“Ah, ah, ah…”

Taiwei’s body desperately shrank backward. As he shrank, he waved his wrist stumps, trying to drive Yan Sanhe away.

“Miss Yan.”

Zhu Qing smiled bitterly: “This person seems afraid of women. Just now when Li Buyan got a little closer, he acted the same way.”

Wronged by a woman?

Deceived by a woman?

Yan Sanhe: “Who isn’t he afraid of?”

Zhu Qing tilted his chin to the side. Yan Sanhe followed his gaze.

Sure enough, it was Xie Chengyu.

What? That face not only works on young ladies and little wives but also on men?

Yan Sanhe signaled with her eyes: You ask?

Xie Zhifei pointed to the chair beside him: You sit.

Yan Sanhe sat over and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Have Imperial Physician Pei leave.”

Same thought.

Xie Zhifei put on a face full of smiles: “Uncle Pei, it’s very late. You should go rest first.”

Pei Yu’s face darkened.

When you need me—Uncle Pei, Uncle Pei, come quickly. When you don’t—Uncle Pei, go rest.

Rest what?

This old man is bursting with curiosity!

Xie Zhifei didn’t explain further. “Ding Yi, Huang Qi, guard outside the courtyard gate. Don’t let even a fly in.”

Ding Yi: I want to hear the story.

Huang Qi: Me too.

Though they wanted to, both still efficiently left the flower hall.

Some matters absolutely required caution—caution upon more caution—especially involving the Directorate of Astronomy and even the current emperor.

Seeing this formation, Pei Yu said nothing more and lifted his leg to leave.

Some things could be indulged with curiosity; some things absolutely could not.

Forget it.

This old life still wanted to live a few more years!

Once Imperial Physician Pei left, Zhu Qing immediately shut the main door, brought over a table to place before Taiwei, and set out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on it.

“Ming Ting, help me over.”

Pei Xiao helped Xie Zhifei walk before Taiwei.

Xie Zhifei looked down: “Beneath the haystack where you slept, I saw several thousand characters.”

Taiwei raised his head.

“These should have been carved stroke by stroke by you, holding stones in your mouth, correct? Let me guess your intent in carving these characters?”

Xie Zhifei: “First is hatred in your heart. Second is hoping that one day, you could openly walk before others and write out that person’s crimes stroke by stroke.”

Taiwei’s pupils shrank sharply.

All correct.

But one thing was left unsaid.

During over ten years of prison life, he had curled up in corners like a dead dog. Without these several thousand strokes to vent the hatred in his heart, how could he have endured?

“Now I’ll ask you questions. For unimportant ones, nod or shake your head. For important ones, write them on the paper. Agreed?”

Taiwei’s gaze looked at him coldly, unmoving.

Xie Zhifei knew the reason for his non-response. “Perhaps I can’t do it now, but one day I will announce all his crimes to the world.”

“Heh, heh, heh…”

Several “heh” sounds issued from Taiwei’s nostrils. His lips pressed into a straight line, expressing his disdain for Xie Zhifei’s words.

“You don’t believe me?”

Taiwei said nothing.

“Then you want to carry these secrets into your coffin?”

Xie Zhifei suddenly laughed coldly.

“Who would know you were once the most favored servant of the Directorate of Astronomy’s Director? Who knows you were wrongly accused? Who knows that the refined and courteous Zhu Xuanjiu is actually an executioner?”

Taiwei’s body began to shake violently, like a sieve.

“After your incident, the Zhu family came knocking. Your family could only flee overnight. Your father died not long after—he was literally angered to death. Your mother soon followed.

Your brother missed you, so he made you a grave beside your parents’ tomb, placing some of your old clothes inside.”

Xie Zhifei: “He thought you were dead. Fearing you’d have no money to spend over there, he said making a grave meant you’d have roots—you could receive paper offerings burned at Qingming and wouldn’t be bullied by other ghosts.”

The whites of Taiwei’s eyes turned red—red enough to drip blood.

“Taiwei.”

Xie Zhifei sighed softly: “Even for your brother’s sake, you should tell me the truth. He made you a grave and burns offerings, showing he remembers you.”

Tears flowed from Taiwei’s eyes.

Drop by drop.

This life was cheaper than a dog’s, cheaper than a pig’s. But even the cheapest person wanted someone to remember them, care about them, think of them.

Taiwei sniffed hard, nodding while making sounds: “Ah, ah, ah…”

This scene made everyone in the room feel unbearably sad. Even Young Master Pei, who was best at joking around, silently returned to his seat and silently picked up his tea bowl.

Xie Zhifei sat down and turned his face to look at Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe gave him a slight nod.

“The peach blossom well and life-taking nails at the Zhu estate’s Fifth Master’s place—did you help Zhu Xuanjiu do those?”

Taiwei’s eyes sized up Xie Zhifei, seemingly unable to believe they could have investigated even this.

After a while, he nodded.

“Whose idea was it?”

Xie Zhifei: “Zhu Xuanjiu’s?”

Nod.

Xie Zhifei: “Was it for the Zhu family head position?”

Nod.

Xie Zhifei: “Where did the red fox fur come from?”

Taiwei’s gaze swept toward the brush.

Zhu Qing quickly dipped the brush in ink and placed it in his mouth.

Taiwei bit the brush, leaned his body forward, lowered his head, and began writing characters stroke by stroke on the paper.

Yan Sanhe was afraid approaching would startle him. Xie Zhifei couldn’t move his legs easily. Their gazes shifted toward Young Master Pei: You go.

Young Master Pei was anxious to know what this person wrote. He tiptoed over to stand behind him.

“I… asked… my… brother… to… go… to the… mountains… to… collect… it.”

As Young Master Pei read here, Zhu Yuanmo anxiously signaled Xie Zhifei with his eyes.

Xie Zhifei closed his eyes briefly, indicating he understood.

After Taiwei finished writing, he asked: “Where did Zhu Xuanjiu learn these evil ways? Who taught him?”

Taiwei raised the brush upward. Zhu Qing quickly dipped it in more ink.

“A… woman.”

After Young Master Pei finished reading, before Xie Zhifei could speak, he couldn’t help asking: “Who is this woman?”

Taiwei, gripping the brush, shook his head.

Doesn’t know?

Xie Zhifei turned to exchange glances with Yan Sanhe. Yan Sanhe said softly: “Location, time.”

Xie Zhifei quickly turned back: “The first time you met this woman, where was it?”

Where?

Taiwei sank into memory.

At Magistrate Liu’s residence in Laiyuan Prefecture, five people had died within half a year. Several feng shui masters were consulted but none could determine the cause.

Magistrate Liu, out of options, spent much silver pulling strings to reach the Zhu family.

The old master found it curious and made a special trip.

Concubine Fu’s maternal home was in Laiyuan Prefecture.

Concubine Fu had been in the Zhu family so long without returning home even once, so the old master brought both mother and son along.

Upon arriving at Laiyuan Prefecture, the old master was invited into the magistrate’s residence. Concubine Fu and Fourth Master were received by the Fu family at their home.

At the Fu home, Concubine Fu busied herself talking with her elder brother and sister-in-law. Little Fourth Master was somewhat sullen on the side.

The Fu family was small and humble; what they ate and drank couldn’t compare to the Zhu family.

Those family members’ expressions were also disgusting—each one obsequious, practically wanting to kneel and lick Concubine Fu’s feet. Forget Little Fourth Master being displeased at the sight; even they servants couldn’t stand watching.

Seeing her son’s expression, Concubine Fu ordered Tianshi to accompany Little Fourth Master for a walk outside.

On this walk, they reached the back garden.

In the back garden, a female servant sat cross-legged in the flower bed with a large red flower behind her ear, beckoning to Fourth Master.