The room’s window was half open, and Li Jingyun leaned by it, taking in the entire commotion outside.

Huayue had grown so used to being submissive before him that he’d almost forgotten this was the fiercest, most vicious servant dog at the General’s Manor. Look at that sharp-edged manner toward an outsider, that overbearing stance, that unyielding, dignified attitude — truly worthy of the title “Steward Yin.”

Nodding with satisfaction, he moved to the other window facing the back courtyard, wanting another look at that sharp, fierce little figure of hers.

Instead, he saw the person who had just been standing tall and proud now hugging a pillar in the back corridor, trembling.

Li Jingyun: “…”

Huayue really was terrified. Having spirit was one thing, but truly getting caught in the wrong by Miss Han and the Princess Imperial was another matter entirely. Biezhi had a point — Sishui had the Crown Prince to protect her; who did she have? If they truly treated her as some scheming little vixen and dragged her into the woods to be beaten to death, she wouldn’t even have anywhere to cry for help.

Her expression fell; she looked up at the sky, eyes filled with despair.

“Steward Yin.” Li Jingyun’s voice came from upstairs.

Huayue startled, propped herself up off the pillar and stood, quickly composing herself, restoring the demeanor and smile befitting a steward, and hurried upstairs with small quick steps.

Li Jingyun leaned by the bed waiting, and before long saw her arrive before him, composed, and curtsy. “Young Master, this servant has already drawn your washing water. Will you be going up the mountain today?”

Drowsily giving an “mm,” Li Jingyun rose and let her help him dress, his dark eyes sweeping over her face before looking indifferently out the window. “In this courtyard, have you heard anything about that courtesan?”

“Do you mean Miss Sishui?” Huayue thought about it and shook her head. “Only that the Crown Prince had her settled somewhere outside the temporary palace.”

A flash of pity crossed his eyes. Li Jingyun sighed. “What a pity.”

Reaching to straighten his collar, she said with a smile, “If the young master truly can’t bear to part with her, just have the Crown Prince send her back — nothing to be regretful about.”

“You don’t understand.” He raised a hand wistfully, gazing off into the distance with a worried air. “That’s no simple courtesan. Once she’s spent a night in my room, it’s like a slap the Crown Prince has delivered to the Han family’s face. Someone as protective as the Princess Imperial — how could she tolerate that?”

At these words, the young maid’s face paled. Her fingers, resting on his waist sash, trembled slightly, and her lips pressed together uneasily.

His dark eyes filled with a smile, Li Jingyun lowered his lids further and sighed again. “It’s true this is heartless of me — if I had taken her in, none of this would matter. But she’s someone His Highness sent, and I can’t simply accept her either. I can only pity her, doomed to such a tragic fate.”

The person before him listened, her face growing paler still, her amber eyes blinking rapidly, forcing herself to appear indifferent as she picked at the cloud-thunder pattern on his collar. “Even with the Crown Prince backing her, Miss Sishui would still meet such a fate?”

“To the Crown Prince, she is, after all, only a master — how much protection can a master offer a servant?” he said meaningfully. “Sishui took the wrong path too. She should have sought His Highness’s favor early on and secured herself the status of a proper concubine — then there’d be nothing to worry about.”

“You make it sound so easy.” She wrinkled her nose. “Even being your concubine is difficult enough — becoming the Crown Prince’s concubine would be even harder, wouldn’t it?”

“How would you know unless you tried?” He looked at her, his gaze deep and unreadable. “If you just sit and wait for disaster, wouldn’t it be better to take a gamble instead?”

Huayue startled, sensing there was something more behind his words. But looking up at him again, he had already returned to his usual languid, sleepy expression, the corner of his eyes drooping with impatience, lips pressed thin, showing no sign of wanting to joke further with her.

Suspicious, she withdrew her gaze and finished tying his sash, continuing to look troubled.

Today Li Jingyun was meant to go hunting on the mountain. Ever since he finished breakfast, Huayue had been holding her head and pretending to feel unwell. When he finished getting ready to head out, she took the opportunity to ask for leave, intending to use his absence to retrieve the keepsakes.

Instead, Li Jingyun reached out with concern and felt her forehead, then said, “You’re unwell — I won’t go up the mountain today, then.”

Huayue was stunned, staring at him wide-eyed, pointing outside. “You’re not going to compete for first place today? His Highness and so many others are counting on it.”

“Winning it every year isn’t all that interesting anyway.” Li Jingyun leaned back onto the couch, saying carelessly. “Let someone else have a turn this year.”

Such words sounded outrageously arrogant — from anyone else’s mouth, they’d be scolded for insufferable pride. But when this man said it, no one could say a thing, since he had indeed taken first place every year since the start of Great Liang’s spring hunt.

Huayue looked toward the inner chamber for difficulty, then poured him another cup of tea, asking tentatively, “You’ll be stuck in this room all day — won’t you find it boring?”

“A bit.” He picked up a book and flipped through a couple of pages absently. “Go get me some preserved fruit, then.”

A man who could kill without blinking, yet with a fondness for sickly-sweet snacks — Huayue muttered a complaint inwardly but still turned to go get some.

Just as she pulled open the door ring, a plate of preserved fruit was handed toward her.

“…” Biezhi held the tray, her expression shifting when she saw her, though she said nothing, only pushing past to enter the room directly.

“Third Young Master, may you be well. This is a gift my mistress specially prepared for you — please don’t think it lacking.” She smiled and bowed toward him, watching him earnestly.

Li Jingyun didn’t move, as if he hadn’t even heard, not so much as lifting an eyelid, flipping another page of his book, giving a lazy yawn.

The room fell into an awkward silence. Huayue stood by the door watching, hesitating over whether to ask her to leave, when footsteps sounded outside once more.

“May the young master be well.” Sishui bowed outside the door, holding pastries, her jade-green flowing gown light and graceful. Seeing someone already in the room, her eyes flickered, and she stepped inside too, setting the plate on the low table by his hand.

“This is something this humble one made herself — please try it, Young Master.”

Biezhi’s expression darkened at the sight of her, but with Li Jingyun present, she didn’t act out, only smiling. “I thought you’d left the temporary palace — why are you back again?”

Sishui laughed lightly. “This humble one merely moved out to stay elsewhere; it’s not as though I’ve been confined. I still belong to the young master after all, so it’s only right to come show some care.”

“Without a proper title, it’s not so easy to just claim to belong to someone.” Biezhi curtsied toward her. “Do you still remember what the Princess Imperial said yesterday?”

Having been scolded with so many harsh words, how could she not remember — but with someone backing her, Sishui wasn’t worried either. “His Highness the Crown Prince has already said that since the young master has taken a liking to me, the title is just a matter of time. As for you, miss — judging by your dress, you hardly seem presentable enough to be gossiping in front of the young master.”

Back and forth they went — no faces broken outright, but sharp as needles against a blade’s edge. Huayue’s scalp tightened just listening. Li Jingyun, however, seemed at ease, still flipping through his book as if nothing were happening, not saying a word.

Not long after, Wen Guzhi arrived too. Originally meaning to call out to the young master, one foot barely inside the door, he saw the two women standing there.

Withdrawing his foot, he raised an eyebrow toward Huayue standing by the door. “What’s going on?”

Huayue shrugged, sleeve covering her mouth as she whispered, “The Third Young Master’s romantic debts.”

Wen Guzhi glanced over, sighing. “This isn’t romantic debt — this is a death warrant. Looks like neither side will stop until they get what they want. The Third Young Master’s in danger.”

Huayue thought he was joking and laughed it off lightly. But Wen Guzhi glanced at her, brows furrowing. “I’m not scaring you. If the Third Young Master hasn’t made a choice by the end of the spring hunt, do you think either of these two ladies will let it go?”

“What can they do even if they don’t let it go?” She glanced at Li Jingyun’s unbothered expression. “Would they really lay hands on him?”

“The Third Young Master never leaves loopholes in his own conduct — directly touching him is unlikely.” Wen Guzhi rubbed his chin. “But someone close to him, like you? If any of those ladies grows displeased, they could easily pin a charge of overstepping one’s place, or private involvement with the master, on you, and even implicate the whole General’s Manor. What would you do then?”

Huayue laughed. “This servant hasn’t overstepped or had any private involvement with—”

…involvement.

Recalling the profile she’d seen last night amid the thunder and lightning, she suddenly froze, a flash of guilt in her eyes, and swallowed the rest of her sentence with a gulp.

“They’re all important people.” She drooped her brows weakly. “Surely they wouldn’t bother with someone lowly like this servant?”

“The more important the person, the pettier they can be — but never mind.” Full of confidence, Wen Guzhi patted her shoulder. “Steward Yin handles things properly, surely you won’t give anyone a handle to grab onto.”

Yin Huayue: “…”

Wen Guzhi went inside, and the two women arguing inside finally stopped, filing out one after the other, ignoring each other as they went their separate ways.

Still, as Biezhi left, she turned to glance back at her once more, her gaze lingering, meaningful.

Huayue felt her cheeks aching from all this.

She realized she might really be finished — not only had she failed to retrieve the keepsakes, but she might end up losing her own life over it too.

Li Jingyun chatted with Wen Guzhi for a while, then looked up toward the door. “Have your feet grown roots there?”

Huayue startled, turned, and curtsied. “No, Young Master.”

“Then why aren’t you coming over?” He glanced at her eyes, darting about in alarm, the corner of his mouth wanting to curl up before he pressed it back down. “What are you afraid of?”

“Nothing…” Shuffling back to his side, she poured tea for the two of them, hands fidgeting though her face remained composed, already scheming how to stay alive.

Fingers pressed to his brow, Li Jingyun watched her like a spectacle, then suddenly asked Wen Guzhi, “Why did you come by, anyway?”

Wen Guzhi played along readily, laughing, “I ran into some trouble, and the first person I thought to come find was naturally you, Third Young Master. As the saying goes, rely on your parents at home, rely on your friends abroad. When one can’t solve something oneself, of course one thinks to ask the Third Young Master for advice.”

Having said this much, even the dullest person should get the hint by now, right? Li Jingyun looked expectantly toward Yin Huayue.

Huayue was indeed inspired — her troubled little face suddenly relaxed, and she smiled and knelt before him. “Young Master.”

Clearing his throat twice, Li Jingyun crossed his arms with dignity, saying coldly, “If you have something to say, say it.”

“Might this servant take a short leave to attend to some private matters?” She looked up at him with a smile. “I’ll be back shortly.”

Li Jingyun: “…”

Wen Guzhi couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Asking for help was indeed the right idea — but the first person she thought of clearly wasn’t the man sitting right in front of her.

Li Jingyun turned to look at him, his gaze icy cold. “These days His Highness has been troubled by the plague in the northwest. With your skills, Imperial Physician Wen, it seems a waste to spend your time on this dull hunting ground — why not…”

“Oh, no need, no need.” Wen Guzhi coughed, quickly saying, “I’ve got elderly parents and no children yet — leaving my hometown wouldn’t really suit me. Third Young Master, you see, I still have patients waiting for me — I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, he slipped away like greased lightning.

Huayue watched him leave with unease, then turned back and asked softly, “Did this servant say something wrong?”

“No.” He gave a smile with no warmth behind it. “You’ve been tired these past couple of days, resting is only reasonable. Go rest.”

As if pardoned, Huayue curtsied and started backing away.

But then the man on the couch added slowly, “This lord will just go find Lord Shen for a chat on his own. By the time this lord’s back, you should be well rested too.”

Her retreating steps froze. Huayue was at a loss. “You… why would you suddenly want to see Lord Shen?”

“There was an old acquaintance who visited him yesterday — just want to see how things are going.” Li Jingyun rose, walked to the inner chamber, and tucked the yellow brocade bundle into his robe, then swept his sleeves and turned to leave. “Go on, you’re dismissed.”

Huayue gave a dry laugh, glancing once at the item in his robe and once at him. “…Young Master, without anyone accompanying you, this servant should probably come along.”

Li Jingyun turned to look at her, his gaze full of disdain. “Didn’t you have private matters to attend to?”

“Private matters aren’t as important as the young master.” She simply made something up on the spot. “How could the General Manor’s legitimate son go without even a maid accompanying him? People would laugh.”

Withdrawing his gaze, Li Jingyun gave a light snort, straightened his robe, and walked out.

Huayue hurriedly followed with quick little steps.

Yesterday, the Crown Prince hadn’t gotten any advantage from Li Jingyun. Huayue thought His Highness’s attitude toward him would likely have shifted — not necessarily coldness, but at least not the same favoritism as before, since even great figures could be petty.

Yet unexpectedly, the moment Li Jingyun entered the main hall, Zhou Heshuo appeared even more enthusiastic than before, personally coming forward to greet him. “Jingyun, are you here to go up the mountain with me?”

Li Jingyun bowed respectfully, then smiled. “That was my original intention, but unfortunately a guest arrived unexpectedly, and I need to see her settled first.”

A guest? Huayue was rather confused — where had this guest come from?

Zhou Heshuo immediately seemed to understand what he meant, saying with a knowing look, “I was just about to bring up that matter with you.”

The two men stood in the hall exchanging a smile, then simultaneously cupped their hands and bowed to each other.

Huayue stared blankly, utterly baffled.

To the right of the main hall was a separate courtyard, the place the Crown Prince had given Shen Zhiluo to stay. Usually no one came here, and even the maids entering and exiting did so cautiously, on edge.

But right now, there was a young woman standing in this courtyard.

She wore a crimson red gown, her hair adorned with three golden plum-blossom hairpins, arms draped with a snow-white gauze embroidered with begonias, her face lovely and her bearing elegant. She stood before Shen Zhiluo, holding the compass in her hand, fingers idly flicking at it.

“If Third Brother hadn’t told me you were here, you’d have really fooled me into thinking you were still in the capital.” Su Miao’s eyes were laughing, though the corner of her mouth turned down slightly. “So you really didn’t want to see me?”

Shen Zhiluo froze entirely, a barely perceptible twitch at the corner of his eye, then he pulled his sleeves back and reached to take the compass from her hand. “No, that’s not it.”

Su Miao held the compass up out of reach, tilting her head with a smile. “Since it’s not that, then come hunting with me today.”

“I have other matters today.”

Pressing his thumb against the second knuckle of his ring finger, Shen Zhiluo frowned, glancing toward the direction of the courtyard where Huayue was.

Su Miao held the compass up to block his line of sight, muttering, “What business could there possibly be out here in these desolate mountains?”

She thought about it, then relented a step. “Then I’ll come along and help with your business.”

Shen Zhiluo found this quite a headache. Su Miao was a cousin from the General’s Manor; the two had only met once at the start of the year, yet somehow this girl had latched onto him ever since. He’d finally managed to think of a way to hide up in the mountains, but hadn’t expected to have escaped her only to run into Li Jingyun instead.

The Third Young Master usually wasn’t one to meddle in such matters.

Turning with considerable resentment, Shen Zhiluo meant to head back toward the main hall, but the moment he turned, he saw Li Jingyun walking his way through the corridor.

Speak of the devil. Shen Zhiluo darkened his expression and stepped forward to meet him; the two stopped in the corridor facing each other.

Their eyes met, tension crackling between them. He opened his mouth to speak, but Li Jingyun, quite gently, pulled something from his robe, holding it up by its silk cord and swinging it in front of him.

“I’ve thought it over — this item would be useless to a mere maid, but for you, Lord Shen, it might prove valuable.” His dark eyes narrowed into a smile, looking distinctly mischievous. “Care to make a deal, Lord Shen?”

Shen Zhiluo glanced at the item in his hand, his breath catching.

The First Prince’s burial keepsake, personally carved by the former dynasty’s emperor — casually held and dangled in his hand like this, the gesture arrogant beyond measure, and at this very moment, the Crown Prince himself was approaching from behind him.

Shen Zhiluo’s face turned pale; he reached to snatch the seal, but the other man dodged easily. The man before him raised an eyebrow, asking with a somewhat rascally tone, “Deal or not?”

Zhou Heshuo drew closer; from the corner of his eye, Shen Zhiluo could see cold sweat already beading on his own forehead, yet he forced himself to stay composed. “If His Highness discovers this, you’ll be the one to suffer.”

“I’m not a citizen of Great Wei.” Li Jingyun sneered lightly. “Care to gamble on that?”

The four-clawed dragon robe was already nearly upon them; Shen Zhiluo’s fingers turned to ice, his purple eyes flickering with panic, and finally, just before the Crown Prince could catch sight of the seal, he gritted his teeth and nodded. “Fine.”

With a flick of his fingers, Li Jingyun withdrew the item, turning with a smile to cup his hands toward Zhou Heshuo. “Your Highness, the Grand Diviner doesn’t seem to have any objections either.”

“Oh?” Zhou Heshuo laughed heartily, in an excellent mood. “In that case, it seems I was worrying too much.”

He turned his head, looking toward Su Miao, who had come forward to bow, and nodded. “Haven’t seen you in a few months, Miss Su — you’ve grown even more lovely.”

“Your Highness flatters me.” Su Miao smiled and curtsied, then turned to look at Shen Zhiluo, puzzled. “Why are you sweating?”

Shen Zhiluo’s expression returned to normal. He said calmly, “My robe is too thick.”

“Perfect timing, then — I brought a new set for you. Go try it on and see if it fits,” Su Miao said, clasping her hands together, clearly delighted.

Li Jingyun shook his head helplessly. “A young lady not yet married, and so unrestrained.”

Su Miao pouted, muttering under her breath, “If I were as reserved as you, Cousin, I’d never marry in this lifetime.”

Zhou Heshuo laughed heartily, the sound carrying across half the courtyard.

Huayue stood at the courtyard gate keeping watch, and from a distance she saw Shen Zhiluo and Su Miao standing together, quite close, seemingly intimate. She felt a bit surprised — Shen Zhiluo had never been one to grow close to outsiders from childhood on; this was the first time she’d seen someone lean in close to him without him pulling away.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now. What mattered was that she had wanted to find him to work out a solution to her current predicament, but the group had gathered together laughing and chatting, and then Su Miao pulled Shen Zhiluo into the room.

Knowing there was no hope of him coming to her rescue now, Huayue sighed heavily.

“What, not happy?” Li Jingyun appeared beside her at some point, standing next to her, following her gaze, saying with a smile, “Aren’t they well-matched?”

She responded listlessly, drooping her head, thinking to herself that Shen Zhiluo was a lost cause now — who else could save her?

Watching her expression, Li Jingyun slowly stopped smiling. He was silent for a moment, then said with some irritation, “Let’s go back.”

“Yes.” Sighing again, Huayue lowered her head and walked ahead.

Then, after only a few steps, she bumped into the man’s back in front of her, her nose stinging with pain.

“This isn’t looking too good.” Li Jingyun suddenly turned around, saying with apparent distress. “Su Miao’s happy enough, but with the Princess Imperial and the Crown Prince currently at odds, if she jumps into the mix now, how will things be explained to the Princess Imperial’s side?”

Huayue was startled, looked around, confirmed he was speaking to her, and said, “What does this matter have to do with the Princess Imperial?”

Looking at her as if she were slow-witted, Li Jingyun shook his head. “Both the Crown Prince and the Princess Imperial want good relations with my General’s Manor — didn’t you see them both come today to argue about it? Now with Su Miao suddenly wanting to marry the Grand Diviner, won’t the Princess Imperial grow anxious and press even harder for me to marry Han Shuang?”

Thinking about it, that did seem to make sense. Huayue nodded. “Then just marry her — that way the General’s Manor won’t offend either side.”

“No, I don’t want to marry her.”

Huayue’s mouth twitched. “You don’t want to marry Miss Han, and you don’t want to be forced by the Princess Imperial either. Is there ever such a perfect solution in this world?”

His expression dimmed; Li Jingyun lowered his eyes. “True enough. Even if I wanted to marry someone else right now, no one would step forward to take that role on such short notice.”

By the end, there was a hint of grievance in his tone. He turned with a flourish of his sleeve, continuing forward with a melancholy air.

Huayue found this strange. “Does the young master really think marrying just about anyone would be better than marrying Miss Han?”

“Naturally.” Li Jingyun didn’t even turn his head. “That woman has deep schemes and hidden agendas. If she really married into the General’s Manor, no one would have peace.”

The scene of Biezhi testing her that day surfaced in Huayue’s mind. She frowned, thinking — perhaps her suspicions weren’t wrong after all; Biezhi and the Han family’s young lady really did have some scheme in mind.

But her mistress was the one who favored Han Shuang — aside from her, which other family’s daughter would her mistress even accept?

Lowering her head, mulling this over, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Huayue.

Besides Shen Zhiluo, it seemed there was indeed one more person who might be able to save her.