This sleep was deep and dreamless for Yan Sanhe.

When she woke up, the room was pitch black.

Yan Sanhe reached out to feel the other side of the bed—it was cold.

“She’s bickering with Ming Ting. Ming Ting’s about to die of anger—well, just one breath away from it.”

Yan Sanhe started, only then noticing someone lounging lazily on the imperial concubine couch beneath the window.

“Xie Zhifei!”

She glared at him. “This is a young lady’s bedroom. Could you have some shame?”

“Taiwei has been found.”

“Ah?”

Yan Sanhe shot up from the bed.

That fast?

“To find this person, I haven’t closed my eyes once. I’m so exhausted that the wound on my leg has split open again.”

Third Master’s voice grew more aggrieved as he spoke.

“I sat in this room waiting for you to wake up so I could tell you in detail about this person’s current condition. Who knew you… how could you say such things about me?”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

Xie Zhifei: “Have you no conscience left?”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

Seeing her silence, Xie Zhifei propped himself up on the couch to stand. “Zhu Qing, Zhu Qing…”

“I was wrong.”

Xie Zhifei’s movement paused. “You… what did you say?”

“I said I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what? We need to discuss this properly.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Looking at the shadow by the window, she gritted her teeth and took several deep breaths.

“I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

“How should you have spoken then?”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Who worked hard?”

“Xie Chengyu worked hard.”

“Remove the surname.”

“Chengyu worked hard.”

“Good attitude.”

Xie Zhifei’s ruffled feathers smoothed down, and he smiled, his peach-blossom eyes crinkling. “But whether I forgive you or not depends on my mood.”

Yan Sanhe ground her teeth: “…” This isn’t over yet?

“Taiwei has been hiding in our Five Districts Military Commission’s prison all along.”

Hearing the teeth grinding, Xie Zhifei quit while he was ahead and got to business.

“The Military Commission is at the northwest corner of the Zhu estate. Zhu Yuanmo calculated it perfectly. What a waste of my three teams traveling thousands of miles for nothing.”

Right here in the capital?

Right under everyone’s noses?

“How did you find him?”

“That’s a long story.”

Xie Zhifei unhurriedly recounted the entire process.

Of course, being shameless as Third Master was, he heavily emphasized his own vigilance and decisive, brilliant decision-making.

Yet Yan Sanhe only cared about one thing: “So he has no limbs and is also mute?”

In the darkness, Xie Zhifei nodded.

“Do you know what I found on the stone brick beneath the haystack?”

“What?”

“Several thousand characters.”

Yan Sanhe was greatly shocked: “He can write? With what?”

“With his mouth!”

Xie Zhifei: “He used his mouth to grip stones and wrote several thousand characters on the stone brick, stroke by stroke.”

“What did he write?”

“Zhu!”

Yan Sanhe’s mind went blank for a moment. After a while, her voice trembled: “Where is he now? I must see him immediately.”

“No rush. He’s at the separate estate. He was just cleaned up half an hour ago. Uncle Pei is examining him right now.”

“Is he ill?”

Xie Zhifei didn’t answer directly: “Do you know why he escaped from the prison at this particular time?”

“Why?”

“He felt his end was near and wanted to run to the Zhu estate gates to set himself on fire one last time.”

Yan Sanhe’s brow twitched sharply. “Then why didn’t you wake me earlier?”

“It’s not too late now. Uncle Pei fed him a soul-restoring pill—he can hold on a while longer.”

Xie Zhifei: “Besides, it won’t be past midnight before Zhu Yuanmo can come out. As the aggrieved party, he must be present. Better to let you sleep soundly.”

Yan Sanhe looked at the dark figure by the window. Though he stood without proper posture and sat without proper form, there was a sense of reliability settled by the passage of time.

Such thorough thinking!

Such careful calculation!

Should she thank him?

If she did, it seemed to distance the two of them. If she didn’t, this favor owed was rather significant.

While she was hesitating, he called out: “Zhu Qing.”

This time with just one call, Zhu Qing pushed the door open and entered. Not daring to let his eyes wander, he walked straight to the window and carried Third Master on his back.

Yan Sanhe’s gaze followed them to the doorway. Light from outside fell on Xie Zhifei’s slightly upturned lips.

He silently mouthed: “Waiting for you.”

Who asked you to wait?

Yan Sanhe touched her burning cheeks, thinking to herself that this man was good in every way, except for that alluring quality—so deserving of a beating.

…

By the time Yan Sanhe finished washing up, the meal was already set on the table.

She ate simply, rinsed her mouth with tea, then stepped out of the courtyard.

She didn’t head straight to the small flower hall but instead walked slowly with her hands behind her back, organizing her chaotic thoughts.

Someone who, even on death’s door, would rather drown in a manure bucket than go to the Zhu family gates to set a fire—such a person must harbor deep hatred.

It was foreseeable that the secrets hidden within this person would be enough to tear off Zhu Xuanjiu’s final layer of human skin.

The cold wind cleared her mind exceptionally well. Yan Sanhe headed straight for the flower hall.

Turning the corner, she encountered two people hurrying toward her. She looked up, slightly surprised.

Why is he here?

Seeing Yan Sanhe’s expression, Zhu Yuanmo quickly said: “Miss Yan, my eldest brother-in-law, he…”

“For matters going forward, I might be able to help.”

Xie Erli’s voice was very calm: “Miss Yan won’t refuse, will you?”

“I won’t.”

Yan Sanhe tossed out two words and took the lead stepping into the courtyard.

In the flower hall, the lamps blazed brightly.

Even with mental preparation, the instant she saw Taiwei, she was still shocked.

Bald head.

His scalp was covered with spots, many places growing sores. One ear was still intact, the other bitten by something until only half remained. Because of long-term imprisonment, his body had withered severely. Sitting in the grand master chair, his entire person curled inward, appearing especially small.

The rest was concealed beneath that oversized old robe, impossible to discern.

“The hair was just shaved—it was full of lice, impossible to clean otherwise.”

Xie Zhifei: “His body was washed a full twenty or thirty times before it could barely be considered clean…”

“In short, one sentence.”

Pei Yu’s face was full of wonder: “That he’s lived until now is simply a miracle. Zhu Qing, show them.”

Zhu Qing walked to Taiwei’s side and rolled up his pant leg: “Miss Yan, look?”

Yan Sanhe’s whole body broke out in goosebumps.

Both severed knees were pitch black, blacker than the bottom of a pot. One was still oozing pus and blood.

Behind her, Zhu Yuanmo took a full step backward, as if a long needle had pierced straight through his heart.

At his movement, Taiwei’s gaze was drawn over.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

Taiwei suddenly became agitated. His originally calm eyes instantly ignited with fury.

“He is Zhu Xuanjiu’s eldest son.”

Yan Sanhe: “Last night, he finally understood completely what kind of person his father is.”

Taiwei turned to look at Xie Zhifei.

Xie Zhifei nodded: “This is the Miss Yan I told you about. She resolves obsessions and dispels demons for the dead. It was she who peeled away Zhu Xuanjiu’s true face, layer by layer.”

“Only the tip of the iceberg has been revealed.”

Yan Sanhe walked before Taiwei and crouched down, looking up at his eyes.

“He has many more true faces hidden very deep. Taiwei, can you tell me about them?”