Chapter 118: The One Who Tied the Bell Must Untie It

While Ye Xin and Ye Suifeng were engaged in their conversation, within the palace of Wangcheng, an equally crucial discussion was underway. Ironheart Saint sat upon the throne, attended by only a few ministers: Deng Zhiguo, Shen Wangji, Guan Hanyu, and Qiu Xiang.

“Ye Xin… Ye Xin…” Ironheart Saint murmured repeatedly, the name echoing countless times in his mind, as if bound by an unshakable knot within his heart.

“Though the tragedy involving Guan Hai’s death was not directly my doing, I did not intervene at the time. I thought it might quell Guan Hai’s stubborn spirit, to make him less obstinate in the future. Who would have expected it to escalate to such a result…” Ironheart Saint sighed deeply. “You, my trusted ministers, need not hold back now. Do we truly intend to empower Ye Xin? Once his strength matures, if he remains entangled in grievances over Guan Hai and opposes me at every turn, how am I to find my place then?”

“Your Majesty!” Qiu Xiang stepped forward first. “Among the people, there is a saying: ‘Hearts are made of flesh.’ As long as Your Majesty shows favor and kindness to Ye Xin, past grievances will naturally fade away. From my humble perspective, Ye Xin is a man who values loyalty and affection. His relationship with the Third Prince has always been good. This alone is proof—if he truly harbored resentment, he would have long since distanced himself from the Third Prince.”

“Excellent insight from the Grand Secretariat,” Shen Wangji said gravely. “Ye Xin has shown great care toward my daughter, even receiving a Boundless Sky Wolf. This was because she once aided Ye Ling. Moreover, as I understand, the wolf riders are paid monthly in Yuan stones. My daughter only accompanied Ye Xin once to the Dazhao Kingdom. She has just entered the Innate Warrior realm, which still falls far short of the wolf riders, so she was of little help to Ye Xin. Even so, she brought back ten Yuan stones.”

“Your Majesty, Ye Xin’s temperament differs from the Wolf Commander’s,” Qiu Xiang added. “Perhaps due to the Ye family’s rise and fall and his time in the Celestial Sin Camp, his character has become quite erratic, even more so than in his youth. Yet he remains deeply sentimental. Ye Xin’s good relationship is not only with the Third Prince; I’ve heard that Lord Tai Ling’s son, Wang Meng, also received a Boundless Sky Wolf.”

“My daughter told me she overheard Ye Xin instructing Wen Rong to bring Hong Ren to reside safely with the Ye family,” Shen Wangji remarked. “But judging by Hong Ren’s nature, I doubt he will agree.”

“The Celestial Sin Camp…” Ironheart Saint frowned, troubled again by an old wound. It was he who had personally issued the order to imprison Ye Xin there.

“Your Majesty, rumors now say Ye Xin was falsely accused,” Qiu Xiang said humbly, aware of the sensitivity of the subject. “Whether true or not, Ye Xin was deceived partly because of his youth and naivety, and partly because he harbored some innocent feelings for the Seventh Princess.”

“Qiu Xiang, what exactly do you mean?” Ironheart Saint asked sharply.

“Your Majesty, only the one who tied the knot can untie it,” Qiu Xiang replied firmly.

“You mean… Huizhen?” Ironheart Saint was stunned.

* * * *

At dusk, a carriage stopped beside the side gate of Xinyi Tower. Ye Xin dismounted and walked in leisurely.

Two men stood behind the gate and, upon seeing Ye Xin, hurried forward to block him. Ye Xin raised his hand and tossed a black token—an insignia from the Yi Alliance’s leader, Mo Yan. The two men exchanged glances and quietly stepped aside.

Inside the Yi Alliance’s headquarters, Mo Yan sat at a desk, focused on writing. Meanwhile, Zi Chehui—restless as ever—sat cross-legged atop the table, watching Mo Yan.

“Mo Yan, I wasn’t going to say anything,” Zi Chehui began, “but I just can’t help it. Your handwriting… it’s atrocious, almost like chicken droppings!”

“At least I can write,” Mo Yan replied coolly. Then his expression shifted slightly, as if sensing something. “The Lord commands that ten characters be learned daily and mastered in writing. Have you been slacking off all this time?”

“Heh heh heh… What’s it to you?” Zi Chehui shot a sidelong glance at Mo Yan.

“Aren’t you afraid the Lord will punish you when he finds out?” Mo Yan challenged.

“With so many brothers around, the boss won’t be focusing on me alone, right?” Zi Chehui said carelessly. “Besides, I don’t get it. I can wield a blade and cut people down, but learning characters is out of the question? Sometimes I feel the boss is just like my mom when I was a kid—nagging all day long. Isn’t that annoying?”

“Hah…” Mo Yan exhaled slowly, then squinted contentedly. “So refreshing…”

“Refreshing how?” Zi Chehui asked.

“I feel comfortable inside. But you’re about to feel anything but,” Mo Yan sighed.

“You think you can?” Zi Chehui took it as a provocation. “If we were a thousand meters apart, I’d admit defeat and even call you ‘Dad.’ But we’re less than three meters away now. Believe it or not, I’ll smash your brain into dog mush.”

“I won’t fight you,” Mo Yan replied nonchalantly. “But now, slowly turn around and look toward the door.”

“Look at what?” Zi Chehui turned sharply—and froze at the sight of Ye Xin standing silently there. He nearly fell off the table, then quickly jumped down and forced a smile. “Boss, you’re back! Haha… I missed you so much…”

“Mo Yan, keep an eye on him from now on,” Ye Xin said without looking at Zi Chehui. “For ten consecutive days, he must master fifty characters each day. Failure means military punishment.”

Zi Chehui’s face fell. He had suffered every day just learning ten characters; fifty per day was a death sentence.

“Yes, Lord,” Mo Yan said with a sly grin.

“How many Yuan stones did you get this time?” Ye Xin kicked Zi Chehui aside and sat opposite Mo Yan.

“A total of forty-six thousand one hundred forty-seven,” Mo Yan flipped through his ledger. “Three of the highest grade, three thousand one hundred nine mid-grade, twenty-nine thousand eight hundred twenty-two low-grade, and the rest unranked.”

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