Miao Yiyang spent an entire night at the Yinye Bureau. The next morning at dawn, Yinye Bureau Commissioner Han Qing personally ordered Miao Yiyang’s release, permitting him to return home.

“Commissioner.”

Zhou Ting walked out of the Yinye Bureau’s main gate, first saluting Han Qing, then looking toward the carriage at the bottom of the steps that had come to fetch Miao Yiyang. “Du Cong is one of Administrator Pan’s people from the Three Offices. I never imagined he would come forward to protect Miao Yiyang.”

“Are you asking why this official released him so easily?” Han Qing watched as a young lady emerged from the carriage to help that Court Gentleman with unsteady steps climb aboard.

Du Cong was a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites, and currently also served as Vice Commissioner of the Ministry of Revenue in the Three Offices.

Grand Marshal Miao originally had no close civil officials at court. By rights, the suspicion against Miao Yiyang wasn’t great enough, but with Du Cong stepping forward like this, didn’t it prove that Grand Marshal Miao wasn’t without means to employ after all?

As such, this should have increased suspicion toward Miao Yiyang, yet Han Qing still released him.

“The Commissioner has his own considerations.”

Zhou Ting lowered his eyes.

“Before Miao Yiyang took the position of Director at the Court of Judicial Review, he practically never left the house all day, acting like a woman. After spending one night at the Yinye Bureau, half his three souls and seven spirits departed, yet he still kept muttering about ‘innocence.’ Either he has deep schemes, or he truly has the courage of a little chicken.”

Han Qing watched the carriage depart into the distance before turning back toward the gate: “Just have people watch him for now.”

The morning mist was soon baked dry by sunlight. When Miao Yiyang returned to the Grand Marshal’s residence, even lying in bed wrapped tightly in quilts, he still couldn’t stop the bone-deep trembling.

“Chunxu, I didn’t dare sleep in there. You don’t know—they have a punishment pool inside, full of blood and water. I also saw whips studded with iron spikes, all covered in blood…”

Miao Yiyang grabbed Cai Chunxu’s hand as she tried to wipe his sweat. “I heard so many screams! They were all crying injustice! Crying in pain! All night long they kept asking me the same questions. I talked until my mouth was dry and my tongue parched, but I didn’t dare drink the tea they offered. I looked at the color of that tea—it looked just like blood…”

“The Yinye Bureau Commissioner even offered you premium Wushan red tea to drink, yet you’re this useless?” Cai Chunxu was tired of his chattering. From the carriage to the residence, his mouth hadn’t stopped babbling.

“Do you know how terrifying it was, Chunxu…”

Miao Yiyang felt extremely wronged and still wouldn’t release her hand.

“How did I give birth to something like you in this lifetime!”

Cai Chunxu only heard this vigorous, resonant voice. Turning sharply, she saw several shadows cast in the patch of sunlight at the threshold. Then a burly man about fifty years old entered with a woman of similar age, followed by a young couple.

“Uncle, Aunt.”

Cai Chunxu immediately stood and bowed, first greeting her parents-in-law. Seeing her elder brother-in-law and sister-in-law enter behind them, she added: “Elder Brother, Sister-in-law.”

“Ah Cai, don’t mind him.”

As soon as Grand Marshal Miao entered and saw Cai Chunxu, he snorted coldly: “Just entered the Yinye Bureau once, received not a bit of torture, yet his courage was shattered, becoming this sickly appearance—utterly annoying! If word gets out, I fear this little chicken will disgrace this old man’s face!”

“He just got out. Please don’t say such things.”

Seeing her second son’s deathly pale face covered in sweat, Wang Shi felt distressed.

“Uncle, our second young master has had a weak constitution since childhood. How could he have ever seen the filthy affairs inside the Yinye Bureau? This time he kindly and benevolently rescued a young lady and brought her back, but who knew that because of that young lady’s affairs he would enter the Yinye Bureau to suffer? If it were me, my heart would also be extremely distressed.”

The eldest daughter-in-law Xia Shi chimed in from the side.

These words had an off taste to them. The eldest young master Miao Jingzhen had a naturally stern face. Hearing her words, he frowned. “Xiao Shu.”

“If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak.” Grand Marshal Miao also glanced at her. Seeing her cover her mouth with an embroidered handkerchief, he turned again to look at his second son on the bed, half-dead in appearance. “You’re actually not even as good as that young lady. What was her surname again?”

Grand Marshal Miao recalled the winter examination case he’d heard about during yesterday’s morning court. “Ah, surname Ni, right? That young lady first received the威 authority rod at Guangning Residence, then was locked up in the Yinye Bureau. How is it she’s not like you, with legs gone soft like this?”

Facing his father’s firecracker-like temper and loud voice, Miao Yiyang didn’t dare say a word. Seeing Cai Chunxu sit back down, he quickly moved close to her, staying silent with an aggrieved expression.

“If not for Du Cong, Administrator Du from the Three Offices, you boy would probably have stayed at the Yinye Bureau for several days!” Grand Marshal Miao grew angry just looking at him like that. He waved to summon a servant. “Go invite a physician to examine him.”

“Father, but why would Administrator Du help you?”

Miao Jingzhen suddenly asked.

“Him…”

Grand Marshal Miao rubbed his nose. “He’s had drinks with your old man. Why ask so many questions? You couldn’t show your face regarding your younger brother’s matter, so isn’t it good that Du Cong volunteered to help me?”

Miao Jingzhen scrutinized his father again. “But do you think this favor will be easy to repay? With him intervening to mediate now, what will the Yinye Bureau Commissioner think?”

“Who cares what that eunuch thinks?”

Grand Marshal Miao sneered coldly. “Look at your younger brother’s appearance—does he look like material for killing and harming people? Though I can’t exchange many words with those civil officials at court, if anyone dares make my son take the blame, I absolutely cannot be ambiguous about it!”

Miao Jingzhen was naturally taciturn. After probing with these words and understanding that his father wasn’t unaware of the stakes involved, he said no more.

“Ah Cai, this matter,” Grand Marshal Miao rubbed his head, then said to Cai Chunxu, “when you have time, properly compose a beautiful poem—one that suits me—to send to Administrator Du.”

“Uncle, only send a poem?”

Xia Shi couldn’t quite hold back her laughter.

“Naturally we must also send some good things. Invite someone knowledgeable about antiques to buy some calligraphy or paintings. Isn’t my poem following those literati’s customs? When making friends they love to exchange idle verses back and forth.” Grand Marshal Miao spoke as if he understood perfectly.

Just as they were talking, a servant woman came from outside to report that a Miss Ni had arrived.

Before long, a maid led that young woman into the courtyard.

This was Grand Marshal Miao’s first time truly seeing the rumored Miss Ni. She wore a pale blue jacket and moon-white long skirt, dressed elegantly, with distinguished features.

“Ni Su greets Grand Marshal.”

Entering the room and receiving quiet guidance from the maid beside her, Ni Su bowed toward the official seated in the folding chair, then paid respects to eldest young master Miao Jingzhen and each of the ladies one by one.

Everyone in the room was sizing her up. Seeing that her manners were thorough and she showed no timidity, Grand Marshal Miao’s wife Wang Shi remarked: “She looks like a young lady from a prominent family.”

“Aunt, if not for such events occurring, my Sister A’Xi wouldn’t be so helpless and alone in Yun Jing.” Seeing Ni Su arrive, Cai Chunxu forcefully broke free from Miao Yiyang’s grip, glared at him while hitting him once, then walked to Ni Su and pulled her to sit down.

“Sister Cai, I didn’t know this matter would implicate…”

“Why speak of such things again? Not to mention you didn’t know—how could any of us have calculated these events? I know my own husband. Look at him like that—asking him to kill a chicken or fish, he probably couldn’t bring himself to do it. How could he be material for killing people?”

Ni Su’s words were only half-spoken when Cai Chunxu patted her shoulder to interrupt.

“What happened to the second young master?”

Following Cai Chunxu’s gaze, Ni Su saw Miao Yiyang lying on the bed looking listless.

Cai Chunxu said irritably: “He was frightened. Sister A’Xi, why don’t you examine him and see what medicine could replenish his shattered courage.”

“Truly a medicine…”

The eldest daughter-in-law Xia Shi spoke without thinking, but before finishing her words, she was stared down by both her husband and uncle. She could only swallow her words and purse her lips.

“Our family doesn’t have such strange restrictions. Young lady, if you truly have the ability to treat illness, first examine him.” Grand Marshal Miao looked at Ni Su and spoke.

Ni Su assented and went with Cai Chunxu to the bedside.

Cai Chunxu placed a thin handkerchief over Miao Yiyang’s wrist. “Sister A’Xi, please proceed.”

For a time, everyone in the room watched the woman sitting beside the bed taking Miao Yiyang’s pulse. Aside from Cai Chunxu, almost everyone held a silent doubt toward that woman.

After taking his pulse, Ni Su wrote out a prescription for Miao Yiyang, then took her leave of Grand Marshal Miao and the others. Cai Chunxu escorted her toward the residence gate, just happening to encounter a servant leading a physician with a medicine box hurrying through the corridor.

“Sister A’Xi, I’m sorry…”

Seeing this, Cai Chunxu’s face showed an embarrassed expression.

Clearly just moments ago in the room, her uncle had already instructed people not to invite a physician. But that servant woman appeared to be from Aunt Wang Shi’s side. The meaning of bringing a physician now was self-evident.

“Your lady loves her son dearly and doesn’t know my background. Being cautious is nothing unusual.” Ni Su shook her head and smiled at Cai Chunxu.

Cai Chunxu was about to say something more when she suddenly stared at Ni Su’s neck.

“Sister Cai?”

Ni Su didn’t understand.

“Sister A’Xi, are you hiding something from me?” Cai Chunxu’s delicate brows knitted as she suddenly grasped Ni Su’s hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Ni Su’s face was full of bewilderment.

“Didn’t you say earlier you had a rash on your neck? But this… how is this like a rash?” Cai Chunxu stared intently at the askew brocade handkerchief at her neck. She reached out one finger to hook the handkerchief aside, revealing the complete teeth mark beneath with its scabbed blood. She drew in a sharp breath, then became angry. “Sister A’Xi! This, who is this frivolous scoundrel who dared do such a thing!”

Ni Su’s expression froze. She immediately wrapped the handkerchief properly again. Her cheeks inevitably flushed with heat. Feeling fortunate that only Cai Chunxu had noticed the irregularity, she said vaguely: “Sister, you misunderstand. What frivolous scoundrel is there?”

“But this mark…” Cai Chunxu lowered her voice, fearing others would hear.

Fortunately the maid behind them hadn’t seen clearly.

“The other day I held the small child of a medicinal herb farmer who came to deliver materials. That child was throwing a tantrum.” Ni Su made up an explanation on the spot.

“What child has such sharp teeth? Why would you hold him anyway?” Cai Chunxu breathed a sigh of relief, then blamed that ill-mannered child. “If someone saw it, wouldn’t they misunderstand just like me? I don’t know how the family teaches him, displaying such temper…”

Just as Cai Chunxu finished speaking, she felt a cold wind seem to blow before her. Under the bright sun, it actually made one feel somewhat chilly.

This gust of wind stirred Ni Su’s skirt hem. She lowered her eyes and saw on the ground the faintly swaying mass of pale luminous light like moonlight. She couldn’t help but let her eyes curve in a smile, yet said to Cai Chunxu:

“He’s extremely adorable. You can’t tell at all that he has such a temperament.”

Leaving the Grand Marshal’s residence, Ni Su walked through the bustling marketplace, looking at the mass of pale moonlight-like luminous glow reflected on the ground. At a tea and beverage stall, she bought two portions of fruit drinks and had some tea snacks wrapped in oiled paper.

“Since you’re not afraid of sunlight, why won’t you appear and walk the streets with me?”

Ni Su walked onto the Rainbow Bridge over Yunxiang River, speaking very softly.

Yet there was no one walking beside her—only passing travelers.

“Are you angry?”

Ni Su took a sip of fruit drink. “Angry that I told Sister Cai you were a child with a bad temperament?”

“I am not.”

The pale mist condensed beside Ni Su into the form of a young man.

Ni Su looked at him against the clear light. His figure was still misty. Aside from her, none of the pedestrians coming and going on the bridge could detect him.

“Then, Xu Ziling,”

Ni Su handed him a cup of fruit drink. “Let’s go tour Eternal Peace Lake together.”