Seventh Brother never lived to see that day.

Three months later, during a caravan escort mission, he was surrounded by over a hundred bandits and killed by a sword through the heart.

No one knew that the day before Seventh Brother died, she went to Seventh Sister-in-law’s room to talk and saw that Seventh Sister-in-law had made a new floral garment. The garment was so beautiful—embroidered all over with flowers.

Seeing her eyes glued to it, Seventh Sister-in-law urged her to try it on and even removed her human-skin mask.

Seeing herself in the mirror, so beautiful she was beside herself, she even laughed in her dreams that night.

The fortune teller hadn’t lied. If she was a woman, someone in the Han family would face bloody disaster.

Seventh Brother died.

She had killed him, leaving behind Seventh Sister-in-law and a nephew barely three years old.

She personally carried him home, laid him on a door plank, wiped all the bloodstains from his body bit by bit, and changed him into clean clothes.

Father, devastated by losing his son in middle age, stopped managing the fortress’s affairs much. The seeds of chaos were planted then.

She should have killed herself with one slash, but Seventh Sister-in-law said: “If you die, who will we orphans and widows depend on?”

She didn’t dare die.

Caravan escorts always left words for their families before each mission.

Seventh Brother’s words that day were no different from before—

“Twelve, I’m leaving the family to you. Take good care of things. Brother will be back soon.”

She never waited for Seventh Brother to return.

She turned herself into Seventh Brother.

She cared for Seventh Sister-in-law and her young nephew, became Father’s right hand, and finally became the new Han family head after Father died.

She could no longer distinguish whether she was a man or a woman. She didn’t want to look even once at the face beneath the human-skin mask.

Every glance reminded her: you are a sinner.

Three years passed in a flash. Under her leadership, the Han family thrived.

Every New Year’s ancestral worship, looking at Seventh Brother’s memorial tablet, she would say in her heart: “Seventh Brother, don’t worry—I’m not suffering.”

But at the advanced age of twenty-two, in others’ eyes, she should start a family and establish herself. She couldn’t start a family and could only hide temporarily.

“If there’s no other way, just marry me. As for children…”

Li Buyan thought for a moment. “Your nephew is growing up anyway. Eventually the Han family business will pass to him. You can just say I can’t bear children—that should fool them.”

Han Xu glanced at her: “At the dinner table just now, Young Master Pei’s eyes when he looked at you were unusual.”

Li Buyan snorted: “Your eyes are the sharpest.”

“Just now after you left, the Pei family steward came.”

Yan Sanhe: “The Pei family has selected a match for Young Master Pei.”

Li Buyan raised one eyebrow: “Yan Sanhe, are you planning to become a matchmaker?”

“No, I’m just informing you.”

“No need to inform me.”

Li Buyan’s voice suddenly deepened.

“Life is short. Everything can be compromised except the heart. If one day Pei Xiao makes me think of him morning and night, I won’t care about anything—I’ll just hold him tightly in my palm.”

“Well said!”

A rare hint of a smile appeared in Han Xu’s eyes. “Yan Sanhe, you lost this round.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

Young Master Pei, this is all I can help you with.

…

Han Xu’s arrival added to the oppressive atmosphere of the estate a touch of subtlety.

The subtlety lay in his relationship with Li Buyan.

When Li Buyan took walks, he followed behind. When Li Buyan practiced martial arts, he sparred with her. When Li Buyan cooked, he tended the fire in the kitchen.

His main focus: companionship.

And in front of Han Xu, Li Buyan often showed the coquettish demeanor of a little woman.

Young Master Pei visibly grew more silent.

He would often stand motionless in his own courtyard, listening to the liveliness on the other side of the wall, standing for half a day at a time.

Xie Zhifei didn’t dare look at the emotion in his eyes and silently prepared several jars of good wine, ready to drink with him until they dropped at any moment.

But after waiting several days, instead of waiting for Pei Xiao to drown his sorrows, he received this statement—

“We can’t let the Zheng family matter remain in a stalemate. Go talk to Yan Sanhe about setting up a trap to capture the assassin.”

Xie Zhifei looked at his slightly pointed chin and nodded silently.

But setting a trap wasn’t so easy. Yan Sanhe and Xie Zhifei studied it in the study for several days without coming up with a method.

While the estate fell into an impasse, from the Ministry of War down to all generals and soldiers of the Three Great Camps, everyone was anxious and overwhelmed.

What were war horses?

Like grain, they were the foundation of the nation!

Bu Liu was so anxious and frustrated that his tongue and mouth corners developed sores.

According to the Late Emperor’s strategy, by now he should be leading troops north to attack the Tatars.

Now unable to move, delaying military opportunities was a small matter. If the Tatars caught wind of the truth, the consequences would be truly unimaginable.

For three days straight, Crown Prince Zhao Yishi was summoned to the imperial study by the new Emperor for questioning.

The most serious time, the furious new Emperor threw a memorial directly at him.

The memorial’s cover scraped past his eye corner, leaving a long red mark. In the early summer weather, Zhao Yishi’s heart grew colder and colder, freezing to rigid ice.

No one could have imagined that at this moment on the official road, someone was traveling day and night with desperate urgency, having already run three horses to death.

Even less could anyone predict that with his return, the capital would know no peace.

…

First year of Taikang, April 28th.

Before the fifth watch.

The estate’s gate was pounded: “Bang bang bang.”

After waiting a while with no one opening the door, Zhu Qing simply leaped over the high wall and headed straight for the inner quarters.

Moments later, everyone in their sleep heard a great shout:

“Miss Yan, Third Master, Young Master Pei, I’m back! There’s a lead in the case!”

Lights in the side rooms blazed on. Li Buyan came out carrying a lantern and at first glance didn’t recognize the person before her as Zhu Qing.

He was scruffy with beard, his lips completely cracked from wind, his clothes torn and ragged—like someone who’d just crawled out of the earth.

“I’ll go prepare hot water and food right away.”

“Miss Li, don’t trouble yourself. Just give me some water to drink.”

Opening his mouth, Zhu Qing’s voice was hoarse. “The matter is urgent. I must speak with Miss Yan immediately.”

“I’m here.”

Yan Sanhe came out in her outer robe. “Buyan, light the lamps in the study, heat water for tea, have Tangyuan prepare food in the kitchen.”

Just as she finished speaking, Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao rushed over one after the other, followed by Ding Yi and Huang Qi supporting each other.

Seeing Zhu Qing’s appearance, Xie Zhifei felt terrible pain and gently squeezed his neck. “You’ve worked hard.”

Zhu Qing glanced at Ding Yi and Huang Qi, knowing that during his absence, many things must have happened.

“Master, let’s discuss business.”

“Let’s go!”

…

Entering the study, Zhu Qing couldn’t wait for the water to heat. He grabbed the teapot of overnight cold tea and gulped down several mouthfuls.

Setting down the teapot, he pulled a jade thumb ring from his chest and placed it on the desk.

Everyone looked puzzled.

Xie Zhifei: “What about this thumb ring?”

Zhu Qing: “Third Master, Miss Yan, please look carefully at the carved pattern on this thumb ring.”

Xie Zhifei picked up the thumb ring, examined it for a few moments without seeing anything special, and quickly handed it to Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe only felt the carved pattern on it was very familiar but couldn’t immediately remember where she’d seen it. She couldn’t help but look up at Zhu Qing.

“Miss Yan has forgotten—North Warehouse River.”

North Warehouse River?

Yan Sanhe’s expression changed abruptly: “This is carved with kapok flowers.”