Chapter 142: Deep Beauties Sparking Ruination (Part III)

The renowned head matriarch of the powerful Yun family actually came from a humble background in the pleasure quarters, and was none other than Hanchu, the peerless beauty of Southern Xi from back in the day! Seeing Helian Qi staring blankly and in silence, Nie Peixiao asked again in mounting anxiety, "Is Madam Chuxiu truly Hanchu?!"

Unaware and still adrift as if in a drunken stupor, Helian Qi replied with a soul-broken, lost expression, "Why must Your Highness ask when you already know..."

These simple words confirmed Nie Peixiao's conjectures completely. Unable to suppress the surge of agitation within his chest, his hands gripping Helian Qi's lapels trembled violently, until he finally let go in an effort to maintain some restraint. His mind suddenly turned completely blank—no, not blank; there remained a countenance that haunted his dreams, with a smile resembling April peach blossoms and boundless fragrance.

Who was it? Standing gracefully under the waning lanterns, with a single turn of her head and a lowering of her brows, possessing countless charms and a tender, delicate bearing?

Who was it? Approaching with snow-white garments, through every gesture and movement, emanating a refined fragrance, dignity, and nobility from her sleeves?

He had never imagined that there could be such a woman in this world, combining innocence and allure, elegance and charm into one... Was she beautiful? But her beauty lay not merely in her face and figure, but in the temperament exuding from her entire being, in every word she spoke, every expression she revealed, every action she performed, and even in every single drop of tear that fell...

The ultimate beauty of Southern Xi—he had finally, belatedly laid eyes upon her! And she was truly, unquestionably deserving of that title!

After a very long while, Nie Peixiao's emotions finally calmed. In a daze, certain matters that had long perplexed him finally found their answers at this very moment!

No wonder Marquis Lixin had once showered Chuxiu with immense favor only to later cast her aside like a worn-out shoe; he must have discovered her true identity as a courtesan and thus...

What role, then, had Shen Yu played in all of this? Back when the Drunken Flower Tower was consumed by a raging fire, did he truly defy the heavens and switch fates to save Hanchu? If Shen Yu had indeed extended a helping hand and used the power and influence of the Marquis of Wenchang's estate to shelter her... then Nie Peixiao could deeply understand why Madam Chuxiu was now sparing no effort to rescue Shen Yu and struggling so bitterly for his future. A debt of life saved and the grace of shelter were indeed worth repaying a hundredfold.

"This humble concubine is a vulgar person, knowing only how to manage household affairs, and utterly clueless about the zither, chess, poetry, and painting..."

"In your view, then, a woman from the pleasure quarters is unworthy of being taken as a proper, wedded wife?"

"This humble concubine wishes to ask for your favor regarding my brother-in-law, to recommend him to enter official service despite his tainted record."

"My brother-in-law is a sensible man, and coming from a medical background, possesses a compassionate and gentle heart..."

...

No wonder she had denied being skilled in the zither before him! No wonder she had sought him out to save Shen Yu! No wonder she said Shen Yu possessed a "compassionate and gentle heart"!

So she was Hanchu! So it was Shen Yu who had saved her! She had long since heard that tune, *The Broken Vermilion Strings*!

So that was how it was...

"She isn't coming, is she?" Helian Qi suddenly spoke in a haunting whisper, interrupting Nie Peixiao's lingering thoughts.

Nie Peixiao's handsome eyes turned toward Helian Qi, his lips pressed into a silent line.

Seeing this, Helian Qi took it as confirmation. His expression suddenly morphed into something resembling both weeping and laughing, a muffled sob escaping his throat as his chest heaved and trembled, as if he had truly reached the absolute depths of despair. Had Nie Peixiao not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have found it nearly impossible to believe that this normally poised and calm Junior Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, the designated future head of the Helian clan, could lose control of himself in such a manner.

Like a beast caught in layers of encirclement, there was no anger, no agitation—only despair.

"Not only is she not coming, but she even told you about this..." Helian Qi rambled incoherently, muttering to himself, "She isn't coming. She will never forgive me..."

When Helian Qi uttered these words, Nie Peixiao, standing close by, caught the faint scent of alcohol on him. So Helian Qi had been drinking. Nie Peixiao let out a cold snort. "Fortunately, Madam Chuxiu refused to come. Seeing you in this ghost of a state, she'd likely have no pleasant mood to speak of."

Provoked perhaps by these words, Helian Qi lashed out with a kick, sending the floral arrangements by the main table flying. Abandoning all pretense of decorum between ruler and subject, he snatched up the wine pot from the table right before Nie Peixiao's eyes and tilted his head back, pouring the contents straight down his throat.

Nie Peixiao watched with cold detachment as the man poured an entire pot of wine into his mouth, slammed the vessel down with a resounding crash, and wiped away the dripping wine stains from his chin with his sleeve, breathing heavily in huge gasps. Bracing both hands on the table, Helian Qi stared down at the empty wine pot and muttered in despair, "If I hadn't poured some wine into myself, how could I have ever dared to invite you here..."

*You?* Did Helian Qi mistake him for Chuxiu? With an expression of disgust, Nie Peixiao remarked, "Lord Helian is drunk."

Yet, as if entirely deaf, Helian Qi seated himself and continued staring fixedly at the wine pot. "I know you are unwilling to see me; you must hate me to the bone... But I... I had my unspeakable hardships."

"When I was betrothed to Mingying, Grandfather used you to threaten me. He said that if I ever went to see you again, he would ruin you. At the word 'ruin,' I dared not ponder what he meant; I could only steel my heart and stay away... Mingying humiliated you, stabbed you with a hairpin... Hanchu, you have no idea how agonizing it was for me, how my heart ached..."

As he spoke, Helian Qi rolled up his left sleeve, baring his arm to Nie Peixiao. "Look, Mingying humiliated you, and I stabbed my own arm with a dagger. How many times did she pierce you with her hairpin? Are these scars of mine enough?" He thrust his left arm out for Nie Peixiao to inspect, eagerly baring his soul. "Hanchu, do you know? When she humiliated you, I felt it as if it were happening to me. I truly..."

Helian Qi did not finish; he suddenly broke down and wept bitterly, crying aloud, "It was my fault! I was too cowardly!"

By this point, Helian Qi was nearly deranged, or perhaps his mind had been damaged by excessive alcohol consumption. Nie Peixiao frowned as he watched him, his gaze finally falling upon the other man's left arm. Under the garden lanterns, Helian Qi's left arm was covered in scars of varying depths, crisscrossing chaotically—clearly old injuries accumulated over the years, densely packed and deeply shocking to the eye.

Weeping bitterly still, Helian Qi wore a face full of remorse. "Later, I finally devised a scheme to deceive the heavens and cross the sea, believing that once the corpse was burned beyond recognition, they would let you go, and I could take you away amidst the chaos... Little did I expect that you weren't even at the Drunken Flower Tower that night. I couldn't find you... And then Mother Feng told me that Shen Yu had rescued you!"

Helian Qi fiercely grabbed Nie Peixiao's robe, looking at him with desperate pleading. "Hanchu, you came here that night, didn't you? Mother Feng said you ran to Qianya Pavilion, which was why you narrowly escaped that fire... You remember, don't you? We met right here..."

As he rambled, Helian Qi smiled again, asking with a mixture of solace and desperation, "You remember, right? You haven't forgotten me either. I was your first man, and we were so close back then... Hanchu, I have always loved you. I..."

"Enough!" Hearing this, Nie Peixiao felt a stifling fury, particularly at the phrase "I was your first man," which filled him with an extreme sense of grievance and suffocation. He attempted to shake off the hand gripping his sleeve, but the man held on with a death grip. Left with no choice, Nie Peixiao stated coldly, "Lord Helian, look closely! I am not Hanchu!"

How could Helian Qi possibly take those words in at this moment? His unfocused eyes remained fixed on Nie Peixiao as he let out a long, agonizing sigh of torment. "Ah, that's right, you are no longer Hanchu; you are Madam Chuxiu... Listen to my explanation... Shen Yu rescuing you was only temporary. Back then, my wings were not yet fully grown; I dared not challenge Grandfather, nor did I dare offend Mingying... I thought that one day I would take you back..."

"Yet I never imagined that Shen Yu would give you to Yun Chi!" At this, Helian Qi finally released his grip on Nie Peixiao's sleeve, instead burying his handsome face in his hands. Hot tears streamed between his fingers until his entire palm grew damp. "What do I have to compete with the Yun family?! I had no way to contend with them! I could only watch helplessly as you left for Fangzhou... Do you know? When I heard the news, I understood that you would never want me back! Hanchu, you would never return!"

The final sentence was uttered with such utter hopelessness by Helian Qi that the emotion seemed to deeply infect Nie Peixiao as well. He, too, let out a bitter, silent smile. Ah, indeed—the identity of the head matriarch of the Yun family stood like an insurmountable chasm, cutting off all of Madam Chuxiu's admirers and banishing them to an unreachable, distant shore.

"Hanchu, I truly was wrong! I was too cowardly!" Having entirely lost his wits and consumed by regret, Helian Qi trembled violently from head to toe. Stumbling on his own feet, he suddenly fell backward to the ground. Having no intention of getting back up, he simply lay flat on his back, staring at the sky and wailing in utter anguish.

So this was the man Hanchu had once loved... He was the mastermind behind that fire. He had thought he could pull off a golden cicada's shell game to hide Hanchu away, little knowing that Shen Yu would beat him to it and play the hero saving the beauty. He had believed that Chuxiu staying with Shen Yu was merely an expedient measure, and that he would eventually reclaim her. Yet ultimately, Chuxiu followed Yun Chi to Fangzhou, extinguishing every last shred of his hope.

A single wrong thought, and the entire game was lost.

Nie Peixiao sighed deeply, gazing at Helian Qi with immense emotion and profound pity. The latter was still lying on the ground, weeping bitterly and repenting without the slightest reservation or regard for his dignity. At this moment, the person lying here shedding tears of agony was no scion of a powerful noble family; he was merely a lovesick fool who had lost his most cherished love and forfeited all hope of forgiveness.

Who said men do not shed tears easily? It is merely because they have not yet reached the depths of sorrow.

Tonight had been far too bizarre; Nie Peixiao found it difficult to digest all at once, and he had no heart left to witness Helian Qi's loss of control. He turned around, preparing to leave. After taking two steps, the sound of Helian Qi's weeping still filled the space behind him. Nie Peixiao paused for a moment and asked coldly, "If this Prince recalls correctly, Lord Helian has a pair of children. Your youngest daughter must be two years old by now, isn't she?"

At these exact words, Helian Qi's voice choked off, his cries slowly fading into a soundless void. Closing his eyes tightly, unwilling to face reality, he lay stiffly upon the ground like a corpse.

"Coward! What use is regret? You lost your qualifications long ago." Nie Peixiao sneered once more before turning away to stride out...

Within the span of a single day, he had first agreed to recommend Shen Yu for official service, and then learned Madam Chuxiu's true identity. Nie Peixiao knew he needed time to sort all of this out properly, and even to carefully consider the future...

After turning full circles, he had returned to where he was five years ago, meeting the person he should have met back then, picking up that unfinished bond.

"My own fate denied me the harmony of zither and flute; you have traveled to the nine heavens to play upon the clouds." He had once deeply lamented this regret, sighing countless times over a missed encounter; yet now, that peerless woman had reappeared in a different brilliance, leaving him only to marvel at the wondrous workings of destiny!

Finally, Nie Peixiao's heart was filled entirely by a single entity, swelling to the point of overflowing. That was—romantic love!

How ironic that he had once looked upon the splendors of the world, watching others suffer bitterly for love while maintaining a detached, bystander's stance—either sneering in scorn or feeling perplexed and uncomprehending—convinced that he would never sink and struggle in the mire of love the way his seventh brother did. He had always kept favored mistresses without taking concubines or marrying a wife, and even when he yearned for the appearance of a cherished woman, all he sought was "mutual respect like guests across a table and a meeting of hearts."

Yet, true romantic love was unexpectedly surging and overwhelming, as well as deeply addictive and consuming. Love arises from nowhere, yet deepens with every step; once one wishes to turn back, it is already impossible to extricate oneself.

In a daze, Nie Peixiao heard the sound of his own rapid breathing, alongside the sound of something hidden deep within his heart quietly shattering...