Chapter 474: Chapter 458: Planning and Strategizing
Fengyu boarded the carriage and looked at Xiaoqi with a trace of sorrow. Xiaoqi, however, dared not meet her eyes. He had deceived Fengyu, though it wasn’t intentional. He never intended to return to the Yuwen Royal Family. His identity was awkward and unsuitable for rejoining them. Yet the item he possessed was a burning hot potato, something he didn’t want to hand over to the Yuwen Royal Family either.
"Sister..." Xiaoqi said anxiously, his eyes red and filled with grief.
Fengyu didn’t blame him and patted his head. "Xiaoqi, no matter who you are, you’ll always be my little brother. I know you don’t have the Jade Seal with you. Take Fang Chuning to find it—once he acquires it, you can return to West State whenever you wish."
She had originally planned for Xiaoqi to go to the army, but that seemed impossible now. Moreover, Xiaoqi’s identity couldn’t be exposed, lest the revelation of an imperial heir within the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry put Xie Jue and Xie Xun in an awkward position.
This was why Xie Xun had brought his personal guards to capture Xiaoqi, preventing his identity from being known to more people.
"Sister, you don’t blame me?"
Fengyu recalled the younger Xiaoqi as a child—he was like a small beast, dangerous and wary. Who knew how many dangers he had endured to develop such a disposition?
Her heart ached for him. He should have grown up in luxury, groomed as the Crown Prince to inherit the throne smoothly. Instead, he was cast into the wild, abducted, sold, living years of uncertainty, competing with stray dogs for food.
"What fault do you have?" Fengyu chuckled sorrowfully. "There’s no fault, so why would I blame you? Xiaoqi, your grandfather and father passed away many years ago. The current times are turbulent. You are burdened with the sin of treasure and cannot guard the Jade Seal. Don’t keep it with you; it will only bring disaster."
Xiaoqi pursed his lips. Fengyu could coax and probe him for the Seal’s whereabouts, but in front of Fang Lingjun, she chose not to. After instructing Xiaoqi, she disembarked from the carriage, only to find Xie Jue and Xie Xun arguing.
Xie Jue would never do anything to embarrass Xie Xun in front of the soldiers. He would never overstep Xie Xun’s authority or issue conflicting commands. If disagreements arose, Xie Jue would always aim to convince Xie Xun instead of overriding him, preserving Xie Xun’s authority in the eyes of the military.
At home, Xie Jue was the elder brother and, after coming of age, the one issuing family orders. Naturally, Xie Jue carried a suppressing influence over Xie Xun.
But in the military, Xie Xun was the commander-in-chief.
"With the Jade Seal, it’s icing on the cake. Without it, it doesn’t hinder our advance. Fang Chuning has taken the blame for killing Han Ziqi, which repays a favor in kind," Xie Jue said coolly. "Follow orders."
Xie Xun gritted his teeth, unwillingly. "What if I insist on obtaining the Jade Seal?"
With the Jade Seal, things would become significantly easier. Those loyal to maintaining legitimate rule would no longer trust Yuwen Jing. Official decrees bearing the Seal could open up Jiangnan and various towns. With the Seal, he could even command Zhongzhou and large portions of Jiangnan’s city defense armies. It was more than mere icing on the cake—it provided a rightful justification for military actions.
"Xiaoqi doesn’t have the Jade Seal with him. If you ask him, would he give it to you or Fang Chuning?" Xie Jue frowned. "Are you ready to fight over the Seal here?"
"Why not?" Xie Xun asked sternly. "Why can’t I battle Fang Chuning here? This is the territory of the Twelve States—if he dares to enter, he should prepare to never leave!"
"Are you determined to fight?" Xie Jue asked.
"Yes!"
"Very well!" Xie Jue spurred his horse back to the side. "I won’t stop you."
Xie Xun fell silent, an unspoken frustration filling his chest. It was as if he demanded Xie Jue to make a choice between him and Fang Chuning—his brother or Fang Chuning. Yet as Xie Jue truly didn’t intervene or offer further persuasion, the situation deadlocked instead.
Xie Jue’s expression betrayed no emotion, but Fengyu felt her heart clench with unease. She feared that Xie Xun’s stubbornness might really lead to a fight with Fang Chuning. If he truly resolved to stop Fang Chuning from leaving, there was no way Fang Chuning, Fang Lingjun, and Xiaoqi could break through.
She also refrained from urging Xie Xun. Regardless of what he decided, Fengyu believed she would understand and accept it. Xie Jue likely felt the same. Though he had stopped Xie Xun to allow Fang Chuning and Xiaoqi to leave, if Xie Xun insisted on fighting, Xie Jue wouldn’t genuinely prevent him.
Neither of them would undermine Xie Xun’s authority before their soldiers.
Xie Xun rode up to the carriage and lifted the curtain. He asked Xiaoqi coldly, "I know you’ve hidden the Jade Seal. Do you intend to give it to me or to Fang Chuning?"
Xiaoqi replied calmly, "What difference does it make to give it to you, or to him?"
"If you give it to me, regardless of what Fang Chuning says or does, I’ll take you with me today. But if you give it to him..." Xie Xun, having spent much time with Xiaoqi, understood what kind of person he was. Threats and bribes wouldn’t work on him. "I’ll let you all leave!"
Fang Chuning lowered his gaze slightly, allowing the wind and snow to settle on his shoulders. Xiaoqi thought for a long while, unsure of how to respond. The truth was, he didn’t want to give it to anyone. He wished to bury the Jade Seal with his grandfather and father. Yet, at this point, evasion was futile. Years ago, to avoid pursuit by the Grand Marshal, he nearly committed a grave mistake. Fleeing and hiding over the years had led to repeated failures, as if fate conspired against him.
To possess treasure is to invite disaster!
His sister was right—he could no longer safeguard the Jade Seal. Everyone would fight for it, robbing him of any peace.
"To my brother!" Xiaoqi declared firmly. "I’ll give it to my brother!"
If he gave it to Xie Xun, his brother would surely suffer severely today—perhaps even lose his life. Xiaoqi couldn’t bear that. His impression of Fang Lingjun was vague; as a child, Fang Lingjun rarely visited the Eastern Palace. Fang Chuning, however, frequently came with the Princess to see him, held him, taught him to ride, and taught him to read. After the Eastern Palace’s downfall, it was Fang Chuning who hid him during the Fang Family’s searches, enduring four days without food or water. Fang Chuning was the only "brother" in Xiaoqi’s memory, and Xiaoqi didn’t want him to face a dead end.
If he couldn’t take him away, then his uncle, so stern and unyielding, would never spare him.
"Alright!" Xie Xun sheathed his sword and ordered, "Let them pass!"
The guards around them parted, creating a path. Fang Chuning gave Xie Jue a deep look, but Xie Jue lowered his eyes, avoiding his gaze. Separated by the wind and snow, it seemed like an insurmountable chasm.
Fang Chuning whistled, signaling the carriage forward. Turning his horse, he followed closely behind.
Back at the residence, Xie Xun, radiating a low pressure, practiced swordsmanship alone in the courtyard. Whenever he felt stifled and couldn’t vent his frustration, he’d train relentlessly without rest. Fengyu wanted to console him but knew it was a matter between the brothers and refrained. She herself felt heavy-hearted—Xiaoqi had left. She didn’t expect Xiaoqi to be Yuwen Xuan, the Crown Prince’s lone surviving heir. The news of his survival was known across the land. The Princess hadn’t—for reasons unknown—faked a corpse back then, feigning the Eastern Palace’s annihilation, which could’ve ended the search for Xiaoqi.
But she didn’t. Instead, deliberate rumors had been spread about Eastern Palace guards rescuing the young heir. Emperor Jianming knew the Jade Seal was fake and had searched for years to no avail.
The late emperor’s bloodline persisted by a fragile strand.
Yet Xiaoqi refused to return to the Capital City, leading him to desperately flee from Sannan back then.
She felt a pang of sympathy for Xiaoqi, unsure of what might happen after he was taken back. Fang Chuning would likely treat him well.
Xie Xun practiced for nearly two hours, while Xie Jue waited in a side hall for him to cool down. The sound of the longsword slicing through the air echoed from the courtyard. Xie Xun knew his second brother was in the hall. He couldn’t suppress the frustration inside, nor could he release it. Furious, Xie Xun threw his sword aside, storming into the hall to demand, "If the one taking Xiaoqi today wasn’t Fang Chuning, would you have still stopped me?"
Xie Jue replied indifferently, "Though I don’t know Xiaoqi well, I understand him somewhat. In such a situation, even if you killed Fang Chuning and took him back, the Jade Seal wouldn’t be yours. If he wanted to give it to you, given his bond with Fengyu, he’d have handed it over already. Fighting Fang Chuning would’ve been pointless. The Seal isn’t on him; it’s surely hidden somewhere. By tracking him, recovering it will depend on skill. Do you want the Jade Seal, or to fight Fang Chuning to mutual destruction?"
"Don’t dodge the question! I’m asking, if it wasn’t Fang Chuning, would you have still stopped me?" Xie Xun, rarely so defiant toward Xie Jue, seemed determined to grasp an answer.