Lady Ning was completely dumbfounded.

“What?”

“No more ‘whats’!”

Pei Xiao rushed over and pressed his hand against Lady Ning’s back, pushing hard.

“Quick, go back and hide all your bank notes close to your body—hide as much as you can. Wear more pearl hairpins in your hair, more rings on your hands. If you end up in prison, these things will all be useful.”

Lady Ning stumbled forward several steps from his pushing, nearly tripping over the threshold.

Xie Zhifei reached out to steady her. “Third Madam, Mingting is absolutely right. Go quickly—there’s no time!”

Lady Ning stood with her mouth open, looked back at Yan Sanhe, then slapped her thigh.

“Oh my heavens, we’re done for!”

Though her mouth said they were done for, her feet ran faster than anyone’s, and as she ran, she used her hands to protect her pearl hairpins.

Yan Sanhe didn’t know why, but she really wanted to laugh.

Look at that—Third Madam’s reckless streak couldn’t even be matched by Ji Lingchuan. No wonder no one in the entire Ji residence could suppress her.

This girl is still laughing?

Xie Zhifei’s face rarely showed such severity. “Yan Sanhe, you and Li Buyan leave through the back door immediately. Zhu Qing will protect you.”

Yan Sanhe hadn’t spoken yet when Li Buyan asked inexplicably: “We’re not members of the Ji family. Why should we leave? The old lady’s matter isn’t finished yet!”

“What time is it now, still talking about the old lady!” Xie Zhifei turned to look at Zhu Qing behind him.

Zhu Qing quickly said: “Miss Yan, Miss Li, please come with me quickly.”

Yan Sanhe: “Wait!”

“Don’t wait!”

Xie Zhifei shouted angrily: “Is the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s house raid a joke? Those who defy orders can be killed first and reported later. Every single one of you has a death wish!”

Yan Sanhe had never been yelled at like this in her entire life. Anger rose in her heart.

“I said wait because I want you to secretly protect Ji Lingchuan from dying.”

“…” Xie Zhifei froze.

“As long as he doesn’t die, after I resolve the old lady’s heart demon, there will be a chance to turn things around. Buyan, let’s go!”

“Wait!”

Ji Lingchuan stumbled forward and rushed before Yan Sanhe, reaching out to block her. “Miss, can your words be trusted?”

Yan Sanhe enunciated each word: “More real than pure gold!”

Ji Lingchuan, who had been cornered and planning to just bash his head in and die, suddenly felt injected with adrenaline. His legs buckled and he knelt straight down before Yan Sanhe.

“The lives of over two hundred people in the Ji family are all in the Miss’s hands. Please, Miss, have mercy and resolve the old lady’s heart demon as quickly as possible. I kowtow to you, I kowtow…”

“Oh my, Lord Ji, forget the kowtowing—you should first figure out how to save your life!”

Xie Zhifei pulled Ji Lingchuan up and nodded toward Yan Sanhe: “Go quickly!”

Yan Sanhe flicked her sleeve and walked straight past him, treating him like air!

Xie Zhifei watched that person’s indignant back with extreme frustration, his heart bitter.

Such a temper—can’t she see who I’m doing this for?

Yan Sanhe was actually holding back her temper. Unless provoked, she absolutely wouldn’t lose it.

She never had an ungrateful nature. At this moment, calling out “wait” definitely meant she had something important to say.

This Xie dandy—what did he understand?

“Sanhe, you asked Third Madam so urgently just now—did you discover something?”

Being asked this by Li Buyan, the bit of anger that had risen in Yan Sanhe immediately vanished without a trace.

As she walked quickly, she said: “The old lady let the Zhang family have their way with her sons’ marriages—how could she suddenly offend the Zhang family over a granddaughter? That seems too unreasonable.”

Li Buyan nodded. “Seems there’s something fishy here.”

Yan Sanhe: “Definitely.”

Li Buyan: “Could the old lady’s heart demon be about sharing the grave?”

Yan Sanhe: “No, the old lady didn’t know about that while alive.”

Li Buyan: “What if she discovered it after death…”

Yan Sanhe: “Thoughts in life become demons in death.”

Li Buyan: “Then could it be Third Madam?”

Yan Sanhe: “Third Madam’s troublemaking tricks were nothing in the old lady’s eyes—it couldn’t possibly be her.”

Li Buyan: “Then the most likely is Madam Zhang. After all, these two schemed against each other for most of their lives.”

Yan Sanhe pondered for a moment: “Madam Zhang is possible. We need to investigate further.”

Li Buyan: “Those words you said just now—were you trying to counsel Third Madam? You sympathized with her?”

Yan Sanhe: “She’s also a pitiful person!”

Zhu Qing, walking ahead, felt his eyelids twitch and his mouth corners spasm.

Third Master predicted correctly.

These two had no idea about the depths of the capital’s official circles. Deploying the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a house raid was a huge event that would shake all forty-nine districts of the capital.

Yet they, they still had the mind to discuss the Ji family and Third Madam?

“Miss, let’s walk faster.”

Li Buyan suddenly quickened her pace to walk alongside Zhu Qing. “There’s something I don’t understand. The Ji family is connected to the Crown Prince—why would they still be raided?”

Zhu Qing: “…”

Li Buyan: “The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. Why wouldn’t he lend a hand?”

Zhu Qing: “…”

Li Buyan: “…Could it be the Crown Prince is useless?”

Zhu Qing was so frightened his face turned green. “Miss, watch your words! This cannot be discussed.”

Li Buyan persisted: “Why can’t it be discussed?”

Don’t you even understand this?

Zhu Qing emphasized: “At the Emperor’s feet, this is different from elsewhere. Discussing the Emperor or the heir apparent can cost you your head.”

“It should be severing the arm to survive!”

As soon as Yan Sanhe finished speaking, she immediately noticed Zhu Qing’s body stiffen and his steps falter.

Li Buyan’s eyes were sharp. Taking advantage of Zhu Qing adjusting his steps, she deliberately slowed down to walk alongside Yan Sanhe, silently mouthing:

“Guessed right.”

After saying this, she gave Yan Sanhe a thumbs up.

Yan Sanhe felt an uncomfortable feeling rise in her heart, thinking: I just said it randomly—how did I guess right?

Little did she know, Zhu Qing’s heart felt even more uncomfortable than hers.

Too smart.

Could Third Master really uncover her background with someone like this?

Looking at it now, seems a bit uncertain!

…

The Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn’t arrived yet. Along the way, everything in the Ji residence seemed normal.

As they passed through the back garden, several old women tending the garden were still gathered together sunning themselves, completely unaware of the impending catastrophe.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the back gate.

Zhu Qing stepped out first and saw troops already charging toward them in the distance. He quickly said: “Miss Yan, quick—to the left.”

The three left through the back gate and hurried along the wall.

The sound of hoofbeats grew closer. Zhu Qing said in a low voice: “Miss, lower your heads a bit.”

Though Yan Sanhe and Li Buyan didn’t understand why, they both complied.

Zhu Qing walked too quickly at the front. Yan Sanhe couldn’t quite keep up, and for a moment even her breathing became uneven.

Several horses passed right by them, kicking up clouds of dust that surged into Yan Sanhe’s mouth. She coughed heavily several times.

The rider at the rear heard the coughing and curiously turned to look.

At that exact moment, Zhu Qing turned around wanting to check if Yan Sanhe was alright.

One turned his head, one turned around.

Their eyes met.

The man on horseback first brightened, then a fierce light appeared in his eyes. He immediately pulled on the reins and shouted loudly:

“Someone’s here—people from the Ji family are here!”

Zhu Qing’s heart sank heavily.

We’re done for!