Song Chuyi stood by the window, her back ramrod straight. Hearing movement, she turned and nodded slightly toward Zhang Run. “Young Master Zhang, I apologize for not waiting for your message and taking the risk to seek you out.”

Zhang Run hurriedly avoided her gaze and shook his head randomly. “It’s nothing. They were all very careful in their actions, not alarming anyone in the slightest.” At this, he couldn’t help but marvel at this Sixth Miss Song’s methods of managing subordinates—at such a young age, she could actually command such fierce and menacing people to strike wherever she pointed. Steadying himself, he looked at Song Chuyi and asked again, “Does Sixth Miss have some urgent matter that you absolutely must find me?”

Han Zhi had been spending more than half his time lately at the Tongzhou estate. Zhang Run truly hadn’t had much opportunity to notify Song Chuyi of a meeting location. He hadn’t expected Song Chuyi to seek him out first. From his observation of this extraordinary young lady, unless something significant had occurred, she would absolutely never do something so likely to arouse suspicion.

“Has Han Zhi recently sent anyone to the frontier regions or to Yangzhou?” Song Chuyi got straight to the point without the slightest bit of idle talk, staring into Zhang Run’s eyes with direct and decisive questions. “Or rather, has he received any letters from Yangzhou or the northwest, or met with anyone coming from those places?”

If Han Zhi was truly connected to this matter, at least she would have a direction to investigate.

Old Master Song had already sent a letter to Northwest Governor Zhang Tianhe, but this regional governor who years ago had maintained close relations with the Song family over the Ministry of Revenue’s military provisions matter hadn’t even replied.

The waters here grew deeper and deeper. If they didn’t uncover some leads soon, no one knew when the blade hanging over the Cui clan would fall, or in what manner it would strike.

This feeling of knowing danger existed but not knowing where it came from, only able to await death, was truly terrible. Since her rebirth, Song Chuyi had never before encountered something so completely beyond her control. By now, it had been several days since she’d had a good night’s sleep.

Zhang Run didn’t waste words either. He knew that if Song Chuyi asked, she naturally had her reasons. After carefully recalling, he shook his head with certainty. “He seems to have been quarreling with his family lately. A few days ago, several groups of people from the capital’s Marquis Jinxiang’s household came to ask him to return home, and he drove them all away. As for people coming from Yangzhou or the northwest, there truly haven’t been any.”

So it actually wasn’t Han Zhi? Song Chuyi closed her eyes and slowly nodded. “I must trouble Young Master Zhang to help me watch closely. If he once becomes involved with people from the northwest or Yangzhou, please do whatever it takes to notify me.”

Before Zhang Run could nod, he heard chaotic shouting and cursing sounds from downstairs. He couldn’t help but be startled. “Sixth Miss, that’s Guanshan’s voice!”

It might not necessarily be unrelated to Han Zhi after all. This cunning wolf had always had keen senses—perhaps Zhang Run had long ago revealed a flaw in front of him. Song Chuyi glanced through the door crack at the situation outside. Seeing Han Zhi’s people everywhere, she considered briefly and asked Zhang Run, “If I weren’t here, would you be confident you could clear yourself of suspicion?”

Zhang Run had already swiftly returned the teacup to its original position and taken a theater program from the nearby shelf to place on the small table. “As long as Sixth Miss doesn’t appear here at the same time as me, he will believe me.”

Guanshan’s voice was already getting closer and closer. One could faintly hear the shopkeeper’s loud shouting and attempts to stop him. Song Chuyi nodded, turned around the screen, and knocked five times on the wall.

The timing was just right. When Han Zhi entered, he only saw Zhang Run standing with a bewildered and furious expression on his face. The room was empty enough to see everything at a glance—besides Zhang Run, there was no one else.

His hand gripping the sword at his waist paused, then he nonchalantly lowered it. He strode several steps to Zhang Run’s side and sat down again with intimate and natural movements, his arm around him. “I was only gone for a trip out, and you’ve already come out by yourself?”

Zhang Run appeared both shocked and angry, his fingers gripping the theater program in his hand faintly turning white. “Am I now not even allowed the freedom to go out and watch a performance? I remember you told me just a few days ago that if I wanted to go out, I need only inform Guanshan. I did inform him before leaving!”

Han Zhi had already unobtrusively surveyed the entire room with his gaze once more, even rising to look behind the screen. Only after hearing Zhang Run’s extreme anger did he emerge from behind the screen again, examining Zhang Run up and down with a scrutinizing look.

The room held a faint fragrance of cosmetics. He twitched his nose and looked expressionlessly at the utterly furious Zhang Run, not answering but instead asking, “A woman was just here? Who was it?”

Zhang Run’s clenched fists already showed prominent veins. He turned his head to glance down at the stage below. “What? I wanted to personally request a performance—am I not allowed to meet with the popular young dan actor from Hongyun Theater Company?”

Han Zhi followed his gaze downward, then casually grabbed the shopkeeper who had been following closely behind. “Go call that young dan actor up here for me. Also, I heard that Sixth Miss Song is also here today?”

Zhang Run felt his heart suddenly pound several times, nearly making him unable to breathe—Han Zhi actually knew Song Chuyi was also at Chongyin Workshop! But how was this possible? Not even Wei Yanxi knew about him meeting Sixth Miss Song—how did Han Zhi find out?!

The shopkeeper wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face full of helplessness and panic. “Young Master, we’re running a business here. They’re performing right now—how can we just call her up? As for Sixth Miss Song, she is indeed here, but the private room she reserved is on the opposite side.”

Han Zhi had already released him and left the room, going around the corridor all the way to the opposite side. From afar, he could see Ye Jingchuan’s servants Chang’an and Changxing guarding the door. He estimated the distance from Zhang Run’s room to here, then thought about that room that clearly only had one door open. The suspicion in his heart eased slightly. He stood before the door for a while, then turned and headed back to Zhang Run’s private room.

Qing Ying saw his retreating figure through the door crack and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t help but pat her rapidly beating heart and turned to tell Song Chuyi, “Miss, he’s gone.”

Ye Jingchuan was completely baffled, looking at Song Chuyi with confusion. “How did this suddenly become connected to Han Zhi? How did he know you were also here?”

This was also what puzzled Song Chuyi. Han Zhi’s informants had clearly all been withdrawn. Unless he was following Zhang Run—but why would he follow Zhang Run? Was it purely because of possessiveness, or because he had already become suspicious?