“Men, tie this person up for me!”

At Xie Daozhi’s command, eight or nine household guards surged in from outside, their gleaming blade tips pointed straight at Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe let out a cold laugh. “What, planning to kill me to silence me?”

For Xie Daozhi to have risen to a position in the Grand Secretariat, it was impossible that his hands weren’t stained with blood.

“And what if I kill you?”

“Xie Daozhi, do you really think I would step through the Xie family’s gates without any precautions?”

Yan Sanhe’s pair of pitch-black pupils were ice-cold and piercing. For some reason, Xie Daozhi’s heart skipped an uneasy beat.

But with everyone watching, how could he allow himself to be intimidated by a girl who hadn’t even grown all her hair yet?

“What are all of you standing around for?”

“Father!”

Xie Erli suddenly shouted, his brows pressed tightly together. “The hour is late—it’s time to attend morning court.”

The words “morning court” were given heavy emphasis. Xie Daozhi caught the deeper meaning and froze in place.

“Miss!”

Xie Erli turned to face Yan Sanhe. “Morning court cannot be delayed. Let Father attend court first. Whatever matters there are can wait until he returns. What do you think?”

In the blink of an eye, the situation had turned completely around. Not only did Yan Sanhe not feel relieved, her face became exceptionally pale.

What was this Young Master Xie of the manor trying to do?

A delaying tactic?

“Steward Xie!”

Xie Erli said gently, “Accompany this young lady to rest below. Attend to her well—don’t be remiss in your hospitality.”

Steward Xie clutched a palm full of cold sweat. “Yes!”

……

Only the father and son remained in the courtyard, standing face to face in stiff silence.

For a long while, Xie Erli simply couldn’t digest the news he had just heard.

The Old Madam had actually been married before?

How was that possible?

He had lived twenty-five years and had never heard even a whisper of such a thing.

Yet that girl had spoken with such vivid detail, and there was the betrothal agreement as proof—it didn’t seem fake at all!

“Father, is what she said true?”

Xie Daozhi looked at his eldest son, his face turning from white to ashen. “Whether it’s true or false can be discussed later. Right now, we have a more important matter at hand.”

Xie Erli naturally knew what the important matter referred to.

When he had suddenly stepped in just now, using a delaying tactic, he too had been considering this very thing.

After Father had passed the imperial examination, the Emperor had been moved by the Old Madam’s devotion as a widow who had raised an examination graduate for the court. He had bestowed upon her an imperial memorial arch celebrating her chastity, making her an example for all women in the realm.

If news of her remarriage got out, it would be a clear-cut crime of deceiving the sovereign—at minimum resulting in dismissal from office, at worst leading to confiscation of property and exile.

Xie Erli’s voice changed from its usual gentle tone, becoming heavy and cold. “Father, the Old Madam is advanced in years and cannot withstand such turmoil. Make preparations early.”

Xie Daozhi only felt gratified.

Though his eldest son usually appeared to have no temper, in his bones he was decisive and ruthless.

Most importantly, he knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat—he had it all clearly measured out.

“Even if you hadn’t stopped me just now, I wouldn’t have done anything to her.”

“I know—Father was only trying to frighten her, weren’t you?”

Xie Daozhi nodded.

Having served in the Grand Secretariat all these years, what great storms and waves hadn’t he seen? He hardly considered a mere woman worth his concern.

If Yan Sanhe had come for silver, then he would give her enough silver to seal her mouth.

If she had come to acknowledge her relatives, he could simply keep her confined within the manor—at worst, provide her with a dowry when the time came.

Last night, he hadn’t let her finish speaking and had offered one thousand taels right away precisely to feel out her hand.

With this probing, he had indeed uncovered something—she actually possessed the betrothal agreement.

This was not something that could be dealt with by offering money or a dowry.

This was a matter of life and death!

Thinking even deeper, how did a young lady like her have the audacity to threaten a Grand Secretariat minister? Was there someone backing her?

If there was someone, who could it be?

“In all the capital, there aren’t many who dare address me by my full name, Xie Daozhi. Among the capital’s women, there also aren’t many who could kick Steward Xie flat with one foot.”

Xie Daozhi stroked his beard. “This woman may look young, but everything about her reeks of strangeness. Eldest?”

“Father!”

“Send someone to notify the Old Madam at the temple to stay there a few more days and not rush back.”

“Yes!”

“All the household guards in the manor are to be on duty. Station more men around her courtyard and guard it tightly—don’t let her leave even half a step.”

“Father can rest assured. With Steward Xie personally watching her, she won’t be lost.”

“Also, set aside whatever tasks you have at hand and make a trip to Third Brother’s office. Have their people help investigate—when did this person enter the capital? What places has she visited? Does she have any companions?”

Xie Daozhi gritted his teeth. “I want every single thing investigated thoroughly!”

“Yes!”