In the great hall of the Guo residence, all the maidservants stood with lowered hands, silent as cicadas in winter, while all the masters sat quietly, each face bearing unprecedented gravity.

“Can it truly not be healed?” Princess Chenliu inquired.

Duke Qi shook his head and sighed, “Mother, the imperial physicians have done their utmost, but they say Dao’er’s right hand is too severely injured—he’ll never be able to wield a sword again.”

A strange gleam flashed through Guo Dun’s eyes as he said with a face like frost, “I truly never imagined that the dignified young master of the Chen family would strike so heavily. And to think our two families are old friends.”

Duke Qi looked at him with a warning glance, “On the competition field, naturally swords and blades show no mercy. Chen Hanxuan’s martial skills surpass your Fifth Brother’s by a notch. That Dao’er was injured is no one’s fault—what use is blaming others!”

Though Duke Qi said this, his expression was also very unpleasant. He hadn’t expected things would develop to this point. It was merely attending a competition at the Emperor’s invitation—how did it end with a crippled right hand? For someone like Guo Dao, suddenly having his right hand disabled—wouldn’t all these years of martial arts training be wasted? One could imagine how pained Duke Qi felt in his heart, yet he didn’t display this emotion before Princess Chenliu.

Lady Guo’s entire body trembled heavily, then calmed down, though the corners of her eyes were bright red, her gaze constantly lowered.

Princess Chenliu had cried bitterly upon hearing this news yesterday. Now she was beyond tears, blaming herself, “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t urged Dao’er to participate in the competition, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

The eldest grandson’s wife, Jiang Shi, hurried to console her, “Grandmother needn’t worry. Though the imperial physician said Fifth Brother’s right hand cannot be healed for now, we can still seek famous doctors—there may not be no solution. Everything must be viewed optimistically.”

Princess Chenliu showed no improvement in complexion from these words of consolation, instead sitting there sighing repeatedly in a daze.

Chen Bingbing’s eyes were full of self-reproach. She knelt before everyone to apologize, “This matter is entirely my third brother’s fault. If he hadn’t struck so heavily, it absolutely wouldn’t have come to this! I’ll definitely have Father discipline him properly—”

“No, this has nothing to do with you. Please rise quickly.” Princess Chenliu helped her up, shaking her head.

Chen Bingbing felt her heart like duckweed floating on water, extremely anxious and uneasy. One could imagine—her own younger brother had injured her brother-in-law. If the Guo family pursued the matter or held it in their hearts, how should she conduct herself? In her heart, she couldn’t help cursing Chen Hanxuan thoroughly. At this moment, seeing that Princess Chenliu and the others showed no intention of blaming her, she finally relaxed slightly.

Jiang Shi patted Chen Bingbing’s hand and turned around, “Grandmother, Fifth Brother is an extremely proud person by nature. We absolutely must not show sorrow before him. Yesterday didn’t you want to visit him but were stopped by the imperial physician? Today his emotions have stabilized considerably. In a while, I’ll accompany you to see him.”

Jiang Shi had a gentle face, warm smile, and spoke in a very mild tone—she was quite likable.

Hearing this soft voice, Princess Chenliu couldn’t help nodding, “That would be good. You two accompany me together.” As she spoke, she stood up and, supported by her two granddaughters-in-law, left the great hall. Walking to the hall entrance, she suddenly turned back, glanced at Lady Guo who had remained silent throughout, and ultimately sighed. Without saying anything more, she turned and walked out.

After Princess Chenliu left, Lady Guo turned her head to stare at Duke Qi, saying very seriously and earnestly, “Guo Su, we’ve been husband and wife for many years. I’ve never heard you tell me a single lie. What exactly happened yesterday? Tell me truthfully. As a mother, I have the right to know the truth.”

Duke Qi looked at his beloved wife, unable to speak a single word for a long while.

Like Lady Guo, Li Weiyang had maintained silence from the beginning. Now hearing Lady Guo speak thus, she also looked toward Duke Qi.

Guo Cheng couldn’t help urging, “Father, is there some hidden truth to this matter? Why won’t you tell the truth?”

Duke Qi glanced at his son. In his eyes’ depths, something seemed to dissolve—because it merged too many emotions, it became difficult to interpret. The entire great hall was deathly silent. Everyone only heard the sound of wind blowing outside, bringing a wave of heart-palpitating coldness.

Li Weiyang slowly spoke up, “Father, we’re all family. In yesterday’s competition, I saw that Fifth Brother’s martial skills were clearly superior, and Chen Hanxuan’s sword didn’t injure Fifth Brother’s meridians—why can he no longer use his right hand? The imperial physician only told you alone the truth of the matter. Why have you been unwilling to tell us, and even chose to conceal it from Grandmother?”

Duke Qi’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces. Li Weiyang’s words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at his heart while simultaneously scattering the various emotions in his heart. He knew this matter couldn’t be concealed for long, so he said, “Yes, Dao’er wasn’t injured so severely because of that sword strike. The fundamental reason he cannot wield a sword is because poison was smeared on that long sword.”

Lady Guo felt a tremendous force assault her, then forcibly tear her entire person from head to foot. She looked at Duke Qi in disbelief, her voice trembling, “What did you say?!”

Duke Qi looked at his wife, his heart grieving, yet his face forcibly suppressing it as he said word by word, “The imperial physician told me that Chen Hanxuan’s sword was smeared with poison that can paralyze human muscles. If not for timely treatment, I’m afraid Dao’er’s four limbs would have been completely crippled, not just one right arm.”

Shock now appeared on everyone’s faces, especially Guo Dun’s. He said incredulously, “Has this Chen Hanxuan gone mad? What kind of relationship do our Guo and Chen families have—how could he do something so vicious? Could it really be just for Princess Shouchun?”

Li Weiyang’s crystalline eyes grew cold and condensed. She glanced at Guo Dun but shook her head, “In my view, this matter may not be the Chen family’s doing.”

Everyone’s gazes suddenly focused on Li Weiyang. Lady Guo couldn’t help stepping forward to ask, “Jia’er, what do you mean by this?”

Li Weiyang glanced at Duke Qi. The other party nodded gently at her. Li Weiyang’s eyes suddenly filled with grief as she continued, “The Chen family has always been on good terms with our Guo family. For the position of prince consort, they absolutely have no need to strike such a vicious blow. Moreover, the Chen family’s daughter is a daughter-in-law in our household. If Chen Hanxuan’s poisoning were exposed, how should Mother and Father treat Chen Bingbing? I think even if the Chen family were obtuse, they couldn’t possibly be foolish to this degree. Therefore, Chen Hanxuan’s sword must have been tampered with by someone, and this person behind the scenes aims to provoke discord between the Guo and Chen families, turning them into enemies.”

The muscles on Duke Qi’s face twitched uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth, “What Jia’er says is correct. This matter is definitely not the Chen family’s doing!”

Lady Guo suddenly turned around, her gaze cold as a sword, as ice, like all the sharp blades in the world. She said sternly, “But that sword was struck by Chen Hanxuan’s hand. Dao’er’s injuries are inseparable from him!” Even knowing the poison wasn’t administered by the Chen family, this enmity had been established.

She was a mother—no matter what, she had no way to forgive Chen Hanxuan!

Li Weiyang’s pupils were deep black. Seeing Lady Guo reveal unprecedented coldness and severity, the depths of her eyes showed an ineffable melancholy. She sighed softly. The person behind this had a venomous mind—their skill at sowing discord could be called consummate. No matter how magnanimous the Guo family people were, this matter involved the Guo family’s youngest son, Guo Dao. Lady Guo would never find peace no matter what.

Planting a seed of resentment in the heart seemed like nothing, but as long as one waited for the right opportunity, this seed would take root, sprout, bloom into flowers of evil, and ultimately destroy the alliance between the two families.

Thinking of this, Li Weiyang stepped forward, supporting Lady Guo’s arm, saying softly, “Mother, you’ve already exhausted yourself mentally and physically over Fifth Brother’s matter. In my view, you should return to rest properly first. Whatever matters there are can wait until you’ve rested well.”

Lady Guo looked at Li Weiyang. The severity across her face gradually disappeared, replaced by tears welling in her eyes. Finally, her eyes misty with tears, she said, “But your Fifth Brother…”

Li Weiyang patted her hand and smiled with difficulty, “Mother, rest assured. As for Fifth Brother, naturally we’ll be there. We absolutely won’t let him do anything foolish.”

Lady Guo sighed at length. Having come to this point, she had no other recourse. Just then, the steward hurriedly entered the great hall, bowed to everyone, then said, “Duke, people from the Chen family have arrived.”

Duke Qi and everyone in the household showed slight changes in expression. Then Lady Guo said with an angry face, “Tell them we’re not receiving guests!” As soon as these words left her mouth, extreme difficulty appeared on the steward’s face. He glanced at Duke Qi. Duke Qi shook his head gently at him, so the steward continued, “Duke, this time it’s Grand Tutor Chen who has come.”

Even Chen Shang, the Grand Tutor ranked among the Three Excellencies, had personally rushed over—this was no small matter. Duke Qi already understood that this time he had no choice but to meet them. He glanced at his wife, then consoled her in a low voice, “Wife, whatever matters there are, we’ll discuss them later. I must go meet the Chen family people. This matter is of grave importance—don’t act rashly.” Finishing, he gazed deeply at his wife once before walking out with the steward.

Lady Guo sat down dejectedly in her chair. Her face was haggard, her eyes swollen red from crying. Li Weiyang looked at her appearance, her heart aching slightly. Unknowingly, she had come to take Lady Guo’s joys as her joys, her sorrows as her sorrows. Now seeing Lady Guo so grief-stricken, what surged in her heart was only towering rage. Not only toward that mastermind behind the scenes, but also a trace of anger toward the Chen family. This Chen Hanxuan bore undeniable responsibility for this matter. If not for his carelessness, how could he have given the opponent an opening to poison his sword? This wasn’t displacing blame, but because in such matters, the Chen family indeed bore responsibility.

Guo Cheng stood up at this moment and said to the maidservants nearby, “You help Madam return to rest first. I still have words to say to Miss.”

The maids nearby came over and supported Lady Guo as she walked toward the inner hall. Li Weiyang turned around, her brows and lashes deep, saying to Guo Cheng, “Third Brother, what do you want to say to me?”

Guo Cheng’s brows furrowed, then relaxed, though his tone gradually became stagnant, “Jia’er, what should we do now?”

Li Weiyang lightly raised her eyebrows, “What do you mean, what should we do?”

At this moment, Guo Dun’s face was ashen. His temper had always been explosive—that he could maintain clarity after such an incident was already extremely difficult. He quickly stepped forward, looking at Li Weiyang, “How do we drag out this person behind the scenes?! Little Sister, you’re the cleverest—we’ll all listen to you.”

Li Weiyang shook her head gently. The depths in her eyes gradually faded, slowly showing a trace of sharp brilliance. She spoke up, “Actually, this person behind the scenes isn’t hard to guess. Chen Hanxuan felt guilty about injuring Guo Dao, so he wasn’t very focused in the later competitions. Then who was it that ultimately won?”

Guo Cheng and Guo Dun exchanged glances. Guo Dun’s face paled slightly as he said through gritted teeth, “So it’s him again—Pei Hui!”

Li Weiyang continued gazing at him, very calmly saying word by word, “The Pei and Guo families were already sworn enemies. This time, his striking viciously at Fifth Brother isn’t strange. But this person’s viciousness lies in not striking directly himself but rather injuring Fifth Brother through Chen Hanxuan. This way, regardless of whether we guess who the mastermind is, we’ll develop a rift with the Chen family. So this time, knowing the matter is serious, the Chen family head specifically came to apologize. In my view, he’s probably brought Chen Hanxuan along as well.”

Guo Dun’s face was shrouded in frost. He asked, “How can we avenge Fifth Brother?”

Li Weiyang’s eyes seemed like flickering starfire, bright and dim by turns. She sighed, “Pei Hui just won the competition and injured Fifth Brother—it’s when he’s most vigilant. Now isn’t the best time to move against him. Only when the enemy is complacent and lowers his guard can we strike. So we must wait.”

Hearing this, Guo Dun was about to say something when Guo Cheng beside him pressed down on his shoulder.

Guo Cheng greatly admired Li Weiyang. He considered himself already a very intelligent person who remained calm in the face of events, yet Li Weiyang could distinguish the threads and see the essence one step faster than him. Seeing Fifth Brother injured, he had already lost his composure, yet she could consider matters very long-term. He quickly adjusted his emotions and answered, “You’re right. In this matter, we cannot act rashly.”

Guo Dun suppressed this anger and instead said, “Good, I’ll listen to you both! We’ll naturally deal with this Pei Hui, but for Fifth Brother, we must also console him well. I see his emotions seem wrong.”

Guo Cheng nodded, “Little Sister, perhaps your consolation works better on him than ours.” He said this strange sentence. Guo Dun couldn’t help turning to glance at Guo Cheng, not knowing what he meant by this.

But Li Weiyang understood what he was saying. The great hall was utterly silent, even breathing sounds almost inaudible. Though it was a taboo understood in an instant, Li Weiyang could only pretend ignorance, saying, “Let’s go.”

The courtyard where Guo Dao lived was very secluded. Upon entering, there was immediately a large martial arts training ground. Li Weiyang looked at the lush bamboo forest filled with swords and wooden posts and couldn’t help shaking her head. Guo Dao was a young master accomplished in both civil and martial arts, with an extremely proud temperament. If he learned he could never raise a sword with his right hand for the rest of his life, this would probably be an enormous blow. Like a scholar unable to take the imperial examinations, a farmer without fields, a shepherd boy whose lambs were all dragged away by wolves—these were the world’s most miserable things. Not only related to livelihood, but they would completely destroy a person’s will. Li Weiyang sighed softly, then quickly entered the inner courtyard. Before entering, she suddenly heard Guo Dao’s voice.

“Who’s come outside?”

That voice was very hearty, as if nothing had happened. Guo Cheng and Li Weiyang exchanged glances, neither speaking for a moment. But the most guileless Guo Dun spoke first. He called out loudly, “Fifth Brother, we’ve come to see you!” As he spoke, he had already pushed open the door and quickly walked in.

Princess Chenliu and her two granddaughters-in-law were sitting inside. Seeing them arrive, Princess Chenliu said as if relieved, “Jia’er, you’ve come just in time. Please help me look—what exactly is wrong with your Fifth Brother?”

Li Weiyang glanced at Guo Dao but felt his expression was normal. Those peach blossom eyes still held affection, his face all smiles, as if completely unaffected. Suppressing her surprise, Li Weiyang smiled, “Fifth Brother, how is your body?”

Guo Dao’s smile was warm, “Of course I’m very well! It should be me asking you all how you are. Why have you all run to my courtyard to visit me? It’s merely a small injury—it’ll heal quickly.” Saying this, he subconsciously glanced at his right arm wrapped densely.

Li Weiyang followed his gaze. Guo Dao froze, then somewhat unnaturally turned his body slightly, avoiding her eyes. Li Weiyang frowned lightly. Guo Dao clearly knew everything, but why was he acting as if nothing happened? Could his heart truly not care about such a blow? No, this was impossible.

Princess Chenliu couldn’t help speaking up, “Look at him, still laughing carelessly without a care. What exactly possessed him?” Princess Chenliu spoke while tears barely falling. Guo Dao’s eyes were gentle as he consoled her, “Grandmother, it’s all Grandson’s fault. I’ve made you sad. In this competition, ultimately it was my uselessness—otherwise I wouldn’t have lost to the Chen family’s son. Please don’t be sad. I’ll recover quickly.”

But Princess Chenliu only cried louder. When people grew old, often their ability to endure became very poor. In her youth, how decisive and resolute she had been. Apart from being somewhat too benevolent toward Ren Shi and her three children, no one had ever dared show the slightest disrespect before Princess Chenliu. But over these years, Princess Chenliu’s personality had gradually become very gentle. Encountering such matters, besides crying, she couldn’t come up with any good words to console Guo Dao.

Li Weiyang saw Guo Dao’s brows deeply furrowed, yet his mouth bore a bitter smile. She sighed and stepped forward, softly consoling Princess Chenliu, “Grandmother, if Fifth Brother says he’s fine, then he’s fine. As for his injury…” She looked back at Guo Dao, saw his expression composed, then continued, “For Fifth Brother’s injury, we’ll naturally seek good physicians to treat him. Grandmother needn’t worry. If you cry and hurt your eyes, wouldn’t Fifth Brother be anxious?”

Guo Dao repeatedly agreed. Several people coaxed and cajoled before finally sending Princess Chenliu away. Guo Dun glanced at Guo Dao and subconsciously said, “Fifth Brother, rest assured—we’ll definitely avenge you.”

Guo Dao’s voice revealed a trace of surprise, “Fourth Brother, what nonsense are you saying? Let this matter end here. No one should pursue it further.”

Guo Cheng’s pupils began to contract. After a long while, he looked at Guo Dao, “Since you know everything, why…”

His words unfinished, he heard Guo Dao say firmly, “This involves the Chen family—we cannot act rashly. Whatever we do will only please the person behind the scenes. So for now we can only hold our forces and wait for an opportunity to retaliate.” When saying the words “retaliate,” his voice was pressed extremely low and slow, almost squeezing out word by word from between his teeth, his eyes also bursting with intense hatred.

Coinciding with her own thinking, Li Weiyang’s gaze softened. If Guo Dao could think through all this so quickly, then she could feel at ease. Only—knowing his injury had a mastermind behind it, even Guo Dun was so enraged, yet as the victim, Guo Dao was so calm. This showed what a cool-headed and wise person he was. Li Weiyang discovered she had previously underestimated this Guo family’s Fifth Young Master. She smiled gently, “Since Fifth Brother is already fine, we’ll return and not disturb his rest here.”

On the verge of leaving the courtyard, Li Weiyang couldn’t help turning back. Sunlight bloomed in warm colors, and Guo Dao stood quietly before the window, gazing at her without blinking. Wind blew his black hair flying in all directions, yet his expression held a trace of faint sorrow. Such eyes made Li Weiyang’s heart suddenly uneasy.

Li Weiyang walked out of the courtyard. Her expression was calm and cool, yet her brows faintly concealed a trace of murderous intent.

Zhao Yue said in a low voice, “Miss, look…”

Li Weiyang said impassively, “Send someone to watch Pei Hui for me. At any sign of activity, report to me immediately.”

Zhao Yue immediately responded, “Miss, rest assured.”

After this incident, everyone took great care of Guo Dao. The Guo family elders seemed to feel they had wronged this son and were very concerned about him. This emotion permeated the air above the Guo residence. If Guo Dao went out, Princess Chenliu would constantly tell him to return early and not linger outside to prevent any incidents. Guo Cheng and Guo Dun moreover wouldn’t leave his side for a moment, as if afraid he’d think things through poorly and commit suicide.

Such overprotection—Li Weiyang watched it and secretly shook her head. In her view, Guo Dao was a person with extremely strong self-respect who shouldn’t be able to bear such coddling. Indeed, the Guo family’s excessive emotions made Guo Dao avoid them, often not remaining in his courtyard. Lady Guo sought him several times without finding Guo Dao’s shadow. Even once at midnight, she discovered Guo Dao sneaking in through a side courtyard gate, reeking of alcohol. Lady Guo felt both heartache and anger yet was helpless.

Li Weiyang knew Guo Dao definitely couldn’t find peace over that day’s events, and the Guo family’s emotions drove him even further away. So she wanted to find an opportunity to speak properly with Princess Chenliu and the others—not to hurt Guo Dao’s self-respect with excessive concern. But she hadn’t expected that by the time she acted, it was already too late.

This evening, a maid went to Fifth Young Master’s courtyard to deliver sweet soup but discovered Fifth Young Master wasn’t in the residence. Only then did she panic and hurry to notify Lady Guo. Lady Guo originally merely thought Guo Dao had simply gone out drinking with friends as usual and didn’t pay much attention. But for three consecutive days, Guo Dao didn’t return. Lady Guo couldn’t help growing anxious, sending people to search among Guo Dao’s close friends’ homes. Finally, they even turned the entire capital upside down but couldn’t find Guo Dao. At this point, the matter had become extremely serious. Guo Cheng and Guo Dun were as anxious as ants on a hot pot, searching everywhere daily. Duke Qi Guo Su, besides arranging personnel to search, also wrote a letter to the Metropolitan Governor, asking him to bring people to search the city. But no matter how he searched, Guo Dao was like a stone sinking into the sea—impossible to find.

Li Weiyang knew Yuan Lie was clever and cunning with many channels ordinary people lacked, so she entrusted this matter to Yuan Lie. Thus, Yuan Lie secretly commanded his spies to search the capital for half a day and suddenly returned news to Li Weiyang saying the Guo family’s Fifth Young Master was found drunk in an extremely dilapidated wine house. Stated very euphemistically—rather than a wine house, it was more accurately a brothel, and a very low-class one at that.

Duke Qi Guo Su personally went to that small wine house and found Guo Dao. He was indeed dead drunk, completely unaware the Guo family was searching for him. Duke Qi couldn’t wake him no matter how he called, so suppressing his anger, he ordered people to carry Guo Dun back. Seeing her long-unseen son, Lady Guo’s tears immediately fell like rain as she commanded maidservants to bring hot water, then personally wiped his forehead.

Guo Cheng urged Duke Qi to return to rest, but Duke Qi Guo Su’s face was cold as frost. He said coldly, “No need. I want to wait until he wakes and personally ask him what exactly is going on!”

Li Weiyang only felt strange. She knew Guo Dao had recently been avoiding the Guo family’s excessive concern, but he was a clever and restrained person who absolutely wouldn’t behave excessively. This sudden disappearance aside, being found in such a place was truly too outrageous—completely unlike Guo Dao’s style.

Guo Dao slept for a full three hours. When he awoke, his face was very haggard. He looked at everyone, his face showing an expression of disbelief.

Guo Cheng saw Duke Qi’s expression was unfavorable and quickly spoke up, “Fifth Brother, what exactly is going on with you? Why did you leave home so long without telling us? Don’t you know how anxious Father and Mother were?!”

Guo Dao only felt his head splitting with pain. He frowned lightly, shaking his head, “I also don’t know.” He supported his head, appearing extremely pained.

Duke Qi’s eyes were incomparably sharp, staring fixedly at Guo Dao, forcibly suppressing the fury about to erupt. Guo family sons could lack martial skills, could lack talent, but absolutely could not be self-degrading scoundrels!

Seeing her husband’s expression extremely angry, Lady Guo quickly ordered someone to bring sobering soup. Guo Dao drank the sobering soup, but his head didn’t clear much. He looked at his father and other family members, his eyes only growing more confused.

Duke Qi said coldly, “Are you better? If better, sit up properly. I have questions for you.”

Guo Dao opened his mouth as if wanting to explain, but Duke Qi’s expression of wanting to judge him made him hold back, saying nothing.

Duke Qi’s voice was extremely cold, “I’ve cultivated you for so many years, originally thinking you were a child with a clever mind who knew priorities and definitely wouldn’t do foolish things. But this time you’ve gone too far. Just because you injured your hand, could you leave home without returning, making your mother sad? What kind of reasoning is this? Where has the Guo family’s years of education gone! To the point where you linger in brothels refusing to come home?! Don’t you know this matter has spread everywhere, already becoming the talk of the entire city? Do you deliberately want to make the Guo family unable to hold up their heads?!”

Guo Dao pressed his hand to his brow, lowering his head slightly, appearing completely shocked.

Li Weiyang saw Guo Dao’s expression wooden, as if completely unable to understand what Duke Qi was saying. A wave of strangeness couldn’t help surging in her heart. She looked at Guo Dao and asked, “Fifth Brother, did you encounter anything strange these past few days?”

In Li Weiyang’s view, Guo Dao might be sad, might be hurt, might be dissolute and unrestrained, but he definitely hadn’t reached the point of being so dispirited or even absent for several nights due to this matter.

He was very protective of his mother, also very concerned about family members—he absolutely couldn’t do things that would make them sad and upset. Then why would he be found drunk in a brothel?

In fact, Duke Qi hadn’t necessarily misunderstood Guo Dao. He had already sent people to carefully question those people, but they all said the Guo family young master had been drinking there these days, always drinking himself unconscious, knowing nothing else. Li Weiyang vaguely felt something was suspicious about this matter but couldn’t say exactly what was strange.

Guo Dao knew that whatever he said, Duke Qi wouldn’t believe him. He suddenly shook his head, then abruptly stood up, his voice ice-cold, “I’m fine. You needn’t worry.” With that, he already swayed toward the exit.

Duke Qi said angrily, “Stop right there!”

Before his words finished, Lady Guo heartbrokenly stopped him, “The child has already returned. Why must you still scold him? In speaking of this matter, we bear some fault too.” Saying this, Duke Qi couldn’t say another word.

Indeed, if they hadn’t let Guo Dao participate in such a competition, Guo Dao wouldn’t have fallen to this state. Their son’s current despondency was also very much related to them. As parents, they always took all blame upon themselves. At this moment, both Lady Guo and Duke Qi felt very guilty and couldn’t blame him excessively, only letting Guo Dao leave like this.

Li Weiyang returned to think all night, increasingly feeling this matter was very wrong. She thought it over repeatedly and decided she must find Guo Dao to question the matter clearly. Thus, early the next morning, she prepared to find Guo Dao. But just as she walked to the garden, she nearly collided with someone coming onto the bridge.

She stopped, couldn’t help feeling surprised. The person before her was precisely Guo Dao, only his expression and clothing were very strange. Previously, Guo Dao paid great attention to appearance, his hair always meticulous, but now several strands of loose hair hung before his forehead, faintly connecting with his long brows. His eyes slanted like peach blossoms, carrying dispirited angles. Though it was spring now, the weather still held some coolness. The Guo Dao before her wore only soft, light robes, sleeves fluttering—truly possessing a transcendent bearing.

Moreover, Guo Dao’s face actually bore some redness, very comfortable-looking, as if drunk.

But—drinking this early in the morning? Or had yesterday’s alcohol not yet worn off?

Li Weiyang said in surprise, “Fifth Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Guo Dao instead laughed heartily. He stepped forward, grabbing Li Weiyang’s sleeve, then asked with a smile, “Jia’er, why have you come? I thought you very much disliked me.”

Li Weiyang frowned lightly, made completely at a loss by his inexplicable question.

Guo Dao saw her displeasure and seemed to gain three parts sobriety. He immediately lowered his eyelids. Thick, long, dense lashes delicately covered his eye area, concealing his slightly crazed gaze. Li Weiyang was about to ask something else when Guo Dao immediately released her. A trace of sorrow floated on his face as he smiled slightly, “I should go.” Finishing this sentence, he suddenly floated lightly past Li Weiyang.

At this moment, the Guo brothers, equally worried about Guo Dao, also came together. Seeing Guo Dao in this state, they hurried forward to stop him.

But Guo Dao merely pushed Guo Dun aside, saying indifferently, “Move aside.”

Guo Dun’s expression froze. He again rushed up to stop Guo Dao. The soft silk twisted and deformed under his fingers, “What exactly is wrong with you? If you’re unhappy about something, let’s just have a fight.” This was the Guo brothers’ habitual way of resolving problems.

Just then, Li Weiyang sensed something wrong. She quickly said, “Fourth Brother! Let Fifth Brother go.”

Guo Dun looked at Li Weiyang, his expression very surprised. Li Weiyang shook her head gently at him. Guo Dun furrowed his brows tightly but still obediently retreated to the side. Guo Cheng had long since perceived something amiss. He watched Guo Dao depart, then looked at Li Weiyang, “What’s going on?”

Cold light surged in Li Weiyang’s eyes. She suddenly turned around, looking at the attendant who had been following Guo Dao but now timidly prepared to escape from her side, and said coldly, “What is Fifth Young Master doing?”

That attendant seemed to have committed some great wrong, falling to the ground with a thud, “Young Master… Young Master…” His words unfinished, but large beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead.

Li Weiyang’s eyes darkened slightly, her voice also suddenly becoming ice-cold, “Explain clearly!”

That person lowered his head, saying slowly, word by word, “Young Master is performing the leisurely walk.”

Guo Cheng’s expression suddenly changed. He quickly stepped forward, grabbing the man’s collar with one hand, knuckles turning faintly white, and said angrily, “What did you just say? Say it again!”

That person kept his head lowered, but cold sweat had already soaked his clothes. He trembled as he said, “Young Master consumed Carefree Powder, so just now he was performing the leisurely walk.” As soon as his words finished, Guo Cheng had already violently slapped him, saying sternly, “Nonsense! How could Fifth Brother touch such filthy things?!”

Li Weiyang was stunned hearing this. Then she looked toward Guo Dun, only to see her Fourth Brother’s expression was very strange. She couldn’t help asking, “What does ‘performing the leisurely walk’ mean? And what is this Carefree Powder?”

Guo Dun didn’t speak, only likewise staring at that attendant, his eyes blazing with fire.

Guo Cheng threw down that attendant with one motion, striving to calm his emotions, “This Carefree Powder was originally invented by a divine physician of the previous dynasty to treat cold damage, but later people discovered its wonderful properties. After consuming it, the mind greatly opens, one won’t be fettered by worldly mundane matters, having a feeling of ascending to the immortal realm with no more attachments. So by the Late Emperor’s time, many noble families were very fond of it. Carefree Powder enjoyed quite a vogue for a while. This marvelous elixir, though wonderful to consume, is extremely dangerous. After consumption, one must eat cold food, drink hot wine, wear thin clothing, and move rapidly to dissipate the body’s heat. Absolutely cannot stop, otherwise there’s mortal danger. So people call this behavior ‘performing the leisurely walk.'”

Li Weiyang furrowed her brows and spoke up, “Being able to forget troubles and feel in an immortal realm—no wonder Fifth Brother would consume Carefree Powder.”

But Guo Cheng suddenly cut off her words, “No, this thing absolutely cannot be consumed! Those who consume Carefree Powder, over time will become addicted, and this addiction fundamentally cannot be quit. Over time, a person will gradually thin until becoming thin as kindling before dying. Fifth Brother clearly knows this—how could he be so foolish!”

Li Weiyang’s expression changed. She hadn’t expected Carefree Powder’s effects would be so terrible. She heard Guo Dun beside her continue, “Precisely because Carefree Powder has so many harms, by the Late Emperor’s reign it had already been prohibited. I originally thought this thing would never appear in Yuexi again, but unexpectedly now Fifth Brother is also consuming this Carefree Powder.”

Hearing them say this, Li Weiyang’s heart sank. She furrowed her brows, “You just said this medicine is a prohibited drug?”

Guo Dun nodded, “Yes. If others knew Fifth Brother was consuming this medicine, I’m afraid…”

His words unfinished, but Li Weiyang already understood. Consuming medicine prohibited by the imperial house was a crime of defiance. Moreover, the harm of the medicine itself… Even if not discovered by others, it absolutely couldn’t be consumed. Why would Guo Dao do something so foolish?

Guo Cheng took a deep breath, looking at Li Weiyang, “We must speak properly with him.”

Li Weiyang nodded gently. She vaguely felt that behind the scenes, a hand seemed to be pushing the development of all this…

Li Weiyang entered Guo Dao’s study and saw a paperweight beside the desk with a stack of rice paper underneath. She pulled out those sheets of rice paper and casually flipped through them, looking very carefully. Guo Dao’s painting skill was exquisite, his lines even more beautiful. The women depicted in black ink on the paintings showed expressions either cold, or lazy, or carefree, or elegant, or graceful, or alluring—all charming and lovely, with slender figures. With merely a few strokes, their bearing was vividly outlined.

Li Weiyang was stunned. Though her own painting wasn’t very good, she wasn’t completely ignorant of painting. This painter’s skill was naturally consummate, but looking at his feelings toward this painted woman, they seemed tender and lingering. If not so, how could he use a brush to so vividly display this woman’s beautiful bearing?

The attendant serving in the study lowered his head, not daring even to look at the Guo family’s young masters. Fifth Young Master always painted day and night, as if possessed, yet no one knew exactly what he was painting.

Guo Dun beside her glanced once and couldn’t help saying in surprise, “Little Sister, isn’t this you?” Then he couldn’t help shaking his head, “How did Fifth Brother paint so many portraits of you?”

Guo Cheng beside him sighed slightly, his voice tightening by a degree, “Fourth Brother, you really…”—such a blockhead.

Li Weiyang was stunned for quite a while, ultimately smiling gently, as if she hadn’t seen these paintings at all, preparing to put them back in their original place. But at this moment, Guo Dao had finished performing the leisurely walk. Hearing they were here, he had already hurried in. Upon seeing the rice paper in Li Weiyang’s hands, his face instantly turned ashen.

Before Li Weiyang could open her mouth to explain, Guo Cheng had already said, “Little Sister, you speak properly with Fifth Brother. We’re leaving.” As he spoke, he had already grabbed the bewildered Guo Dun and walked outside, ordering the attendants in the study to also withdraw.

Guo Dun hurried to say, “Hey, Third Brother, don’t pull me! I still have words to say to Fifth Brother!” His words unfinished, he had already been pulled out by Guo Cheng, then with a bang, the door closed.

Guo Dao’s face was unprecedentedly ugly, but Li Weiyang looked at him, her gaze very calm, as if she hadn’t discovered the secret hidden in his heart.

Guo Dao’s eyes fell on Li Weiyang. He only felt his throat grow hoarse, not knowing what to say, until he heard Li Weiyang’s voice say softly, “I know Fifth Brother has always liked me very much, correct?”

Guo Dao stared at her blankly, his face suddenly turning deathly pale. Li Weiyang said seriously, “I’ll only ask you—is it or isn’t it?”

The room was very quiet, only two people’s breathing, very shallow, extremely calm.

Guo Dao didn’t speak for a long while. Finally, he mustered all his courage to look at her, his voice already grown cold and condensed, “So what if I’m being presumptuous? Just pretend you don’t know.”

Li Weiyang’s smile was gentle, yet she said with genuine sincerity, “Thank you.”

Guo Dao froze, almost struck dumb. Li Weiyang’s smile was as calm as usual. She looked at Guo Dao, “Actually, the reason you never spoke was because you feared we couldn’t get along as peacefully and harmoniously as now, correct? You’re special toward me—I could tell long ago. Such matters can never be concealed. But I know Fifth Brother is a person of upright character who will think things through sooner or later. If I were your sweetheart, one day these feelings would fade, cool, become ugly. But if I’m always your younger sister, we’ll be together forever. Family affection can never be separated under any circumstances. Don’t you agree?”

Guo Dao wanted to open his mouth to say something, but countless words couldn’t be spoken. He stared at Li Weiyang in a daze. She spoke out all this openly before him. Why, when the matter he painstakingly concealed was exposed, was the other party completely unconcerned?

Unable to say whether it was disappointment or heartache, he stared fixedly at her. In a moment, he understood.

Originally, when she suddenly discovered it, he felt as if he’d fallen beneath a cliff. In that instant, he couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, even forgot to breathe.

One voice in his heart said: Must conceal it. If she knows, it will only earn deep disgust.

But another voice spoke in his ear, tempting him: Why can’t you let her know? Haven’t you been painting her portrait day and night? If she knows, perhaps…

His hand clenched and released, clenched again, yet still couldn’t suppress that trembling emanating from his soul. Finally, he laughed. His slanted brows rose slightly. He had always feared Li Weiyang knowing, precisely worried about destroying this harmonious atmosphere. Now Li Weiyang knew his thoughts yet completely didn’t care. This had only one reason: he truly couldn’t enter her heart.

Previously, the more he concealed it, the more uncomfortable he felt. But now that everything was spoken openly and seen through by the other party, he instead felt a sense of relief. Without the tension from just before, his heart held a sense of loss, “I thought you would blame me or rebuke me. Isn’t this what ordinary women would do? Toward those petty people who covet you.”

“Fifth Brother is my family. You like me—I’m very happy. Why would I blame you using methods for dealing with others?” Li Weiyang smiled gently. “Also, these paintings are very well done. I wonder if you could give them to me?”

Guo Dao laughed again. In his smile, something slowly melted.

Li Weiyang’s voice carried a trace of sighing, “No one has ever painted me so beautifully. Fifth Brother wouldn’t be reluctant, would you?”

Guo Dao waved his hand magnanimously, “If you like them, take them all.”

Li Weiyang looked at him, merely smiling. Actually, in her heart she breathed a long sigh of relief. Being able to untie Guo Dao’s heart knot allowed her to continue speaking. Then she said seriously, “Fifth Brother, what exactly happened yesterday?”

Guo Dao seemed to have long anticipated she would ask this. He gazed at her quietly, not speaking for quite a while. Li Weiyang looked at him, saying calmly, “I believe Fifth Brother is an extremely intelligent person who has long known of Carefree Powder’s harm. You wouldn’t actively touch this thing.”

Guo Dao’s eyes suddenly brightened. He looked at Li Weiyang, “You believe me? You truly believe me?”

Li Weiyang nodded, “Fifth Brother has an exquisite heart and wouldn’t act foolishly. Moreover, you’re definitely not the type to worry Mother. So this matter—no matter how I think about it, I find it very suspicious. Yesterday, because Father was furious, you couldn’t explain. Now what can’t we discuss?”

Guo Dao sighed and called out loudly, “Previously, we three would eavesdrop on Father’s words together. Why use this tactic on me? Stop eavesdropping and come out!”

The window opened with a whoosh. Li Weiyang was slightly surprised but saw Guo Dun and Guo Cheng’s faces. Guo Dun said sheepishly, “We’re concerned about you.” As he spoke, the two had already jumped in through the window one after another.

Guo Dao sighed, “I originally wanted to tell you yesterday, but I feared Mother would worry so I didn’t speak.”

Guo Cheng saw his expression was strange and immediately said, “Now it’s just us few. Everything can be said. We’ll help you bear it together.”

Guo Dao finally nodded, “Actually, regarding the last incident, I always suspected the Pei family was behind it. So I arranged to meet Chen Hanxuan intending to speak privately with him, but somehow I was inexplicably kidnapped. The guards around me also all disappeared. During those three days, I was constantly dazed and confused, only knowing someone forcibly poured medicine into me, but not knowing what it was. When I regained consciousness, I discovered I was already in that small wine house. After returning, I carefully studied the powder residue on my clothes and only then discovered that thing was Carefree Powder.”

Finishing this sentence, they heard Guo Dun bang a hole in the table, “These Chen family people are truly detestable!” The other three looked at him with expressions of exasperation. Guo Dun couldn’t help raising his eyebrows, “What? Don’t you all still think this matter has nothing to do with the Chen family?”

Guo Dao immediately said, “Of course it’s unrelated. That Chen Hanxuan never came at all, so I suspect this matter was premeditated by someone who deliberately lured me into consuming Carefree Powder!”

Li Weiyang looked at Guo Dao but sighed gently, “Fifth Brother clearly knows, but why would you still touch that Carefree Powder?”

Guo Dao didn’t speak, only his gaze was profound. Guo Cheng gritted his teeth, “Once this thing is touched, it becomes addictive. If wanting to quit it, it’s more painful than death! Once someone wanted to quit Carefree Powder and wished he could cut off his own head. In the end, he still died from madness. You tell me if this is serious! The person behind this has an extremely venomous mind. He’s not killing Fifth Brother—that’s not showing mercy at all. He wants to completely destroy him!”