Maid Qin was stunned.

This person looked very young, even appearing slightly younger than Xu Zhiheng, yet his gaze was like an icy pool, chilling to the bone. She had never seen him before and didn’t know his identity, but instinctively felt he was more dangerous than Xu Zhiheng.

Maid Qin had become a widow at a young age. Though she was beautiful in her youth and could have remarried after her husband’s death, she refused to send her son to distant relatives. While other men were willing to marry her, none wanted to raise someone else’s child. Only Iron Smith Niu was willing.

However, Maid Qin looked down on Iron Smith Niu’s status, thinking he was too poor. Later, after entering the He household, her life improved considerably, and she abandoned thoughts of marriage. Nevertheless… she maintained an ambiguous relationship with Iron Smith Niu. Originally, Maid Qin didn’t care much for Iron Smith Niu, but after He Wanru’s incident, it was Iron Smith Niu who showed her a way to survive. During their time facing hardships together, Maid Qin genuinely developed feelings for him. This young man struck at their weakness, immediately threatening Iron Smith Niu’s life, leaving Maid Qin at a disadvantage.

She said, “Concubine He… Concubine He made a mistake and was punished by the Madam according to family law. She was beaten with boards, but being weak, she couldn’t endure it and passed away.” After speaking, she looked at the young man, observing his expression.

His expression remained indifferent, his voice calm, “I don’t have the patience to listen to your rambling. If you think this person’s life isn’t enough, I can add the lives of Wu Han and his son.”

At these words, Maid Qin cried out, “No!”

Wu Han was her son, and this person… was threatening her her son, and grandson’s lives. This person wasn’t Xu Zhiheng – if Xu Zhiheng killed her descendants, he would still fear Maid Qin revealing the truth in a mutual destruction scenario, but this stranger seemed unconcerned.

He had no weaknesses she could exploit, yet knew everything about her.

Maid Qin collapsed to the ground, momentarily overwhelmed by despair.

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to take your life,” he leaned forward slightly, staring into Maid Qin’s eyes, his clear pupils containing sharp edges, “Xu Zhiheng’s people have been watching Wu Han and his son to force you to appear. But if you tell me what you know, I can protect their lives.”

Maid Qin trembled; this offer was incredibly tempting.

For the first time in her life, she became bold, “How can this servant trust you?”

He smiled indifferently, extending his hand as a black-clothed man stepped forward and handed him a bracelet. The young man waved it before Maid Qin’s face.

Maid Qin was shocked.

This bracelet was one she had commissioned when her young grandson was born and had even had it blessed by a high monk to protect her grandson’s safety and health. Now that it was in his hands… she knew she had no room to negotiate with him. All she could do was ensure her words satisfied him enough to spare her family and Iron Smith Niu.

“I’ll tell… I’ll tell everything,” Maid Qin said sorrowfully, “Concubine He was killed by the Young Master. The family punishment was just a pretense. The concubine was confined in the mansion, and to prevent outsiders from noticing anything suspicious, she was given medicine daily. She passed away after just a few days.”

The young man showed no surprise, only asking, “Why did Xu Zhiheng have to kill He Wanru?”

“Because… because Concubine He committed a grave error that warranted death.”

“What error?”

Maid Qin’s hands trembled, and she took a deep breath, as if gathering courage. After a long moment, she finally spoke, “Because Concubine He killed the First Madam.”

At these words, the room fell silent.

Behind him, Luan Ying and Fei Nu were both shocked. Everyone in the capital knew that the previous First Madam of the Xu family had died from drowning in a pond after falling due to her blindness. Now to hear that the First Madam had died at the hands of a concubine was absurd. After all, the Young Miss of the He family, He Rufei’s sister, was not of low status – if she died due to jealousy conflicts with a concubine, it would be too outrageous.

No wonder Xu Zhiheng had to hastily dispose of He Wanru and all those who knew about it. Otherwise, if an imperial censor submitted a memorial about his poor household management, Xu Zhiheng would lose his official position. However, if the He family didn’t know about this, why would they send another daughter after already losing one? And if they did know, how could they let it pass so easily?

Xiao Jue’s eyes flickered slightly; Maid Qin’s words confirmed his suspicions.

“Why did He Wanru kill the First Madam of the Xu family, or rather,” he changed his phrasing, “why did Xu Zhiheng want to kill his wife?”

Maid Qin was startled and hurriedly replied, “No, Young Master, Concubine He killing the First Madam was just women’s household affairs, it had nothing to do with others. Why would the Young Master want to kill the First Madam for no reason? The Young Master is gentle and kind in nature, how could he do such a thing?”

Xiao Jue looked at her coldly: “I said I have no patience for your lies.”

The next moment, Fei Nu’s sword was pressed against Iron Smith Niu’s neck.

Blood trickled down his neck. No one can remain calm when faced with life and death, and even the usually composed man couldn’t help but show a trace of panic in his eyes. Maid Qin was so frightened her face turned pale, “No, stop!”

Fei Nu’s sword didn’t advance further. Xiao Jue said, “I’ll ask one more time, why did Xu Zhiheng kill his wife?”

For Maid Qin to still have reservations at this critical moment, it seemed the secret being concealed was not a minor one.

Maid Qin closed her eyes briefly, appearing extremely panicked. As the opponent’s sword seemed to slowly press deeper into Iron Smith Niu’s neck, that bracelet inscribed with scriptures gleamed before her eyes… She suddenly shouted, “I don’t know… I don’t know… I was too scared, I tried to talk her out of it… but she said it was the Young Master’s intention, there would be no problem, she was doing as the Young Master said, and nothing would go wrong. I was standing far away, I was so scared at the time, that I only vaguely heard Concubine He say to the First Madam: General He…”

Xiao Jue suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, making Maid Qin too afraid to speak. He asked, “What did you just say?”

Maid Qin tremblingly said, “Concubine He said to the First Madam… General He…”

She had been terrified at the time. Although the mansion often saw bloodless power struggles, Maid Qin herself had never been directly involved in taking a life. Of course, she also wanted He Wanru to secure her position in the Xu family, but Maid Qin saw clearly that He Wanru’s family background would never allow her to become Xu Zhiheng’s wife. So when He Wanru told her about wanting to kill He Yan, Maid Qin was startled and consistently tried to persuade her to abandon this idea.

But He Wanru was determined and refused to listen to a word she said. Maid Qin found it strange, and finally, He Wanru revealed the truth – this was Xu Zhiheng’s order, and it was Xu Zhiheng who wanted to take He Yan’s life. But as for why Xu Zhiheng wanted to take He Yan’s life, He Wanru refused to reveal the reason, only saying it was a secret between her and Xu Zhiheng.

At that point, Maid Qin had already sensed something was wrong.

Unfortunately, He Wanru had been spoiled by her family since her youth. After marrying into the Xu family, Xu Zhiheng was also gentle-natured, and even the First Madam He Yan above her was ineffective, having ambition but no wisdom. She didn’t listen to a word of Maid Qin’s advice, and by the time Maid Qin wanted to do something, it was too late.

On the day He Yan was drowned, she hid among the servants outside, terrified to her core. He Wanru’s actions were too bold – so many people… acting as if they had no concerns at all. She vaguely heard the conversation between He Wanru and He Yan, which seemed like riddles, not very clear, but there was one phrase Maid Qin remembered distinctly: He Wanru called He Yan “General He.”

“General He” referred to Flying Phoenix General He Rufei, He Yan’s elder brother – what did this have to do with He Yan? In her panic at the time, Maid Qin hadn’t figured it out, but later when she fled the Xu household and traveled with Iron Smith Niu, as she pondered this matter carefully, she detected something unusual. She seemed to have glimpsed a hint of this secret, but… it was too shocking. Once this secret was revealed to the world, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, unless necessary, Maid Qin would never reveal this matter. And now, whenever she recalled the scene from that day, she felt chilled to the bone.

That day, in front of many witnesses, the First Madam of the Xu family was forced by clubs and sticks into a pool of cold water, never to emerge again. But those who were so arrogant at the scene, in others’ eyes, were already all dead people by then. Even He Wanru hadn’t expected that shortly after Xu Zhiheng took his wife’s life, he would move against her.

It was all karmic retribution, predetermined by fate.

No one in the room spoke. Maid Qin couldn’t help but raise her head to look at him, feeling anxious. This was her biggest secret, and she didn’t know who this person was or why he wanted to know these things.

“Continue,” Xiao Jue said.

Having someone speak was better than the continued silence. Maid Qin decided to tell everything, “After the First Madam’s death, I predicted that Young Master would silence Concubine He. I was scared and wanted to escape with her, but she refused. By then, the servants in the mansion, especially those present in the concubine’s courtyard that day, were forbidden from leaving. When I escaped later, I asked others to inquire about the situation. I heard that all the original people from Concubine He’s courtyard had been replaced with new ones… They were all dead.”

“Sir…” Maid Qin wiped her tears as she spoke, “This is all I know. Although I served Concubine He before, she never told me why Young Master wanted to kill the First Madam. I was just a servant in the Xu household, I know nothing. Please spare us!”

Xiao Jue stood up, glanced at the two of them, and said, “You’ll stay here for now,” before walking out.

Guards waiting outside followed him in. Xiao Jue walked forward – this wasn’t the Xiao residence but a separate courtyard. Luan Ying and Fei Nu walked beside Xiao Jue, both shocked by what they’d learned.

Xiao Jue stopped at the flowering wall at the end of the courtyard. It was early spring, and the wall only had emerald leaves, no red flowers. His voice fell into the wind, carrying a biting chill, “Luan Ying, when are the birthdays of He Rufei and Xu’s First Madam?”

Luan Ying answered, “The Spring Equinox. That day, both He’s First Madam and Second Madam gave birth simultaneously. He Rufei and Xu’s First Madam were born at the same time, both on the Spring Equinox.” After speaking, she exchanged glances with Fei Nu, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

In Jinling, they had learned from Hua Youxian that the original “He Rufei” was a woman. Now He Rufei’s actions in the Huayuan battle clearly showed he wasn’t the original “He Rufei.” Xiao Jue had been ordering Luan Ying to investigate women close to He Rufei, but now it seemed unnecessary. Although Maid Qin only said “General He,” these three words had already made everything clear.

The original He Rufei, who studied at Xianchang Hall, went to Rurulou with young men in Jinling, who achieved brilliant military feats in the Fuyue Army, was Xu’s First Madam, the cousin born on the same day as He Rufei. Now, Xu’s First Madam was dead. No one in the world knew this secret, so He Rufei became the real “Flying Phoenix General.”

“Continue gathering information about all matters concerning Xu’s First Madam when she was alive,” Xiao Jue said. “The relationship between Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei may not be simple. Xu Zhiheng must have known about He Rufei and his cousin switching identities.”

Luan Ying nodded in agreement, then hesitated before speaking, “But Young Master, Miss He bribed the Xu family’s gatekeeper to inquire about Maid Qin’s whereabouts, presumably for this matter. The identity switch between He Rufei and Xu’s First Madam was a secret, how did Miss He know about it? And why investigate this? Both He Rufei and the Xu family targeted Miss He – previously, I thought their real target was you, Young Master, but now it seems that might not be the case.”

“What role does Miss He play in all this?”

Luan Ying was many years older than Xiao Jue, having practically watched him grow up. Often, she wasn’t as cautious around him as Fei Nu was and would speak her mind freely.

Xiao Jue remained silent. It was Fei Nu who finally couldn’t help but say, “Miss He shares the same name as Xu’s First Madam.”

“That’s just a coincidence,” Luan Ying continued without hesitation. “I’ve investigated – Miss He is just Miss He, her identity hasn’t been substituted, and she’s had this name since birth. There are no other possibilities. I previously wondered if Xu’s First Madam had a twin sister or something similar, but the ages don’t match, and the He family’s neighbors can all testify that Miss He resembles her mother.”

Therefore, He Yan couldn’t possibly be the former Xu First Madam’s twin sister.

“Stop here regarding He Yan’s matter,” Xiao Jue said. “I know what I’m doing.”

Fei Nu and Luan Ying exchanged glances, neither having expected that one matter would lead to so many developments. Not only had they discovered the shocking secret of He Rufei and his cousin switching identities, but even He Yan’s actions had become mysterious.

But since Xiao Jue had spoken, they could only follow his orders.

Xiao Jue said, “Watch these two carefully, don’t let them escape.”

Both acknowledged his order.

After Fei Nu and Luan Ying dispersed to their duties, Xiao Jue gazed at the quiet sky.

In Shuojing’s winter, only a few sparse stars dotted the black velvet sky, like the flickering lights of the clear spring at that time. Above and below the water’s surface were bright lanterns.

The longevity noodles on the boat steamed hot, the sweet soup in leaf-wrapped cups was like honey, and the girl’s face was hidden behind the lantern light. That night was too beautiful, the wind too cool and refreshing, making one overlook her reddened eyes from the rising steam.

He raised his eyebrows and asked, “Isn’t today your birthday?”

The girl’s eyes curved in a smile, “Commander, you’re so good to me, thank you.”

He slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling on the reflection in the pond beside his boots.

That day was Jiyang’s Water God Festival, the Spring Equinox.

…

He Yan was in a truly bad mood.

Unable to find Iron Smith Niu and consequently Maid Qin’s whereabouts left her with many suspicions. If Xu Zhiheng found Maid Qin before her, Maid Qin would surely meet with misfortune, and she would lose an important witness.

She had wanted to see Fu Wang, but now she was short on money, and the Xu family’s servants were particularly greedy. Going empty-handed would likely yield no useful information. So from the second day after returning from the market, everyone in the He family noticed her low spirits.

“Yan Yan, Father passed by East Street today and heard that young ladies entering Shuojing are favoring a new kind of fragrant balm. Father bought one for you – you can apply a little on your hands daily to smell nice.”

He Yan listlessly replied, “Thank you, Father.”

He Sui was also troubled. Previously, his daughter had been beautiful as flowers and moon, and though somewhat spoiled in temperament, as a girl, being delicate made her endearing. His colleagues and friends all knew his daughter was fragile and beautiful. Now that He Yan had returned, her temperament was completely different from before. Not only did she practice martial arts and chop firewood every morning, but she also didn’t use any of the rouge and powder he bought her before, going about with a bare face and wearing only dresses that wouldn’t hinder her work.

Although this was fine too, the difference was too stark. Sometimes when He Sui looked at her, he missed his former delicate daughter. Thus, he tried buying little trinkets to remind He Yan that she was a woman. Though he felt He Yan was fine as she was, General Feng Yun was taking a wife, not a brother. They couldn’t have people saying He Yan looked more masculine than Xiao Jue when they went out together – what kind of situation would that be?

He Yan didn’t know her behavior had troubled He Sui to such an extent; she was solely preoccupied with Maid Qin’s matter. Although she knew Iron Smith Niu was unlikely to appear at Changmao Iron Shop again, she still held a glimmer of hope. After two more days, early in the morning before dawn, when He Sui and He Yunsheng hadn’t yet left, He Yan quietly got up in the dark, folded her bedding, and rode Xiangxiang toward that town again.

So when Qingmei got up to feed the horses, she let out the same cry of alarm as she had days before. This time she was much more composed than the last – instead of bursting into tears upon finding the room empty, she walked to Chiwu’s room and knocked politely.

Chiwu opened the door: “What is it?”

Qingmei smiled reproachfully at him, “Master Chiwu, did you sleep too deeply? Miss has gone out with Xiangxiang again. Didn’t you notice?”

Chiwu: “…”