Three days had already passed.

Li Xian Huai lingered outside Ye Xian’s study, letting out a soft sigh.

Outside the study stood the personal guards of the old Marquis of Chang Xing Manor, eight tall men in thick padded jackets from the Iron Cavalry Camp, surrounding the study.

Those who knew understood that the Heir was inside the study, but those who didn’t might think a prisoner was being held there!

Li Xian Huai tiptoed out of the covered corridor. The night guard who saw him clasped his hands in greeting: “Guard Li, it’s already the second watch of the night and you’re still not sleeping…” Li Xian Huai nodded casually, his mind elsewhere. The night guard continued: “We’re about to change shifts, and Brother Zuo bought two strings of braised pig intestines. Why don’t you come to have a few drinks and some food with us…”

Li Xian Huai impatiently waved him off: “Get away from me, only you lot enjoy eating such stinking things!” He craned his neck toward the study, but those dark figures remained motionless. He walked back to the corridor and looked up at the floating stars in the night sky, with unease clawing at his heart like a cat.

This matter should be important enough to tell the Young Master about, no matter what…

Li Xian Huai walked to the door but was blocked again by several Iron Cavalry soldiers. Two coldly gleaming broadswords stood upright before him, and their words were equally cold and merciless: “The old Marquis ordered that no irrelevant people are allowed in. Get away quickly!”

The Iron Cavalry soldiers had all rolled over sword edges to survive—they feared killing the least of all. Although Li Xian Huai had good martial skills, his were honed for survival in the jianghu, and he dared not easily confront such men. One trained to preserve life, the other trained to take it—these were not the same.

Li Xian Huai smiled and walked a few steps away before quietly cursing “turtle bastard” in Sichuan dialect, feeling extremely vexed.

Even if they were the old Marquis’s guards from the Iron Cavalry, there was no need to be so arrogant!

He glanced toward the side of the study.

Bamboo groves surrounded the Young Master’s study. Going from the back building, there was a high ventilation window that had been sealed shut, with a curio shelf inside… Going from the side room led to a corridor, very conspicuous, but the lattice window there was never opened. The Young Master liked to set up crossbows there—anyone who sneaked into Chang Xing Manor without knowing this might not leave alive…

After being promoted to Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the Young Master had become much busier. A few days ago, he had just investigated the Huguang embezzlement case, implicating fifty to sixty people from the Provincial Governor down to the County Magistrate. Officials covered for each other, with a degree of corruption that made one’s hair stand on end. These people had just been escorted from Huguang to the capital, causing a stir in the Court of Judicial Review, the Surveillance Commission, and the Ministry of Justice. The Young Master had spent half a month at the Court of Judicial Review and still had work to do in his study upon returning…

The strangest thing was the old Marquis sending his guards from the Iron Cavalry to stand watch. Even meals were personally delivered by the Marchioness every day…

This was inside Chang Xing Manor—such strict security seemed unnecessary.

After thinking for a while, Li Xian Huai took advantage of the darkness to slip into the bamboo grove and circle to the back building. He tucked the hem of his short brown robe into his belt, spat on his hands, and leaped up to grab a bamboo stalk. The bamboo was long, slippery, and branchless, making it difficult to hold onto, but Li Xian Huai dared not alert the people outside. He immediately made another light jump, grabbing a tenon joint under the eaves, his feet landing on the window sill that was barely a foot wide.

His forehead was covered in fine sweat, but he dared not wipe it. In such a dangerous position, even someone with the best lightness of kung fu would not dare to attempt it lightly.

After steadying himself, Li Xian Huai took a shining dagger from his sleeve. The dagger could cut through iron like mud, and he gently pried open the sealed wooden strips of the high window. He pushed the window panel lightly and placed one foot on the curio shelf inside the study.

Li Xian Huai let out a soft sigh, stuck his head inside, and carefully closed the window panel. But he immediately froze.

The Young Master, dressed in a black brocade robe, was sitting in the master chair, pointing a crossbow at him.

Li Xian Huai lowered his voice and smiled: “Young Master…”

Ye Xian still hadn’t lowered the crossbow in his hand, regarding him coolly: “If I hadn’t seen the brown robe, you’d be dead by now.”

Li Xian Huai chuckled twice, leaped down from the curio shelf, and said softly: “I couldn’t come through the proper entrance with eight guards outside your study… I’m not sure if this counts as an urgent matter, but it’s truly strange.”

Ye Xian rose to close the lattice window and asked him: “What exactly do you need to see me about?”

Many case files were still spread open on his desk.

Li Xian Huai said: “You’ve been having me keep an eye on Elder Yao’s movements… After the former Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was arrested, Elder Yao grew close to Wang Xuan Fan and even put in a word for him at the Ministry of Justice. Now Elder Yao has inexplicably fallen out with Wang Xuan Fan, and you’ll never guess why…”

Without prolonging the suspense, he continued to explain the situation from beginning to end, then added: “Both Yao Ping and Wang Xuan Fan were outmaneuvered by Chen Yan Yun. This Elder Chen is quite a cunning man… No one understands what got Elder Chen to propose marriage to the Second Miss Gu. Now this engagement has spread throughout all of Yanjing, giving the Gu family quite a moment of glory… I found it too strange, and since you have dealings with the Second Miss Gu, what do you think is going on?”

Ye Xian sat in the master chair, chin in hand, nearly falling asleep. Hearing this, he wearily raised his eyelids: “Second Miss Gu… what does that have to do with me?”

He hadn’t even taken a good look at Gu Jin Chao’s incompetent cousin.

Li Xian Huai scratched his head. “Ah… then I risked coming in for nothing. I thought you cared about her marriage. Last time when Second Miss Gu’s cousin proposed to her, you even had me investigate his ancestry…”

Ye Xian finally opened his eyes completely and frowned: “Second Miss Gu…” The Gu family had rearranged their birth order, so Second Miss Gu… Li Xian Huai was talking about Gu Jin Chao!

Ye Xian nearly jumped from his chair, grabbing Li Xian Huai’s collar: “Speak clearly, Chen Yan Yun and Second Miss Gu… Gu Jin Chao are engaged?”

Li Xian Huai was startled by the Young Master’s reaction, not knowing what to say.

“This… I was puzzled too. How could two completely unrelated people… how did Chen Yan Yun take a liking to Second Miss Gu…”

Ye Xian realized he had lost his composure and released Li Xian Huai, then began pacing around the study.

Chen Yan Yun… thinking of this man, his strongest impression was that smiling face, his inscrutable gaze, and a nature that could be described as ruthlessly cold-blooded. How could such a person want to marry Gu Jin Chao? He wouldn’t do anything that brought him no benefit.

Didn’t he have a deceased wife and a son who placed third in last year’s provincial examinations in Northern Zhili? So marrying Gu Jin Chao would mean taking a second wife.

And how could Gu Jin Chao have agreed?

Ye Xian pressed his lips tightly together. No wonder Li Xian Huai couldn’t come in these past days, and his mother had been bringing his meals… He rubbed his temples, feeling irritated. He had been too busy lately, not even noticing such a small matter…

“Bring me my cloak,” Ye Xian told Li Xian Huai, picking up the crossbow.

Li Xian Huai brought over the Young Master’s dark blue Hangzhou silk cloak. Ye Xian tucked the small crossbow into his sleeve and said quietly: “You go back out through the high window. Find our men outside and have the carriage ready.”

He then stepped over the screen and opened the study door.

Sure enough, Iron Cavalry soldiers stood at the door. Seeing the Young Master emerge, their leader cupped his hands and said: “Young Master, you’ve come out…” Then he secretly gave a signal to a guard beside him to quickly notify the old Marquis.

Ye Xian smiled: “Who ordered you to stand guard here?”

The leader hastily replied: “You’ve been busy with official duties lately. We are following the old Marquis’s orders to protect you.”

Ye Xian stared at him with a smile at the corner of his lips. Though his delicate features were as beautiful as a woman’s, his gaze turned gloomy. The Iron Cavalry guards had all witnessed how Ye Xian saved the Marquis of Chang Xing at Prince Lian’s palace that day, and how he mercilessly killed Xiao You… Now facing such a gaze, they couldn’t help but break into cold sweat, their legs growing weak.

Ye Xian slowly said: “Are you protecting me or placing me under house arrest? You’re being too bold. Don’t forget, in the future, Chang Xing Manor will be under my charge. You should know who you can and cannot afford to offend.”

He no longer paid attention to the man and straightened his robe before walking out. The lead guard mustered his courage to block him again: “Young Master, the old Marquis said you cannot leave on your own. Please have mercy on this humble one. If you leave, I will lose my life…”

“How about I take your life right now?” Ye Xian smiled, his crossbow pressed against the man’s neck.

The Iron Cavalry men finally gave way.

Li Xian Huai had already prepared a carriage waiting behind the screen wall, surrounded by Ye Xian’s trained assassins. Since childhood, he had liked to cultivate his forces, and these men listened only to him. When Ye Xian reached the screen wall, he immediately instructed Li Xian Huai to go to the Gu family in Daxing. Behind him, the old Marquis finally caught up with his men, accompanied by an anxious Lady Gao: “Ye Xian, stop right there!”

“Grandfather, your grandson has urgent business to attend to. We can talk when I return,” said Ye Xian.

The old Marquis trembled with anger: “Silence! I never knew you could be so foolish. Your sister has told me everything! Last time I found it strange that you specifically sought out Gao Jing Yao to give the Luohe shipping rights to the Luo family… You unfilial child, look at what you’ve done! Whether it’s the Chen family or the Gu family, you are not to interfere. For the sake of a woman, where would you place Chang Xing Manor?”

Lady Gao continued: “Your mother has already sent a matchmaker to the He family. Don’t cause trouble at this time. Why won’t you listen to your mother? Has that woman bewitched you so thoroughly…”

Ye Xian nodded: “To keep me from learning of this matter, you even specially arranged for the Iron Cavalry to watch me.” He turned to Lady Gao, “No wonder I’ve been feeling so drowsy lately… You must have added some calming medicine to the meals you’ve been bringing me each day.”

Lady Gao was speechless.

Ye Xian then said to the old Marquis: “Grandfather, when Father was lying sick in bed, you said that Chang Xing Manor would be my responsibility. Since it’s my responsibility, let me handle it my way. I know what I’m doing… no one should interfere.”

The Chang Xing Marquis family owed Gu Jin Chao a great debt. If not for those few words from Gu Jin Chao, perhaps Chang Xing Manor would have been destroyed by now.

After speaking, Ye Xian lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, which immediately drove out of Chang Xing Manor. Hundreds of swords pointed at them, but those assassins showed no fear.

The old Marquis let out a long sigh.