At the Hanlin Academy.

Xie Erli felt as if struck by lightning, shooting up from his armchair.

“What did you say?”

“First Master, Third Master was knocked unconscious and abducted while on duty. All five patrol offices are now searching for him.”

Xie Erli’s vision darkened. He quickly braced his hands on the desk corner. “Does Father know?”

“Master hasn’t left court yet. We’ve sent someone to wait at the palace gate.”

Xie Erli’s throat worked several times as he forced himself to calm down quickly. “Keep this from the household for now.”

“First Master, such a major incident…”

“The old madam can’t handle the shock. If we can hide it for a while, we hide it for a while.”

Xie Erli straightened up. “Prepare the carriage—I’ll personally go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“First Master, should we also send people to search?”

“No need. I trust Third’s usual conduct. When he has trouble, those brothers at the patrol office will definitely spare no effort.”

Having said this, Xie Erli walked out.

Under the Son of Heaven’s feet, in broad daylight, whoever dared to move against the Xie family’s third son—there was no one else.

Xie Erli made no effort to hide the fury in his eyes.

Did they really think the Xie family was a soft persimmon to be kneaded and squeezed at will?

…

Duanmu Palace.

Zhao Yishi had just reached the courtyard where Crown Princess Zhang resided.

“Your Highness.”

Zhao Yishi’s steps paused. He turned around. “What is it?”

Shen Chong stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

Having heard him out, Zhao Yishi turned his face toward Shen Chong, but his eyes were unfocused.

“Master.”

Shen Chong: “Third Master has made his move. Should we observe quietly or add fuel to the fire?”

After a long while, Zhao Yishi came back to himself. “It’s his scheme—we can rest easy and watch from the side. No need to add anything.”

“Yes!”

“By the way, where is the Crown Prince now? Has he left court?”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince is still in the palace for deliberations.”

“If the Crown Prince is in the palace, that means Xie Daozhi is also in the palace. Who’s taking charge outside?”

“Master Pei.”

“With him holding the fort, I’m even less worried.”

Zhao Yishi smiled with relief. “I’ll go accompany Mother at dinner. Send someone to watch closely—if anything unexpected happens, report back to me.”

“Yes!”

…

Master Pei was currently sitting on the second floor of the account house, drinking tea while frowning as he calculated the next moves.

Mei Niang sat to the side working on accounts, her slender fingers making the abacus beads clatter rapidly.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs.

Just from the footsteps, he knew it was Huang Qi.

Pei Xiao had just looked up when Huang Qi pushed open the door, his face and head covered in sweat.

“Master, Zhu Qing just sent word—everything is settled with the five patrol offices, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and First Master Xie.”

“Excellent!”

Pei Xiao clapped his hands forcefully. This was the news he’d been waiting for.

The Xu family had three estates outside the city. The most hidden one was at the foot of Taihang Mountain in the northwest corner.

There was an eighty to ninety percent chance Xu Lai would take Xie Wushi there.

From the Xu residence to that estate, riding hard, it would only take an hour or two.

But Xu Sheng’s wound caused pain with every movement—the carriage couldn’t go fast. It would take at least three hours, arriving at the estate around dusk.

And the five patrol offices and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even at their slowest, would definitely find the place after midnight.

This meant Xie Zhifei only needed to endure a few hours to take down that pair of mad dogs, father and son, from the Xu family.

“Does Third Master have everything he needs on him?”

“Yes, Master—thin blade, knockout drug, poison, laxative… all hidden on Third Master. Zhu Qing personally prepared them.”

“Then I’m at ease!”

Pei Xiao took a clean teacup and poured half a cup of tea for him. “Sit down and have some cool tea to beat the heat. From here on, we just follow the plan.”

At this point, Mei Niang had also finished her accounts and put away the abacus. “Master Pei, this month’s income…”

“Auntie, please don’t tell me now. I’ve been working day and night these past days—hearing about it makes my head hurt.”

Pei Xiao pointed to his temple. “I still need to think about whether there are any oversights.”

Just as he finished speaking, the door was kicked open with a bang.

Before Pei Xiao could react, Zhu Qing had already rushed over. “Master Pei, there’s trouble—Miss Yan has been abducted.”

“What?”

Pei Xiao jumped up anxiously. “Where’s that Great Hero Li who can ascend to heaven and descend to earth?”

Zhu Qing: “Miss Li was in the water retrieving something at the time.”

“Damn it, how could it be such a coincidence!”

Pei Xiao: “What about the person Xie Wushi sent to watch?”

Zhu Qing: “The other party moved too quickly. He was too far away and couldn’t catch up.”

Oh dear!

My wife must not have burned incense lately—her luck is terrible.

Pei Xiao’s face turned completely dark.

“It’s obvious—it’s that bastard Xu Sheng. Don’t panic first. We can’t throw ourselves into chaos. We need to calculate carefully.”

Zhu Qing: “Master Pei, the Water Moon Nunnery is in the west. Nine times out of ten, Miss Yan was also taken to that estate.”

“You’re absolutely right!”

Pei Xiao’s gaze slowly turned to Zhu Qing. “But the key problem is—we know where she is, yet we can’t go rescue her.”

If they rescued her, their entire plan would fall apart. Setting up such a naturally flowing scheme again would be difficult.

“Then what do we do, Master? Miss Yan cannot come to harm!”

Huang Qi was so anxious his voice trembled. After that trip back and forth to Nanning Prefecture, he admired Yan Sanhe to the point of prostration.

“Of course I know she can’t come to harm!”

She’s my future wife!

Pei Xiao lowered his eyes, his eyelashes falling in an orderly row, hiding the anxiety in his eyes.

After a good while, he raised his head, biting out each word through his teeth: “I must both make the plan succeed and ensure Yan Sanhe’s safety.”

“How do we ensure it?” Zhu Qing asked.

“I haven’t figured it out yet.”

Pei Xiao: “But first you need to do two things. Zhu Qing?”

Zhu Qing: “Master Pei, your orders?”

Pei Xiao: “Where is Li Buyan now?”

Zhu Qing froze. “She should still be near the Water Moon Nunnery searching.”

Pei Xiao analyzed coldly, “With Yan Sanhe abducted, she must be going crazy. Given her explosive temper, she might just take up her soft sword and slaughter the entire Xu family, leaving none alive.”

Zhu Qing’s scalp tingled. “She’s capable of it.”

Pei Xiao: “Go stop her. Use whatever method necessary—preferably knock her unconscious. Don’t let her ruin things. Go quickly.”

Zhu Qing: “Yes!”

Pei Xiao looked at Huang Qi. “That bastard Xu Sheng must be on the road right now. Find a way to delay him. As long as that bastard doesn’t reach the estate, those bastards below won’t dare harm Yan Sanhe.”

Huang Qi: “Yes.”

After the two left, Pei Xiao slumped into his chair, fury accumulating in his chest.

“Master Pei.”

Mei Niang said softly, “This Miss Yan…”

Pei Xiao shot to his feet, his expression unprecedentedly grave. “This matter is too serious. I need to consult with Huairen.”

Mei Niang quickly said, “I’ll send the message to our guest immediately.”

Pei Xiao: “Hurry!”

Mei Niang rushed downstairs, her mind churning with countless thoughts.

Who exactly was this Yan Sanhe?

Why did Master Pei and the others seem so nervous about her?

This had never happened before!