The next day, Grand Marshal Luo heard about something: Top Scholar Su Yao had not returned home all night.

Some said Compiler Su had encountered villains after drinking and met with misfortune. Others said he was lingering on one of the pleasure boats on the Jinshui River, reluctant to leave.

“That Su Yao must have gone to enjoy himself on the Jinshui River. Scholarly scum always reveal their true nature eventually.” Facing Luo Sheng, Grand Marshal Luo spoke without reservation. “If I didn’t want to complicate matters at this time, I would have killed that beast long ago.”

Luo Sheng said without changing expression: “Su Yao is in my courtyard.”

Grand Marshal Luo: “…”

After a while, Grand Marshal Luo finally found his voice: “Sheng’er, how did Su Yao end up at your place?”

“I couldn’t let go of my anger, so I abducted him to ask why he harmed me.”

“Did he tell you?”

Luo Sheng shook her head. “He wouldn’t admit it. I had someone lock him up to leave as a gift for Emperor Yong’an’s soldiers.”

“You child…” Impressed by how quickly his daughter had acted, Grand Marshal Luo momentarily didn’t know what to say.

“Was your daughter too rash?” Luo Sheng asked.

Grand Marshal Luo smiled. “Not rash at all. It’s I who overthought things.”

“As long as I haven’t caused trouble for Father.”

Grand Marshal Luo pondered briefly, then said: “How about this—I’ll have someone move Su Yao to the front courtyard. Better not keep him at your place.”

Luo Sheng had no objection to this and nodded readily.

“Go back now and rest well to conserve your energy.”

“Your daughter takes her leave.”

Luo Sheng returned to Xianyun Courtyard and discovered that Luo Ying and her two sisters were already waiting for her in the courtyard.

Luo Sheng invited the three to have tea.

Luo Yue held her teacup and spoke uneasily: “Third Sister, you know about the family situation, right?”

They had learned about these arrangements from the First Concubine. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became. Though they tried to endure it, they ultimately couldn’t help coming to find Luo Sheng.

“I know.” Luo Sheng calmly sipped her tea.

Such composure left Luo Yue stunned. “Third Sister, aren’t you afraid?”

Looking at the young woman whose eyes showed anxiety, Luo Sheng smiled. “Of course I’m afraid too, but fear won’t solve the problem. We should trust Father.”

Luo Yue nodded vigorously. “Right! Trust Father. Father is quite reliable in this regard.”

Seeing all three sisters looking at her in unison, Luo Yue froze.

Oh no, she’d accidentally said something wrong.

Luo Sheng’s tone shifted: “The way I see it, even in the worst case, at least our family will be together. Thinking of it this way, there’s really nothing to be afraid of.”

“Third Sister is right. Being together as a family is what matters most.” Luo Ying nodded in agreement.

Luo Sheng thought for a moment, then confessed to the three: “Emperor Yong’an used consort selection as a pretext to summon women born at the mao hour on the seventh day of the seventh month in the year of Wuchen to enter the palace. In reality, it’s to kill them for some unspeakable purpose.”

Luo Yue cried out in shock: “It’s not actually for selecting consorts?”

“No.”

“That’s too preposterous.” The three sisters were so impacted by this news that they couldn’t quite process it.

The First Concubine had only told them the family had committed an offense and would likely need to flee the capital, but they hadn’t imagined the truth was like this.

Luo Sheng looked at her three sisters and said apologetically: “You all know I was born on that day. In a sense, I’ve implicated all of you.”

Luo Ying’s expression grew serious. “Third Sister, that’s the wrong way to think about it. The one at fault shouldn’t be the victim, but the perpetrator.”

Luo Yue nodded repeatedly. “That’s right! The one at fault is that cruel dog of an emperor. How can he kill innocents so indiscriminately!”

Luo Qing also said: “Eldest Sister and Fourth Sister are right. If His Majesty can kill women born on the seventh day of the seventh month in the year of Wuchen today, tomorrow it might be our turn. Third Sister has no need to feel guilty.”

Hearing the three speak this way, Luo Sheng felt greatly comforted.

She had chosen to reveal the truth because the road of escape would face life-and-death crises at any moment—they had the right to know the truth. Whether they would resent her after learning it was beyond her control.

This outcome naturally made her happy.

While the four sisters gathered together to talk because of the approaching storm, Su Yao had already been quietly transferred to a different location.

Snow-white walls, simple yet elegant furnishings—this should be a guest room.

Su Yao surveyed his surroundings, unease pervading his heart.

He could be certain that the people who brought him here belonged to Grand Marshal Luo. Given how the Jinlin Guard operated, were they planning to destroy his body and eliminate all traces?

Death was naturally something he was unwilling to accept.

He still had a brilliant future ahead. He hadn’t yet witnessed with his own eyes the misfortune of those he despised. How could he die?

Just then, the door creaked open and two strong, sturdy servants walked in.

One had empty hands, while the other carried a tray. On the tray was a white porcelain wine cup gleaming with a cold luster.

Su Yao suppressed his unease and asked calmly: “What do you want?”

The servant carrying the tray stepped forward and said with a smile: “Master Su, you are a guest in our household. The Grand Marshal invites you to drink a cup of wine.”

Su Yao’s expression grew slightly tense. “Is this how the Grand Marshal harms court officials?”

“Master Su thinks too much. Our Grand Marshal is merely inviting you to drink a cup of wine. How is that harming you?”

“I won’t drink. I want to see the Grand Marshal.”

The servant smiled. “If Master Su refuses to drink, you won’t be giving our Grand Marshal face.”

The other servant showed impatience. “Enough. Don’t waste words with him. After we get him to drink, we still need to report back to the Grand Marshal.”

Seeing the two servants about to use force, Su Yao shouted sternly: “I want to see the Grand Marshal! I have a tremendous secret to tell him!”

The two servants had already closed in. One restrained his hands and feet while the other brought the wine cup to his lips.

Strength conquers ten skills—at this moment, Su Yao deeply understood the meaning of this saying.

These two servants, single-mindedly executing orders, wouldn’t listen to anything he said.

His tongue tasted something bitter and spicy. Su Yao had no choice but to reveal early the trump card he had prepared to disclose only upon meeting Grand Marshal Luo: “Miss Luo has been replaced by a different person!”

When he shouted this, the servant forcing wine on him involuntarily paused.

Su Yao seized the opportunity and said while coughing: “I want to see Grand Marshal Luo! I have a secret to tell him!”

“Stop your nonsense!” The other servant snatched the wine cup from his companion’s hand and, grabbing Su Yao’s head from behind, forced it down his throat.

After forcing down the wine, the servant pushed Su Yao to the ground and impatiently pulled his companion. “Let’s go.”

The door opened and closed again, shutting in the heart-stopping scene that had just occurred.

The courtyard was bathed in spring sunlight, the gentle breeze warm and mild.

The servant hesitantly spoke up: “What Scholar Su just said was really strange. What did he mean by ‘Miss Luo has been replaced by a different person’?”

The other servant raised his hand and slapped him. “Are you stupid? That man was spouting nonsense to save his life. If we really brought him before the Grand Marshal to cause trouble, wouldn’t the Grand Marshal chop us up?”

The servant came to his senses with a jolt. “Right, right! How could I be so confused? Let’s go report back.”

Inside the room, Su Yao desperately clawed at his throat. The burning sensation, however, grew increasingly intense and soon overwhelmed his consciousness.

When he woke again, the light in the room had dimmed, though the furnishings hadn’t changed.

Su Yao blinked, and wild joy surged through him.

He was still alive!