BDSMST -Chapter 59 A Clue to an Old Case

“The Battle of Heishiguan?”

When those five words left Xie Zi’an’s mouth, a wave surged through Jiang Suisui’s heart.

She knew that name all too well.

Her husband, Gu Yan, the Marquis of Yongning, had long been stationed at the northern frontier. Heishiguan was one of the key passes within his defensive command.

In early autumn last year, when she was still at the marquis’s residence, she had heard that fighting along the northern border had grown intense. Gu Yan had personally led an elite force and fought the enemy’s main army at Heishiguan for half a month.

That battle had been exceptionally brutal.

The news that reached the capital reported that although the Yongning army ultimately held Heishiguan, their casualties were devastating, their strength greatly diminished. There were even rumors that Gu Yan himself had suffered serious injuries during the campaign.

It was also after that battle that whispers of a traitor leaking military secrets began circulating in court.

Soon after came the explosive treason case of Censor Xie Yuan.

At the time, everyone believed that it was Xie Yuan’s alleged leak of information that had caused the heavy losses at Heishiguan.

But now, according to Xie Zi’an, that battle seemed to conceal another truth.

“What exactly do you mean by the ‘illusion of defeat’?” Jiang Suisui pressed. Her instincts told her that this matter was far from simple.

Seeing that she had not distanced herself from him—but instead showed interest in the details of the case—hope flickered in Xie Zi’an’s heart.

After gathering his thoughts, he spoke in a low voice.

“At the time, the intelligence received by the court claimed that the enemy had concentrated their main forces on the eastern front, intending to feign an attack on Heishiguan while secretly planning to detour through the western ‘Feiyun Pass’ to strike our rear.”

“My father, then serving in the Censorate, participated in the military intelligence analysis. Based on the reports, he strongly advocated reinforcing Feiyun Pass while maintaining a defensive posture at Heishiguan, without committing excessive troops.”

“However, Minister of War Qin Song joined forces with several generals, insisting that the enemy’s true intent was a direct assault on Heishiguan. They argued that Feiyun Pass was too treacherous for large forces to traverse and was merely a diversion. They urged that the main army be deployed entirely to Heishiguan for a decisive battle.”

“In the end, the court adopted Qin Song’s proposal.”

“You know the outcome.” Xie Zi’an’s fists tightened unconsciously. “The Yongning army fought a bitter battle at Heishiguan against what was claimed to be the enemy’s ‘main force.’ But from clues I later uncovered in secret, the enemy troops at Heishiguan were far fewer and poorly equipped compared to the intelligence reports. They were more like an isolated unit desperately buying time.”

“The true enemy main force did indeed take the Feiyun route. However, instead of striking our rear, they ambushed one of our grain transport convoys midway. That convoy carried three months’ worth of provisions for the Heishiguan front.”

“With the grain seized, morale at the front wavered. The Marquis of Yongning had no choice but to fight with everything he had. Before the provisions ran out, he paid a tremendous price to finally repel the enemy at Heishiguan and stabilize the defense.”

“Afterward, the court sought someone to blame. Qin Song and his allies shifted all responsibility onto faulty intelligence. And the secret letter ‘discovered’ in my father’s residence conveniently proved that he had ‘leaked’ our troop deployments and grain routes to the enemy.”

“A situation that was originally a case of mismanagement—or even a deliberate trap set by the Ministry of War—was thus turned into my father’s crime of treason.”

Xie Zi’an finished in one breath, his chest heaving violently. The secrets and grievances he had buried in his heart for a year had finally found someone to confide in.

Jiang Suisui fell into prolonged silence.

One by one, the threads wove together in her mind.

Xie Yuan’s memorials. Minister Qin Song’s opposition. The faulty military intelligence. The ambushed grain convoy. The hard-won and costly victory at Heishiguan. And that “conveniently” discovered secret letter…

All of it pointed toward a vast conspiracy.

A conspiracy aimed at Xie Yuan.

And perhaps—at her husband, Gu Yan, as well.

If what Xie Zi’an said was true, then the Battle of Heishiguan had never been an honorable, straightforward campaign.

It had been a meticulously designed trap.

Someone had wanted to use the enemy’s hand to weaken Gu Yan’s forces in the north—while simultaneously using Xie Yuan as the scapegoat.

Killing two birds with one stone.

What a vicious scheme.

But who was behind it? What faction? And what was their ultimate goal?

“Does the Marquis of Yongning know about this?” Jiang Suisui lifted her head, her sharp gaze fixed on Xie Zi’an.

Xie Zi’an shook his head. “The Marquis is stationed far away in the northern frontier. News from the capital passes through countless hands before reaching him—by then, the truth is long distorted. And after my father’s downfall, anyone connected to the Xie family was terrified into silence. Who would dare explain the truth to the Marquis?”

Jiang Suisui understood.

Gu Yan might still be completely in the dark. He might still be blaming himself for the heavy casualties at Heishiguan—never knowing that he had been stabbed in the back by his own people.

“How do you want me to help you?” Jiang Suisui asked. Her tone was calm, yet carried an authority that allowed no refusal.

Xie Zi’an trembled slightly.

He abruptly looked up at her, disbelief flooding his eyes. He thought he had misheard.

“Madam… you… you mean…”

“I mean,” Jiang Suisui repeated, enunciating each word, “I will take this case. You want to overturn the verdict and clear your father’s name—I will help you.”

This was not an impulsive decision.

It was not only for Xie Zi’an.

It was for her husband, Gu Yan.

She could not tolerate that while her husband shed blood for the country on the battlefield, someone in the rear would scheme against him with such despicable methods—calculating, entrapping, and weakening him.

For the public good, this was rot within the court—a hidden danger to the nation.

For her personally, this was family business.

Now that she was the mistress of the Yongning household, anyone who sought to harm this family was her enemy.

“From this moment on, you no longer need to hide,” Jiang Suisui said calmly, already arranging matters. “Stay here on the estate. Continue teaching. Continue serving as head of the agricultural team. This estate belongs to the Yongning household. Here, no one dares touch you.”

“Whatever you need—manpower, money, or other assistance—come directly to me.”

“What we will do is unravel this case thread by thread, investigate it from beginning to end, and bring it fully to light. One by one, we will drag those rats hiding in the shadows out into the open.”

Xie Zi’an stared at her.

At this woman, younger than himself by a few years, whose expression remained composed as she spoke—whose eyes carried a decisiveness no less resolute than any man’s.

The heart that had wandered for a year—cold and hardened—was, in that moment, wrapped in an overwhelming warmth.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat felt choked.

In the end, a thousand unspoken words became a single action.

He dropped to both knees before Jiang Suisui and kowtowed deeply.

“Xie Zi’an is willing to give his life for you, Madam—to the very last breath!”