“It’s just that Your Highness was taken away by this young brother, so His Highness must be anxious. He’s probably trying every means to send people out to find you, so he has no mind to deal with the besieging situation around him.”

Meng Qin thought for a moment, then looked disapprovingly at the young man behind Qin Yining. “Even if this young brother wanted to protect Your Highness, his methods were too extreme. You killed so many Danfu County people—won’t the citizens blame all this on Your Highness? They don’t know what relationship you have with Her Highness.”

The young man held his bamboo staff and looked at Meng Qin without saying a word, his expression unchanged.

Seeing Meng Qin’s furrowed brow, Qin Yining smiled. “He can’t hear and can’t speak either. Perhaps having lived in isolated places for years, he doesn’t understand worldly affairs well. I’ll teach him gradually in the future.”

Hearing this, Meng Qin felt it inappropriate to pursue the matter further.

Qin Yining then said, “In that case, I’d like to trouble you to go report my safety to His Highness.”

“This is a small matter. Earlier I was afraid you had other arrangements, but since you say so, I’ll slip in.”

“Good. Also, please explain my situation here to His Highness.” Qin Yining carefully told Meng Qin about Tao Hanshan’s deployments and arrangements, as well as her failed attempts at persuasion. “It’s not about me being effectively placed under house arrest, but Advisor Tao’s methods might cause trouble. Telling His Highness early will let him prepare in advance.”

“Yes.” Meng Qin nodded with bright eyes. Even if the Alliance Leader didn’t pursue this matter, he would. What was that Tao Hanshan anyway? Growing two mustaches made him think he was a divine strategist? Looking down on their Alliance Leader? Bah! He wasn’t worthy!

Qin Yining walked to the table and, seeing no writing materials prepared, thought for a moment and tore off a piece of fabric from her skirt hem. Taking out the handkerchief-wrapped rouge, eyebrow black, and other cosmetics she carried, she used the eyebrow black to quickly write small characters on the fabric.

“Quietly give this to His Highness and let him act with discretion after reading it.”

Meng Qin nodded. Without Qin Yining’s instruction, he didn’t look at the content on the fabric, just folded it properly and put it in his bosom. “Alliance Leader, rest assured.”

“Good, go now. Don’t let them see you and become suspicious.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’ve observed their guard rotation times—I’ll leave shortly.”

Meng Qin bowed farewell to Qin Yining and, according to his observed timing, slipped out again without a sound.

Qin Yining stood under the corridor carefully listening to the outside movement. Confirming that Meng Qin hadn’t alerted any guards, she finally exhaled and returned to the room with the young man.

After sitting down, Qin Yining couldn’t help but shake her head with some amusement.

This was among Pang Xiao’s own subordinates, yet she had to act so cautiously. Without comparison, she wouldn’t have known that her previously smooth actions must have all been due to Pang Xiao’s behind-the-scenes instructions. It was also because Pang Xiao showed sufficient respect for her in front of his subordinates that those frequently contacted people treated her with such respect.

Someone like Tao Hanshan, though quite capable among Pang Xiao’s advisors, didn’t have a position high enough to frequently appear around Pang Xiao. Naturally not knowing the details, he was quite wary of her.

Qin Yining felt both frustrated and amused. Being placed under house arrest by her own people, with Tao Hanshan’s purpose still being to help Pang Xiao handle affairs, fearing that she, a mere woman, would interfere and ruin Pang Xiao’s great enterprise—she didn’t know whether she should be angry.

She and the young man had been fleeing for so long that both were severely exhausted physically, with the young man having lost too much blood. Now he sat in the round chair by the door, holding his bamboo staff with his head lowered. Though his eyes were open, he was already in a daze.

Even though extremely fatigued, he still forced himself to stay awake. From his tightly pressed lips, one could see he was very unhappy.

Qin Yining shook her head with amusement, walked to him, and took out the medicines Bingtang had given her, selecting those suitable for the young man and handing them to him.

Once again, the young man accepted and consumed them without the slightest hesitation.

Qin Yining asked, “Are you angry?”

The young man naturally wouldn’t answer her.

Qin Yining thought about how Tao Hanshan had just said he planned to make the young man a scapegoat, blaming the Danfu County people’s “treason” on him, and understood what the young man was upset about.

Originally, the young man had killed the adulterous couple who harbored ill intentions toward Wang the Benefactor, only to be betrayed, thrown onto the street, and have an arm and leg broken, living a life worse than pigs and dogs for so long.

The young man was probably someone who valued gratitude and loyalty deeply. Having been hurt and heartbroken, he had become disheartened and chose to get by without resistance.

This time, Tao Hanshan’s proposed method—wasn’t it another betrayal?

If Qin Yining had nodded then, the young man would have been betrayed a second time, and this time the price he paid would be even more severe—his very life.

Qin Yining knew the young man couldn’t hear, but such deaf-mute people were extremely sensitive to others’ malice. He must have known Tao Hanshan wanted to harm him, which was why he was so sullen and vigilant.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer injustice. If you didn’t do something, I absolutely won’t let you take the blame. I’ve already thought of a solution. When we get out, you can stay by my side as a guard.”

The young man looked up at Qin Yining with confused eyes, but still nodded.

Qin Yining chuckled. He couldn’t hear yet still cooperated by nodding?

With such a young man, Qin Yining was actually glad he couldn’t hear when Tao Hanshan spoke those words earlier. Otherwise, wouldn’t he have been angered into something serious?

Just as Qin Yining was lost in random thoughts, the young man suddenly opened his mouth and hesitantly made a sound.

“Xiao.” His voice was hoarse, his intonation stiff—clearly having not spoken for a long time.

Qin Yining was immediately stunned with amazement.

“Were you just speaking?”

The young man nodded and said again, “Ni, xiao, shen mo?”

“Ni xiao shen mo… you’re asking what I’m laughing about?” Qin Yining was surprised and astonished. “So you’re not mute? Not deaf either?”

The young man stopped talking, pressing his lips together and lowering his eyes, a dimple appearing on his right cheek.

Qin Yining remembered what Wang the Benefactor had said—when he found the young man, he was wearing foreign crossed-collar robes, grass shoes, and had a strong fishy sea smell about him.

Qin Yining suddenly had an epiphany. “You’re Japanese?”

The young man looked up at Qin Yining and finally nodded honestly.

Qin Yining slowly recalled what Wang the Benefactor had said, and everything made sense.

The young man probably wasn’t deaf or mute. When he first arrived here, he had likely drifted here by accident. In a foreign land, understanding nothing and unable to speak the local language, he naturally could only pretend to be deaf and mute.

Qin Yining slowed her speech. “Can you hear everything I say? Can you understand the meaning?”

The young man nodded, then shook his head.

“You can hear, but can’t understand everything?”

The young man nodded emphatically again.

Qin Yining said, “Does Wang the Benefactor know about your condition?”

The young man blinked and took a moment to understand Qin Yining’s meaning before shaking his head.

Qin Yining smiled. “Since you can hear and speak, I’ll have someone teach you our Great Zhou language in the future. What’s your name?”

“My name, I’m called…” The young man said a string of words Qin Yining couldn’t understand.

Qin Yining stared wide-eyed, awkwardly and hesitantly saying, “You just said your name is… ‘Crying Silly One’?”

The young man looked at Qin Yining, thought for a moment, then burst into laughter, repeatedly shaking his head and waving his hands. He used his left hand to write characters on the table.

Qin Yining looked down and found that among the characters he wrote, she recognized the first two. She said with embarrassment, “So it’s Sakurai… I don’t recognize the ones after. So in your place, this character is pronounced ‘crying silly’?”

The young man smiled and nodded, reading his name once more.

Qin Yining was quite curious about the Japanese language and followed Sakurai in reading it several times until she could pronounce his name accurately.

She asked curiously again, “You know what ‘thank you’ means, right? How do you say ‘thank you’ in your place?”

Sakurai reacted slowly but still understood Qin Yining’s meaning, producing the pronunciation of four characters.

Qin Yining followed him in learning it several times, then suddenly smiled and read his name together with the four characters she’d just learned.

Sakurai immediately froze in shock.

Qin Yining smiled. “You were severely injured saving me. I’ll repay you in the future.”

Sakurai remained stunned without any reaction.

Seeing him silent with a poor complexion, Qin Yining knew his body was still weak. She stopped learning Japanese with him and smiled. “It’s getting late—you should rest. I’m going to sleep in the inner room too.”

Qin Yining pointed to the warm kang by the window, indicating Sakurai should sleep there, then went into the inner room herself.

Having sent news to Pang Xiao through Meng Qin, Qin Yining believed Pang Xiao could resolve the citizens besieging the government office tonight. Her mood relaxed somewhat. She and Sakurai had been fleeing for two days, and now feeling the fatigue, Qin Yining fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.

Sakurai sat in the round chair by the door, not going to rest on the warm kang by the window as instructed, but holding his bamboo sword with a thoughtful expression.

His hearing was exceptional. When he heard Qin Yining’s even breathing from the inner room, Sakurai stood up, lightened his steps, and slowly walked to the floor screen. Looking at the person sleeping soundly on her side facing the inner side of the arhat bed, his eyes gradually became determined.

He placed the bamboo sword against the wall, slowly knelt on one knee, lowered his head and placed his hand on his chest, performing the ritual of acknowledging a master.

He had performed this same ritual for Wang the Benefactor years ago. But just after acknowledging him as master, Wang the Benefactor had betrayed him.

He had always been betrayed, until his heart became ashen.

But this woman was so wonderful—trusting him and giving him hope.

He feared being rejected if he acknowledged her as master face-to-face, and also felt that being disabled and of humble status, he wasn’t worthy to be her follower. So he took advantage of her sleep to quietly perform the master-acknowledgment ritual, recognizing her status in his heart.

As long as he acknowledged this master in his heart, whether she recognized him no longer mattered.

After performing the master-acknowledgment ritual, Sakurai took his bamboo sword and returned to the outer room.

He didn’t plan to rest, wanting to continue standing guard for her through the night.

Who would have thought that just after sitting down, he suddenly heard rustling sounds from the courtyard outside, along with extremely light and mixed footsteps. Just from listening, he could judge there were at least twenty people approaching.

Sakurai’s expression changed dramatically. He hurriedly limped quickly into the inner room and shook Qin Yining awake.