Tong Rushi remained silent like a mute, unmoved and steadfast.

“Li Zhi said you were originally from Compound A, but because you got into fights too often, you eventually ended up in Compound E. But Compound E’s Jin Wanliang and Cui Shi are far more detestable than the people in Compound A, yet I haven’t seen you fight with them. At most, you just ignore people. How did you end up in Compound E? Moreover, during that archery competition at the martial grounds, you—someone who had been expelled from Compound A—were quickly able to gather an archery team. Your connections clearly weren’t bad at all.”

“Still about that archery competition, when Senior Brother Mu had someone throw ceramic blocks from the second floor to destroy the archery targets, I could have stopped it. If I had intercepted them, I would have won. But Li Zhi suddenly spooked the horse, causing me to slow down a step while helping him, and ultimately I had no choice but to face Senior Brother Mu. That was intentional, wasn’t it? You wanted me to fall at Senior Brother Mu’s hands?”

“That final cold arrow that day was aimed at me. At that time, my identity hadn’t been exposed yet, and I shouldn’t have had any enemies at the academy. It was arranged by your people, wasn’t it?”

“Later, with a series of events following closely, I was rarely in the dormitory, so you didn’t have many opportunities. Then came the journey to Dongming, where Feiyu and I were attacked at an inn in a small town. The attackers came aggressively, but after encountering us face-to-face, they suddenly held back midway, which was very strange.”

“That feeling was as if she recognized us.”

“At the time, I also felt that the figure was very familiar, but I couldn’t remember who it was for a moment.”

“Then the next day, at a roadside tea stall, I suddenly encountered Lady Sun. As soon as she opened her mouth, she said A’hei’s husband had run away, and I immediately remembered—last night’s assassin was A’hei!”

“As soon as you met up with us, A’hei came to assassinate us, but discovering we were acquaintances, she didn’t strike and left. Then she wanted to learn about her husband’s whereabouts from us, but it wasn’t convenient for her to come herself, so she asked Lady Sun to inquire. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence in this world?”

“Even more coincidentally, the masters of Lingquan Village avoid the world and don’t emerge, yet two of them appeared in the blink of an eye. People like them—who could command them?”

Hearing this, Tong Rushi’s eyes constricted.

“That night when the Xiao family breached the embankment and released the flood, you fell into the water. I saw you being rescued by someone whose speed was extremely fast—only a master could accomplish this. It was people from Lingquan Village, wasn’t it, always staying by your side to protect you.”

“An ordinary scholar who can gain status at Yuelike Academy, who has masters protecting him, and who always harbors inexplicable hostility toward me…” Tie Ci crossed her legs as she looked at him. “Young Master Tong, can you tell me why this is?”

Before Tong Rushi could say anything, she continued, “Don’t give me those nonsensical reasons that only invite ridicule. Can you be a bit more honorable as a person?”

Tong Rushi’s pale face flushed slightly red, and he suddenly raised his head, anger flashing in his eyes.

Tie Ci was delighted inwardly. She was deliberately provoking him. After all, Tong Rushi had psychological barriers and was proud by nature, but he was inexperienced in worldly affairs. Being exposed was already when his heart was most vulnerable, and with a bit more provocation, it should be about enough.

Seeing Tong Rushi’s lips moving, about to speak, Tie Ci’s heart lifted.

Suddenly someone called from above, the voice clear and crisp. Tie Ci looked up to see Xiao Wenliu, whom she hadn’t seen for quite some days.

She was waving repeatedly on the embankment. This young lady was naturally born with an ethereal appearance—snow-white skin and large eyes, round pupils with jet-black irises, full and delicate lips, paired with an elegant and sharp chin. Her spiritual energy seemed to overflow. At this moment, standing among that group of dark-browed, black-eyed people on the embankment, even the gloomy overcast sky seemed to brighten because of her presence.

Tie Ci smiled and waved back at her, but heard someone beside her breathing irregularly. Turning to look, she saw Tong Rushi staring at Xiao Wenliu, his gaze unwavering, looking completely mesmerized.

Tie Ci wasn’t surprised by this. Xiao Wenliu’s appearance and character were rare even in the imperial capital, which was why Prince Zhao had sought her hand in marriage for his only son so early.

But at this crucial moment of using provocation to extract the truth, having his attention drawn away by Xiao Wenliu was not good. Tie Ci hurriedly said, “Brother Tong…”

On the embankment, Xiao Wenliu cupped her hands into a megaphone and shouted at her, “I can finally come find you, Brother Ye!”

She shouted again, “I’ve missed you to death, Big Brother Ye!”

That final “big brother” was very intimate, and the common people on and below the embankment laughed heartily. Someone said, “Young Master Ye, is this young lady your fiancée? You’re truly a perfect match of talent and beauty, very well-suited!”

Tie Ci frowned, then smiled and said, “Of course not, this lady is…”

Suddenly Tong Rushi said coldly, “You’ve lived in luxury and enjoyed all honors since childhood, so you think everything good in this world should be yours, and everyone should explain everything to you clearly?”

He pushed away Tie Ci’s hand, stood up, and brushed the mud off his sleeves. “Just because I didn’t kill you today doesn’t mean I won’t kill you in the future. You’d better take care of yourself.”

He turned and left. Tie Ci didn’t try to stop him.

She couldn’t stop him anyway. There were definitely people from Lingquan Village near Tong Rushi, and she was no match for them.

When she had accidentally stumbled into Lingquan Village back then, Tong Rushi should have been studying and very likely hadn’t received any news about her. It wasn’t until she left Lingquan Village, sought an audience with He Zi, and reached a deal with He Zi that Tong Rushi and Li Zhi learned of the news and went to Compound E ahead of time.

By all rights, Tie Ci should have been assigned to Compound A, but Tong Rushi obviously understood very well the character of those Xiao family stewards. He felt that Ye Ci, arriving at this time, would definitely become a thorn in everyone’s side and would most likely be squeezed out to Compound E.

He and Li Zhi weren’t originally in the same compound, but used their respective reasons to gather together and transfer to Compound E, waiting for Tie Ci.

But except for the trap arranged at the archery field afterward, they hadn’t taken action against Tie Ci while in the academy dormitory.

On one hand, Tie Ci spent little time in the dormitory. On the other hand, Tie Ci felt they were more like observers, or had some constraints.

For example, He Zi.

What role did He Zi play in all this, and what exactly was his relationship with Lingquan Village? It seemed Lingquan Village didn’t belong under his management, but they maintained a certain close relationship and respect.

Tie Ci secretly felt regretful.

Today there had been an opportunity to get the complete truth, which could also guide the direction of her future choices and judgments.

However…

She watched Tong Rushi’s retreating figure and suddenly shouted, “No matter what you want, remember that the common people are what’s most important!”

Tong Rushi paused but didn’t turn back, and continued walking.

On the embankment, Xiao Wenliu was still waving, unable to hide her excitement. If it weren’t for her maid holding her back, she would have charged down already.

Tie Ci had no choice but to go up the embankment. Xiao Wenliu had brought her lots of food, and the two sat in a roadside pavilion while Xiao Wenliu chattered away with her.

“…These past days, Grandmother and Fourth Great-Uncle haven’t allowed me to go out, saying I should prepare properly for marriage and that they’ll send me to the imperial capital next year. But I don’t want to go to the imperial capital… I’ve never met Tie Lin. I heard he’s just a little brat, but Fourth Great-Uncle says he has a bright future and is extraordinary. He’s already a prince’s heir—what more future could there be? Won’t he just inherit the princely title?”

“Grandmother invited Miss Feiyu to drink tea and admire flowers. I don’t know what they said during the banquet, but Miss Feiyu said she wanted to paint the scenic views of the Xiao family garden, then painted a picture of an old locust eating yellow flowers. Grandmother’s face turned green, and I wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, holding it in until my stomach hurt…”

“…Eleventh Brother went to plead with Grandmother, wanting to take Miss Feiyu as a concubine. Grandmother said nothing, but Fourth Great-Uncle disagreed instead. He said Miss Feiyu clearly has a romantic relationship with Brother Ye, and we shouldn’t rashly offend guests. Eleventh Brother wanted to come find you again, but on the way he encountered Miss Feiyu. Miss Feiyu said she decides who she marries—she’s not some object for you men to fight over and give away. She’s simple and honest, with no other thoughts about marriage, just one small goal: she wants to be Mother of the Nation. Whoever can make her Mother of the Nation, or whoever can make the children she bears honor her as Mother of the Nation, she’ll marry that person… At that time, Eleventh Brother’s face turned green. When these words reached Fourth Great-Uncle’s ears, that very night Eleventh Brother was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall. Fourth Great-Uncle said if such words got out, the Xiao family would be rumored to harbor treasonous intentions… How could it be that serious? Our Xiao family—our great-aunt is the Empress Dowager, my grandfather is the Second Assistant Minister. How could a joking remark be so grave? Fourth Great-Uncle is being too cautious…”

Tie Ci laughed heartily.

The more guilty one’s conscience, the greater the taboos.

Wasn’t it precisely because they’d always been thinking about this that they couldn’t even bear to hear it mentioned?

However, Feiyu’s life was truly colorful and varied.

Tie Ci thought with some displeasure that while she’d been here for so many days carrying loads through water and mud, Feiyu had been eating, drinking, playing, and entertaining herself at the Xiao family estate, showing no friendship at all.

Then she thought about Xiao Wenliu’s fiancé Tie Lin—a prince whose future could be seen at a glance. What more prospects could there be?

Unless he became emperor.

It seemed she needed to have Xiahou or Shadow investigate Prince Zhao’s family.

While listening, she took out a piece of wood and began carving it leisurely and methodically.

Xiao Wenliu leaned over to look and saw that the wood was deep red in color with fine cloud-like grain patterns. The texture was dense and it faintly gleamed with golden light. The grain was delicate and flowing, smooth and stretched. Looking carefully, it vaguely resembled a flying bird, with the tail end having brilliant, shimmering feather patterns. The entire hairpin was carved into the shape of a bird raising its neck and spreading its wings, with form and pattern naturally integrated, wondrously created by nature itself.

She exclaimed in admiration, “This hairpin has naturally formed flying feather patterns, which is very rare. It perfectly matches this flying bird and flowing cloud shape—truly exquisite!”

Tie Ci smiled without looking up, completely focused.

The wood was red sandalwood, and the deep red color was very rare. The flying bird feather patterns on it were even rarer. She had asked Xiahou to help her find wood, and he had brought several batches that she wasn’t satisfied with until she finally selected this one. She felt that the color, shape, and grain were all perfectly suited to her heart, and all perfectly suited to Feiyu.

During these days, she had worked slowly to produce fine craftsmanship. Whenever she had leisure time, she would carve carefully. Although Feiyu was glamorous and radiant, Tie Ci inexplicably hadn’t chosen those luxurious peony or herbaceous peony flower patterns, but instead chose this flying bird hairpin with somewhat neutral qualities, always feeling this was more suitable for her.

Xiao Wenliu watched that hairpin longingly, her lips moving several times. Though she was artless, her upbringing made her dare not presume it was meant for her, nor did she have the nerve to ask for it directly. Rarely showing such hesitation for a long time, she finally said, “Brother Ye, who are you planning to give this hairpin to?”