Nightwatcher-Chapter 446: Half a Lifetime

# 446. Half a Lifetime

Xu Qi’an stepped forwards helplessly. Before he could even approach, Auntie took the initiative to draw near, clutching his arm as she said anxiously:

“How can Erlang go to war? He’s never even killed a chicken. He’s just a bookish scholar with no strength to truss a chicken! The Emperor’s sending him to the battlefield—he’s sending him to die!”

As she spoke, she began to sob, tears falling with pitiful cries.

Xu Lingyue was also in the hall at this time, standing to the side. Her graceful and refined face bore a frown of worry for Erlang’s safety.

“Mother, I’m a Rank Seven Benevolent. Rank Seven! Father is only Rank Seven as well,” Xu Cijiu protested indignantly.

“What use is that? Your father’s already told me, seventh rank scholars are still weak as kittens, they can't even beat ninth rank martial artists,” Auntie snapped back.

Xu Erlang was instantly at a loss for words.

Xu Qi’an gently patted Auntie’s hand to comfort her, then said, “It’s not like there’s no solution. At worst, just resign from office.”

“Resign?” Auntie dabbed her tears.

To women like Auntie, war was a catastrophe akin to the sky collapsing. As a mother, she would rather her son give up his career than go to war.

“Impossible!”

Xu Xinnian cut in firmly. As a student of the academy, how could he shrink away just because he feared the battlefield?

Auntie slumped into her chair, weeping as she said, “You came out of my belly. Don’t I know what you’re capable of? If you had even half your big brother’s ability, I wouldn’t bother saying anything. But you’re just a useless scholar. You’re good at essays, but what skill do you have to fight people with blades?

“You’re the only son of the second household. If anything happens to you, I... I won’t go on living...”

Xu Lingyue, distressed, did her best to comfort her mother.

“Mother, I studied military strategy. The battlefield is my domain—it’s where I cultivate. This is a rare opportunity,” he said, softening his tone to explain.

“Are you daft?”

Auntie screamed, “That damned emperor wants you dead! He holds a grudge against Ningyan and wishes our whole family dead. And you still stupidly walk right into it?”

Her tears streamed as her agitation distorted her normally gentle features.

Seeing this, Xu Qi’an suddenly froze.

Auntie clearly understood the situation the Xu family was in. She knew her nephew had offended the Emperor, that the entire family was now being watched and stood on a knife’s edge. Yet she had never voiced those fears, nor once complained about her “meddling” nephew. Not because she was stupid, but because she regarded the nephew she had raised herself as one of their own, as a son.

Some people may act indifferent with their words, but in their hearts, they love you deeply.

Xu Qi’an quietly left the inner hall and had the servants bring his little mare. He galloped off towards the Nightwatchers’ Office.

…

Tower of Noble Spirit, seventh floor.

In the tea room, Xu Qi’an sat frowning. “Duke Wei, that scoundrel Emperor Yuanjing truly hasn’t given up persecuting me. Seeing my reputation at its peak, with Dean Zhao Shou, you, and the Jianzheng backing me, he doesn’t dare touch me for now. So he’s turned his attention to Cijiu.”

Why hadn’t Xu Qi’an left the capital, and why did he dare to investigate Emperor Yuanjing in secret? Because he had three heavyweights behind him.

And he had kept a low profile, and hadn’t gone out of his way to provoke Yuanjing in person.

But he knew the Emperor would settle the score eventually. Yuanjing was a master of political machinations, with ample patience. Like this moment now.

Xu Qi’an wasn’t afraid for himself. But he deeply worried for his second uncle and Erlang. If the Emperor wanted to “frame” them, it would be far too easy.

Wei Yuan smiled, “What are you thinking?”

Xu Qi’an tried cautiously, “Can Duke Wei block the order?”

Wei Yuan shook his head. “It’s the Emperor’s personal decree, very difficult to refuse.”

Xu Qi’an sighed heavily. “I had originally thought to enlist with Erlang, to protect him in secret. But then I realised, if I left the capital too, the rest of the family would truly be in danger. So I could only come and beg Duke Wei.

“You’re the Field Marshal of this campaign. Please look after Erlang for me.”

The Jianzheng and Zhao Shou would protect him, but would they be his family’s bodyguards too?

Xu Qi’an had no such confidence. Only with Wei Yuan did he have faith.

The Jianzheng and Zhao Shou saw him as a chess piece; they recognised him, not his kin. Wei Yuan saw him as a trusted subordinate, someone important, so Wei Yuan would care for his family.

Wei Yuan sipped his tea and smiled. “I’ll assign Xu Xinnian to the north. Jiang Lyuzhong and Yang Yan are the ones closest to you. Chu Yuanzhen will be going north as well.”

Xu Qi’an brightened instantly. “So you’ve already made all the arrangements? You had Chu Yuanzhen enlist to protect Erlang?”

_Dad!_

Wei Yuan chuckled. “That’s just a convenient benefit. Chu Yuanzhen is immensely gifted, letting him drift around as a free-roaming swordsman is a waste. He’s still a scholar who cares for the world, just disillusioned with the Emperor’s obsession with Daoism, so he resigned.

“So long as that heart still beats, he won’t reject me. Such a talent shouldn’t be wasted.”

_Chu Yuanzhen really is an old reliable tool man..._ Xu Qi’an thought to himself.

Wei Yuan then asked, “Is there anything else you wish to tell me?”

He seemed faintly expectant.

Xu Qi’an chuckled awkwardly, then stood and bowed respectfully. “May Duke Wei return in triumph.”

Wei Yuan gave a faint smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, seeming a touch disappointed.

“Xu Qi’an!”

As he turned to leave, Wei Yuan’s voice suddenly rang out behind him. “Jiuzhou... is far more complicated than you imagine. Go—walk your own path well.”

Xu Qi’an waited a moment, but no explanation came. He glanced back at Wei Yuan. “Understood!”

Leaving the Tower of Noble Spirit, Xu Qi’an took out the fragment of the Earth Book and sent a private message to Chu Yuanzhen.

【THREE: Brother Chu, just got word from the Ministry of War—I, like you, have to march with the army.】

【FOUR: Wei Yuan spoke to you too? Then your cousin’s going as well?】

Chu Yuanzhen was shocked, and also worried for Hengyuan. If Xu Qi’an wasn’t around to hold the fort in the capital, could “One, Two, and Five” really pull off rescuing Hengyuan?

【THREE: I’m not the same, it was Emperor Yuanjing’s personal decree.】

Xu Qi’an didn’t curse the vile Emperor. Someone as smart as Chu Yuanzhen would understand without needing to say it.

【FOUR: No matter. I’ll watch over you.】

_That’s exactly what I was waiting for!_ Xu Qi’an replied at once:

【I’ll leave my Earth Book fragment with my big brother for now. Right, that’s all—I’ve got things to sort.】

Without giving Chu Yuanzhen the chance to ask more, he swiftly ended the private chat.

_Ah, one must be honest in life. Boasting too much online will only land you in trouble..._ Xu Qi’an reflected sincerely.

…

On the other side of the city, at Xu Manor.

As soon as Xu Pingzhi received the news from the Palace, he rushed home. Now he sat in a chair with a dark expression, silent.

“Husband, say something about that wretched son of ours! Tell him to resign at once,” Auntie cried and wailed.

“His Majesty’s using an open scheme,” Xu Pingzhi sighed.

Either get out of the Hanlin Academy or go to war. The first meant the end of his future; the second was a near-certain death sentence.

Xu Pingzhi had taken part in the Battle of Shanhai Pass and knew that he had only returned alive by sheer luck. The fighting up north might not be as fierce as Shanhai Pass, but his second son wasn’t a martial man and had no means to protect himself on the battlefield.

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Xu Xinnian sat quietly to one side. He’d already been beaten by his elder brother, so there was no need to suffer another from their father.

A heavy gloom hung over the family.

Auntie sobbed without pause, and Xu Lingyue gently tried to soothe her.

“I saw Big Brother go out just now, he must’ve gone to find a way. Mother, don’t worry too much yet. Let’s wait for Big Brother to return,” Xu Lingyue said softly.

“There’s nothing else we can do but wait for Dalang’s news.”

Auntie wiped her tears, glancing anxiously toward the courtyard. “But what can Dalang do? He’s not an official anymore, and he’s offended the Emperor.”

Xu Pingzhi’s expression was still dark, saying nothing.

Just then, they heard a crisp, childish voice outside: “Big Bwo~”

Everyone in the hall turned sharply to look, and sure enough, Xu Qi’an had returned, striding in with long steps. As his little sister rushed towards him, he raised a foot and lightly kicked her away.

Xu Lingyin went flying and landed straight into Lina’s arms. Giggling joyfully, she declared that soaring through the air felt amazing.

Xu Qi’an had used a deft and measured force. The siblings had always played like this.

“Dalang!”

“Big Brother!”

The four in the hall stood up together and turned to him.

Auntie hurriedly asked, “Dalang, have you come up with a way to keep Erlang from going to war?”

Xu Qi’an shook his head slightly. “It was a direct order from His Majesty, how could it be refused?”

Seeing Auntie’s beautiful face fall in despair, and seeing Second Uncle’s expression darken, he continued slowly:

“However, Duke Wei has agreed to look after Erlang. Also, the Human Sect’s honorary disciple, Chu Yuanzhen, will be going with the army as well. He’s on excellent terms with me and Erlang, and he’s promised to protect him.”

“Dear?” Auntie turned to her husband for confirmation.

Xu Pingzhi broke into a smile. “With Duke Wei’s care, Erlang will be perfectly safe. Besides, Chu Yuanzhen is as skilled as a fourth rank expert and can fly with his sword. Even if something does happen, he’ll be more than capable of keeping Erlang out of danger.”

Auntie, reassured by her husband’s words, visibly relaxed.

She sniffled and murmured, “Thank goodness for Dalang.”

…

Whenever war loomed, aside from military preparations and logistical tasks like troop deployment and grain requisition, the court also performed the necessary rites.

The Sitianjian would select an auspicious day, on which the rites of Heaven, Earth, and Ancestors—known as the Three Rites—would be carried out.

These ceremonies followed strict protocols and were held on separate auspicious days, with the Emperor personally leading civil and military officials in the rituals.

Officers and soldiers assigned to the campaign would also offer sacrifices to their ancestors on that day.

When a son of the family went to war, ancestor veneration was essential.

The Xu family’s ancestral tomb was located in a site outside the capital with excellent feng-shui, chosen with the help of Sitianjian’s arcanists. Of course, all major families in the capital hired arcanists to consult feng shui.

As a result, everyone’s ancestral tomb was supposedly in a feng shui hotspot…

Now, with Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi’an being the rising stars of the clan, the centrepieces of the family’s prestige, the news that the Hanlin Academy’s Xu Erlang was to go to war had brought nearly the entire clan together, including two elders with snow-white hair.

One of them was still sprightly, tall and thin, though his hair was sparse.

The other seemed increasingly muddled with age. His eyes were cloudy and vacant, but his hair was full and snowy.

After the ancestral ceremony ended, the white-haired elder gave a sigh and said,

“Back then, no one really believed those arcanists from the Sitianjian. The capital is only so big, how many feng shui treasures can there really be? We just did it for good luck. But now… it really does seem like this is a blessed place. Otherwise, how could we have produced two outstanding young men in a row?”

The surrounding clansfolk burst into laughter.

At that moment, the increasingly senile elder began peering around the crowd, muttering, “Where’s Dalang? Where’s Dalang? Where is our Xu clan’s Star of Literary Talent?”

Xu Pingzhi pulled Xu Erlang over and smiled. “Old Uncle, our clan’s Star of Literary Talent is Erlang. Dalang is the Star of Martial Talent.”

The old man stared at Erlang for a while, then shook his head repeatedly. “No… not you. You’re not Dalang.”

“Of course he’s not Dalang,” a clansman nearby said loudly. “We told you—he’s Erlang, the Star of Literature in our clan.”

But the elder ignored him and continued searching through the crowd, muttering, “Dalang… Dalang… where is Dalang?”

Xu Qi’an had no choice but to walk over with a grin. “Grandpa, I’m Dalang.”

The old man squinted at him, studied him carefully, and then beamed with joy. “Yes, yes—Dalang! You are Dalang, the Star of Literature in our Xu clan.”

The elder’s son, standing awkwardly nearby, offered an explanation: “I used to tell my father all about Dalang’s achievements. He heard so much about him that now he only remembers Dalang.”

…

The imperial palace, Imperial Garden.

Wei Yuan sat in a pavilion, fingers toying with a black stone as he played a game of Go with Emperor Yuanjing.

After defeating the Emperor in several rounds, Wei Yuan said lightly, “I heard the Empress isn’t well?”

Emperor Yuanjing glanced at him, his expression blank. “Autumn has come. Perhaps she caught a chill. We have been occupied with state affairs and have neglected her of late. Lord Wei, go visit her in Our stead.”

Wei Yuan rose, cupped his hands, and took his leave.

He had walked the road to Fengqi Palace countless times, but this time his steps were unusually slow. Though the person he cared about most stood at the end of that path, he was afraid of reaching it too soon, afraid that with a single misstep, the journey might come to an end.

Inside Fengqi Palace, the stunningly beautiful Empress stood in the hall, one hand drawing her sleeve close, the other tending incense.

“What brings you here?”

Seeing Wei Yuan enter, she sounded pleasantly surprised.

“I’m about to depart for the front. I came to see you,” Wei Yuan said with a gentle smile.

The Empress led him to sit and ordered the palace maids to serve tea and pastries. The two of them sat together quietly as time slipped by. They didn’t speak much, yet a subtle harmony lingered in the air.

After finishing his tea, Wei Yuan remarked, “The palace always has your pastries prepared?”

The Empress smiled demurely. “I never know when you’ll appear, but I do know you like them best. So every afternoon, I make some myself.”

Wei Yuan nodded. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

The Empress glanced at the plate; only two pieces had been eaten. She said softly:

“In the past, A’ming would always fight you for my pastries, and you never let him have any. In the Shangguan household, you were more like a legitimate son than he ever was. You were my father’s most cherished student, the son of the man who saved his life…”

“No more.”

Wei Yuan interrupted calmly, his voice low. “My ties to the Shangguan family ended the moment Shangguan Ming died. I only came here to tell you one thing…”

He gazed at the Empress’s exquisite face, still breathtaking after all these years, and said, “I’ve watched over you for half a lifetime. Now, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

With that, Wei Yuan rose, cupped his hands in farewell, and turned to leave.

“You’ve watched over me half a lifetime… but you never once knew what I wanted.”

Her voice called out from behind.

Wei Yuan’s steps faltered ever so slightly, but he left without turning back.

A gust of wind blew through the palace grounds, lifting his azure robe and rustling the silver at his temples.

Beyond Fengqi Palace stretched a long road, lined on either side by tall red walls. He walked it in silence. This path, and the half of his life it had carried him through, had now come to an end.

> In golden years wander heavens and seas; the wind carrying my head of snow.

…

Dressed in a fiery red gown, Lin’an made her way toward Wenyuan Pavilion, accompanied by two personal maids and a few guards from Shaoyin Palace.

“Huh? What’s Wei Yuan doing in the palace?”

From afar, Lin’an saw the figure in azure emerging from the rear palaces, and murmured to herself curiously.

She’d never liked Wei Yuan, since he was a staunch supporter of the Fourth Prince, and the Fourth Prince was the Crown Prince’s greatest rival.

It wasn’t until she got to know Xu Qi’an that she developed a sliver of goodwill towards Wei Yuan, purely because of her affection for her running dog.

She watched Wei Yuan disappear into the distance, then carried on with her own affairs, heading straight for Wenyuan Pavilion.

Wenyuan Pavilion housed the imperial library, comprising seven towers in all, its collection vast and all-encompassing.

Lin’an went straight to the third tower and summoned one of the clerks who managed the pavilion. “We want to read about the dragon ley lines beneath the capital. Fetch the books.”

As a princess, she didn’t need to rummage through the books herself—there were always local staff on hand to help.

After obtaining the relevant texts, she then moved on to the sixth tower and summoned the attendant there as well. “We want the records on the first Earl of Pingyuan.”

Soon, the clerk returned with the appropriate dossiers.

This time, Lin’an didn’t take the documents away. She opened them right there—the first Earl of Pingyuan had lived a hundred and seventy years ago, a northern general who was ennobled after many military achievements.

_The residence of the Earl of Pingyuan was a gift from the Emperor…_ Lin’an murmured to herself.

…

Late at night.

In the inner city, near the imperial grounds.

Earl Pingyuan’s estate stood deathly quiet, the main gate sealed with a an official notice. Ever since the Earl and his household had been slaughtered by Henghui, the property had been reclaimed by the court.

At the time, the Earl had two non-heir sons who happened to be away living a life of leisure, and thus escaped the massacre. However, as sons form concubines, they had no right to inherit the title, and thus, no claim to the imperial residence.

A black figure moved like a shadow, deftly avoiding the watchful eyes of the patrolling Nightwatchers and the Yudao guards. Taking advantage of the patrol’s shift, they vaulted the wall and slipped into the estate.

The figure wore a tight black suit, clearly designed for stealth and mobility, accentuating a curvaceous silhouette—ample bosom, slim waist—features no man would possess. A female thief, without a doubt.

The Earl’s estate lay in utter stillness.

The black-clad figure surveyed the surroundings, then darted along the walls. As she moved, she retrieved a hand-drawn map of the dragon ley lines and a feng shui compass from the Sitianjian.

Her eyes narrowed, gleaming like blades. Using the faint moonlight, she studied the ley line diagram in one hand and the feng shui compass in the other, analysing and matching both in careful comparison.

Eventually, she arrived at her destination: the rear garden.

The garden at the back of the estate had a peculiar layout, dominated by a sizable man-made rockery. Left untended, it had grown wild with weeds and now looked rather desolate.

With a light leap, the woman landed on one of the artificial peaks. She crouched there for nearly a quarter of an hour, then descended soundlessly. After searching around the selected rocks, she came upon her final target.

The last of the fake mountains was hollow—tapping it produced an empty echo.

She circled the rockery, searching for clues. Suddenly, she pressed a spot along its side.

With a faint _ka-cha_, the side of the rockery slid open, revealing a pitch-black passage sloping downwards.