The old saying goes: you can see a person’s whole life from their behavior at age three.

When Zhu Xuanguang was three years old, even in such a dangerous situation, he knew to kneel before his father first. Why then, when he grew up, could he not maintain proper rules?

Yan Sanhe immediately made a decision.

“Zhu Yuanmo, you three brothers go wait outside. I have questions to ask the old steward privately.”

Zhu Yuanmo’s breath caught, and with it, Second Master Zhu and Third Master Zhu also grew tense.

Why send them away?

Zhu Yuanmo softened his voice: “Miss Yan, is there something we three brothers cannot hear?”

“Yes.”

One word—simple, forceful, brooking no argument.

Zhu Yuanmo immediately stood, glancing at his two brothers. The three men quickly moved to the outer room.

Li Buyan swiftly closed the door and brought up two fresh cups of tea.

Yan Sanhe leaned back against the chair, slowly pressing her temples.

Seeing her weary expression, Li Buyan asked quietly, “Are you hungry? Should you eat something?”

“After I finish questioning.”

Yan Sanhe raised her head. “Zhu Jing, you understand why I sent the three masters away, don’t you?”

The old steward had served two generations of masters—what scene hadn’t he witnessed, what human heart hadn’t he fathomed?

“Yes, Miss Yan was afraid that with them present, this old servant would speak with reservations.”

“Good that you know.”

Yan Sanhe: “Now let’s talk about Fifth Master. Was Fifth Master’s poor health something he brought from the womb?”

“Yes.”

Old Steward: “When the old madam was eight and a half months pregnant, one night she was startled by a black feral cat. Half an hour later, she went into premature labor. Fifth Master didn’t reach full term in the womb, so his health was poor from childhood.”

Yan Sanhe: “How poor exactly?”

Old Steward: “He would cough during seasonal changes, had somewhat short breath, was sensitive to cold, and needed to wear one more layer than others in winter.”

That wasn’t so bad.

Compared to Third Master Xie’s constitution as a child, this was much better.

Yan Sanhe: “Besides that, anything else?”

Old Steward: “Nothing else.”

Yan Sanhe: “What did the imperial physicians say?”

Old Steward: “Just that he wasn’t born at full term, so his foundation was slightly deficient.”

Yan Sanhe: “Was there no way to treat it?”

“There was!”

Old Steward: “The imperial physician told the old madam that if she took good care of Fifth Master during his developing years, he could recover.”

Boys develop around fourteen or fifteen years old.

Yan Sanhe: “Did they take good care of him?”

Old Steward: “Fifth Master was the old madam’s most precious one. During those years, piles and piles of tonics were brought home. The main kitchen and small kitchen took turns making delicious food for Fifth Master.”

Yan Sanhe frowned: “Why didn’t the treatment work?”

Asked this, the old steward could only sigh. “Miss Yan, even the best imperial physician couldn’t prevent Fifth Master from harming himself.”

Yan Sanhe: “What do you mean by that?”

“Fifth Master had just started learning talisman drawing from the master and became utterly obsessed. Every night he’d draw until deep into the night, sometimes only sleeping one or two hours a day.”

The old steward sighed: “If he hadn’t suddenly fainted, the old master and old madam wouldn’t have discovered it. By the time they tried to remedy the situation, it was too late.”

Yan Sanhe hadn’t seen Second Master Zhu’s condition after drawing talismans. “Does drawing talismans deplete vital energy?”

“Miss Yan, everything in this profession depletes vital energy and blood energy. When the old master was alive, what he valued most was health preservation. From age twenty, he only drank ginseng tea.”

Old Steward: “The Zhu family has never had particularly long-lived members. Most passed away in their forties or fifties.”

Yan Sanhe: “What about his young servants and maids—didn’t they try to dissuade him?”

Old Steward: “Who could dissuade Fifth Master?”

Yan Sanhe: “Does that mean Fifth Master had a very strong-willed personality?”

“Huh?”

The old steward was momentarily stunned, then quickly shook his head: “Fifth Master’s personality wasn’t strong-willed. He was easygoing, unhurried in everything he did.”

Yan Sanhe: “If he wasn’t strong-willed, then why did he draw talismans until deep into the night? Why couldn’t anyone dissuade him?”

“Fifth Master, when he liked something, he would become obsessed with it. Once obsessed, he’d forget everything else—he could even skip meals, couldn’t hear anyone’s words, like a monk in deep meditation.”

Old Steward: “He had a soft temperament and a sweet tongue. The young servants and maids around him would be coaxed by a few words until they couldn’t tell east from west, let alone report back to the old master and old madam behind their master’s back.”

Yan Sanhe looked thoughtful. Why did this sound so much like Third Master Xie?

Seeing her silence, the old steward continued on his own.

“And it wasn’t just talisman drawing. When the old master taught him divination, during his obsessed periods, he could go three days and nights without sleep.

When learning about burial sites, he’d run to graveyards whenever he had free time. His body was already weak, and those places have heavy yin energy—how could he withstand it?

The old madam advised him countless times, but it went in one ear and out the other. When the old madam got anxious, he’d just hold her and coax her with ‘Mother, oh Mother,’ and there was nothing anyone could do with him…”

The old steward felt as if he’d sighed out all the sighs of his lifetime in this reception hall.

“Fifth Master was young then and didn’t understand priorities. Skills could be learned slowly, but he only had one body. Once it was ruined, it was gone forever. In the end, it all comes down to fate!”

Fate?

Yan Sanhe closed her eyes.

Buddha says good people who do good move from brightness to brightness, but reality often differs. Not all failures and misfortunes can be attributed to a single word—fate!

Yan Sanhe opened her eyes. “Compared to his two older brothers, which one had greater spiritual aptitude—Fifth Master?”

“This…”

The old steward’s brow furrowed tightly, his eyes fixed unmoving on the stone floor tiles.

Yan Sanhe finished half a cup of tea, and he still hadn’t spoken.

After waiting a while longer, the old steward suddenly stiffened, then spoke: “Fifth Master was more capable than the eldest master, but couldn’t compare to the master.”

“For such an answer…”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes widened as she leaned forward: “Zhu Jing, why did you still need to think so long?”

Old Steward: “…”

Yan Sanhe’s sharp gaze fixed on him: “Or are you not telling the truth?”

The old steward’s eyes flickered, unconsciously avoiding her gaze.

“At this point, I advise you, old man, to tell the truth!”

Li Buyan had none of Yan Sanhe’s patient temperament.

“It’s already a disaster of family annihilation, and you’re still hiding this and concealing that. Are you waiting until every single member of the Zhu family is dead?”

Those four words—disaster of family annihilation—nearly made the old steward jump from his chair in fright.

Biting his old teeth hard, he finally revealed the complete truth.

“The old master once said that among that generation of Zhu family children, Fifth Master had the best spiritual aptitude. If he’d had a healthy body, under his leadership the Zhu family could have prospered for at least three more generations.”

“So—”

A cold smile floated across Yan Sanhe’s eyes. “If his health had been fine, the Zhu family head would definitely have been him, correct?”

“This…”

“Speak!”

The old steward lowered his head. After a long while, a confused sound emerged from his throat—

“Mm.”