Zhu Pianzhan froze for a moment, then turned around with feigned surprise. “Oh my! Who has angered my dear brother so? Tell your sister all about it.”

“Sit down!” Yu Pianfei commanded angrily.

Zhu Pianzhan carefully perched on the edge of a chair, looking at him with wide eyes, playing the role of a submissive wife.

“Yu Pianzhan!” Yu Pianfei felt his anger rising just looking at her.

“Zhu,” Zhu Pianzhan quietly corrected.

Yu Pianfei remained silent, just glaring at her coldly.

Zhu Pianzhan, recognizing the situation, conceded, “Whatever you say, then.”

Yu Pianfei suppressed his anger and tried to speak calmly. “Yu Pianzhan, do you know who that Chu fellow is?”

“Isn’t he from Kongheyuan? Everyone outside is saying that. They also said that the discovery of abandoned tokens proves that Kongheyuan was behind the massacre in the small town,” Zhu Pianzhan replied with a smile.

“Be serious! Stop grinning!” Yu Pianfei glared at her.

Seeing her smile fade, Yu Pianfei continued, “Do you remember who bought your life from Piaomiao Mountain Villa?”

“That Chu guy,” Zhu Pianzhan answered honestly.

“You had no grudge against them, yet he was willing to sell you out for his schemes. If you get any closer to such people, you might not even have bones left!” Yu Pianfei sighed heavily, his anger subsiding. “Sister, this man is deeply cunning and ruthless. I’m constantly on edge while cooperating with him. I, Yu Pianfei, have always been known for my daring moves – people in Yangzhou call me ‘Bold Yu’ – but this is the first time in my life I’ve regretted my decision. If he’s unwilling to cooperate with me, so be it, but you’re not allowed to go to Bianjing with him!”

Zhu Pianzhan blinked innocently. “I never said I wanted to go with him!”

“Yu Pianzhan! I’ve known your little tricks since we were in the womb! How could I not see what you’re thinking?!” Yu Pianfei threw her earlier words back at her.

“I said I’m not going, so I’m not!” Zhu Pianzhan insisted stubbornly.

Yu Pianfei sighed, “Father once promised to let you choose your husband, but in the end, he broke his word and used you for a political marriage. I know you harbor resentment, but no matter what, you’re still my sister. We’ve been together since the womb, sharing a bond even closer than ordinary siblings. I can’t stand by and watch you throw your life away.”

Tears began to well up in Zhu Pianzhan’s eyes. “Don’t lecture me! You reckless fool, you never leave yourself any room to maneuver. The bloody history of the Feng family’s Third Master is a stark warning. Do you have to end up like that before you learn to be more tactful?”

On the surface, Zhu Pianzhan often caused trouble that Yu Pianfei had to clean up. But behind the scenes, she had also done much to smooth over his more extreme actions, creating opportunities for reconciliation.

Yu Pianfei knew all this. It was because he knew his sister would help him that he dared to act so boldly.

“With all your scheming, you’d better hurry up and find a wife to continue the Yu family line! Otherwise, if something happens to you, the Yu family’s incense will be extinguished,” Zhu Pianzhan tossed out before quickly leaving.

Watching her rush out, Yu Pianfei wiped his moist eyes.

He leaned back, picked up his teacup, and put on an expression of contentment. He thought to himself, “Surely she won’t run off this time…”

Zhu Pianzhan ran to the arched bridge, wiped her face, and thought proudly: I’ve improved. Especially the way the tears welled up in my eyes, about to fall, and then I covered my face and ran away… Tsk tsk, I must have fooled that boy this time, right?

Although they both had these thoughts, their words had somewhat sunk in for each other.

Zhu Pianzhan’s joyful steps slowed. She looked back at the warm pavilion and murmured, “Silly little brother. You’ve gambled too much this time. I don’t know if I can cover for you, I’m afraid this might be the last time I can help.”

Inside the room, Yu Pianfei’s eyes moistened again. He put down his teacup and pushed open the window of the warm pavilion, just in time to see Zhu Pianzhan looking back.

Zhu Pianzhan was startled for a moment, then made a face at him.

Tears suddenly fell from Yu Pianfei’s eyes.

The Yu family, on the brink of collapse, had been handed to him. Carrying the hopes of the entire clan, remembering his father’s eager gaze on his deathbed, he couldn’t afford to be afraid or to retreat!

But, “Sister I’m not brave at all. You don’t know, but I’m terrified even in my dreams…”

That’s why he dared not marry. He feared someone would see his cowardice, feared a stranger would discover his secret.

The sunlight was harsh.

The snow was melting, and these past few days had been particularly cold.

The snowfall in Yangzhou had been fierce, but it melted quickly. In just four or five days, only patches of snow remained.

Although the small town where the massacre had occurred had been cleaned up, the blood-soaked earth still emitted a strong stench of blood. Large amounts of flesh fragments remained on the walls and ground, attracting many vultures.

Passersby pointed and commented, “I’ve never seen so many vultures.”

“Indeed, it’s ominous…”

On the main road, an ornate carriage moved unhurriedly. It was pulled by two white stallions adorned with white tassels. The carriage cover was made of yellow pear wood with intricate carvings. The window handles were inlaid with lustrous green jade. The carriage walls were decorated with plum blossoms and cranes, each plum blossom’s center adorned with a yellow topaz. White lanterns hung from the four corners of the carriage, with tawny beads dangling below, swaying gently as the carriage moved.

Such grandeur drew the eyes of passersby.

The carriage followed the main road into the city, stopping before a large mansion. A man in blue clothing alighted and looked up at the sign that read “Yu Mansion.”

A servant stepped forward to knock on the door and deliver a name card.

Soon, Yu Pianfei hurried out to greet them. Seeing the young man’s appearance, he paused, “Rongjian, you’re dressed all in blue, and there’s a hint of sorrow in your expression. What has happened?”

The visitor was Hua Rongjian.

The two had met by chance in Bianjing years ago, hit it off immediately, and became close friends. They had maintained regular correspondence, though they only met once or twice a year.

“A close friend passed away recently, hence my attire,” Hua Rongjian explained.

Although Hua Rongjian and Lu Danzhi were close friends, he couldn’t wear full mourning attire for him, lest people think Minister Hua had died! Hua Rongjian could only keep things simple, wearing and using plain colors to express his grief.

Yu Pianfei invited him inside.

They sat down in the hall, and Yu Pianfei poured him a cup of tea. “Rongjian, is this all that’s troubling you?”

Hua Rongjian shook his head. “My mind is in turmoil, which is why I haven’t returned to the capital. I’m traveling around to clear my thoughts. I’ll tell you more once I’ve sorted things out.”

The words Lu Danzhi had spoken to him on the night before his death kept echoing in his mind.

He knew he had suffered a serious illness as a child and had been left at a Taoist temple to recover for a long time. His father said it was three years, but he had no memory of this period at all! He remembered when his father brought him back home, his mother embraced him tightly, crying almost to the point of fainting, constantly saying, “My poor child has suffered so much, yet he’s still so small and thin after all this time!”

At the time, he thought it was normal to have lost his memory due to illness and to be weak and thin. He didn’t think much of it. When he first saw his mother, he felt no familiarity at all, as if she were a stranger to him. It was only later, through his mother’s love and care, that they gradually grew close.

But now, thinking carefully, why had he lost his memory? Why did he need to stay at the temple for three years? Was it related to concealing his true age?

If his age had been hidden, then was he still truly Hua Rongjian…?