Chapter 560: Chapter 560: A Letter

Dingbei Marquis Mansion.

The north wind lifted the curtain, and a tall, slender figure appeared silently in the study.

Shen Yanchuan was reading a letter at his desk. Without looking up at the sound, he spoke in a placid tone.

"The Xie Family is in total chaos. Are you sure you’re not going back to check on things?"

Xie Anbai, who had just sat down, looked utterly exasperated. He irritably fanned open his bone fan and draped it over his face.

"I came here for some peace and quiet. Why won’t you let me have it?"

As if he’d heard a joke, Shen Yanchuan finally lifted his gaze to look at him, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.

"In the entire Capital City, aside from the Imperial Palace, my residence is probably the least quiet. And yet, this is where you chose to come?"

Xie Anbai leaned his head back against the chair and let out a long sigh.

"I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in days. I’m begging you, have mercy. Just let me sleep for a bit, will you?"

Shen Yanchuan nodded. "As long as you can actually fall asleep, I have no problem with it."

At a loss for words, Xie Anbai lowered the fan, his expression complicated as he looked over.

"...We’re brothers, man. Do you have to be so brutal?"

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze returned to the letter in his hand.

"Hasn’t your own dear brother given you enough trouble? And yet you’re blaming me."

Xie Anbai closed his eyes again in despair.

If anyone else were present, they would have been astonished to see the ever-victorious rake of the Capital City so utterly thwarted.

After a long moment, Xie Anbai finally spoke in a muffled voice.

"Blood ties aren’t something I can control or change."

He hadn’t been back to the Xie Family estate much recently, eating out and sleeping elsewhere, precisely to avoid getting involved in their affairs.

But no matter what he did, all sorts of news still reached his ears from time to time.

"I’d love to wash my hands of it completely, but after he made a scene on the street today, it’s hard not to know."

The story of the Heir of Duke Zhongyong throwing a drunken tantrum in public had already become the talk of the town.

Many were laughing at the spectacle, and Xie Anbai was not spared from the fallout.

He didn’t need to go back to imagine the state of the Xie Family right now.

Shen Yanchuan pondered for a moment before reminding him, "Although His Majesty has already demoted Jiang Qingmei and ordered Xiao Chengxuan’s exile, he has not dealt with Princess Huan Ning."

Perhaps there wasn’t time, or maybe Emperor Muwu had a soft spot for this daughter, or perhaps... she had extricated herself cleanly.

But as long as she still held the title of Princess, she would ultimately still have a say in the Xie Family’s matters.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had a falling out with Xie Anjun.

Even a fool could guess the source of their conflict.

"Her temperament is just like Jiang Qingmei’s—she won’t rest until she gets what she wants. Are you really not going to go take a look?"

Xie Anbai’s brow furrowed, and he remained silent for a long while.

His thoughts were a tangled, frustrating mess. With a sharp SNAP, he closed his fan and pressed it against his forehead.

"Forget it. She probably can’t cause trouble for much longer anyway. Besides, if I go back now, my dear older brother will probably find me even more disagreeable. I’d rather not make myself unwelcome."

Growing up, he was always the one getting scolded, while Xie Anjun was held in high esteem, his future boundless.

Xie Anbai had long since gotten used to it.

He’d found his own fun in years of wining and dining, and he couldn’t be bothered to go back and deal with that mess.

Shen Yanchuan didn’t press him further.

Xie Anbai waited a moment, his mood calming considerably. He turned and noticed Shen Yanchuan still staring at the letter, and a flicker of curiosity sparked within him.

"Whose letter has you staring for so long? It can’t be a masterpiece from the Second Miss Ye, can it?"

He tapped his chin, his tone teasing.

"You’re both in the Capital City, and your men are now secretly—oh, no, openly protecting her. If you have something to say, you can just meet directly. Why go through all this trouble?"

Shen Yanchuan lifted his eyes and glanced at him.

Xie Anbai clicked his tongue.

"What are you looking at me like that for? Am I wrong? Who doesn’t know by now that the Second Miss Ye risked her life to save you? You should just be content—"

"This is a letter from Zhuola," Shen Yanchuan said calmly.

"Zhuo—what the hell!?"

Xie Anbai was so shocked he fell right out of his chair. He hastily grabbed the corner of the desk to steady himself.

But he couldn’t be bothered with that now. He strode quickly to the desk.

"Mu Mu Zhen’er’s youngest son—Zhuola!?"

Shen Yanchuan leaned back, quite magnanimously letting him see the letter.

The slightly yellowed paper was covered in dense script—it was indeed the Wazhen Script!

Xie Anbai sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Shen Yanchuan in disbelief.

"Are you insane? Secretly corresponding with Zhuola at a time like this? If anyone finds out, then—"

"Haven’t you found out already?" Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow.

Xie Anbai was speechless.

He suddenly realized something. Taking half a step back, he pointed a trembling finger at Shen Yanchuan.

"You bastard... You did this on purpose!?"

He had only asked casually! Who knew the man was so cunning he’d trick him into looking!

"I don’t know anything!" Xie Anbai declared righteously. "I can’t read the Wazhen Script!"

Shen Yanchuan nodded knowingly. "Then I’ll read it to you."

"Shut up!"

Xie Anbai was filled with overwhelming regret.

Why couldn’t he have just stayed at Chunfeng Lou, drinking with the ladies? Why on earth did he have to come here?!

It was one thing for this man to offer no advice, but now he was dragging him down with him!

Shen Yanchuan smiled faintly, casually took out a flint, and burned the letter.

Xie Anbai stared in a daze at the wisp of white smoke curling upwards.

"You—you just burned it? Just like that?"

"What would I keep it for? Are you going to help me deliver it to the Imperial Palace?"

Speechless, Xie Anbai rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

"I can’t be brothers with you. Seriously."

Shen Yanchuan didn’t stop him.

"Ugle has already arrived outside the city. When the gates open tomorrow, he will lead the Wazhen Mission into the capital."

Xie Anbai’s steps faltered.

"That has nothing to do with me."

Shen Yanchuan nodded. "It has nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with Zhuola. That’s why he secretly wrote this letter."

Xie Anbai frowned, tilting his head slightly.

"It’s just his brothers fighting amongst themselves. At the end of the day, that’s their own business. Why would he write to you?"

Shen Yanchuan said nothing. He took another letter from the drawer beneath his desk.

Recognizing the familiar handwriting on it, Xie Anbai was startled. "This is..."

"News from the Northern Border."

Shen Yanchuan didn’t specify, but Xie Anbai knew—this was a letter from Shen Youyan!

"Mu Mu Zhen’er’s illness is a mystery. We sent several teams to investigate before, but none managed to gather any intelligence. I didn’t expect to receive a letter from Zhuola first."

Shen Yanchuan bent a finger and tapped the letter.

"I’m afraid this visit from the Wazhen Mission will be anything but peaceful."

"So?" Xie Anbai asked, confused. "What does Zhuola want by writing to you?"

Shen Yanchuan smiled.

"To ask for my help, of course."

"Help? Don’t tell me—"

A guess began to form in Xie Anbai’s mind, and his heart pounded with alarm.

"He can’t possibly want to use you to deal with Ugle, can he?! Is he crazy? What makes him think you’d agree?"

Shen Yanchuan watched him quietly.

Xie Anbai’s heart sank.

"Don’t tell me—it has something to do with the Xie Family?"

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