Unyielding Spring Mountains - Chapter 3: Manipulation

Wei Zhen did not know why he was so insistent on seeing her, but since he had come, the most likely reason was to investigate Jing Ke’s case.

Her palm throbbed faintly with pain—it was the wound from when she had shattered the vase in the warm hall yesterday.

Wei Zhen walked to the dressing mirror, unwrapped the gauze from her hand, and attempted to conceal the wound with powder.

She could not let Qi Yan notice any more abnormalities on her. Even this wound alone could become evidence proving her presence at the scene yesterday.

The powder seeped into the wound, igniting a burning sting. Wei Zhen endured the pain and called her nursemaid to help her dress.

The rain had stopped, and the sky was bright.

Wei Zhen arrived at the front hall. Although this was the detached palace, the imperial household had still prepared a separate courtyard for the Wei family, complete with a reception hall—small yet fully equipped.

As Wei Zhen approached, a clear and distant melody of a qin drifted from within the hall. Through the silk-screened door, a tall and slender figure was faintly visible.

Wei Zhen stood by the bamboo curtain and only spoke once the music faded, “I had not heard before that the Young General could play the qin?”

The young man kneeling before the desk loosened his fingers from the strings and slowly raised his head. “While waiting for Miss Wei just now, I saw a qin on the table. Having nothing to do, I thought to adjust its tone. The strings, having not been wiped in years, sounded rather discordant. I fear I have sullied Miss Wei’s ears.”

The youth set the qin back onto its stand. He was adorned with a jade coronet and embroidered robe, the golden-threaded cloud patterns shimmering faintly with his movements. Sunlight filtered through the swaying trees outside the window, casting flickering shadows across his strikingly handsome face, making him appear all the more noble and refined.

Wei Zhen stepped forward from the dim light, moving toward him one step at a time. “May I ask why the Young General wished to see me?”

“Did I not say last night? I offended you, Miss Wei, and have come today to apologize.”

He lifted his sleeve and gestured toward the seat across the table. “Sit, so we can talk.”

His expression was warm and gentle—completely different from the sharp-edged demeanor of the previous night.

As the steam from the tea curled into the air, Wei Zhen lowered her gaze, recalling what people often said about him—

It was said: The Jade Gentleman of the Qi Family, with beauty and grace. His presence is radiant, his bearing upright, shining like the sun in the heavens.

Yet in her eyes, the Qi Yan who had revealed his sharpness and concealed nothing last night seemed much more like his true self.

Wei Zhen softly said, “The Young General is too courteous. Last night, I too acted discourteously. If anyone should apologize, it should be me.”

“There is no need for such formality. Have you forgotten? You and I are cousins. By seniority, you should call me ‘Cousin.’”

Wei Zhen’s mother was also from the Qi family and was a paternal cousin to Qi Yan’s father.

His voice was particularly pleasant—low, clear, and elegant. When he spoke the words Cousin, they fell as lightly as jade onto a plate, carrying a touch of lingering sentiment.

Wei Zhen’s fingertips lightly tightened around the rim of the tea cup. His drastic change in attitude—what was his true intent? Surely it was not just to establish kinship?

A celadon tea cup was placed before her. “Your tea has gone cold, Cousin.”

Wei Zhen leaned forward to accept it, her fingers brushing against his unintentionally. His cool touch met her soft skin, while the faint scent of his presence hovered around her.

Wei Zhen looked up and saw his long lashes casting shadows over his eyes, the corners of which were elegantly shaped.

His features were breathtaking—deep and captivating, as if painted by divine hands.

In the next moment, he lifted his gaze.

Wei Zhen’s eyes were caught, and as she turned to the side, he seized her right hand and flipped her palm upward, exposing it before him.

“When did Cousin injure her hand?”

Taking advantage of the moment, he examined her palm. Wei Zhen reacted quickly, withdrawing her hand into her sleeve with an unchanged expression. “A few days ago, by accident at home.”

Qi Yan’s lips curved into a faint smile. “It doesn’t look like it.”

A man who had spent years in military camps had seen all manner of wounds. Naturally, he could judge the severity of an injury and roughly estimate when it had occurred.

His gaze darkened in an instant, as if he could see through Wei Zhen entirely.

Qi Yan asked, “What kind of earrings did Cousin wear yesterday?”

“Jade ones.”

“Strange—I recall them being pearls.”

Wei Zhen smiled. “I remember quite clearly what I wore. Why does Cousin ask?”

A dangling pearl earring was placed on the table before her, its surface stained with dried blood.

“This was found beneath the couch in the warm hall. It must have been dropped by the assassin when they left,” Qi Yan said, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table.

Wei Zhen looked up, her gaze as calm as rippling water. “So, after all this talk, the Young General still suspects that I harmed His Highness Jing Ke? Yet last night, you clearly believed me. Why have you changed your mind today?”

As her emotions stirred, she couldn’t suppress a cough, her hand propped against the table. “Young General, I have never been in the best health. Last night, I merely got caught in the rain for a moment and have already fallen ill, unable to leave my bed. How could someone like me possibly harm His Highness Jing Ke?”

Qi Yan rose and stepped beside her, picking up the handkerchief she had placed on the table and handing it to her. “I do not suspect you.”

Wei Zhen took the handkerchief and covered her lips, her lashes quivering slightly as she feigned a few more light coughs. Above her, his voice sounded again—

“I came today merely to ask for your help in investigating. Since you encountered the intruder last night, you might have noticed some other clues.”

“Come now, let’s go to the warm hall.”

Wei Zhen lifted her head, her long, dark hair cascading over his hand, which rested lightly on her shoulder.

So, he saw that she refused to admit it, and now he was forcing her to return to the crime scene, trying to make her slip up.

No matter what it took, he would make her confess—was that it?

“Let’s go.” Qi Yan’s voice sounded once more, firm and commanding, leaving her no room for refusal.

“Since Cousin has said so, then let us go,” Wei Zhen said softly.

The two walked out of the hall one after the other. The bamboo curtain was lifted, and the spring sunlight fell upon them, casting their shadows behind them.

After only a few steps, a familiar figure approached from the front.

Wei Ling saw Qi Yan and looked at him with surprise. “I just went to find you, but you weren’t there. And now you’re here? What are you and my sister going to do?”

“There are some matters to discuss with her privately,” Qi Yan said without stopping.

Wei Ling was puzzled and turned to look at Wei Zhen.

Wei Zhen was not in a position to reveal anything to him at the moment, so she shook her head and quickly followed Qi Yan.

Wei Ling watched their departing figures, his brows furrowing tightly. He could not shake the feeling that the two were hiding something from him.

That morning, Qi Yan had placed a pearl earring before him and asked if it belonged to his sister. But beyond that, he had said nothing more.

These two people, who had never had much connection before, why were they suddenly together now? It was truly strange.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhen and Qi Yan walked along the stone paths of the imperial garden, passing by palace attendants who all bowed their heads in respect.

Wei Zhen followed half a step behind him, watching the profile of the man walking ahead.

“Does Cousin know what position Jing Ke holds in court?” he asked.

“He oversees punishments and prisons,” she replied.

“Yes. Jing Ke is ruthless in his methods and violent in his actions. Any criminal sent to him never leaves without a confession, whether through water torture, flogging, or even lingchi.”

“The ones assisting in the investigation today are all his subordinates, and their methods are just as severe.”

“Do you know what water torture is?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

He spoke of such brutal punishments in a light, casual tone.

The more Wei Zhen listened, the paler she became, knowing full well that he was merely trying to intimidate her.

“The warm hall is ahead,” Wei Zhen changed the subject. “Has Cousin found any clues?”

The guards standing at the entrance stepped aside to allow them passage.

Inside, the hall remained exactly as it had been at the time of the incident, with no one else present.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold, a wave of indescribable discomfort surged through Wei Zhen’s chest. Her vision blurred for a moment, as if she had been pulled back into the events of the previous night. Even her fingertips began to tremble.

“Cousin?”

Wei Zhen, her face pale, snapped back to reality, realizing that Qi Yan was watching her intently.

Wei Zhen said, “It’s nothing. Let’s continue.”

Qi Yan led her to the bedside. “Naturally, clues have been found. There are a few key doubts at present. First, when Jing Ke was found unconscious by the bed, why were his clothes in disarray and the bed in such a mess? Second, the wound on Jing Ke’s neck—”

He paused, his dark eyes locking onto hers.

“Others say it was inflicted by an assassin, but I find that unlikely. The cut was too shallow and did not reach any vital points. It looks more like the work of a woman’s hairpin or a similar accessory.”

Wei Zhen walked over to the window, her long lashes trembling slightly. She murmured, “And then?”

Qi Yan continued, “Third, upon searching the room, traces of a woman’s presence were indeed found. For example, the pearl earring I showed you earlier, the lip rouge stain on the bed, and…”

“There are scratch marks on the bedpost. If they were left by the woman involved, then there should be corresponding marks on her fingernails as well.”

Wei Zhen lowered her gaze and looked at her left hand. The nail on her pinky finger had a small crack in it.

So when he had examined her hand earlier, that was what he had been looking for?

His footsteps drew closer to her, the jade ornaments on his belt colliding with a crisp, ringing sound.

“But the strength between a man and a woman is vastly different,” Wei Zhen said, posing a question. “If a woman had truly done it, how could she have overpowered an eight-foot-tall man?”

She was asking him, and she was asking herself.

Ever since the incident, she had avoided thinking about what had happened in the warm hall. But now that she was here again, she vaguely sensed that something was not right.

She had always assumed that Jing Ke had replaced the incense in the hall with a sedative drug in advance. But if that were the case, he himself had also lost consciousness. Would he not have known the potency of the drug?

And why had there been no guards stationed outside the hall?

Jing Ke certainly held great power, but this was Zhanghua Detached Palace. The banquet was under the crown prince’s jurisdiction, and all the attendants outside belonged to him. There was no way Jing Ke could have extended his influence here.

How had he managed to do it?

Wei Zhen’s thoughts tangled like a knotted thread. She asked, “At the banquet last night, there were attendants stationed in every corner. Did none of them see who entered the warm hall?”

Last night, when she left the banquet, it was a maidservant who had guided her here, telling her that this was a place to rest and change clothes.

“There was someone,” Qi Yan said. “Last night, a palace maid named Yue Ying was on duty near the warm hall.”

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

“Young General—”

Both of them turned to look toward the doorway.

A guard stood there, his face pale with sweat.

“What happened?” Qi Yan asked.

“Y-Young General, the palace maid you ordered us to find… she was just discovered drowned in a well.”

Qi Yan’s expression darkened. “Take me to see.”

**

At the imperial garden, several officers were gathered around an abandoned well.

When Wei Zhen and Qi Yan arrived, the female corpse had just been retrieved. The body was already swollen from soaking in water, with visible strangulation marks and sores. Her appearance was tragic and shocking.

A wave of nausea surged in Wei Zhen’s stomach. She turned away and, as her body swayed, grasped the sleeve of the person beside her.

Qi Yan reached out to steady her.

With trembling hands, Wei Zhen said, “I know that Young General has always suspected that I harmed His Highness Jing Ke, but last night I caught a cold and had been resting in my quarters. How could I have dragged someone here to this abandoned well and drowned them?”

“I know.” Qi Yan coldly stared at the corpse.

He stepped forward to examine the body.

The official responsible for inspecting the corpse said, “She died last night. Her head was struck with a stone, leaving the back of her head a bloody mess. The murderer brought her here, pushed her into the well, and even sealed the well mouth with stones. Such a ruthless method.”

Qi Yan was about to examine further when a hand reached out from behind, pulling him aside.

Wei Zhen lowered her head, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. After calming herself, she raised her head and spoke, “Young General, I thought of something. Don’t you find it strange? Why were there no guards outside the hall when Jing Ke was attacked? Even afterward, it took a long time before anyone discovered him lying in a pool of blood. Normally, since the banquet was under the Crown Prince’s responsibility…”

Wei Zhen suddenly stopped speaking.

Qi Yan’s expression also grew contemplative. Then he said, “You want me to investigate the guards on duty that night?”

“Yes. If we start from them, we might find some clues.”

Qi Yan’s expression was tense. He glanced at the corpse and then nodded in agreement. “I’ll take you back first.”

Wei Zhen had initially thought that Jing Ke merely had improper intentions toward her, but now it seemed far more complex than she had imagined, as if someone was orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.

All the way back, Wei Zhen was deep in thought. When they arrived at the Wei family’s courtyard, a clear and melodious voice called out to her.

“Elder Sister.”

Wei Zhen turned her head and saw a graceful young woman standing under the peach tree. The falling peach blossoms landed in her hair, making her complexion appear even more radiant.

It was Wei Zhen’s stepsister, the second miss of the Wei family, Wei Yao.

“Young General is here as well?”

Qi Yan gave a slight nod. “Second Miss Wei.”

Unlike Wei Zhen, whose beauty was as striking as blooming peonies, Wei Yao had inherited her mother’s gentle features. She was delicate and charming, her temperament resembling the thawing spring water of March, carrying a faint warmth.

The two sisters were not born of the same mother, and their relationship had always been distant, like two parallel streams that never crossed.

“Elder Sister, where were you last night?”

This question made Wei Zhen pause in her steps. She turned her head.

Wei Yao’s eyes were pure, and her voice was gentle, carrying an air of obedience. “Elder Brother told me that you were not at the banquet for a long time, being absent for nearly half an hour…”

Wei Zhen sensed an ill intention in her words. “I was in my quarters resting the whole time last night. Young General even led soldiers to search the place, and nothing was amiss. What exactly are you implying?”

Wei Yao glanced at Qi Yan. Qi Yan remained silent and did not deny it.

A faint smile appeared on Wei Yao’s lips. “It’s nothing. It’s just that Elder Sister’s whereabouts were unknown during the banquet, and there was chaos outside. I was worried about you. Since Elder Sister says everything is fine, then there’s nothing to be concerned about. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

The young woman’s expression remained calm. She gracefully bowed to Wei Zhen before turning and leaving the courtyard.

Wei Zhen’s gaze followed her departing figure, a flicker of suspicion rising in her heart. Did her stepsister know something?

**

Danqing Hall, the Crown Prince’s residence.

Clang— A teacup shattered on the ground, producing a crisp sound.

The eunuch at the door heard the commotion inside and waved his hand, signaling the palace attendants outside to disperse.

Inside the hall, a man was kneeling on the floor, his face pale, forehead beaded with sweat. “The fault is all mine. I never expected Wei Zhen to actually wound His Highness Jing Ke. My original intent… my intent was merely to have the two of them, a man and a woman, alone together so that they could be discovered. If it was known that Wei Zhen had improper conduct before marriage, Your Highness could use it as a reason to annul the engagement. I even used only a sleeping drug, never daring to truly let anything happen between her and Jing Ke. But I never imagined…”

The Crown Prince’s gaze was ice-cold as he scrutinized the man before him. “Wei Zhen is my fiancée. And you think nothing of setting up such a scheme?”

His chilling words pierced Wei Zhang’s eardrums like sharp arrows.

Wei Zhang closed his eyes briefly. “Your Highness previously said you wished to annul the engagement with Wei Zhen and marry my sister into the Eastern Palace. Your wedding with Wei Zhen is in just a month—there won’t be time to delay any longer…”

The Crown Prince looked down at him with disdain. Stepping down from the high platform, he uttered a single, indifferent word:

“Fool.”

Jing Heng walked down from the high steps. “I gave you a position in the Eastern Palace out of consideration for Wei Yao. You were entrusted with overseeing the palace guards, yet you abused your authority and schemed against your own sister. This is Zhanghua Palace, not the Eastern Palace! Now that your plot has been exposed, and you can’t clean up the mess, you come begging me to handle it?”

Wei Zhang dared not lift his head under the scolding. From his angle, all he could see was the hem of the Crown Prince’s robe gliding past the cold floor.

“How many people have you told about this matter?” the Crown Prince asked.

“It was only A-Yao. But she does not know of my scheme, only that Wei Zhen injured Jing Ke last night.”

“Oh, right,” he suddenly recalled, “the palace maid who gave Wei Zhen directions has also been dealt with. There will be no third person who knows.”

The Crown Prince sneered. “I don’t know whether you are foolish or clever. You are well aware that Jing Ke is highly favored by the King, and the political situation in court is delicate. If anything happens to him, Father’s first suspect will be me, yet you still place me in such peril.”

Wei Zhang shook his head. “Your Highness! I truly never anticipated that things would escalate like this! Please, for A-Yao’s sake, help me this once!”

At the mention of Wei Yao, the Crown Prince’s expression finally softened a little.

He returned to his seat, his long fingers pressing against his temple. After a long pause, he spoke: “With such a grave mistake, you are already guilty of a capital offense! I will find a way to pin this on the two assassins. As for the rest, you had best keep it buried within you forever. If word gets out, the ones implicated won’t just be you, nor just the Wei family—it will be me as well!”

These words were nothing short of a lifeline for Wei Zhang.

He nodded repeatedly, knocking his head heavily against the floor, breaking into a cold sweat as if he had been submerged in water.

Once Wei Zhang had left, a court adviser emerged from the shadows.

The adviser asked, “What does Your Highness plan to do?”

Jing Heng shook his head. “The political climate is unstable. I cannot dissolve the engagement at this time. Besides, this marriage is entangled in complexities—Wei Zhen’s mother once rendered great service to my father and mother.”

At the beginning of King Chu’s reign, the court was in turmoil. During a spring hunt, treacherous ministers plotted rebellion. Lady Wei sacrificed herself to shield King Chu and the Queen from an assassin’s arrow.

In gratitude, King Chu took special care of Lady Wei’s orphaned children. He promised the position of Crown Princess to the Wei family’s daughter, while the son was granted the fiefdom of Juyang, where he was allowed to raise troops, akin to a vassal lord.

With such favor, as long as these siblings did not make a grave mistake, they could live a life of peace and prosperity.

The Crown Prince sighed. “The Wei family is already one of the Six Nobles of Chu, with a fief and military forces in the south. Marrying Wei Zhen allows me to consolidate their power without shedding a single soldier. No random daughter of the Wei family can replace that.”

However, the Wei family’s internal affairs were indeed complicated.

Shortly after Lady Wei married into the Wei family, her husband, Wei Zhao, became entangled in scandal—he had a secret affair with the Queen’s younger sister, who became pregnant before marriage. Only months after Lady Wei’s passing, Wei Zhao took another wife.

This resulted in the absurd situation where the legitimate daughter was younger than the heir by only one or two months.

Due to Wei Zhao’s reckless conduct, the Wei family’s old patriarch, fearing that the two legitimate children would suffer at their father’s hands, took them to the south to raise them personally.

Two years ago, the old patriarch passed away. On his deathbed, he entrusted the family estate solely to Wei Zhen and her brother, refusing to hand it over to his incompetent son.

Wei Zhen and her brother had been well-educated and indeed proved capable, managing their fiefdom efficiently over the past two years.

The adviser bowed. “Your Highness merely mentioned breaking the engagement in passing, but Wei Zhang took it seriously.”

Jing Heng closed his eyes briefly. “It was not just in passing.”

He had indeed considered annulling the engagement and marrying Wei Yao instead.

He and Wei Yao were cousins, childhood sweethearts who grew up together, sharing an affection that an outsider like Wei Zhen could never compare to.

He would give Wei Yao a proper title—just not now.

At the very least, he needed the Wei family’s support to ascend the throne and reclaim the troops and land they had absorbed.

“Wei Zhang’s reckless actions have led to this predicament, but I cannot remain idle.”

Jing Heng mused that since Jing Ke was deeply cherished by his father and now lay at death’s door, he might as well give the situation a little push—make certain that Jing Ke was believed to be assassinated.

And with Wei Zhen accused of killing Jing Ke, such a massive leverage in his hands, he could easily control her.

Ultimately, the true power of the Wei family still lay with Wei Zhen, didn’t it?

Sitting in the dim light, the Crown Prince raised his eyebrows slightly.

The next morning, he left his quarters, intending to meet Wei Zhen.

However, just as he stepped out into the garden pathways, a maidservant blocked his way.

“Your Highness, my lady requests your presence.”

Jing Heng recognized her as Wei Yao’s personal maid. He glanced toward the direction of Wei Zhen’s courtyard. “I have urgent matters at hand…”

“My lady says it has been some time since you last met. She merely wishes to reminisce with Your Highness.”

Jing Heng sighed, frowning slightly. “Where is she? Take me to her.”

While the Crown Prince and Wei Yao were meeting, Wei Zhen was also waiting for someone.

The night before, Qi Yan had promised to investigate the palace guards. Though she was not particularly close to him, she was anxious for the results and had sent a trusted servant to inquire.

In her dreams, she had not worked with Qi Yan to investigate at all.

In the dream, she had fallen ill with a fever and refused to meet Qi Yan, citing her poor health.

Qi Yan, holding the pearl earring, had instead sought out Wei Ling. Later, Wei Ling had relayed, “Qi Yan seems to have evidence and plans to report it to His Majesty.”

Wei Ling, though a year younger, was already capable, but he lacked composure.

If he got involved and learned what had happened in the warming hall that night, he would surely seek justice for her—especially since Jing Ke was still alive.

Wei Zhen dared not take that risk. The dream had ended abruptly, and she had immediately decided to meet Qi Yan herself.

But if Qi Yan had not taken her back to the warming hall yesterday, she would not have realized the suspicious circumstances regarding the palace guards and the larger conspiracy at play.

It seemed that everything was gradually deviating from the dream, where she could foresee the future.

As she pondered, the soldier sent to relay Qi Yan’s message arrived.

“Miss, the Young General is with the Empress Dowager, entertaining the Jin State’s envoy. He cannot leave at the moment but will come to see you as soon as he is free.”

If he was attending to the Jin envoy, he was likely at the hunting grounds, engaged in archery or horse racing, surrounded by a large crowd.

Still preoccupied with the matter of the palace guards, Wei Zhen made a quick decision—she would go meet him in person.

She set out, striding swiftly toward the hunting grounds.

Passing through gateways and rock formations, Wei Zhen was about to move forward when she suddenly stopped.

From behind a rockery, she faintly heard the voices of a man and a woman.

The voices were unmistakably familiar—so much so that she did not even need to listen closely to recognize them.

They belonged to the Crown Prince and her stepsister.