This person wasn’t Li Zhaoting, nor Huo Chang’an, but Lian Yu? Suzhen felt like she was dreaming. This feeling was like she’d clearly lost a tael of silver, but when someone picked it up and returned it to her, it turned out to be ten thousand taels.

No, it should be like she’d dropped a piece of paper, but when picked up it turned out to be a bank note?

Well, Li Zhaoting wasn’t waste paper, and Lian Yu wasn’t a bank note either.

But the flute had clearly been with Li Zhaoting – how did it end up with Lian Yu? So the one who gave her the flute was actually Lian Yu?

She rubbed her eyes, her heart beating like a drum. Unable to contain herself any longer, she took three quick steps to his front and, emboldened by wine, stood on tiptoe to remove his mask. But before she could do anything, someone grabbed her wrist and threw her back.

In martial arts, she was no match for him. She could only watch helplessly as he turned and left, mounting his horse and riding away.

She mechanically turned and walked back inside. Passing through the inner courtyard, she encountered Zhuiming and Tieshou walking out arm-in-arm. Seeing her face, they were both startled. Zhuiming panicked: “Alright, we don’t blame you anymore. We weren’t planning to sneak out drinking alone – we were going to call you.”

Tieshou frowned deeply and elbowed him hard. “Uncle Fu said you went to see Marquis Huo. Did you and Marquis Huo have a fight?”

Zhuiming asked tentatively, “You didn’t actually fight, did you?”

Tieshou rolled his eyes.

Suzhen laughed. “No, I just made a bet. I thought I’d lost, but just now I discovered I might have won. But then I realized I’d actually still lost.”

Zhuiming was confused. “Did you win or lose…”

Tieshou’s face nearly twitched. “Stop asking…”

Suzhen pulled out an ingot of silver and tossed it to Tieshou. “Hey, drinks are on me. You brothers go enjoy yourselves! I’m tired and going to sleep first.”

Zhuiming called, “Aren’t you coming with us? You still haven’t said whether you won or lost, hey…”

Tieshou covered his mouth until Suzhen walked away, then lectured: “Teammates like you are the most terrifying. Li Huaisu clearly lost all her money gambling with Marquis Huo – do you need to ask!”

Zhuiming had a sudden realization: “I see now.”

Suzhen returned to her room and sat at the table, motionless for a long while.

Something was dripping onto the back of her hand.

She and Lian Yu seemed to be the same type of person. Lian Yu was like her former self – once deciding on something or someone, continuing persistently, always and forever.

The difference was that he would even wear a mask, smiling under another’s identity as he gave her advice, telling her not to antagonize Quan Feitong too much. If he lost, she could still escape.

When she loved Li Zhaoting, she was direct and straightforward.

He said: You don’t love me – that is what matters most.

Never had a moment made her more certain that she thought he was wrong.

Wrong?

She sat stunned, then suddenly looked up in shock.

She violently pushed aside the things on the table and ran toward the door.

Leaving the courtyard, she stopped abruptly and slapped herself hard.

Between them was not only Shuangcheng and the Feng family case, but also Wuyan.

Wuyan was her first friend in the capital. Wuyan’s happiness was Lian Yu. How could she destroy her friend’s happiness!

The carriage galloped through the market as lanterns were first lit. Suddenly a hand reached out from behind the curtain and patted Lian Yu’s back.

So there were actually people in this carriage.

Lian Yu called “whoa,” stopped the carriage behind a residence, and ducked inside the curtain.

The carriage interior was spacious, with a man and woman looking at Lian Yu in surprise. The man laughed: “Xuanwu, you’re quite the actor.”

Lian Yu shrugged and removed his mask, revealing a face covered in scars, unrecognizable from its original appearance.

He carefully placed the mask beside the sleeping figure in the center.

The woman looked troubled: “But he’s exposed our master’s identity…”

Xuanwu said, “Damn, what’s that got to do with me? Li Huaisu knew long ago. Could I not say a few words to make her feel guilty for our master’s sake! If you want to blame someone, blame me for being such a natural actor – I got too into character.”

The man and woman: “…”

In the carriage, a single lamp glowed dimly. Beside it sat an empty bowl with traces of black liquid, the carriage filled with medicinal fragrance, sweet and sharp. A man in dark robes lay in the center with eyes tightly closed, breathing shallowly. His sword-like brows and jade-like face showed a slightly bluish pallor – this was Lian Yu.

The three suddenly fell silent. After a moment, the woman frowned: “When our master wakes up, how should we report this? Our master didn’t want Li Huaisu to know his identity – otherwise he wouldn’t have borrowed Marquis Huo’s name. Besides, our master’s feelings toward Li Huaisu aren’t what they used to be. Did we do wrong? When we asked him earlier where to go, he didn’t say to go to the Criminal Investigation Bureau.”

Qinglong and Xuanwu exchanged glances without speaking.

After a long while, Qinglong said, “But when we discovered Li Huaisu had left, he immediately ordered us to prepare fast horses at every station. As soon as the Minzhou affair ended, he rushed ahead of the main force. This mask was found by you, Baihu, in his clothes. Why should Li Huaisu live so carelessly, doing whatever she pleases? Our Imperial Consort Wei is much stronger than her, and Miss Gu and Miss Miao are better than her too. Shouldn’t she feel guilty?”

Baihu sneered, “Do you think this will make her feel guilty? Didn’t you hear what she just said? She knew our master’s identity long ago but pretended not to know. After getting our master’s promise to overturn the case, she changed her attitude.”

Xuanwu said, “But at least she’s not hypocritical. If she’d taken our master’s promise and then flattered him, wouldn’t that be worse? What our master can give her is far more than just case overturning – many things that other young ladies dream of. Miss A Luo is dead, our master has been empty for so many years and doesn’t want to lose again.”

Qinglong and Baihu were startled and fell silent with sadness.

Xuanwu frowned again: “Right, that flute our master found seems to have originally belonged to her. Also, now that she knows our master’s identity, we’ll still have to report this when our master wakes up.”

Qinglong looked like doom was approaching, murmuring: “We can’t avoid reporting, but then we…”

Baihu’s face also turned pale. Both looked at Xuanwu, who thought for a moment and said, “Rather than three people suffering together, better one person take the punishment.”

Qinglong and Baihu’s eyes grew wet: “Good brother!”

Xuanwu nodded: “Good, we’ll say it was Zhuque’s idea. Since Zhuque didn’t object either, let’s decide on this.”

Qinglong and Baihu’s faces darkened, but they decisively agreed.

“What about Zhuque?”

Lian Yu slowly opened his eyes and pressed his hand to his forehead.

The three were startled. Baihu quickly helped Lian Yu sit up and let him lean against her. Lian Yu lazily half-closed his eyes, seeming to contemplate something.

Qinglong laughed dryly: “Master, where should we go now – back to the palace or…”

Baihu said, “Reporting to our master: Li Huaisu knew all along that you were using Marquis Huo’s identity to approach her!”

Lian Yu was listening to Qinglong when he suddenly turned to stare at Baihu: “What did you say?” As Qinglong and Xuanwu exchanged glances, Lian Yu smiled slightly, his eyes growing cold: “Is there something I should know but don’t?”

Two days later, Leng Xue and the others returned from Minzhou.

When Uncle Fu reported their arrival, Suzhen went to the front hall to greet them. Wuqing, Leng Xue, and Xiao Zhou each looked sourer than the last.

“I’ll treat everyone…”

Before she could finish, all three went to their respective rooms.

Suzhen was snubbed three more times.

Suzhen sighed. Zhuiming and Tieshou laughed heartily. A cunning gleam flashed in Suzhen’s eyes as she whispered a few words in Uncle Fu’s ear.

Though Uncle Fu didn’t quite understand, he followed her instructions and knocked on Xiao Zhou’s door. Fortunately, though Xiao Zhou was fierce, she still retained some respect for elders and reluctantly opened the door despite her unwillingness.

Soon after, Xiao Zhou rushed out excitedly. Zhuiming and the others stared wide-eyed – this Li Huaisu was truly magical.

Xiao Zhou grabbed Suzhen’s collar: “You have a case to handle?”

Suzhen nodded: “Yes, so I need you to ask Yan Da for leave. I need to travel far to investigate a case thoroughly.”

Xiao Zhou’s eyes lit up: “Fine, let’s handle it quickly. Our Criminal Investigation Bureau needs to hold our heads high. Now the people only know Lord Gu, not you. But is this case serious enough? Are enough people dead?”

Zhuiming and Tieshou were moved to tears.

Suzhen nodded: “Enough, and very wronged.”

Hearing this, Wuqing and Leng Xue opened their doors, looking at Suzhen with suspicion and surprise.

“Good, tell me the details when I get back. I’ll go request your leave right now.”

Xiao Zhou laughed with hands on her hips and quickly disappeared.

Leng Xue couldn’t help asking: “What are you up to now?”

Suzhen said, “I’ll explain when Xiao Zhou returns – saves me repeating myself.”

Everyone was puzzled, but knowing her eccentric personality, they let it go. However, Xiao Zhou didn’t return until sunset, and her face was pale when she did.

Seeing this, everyone was surprised. Suzhen guessed: “The leave can’t be granted?”

But Xiao Zhou said, “No, it can be granted – very much so.”

Seeing everyone’s confusion, she smiled bitterly: “The Emperor wants to execute Huang Tianba. Huang Zhongyue has united with some old ministers to request sick leave en masse – they’re making a gesture of boycotting court. When I arrived, the Yan household was full of people requesting leave. Three or four waves of household retainers had come from various families.”

“Boycott court? Isn’t he stupid? This way the Emperor can dismiss them all.” Zhuiming angrily slammed the table.

“No, this Huang Zhongyue has considerable credibility. Look how many responded to his call. These positions can’t just be dismissed – pulling one thread affects the whole body. How many disciples and followers do these people have in various states and provinces? If they can’t clean out everyone below when dismissing them, and if Quan Feitong rallies these people, the consequences would be unimaginable. Besides, these people have held their positions for years, showing they’re capable. Once dismissed, how can these vacancies be filled quickly? The country must still function. Moreover, there are old ministers here who supported the Emperor’s ascension – dismissing them would chill other ministers’ hearts. With all these complex relationships, currently it seems they can only be appeased and dealt with when the opportunity arises.” Wuqing shook his head in analysis.

Xiao Zhou glanced at him: “Right. Cripple, you’d make good official material. Seeing the severity of the situation, Prime Minister Yan immediately entered the palace for an audience. I couldn’t even speak to him.”

Tieshou asked nervously: “What happened then?”

Xiao Zhou sneered: “He brought back the Emperor’s edict and the Empress Dowager’s decree. The Emperor said he’d grant the leave, but at the palace banquet three days from now, whichever lord’s illness hasn’t recovered should have their family attend in their place!”

Everyone exclaimed: “Palace banquet?”

Xiao Zhou said, “It’s a palace banquet to reward the heroes of the Minzhou case.”

Wuqing made an “oh” sound, his gaze shifting as he smiled faintly: “The Emperor gave them enough face, but they still angered him. He’s asserting imperial authority. Won’t their family members suffer if they go?”

“Exactly,” Xiao Zhou said, “The Empress Dowager meant the same.”

Leng Xue’s expression was grim: “So Huaisu still can’t take leave?”

Xiao Zhou’s brow furrowed tightly: “Huaisu must take this leave. The palace banquet itself isn’t targeting Huaisu but those ministers. However, this reward ceremony is targeting Gu Shuangcheng and others. This palace banquet is a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den. If Huaisu goes, not only will she receive no reward, she’ll likely become the Emperor’s scapegoat.”

Zhuiming slapped his forehead: “Right, right! Didn’t they say family members should attend? We’ll grit our teeth and attend for him. But Huaisu, you must accomplish something and come back to save us.”

Wuqing and Leng Xue exchanged glances. Wuqing said, “Let’s do this – we’ll attend for you. If anything happens, we have martial arts skills and can save ourselves.”

Xiao Zhou paced while thinking: “This way, Wuqing, you should first speak with the Princess. You’re the Princess’s lifesaver after all – the Empress Dowager shouldn’t be too hard on us.”

Suzhen had been looking down, but now finally raised her head.

“No, I don’t plan to miss this palace banquet. I’ll handle the case afterward.”

This statement shocked everyone. Zhuiming cried out: “Huaisu, well done – how loyal!”

But Xiao Zhou and Wuqing objected directly. Xiao Zhou glared at her: “Damn it, I’m crazy to keep reminding you. If you want to be torn apart completely, if you want to humiliate yourself, then go!”

Suzhen laughed heartily, patting her shoulder, then said to Zhuiming: “Buddy, I’m really not doing this for you guys.”

Zhuiming was stunned: “Ah?”

Leng Xue’s brow furrowed: “Li Huaisu, can you stop being so willful and reckless?”

Suzhen said no more, only smiled.

She wanted to fight one more battle alongside Lian Yu. If real trouble arose then, she’d just have to… risk everything.