Chapter 15

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“Let it be. So many years have passed; there are things I no longer remember clearly.” Xie Yan said no more.

Hearing this, Jiang Yunchan finally felt her heart settle. She deeply regretted bringing up the past at Compassion Nunnery, realizing what a mistake it had been. With a stiff tug at her lips, she said, “I was young then and did many foolish, reckless things. There is truly nothing worth remembering. But I lost both my parents as a child, and only my cousin treated me with genuine affection. I have always kept one saying in mind: when the father dies, the daughter follows her elder brother.”

Jiang Yunchan knew perfectly well that she had not truly followed her elder brother after her father’s death. But she gambled that, given Xie Yan’s character, he would never go against the teachings of the sages and simply watch her die.

“When the father dies… the daughter follows her elder brother.” Xie Yan lifted his lashes. There was something most intriguing about those words.

He gave a slight nod. “My sister speaks most reasonably! Since that is so, I too have a few heartfelt words to share with you.”

Xie Yan made an inviting gesture, indicating that Jiang Yunchan should accompany him to the writing desk.

Since she had claimed to follow her elder brother, Jiang Yunchan could hardly continue kneeling in defiance. She gathered up her skirt and followed him step by step.

Xie Yan handed her a neatly folded bridal gown.

It was an exquisite, magnificent garment—the very one he had designed himself and commissioned an embroiderer to make for the woman he loved.

“I had sincere feelings for that Loulan girl. Unfortunately, her heart belonged to another. She abandoned the bridal gown I gave her and secretly fled the capital with her beloved.”

“She ran away?” Jiang Yunchan exclaimed in astonishment. No wonder the auspicious hour had already passed, yet the wedding ceremony had not begun.

So the bride had fled.

Xie Yan had arranged a wedding on a grand scale, with countless nobles watching closely. If the ceremony ended in nothing, it would become the capital’s greatest scandal by tomorrow.

Amid her astonishment, a thought flashed through Jiang Yunchan’s mind.

At this moment, Xie Yan was missing someone at his side, while Jiang Yunchan had nowhere to hide.

If one person could take another’s place, she could temporarily assume the Loulan girl’s position, allowing both of them to escape disaster.

The Loulan women habitually veiled their faces and rarely showed themselves to outsiders. It would not be difficult for Jiang Yunchan to impersonate her…

Her own absurd idea startled Jiang Yunchan. She hurriedly shook her head, only to meet Xie Yan’s austere, immaculate gaze.

“I know this would go against the teachings of the sages, so everything must depend on your wishes. I will not force you.”

Jiang Yunchan shook her head mutely.

What wishes did she have to speak of? Did she have any other place to take shelter?

But this was madness!

Would this not mean living under the same roof with Xie Yan as husband and wife?

No. Absolutely not…

Her fingertips cold as icicles, Jiang Yunchan kept warning herself against it.

Just then, the door was struck twice with tremendous force.

“Second Brother, the Jizhou army has lost its military funds. I have already petitioned His Majesty to search the entire city for the thieves! Open the door!” Xie Jin’s forceful voice came from outside.

Jiang Yunchan’s heartbeat faltered.

Xie Jin was using the pretext of official business to search for her.

With the Emperor’s written warrant in hand, would he not be unstoppable?

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xie Jin kicked the door open.

Crash!

In her panic, Jiang Yunchan hurriedly hid behind the screen in the inner room.

At the same time, soldiers from the Jizhou army filed in one after another, surrounding the bedchamber.

As the eldest son, Xie Jin had been overshadowed by Xie Yan for years. Now that he held the sovereign’s order, he naturally intended to seize this opportunity to vent his pent-up resentment.

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“His Majesty has ordered me to search the entire city for the missing military funds. I thought our Marquis’s residence should set an example by conducting a thorough self-inspection first! Second Brother, surely you won’t blame your elder brother for disturbing your wedding?” Xie Jin spoke with polite words, but his footsteps drew steadily closer to the screen.

When he had entered just moments before, he had clearly seen a flash of red drift past and disappear behind it.

He had searched everywhere along the way, but only the Dingyang Marquis’s residence remained unchecked.

Perhaps that little minx had returned here after all?

All the better. She had delivered herself straight into his hands!

Xie Jin narrowed his eyes. Through the screen, he could just make out the indistinct red of a bridal gown. He strode forward.

Xie Yan stepped into his path. “Elder Brother! My wife is inside. She has caught a chill and should not receive visitors.”

That made it all the more laughable.

The wedding ceremony had not even taken place, yet the bride had already entered the bridal chamber?

Xie Jin let out a mocking laugh and clicked his tongue. “My dear Second Brother has always been loyal to the throne and concerned for the people. Surely you would not refuse to set such an example? Besides, if you regard her as your wife, then we are family. What harm is there in my paying my respects to my sister-in-law?”

“Is that not so, sister-in-law?” Xie Jin called out in a deliberately lilting voice.

Behind the screen, Jiang Yunchan was terrified.

The more she tried to hide, the more suspicious she would appear. Moreover, Xie Jin carried an imperial order. If Xie Yan insisted on blocking him, would they not all be charged tomorrow with defying the Emperor’s command?

Jiang Yunchan pressed a trembling hand to her chest and retreated step by step.

Yet through the gap beneath the screen, she could see the upturned toes of his python-patterned boots approaching one step at a time. One foot had already crossed into the space behind the screen.

“Heir!” Jiang Yunchan gritted her teeth and rushed out.

Xie Jin reached out to stop the delicate beauty, but Jiang Yunchan slipped beneath his arm and plunged straight into Xie Yan’s chest.

“Heir, I was frightened…” Her voice was naturally soft and slender, and she deliberately raised it in the manner of a dancer.

Her plaintive, languid tone was tender enough to seem capable of melting one’s bones.

To prevent anyone from recognizing her, she had put on a veil and removed her outer robe. The soft fullness of her figure struck lightly against Xie Yan’s arm.

The sensation made his brows draw together. With an inadvertent glance, he saw the frost-white skin exposed before him.

A flush spread from her neck to her chest, disappearing into the high-waisted gown, where the faintest hint of cleavage showed and vanished.

Jiang Yunchan was too nervous to notice anything else. Her breathing grew alternately shallow and heavy, each breath pressing her soft body against Xie Yan’s solid muscles and distorting its gentle curves.

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, Xie Yan concealed her delicate figure.

His warm, rich scent enveloped her with overwhelming force, seeping thread by thread into her skin.

Only then did Jiang Yunchan realize how close they were.

But she could not show fear or retreat. Hesitantly, she slipped her arms around Xie Yan’s waist and leaned against him with an affected softness.

Half concealed, half revealed, her back presented the picture of a bird nestled against its protector, displaying every imaginable hint of feminine allure.

Xie Jin’s eyes remained fixed upon the beauty’s back. He gave a perfunctory cupping of his hands. “It was your elder brother’s fault. I frightened my sister-in-law. Let her turn around so I may properly apologize.”

Jiang Yunchan felt as though she had thorns pricking her back. Nervously, she tightened her fingers around Xie Yan’s belt, refusing for a long while to turn.

Xie Jin, however, had no patience left. He reached out to seize Jiang Yunchan by the shoulder.

At the same moment, Xie Yan caught Xie Jin’s wrist.

“Elder Brother, Jiaojiao is unwilling.”

Jiang Yunchan’s heart gave a violent tremor. From the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Xie Yan.

Jiaojiao was the childhood name her parents had given her in Gusu.

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Her ties to the marquis’s residence had always been distant, and she had never told anyone that name. How did Xie Yan know it? And how could he call her by her childhood name in front of everyone?

“Hu Jiao’er is merely a dancer. Is she truly worth setting yourself against me, Second Brother?” Xie Jin was a martial artist and naturally had no intention of withdrawing his hand.

Separated by only an arm’s length, the two men were locked in a silent clash, tension flashing like sparks.

Only now did Jiang Yunchan understand that the woman Xie Yan loved also had a name containing the character for “delicate.” He must have been calling that Loulan girl.

Jiang Yunchan held her breath, unable to relax for even a moment.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Xie Yan’s hand. Those pale, slender fingers, usually occupied with writing poetry and copying scriptures, now showed faintly raised veins and contained a surging strength.

But he was, after all, a scholar. How could he possibly prevail against a trained warrior?

Jiang Yunchan’s heart rose and fell uneasily. Then, suddenly, a sound like splintering bone rang out above her head.

A moment later, Xie Jin’s cry of pain echoed through the bedchamber. The index finger that had touched Jiang Yunchan had been bent backward, exposing a ghastly glimpse of white bone and vivid flesh.

The imperial warrant fell to the floor with it.

Blood streamed from his palm, and a drop nearly landed on Jiang Yunchan’s shoulder.

Xie Yan raised a hand to shield her, and the foul blood fell into his palm instead.

“Close your eyes. Do not look.” His voice was gentle and soothing, utterly at odds with the ruthless method he had employed.

Jiang Yunchan was frightened not only by the bloody scene, but also by Xie Yan’s skill.

Xie Jin had clearly never expected a frail scholar to possess martial abilities. Clutching his throbbing finger, he bared his teeth in fury. “Xie Yan! You are obstructing official business and defying the imperial order. Are you not afraid I will report you to His Majesty?”

The commotion drew many of the guests to watch. They crowded around the windows and doorway, exchanging bewildered glances.

Xie Yan was young, accomplished, and held a high position. Countless people envied and resented him, waiting only for him to make a mistake.

Yet he had openly defied the Emperor for the sake of a woman.

By tomorrow morning, the memorials impeaching Xie Yan would be piled as high as a mountain.

The guests began whispering among themselves, already speculating about the Emperor’s fury at court the next day and how Xie Yan could possibly survive it.

Xie Yan, however, remained as calm as drifting clouds and flowing water. He picked up the bloodstained warrant and placed it in Xie Jin’s palm.

“How could Elder Brother have been so careless as to injure himself in a fall? Go back and rest properly. Do not let outsiders see you and laugh, lest they think our brotherly relationship has soured.”

His faint, indifferent laughter made Xie Jin tremble from head to foot, his face deathly pale.

“I will report you! I will report you!”

Xie Yan gave a glance to Fucang, who was waiting outside. “Escort our elder brother back and help him write his memorial. I fear his hand is inconvenient, and poor penmanship might offend His Majesty’s eyes.”

“You…” Xie Jin stared at him. Seeing that Xie Yan did not even fear the Emperor, he nearly lost consciousness from sheer fury.

The guards realized they could not overpower Xie Yan and had no choice but to carry Xie Jin back to the Hall of Evening Fragrance.

Xie Yan then clasped his hands toward the guests outside in salute.

“Everyone, Jiaojiao has caught a chill and is feeling unwell, so I brought her here to rest. Because the auspicious hour was delayed and I have neglected you all, we shall come later to offer our apologies.”

The moment Jiang Yunchan heard this, she hurriedly caught hold of Xie Yan’s sleeve and secretly shook her head.

She knew that from the instant she had rushed into Xie Yan’s arms, she had been destined to take the other bride’s place that night.

But this was merely a temporary expedient. Once the matter had settled, she would still have to leave.

If she were to perform the wedding rites with Xie Yan and entertain the guests as his bride, it would mean passing before Heaven, Earth, and their parents. How could such a thing be allowed?

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