When Jiang Xinzhi hurriedly arrived at Prince Jinying’s manor, his expression could no longer be described as merely unsightly. In the dead of night, someone had suddenly scaled into his room. Had they not promptly revealed their identity, they would likely have been dealt with as an assassin. The person appeared hurried, only saying that something had happened to Jiang Ruan and asking him to rush to the Prince’s manor immediately. Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinzhi became frantic, caring for nothing else as he mounted his horse and charged toward Prince Jinying’s manor. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became—how could his perfectly fine younger sister encounter trouble just one day after marrying into the Prince’s manor? The messenger had spoken vaguely, and he didn’t know what exactly had happened. However, Jiang Xinzhi also understood that unless it was a serious matter, Xiao Shao would never personally order someone to notify him.

Indeed, upon arriving at Prince Jinying’s manor and entering the main courtyard gate, he immediately saw Bai Zhi, Lian Qiao, and others with grave expressions outside. Jiang Xinzhi’s heart sank as he strode inside, immediately seeing Jiang Ruan crying while being held in Xiao Shao’s arms.

Ever since being brought back from the estate, Jiang Ruan had almost never lost composure by crying like this. Even in front of Jiang Xinzhi, she was always composed and calm. Jiang Xinzhi deeply understood that his younger sister’s temperament had been honed to be extremely resilient over the years. When had he ever seen her display such an expression? For a moment, he felt somewhat dazed, as the young woman before him overlapped with that gentle, soft little girl from many years ago when Zhao Mei was still alive.

However, it was only a momentary distraction before Jiang Xinzhi snapped back to reality. Taking two or three steps to stand before Xiao Shao, he angrily demanded, “Ah Ruan, what’s wrong with you? Did he bully you?”

Seeing Jiang Ruan crying so severely, Jiang Xinzhi’s heart clenched. There was probably no one in this world who could make her cry like this, but if it were Xiao Shao… Jiang Xinzhi glared coldly, making Ye Feng somewhat nervous, as if Jiang Xinzhi could immediately start a fight with Xiao Shao right here if Jiang Ruan answered yes.

“She’s been poisoned,” Xiao Shao said flatly. “Now she’s also troubled by inner demons, her mind unclear. I called you here because there’s something I want to ask you. Before the Xia family conspired to harm you, had you ever fallen into someone else’s trap?”

“What poisoning? What exactly are you talking about?” Jiang Xinzhi frowned, not understanding what Xiao Shao was saying. Seeing that Jiang Ruan seemed completely unaware of his arrival, he vaguely sensed something was wrong. He stepped forward, bent down to get closer to Jiang Ruan, and said, “Ah Ruan?”

Jiang Ruan was completely oblivious, her gaze hollow like a deep, dark pool. Yet her words were clear, exploding like thunder in Jiang Xinzhi’s ears. She said, “Brother, don’t die. Don’t leave me alone.”

Jiang Xinzhi froze in place. Xiao Shao lowered his eyes: “Now you understand why I called you here.”

“What exactly is going on?” Jiang Xinzhi wasn’t stupid. Seeing Jiang Ruan’s abnormal state, he already understood somewhat. He examined Jiang Ruan up and down, not seeing any other wounds on her body, which finally put his heart slightly at ease. His gaze toward Xiao Shao was already quite unfriendly: “What’s wrong with Ah Ruan? How can she not even recognize me? This looks like she’s been bewitched.” Remembering Xiao Shao’s earlier words, Jiang Xinzhi was suddenly alarmed: “You said she’s been poisoned?”

“Yes.” Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan in his arms. Her panicked emotions had lasted too long, and the words she occasionally uttered contained infinite secrets, each one startling. Even he had many confused and unclear aspects. Jiang Xinzhi was Jiang Ruan’s biological older brother, and he had thought that at least Jiang Xinzhi would know something about many of these matters. But now it seemed that these two siblings weren’t exactly close confidants either. Jiang Ruan had always sealed herself in a narrow space that no one could enter, because the secret she guarded seemed to be part of a massive conspiracy.

“How could she be poisoned?” Jiang Xinzhi grabbed Xiao Shao’s garment. Perhaps fearing he might hurt Jiang Ruan, his grip was ultimately much lighter. He lowered his voice, his eyes somewhat reddened, his tone full of anger: “Xiao Shao, she’s only been married for one day, and you let her be poisoned right under your nose? Is this how you take care of her! Had I known this Prince’s manor was such a den of dragons and tigers, I would have rather kept her in the manor for life than let her marry you!”

He had always been protective of his family. However, Ye Feng, who was listening nearby, felt he should defend his master: “Young Master Uncle, your words are inappropriate. The Young Mistress’s poison wasn’t administered in our manor. Upon investigation, she’s carried this toxin since the womb, accumulated in her body since childhood. The root cause isn’t in the Prince’s manor. If you blame our master, isn’t that rather unreasonable?”

The Embroidered Uniform Guards held utmost respect for Xiao Shao but weren’t so courteous with others. Ye Feng spoke quite rudely, leaving Jiang Xinzhi stunned as he questioned, “Carried from the womb?”

“So I’m asking you,” Xiao Shao looked at him coldly, “in the Jiang manor, who has ever been hostile toward you both?”

Jiang Xinzhi was slightly stunned, then let out a cold laugh. He had always been amiable and straightforward with people, rarely displaying such a gloomy expression. He said, “Ah Ruan and I were thorns in everyone’s eyes at the Jiang manor. If you ask me who was hostile toward us, there were simply too many. Ah Ruan has been constantly humiliated since birth. Initially, with mother and me protecting her, she could at least live peacefully. If you hadn’t mentioned it today, I still wouldn’t know that she had been poisoned even before then.” Jiang Xinzhi clenched his fists: “If I knew who that person was, I would definitely tear them to pieces!”

“The late Madam also suffered from this poison,” Xiao Shao said flatly. “That’s precisely why she died. But you seem to have escaped it.” Xiao Shao glanced at Jiang Ruan in his arms: “The Jiang manor’s family affairs are clearest to yourselves. The underlying causes require your explanation. After finding that person, I won’t need you to act—I won’t let them off easy either.”

He spoke with seeming indifference, yet the room suddenly grew several degrees colder. Those last few words carried faint killing intent that swept over everything, making one not doubt that this beautiful, elegant young man could transform into a bloodthirsty asura in the next moment.

Jiang Xinzhi stared at him steadily. Xiao Shao calmly met his gaze. After a moment, Jiang Xinzhi finally said gravely, “If you ask me who my greatest enemy is, it would naturally be Xia Yan’s family. She wanted to become the household’s primary mistress. Though clearly just a concubine, she constantly opposed mother while pretending to be magnanimous, and Jiang Quan always protected her.” Jiang Xinzhi’s expression looked like he had swallowed a fly. Just thinking of those days and the humiliation Xia Yan’s pretense brought to their mother and three children made him feel sick to his core. Now he wouldn’t even call Jiang Quan “father,” showing he had no remaining affection for the Minister’s manor.

“Xia Yan is already dead, but someone induced the dormant poison in her body. The perpetrator isn’t Xia Yan,” Xiao Shao said. “I will investigate this matter thoroughly. For now…” He looked at Jiang Ruan in his arms: “Come see her.” He released his hold. Jiang Ruan had been somewhat calmed by his coaxing and was no longer hysterically questioning, though she still appeared extremely frightened and miserable, as if she had experienced something utterly desperate.

Once Xiao Shao stepped aside, Jiang Xinzhi moved forward to embrace Jiang Ruan. Her eyes were already red and swollen. Though Jiang Xinzhi had answered Xiao Shao’s questions earlier, seeing this scene still left him full of confusion as he urgently asked, “How did Ah Ruan become like this?”

“By coincidence, her inner demons have now emerged,” Xiao Shao’s voice revealed no emotion, yet one could sense the faint anger contained within that calm tone. He stood up, glancing at Jiang Ruan: “These are her inner demons. Jiang Xinzhi, she lives daily immersed in such terror. I cannot understand it, and you don’t comprehend it either, but there are some things I believe you should know.” He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes seeming to tremble slightly, his tone completely flat: “Your sister, Princess Hong’an, is not as fearless as she appears on the surface. She lives in constant fear every day—we just never knew.” After saying this, he pushed the door open and walked out, leaving only Jiang Xinzhi standing there in a daze.

After a moment of stunned silence, Jiang Xinzhi seemed to finally understand. He looked down at Jiang Ruan. She was completely oblivious, and even with Jiang Xinzhi right beside her, her gaze seemed to look through him at something else. Jiang Xinzhi noticed her pinky finger, deeply curved and hidden in her palm. Jiang Xinzhi’s eyes immediately reddened. When Jiang Ruan was small, she was very timid, and whenever extremely frightened, she would unconsciously make this little gesture. Later, when Jiang Ruan returned from the estate, she was intelligent, composed, bold, and efficient, seeming to fear nothing, and he had never seen her make this gesture again. He had thought she no longer had anything to fear and had abandoned this habit, but seeing it today, he realized she had always remained that little girl from before. How could he have let his younger sister fall into such a state? Xiao Shao’s words struck his heart like a heavy hammer—Jiang Ruan lived daily and nightly immersed in fear, and he had never known? He had never known? Jiang Xinzhi gritted his teeth and viciously punched the bedside.

The vase on the bedside shattered in response, blood slowly seeping from between his knuckles. Jiang Ruan’s body trembled. Jiang Xinzhi looked at her as she grabbed his hand, murmuring, “Bleeding, elder brother is bleeding, elder brother is dead… Elder brother died on the battlefield. No, brother didn’t die on the battlefield—he was murdered by someone! Brother!” Her previously stable emotions suddenly became extremely agitated, her eyes showing signs of madness, yet every word was about Jiang Xinzhi. Though Jiang Xinzhi didn’t understand her words, hearing them made his nose sting. He could no longer hold back and pulled Jiang Ruan into his embrace, just like comforting his little sister many years ago, whispering gently, “Ah Ru, elder brother is fine. Elder brother won’t abandon you. Don’t be afraid. I’m not going anywhere…”

In the quiet night, the siblings’ movements were impossible to ignore, reaching the ears of everyone outside the door with perfect clarity. Lu Zhu covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears, whispering, “I never knew Miss suffered so much in her heart.” Since she had followed Jiang Ruan from the estate, Jiang Ruan had never shown a suffering side. She had her own thoughts, but among all her emotions, vulnerability was never included.

Jin Er patted her shoulder: “The Young Mistress has a strong character. She’ll get better.”

Tian Zhu remained motionless, only quietly gazing at the room. She had once admired the resilience and methods of the woman in that room, wanting to work hard to become as strong as her. Now suddenly seeing Jiang Ruan in such a state, Tian Zhu was also confused.

“She must have suffered greatly,” Steward Lin suddenly said. Everyone rarely saw him so serious, and they all turned to look at him. Steward Lin stood outside the room, his usually shrewd eyes now seeming to carry some unusual emotion, appearing momentarily weathered and sorrowful. He said, “Having wisdom and methods beyond ordinary people doesn’t mean one is heaven-born talent. Generally, it’s only because one endured what others couldn’t during youth. Her methods are so capable, yet she’s never feared anything, precisely because long ago, she experienced extremely desperate moments. A heartless person must have once had their heart broken by someone.”

Had her heart been broken by someone? Everyone again looked toward the pair of silhouettes under the lamp in the room. The woman seemed extremely sorrowful, her shoulders appearing extraordinarily frail in the swaying lamplight, truly making one’s heart ache with pity. Originally thinking her to be coldly indifferent, they discovered her inner heart was actually so painful. For a moment, everyone felt additional sympathy for this future mistress of the Prince’s manor.

“Where did Master go?” Jin San looked around, noticing that Xiao Shao had disappeared sometime after leaving the room.

Jin Si was startled: “Oh no, did Master impulsively go directly to find Jiang Dan?”

Everyone exchanged glances.

…

With the New Year approaching, even the palace was extraordinarily lively, with preparations for New Year festivities beginning everywhere. Moreover, the weather had been quite pleasant these past few days. Even with light snow, the sun was always lovely, bringing great joy to the Emperor. When the Emperor was pleased, all the imperial concubines were happy, and when the masters were happy, the servants below naturally benefited. For a time, the imperial palace swept away its previous gloom, becoming cheerful and lively.

In a corner of the palace, Ming Yue was serving the young man his breakfast. Xuan Pei had just risen. This youth was now quite favored by the Emperor. Even Xuan Li and Xuan Hua couldn’t show much superiority in his presence. Though court officials felt it somewhat risky to bet on the Thirteenth Prince who had no background, seeing the Emperor’s attitude left them uncertain.

The Thirteenth Prince Xuan Pei was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and his policy essays were excellently written. Even the usually strict Grand Tutor Liu Min praised him effusively. He also wasn’t arrogant despite his favor. Though still young, he had considerable insight into court affairs. Each time the Emperor tested him with government business, Xuan Pei could offer several good ideas.

Now, with dawn just beginning to show, he had already ordered lamps lit, casually eaten a few bites of breakfast, and after washing and dressing, walked to his desk where thick stacks of historical texts were placed. He was always like this, rising at cockcrow. People only saw his glory before others but didn’t see the hard work this youth put in privately. He never spoke of these things to anyone, but Ming Yue was secretly alarmed. The longer she stayed by Xuan Pei’s side, the more she felt this refined, beautiful youth was truly incredible. Though young, he understood how to keep a low profile, had amazing self-control, and almost never needed reminders from others—he always knew exactly what he needed to do and worked hard toward it. Even the Emperor’s good opinion of him was within Xuan Pei’s step-by-step planning. For instance, his current diligent study was merely to ensure he could respond fluently before the Emperor posed new questions.

Xuan Pei had already seated himself at the desk when Ming Yue rose to clear the remaining bowls and chopsticks. Unexpectedly, when she had only cleared half, she heard Xuan Pei’s other personal maidservant Chao Yang’s panicked voice from outside: “Prince Xiao, why have you come? His Highness is still resting. You…” Before she could finish, they heard the door being pushed open with a “bang” as a young man in black stood in the doorway, his gaze icy cold, his expression showing hints of exhaustion.

Chao Yang rushed in, looking at Xuan Pei with some fear: “Your Highness, this servant couldn’t stop him…”

Though Xuan Pei usually appeared quite agreeable and seemed never to have spoken harshly to his servants, once he was angered, the consequences were always chilling. So though Chao Yang was usually smiling, she was absolutely dedicated and careful when serving this master. Chao Yang’s words reminded Ming Yue that she had originally been placed by Xuan Pei’s side by Xiao Shao, making Xiao Shao her true master. Xuan Pei used her services conveniently in daily life. At this moment, she certainly had no intention of stopping Xiao Shao.

Fortunately, Xuan Pei didn’t seem angry either, merely glancing at Xiao Shao before saying to Ming Yue and Chao Yang, “This Prince wants to read. You may all withdraw.” His words clearly intended to conceal Xiao Shao’s presence here. Ming Yue and Chao Yang quickly retreated and closed the door. After the two left, Xuan Pei unhurriedly walked to the desk and sat down. Today he wore a pine-green brocade court robe with gold trim. Now that the Emperor favored him, his clothing was no longer ill-fitting as before. Both his figure and the fabric suited Xuan Pei’s temperament perfectly. He was naturally born with refined, elegant features, and now appeared even more noble, adding a special quality between childishness and maturity.

He leaned back in his chair, his voice still sounding somewhat immature and clear, yet his tone was thoroughly adult: “Prince, bursting into my palace so early in the morning—if you have something to say, speak directly.” As he spoke, he picked up his brush, seemingly wanting to practice calligraphy.

“What is your relationship with Jiang Ruan?” Xiao Shao asked coldly.

Xuan Pei’s hand paused, and a large drop of ink dripped from the wolf-hair brush, spreading on the paper. He set down the brush, concealing the depth in his eyes before slowly saying, “Oh? Why does Prince Xiao ask this?”

“Answer my question first,” Xiao Shao refused to yield, staring at him intently.

Xuan Pei turned to look at him, his gaze slowly falling on Xiao Shao’s arm. Last night, Jiang Ruan had bitten him there. Though Steward Lin had bandaged it later, while the arm wound was wrapped, scratches from Jiang Ruan’s frenzied clawing remained on his hand. Upon seeing those scratches clearly, Xuan Pei immediately stood up, his expression changing: “What did you do to her?”

Xiao Shao was cold and proud by nature, with almost no women able to get close to him besides the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Now that he had married, Jiang Ruan was the woman closest to him. Having scratch marks from a woman’s nails appear on his hand for no good reason was difficult not to associate with other things.

Xiao Shao had seen Xuan Pei before and knew this immature youth was also an expert at disguising emotions. Yet now his emotions were so openly displayed, which was truly surprising. However, even so, his attitude toward Xiao Shao was so clear, showing he genuinely cared deeply for Jiang Ruan. At least he wouldn’t harm Jiang Ruan.

Seeing Xiao Shao lost in thought without speaking, Xuan Pei became anxious, stepping forward: “Answer me quickly—what did you do to her?”

Hearing this, Xiao Shao looked at him thoughtfully. Xuan Pei, being stared at by those profound dark eyes, suddenly realized his loss of composure. However, it was too late. Xiao Shao asked flatly, “Why do you care so much?”

“I…” Xuan Pei was momentarily speechless, then seemed to think of something and immediately said, “Princess Hong’an can now be considered half a sister to this Prince. Since we’re siblings, we should naturally look after each other. If you bully her, you’re slapping the imperial family’s face. This Prince won’t hesitate to tell you plainly today—if you dare harm even a hair on her head, though this Prince is young and powerless, even if it costs me my life, I will seek justice for her!”

Though this youth usually kept his emotions hidden, he was unusually persistent regarding Jiang Ruan’s affairs. Even speaking with some childish tone at the end, his determination was evident. Those words weren’t false but came from his heart—if Xiao Shao truly bullied Jiang Ruan someday, Xuan Pei would really spare nothing to seek an explanation for her. Such a relationship was truly unusual. After all, Jiang Ruan was merely a nominal princess who had never had long-term contact with Xuan Pei. Moreover, he had investigated and found that Jiang Ruan’s interactions with Xuan Pei only began when she helped Xuan Pei escape from Princess He Yi’s hands in the palace. It was just a trivial matter—how could it result in such deep affection? Yet since then, Xuan Pei had even testified for Jiang Ruan during the imperial court trial, and even the Crown Prince’s involvement and Xia Qing’s arrival in the capital had Xuan Pei’s contribution. Xuan Pei’s wedding gift was so generous it matched a well-off official’s daughter’s entire dowry.

No matter how one looked at it, this wasn’t a casual acquaintance. Now Xuan Pei’s actions and expressions further confirmed Xiao Shao’s suspicions. However, even so, there were many inexplicable aspects—clearly the two had hardly any dealings, yet last night Jiang Ruan had…

He looked down at Xuan Pei. This youth hadn’t yet grown to full height, his delicate features making him quite adorable, yet his eyes held deep hostility. Xiao Shao said flatly, “I did nothing to her. She was poisoned.”

“Poisoned?” Xuan Pei was stunned, urgently asking, “How is she now? Is she safe?”

“Not well,” Xiao Shao’s eyes flashed with meaning: “She’s completely trapped in her inner demons, muttering to herself, unable to hear others’ words.”

“What should we do?” Xuan Pei anxiously lost all his usual precocious composure, only saying, “Aren’t you Prince Jinying? Why haven’t you summoned imperial physicians? Right, isn’t that Jinling Sacred Healer still in the capital? Why not invite him? This Prince will immediately have someone send a calling card to request him!”

“No need,” Xiao Shao interrupted his actions, his voice suddenly turning cold and deep: “He’s already at the manor. However, when Ah Ruan was muttering to herself, she mentioned a name that this Prince found somewhat familiar.”

Xuan Pei froze.

Xiao Shao slowly said, “She said, Pei’er.”