Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I quickly said, “That won’t be necessary.”

But as I turned to leave, I suddenly realized the chanting had stopped at some point without my noticing.

Someone walked steadily over to the cell door.

“Wang Weige.”

His voice was calm, yet tinged with a faint confusion.

If this had been before…

Whenever I heard him call my name, I would always look up eagerly, then run and skip to his side, lighthearted and delighted, chattering endlessly about the embroidery pattern I had worked on that day, or the new poem our teacher had recited.

I had once been greedy for the sight of his dark brown eyes.

In the sunlight, that color was clear and bright. Beneath its carefully fashioned gentleness lay an almost transparent indifference.

They were as beautiful as the deer my brother and I had once stumbled upon in the snowy fields on our way back to Langya Commandery.

“Wang Weige?”

Seeing that I kept walking without looking back, Xie Huaiyu actually called out again.

This time, his voice lifted slightly.

But I was walking too quickly.

That cold call was soon left behind me, and silence returned.

After I left the Imperial Prison, my brother’s carriage was waiting for me at the entrance.

Rain had been falling over the capital for several days. I took a deep breath of the fresh air.

My brother helped me into the carriage, and before I had even settled in, he said resentfully, “You saw that Little Thief?”

I shook my head with a laugh.

“I didn’t come here to see him.”

I said seriously, “His Majesty’s temperament has changed drastically over the years. The eunuchs hold power, and the court was already unstable. If the Xie family falls now, once the lips are gone, the teeth will feel the cold. The Wang family will be next. Besides, there has been too much rain this year. A grain disaster may be coming. Lord Xie is skilled at flood control and disaster relief. Without him, there may be great unrest this year.”

My brother let out a heavy sigh. “You…”

I said, “When affairs of state are at stake, personal grievances must give way. Even if Xie Huaiyu and I had a blood feud, I still could not stand by and let petty men seize power and murder loyal ministers. Brother, the fine clothes and good food we enjoy come from the common people. How could we let them suffer simply because we happen to be in a bad mood?”

My brother laughed proudly. “Good, good, good. Our family has produced a female scholar with grand ambitions. As long as you stop thinking about that Little Thief, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Even if that Little Thief has ruined your marriage prospects, don’t be afraid. We would rather go without than settle for less. If we can’t find someone worthy of you, I would be perfectly willing to support you for the rest of your life.”

He patted my shoulder.

Then he lifted the curtain, stepped outside, and took the reins himself.

As if he were afraid others would not know how much he doted on his little sister, willing even to brave the rain and drive her carriage in person.