Yan Sanhe’s brow jumped. She lifted her eyelids to glance at him.

Xie Zhifei looked at her askance. “What do you mean by ‘must have that appearance’?”

Just ask if you’re going to ask.

Why look at people with slanted eyes?

“If she didn’t have that appearance, she couldn’t sit in the position of old ancestor. Just like Master Xie—if he didn’t have that ability, he couldn’t become a cabinet minister.”

Yan Sanhe was silent for a moment. “Failures each have their own reasons for failure; successes have roughly similar reasons for success.”

Now even Pei Xiao fell silent.

He looked at Pei Fifty with lingering fear, while the latter’s eyes weren’t looking at him but staring fixedly at Yan Sanhe.

Unmoving.

“Is there something on my face?” Yan Sanhe asked.

“No!”

Xie Zhifei shrugged with a smile, looking completely casual. “Just very curious how Miss Yan, at such a young age, understands so much?”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze fell on the two sheets of paper as she said lightly, “Because I’m clever!”

Clever—that was certain.

But behind the cleverness, there were probably many things unknown to others.

Xie Zhifei hummed twice inwardly. “This last question seems even more monotonously similar. What does Miss Yan think?”

Eleven people, only one answer—the person most likely to dig up the old madam’s tomb—

Third Madam of the Ji Manor!

Yan Sanhe: “It seems the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law discord has been long-standing and they’ve torn off all pretense. It’s common knowledge.”

Pei Xiao was an enthusiastic good relative. “Need me to explain the reasons?”

Yan Sanhe shook her head. “Not needed for now. I’ll decide after I’ve met this Third Madam.”

Heh!

I’m rarely this helpful, and I actually get rejected?

Pei Xiao was displeased and wanted to pick a fight. “Not asking someone readily available—aren’t you just wasting time?”

Li Buyan hated this type of troublemaker most. “My young lady is doing this so she won’t be prejudiced by your words, maintaining objectivity and fairness.”

Pei Xiao: “You mean my words aren’t fair?”

Li Buyan: “If you and my young lady were arguing, would I side with you?”

Pei Xiao: “What if I’m in the right?”

Li Buyan: “What does being right matter? Whoever I’m close to, I speak for them. If she commits murder and arson, I’ll praise it as good!”

Pei Xiao: “…”

Li Buyan: “This is called keeping one’s elbow turned inward.”

Unable to out-argue her, Pei Xiao said, “Fine, as long as your young lady is happy!”

Li Buyan smiled with her pretty eyes narrowed to slits. “Without certain people butting in randomly, my young lady would be even happier. What do you think, Lord Pei?”

Lord Pei rolled his eyes.

I surrender!

While those two were bickering, Xie Zhifei pulled Pei Xiao behind him and pointed at the three characters “Why?” on the paper.

“Yan Sanhe, is there something improper here?”

Yan Sanhe didn’t want to say.

Third Master Xie lowered his head, his two eyes blinking at Yan Sanhe, the humility in his eyes nearly overflowing.

“May I seek your guidance?”

What’s overflowing isn’t humility—it’s scheming!

Yan Sanhe snorted coldly inwardly but still opened her mouth.

“A fourteen-year-old maid is precisely at the age when she’s been properly trained and most useful. She was bought with silver—why would she proactively suggest releasing her?”

Xie Zhifei: “Perhaps the old madam had a great surge of kindness?”

Yan Sanhe: “But later she took back those words and mentioned parents selling people.”

Xie Zhifei hesitated. “You mean…”

Yan Sanhe: “People don’t truly understand each other’s feelings. Many words can’t reach others’ hearts.”

Xie Zhifei: “What did the old madam empathize with regarding the maid?”

Yan Sanhe: “Might she not have been willing initially to become a concubine at the Ji manor, but was forced by her parents?”

“Yan Sanhe, you really dare to say anything!”

Pei Xiao beside them jumped up. “Do you know how many young ladies and young wives in the capital dream of marrying into the Ji family?”

Yan Sanhe: “I don’t know.”

Pei Xiao was so angry he flicked his sleeve. “Never mind marrying—even being a concubine, being a chambermaid, their family ancestral graves would be smoking with fortune. They’d wake up laughing from dreams at night.”

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “Buyan, if you came to the Ji family as a concubine, would you wake up laughing from dreams?”

“Me?”

Li Buyan smiled sweetly. “I’d find someone to get me a bottle of Smiling Proud Wanderer.”

Pei Xiao froze. “What’s Smiling Proud Wanderer?”

Li Buyan: “Intestine-piercing poison.”

Pei Xiao: “…”

I’m dead!

“We’ll stop here for today.”

Yan Sanhe looked toward Xie Zhifei. “Tell Master Ji that tomorrow I want to see two people.”

Xie Zhifei: “Which two?”

Yan Sanhe: “Him and Third Madam.”

Xie Zhifei: “Fine!”

Yan Sanhe was about to turn when she suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Third Master has sealed those eleven people’s mouths, right?”

Third Master folded his arms and looked at her, the corners of his mouth rising in a subtle arc.

This arc looked like a smile, but examining it more closely, it carried some ill intent—

Yan Sanhe, Miss Yan, who are you looking down on? Is Third Master’s work that poor?

“I’m just asking!”

Yan Sanhe turned expressionlessly, thinking she really wanted to gouge out this person’s eyes!

“Hey, what do you mean ‘stop here’?”

Thinking of the crimson robes of a censor, Pei Xiao shouted, “After dinner, there’s still plenty of time. Yan Sanhe, you took the silver, you must keep at it!”

Must?

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “Haste makes waste—has Lord Pei heard of this?”

Li Buyan shrugged. “He definitely hasn’t heard it.”

Yan Sanhe: “Then what has he heard?”

Li Buyan: “‘Rushing to eat shit,’ ‘rushing to be reincarnated.'”

Lord Pei: “…”

“Lord Pei, please. I won’t accompany you further.”

Yan Sanhe glanced at Li Buyan, who rolled up the papers on the Eight Immortals table, grasped them in hand, and walked leisurely out of the flower hall with Yan Sanhe.

Lord Pei pointed at their backs, then at himself, showing Xie Zhifei a smile more bitter than bitter melon.

Xie Zhifei patted his shoulder sympathetically. “I have a new discovery.”

Pei Xiao was on his last breath. “What?”

Xie Zhifei smiled with his dimples showing deeply. “Finally there’s someone who can subdue you.”

…

Whether Xie the wastrel had sent someone to notify Tangyuan in advance or not, when Yan Sanhe returned to Tranquil Reflection Residence, hot dishes and hot rice had just been prepared.

Tangyuan carried in hot water. “Miss, quickly wash your hands. Time to eat!”

“Mm.”

Yan Sanhe called out, “Buyan, come wash your hands.”

“Coming!”

Li Buyan was changing clothes behind the screen. When she emerged, she wore a moon-white straight robe like a man’s, appearing refined and elegant.

Quite attractive.

Tangyuan couldn’t help but look a few extra times.

After washing hands, Yan Sanhe suddenly thought of something and raised her chin toward Tangyuan. “I won’t have you eat at the table today. Buyan and I have things to discuss.”

Tangyuan quickly said, “You two young ladies eat slowly and talk slowly. This servant will go outside to keep watch for you.”

Yan Sanhe: “Go ahead!”

Tangyuan withdrew, closing the door behind her.

Once the door closed, Li Buyan smiled. “One ‘this servant’ after another—I’m impressed you can tolerate it.”

Yan Sanhe was helpless. “I’ve said it many times, but she just can’t change.”

“Too servile by nature.”

Li Buyan picked up chopsticks and sent food to her mouth, chewing a few times and saying indistinctly, “I wandered around the Ji manor most of the day today. The Ji family truly has silver—even the servants’ clothing is good material.”

Yan Sanhe put food in her mouth, chewed it thoroughly, swallowed it clean, then said, “I noticed too. That heart lake alone probably has few equals in all the capital.”

Li Buyan sneered.

“Where does this silver come from?”