Chapter 255.2: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 255.2: He Also Misses the One in Jiangnan
Wei Shuyi’s tone grew serious again. “That same advisor did reveal one crucial matter before dying—he said Li Yi managed to assassinate General He Wei only because he learned in advance of the Holy Emperor’s plan to appoint a new commander and who that replacement would be. Supposedly, he received a secret letter—but even Li Yi didn’t know who sent it.”
Chang Suining nodded; she had already heard this from Li Yi himself. “That means there’s a traitor within the capital—someone close to the throne.”
Otherwise, how could such classified information have leaked ahead of time?
Wei Shuyi looked at her sharply. “Do you have any suspects, Young Miss Chang?”
She shook her head. “I know little of court affairs, so I cannot guess. But as for who that traitor serves, I do have my suspicions.”
Wei Shuyi straightened slightly.
Seeing there were ears around, Chang Suining picked up a branch and wrote one character in the ash beside the fire—Rong.
“Prince Rong’s residence? Prince Rong? The Heir of Prince Rong?” Wei Shuyi murmured, eyes narrowing. “Why suspect them?”
“Because he told me himself that he has spies within Li Yi’s army,” Chang Suining said. “He therefore had the means to send a secret letter. Moreover, such a person—one who stirs trouble from the sidelines to reap the final benefit—acts very much like the man I know.”
The man she knew—Prince Rong’s heir?
Wei Shuyi thought of Li Lu, the frail and gentle youth whom most in court pitied, and found it hard to reconcile the two images.
He studied her quietly. She had said, ‘the man I know’—how did she know him, and how well?
“Of course, this is only my conjecture,” Chang Suining added calmly. “There’s no solid proof. Just proceed with caution.”
Wei Shuyi nodded. “Understood. I’ll report this to the Holy Emperor and take care in investigating.”
Chang Suining said no more. With the tip of the branch, she erased the word Rong from the ash.
Wei Shuyi watched her and smiled faintly. “Young Miss Chang truly holds the realm in her heart.”
“I had thought,” he continued softly, “that after what happened to your brother, you might have come to resent the throne.”
His tone was tactful. After all, that day in the Confucian Temple, she had stood in direct opposition to the Holy Emperor herself.
Yet now she was voluntarily warning him about Prince Rong’s faction, urging caution for the sake of the court.
But Chang Suining only replied, “The two are not in conflict.”
Wei Shuyi blinked. Did she mean that caring for the realm and disliking the throne were not contradictory?
“Just because I dislike something,” she said, “does not mean I must always oppose it.”
Indeed, she disliked the Holy Emperor, but she had never sought vengeance. In her eyes, she and the Holy Emperor were even—no debts, no favors owed.
Neither allies nor enemies.
If the turmoil in Jiangnan truly tied back to Prince Rong’s residence, she would act according to reason, not emotion.
Wei Shuyi looked at her through the shimmering firelight.
He remembered how earlier that day, she had spoken with anger for General He Wei’s unjust death—even though she had never known the man personally. Her indignation came purely from a soldier’s sense of righteousness.
He realized then that her actions were not driven by affection or resentment, but by an unshakable inner compass.
In that moment, gazing at her calm face illuminated by the fire, Wei Shuyi felt an unexpected humility. Beyond her figure, he seemed to glimpse a vast and brilliant expanse of stars—boundless, unreachable, yet somehow serene.
He had never felt so small, nor so sincerely moved.
Still smiling, he said softly, “It seems my thoughts were narrow indeed.”
“I’m narrow-minded too,” Chang Suining said lightly. “At times.”
Wei Shuyi chuckled. “Then you and I are birds of a feather, are we not?”
She gave him a sidelong look. “That sounded terribly forced.”
He laughed again, easily this time.
It was rare for him to sound awkward—but around her, it happened often.
Chang Suining then asked after Duan Shi’s wellbeing, and about Wei Miaoqing’s new position as Crown Princess.
Wei Shuyi smiled. “All is well. We’ll see how things unfold.”
Chang Suining nodded slightly, then asked, “But tell me, Lord Wei—how did you come to be the Imperial Envoy for this mission?”
She was asking whether it had truly been an imperial command or his own initiative.
Wei Shuyi’s lips curved faintly. “The Holy Emperor’s decree cannot be disobeyed.”
Just then, Deputy General Jin approached and saluted.
“The General requests the young lady and Lord Wei to come.”
Chang Suining tossed the branch aside and rose to her feet.
Wei Shuyi followed. As they walked, he asked in a low voice, “Do you think Li Yi might really have known some secret of Xu Zhengye’s?”
“If he had, he’d still be alive,” Chang Suining replied evenly. “But who knows—perhaps as a ghost, he’ll finally learn it.”
A chill ran down Wei Shuyi’s neck, and he glanced behind him instinctively.
He truly was afraid of ghosts—that was the one thing he inherited from his mother, Duan Shi.
Chang Suining thought with some amusement, One fears what one invites.
If he ever discovered what she really was, he might faint dead away.
But remembering how he never stopped prying for answers, she sighed inwardly—this man was hopelessly curious.
“Suppose,” Wei Shuyi said, shaking off his unease, “Li Yi really did know something. Then, by killing him, haven’t I helped you make a grave mistake?”
Chang Suining arched a brow. “Is Lord Wei trying to earn my gratitude?”
He smiled. “I wouldn’t dare.”
She ignored him. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to answer for anything. I’ll take back Yangzhou from Xu Zhengye myself.”
Her tone was calm, almost casual, as though discussing what to eat for supper.
Wei Shuyi couldn’t help but smile. “And why are you so confident, Young Miss Chang?”
“On the battlefield, confidence is half the victory.”
As she spoke, soldiers ahead lifted the curtain for her. She bent slightly and stepped into the tent.
Wei Shuyi lingered a moment longer, watching her figure disappear into the dim light. There was a quiet warmth in his gaze.
No one knew that he had lied just moments ago.
His journey south had not been a command from the throne—he had volunteered for it.
Because there was someone in Jiangnan he could not stop thinking about.
Now, seeing her safe, his heart eased... yet the haze of uncertainty within him only thickened.
In his mind, Ah Dian’s innocent voice echoed again—
“Just like the late Crown Prince, isn’t she?”
Wei Shuyi paused briefly, then stepped into the tent after her.
(Author’s Note: “Good evening, everyone. Later, I’ll post a bonus—fan art of Ning Ning made by Hua Hua! Feel free to check it out. Also... I was shocked to see the news tonight. I still remember the old ‘Haodi is so good’ TV ads from my childhood. Truly heartbroken.”)
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