His Scheme
The crowd dispersed in relief, unharmed, while Nangong Mo and Luo Xue remained seated in the Hall of Clouds.
After a long silence, Nangong Mo set down his teacup and sighed, “I still don’t know what kind of person he is. We’ve known each other for so many years, and yet I’m still in the dark.”
Luo Xue nodded and said, “That day, after the banquet, didn’t the note get passed to the Saintess? The Princess of Taixuan and he didn’t have enough time to plot together.”
Nangong Mo smiled. “Thinking back, that note was actually meant for the Princess of Taixuan. Your public announcement of the wedding was clearly meant for the Holy Academy to hear, wasn’t it? Why would he need to send a note to the Academy? There’s truly little in the Han Empire that escapes their notice.”
Luo Xue swallowed her tea stiffly and sighed, “Indeed, he’s far too clever to make such an unnecessary move. It was only us who thought he’d fallen into a trap.”
Nangong Mo replied, “The matter of Wan Lixing and Murong Shushan fighting over the book a few days ago was also orchestrated by him. That mysterious book thief turned out to be the Princess of Taixuan.”
After taking another sip of tea, Nangong Mo slowly shared his deductions.
Finally, he said, “But there’s still one thing I can’t figure out—how did he get the other end of the Heavenly Silkworm Thread into the Princess’s hand?”
Luo Xue suddenly burst out laughing, as if delighted, quickly swallowed her tea, and replied, “If one end can be wrapped around a book, why can’t the other end be wrapped around something else? With so many people chasing him, if he threw out a stone or some other object, who would notice? And yet you pride yourself on your intelligence.”
Nangong Mo pondered for a moment, then laughed aloud as well. “Haha, yes. The simplest method is often the most effective—he’s said that before.”
After their laughter faded, a heaviness settled over them once more. Luo Xue seemed to steel herself and said, “I’ll leave tomorrow. Luo Xue Garden will be returned to your Nangong family. From now on, we owe each other nothing.”
She walked toward the Western Garden, and he departed as well, neither offering any further farewell.
They had known each other for more than a decade.
……
The Zheng family of Moxi. At last, the Han man set aside his hostility and leapt onto the rooftop with a swagger.
His cold voice rang out, “That damned ability of yours—best not to use it in front of me.”
Gao Xian gave a wry smile and said to the two who had just entered, “It really wasn’t on purpose. I can’t help it.”
Zheng Fanren asked suspiciously, “What ability?”
Gao Xian was silent for a moment, then smiled. “It’s nothing to hide. My way of sensing arcane power is a bit unusual—it naturally mimics the energy patterns around others.”
Zheng Fanren thought privately, No wonder he inspires such trust. So it’s the arcane power at work. But how do I feel it too, when I can’t sense arcane energy at all?
He didn’t voice his doubt, merely smiled and said, “So that’s how it is. Uncle Han will understand, don’t worry!”
Gao Xian responded heartily, “Good to hear. Sorry I missed your wedding—some matters delayed me.”
Zheng Fanren let “Winter Plum” go in ahead and then replied, “Did you know how the wedding turned out?”
That much was obvious—otherwise, Gao Xian wouldn’t have come looking for Zheng Fanren.
Gao Xian nodded. “I just saw the Dean of Taixuan. He knows about your plan with the Princess.”
“If he knows, why didn’t he stop us?”
“He said he’d tell you someday. I don’t know why he didn’t intervene either.”
Even after Gao Xian took his leave, Zheng Fanren remained puzzled.
No sooner had he returned to his room than he exclaimed, “How did you get in here?”
Two men from the Holy Academy were already in his room. The younger of the two smiled at him and said, “Uncle Han told us to wait for you here.”
Zheng Fanren was still discontented. “Why are several grown men hiding in my room? Let’s talk outside!”
The older man remained silent, while the younger seemed puzzled by Zheng Fanren’s vehemence.
At the Holy Academy, it was common for several disciples to share a room, so he didn’t understand Zheng Fanren’s discomfort.
So, with a sly grin, he asked, “Do we have to go outside to talk about Qiuxiang as well?”
Staring at that crafty face, Zheng Fanren relented, “That’s not necessary, of course.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the older man produced a letter and handed it to him.
His movements were as slow as ever, and Zheng Fanren nearly lost patience and snatched the letter away.
Taking it, he read it through as the two men waited patiently and quietly for him to finish.
After a while, Zheng Fanren finally said courteously, “Thank you! Please pass along the message—I will avenge that little girl.”
The younger man laughed, “Better run fast, or you might get stabbed in the rear!”
He laughed aloud as he left, and Zheng Fanren thought to himself, So it was thanks to her that I got into the Taixuan Academy.
He felt a bit pleased, but also somewhat embarrassed.
……
Night had fallen deep.
The Han man sat on the porch railing and said, apropos of nothing, “The Princess has had a hard day. Don’t you know a thing about romance?”
Zheng Fanren replied, “I think the most romantic thing is to kiss and sleep together.”
He shot the Han man a sidelong glance. “Can I try that with the Princess?”
The Han man grinned. “Go ahead—maybe your lips will be faster than my sword.”
Zheng Fanren laughed too. “So that’s why the old man of Taixuan would let me marry his daughter—because you’re here to spoil the fun. Aren’t you one of Zhou Ziwen’s men?”
The Han man sneered, “There aren’t many as easy to trick as you. That day, I just wanted you to swing your sword a few more times.”
Zheng Fanren sneered back, “The Princess and I had a plan from the start. Why did you kill so many people? And what did you do with all those bodies?”
The Han man was as blunt as ever. His answer was just two words, “Fertilizer.”
Seeing the Han man’s air of nonchalance, Zheng Fanren was left speechless.
The middle-aged man, however, wondered, “How did the other end of the Heavenly Silkworm Thread end up in the Princess’s hand?”
He couldn’t figure it out. At the time, Zheng Fanren was inside the building and the Princess was outside. When Zheng Fanren ran up the mountain, the Princess was already hiding in the trees—how could she have been holding the other end of the thread?
Zheng Fanren’s answer was just as brief, and just as maddening: “Secret.”
The Han man had no interest in probing further. In a flash, he leapt onto the rooftop.
Zheng Fanren tossed a bottle of wine up after him, then turned and went inside.
The next day was Zheng Fanren’s first day at the academy.
All the newly admitted students of Taixuan Academy were gathered on the stone terrace. Gazing at the Taixuan Lake before him, Zheng Fanren knew he was about to seize a crucial opportunity.
Just as he began to imagine what his cultivation would be like, the instructor’s roll call sounded in the distance.
“Wan Lixing, Murong Shushan, Zheng Fanren, Ye Yinghua, Fang Zizai, Lu Qingsheng—proceed to the Hall of Observation.”
Hearing his name, Zheng Fanren felt his fingers begin to tremble again.
That legendary Hall of Observation—the place he had dreamed of countless times.
He followed Wan Lixing and the others deeper into the heart of Taixuan Academy.