from cold, but rather feeling somewhat feverish, having poured all her strength into these rebellious words.
She wasn’t completely confident either.
For instance, Xie Queshan might kill her with one sword and kick her out of the carriage without giving her any chance to speak.
But she still wanted to gamble. In Xie Queshan’s eyes, she still had that bit of value as a “plaything” in the arena.
After a long while, Xie Queshan spoke, calling out: “He Ping, back to Wangxue Manor.”
The carriage started moving. The curtains swayed, and the candlelight filtering through the thin felt gradually dimmed—they must have left Huachao Pavilion and reached the street. The carriage wheels rolled over the stone slabs, making everyone bounce up and down with the motion.
Nanyi knew she had escaped disaster and let out a long breath, her whole body relaxing.
“What did you come to Huachao Pavilion to do today?”
Nanyi dared not push her luck after gaining an advantage, answering truthfully: “Sixth Miss said she was going to rescue Third Uncle, but last night I heard outside Young Master’s room that you were planning to set a trap. I was afraid Sixth Miss would be in danger, so I wanted to come warn her.”
“How did you know Xiaoliu was coming to Huachao Pavilion?”
“A servant saw her.”
“Does anyone else know about this?”
Nanyi was startled. She indeed hadn’t thought carefully about this question. If that servant couldn’t keep his mouth shut, many people in Wangxue Manor would know. She had previously deduced there was a Qi spy in Wangxue Manor, so Xie Sui’an’s whereabouts must have been leaked, which was why there was a trap waiting for her at Huachao Pavilion.
“I… don’t know.”
“Watch Xiaoliu and report her movements to me.” This time it wasn’t a discussion, but an order.
“Will you harm Sixth Miss?”
“She’s my real sister.”
Hearing this answer, Nanyi was actually somewhat happy. So he wasn’t someone whose humanity had been completely extinguished! Come to think of it, she had been able to successfully pass a message to Xie Sui’an partly with his tacit permission.
“But if she becomes too deeply involved with the Bingzhu Bureau and blocks my path, I’ll have no choice.”
His voice was surprisingly cold, like a basin of cold water poured over her head, instantly sobering Nanyi.
Nanyi fell silent. After a long time, she suddenly thought of something and asked: “So that day in the snow, the character I chose—was it ‘life’?”
“No.”
“What did that character mean?”
“Hong, the death of princes and nobles.”
“I chose wrong, but you still let me go—among those characters, there was no ‘life’ at all, was there?”
“Correct.”
“You’re truly terrifying…” Nanyi murmured. “I should never, ever have stolen your purse.”
“Remember, at Wangxue Manor, you are the young madam, the one in charge of the inner courtyard. Every word and action will be closely watched. Put away those petty thieving tricks of yours.”
“I understand.” Nanyi answered sincerely. She realized that when he decided not to kill her, most of what he said was for her own good.
Then he said nothing more. In the cramped, quiet carriage compartment, they could both hear each other’s breathing.
Most of the time, Nanyi didn’t dare look at Xie Queshan, but at this moment she didn’t know where she found the courage to stare steadily at him, watching the light and shadow from the curtain gaps change across his face.
The carriage moved forward. The long street shrouded in night seemed like a section of rushing river water, the crowded houses on both sides like dark mountains. They were squeezed together in a tiny flat boat, both draped in bright moonlight.
They were honest but didn’t share hearts, sharing the boat but not depending on each other, together following the river toward an unknown future.
Then the small boat stopped.
Her body involuntarily lurched forward. Just as she was about to hit the carriage wall, what she touched instead was his broad palm.
He reached out to block her, his gaze briefly meeting hers before withdrawing, once again assuming that aloof, uninvolved appearance.
“Young Master, we’ve arrived at Wangxue Manor.”
He Ping lifted the curtain. The carriage had stopped in the back courtyard of Wangxue Manor.
Nanyi’s lips moved slightly, but in the end she swallowed back the words of thanks. Just as she was about to get up, Xie Queshan pressed her down. She looked up in confusion, and a cloak was draped over her head.
Xie Queshan said nothing and left with long strides.
Nanyi looked at the cloak, then at the gaudy clothes on her body, immediately understanding. Appearing in Wangxue Manor in this attire would probably get her cursed to death by the dignified people of this noble family. She hurriedly put on the cloak. By the time she got off the carriage, Xie Queshan and He Ping were already walking in the corridor back to Jingfeng Residence.
Watching Xie Queshan’s figure disappear around the corner, a strange feeling rippled through Nanyi’s heart.
The carriage had stopped, and they had returned to their respective positions, but the river water was still rushing—she felt as if she were still on that lonely boat.