Ziqing hesitated for a moment before answering, “Let’s go, I’ll come with you.”

Guxi was overjoyed and quickly followed.

The dungeon at Prince Yao’s manor had long since emptied out—now only Shiliang remained. Because of Meng Duo’er’s barrier, the cell door needed no more than a single lock, unguarded.

Without her master’s command—or if her master’s command had been broken—Shiliang was nothing more than a walking corpse.

At that moment, she stood stiffly by the foot of the bridge, her head bowed, and from a distance, she truly resembled a corpse.

Perhaps Ziqing really was heartless in some ways.

She could be devoted to someone with her whole heart, pour everything she had into them, but once betrayed, she never forgave.

Looking coldly at Shiliang from a distance, she hadn’t come today out of any lingering feelings of that old master-servant bond, but for Guxi’s sake.

She was simply accompanying Guxi, hoping he wouldn’t be too pained by this.

Ziqing had originally assumed Guxi might walk closer, might say something to Shiliang—not for Shiliang’s benefit, but to ease his own heart by finally speaking the words aloud.

But to her surprise, Guxi stopped where he was, just as she had, and said flatly, “Mistress, look at her. She isn’t Shiliang. Our Shiliang died long ago. Destroy this thing. Keeping it around will only bring more calamity eventually.”

Ziqing was mildly startled—she hadn’t expected Guxi to see it so clearly, to have already walked out from under the shadow of that past.

Guxi had invited her here simply to persuade her.

Though Guxi rarely spoke much, Ziqing knew he was without a doubt a persistent, determined man.

He turned to look at her, smiling faintly—a smile unlike Jun Beiyue’s coolness, unlike Baili Weisheng’s sunny warmth, unlike Lige’s gentleness, yet possessing its own unique reassuring strength.

Ziqing smiled too. “Silly child, of course I’ll help you—there was no need to make a special trip out here for this. Come, let’s go. Baili Xiaosheng might have woken up already.”

To destroy Shiliang, it truly had to come from Baili Xiaosheng herself. Only once that girl regained her memory could Ziqing hope to persuade her—though she genuinely couldn’t guarantee the girl would readily agree.

The moment they left the dungeon, the air immediately felt fresher.

Jun Beiyue had waited outside the whole time, never following in. Toward Shiliang, he was even more indifferent than Ziqing—more precisely, he held no feelings for Shiliang whatsoever, not even wanting to look at her.

Back then, Shiliang had merely been a pawn he’d used against the Eastern Qin Empress, merely a tool for treating Ziqing’s poison.

Seeing Ziqing emerge, the maid at her side immediately stepped forward with an umbrella, fearing she’d be exposed to the sun. Ziqing waved it off in exasperation, muttering to Jun Beiyue, “Is this concern for me, or for the baby in my belly?”

She had to admit, she’d suddenly lost all desire to have a daughter—she was terrified that once a baby girl arrived, she’d end up drowning in jealousy every single day.

Jun Beiyue smiled slightly, not smooth-tongued enough to claim it was for both equally, nor foolish enough to only claim it was for one. In the end, he simply said nothing, personally bringing over a paper umbrella to hold for Ziqing.

Ziqing tried to push it away, trying to provoke him into speaking, but he simply wouldn’t.

The two of them bickered playfully as they walked, and Guxi couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at the sight.

By the time they reached the courtyard where Baili Xiaosheng was staying, finding no one at the door, they assumed Baili Weisheng must be inside. Ziqing knocked gently—but no response came, even after a long moment.

“Didn’t he say he’d keep watch?” Ziqing asked, puzzled.

“Trusting Baili Weisheng is like expecting a sow to climb a tree,” Jun Beiyue said coldly, sending Hongyi to summon the night attendants nearby.

That comment from Jun Beiyue was without a doubt the most precise assessment of Baili Weisheng ever spoken.

When the maids arrived and were questioned, not a single one of them knew where Baili Weisheng had gone.

Ziqing felt a sudden unease and gently pushed the door open, only to find it hadn’t been locked at all. At that moment, Baili Xiaosheng, jolted awake by the noise, was sitting up groggily, looking at them with a dazed, confused expression.

Ziqing was startled, hurrying over. “Xiaosheng, you—”

Before she could finish, Baili Xiaosheng spoke up, calling out, “Aunt Qing!”

That single “Aunt Qing” nearly made Ziqing’s heart stop altogether. Overjoyed, she immediately pulled Baili Xiaosheng into her arms. “Silly girl, you finally remember us!”

Though her head still throbbed with dull pain, Baili Xiaosheng had remembered everything—everything from ten years ago, everything from the past decade, even the argument with her master the night before.

But her mind still felt heavy, unable to think clearly, her reactions a bit slow. She glanced at Jun Beiyue, Guxi, Hongyi, and grew uneasy, quickly asking, “Where’s my master?”

Where’s my master?

That was exactly what Ziqing and the others wanted to know too.

Deep down, Ziqing was genuinely furious. Baili Weisheng and his usual careless, unserious attitude was one thing—but who allowed him to keep that eternally twenty-something face and forget his own age so easily?

But in front of Baili Xiaosheng, he simply couldn’t behave this way!

After everything that had happened, after how dangerous last night had been—it could genuinely be called a brush with death—he was, after all, her master. A teacher for a day is a father for life.

He’d said he’d keep watch, and now he’d vanished without a trace! What kind of nonsense was this?

The very first person Xiaosheng laid eyes on upon waking should have been him!

Of course, Ziqing wouldn’t show any of this unease in front of Baili Xiaosheng. She was just about to make up an excuse for Baili Weisheng when Hongyi rushed in, having just gone to inquire—Baili Weisheng wasn’t in his own room, and in fact, no one in the entire manor had seen him since the previous night!

Hongyi, being a clever girl, seeing how close Ziqing was to Baili Xiaosheng, didn’t dare speak up in front of her and instead quietly reported it to Jun Beiyue. Upon hearing it, Jun Beiyue’s expression darkened at once, and he ordered quietly, “Keep searching. Check the rooftops.”

“Your master’s probably out gathering herbs for you. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon,” Ziqing comforted her, having caught Hongyi’s odd behavior and guessing the situation.

Hearing Ziqing’s words, Baili Xiaosheng relaxed considerably, quietly drinking a large cup of water before letting out a soft sigh.

Ten years, deceived and manipulated by Sheng Zimo the whole time—she remembered every detail of it clearly now. Though she hadn’t personally destroyed the Sheng clan, the fact remained that the Sheng clan had been wiped out in the ensuing chaos, and she couldn’t claim to be free of responsibility for it.

Had it been any other woman, she’d probably already be in tears, clutching at Ziqing, pouring out her heart over these irreversible, unfixable mistakes. But Baili Xiaosheng didn’t. She simply lowered her head, keeping all her past experiences, all her self-blame, tucked away in her heart.

In some ways, this girl really did take after her master.

“Don’t think about it too much. As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. Let the past be the past, there now…” Ziqing said gently, softly patting her shoulder.

There was no need to pour out her feelings—Aunt Qing already understood. Baili Xiaosheng’s heart warmed at that, and she managed a small, resolute smile for Ziqing.

How much resilience did it take, to still be able to smile at a time like this?