Zhang Gu kept his eyes fixed on the entrance of the Xie family residence, watching as the carriage went in, then seeing the girl come out and leave.

The entrance to the Xie residence returned to tranquility, with no one else emerging.

Only then did Zhang Gu exhale: “He wasn’t sent to the officials after all.”

His tone seemed surprised, yet also relieved.

The recruit found it somewhat amusing: “How could he possibly be sent to the officials?”

That was the National Uncle!

But he didn’t feel any disappointed indignation either.

Seeing the National Uncle beaten so severely was already rare enough.

He had thoroughly enjoyed watching the spectacle.

“Chief, let’s go,” the recruit urged. Seeing that Zhang Gu was still staring at the Xie family gate, he finally found it strange. “Chief, do you know this family?”

Zhang Gu came back to his senses and withdrew his gaze: “How would I know the National Uncle’s family?” He lightly kicked the recruit. “What kind of look is that? Let’s go quickly.”

The recruit jumped up. It was the chief who had been reluctant to leave. Adults were all like this—unwilling to admit they enjoyed watching such scenes. Let’s go, let’s go.

The recruit was eager to return to the military camp and boast to his companions about the excitement he had witnessed today. From now on, he could consider himself a worldly city dweller.

As soon as they returned to the camp, four or five post station soldiers rushed over, their expressions urgent: “You’re back.” “You’ve finally returned.”

Such enthusiasm! The recruit was flattered. Usually, these veteran soldiers were quite slippery and didn’t even take Chief Zhang seriously.

“Brothers, today I—” The recruit was just about to happily share the fresh news when the group pushed him aside.

“Chief, someone came asking about A-Jiu.”

“Those people were from the Xie family.”

“They asked very incisively. We… we didn’t dare conceal anything.”

“The matter concerning A-Fu and Miss Chu, we told them that too.”

Several people spoke in hushed voices, their expressions anxious as they looked at Zhang Gu: “Chief, has something happened to A-Jiu? Will we cause trouble for Miss Chu?”

Zhang Gu looked at them, his expression gratified: “Don’t worry. A-Jiu did get into trouble, but Miss Chu protected him. They went together to meet his family, and the family was very satisfied with Miss Chu. They saw her off.”

The post station soldiers were overjoyed: “That’s wonderful!”

The recruit, squatting to the side, looked bewildered and then shocked as he stared at Zhang Gu. He truly was a country bumpkin. Even though they had been together the whole time and had seen the same events, he couldn’t understand a word of what the chief was saying.

…

…

The sharp pain woke Xie Yanlai from his stupor. His eyes opened to a dim yellow light.

“How long have I been asleep?”

He had passed out the moment the maidservants supported him.

Now awake, he was momentarily startled and immediately tried to sit up.

But the intense pain from his back made him clench his teeth, suck in a cold breath, and fall back onto the bed.

“Young Master.” “Don’t move.”

The maidservants hurriedly surrounded him, trying to soothe him.

One maidservant wept: “Young Master, your injuries are too severe. Earlier, the family physician came to clean your wounds, and you didn’t even wake up.”

They had almost fainted from the sight. Even the physician had thought for a moment that Xie Yanlai hadn’t survived, checking his pulse during the examination.

They had been constantly worried that Xie Yanlai wouldn’t wake up. The physician had said that if he didn’t wake up today, it would be over.

Now that he had awakened, they were truly grateful to the heavens and all the gods and Buddhas.

“Young Master, you must recover properly,” said a slightly older maidservant, her eyes full of concern. “That physician is a relative of mine, and he secretly told me that those last two lashes were extremely severe. Your internal organs were likely injured as well.”

The surrounding maidservants wept silently.

Although they had long known that no one treated Xie Yanlai as family, he should at least be treated as a human being.

This beating was intended to kill.

“Why are you crying?” Xie Yanlai laughed as he lay face down on the bed. “Stop crying. Just be more careful and focus on recovery.”

The maidservants cried tears of joy. The young master never made things difficult for them as servants.

“Young Master,” sighed one maidservant, “if only you were as obedient to them, you wouldn’t have—”

This “them” naturally referred to the masters and stewards of the household.

The young master had an extremely bad temper and attitude toward these people, making him very unlikable.

If he could be more likable, he wouldn’t always be punished.

Looking at his injuries, the maidservants began to weep silently again.

Xie Yanlai, with his head resting on his arm, sneered: “Being obedient to them is useless. You all just focus on being good maidservants and don’t think or meddle in other matters.”

The maidservants acknowledged with a “Yes.”

Xie Yanlai tried to get up again: “That Miss Chu—”

So he was concerned about Miss Chu. The maidservants exchanged glances.

“Young Master, Miss Chu has already left,” they hurriedly said.

She’s left? Xie Yanlai still tried to get up: “I’ll go see the Third Young—”

He probably didn’t want to see the Third Young Master but rather wanted to ask about Miss Chu. The maidservants held Xie Yanlai down, saying softly: “Young Master, no one can see the Third Young Master unless he wishes to receive visitors.”

The young master was truly confused by his concern; he had forgotten this.

It wasn’t that he had forgotten—he was determined to see him. If the Third Young Master refused, he would certainly force his way in, and then be beaten by Du Qi again—

“Young Master, you mustn’t provoke the Third Young Master again.”

“Young Master, if the Third Young Master doesn’t want to discuss something, you won’t get anything out of him no matter how much you ask.”

“Young Master, if you’re worried, why not go directly to ask Miss Chu?”

Hearing this, Xie Yanlai stopped trying to get up and lay back down, snorting coldly: “Why would I ask her anything? Who cares about her business?”

Doesn’t care? The maidservants exchanged glances. They had heard about what happened in the street and had witnessed what occurred in the household—that slender young girl who had suddenly appeared standing in the courtyard—

“Young Master, you and Miss Chu—” they curiously asked.

“Miss Chu and I have nothing between us,” Xie Yanlai interrupted them.

The maidservants asked again: “Then why did she, for you—”

“She did nothing for me,” Xie Yanlai interrupted again, saying coldly, “She just wanted to meet Xie Yanfang.”

This was obvious to anyone. If that girl wanted to achieve her goal of seeing her father, persuading Xie Yanfang would be much more effective than trying to persuade him.

As for what price she would pay to achieve her goal, that was Chu Zhao’s own business. She would bear it herself; it had nothing to do with him, and he didn’t care!

He turned his head toward the inner wall, and the maidservants stopped asking questions. The room finally fell silent.

But the wounds on his back suddenly stung sharply.

The maidservants began applying medicine to him again.

“Why are you applying more medicine?” Xie Yanlai gritted his teeth, restraining his anger, and then sneered, “The family’s medicine, whether used or not, doesn’t matter.”

“Young Master,” the maidservants said, “this isn’t the family’s medicine.”

Not the family’s?

Xie Yanlai turned his head to see a maidservant holding a porcelain bottle, applying medicine to him, while two other maidservants each held medicine bottles, examining them.

“This was brought by Miss Chu’s maidservant, who specifically sought us out to deliver it,” one maidservant said. “She was so earnest and detailed in her instructions on how and when to use it, as if I were a fool who couldn’t remember anything.”

Xie Yanlai looked at the medicine bottle, then at the maidservant: “You’re using medicine from some random person on your young master? If you’re not fools, what are you?”

The maidservants giggled, but the one applying the powder continued, and another maidservant poured out a pill from a porcelain bottle, about to put it in Xie Yanlai’s mouth.

Xie Yanlai dodged backward and snatched it away: “Don’t just stuff things in—this pill could choke someone to death. I see you’re trying to kill me.”

With that, he turned his head toward the inner wall again, ignoring the maidservants.

The maidservants weren’t afraid of his anger and continued to ask curiously.

“Young Master, is that A-Le the formidable maidservant you mentioned? The one who applies ointment to her mistress without causing pain? The one whose mistress is a villain?”

“Young Master, I don’t think her mistress seems fierce at all. If anything, this A-Le seems a bit fierce.”

“Well, A-Le gave such detailed instructions, her mistress must have given her countless reminders.”

So noisy. How could women never stop talking?

Xie Yanlai faced the inner wall, clenching his fist tightly as if to crush the pill, but in the end, the pill remained intact, swelling and warm in his palm.

…

…

Night fell, and the Xie family compound was dotted with lights. Some areas were quiet, while others were lively with song and dance.

In the water pavilion, Xie Yanfang finished writing the last stroke. Du Qi took the letter, and the day’s affairs were concluded.

Steward Cai entered from outside the pavilion, saying, “Just received news that the two granaries gifted by the Wei family have been successfully transferred.”

Xie Yanfang nodded and said “good,” not particularly concerned. This was a small matter to him.

He stood at the edge of the water pavilion and stretched.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “Steward Cai, you should go rest.”

Steward Cai asked: “Young Master, was Miss Chu’s visit Chu Wei’s response? Does this mean he has allied with our Xie family?”

Was it because the Third Prince’s mistreatment of Chu Zhao showed Chu Wei how vulnerable the Chu family was, so he decided to ally with the Xie family?

“Miss Chu said it wasn’t,” Xie Yanfang smiled. “I openly admitted that I had set her up, and she openly admitted that she willingly provoked the Third Prince.”

Steward Cai knew what the girl had said, but he didn’t believe it. Words are words, and the heart is the heart.

“I don’t need her heart either,” Xie Yanfang smiled. “Besides, this isn’t an alliance; it can only be considered an acquaintance.”

A true alliance required genuine and mutual exchange, like between the Xie family and the Wei family.

“However, the fact that she came to say these things already exceeds my expectations.”

Xie Yanfang looked at the water’s surface in the night.

“Perhaps this isn’t Chu Wei’s intention, but the girl’s own will.”

Steward Cai was somewhat surprised: “She acted on her own? Why?” Without waiting for an answer, he looked at the elegant young man standing by the water and laughed to himself, “Then it’s truly as people say outside—she used every means just to meet you.”

Xie Yanfang also laughed, shaking his head.

“No, this girl does not admire me whatsoever. When she looks at me, her eyes only show curiosity and assessment.”

Assessment?

Steward Cai and Du Qi were somewhat surprised.

“Assessing my value,” Xie Yanfang said with a smile. “Steward Cai, this girl is a person of great courage.”

Chu Zhao’s previous actions had already proven this point. Steward Cai and Du Qi didn’t deny that the girl was courageous.

“She is somewhat like me,” Xie Yanfang continued.

On this point, Steward Cai and Du Qi disagreed. There were many courageous people in the world. Steward Cai and Du Qi were also courageous people, but they didn’t think they were like Xie Yanfang.

“Young Master, you might be overestimating her because you’ve never before seen someone dare to criticize you in the street,” Du Qi said. “Don’t worry, with Miss Chu setting the example, tomorrow and the day after, there will surely be many women emerging to criticize you in the street.”

Xie Yanfang laughed heartily.

“That’s not why,” he said, then smiled again. “And Miss Chu, that’s not her reason either.”

This and that—Du Qi was confused by all the talk.

“Young Master, let’s set aside this and that for now,” he frowned and asked. “What’s the connection between Xie Yanlai and Chu Zhao?”

Xie Yanlai and Chu Zhao had already become acquainted on the road, yet Xie Yanlai hadn’t told them. Thinking of this, even Steward Cai’s usually kindly face darkened.

“He’s always been like this. He doesn’t tell us everything, which isn’t surprising.” Xie Yanfang didn’t seem to mind, saying, “He did the tasks I assigned him. Anything beyond my instructions, he naturally wouldn’t tell me about.”

Steward Cai coldly said, “Is he trying to climb up by using Chu Wei as his backing?”

Xie Yanfang laughed again: “With the surname Xie, he will never find such backing.”

Just as he had once told the Crown Prince, the Xie family had soared high but also carried a burden. When others looked at you, they first saw your surname, your family, and not you as an individual.

Carrying this surname and family, no one would truly believe in you.

Even if they truly wanted to form a connection, they wouldn’t genuinely care about you as an individual; they would be connecting with the family behind you.

Steward Cai naturally understood this principle, but—

“Although the post station soldiers spoke vaguely, they implied that the two had a deep relationship—”

“And when Miss Chu left, she still had her maidservant deliver medicine to Yanlai.”

Steward Cai was about to continue.

Xie Yanfang interrupted him: “Don’t overthink it. They know each other, but that’s all. And Steward Cai, don’t try to understand Miss Chu in terms of romantic affairs. That girl’s eyes show no personal feelings.”

No personal feelings? Steward Cai was momentarily stunned.

“This is why I just said that the girl is courageous and somewhat like me,” Xie Yanfang said. “When she looks at me, and when she looks at Xie Yanlai, her eyes are completely clear.”

Xie Yanfang took a few steps forward, looking at the water’s surface.

“She, a young woman, looks at men in the world without personal feelings, only with assessment.”

“Without personal feelings, there are no personal desires.”

“I even directly told her that I had set her up, and she showed neither joy nor sorrow nor anger.”

“People without personal desires are the most courageous.”

Just like himself at thirteen.

When he faced the Crown Prince and shot that arrow, was it for himself? For his family? This action would only bring danger to his family and himself, so it was neither.

He had no personal desire to do that deed; he did it simply because it was there to be done.

“Let’s not speculate about Miss Chu anymore. If she comes to form a connection, we should accept it openly.”

Steward Cai acknowledged with a “Yes” and asked: “How should we interact with her?”

With Xie Yanfang, different people were treated in different ways.

Xie Yanfang turned his head, looking in the direction of the courtyard: “Just as she treats Yanlai—no regular interaction, but when she is humiliated or beaten, we protect her and send medicine and treatment.”

If you want to know a person’s desires, treat them as they treat others. As the saying goes, respond in kind.

Steward Cai and Du Qi acknowledged with a “Yes.”

Xie Yanfang stepped into the water, creating gentle ripples. He walked step by step across the ripples toward the opposite shore, like an immortal treading on water.