ROHYX Chapter 745 : Background (3)

0 0 Friday, May 22, 2026 Edit this post

Han Jianming had indeed come for an important reason. After receiving Tie Kui's reply letter, Xiao Sanzi set out immediately on the return journey. He arrived in Haocheng a quarter of an hour ago and found Han Jianming.

Yun Qing took the letter handed to him by Han Jianming, opened it and glanced at it, then wondered aloud in confusion, "Hai Ning? What does this mean?" On a blank sheet of paper, there were only the two characters: 'Hai Ning'. Well, strictly speaking, those two characters had been pasted onto the paper, not written on it.

Han Jianming had thought it was some important intelligence; otherwise, he would not have rushed over with the letter the moment he received it. Looking at the paper with only the two characters 'Hai Ning' on it, Han Jianming thought for a moment and made a guess, " is in the Jiangnan region. Could it be that Yan Wushuang is preparing to go south to Jiangnan?" As Haining was a county in Zhejiang, it was not strange for Han Jianming to assume it was a place name.

Yun Qing shook his head. "Impossible." On the surface, Liaodong had returned to the Imperial Court, but everyone knew that Yan Wushuang was the true ruler of Liaodong. As for why Yan Wushuang remained in the capital rather than returning to Liaodong, only Yan Wushuang himself knew. However, no matter what, he would never abandon the hundred thousand or so troops stationed in the capital and head south to Jiangnan. Even the Emperor would never allow Yan Wushuang to go to the wealthy lands of Jiangnan either.

Han Jianming nodded. What he had just said was only a speculation. Clearly, that speculation was unreliable. "Then what does Tie Kui mean by writing these two characters?"

Seeing that Yuxi had remained silent the whole time, Yun Qing raised his head and asked, "Yuxi, what do you think this 'Hai Ning' means?" Yuxi was comparatively skilled at thinking things through and making deductions.

Yuxi shook her head slightly, indicating that she didn't know either.

Han Jianming said, "Hai Ning… could he be hoping for peace throughout the four seas¹?" Writing something like this was certainly a test of one's intelligence!

Yun Qing remarked unhappily, "That fellow surnamed Tie is not at all sincere." After travelling from so far away, he had only sent them a riddle to guess—wasn't this deliberately making things difficult for people? Yuxi took the letter from Yun Qing's hand, and the paper happened to flip upside down. Looking at the inverted sheet of paper, Yuxi had a sudden idea.

Seeing Yuxi holding the sheet of paper motionlessly, Yun Qing asked, "Yuxi, have you figured out what this means?" It was precisely because he understood Yuxi so well that he spoke this way.

Yuxi's hand tightened around the paper and then loosened again. Looking toward Han Jianming, she asked, "Dage, I remember you once told me that Tie Kui let you leave the capital because he recognised you. But you had absolutely no impression of him, right?" After seeing Han Jianming nod, she continued, "According to the intelligence we've gathered, Tie Kui grew up in Anshan since childhood and never left Liaodong. And when Yan Wushuang led troops into the capital, you had already gone into hiding. That encounter at the city gate was your first meeting. Logically speaking, it would have been impossible for him to know you."

Han Jianming responded, "That is precisely the matter I've been unable to understand, no matter how much I think about it." His memory was not poor; if he had truly met the man before, he definitely would not have forgotten him.

Yun Qing asked, "Yuxi, what have you figured out?"

Yuxi's expression was extremely complicated. After a long while, she finally spoke up. "These two characters should probably be read in reverse!"

Yun Qing read them backwards at once. "Ning Hai? That sounds even more like a person's name. Did Tie Kui let someone travel all this way just to deliver a person's name? What was the purpose?"

Yuxi answered softly, "He Rui, my birth mother's surname was Ning. Twenty years ago, my maternal family was implicated in a major criminal case, and later, they were sentenced to exile in Liaodong. If my guess is correct, Ning Hai is probably Tie Kui's real name. Ning Hai is most likely my Biaoge²." Yuxi suspected that Ning Hai was her cousin partly because of his age. He was twenty years old this year, only five years older than her.

However, Han Jianming felt there were many doubtful points to this theory, pointing out, "Twenty years ago, Tie Kui was only a five-year-old child. Yet after twenty years, he could still recognise me at a single glance. That's not something an ordinary person could do." He himself had only been seven years old twenty years ago! Although he had not changed much in appearance since then, the fact that someone could recognise him at first sight after twenty years bordered on the terrifying. Someone with such talent could not possibly be an unknown nobody.

Yuxi thought for a moment before saying, "We'll know once we ask Mom about this. I remember Mama Fang once told me that Mom and my birth mother were very close, so Mom should know quite a lot about the Ning family."

Han Jianming nodded. "Then I'll go back and ask Mom right now." After speaking, he hurriedly walked out.

Yun Qing said, "Yuxi, this Tie Kui is definitely Ning Hai." This belief was not because Yun Qing unquestioningly trusted Yuxi, but because Tie Kui was Qiu Dashan's trusted general, holding the rank of third-rank commander who led a large army. In such a position, unless someone were both insatiably greedy and brainless, they would never betray Yan Wushuang for money. Tie Kui had risen through the ranks to become a Third-Rank Assistant General thanks to his own abilities, and he managed tens of thousands of subordinates extremely well. He was not only shrewd but also highly capable and ruthless. Under normal circumstances, upon seeing their people, Tie Kui would want to eliminate them as quickly as possible rather than secretly contact them. But if Tie Kui were Ning Hai, then everything would make sense.

Yuxi nodded. "Yan Wushuang is suspicious by nature. If he were to find out that Tie Kui is connected to me, and also about how he let Dage go back then..." At this point, Yuxi paused for a moment. "I think Tie Kui also wants to reclaim his identity."

Yun Qing was very interested to know why the Ning family had been exiled to Liaodong all those years ago.

Yuxi shook her head. "I heard a few things from the mamas around me. My Waizufu³ was a very upright person. He was falsely accused and was only then dragged into that major case. I don't know the details very clearly. But the mamas said the Ning family had strong family values and that the siblings lived harmoniously together. To save the Ning family members back then, my mother sold off all her dowry to bribe people and make arrangements."

Yun Qing gently wrapped an arm around Yuxi's shoulders and said, "You've suffered." Without a birth mother, without money to rely on, and most importantly, without her father's affection, it was easy to imagine how difficult her life must have been.

Yuxi shook her head and said, "Compared to those ordinary people who work day and night yet still cannot clothe or feed themselves properly, my suffering is nothing." Compared to Yuchen, her life had been even more bitter than coptis⁴. But compared to those who could not even get enough food to eat, she had been far too fortunate.

Actually, in her previous life, Yuxi had also felt resentful and unfairly treated because of this. However, after experiencing that great upheaval, she finally realised that she already had something that countless others could only dream of.

Yun Qing felt heartache for her. The legitimate daughter of a ducal household believed that having enough food and warm clothes was happiness. It was easy to imagine just how badly neglected Yuxi had been during her childhood.

Yuxi felt that their conversation had drifted off topic. Raising the white sheet of paper in her hand, she said, "He doesn't even dare to write the words himself and can only cut them out of books and paste them onto white paper. It's obvious his situation isn't good." Tie Kui definitely avoided writing because he feared leaving behind evidence of his handwriting, which was why he used such a method. In fact, Tie Kui's actions were quite normal. Given Yan Wushuang's temperament, he didn't value those who helped him at all. If Yan Wushuang were to discover Tie Kui's true identity, Tie Kui probably wouldn't even be able to keep his life.

Tie Kui wanted to restore his identity, but as long as he continued working under Yan Wushuang, that day remained far in the distant future. However, if he did not restore his identity, Tie Kui could not feel at ease either, which was why he took the risk of contacting them.

Just as Yuxi had expected, Tie Kui fought so desperately in battle because he wanted to restore his identity. But unexpectedly, just as he was about to achieve his goal, he did not dare reveal his identity publicly because of Yuxi's situation. His willingness to contact Yuxi was also done with a probing attitude. If she could not satisfy him, he would not go so far as to betray her, but he definitely would not help her either.

Yun Qing said softly, "Back then, when late Mother-in-law sold off her dowry, was it also to preserve the remaining members of the Ning family? If she knew there were still surviving members of the Ning family, she would certainly be able to rest in peace in the underworld."

Yuxi acknowledged these statements with a soft sound. Just as she was about to speak, she heard footsteps outside. She immediately pushed Yun Qing away. Due to her upbringing and sense of propriety, she did not want others to see her being intimate with him.

Han Jianming lifted the heavy curtain and walked in directly. The moment he entered the room, he said, "I've just asked Mom. She said that the late San Shen⁵'s youngest brother was named Ning Hai. Ning Hai is the same age as me and is also twenty-seven this year." Tie Kui had told outsiders he was twenty-five, concealing two years of his real age.

Yuxi's earlier speculation had been wrong. Ning Hai was her xiao jiu⁶, not the Biaoge² she had guessed him to be. "Did Mom say anything about Ning Hai's aptitude?" This was the matter that Yuxi cared about more.

Han Jianming said, "San Shen⁵ once mentioned to my Mom that Ning Hai's aptitude was exceptionally good. It was just that Ning Daren⁷ was concerned that if his reputation spread too early while he was still young, he would become burdened by his fame, so the Nings had always kept the matter a secret. The only people who knew about Ning Hai's talent were those especially close to the Ning family."

The Ning family was a scholarly family and did not like noble military households, such as the Duke's estate. Had it not been for the accident back then, the Ning family would never have considered marrying their daughter to Han Jingyan. After Ning Shi married into the Duke's household, the two families merely exchanged greetings during festivals and holidays, with little interaction otherwise. Qiu Shi only knew these details because Ning Shi had mentioned them during their past chat.

At this point, Han Jianming said, "Without question, Tie Kui is Ning Hai. Yuxi, if this card is played well, it will surpass thousands of troops and ten thousand horses⁸!" Tie Kui was one of Yan Wushuang's trusted generals. If he could leak even a little information, they would benefit greatly from it.

Yuxi shook her head. "Dage, things are not that simple. Tie Kui's situation is very dangerous. If he were forced to reveal intelligence, his life would be at risk. Moreover, judging by the way he handled things, sending this letter back was only a test, not an intention to acknowledge his relatives."

Writing the two characters 'Ning Hai' on the paper was not only to avoid leaving traces of his handwriting, but also to test her. Otherwise, Tie Kui would not have deliberately reversed the order of his name.

Han Jianming also calmed down at this point and nodded. "You're right. Tie Kui's situation is indeed very dangerous." Yan Wushuang was simply a madman; he could strike ruthlessly at anyone, even those who helped him. If he discovered that someone had betrayed him, that person would certainly suffer a miserable end. Therefore, Tie Kui's caution was not without reason.

Yuxi stated, "We must handle the reply to Tie Kui with extreme caution." The letter could not be too warm or too cold. If they failed to strike the right balance, this connection would be severed.

After a moment's thought, Yun Qing said, "There's no rush to reply to the letter. We'll discuss it after the New Year!" With so many other matters demanding their attention during the year-end period, it was better to address them first.

Footnotes Full List

The name 海宁 (Hǎi níng) literally means '*sea tranquil' or 'sea peace'. Han Jianming broke down the name Hai Ning (海宁) as a shortened version of the grand ambition "四海归宁 (Sìhǎi Guīníng)".
表哥 (biǎogē): older male cousin through a female relative
外祖父 (wàizǔfù): maternal grandfather
比黄连还苦 (bǐ huáng lián hái kǔ) — coptis is an extremely bitter medicinal herb, used metaphorically for intense suffering.
三婶 (sān shěn): sān (third), shěn (wife of father's younger brother)
小舅 (xiǎo jìu): xiǎo (younger), jìu (maternal uncle)
大人 (dàren): a title of respect towards superiors
胜过千军万马 (shèng guò qiān jūn wàn mǎ): More valuable than a massive army.