Chapter 26 Plan “How absurd!”

Chapter 26: The Plan "How bizarre!"

After leaving the Zhong residence, Xie Chi returned to that nondescript shop to meet Zhong Lan.

He stayed in the shop's backyard for an hour before heading back to the estate.

By the time he arrived, it was already late at night, but the butler was still awake. He hurriedly greeted Xie Chi the moment he stepped through the main gate. "Young Master, you're finally back!"

"What's the matter?"

"His Highness the Fourth Prince came by this evening. He didn't wait for you and went to see the Old Madam instead."

Xie Chi stopped walking. "Did he say why he was looking for me?"

The steward's expression turned odd, and he spoke hesitantly. "He said... he wanted to ask if you had any ointment for scars from the army. He wants to get rid of the burn scar on his face."

It was no wonder the steward was perplexed; many of this Fourth Prince's ideas were downright strange.

In truth, his temperament had been decent in his childhood. As he grew older and became aware of beauty and ugliness, his disfigured appearance gradually made him withdrawn. Later, upon realizing that for imperial offspring, physical appearance was far more consequential than mere aesthetics, he grew more and more eccentric.

For a period, he harbored resentment towards all good-looking people, regardless of gender, and would not tolerate hearing any talk of "beauty" or "ugliness".

After persisting in this manner for some time, he suddenly became obsessed with discussing beauty and ugliness. Once, he even held forth loudly at a palace banquet, leaving everyone exchanging bewildered glances, with no one daring to voice agreement or disagreement.

In short, he was a bit unhinged.

Unfortunately, the Emperor felt a sense of guilt towards him and indulged him as long as he didn't commit any heinous acts.

"How did Grandmother reply to him?" Xie Chi asked.

The steward wiped his forehead. "The moment the Old Madam heard him mention you, Young Master, she burst into tears. She said you've hardly returned to the estate since coming back to the capital. You claim to be busy with official duties, but in reality, you've been bewitched by someone outside, using work as an excuse to brush her off. She also said Miss Xue Fang is just as disobedient as you, keeping everything from her, always treating her like a senile old fool to be placated..."

When people get old, it's easy for them to become muddled; they have the right to be garrulous.

Using her age as a shield, Old Madam Xie repeated the same complaints over and over, thoroughly annoying the Fourth Prince until he left. Naturally, the matter of the scar medicine was dropped.

Getting rid of the Fourth Prince was relatively easy, but what to do next had the steward stumped.

Under normal circumstances, it was just some medicinal ointment. Out of courtesy, one could simply send it over. But the Fourth Prince was moody and unpredictable. Who knew if, the moment after he came asking for medicine all smiles, he might turn around and think someone was mocking him?

"The Old Madam couldn't decide whether to send the medicine or not, so she told me to ask you, Young Master."

Xie Chi pondered for a moment. "The medicine is just a pretext; he wants to see me. Don't send it. Just act as if this never happened. If he comes again, have him leave a time, and I'll go see him."

The steward said, "Yes, sir," but his expression remained uneasy.

"Is there something else?"

"It's about Xue Fang..." the steward said worriedly. "He's been throwing a tantrum ever since returning to the estate. No one can talk sense into him. I went to check on him just now, and he's still making a scene!"

Xie Chi had anticipated this.

Xue Fang had helped trick Chen Luoling into taking the bait today. After the deception, he wanted to see how it played out, but Xie Chi didn't agree and had him escorted back to the estate to practice calligraphy instead. Having done the work for nothing, he was sure to be furious.

"Understood." Xie Chi nodded, told the steward to go rest, and went alone to Xue Fang's room.

As the steward had said, deep into the night, Xue Fang's courtyard was still brightly lit. Servants stood guard outside his room, their eyes heavy with sleep.

Pushing the door open, Xie Chi saw the floor littered with shredded pieces of Xuan paper.

As for the calligraphy Xue Fang was supposed to practice?

Not a single character was in sight—not even a drop of ink.

Walking further in, he saw the gaudy dresses piled messily on the bed, with Xue Fang sitting amidst them, tearing at the fabric. The bedding had been kicked to the floor.

Hearing the noise, Xue Fang looked up. Seeing Xie Chi standing there with slightly narrowed eyes, he quickly tried to hide the torn dresses behind his back. Realizing it was too late, he simply yelled, "You tricked me into working for nothing! You wouldn't let me watch the fun! I won't practice calligraphy, and I won't dress as a girl anymore! I'm going to tear all these clothes! I will tear them!"

After viciously ripping one garment, he bellowed again, "I'm just a delinquent! Go ahead, hit me! Beat me to death, I still won't change!"

Xie Chi didn't speak. He walked over expressionlessly, his steps heavy, his shadow cast by the candlelight carrying a silent menace.

Xue Fang had been shouting freely earlier, but now he felt a twinge of fear. Spotting a chance, he tried to dash out, but Xie Chi grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

Thinking a beating was inevitable, Xue Fang was surprised to hear Xie Chi say in a gentle tone, "I'm not going to hit you."

Xue Fang: "?"

"If you hadn't run off on the way back, I wouldn't have met Zhong Yao. This is ultimately your fault, and you must take responsibility. I'll be leaving the capital again in a while. When the time comes, I'll naturally give you the chance to go back to being a boy. For now, you'll have to endure a little longer."

Xie Chi spoke unhurriedly, glancing at a few torn books peeking out from under the clothes. "Tearing books isn't that big a deal, but it's not good behavior regardless. Don't do it again."

After finishing his gentle admonishment, he patted Xue Fang's shoulder, had the servants come in to clean up, told Xue Fang to rest early, and then left.

In the past, Xue Fang was certain he would have received a thrashing.

This wasn't normal.

Xue Fang suspected Xie Chi had been possessed by some spirit.

Of course, Xie Chi hadn't been possessed. It was just that when he thought about disciplining Xue Fang as usual, he suddenly realized that Xue Fang was merely a bit sloppy with his calligraphy, disliked studying, was unwilling to dress as a girl, and was a bit too playful.

But no matter how unruly he was, he had never thought to meddle with Xie Chi's belongings or cause trouble in his room.

Moreover, he was only twelve, still a child, unlike certain people...

Thinking this, Xie Chi suddenly felt Xue Fang was exceptionally docile and remarkably well-behaved.

Over at the estate, Xie Chi's rest was delayed by his visit to Zhong Lan and dealing with his adopted younger brother. Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhong Yao was also delayed, though she was held up by Madam Zhong's lecturing.

She had returned home too late. She claimed to have gone out with Xue Fang, but once on the painted boat, she had disappeared, only to be brought back by Xie Chi late at night. This was somewhat improper.

Madam Zhong feared she might have been deceived by a man with ill intentions.

Zhong Yao was subjected to extensive questioning, several times nearly blurting out her elder brother's affairs. By the time Madam Zhong finally returned to her room to rest, Zhong Yao was exhausted. She lay down on her bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep instantly.

Having slept late, she didn't wake until the sun was high the next day. Upon waking, she was dazed for a moment before remembering the events of the previous night. After a hurried wash, she initially wanted to go find her elder brother immediately but remembered she couldn't shake off the servants following her. So, she wrote another letter to Xie Chi.

Unexpectedly, the letter ended up in Madam Zhong's hands.

Fortunately, Zhong Yao had used Xue Fang's name as the pretext for sending the letter.

Madam Zhong didn't detect anything amiss but felt Zhong Yao was getting too close to Xue Fang, which wasn't good. She told Zhong Yao to rest properly at home. Luckily, a new invitation arrived then—from Chen Luoling, inviting her to browse a bookstore.

Unaware of the truth, Madam Zhong felt some apprehension towards Minister Chen's household and was also worried about her eldest son. In the end, she still let Zhong Yao go.

"Thanks to you today, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get out!" Upon seeing Chen Luoling, Zhong Yao's first words were of gratitude.

She hadn't had time to ponder the details of what was going on between her elder brother and Chen Luoling last night. But since her brother had said she wasn't a bad person, Zhong Yao believed him.

Chen Luoling gave a small smile but said nothing.

The two had agreed to meet at a bookstore, a luxurious two-story establishment with private lounges for VIPs.

After entering the private room, with cover from Chen Luoling’s maid, they quietly slipped out through the back door and boarded a carriage heading to the small shop where Zhong Lan was staying.

Once in the carriage, Chen Luoling spoke up first: “It was Heir Xie who asked me to invite you out.”

Zhong Yao thought that Xie Chi had anticipated her mother would try to stop her and had thoughtfully asked Chen Luoling to invite her instead. She nodded without giving it much further thought.

The two weren’t close. Before, they could still exchange veiled probes about Zhong Lan’s whereabouts, but now that he had been found, they had little to talk about.

The thing Zhong Yao was most curious about concerning Chen Luoling was whether her sister was truly dead, but that question was too forward. In the slightly awkward atmosphere, she thought for a moment and said, “Thank you for taking care of my elder brother during this time.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Luoling immediately became flustered.

The incident with the sedative instantly flashed into Zhong Yao’s mind.

She took a deep breath and tried again to ease the atmosphere, asking, “How long has my elder brother been back in the capital?”

Chen Luoling said softly, “He returned to the capital with me, hidden in my carriage…”

Zhong Yao calculated the days, adding the travel time from Jiangzhou to the capital. That meant her elder brother had been held captive by her for over a month.

Outrageous!

“You don’t have to be like this. I’m not angry,” Zhong Yao looked at Chen Luoling seriously and said, “My elder brother and I don’t get along. Even if you locked him up for a month, fed him sedatives, or even beat him, I wouldn’t be angry.”

“…” Chen Luoling opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, then tightly closed her lips and said nothing.

They arrived at their destination in silence. The shopkeeper said Zhong Lan had just taken his medicine. Chen Luoling didn't want to go inside and stayed in the courtyard, leaving Zhong Yao to enter the room alone.

Inside, Zhong Lan was in much better spirits than the day before and was writing a letter.

Zhong Yao leaned over to look and saw that besides reassuring Madam Zhong of his safety and sending his regards, he also reminded her that he already had his own ideas about his marriage and that she must not make any decisions for him without his consent.

He himself had said yesterday that the content of his previous letter was mistaken, that the matter had nothing to do with First Miss Chen, and that he already had thoughts about his marriage. Considering the people he had encountered during this period, how could Zhong Yao not understand what was going on?

She lightly raised her index finger, pointing outside, and whispered, “Is it her?”

“There are some things I don’t want others to know, but Heir Xie is right. To resolve this completely, we must sort out the loose ends and cut off the root cause with a swift blade,” Zhong Lan said. “Rather than letting you guess wildly, I might as well tell you directly. You’ll find out sooner or later anyway.”

Zhong Yao didn’t understand how this was related to Xie Chi again, but seeing her elder brother willing to talk, she didn’t interrupt.

Zhong Lan had decided to tell his younger sister everything, but for a moment, he didn’t know where to start. After a long silence, he said, “I have never truly met First Miss Chen. Not before, and not now either.”

At first, this statement seemed straightforward, but upon careful thought, if he had never met First Miss Chen, then who was the one who appeared in Jiangzhou?

It was an imposter.

And who could impersonate First Miss Chen right under the noses of Chen Luoling and her own younger brother without being discovered?

It was someone from their own side.

And the person who most resembled First Miss Chen was undoubtedly her own sister.

Sisters always bear some resemblance in demeanor. If her own younger brother cooperated, how could outsiders imagine what face was really under the veil?

Why would Chen Luoling impersonate her sister? And where was her sister at that time?

Zhong Yao pondered these doubts carefully, recalling many details she had previously paid little attention to.

First Miss Chen was unwilling to marry the Crown Prince…

First Miss Chen died…

After Chen Luoling fell into the water, Madam Zhong had said that Minister Chen and his wife valued reputation more than their daughter…

“She faked her death to escape the marriage?!” Zhong Yao suddenly understood.

First Miss Chen was unwilling to marry the Crown Prince. To escape this marriage without implicating her parents and siblings, the only path was death.

However, the Crown Prince was enamored with her. Upon hearing news of her death, he would surely investigate thoroughly, looking into the last place she appeared and the people she contacted…

First Miss Chen had long since secretly left. The reason Chen Luoling impersonated her and stayed in Jiangzhou wasn’t due to some illness like typhoid fever at all, but to use Censor Zhang and Zhong Lan as witnesses to prove that First Miss Chen was still alive in Jiangzhou, thereby misleading the Crown Prince!

Zhong Yao muttered in a daze, “You stumbled upon this secret, but because you didn’t recognize the sisters, you mistook Chen Luoling for First Miss Chen and wrote that letter home. And Chen Luoling, to keep the secret, kidnapped you…”

Zhong Lan remained silent.

Zhong Yao never imagined things were like this.

To be fair, this plan was actually quite good. With two reliable officials as witnesses, Chen Luoling and her brother only needed to create a false incident after leaving, claiming First Miss Chen had disappeared and her fate was unknown, to successfully deceive many people.

“If that’s the case…” Zhong Yao frowned and said, “Doesn’t that mean you ruined the siblings’ plan?”

Zhong Lan said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk about.”

What followed was the crucial part, but the starting point was somewhat embarrassing. Zhong Lan gathered his thoughts for a moment before saying, “That day, I had just finished writing the final report on the case. An official invited me to a farewell banquet, supposedly to see off me and Censor Zhang. I didn’t really want to go, but it wouldn’t do to appear too aloof. Yet after just two or three cups of wine, I felt dizzy and was helped back to my room…”

He omitted a part, then continued, “I always thought it was Second Miss who had drugged me and refused to agree to help cover for her, until last night when Heir Xie came to see me and told me about Second Brother and our parents’ situation.”

“Heir Xie secretly came back to see you last night?”

“That’s not the point,” Zhong Lan looked helplessly at his younger sister and said, “The point is, if not for Second Miss… I would have offended the Crown Prince. And then, so coincidentally, Second Brother offended both Xu Guozhu and the Empress almost simultaneously. Immediately afterward, someone approached our parents, trying to get them to commit that treasonous act.”

Zhong Yao said, “Do you even need to tell me that?”

Zhong Huaizhi and his wife had long suspected this. But realizing it, what could they do?

With both sons making powerful enemies and then vanishing without a trace, at that time, to protect the family, they truly had no other choice.

Not just then, but even now, with the situation taking a turn, even if Second Brother were found safe and sound, they couldn’t seek any revenge. They could only pretend to know nothing to protect themselves.

Zhong Yao said with a heavy heart, “I even suspect that what happened to me was also part of someone’s scheme.”

Zhong Lan was startled for a moment, then immediately denied it repeatedly, “No, no, no. What happened to you and Miss Xue Fang was purely a coincidence.”

Zhong Yao felt a bit angry, thinking it unfair. Why were her elder brothers’ troubles part of a scheme, while hers was just a coincidence?

Was being the younger sister not important enough?

But then she thought of Xue Fang and felt somewhat balanced. Xue Fang, as the younger brother, had it even worse than her, having been used by Xie Chi once again as a shield to protect his own innocence.

Unaware of the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Zhong Lan said, “Heir Xie helped stop our parents from doing something foolish, but the matter has already blown up. Our family is involved and must see it through to an end. Little Sister, what comes next is very messy. You can’t get involved anymore. Listen to me. In a few days, I will ‘return to the capital’ with Young Master Chen, bringing back the news of First Miss Chen’s death…”

It was indeed very messy. Just hearing about it made Zhong Yao’s head spin.

Zhong Lan had considered this and explained everything very clearly.

"The Crown Prince will find out this matter is linked to the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince is unpredictable, no one knows what madness he might resort to. For your safety, little sister, in a few days you should tell Mother you’re going to Xu River to find Father and Second Brother, but secretly return to our ancestral hometown. Come back to the capital once everything has settled."

Zhong Yao never expected he would ask her to leave the capital. She asked anxiously, "What about Second Brother and Father?"

"Father is far away at Xu River and won’t be back anytime soon. As for Second Brother, no news might be good news. Also, by doing this, I’ll be siding with the Crown Prince. From there, we can start with the Fourth Prince to look for clues about Second Brother's whereabouts. Even if it’s confirmed that Second Brother did kill Xu Su..."

He didn’t finish, but Zhong Yao understood.

If that day comes, as long as the Crown Prince is willing to offer some protection, their family wouldn’t be easily destroyed by Xu Guozhu and the Empress.

"This is so complicated..." Zhong Yao groaned, holding her head in her hands. "No wonder Father never wanted to delve into court politics."

No wonder Xie Chi wanted to extricate himself from it all.

It just seemed like the Crown Prince was being dragged into this for no reason...

Wait, not exactly.

Zhong Yao thought that the ultimate goal of all this was the struggle for the throne. Strictly speaking, it was this position that was the cause of the misfortunes in her family and the plight of the Chen siblings. And the Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, was the one most likely to ascend to that position—he was the root cause.

He couldn’t just reap the benefits while letting others face danger and be forced to help him secure his position.

"It is complicated," Zhong Lan said, his expression softening slightly. He reached out and patted Zhong Yao’s head gently. "Little sister, you’ve done very well—better than Second Brother and me. You’ve suffered a lot during this time..."

Zhong Yao had never really considered herself as having suffered, but hearing these words suddenly, her nose inexplicably stung, and hot tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks.

She threw herself into her brother’s arms and cried.

After crying for about as long as it takes an incense stick to burn, she lifted her tear-streaked face and sniffled, "I’ve suffered so much for you, Big Brother. No matter what mistakes I make in the future, you can’t hit me again. And if Second Brother bullies me, you have to take my side no matter what and help me fight back."

"Alright," Zhong Lan agreed with a smile. But the moment he agreed, countless past memories flooded his mind, and he suddenly grew cautious. "No, wait. I can’t promise blindly. It depends on the situation."

"..." Zhong Yao silently pulled away from his embrace, sobbed, and punched his arm. Sadly, she said, "I searched for you for nothing!"

Zhong Yao couldn’t stay out for too long. After understanding her brother’s ordeal and the subsequent plan, she returned to the bookshop under Chen Luoling’s cover. From then on, aside from secretly visiting her brother daily, she began making arrangements to return to their ancestral hometown.

She couldn’t get involved in those complicated power struggles, but she could help her brother persuade their mother and take good care of both her mother and herself.

She made many preparations. As the day her brother had set for their return drew nearer, she still hadn’t seen Xie Chi again.

Her brother had said that Xie Chi had secretly visited him. Chen Luoling had also mentioned that it was Xie Chi who told her to bring Zhong Yao to see her brother. And coincidentally, her brother’s plan aligned with Xie Chi’s goals, so Xie Chi must have had a hand in it.

Zhong Yao wanted to see Xie Chi once—to thank him and ask if his people had any news about her father and Second Brother. But for several days in a row, no matter what message she sent to the Marquis’ estate, Xie Chi never replied, as if silently refusing to meet her.

She guessed right.

With Zhong Lan here, Xie Chi felt he no longer needed to see Zhong Yao.

The seed of the plan to redirect the blame from the Fourth Prince back to the Crown Prince had been planted. All that was left was for the news of Miss Chen’s death to reach the capital. Then, he could use the pretext of suppressing the Misty Mountain Bandits to leave and extricate himself from this chaos.

"At least write me back! Ignoring me like this makes me look so desperate!"

Xie Chi opened the latest letter he had received, thinking that he wouldn’t reply. He would continue helping to search for Zhong Yao’s Second Brother, but his relationship with Zhong Yao should go back to the way it was.

And how was he supposed to reply to this letter anyway?

He picked up the stack of letters beside him and skimmed through them—

"My mother hasn’t been checking my letters lately."

"I think I have a split end."

"Add another three hundred taels to the private treasury, hehe."

"Being a good little sister is really hard!"

—Nothing but nonsense. Xie Chi didn’t want to reply to a single word.

He put all the letters away and also banished the incessant, soft voice from his mind. Calming himself, he continued reviewing the records about the Misty Mountain Bandits.

The documents in front of him were compiled by the local authorities. They recorded the terrain and climate around Misty Mountain, the bandits’ atrocities over the years, and the known changes in leadership over that time.

The dense forest terrain and climate there were their greatest advantage and the main reason the authorities had failed to eradicate them completely. Xie Chi focused on reviewing this aspect.

He never fought unprepared battles and had already read through these materials many times. While pondering how to deal with the miasma in the forest, a sudden gust of wind blew in through the window, rustling the pages of the documents beside him and flipping several pages.

Xie Chi glanced over casually and saw an inconspicuous name. His expression stilled for a moment. Suddenly, he reached out and pressed down on the flipping pages. After confirming he hadn’t misread, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly.

"Attendant."

Xie Chi had a carriage prepared and set off to find Zhong Lan.

His luck was poor—as soon as he entered the backyard, he saw Zhong Yao about to leave.

The two hadn’t seen each other for days. Meeting so abruptly, Xie Chi frowned, while Zhong Yao put on a stern face.

*So she’s angry.*

*Her angry expression is actually a bit nicer to look at than her grinning one,* Xie Chi thought.

When it came to maintaining a cold demeanor, he had never lost to Zhong Yao. So Xie Chi also put on a stern face and continued walking inside as if he hadn’t seen her.

The backyard of the little shop was quite spacious. Even with some clutter piled up, it was wide enough for several people to walk side by side.

Xie Chi walked further in, while Zhong Yao walked out without a word. Even horizontally, there was a good several feet between them—enough for them to pass by like strangers.

But just as they were about to pass each other, Zhong Yao’s foot seemed to slip, and she suddenly lunged forcefully toward Xie Chi.

Xie Chi had deliberately ignored her presence earlier. Now, catching a glimpse of a shadow deliberately rushing toward him from the corner of his eye, his body instinctively tensed in resistance.

A soft figure slammed hard into his shoulder—with such force it seemed she intended to knock him down.

Unfortunately, she was thrown back due to Xie Chi’s subconscious resistance.

"Ouch—"

With a cry of pain, Zhong Yao staggered back several steps before colliding awkwardly with a pear blossom tree in the yard, which stopped her from falling to the ground.

"..."

Xie Chi really didn’t know what to say to her.

He closed his eyes heavily, about to step forward to see if Zhong Yao was hurt. But he saw her lower her head, straighten up while leaning against the pear blossom tree, pat her skirt, and then turn and walk away with small, quick steps without looking back.

Her departing figure was slender and graceful, her posture dignified and proper, as if nothing had just happened.

If not for the lingering warmth on his shoulder and the faint scent still lingering around him, Xie Chi might have thought the whole scene was just his imagination.

He hadn’t held back at all earlier. He wondered if she was hurt.

Would she act like nothing was wrong on the outside, then pout and sob the minute she was out the door, whining about how he bullied her?

Zhong Yao would totally pull a stunt like that.

“Young Master, shall I go out and check?” A guard who knew their history appeared quietly behind Xie Chi and asked in a low voice.

Xie Chi remained silent for a moment before replying, “No need.”

There was no longer any need for connection between them, and Zhong Yao had only stumbled—nothing serious would come of it. It wasn’t his place to worry about her.

Xie Chi knew this perfectly well.

Business came first. He continued walking toward the room, but after a few steps, he suddenly halted.

The guard thought he had an order and quickly followed, only to see Xie Chi frowning deeply, muttering to himself with a trace of irritation.

“What nonsense!”

The guard: “…”

You’re one to talk.