The wind blew, making the copper bells hanging from the corners of the waterside pavilion chime.

Ning Yin twirled the lychee pit between his fingers, looking at the stunned Yu Lingxi holding the brush, and after a moment raised an eyebrow: “The young lady doesn’t like it?”

How could this be a matter of liking or not liking?

Anyone who received a brush made of hair would need some time to react.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just curious.”

Yu Lingxi held the smoothly carved red lacquer brush handle, her fair fingertips contrasting with the gorgeous carved red lacquer, and glanced at him saying, “What if next time, I compliment your beautiful eyes?”

“If the young lady likes them, I could gouge out my eyes and present them to you, that’s not impossible.”

Ning Yin considered it seriously for a moment before saying unhurriedly, “But since the young lady is kind-hearted, eyeballs are troublesome to handle, and I wouldn’t want to frighten you.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Yu Lingxi quickly halted this dangerous topic, “Hair can grow back once cut, but if eyes or limbs are lost, that’s a permanent mutilation. The parts of a human body look best when the person is still alive…”

As she was speaking, Ning Yin suddenly chuckled softly: “Oh, so the young lady prefers to use living things.”

Thanks to him, whenever Yu Lingxi now heard the word “use,” her cheeks instinctively flushed.

She frowned, somewhat helplessly: “What I mean is, you should take good care of your own body.”

This time Ning Yin didn’t laugh, his pitch-black eyes gazing at her eyelashes for a long time, and it was unclear whether he had taken her words to heart.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly said: “Would the young lady use this brush to write something for me?”

There was something oddly reluctant about dipping Ning Yin’s beautiful hair in ink.

Yu Lingxi composed herself, then moistened the brush tip with clear water and prepared the ink: “What would you like me to write?”

Ning Yin placed his right hand behind his back, while his left hand, wrapped with the apricot-white ribbon, methodically ground the ink stick. Recalling yesterday’s scene, he said: “Crimson deep on lychee cheeks, musk navel fragrance full.”

The brush tip paused, drawing a small ink tail on the rice paper.

“This brush has excellent resilience, suitable for bold and unconstrained cursive script, not appropriate for such a sentence.”

Yu Lingxi pretended not to understand his little scheme, but wrote a line from the Book of Changes: “The superior man hides his talents within, waiting for the right time to act.”

“Superior man” refers to a person of complete virtue, as well as the son of a ruler, who remains hidden until the time is right. Despite Ning Yin’s self-proclaimed cleverness, he couldn’t discern which meaning Yu Lingxi intended.

His ink-grinding slowed, and he smiled ambiguously: “The young lady thinks too highly of me.”

“My judgment is excellent; I don’t misjudge people.”

Yu Lingxi blew the ink dry and handed the finished writing to Ning Yin, her smile sincere, “Thank you for the brush. It writes well.”

Ning Yin lowered his gaze, slowly raised his hand, and held the other end of the rice paper.

The bold, unrestrained characters on the paper seemed to be imprinted in his eyes.

The breeze rippled the spring water in the pond, and the willow leaves rustled.

Ning Yin’s eyes darkened slightly as he glanced toward the moon gate behind the rockery, where a plain-colored robe corner flashed by.

Zhao Yuming had returned.

She had intended to probe about the status of the Extreme Pleasure Incense afflicting Yu Lingxi but unexpectedly witnessed the entire scene in the pavilion.

When the black-clad youth slightly turned his head, she was startled and hurriedly left.

Only after exiting the side gate of the General’s Mansion did she finally stop, still shaken. After the brief surprise, deep jealousy welled up.

The young man in the pavilion was partially obscured by the pillar, and she couldn’t see his face. Judging from his clothes, he seemed to be a guard or similar, yet Yu Lingxi’s every smile and frown showed intimate trust, without maintaining proper distance between men and women.

Recalling what she had heard from Zhao Xu about the effects of the Extreme Pleasure Incense…

Zhao Yuming covered her injured face, a dark sense of secret delight rising in her heart.

Three years ago, when she came to the Yu mansion for a birthday celebration and first saw the bright and noble Second Young Master Xue at the banquet, she couldn’t forget him. She knew her father was merely an unambitious seventh-rank minor official, their family status was humble, and there were no reliable brothers to support her, so she could only bury her feelings deep in her heart.

But gradually, these feelings became distorted and inflated in daily jealousy and inferiority, consuming her until she was unrecognizable.

Yu Lingxi had been affected by the Extreme Pleasure Incense; she couldn’t possibly be pure anymore. How was she any cleaner than herself? Why could Second Young Master Xue accept her but not herself?

Her loss of virtue to the Crown Prince was receiving favor; while Yu Lingxi’s loss of virtue to a lowly servant was a disgrace.

Zhao Yuming slowly clenched her fingers and said to her maid: “Hong Zhu, let’s go to the Xue mansion.”

“Young lady, you still haven’t given up?”

The maid looked troubled, “Second Young Master Xue won’t see you. You’ve visited several times, but he wouldn’t even let you through the door. Besides, you’re about to enter the palace, and he’ll be even more careful to avoid suspicion.”

Zhao Yuming paused, saying reluctantly: “Then find out when Young Master Xue will leave today. I’ll wait for him outside.”

Seeing the maid hesitate without moving, she urged: “There won’t be another chance after tomorrow. Hurry!”

No matter what method she used, she had to tell Xue Cen what she had witnessed with her own eyes, to kill any thought he had of marrying Yu Lingxi.

In the side chamber, smoke curled from the animal-shaped incense burner.

Yu Lingxi washed the red lacquered plum-patterned brush, carefully dried it with cotton cloth, and then placed it on the brush rest to air dry.

Her fingertips rubbed over the intricately carved lacquer patterns, and she couldn’t help but smile: the little madman’s ideas were still so incomprehensible.

One’s body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents. Only lovers in the passionate of their wedding night would be willing to cut off a lock of hair as a gift. How did he come up with the idea of making a brush from hair?

As she was smiling, Yu Xin Yi pushed open the door, and Yu Lingxi withdrew her hand.

Yu Xin Yi didn’t notice her small movement, casually placed her sword on the table, and rubbed her neck saying: “I just saw Zhao Yuming sneaking out of the side gate. Did she do anything to you?”

“Zhao Yuming?”

Shouldn’t she have left long ago?

Thinking of something, Yu Lingxi snorted: “It doesn’t matter. What she considers leverage is merely an empty reputation; it can’t harm me in the slightest.”

Only those with dirty minds would see everyone else as dirty.

Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard a commotion from the front courtyard.

“Sister, what’s happening outside?” Yu Lingxi asked.

“Oh, Yu Huan Chen has returned from the palace. It seems that four counties in Luozhou were suddenly hit by a windstorm, destroying thousands of acres of fields and affecting tens of thousands of disaster victims.”

Yu Xin Yi said, “The Emperor has ordered Yu Huan Chen to escort relief funds; he’ll depart tonight.”

“So quickly?”

“The disaster is urgent; traveling day and night is common in such cases.”

Although that was true, Yu Lingxi still felt something was amiss.

Why would someone from the General’s Mansion be tasked with transporting disaster relief funds?

By the end of the hour of the rooster, just as darkness fell, Yu Huan Chen had prepared his troops to depart.

Yu Lingxi stood on the steps holding a gauze lantern, and after some thought, cautioned the armor-clad Yu Huan Chen: “The matter of disaster relief involves many complexities. Brother, please be careful.”

Yu Huan Chen wrapped the reins around his hand and laughed sonorously: “If I can’t handle such a small matter, I would dishonor my position as the Young General of the Yu family. Sui Sui, don’t worry, wait for your brother’s return!”

Then he looked at Yu Xin Yi, who stood with folded arms, and sternly said: “Yu Xin Yi, take good care of mother and sister!”

“Do I need you to tell me that?”

Yu Xin Yi said disdainfully, “Go quickly, don’t be late.”

Yu Huan Chen raised his whip and led the Yu family’s trusted soldiers toward the city gate.

The torches wound away, quickly disappearing into the night.

…

After a night of wind, rain dripped from the empty steps.

At the back gate of the enclosure, Ning Yin passed the on-duty Yu family guards, stepping down the stone stairs on thick, fallen red leaves.

A peddler approached from the opposite direction, carrying goods on a shoulder pole and shaking a rattle drum to attract customers. Seeing Ning Yin, he eagerly came forward: “Young sir, would you like to buy some sweets?”

Ning Yin stopped, glanced at the colorful preserved fruits and sugar granules in the goods box, and casually asked: “Do you have malt candy?”

“Yes, yes.” The peddler quickly took out a piece of oiled paper and scooped a spoonful of malt candy for him.

“This subordinate has spread rumors in town as ordered by Your Highness. The Censorate is now denouncing the Crown Prince for his misconduct, just waiting for the right moment.”

The peddler continued his actions without pause, reporting in a voice only they could hear, “Also, the General’s Mansion is secretly investigating Your Highness’s past. This subordinate fears they might discover Your Highness is in their mansion. Should we take action…”

“Not necessary.” Ning Yin took out a few copper coins and placed them in the drawer of the goods box, his expression calm. “Let them investigate.”

It all depended on whether Yu Huan Chen had the fortune to return alive and investigate his background.

After all, while Ning Tan might be incompetent as a pig, he certainly held grudges.

“Look into the Extreme Pleasure Incense for me,” Ning Yin smiled.

“Certainly.” The peddler smiled, offering the wrapped candy with both hands: “Young sir, walk slowly.”

Ning Yin put the candy package behind his back and climbed the steps in the gradually fading rattledrum sound, heading toward the waterside pavilion.

Sure enough, Yu Lingxi was there practicing calligraphy.

The wind lifted her light crimson skirt hem, like a scattering of dawn clouds.

As if she knew she would meet him, she had specifically not brought maids to attend her.

So Ning Yin walked over and stretched out his hand to slowly grind ink for her.

His posture was leisurely; he was naturally not suited for serving others. Rather than grinding ink, it seemed more like playful teasing out of interest.

“Where did you go? Hu Tao said you weren’t in the enclosure.”

Yu Lingxi glanced at his long-jointed hand, its skin tone contrasting with the deep black ink stick, giving it a cold jade-like quality.

She always felt that Ning Yin’s hands were very suitable for interlocking fingers with someone…

Realizing what she was reminiscing about, Yu Lingxi’s heart tightened, and she hurriedly dispersed the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

“Buying candy.” Ning Yin wiped his hands and placed the newly purchased malt candy on the stone table, pushing it slightly toward Yu Lingxi.

Then he paused, lowering his eyes and dragging out his tone: “The young lady is not using the brush I gave her.”

Yu Lingxi followed his gaze to look at the bamboo brush in her hand, pretending not to hear the coolness in his tone: “Your brush tip is too beautiful; I can’t bear to use it.”

Yu Lingxi had no habit of writing with hair, so she had carefully stored the red lacquered brush Ning Yin had made in her room.

She had already planned that if Ning Yin gained power in the future but didn’t acknowledge their old relationship, she would take out the brush to show him, exchanging it for a comfortable future.

“What is the young lady plotting? Your eyes are darting around.”

Ning Yin seemed to see through her distraction and chuckled.

Yu Lingxi gathered her scattered thoughts and simply put down her brush.

“Wei Qi, I have a question for you.”

She pressed her lips together, as if pondering for a long time, then softly said, “If… I’m saying if, a person who had served you for two years suddenly died, how would you handle her?”

This thought had been with her since yesterday.

Yesterday, Ning Yin said he didn’t like Zhao Yuming’s face, which made Yu Lingxi vaguely guess why, in her previous life, Ning Yin had scarred Zhao Yuming’s face with his cane after her death.

So she wondered if the doubts and concerns from her previous life could be answered by this life’s Ning Yin.

Ning Yin’s eyebrow slightly raised, seemingly curious about why she would ask this.

But his tone remained cool, lightly saying: “Dead is dead, just dig a hole and bury her.”

He didn’t know why he would answer this nonsensical hypothesis, perhaps because Yu Lingxi’s gaze was too serious and intense at that moment.

“What if there isn’t even a hole?” Yu Lingxi asked again.

Her intuition told her that Ning Yin’s next answer might be the key to the crux.

Ning Yin thought for a moment, picked up a candy from the table, and said: “Then she must be a nobody, not worth my effort.”

Hearing this, Yu Lingxi felt a lump in her throat.

Something she had been concerned about for so long was, in Ning Yin’s view, merely a cold “nobody, not worth the effort.”

Because she wasn’t worth the effort, he let her corpse lie in a dark secret chamber, not even giving her the chance for proper burial.

Having an answer was even more distressing than having none.

Yu Lingxi glared at him, snatched the malt candy from his hand, and said: “You can’t have it anymore.”

Ning Yin was stunned.

Looking at his empty palm, he clicked his tongue: How fierce.

Yu Lingxi thought that after so much time had passed, with the true culprit who poisoned her about to be revealed, she shouldn’t mind that period of being a wandering ghost…

But hearing Ning Yin’s answer directly still couldn’t hide the heartache.

Strange, she used to be more open-minded and wouldn’t be so sensitive.

Seeing her sitting alone without speaking, the cool indifference in Ning Yin’s eyes finally settled, transforming into some confusion.

He stared at Yu Lingxi’s slightly trembling eyelashes for a long time, then peeled a candy for her and held it before her eyes.

He blinked very slowly and called: “Young lady?”

The milky malt candy was pinched between his fingers. Yu Lingxi wrinkled her nose, feeling it wasn’t worth the trouble.

What was the point of holding the little madman accountable for the sins of the big madman from her previous life?

She glanced at Ning Yin, but before she could speak, Hu Tao rushed over with a hurried expression, breaking the silence: “Young lady…”

Seeing Ning Yin present, Hu Tao was hesitant.

Yu Lingxi composed herself and signaled: “Just say it, what’s the matter?”

“Young lady, something has happened at the Zhao mansion.”

Hu Tao lowered her voice, “Your cousin has died.”