She thought Huaisu would ask about her identity and name, but unexpectedly, he hadn’t—instead he had seen through her troubles.

She was surprised and smiled, asking back: “Since we’ve made friends, I know your name. Why don’t you ask about my identity?”

Huaisu replied: “If sister is willing to tell me, she naturally will. If unwilling, you must have your difficulties—why should I ask unnecessarily?”

Wuyan was slightly stunned, thinking this youth had such a nature—no wonder both Lian Yu and Huo Chang’an liked him. She slowly nodded and smiled bitterly: “Do I look so distressed that you could see it at a glance?”

Huaisu shook his head: “Sister is an intelligent person who simply didn’t think to hide anything from Huaisu. I should thank sister for trusting me—otherwise Huaisu definitely couldn’t have seen through it.”

“Huaisu is truly understanding.”

Wuyan sighed inwardly. She was an imperial consort, and though both were honest, it wasn’t appropriate to befriend each other so directly. Once word spread, it would be trouble for both of them. She only said: “White Clothes does have some matters on her mind.”

Now Suzhen’s fondness for Wuyan was even deeper than Wuyan’s for her. Hearing this, she immediately asked: “If sister doesn’t mind, you can tell Huaisu. If Huaisu can offer some crooked advice, that would be good. If not, I can at least help sister share the burden.”

Seeing his sincere expression, Wuyan didn’t want to hide from her and smiled: “My husband recently took a woman who is extremely… bewitching. My mother-in-law doesn’t like her but doesn’t want to harm her relationship with my husband. Since my husband favors me, mother-in-law wants me to find a way to drive this woman out of the residence, saying if I’m the one who acts, my husband won’t do anything to me.”

“This use of borrowed knife to kill—what a vicious old witch.”

Xiang’er had been silently drinking tea when she nearly spat it out upon hearing this. She and Wuyan exchanged glances, both thinking: If Empress Dowager Xiao’an knew someone could curse her like this, who knows what would happen?

Huaisu frowned and thought, then answered very seriously: “May I boldly ask sister—are you the principal wife?”

“My husband’s position of legitimate wife is still vacant.”

“Does sister’s household have other favored wives?”

Wuyan smiled: “Yes, but that’s someone close to mother-in-law. I know what Huaisu means—divert the trouble east, have someone else act. It’s not that I haven’t considered it, but there’s no suitable candidate.”

“It’s all that man’s fault. I think your husband isn’t a good person either, having all these wives and concubines.” Suzhen was indignant, then suddenly realized something and quickly stopped, drinking a large gulp of wine and choking half to death. Wuyan wasn’t angry either, and she and Xiang’er both bent over laughing, thinking: If that person heard this…

Suzhen knew she’d said something inappropriate. No matter how bad someone else’s husband was, it wasn’t her place to criticize. She hurriedly said: “Just now I was purely joking with sister. Sister’s husband must be a dragon among men. Only capable men can have many wives and concubines—Huaisu wants many wives and concubines but lacks that ability!”

Wuyan found it amusing, thinking he truly was a dragon among men. For a moment she felt much more cheerful. Xiang’er laughed and spat: “With your current status and position, wouldn’t having many wives and concubines be easy?”

But Wuyan asked: “Would Huaisu take multiple wives in the future?”

Suzhen thought: I’m also a woman, so it’s a different matter. If I were a man… She seriously considered and still shook her head: “No. If a girl truly follows me with her heart, how could I marry others and hurt her? If I didn’t love her, I would never have taken her in the first place—that would just ruin her. Since I married her, I should be wholehearted toward her. Whether I’m male or female, I would only truly treat one person.”

Listening, Wuyan was slightly mesmerized and didn’t examine her final words closely. After a long time, she said in an extremely low voice: “Huaisu, I used to think the same way, but unfortunately… the person I loved couldn’t stay with me.”

“Though he liked me, he turned around and was intimate with another woman. He said at that time in the military camp, it was purely a camp follower provided by subordinates for release. I know he’s heaven’s favored son with many concubines at home who dispersed for my sake, but even with camp followers, he shouldn’t have. Didn’t he know how sad I was? Moreover, I later discovered that woman wasn’t…”

Listening, Suzhen thought of her own situation, her heart pounding like a deer. Hearing White Clothes stop, she couldn’t help asking anxiously: “What happened to that woman? What happened between you and him afterward?”

“Later… later too many things happened. There was no later. The past is like dust—what’s gone is gone. Best not to mention it.”

Hearing her speak with her beautiful eyes seeming covered by a thin layer of smoke, Suzhen’s heart ached. She couldn’t help reaching out to grasp her hand, immediately earning Xiang’er’s low angry rebuke: “Minister Li, what are you doing? My mistress kindly befriends you, yet you act improperly. Do you know my master—”

“Xiang’er!”

Wuyan frowned and scolded. Xiang’er fell silent. Wuyan forcefully broke free. Suzhen knew she’d caused trouble and slapped herself, repeatedly apologizing: “Sister, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to offend—I just felt sorry for sister…”

Wuyan had indeed been somewhat angry, but seeing the red mark on his face, her heart softened and she couldn’t bear to blame him further. She drank the apologetic wine he offered in one gulp.

Suzhen knew she’d forgiven him and relaxed. But then she suddenly thought of something. From White Clothes’ tone, her current husband might not necessarily be that man.

Triumphant return…

She was suddenly shocked. Could the person she mentioned be Huo Chang’an?

She didn’t know what background the man White Clothes later married had. From her previous letters and understanding of palace situations, this man must be from a prestigious family—if not a high official, then someone from the royal family.

She couldn’t ask White Clothes and make her sad. Asking Huo Chang’an wouldn’t yield answers either. She’d have to inquire with Lian Xin and Lian Qin later… She was lost in thought when she suddenly heard a contemptuous laugh: “Oh, Minister Li, what a coincidence—always running into you. What’s this, so worried about country and people that when you can’t win cases, and Guixiang Tower has declined, you’re working as a pimp to pull it back up?”

The speaker was… Suzhen was slightly shocked. Turning around, she indeed saw it was Pei Fengji.

Guixiang Tower had another major incident. The courtesan had been both a madam and a former famous courtesan who worked her way up, saving money to acquire her own establishment. Now that she was dead with no relatives, this former star from years ago had served many traveling customers. Supposedly she’d had a beloved lover from somewhere among the ten Central Plains kingdoms—name and nationality unknown. Because family obligations prevented him from marrying her, as Guixiang Tower gradually declined, the courtesan had a loyal personal maid who wasn’t at the building that night to handle business and thus escaped disaster. Now this maid posted notices in the courtesan’s name, saying if that gentleman could come forward and prove his identity, she would give him the courtesan’s lifetime savings and Guixiang Tower itself—not wasting the courtesan’s lifelong longing.

The once-deserted Guixiang Tower became bustling again. Laughably, where no one had claimed to be her lover before, now everyone competed to be her heir.

Suzhen had arranged to meet White Clothes here partly because this was where they first met, and partly because it was near Guixiang Tower—directly across and diagonal, offering a view of all comers and goers.

She’d anticipated Pei Fengji would come cause trouble and had racked her brains for ways to trap him. She just hadn’t expected this man would still come here for breakfast, meeting him head-on—truly fatal! She then saw Pei Fengji suddenly stare at White Clothes with interest, reaching out to touch her hand while lowering his voice: “This lady must also be from Guixiang Tower. If there had been her back then, why would I have needed to bother with that Mochou?”