The next day at noon, Han Qian arranged for Tian Cheng to invite Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei to meet at the Ningxiang House rouge shop.

The Prince’s Mansion and the Ningxiang House rouge shop were separated by only a courtyard wall, but for Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei to go from the mansion’s north gate around to the rear courtyard of Ningxiang House required walking three to four hundred paces.

This distance was Han Qian’s last opportunity to observe the two men with a telescope while hidden on the second floor of Ningxiang House’s rear courtyard. He could tell that Jiang and Yuan had long known of the rouge shop’s existence—the two were even quite familiar with the alleyway from the Prince’s Mansion’s north gate to the rouge shop.

Clearly, these two had been responsible for Emperor Tianyou’s previous surveillance of the Left Office and the Xinchang Marquis’s mansion.

Only after Jiang and Yuan approached did Han Qian put away his telescope and sit by the window, patiently waiting for Tian Cheng to bring Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei upstairs.

Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang instinctively clenched their fists, uncertain whether meeting Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei would bring fortune or disaster.

Although Chun Shisanniang had always secretly managed the rouge shop and had never met Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei face to face, the female manager and staff running the rouge shop were all secretly directed by Chun Shisanniang.

Therefore, even if Chun Shisanniang never showed her face again, once Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei planted their own disciples in the Left Office, they would still easily spot the flaws.

“Thump, thump, thump”—Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei climbed the creaking wooden stairs. Tian Cheng and the others remained downstairs without following.

The room’s lighting was dim. Han Qian sat with his back to the window brewing tea, with light filtering in from behind him. After a while, Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s eyes adjusted, and they could clearly see Han Qian’s face. They smiled and said, “Master Han has such refined taste, drinking tea in such a quiet place filled with the fragrance of cosmetics.”

“The Left Office does have a group of personnel hidden outside the roster, watching the activities inside and outside Jinling for Marquis Li and myself, guarding against anyone who might harm His Highness,” Han Qian drew a thin ledger from his sleeve and placed it on the table. “Both venerable sirs may examine it here for as long as you wish, but if possible, please don’t take the ledger away.”

Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing Han Qian.

Chun Shisanniang and Yao Xishui stood behind Han Qian, positioned on either side of the window. Backlit by the somewhat harsh light from outside, their faces in the shadows were even more indistinct.

Han Qian’s conditions weren’t harsh. Never mind expendable agents—the painstaking effort invested in planted sleeper agents was immeasurable. Once a list leaked, the loss couldn’t be measured in money.

And Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s purpose was merely to understand the Left Office’s foundation, to prevent it from one day becoming an uncontrollable monster. They said, “Master Han can rest assured. Once we’ve seen it, it will rot in our hearts.”

“Miss Yao, please give the ledger to the two venerable sirs,” Han Qian instructed Yao Xishui.

Yao Xishui turned sideways and bent down to take the book from the long table, allowing the light from the window to fall on her delicate face.

Han Qian watched as both Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei showed slight surprise upon clearly seeing Yao Xishui’s features, but he could tell their astonishment wasn’t because they hadn’t previously noticed Yao Xishui’s existence, but rather because they hadn’t expected him to have no intention of concealing her identity.

Han Qian sighed inwardly—Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei had indeed already noticed Wanhong House’s existence.

“Chun Shisanniang, please brew tea for the two venerable sirs,” Han Qian instructed Chun Shisanniang.

Chun Shisanniang gracefully moved forward two steps, crouched down beside the long table, and began brewing tea with the teapot.

Han Qian noticed both Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s hands trembled slightly. Chun Shisanniang previously had no direct connection to Wanhong House. Their reaction indicated that their investigation into Wanhong House was still limited.

Han Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised the teacup before him, took a small sip, and said, “Venerable sirs, please examine the ledger!”

The ledger was thin, only twenty to thirty pages.

Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei had already noticed Wanhong House’s existence. They couldn’t possibly believe the Xinchang Marquis’s mansion had only cultivated Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang over these years. So besides the dozen or so spies Han Qian had recruited or deployed over the past year, the ledger also contained fourteen people whom Wanhong House had arranged to plant in various households in recent years.

The two men flipped through slowly, but it still didn’t take long before they had reviewed the entire book.

“Pardon me!” Han Qian apologized, walked to the two men, and retrieved the book into his sleeve. He then said to Chun Shisanniang and Yao Xishui, “You may leave now, but remember to change your faces so others won’t see what you look like.”

Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang acknowledged with a “yes,” each produced a mask that only covered the nose bridge and below the cheekbones, put them on, curtsied to Jiang and Yuan, then turned and went downstairs.

Watching Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang seemingly transform their faces, Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei clicked their tongues in admiration. “The Marquis of Liyang said Master Han possessed heaven-sent talent—truly not an empty claim. These two skin masks are remarkably lifelike. Even we two old men at such close range couldn’t spot any flaws.”

“Merely insignificant tricks, not worth a smile from you venerable sirs,” Han Qian said with a laugh.

The craft of mask-making already existed in this era, including so-called skin masks, but whether made from human skin, sheepskin, or pigskin, contemporary masks had many drawbacks. They might deceive others in dim light or at night, but in broad daylight, flaws were somewhat obvious.

The two masks used by Yao Xishui and Chun Shisanniang were specially crafted by Han Qian according to their facial structures. First, he created molds with plaster, then hammered thin copper sheets against the molds until they perfectly conformed to their faces. Next, he attached an extremely thin layer of sheepskin to the copper, then used skin cream, rouge, and lead powder to adjust the color so the masks’ tones perfectly matched their skin.

Moreover, the masks Han Qian created only covered the lower half of their faces below the cheekbones. This way, the eyebrow and eye areas remained exposed without any lifelessness, while only the facial structure below the cheekbones changed seamlessly. From the perspective of appearance, they became different people, achieving the purpose of altering and concealing their features.

“Why arrange Yao Xishui beside Manager Zhang?”

After reviewing the ledger, Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei’s questions certainly weren’t completely resolved. There were still some matters they needed to ask Han Qian directly.

“We didn’t know how deeply Manager Zhang was involved with Anning Palace. Since we’re loyal to His Highness, this was something we needed to determine immediately,” Han Qian said.

“So is Manager Zhang reliable?” Jiang Huo asked.

“When His Highness was in danger atop Xichuan’s city walls, Manager Zhang used his own body to block falling rocks—Han Qian witnessed this with his own eyes, it cannot be faked. But since Yao Xishui has already been placed beside Manager Zhang, naturally she cannot be casually withdrawn. Manager Zhang was separated from his younger sister in the chaos of war in his early years. His sister greatly resembles Yao Xishui—this also serves as a comfort to Manager Zhang,” Han Qian said.

“Besides this ledger, has Master Han forgotten anyone?” Jiang Huo asked.

“Whether you venerable sirs believe it or not, Han Qian’s answer is naturally no. You venerable sirs probably didn’t expect Han Qian to answer yes either—why ask unnecessarily?” Han Qian deflected with a counter-question.

Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei could hear some emotion in Han Qian’s words. They said, “We’re merely fulfilling our duties. Please forgive us, Master Han.”

“I only hope that what you venerable sirs said about being loyal to His Highness isn’t empty words. Then Han Qian will speak without reservation and hold nothing back.” At this moment, Han Qian’s eyes suddenly became sharp as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei, showing that his disclosure of so many secrets this time was conditional.

Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei exchanged glances. Facing Han Qian’s currently displayed domineering manner, the gleam in their eyes became even more deeply hidden. They said, “If His Highness should suffer any mishap, we two would have no burial place. Does Master Han understand this clearly?”

These words from Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei only indicated they were death-sworn warriors dispatched by Emperor Tianyou. But as long as it wasn’t a crisis threatening to overthrow Great Chu, they could still be regarded as the Third Prince’s direct subordinates.

Han Qian nodded slightly and said, “Then Han Qian will need to request the two venerable sirs’ care in the future.”

“That’s easily arranged,” Jiang Huo surveyed the layout of Ningxiang House’s rear courtyard and said, “Master Han has arranged this place most elegantly—even quieter than Jinyun House. Perhaps a hidden door could be opened in the Prince’s Mansion’s east courtyard wall for Master Han’s convenience in coming and going.”

Jiang Huo’s suggestion was quite considerate. This way, Han Qian could avoid the eyes of Anning Palace or other forces watching the Prince’s Mansion’s front and rear gates, entering and leaving through Ningxiang House’s rear courtyard.

Han Qian could even use Ningxiang House’s rear residence as his daily office for handling affairs.

Han Qian thought that Jiang Huo’s suggestion was probably also meant to show they had no intention of monitoring his every move. He thanked them: “Thank you for your understanding, venerable sirs. Both Han Qian and perhaps His Highness may need such a concealed passage in and out of the Prince’s Mansion in the future.”

“Oh, by the way, the Princess Consort sent someone this morning to deliver the land deed for the estate granted to Master Han, along with the indentures for twelve household servants, to Jinyun House. They’re waiting for Master Han to collect them,” Jiang Huo said.

Han Qian, accompanied by Tian Cheng and the others, followed Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei back to the Prince’s Mansion to collect the land deed and servant indentures sent by the Princess Consort, then went to thank the Third Prince for the rewards.

Over the next two days, Han Qian stayed at Jinyun House with Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, and Zheng Tong, working with Jiang Huo and Yuan Guowei to sort through the Left Office’s affairs. At the same time, he withdrew Guo Nu’er, Lin Zongjing, and other Han family retainers and household troops from the Left Office, clearly separating public from private matters.

On the fourth day, Han Qian finally freed himself. After lunch, he took Zhao Ting’er, Xi Ren, Old Zhao, Du Yijun, Du Yiming, as well as Zhao Wuji, Lin Zongjing, Guo Nu’er, and others out of the city to take possession of the estate granted by the Princess Consort.