After the night at Huachao Pavilion, Xie Sui’an trusted Nanyi even more. She no longer dared to act rashly and became extremely paranoid about the spy existing within Wangxue Manor.

Her current situation was somewhat awkward. Although she wholeheartedly wanted to rescue Third Uncle, she was even more afraid that her actions would leak and drag herself down as well. Before finding the spy, she dared not use the Bingzhu Bureau’s forces again.

How could she save Third Uncle single-handedly? However, the current situation also gave her a glimmer of hope—perhaps it really was as everyone said, that the Qi people would release Third Uncle.

But Nanyi found it hard to be optimistic about this matter.

At Huachao Pavilion, she had heard Xie Queshan say “the one playing the good cop will arrive soon.” She always felt that even as things had developed to this point, it was still within Xie Queshan’s plan—they seemed to still have moves left.

She didn’t dare tell Xie Sui’an, afraid she would act impulsively, so she could only keep it bottled up inside, feeling vaguely uneasy.

Despite the upheaval outside, Wangxue Manor remained orderly and peacefully mundane. No matter how anxious everyone felt inside, they all maintained proper restraint, and for the sake of their cultivation, didn’t dare casually vent their emotions.

Fortunately, when Xie Zhu jumped from the building, he was cushioned by some silk cloth and only suffered superficial injuries. When this news reached the Grand Madam’s room, everyone comforted her saying that both public opinion and Heaven’s will were protecting Third Master, and the Qi people would eventually succumb to pressure and release him.

Although the Grand Madam’s condition hadn’t improved, it hadn’t worsened either.

However, what gave Nanyi even more of a headache was her current empty title as manager of the inner courtyard.

Even with Xie Sui’an’s support, Nanyi found it very difficult to command respect. The Xie family members politely called her Young Madam on the surface, but no one really took her seriously, and they even harbored some resentment toward her.

Lu Jinxiu had managed the inner courtyard for several years. Having her position suddenly stripped away while she was sitting comfortably—even though she was an elder in the family and knew Nanyi personally was innocent—she still couldn’t swallow this slight and treated Nanyi with coldness.

However, Lu Jinxiu couldn’t avoid giving Nanyi any responsibilities to manage, as that would make her seem too petty. She was more afraid that Nanyi would manage the household affairs into a complete mess, so she picked something relatively easy and had Nanyi go into the city to collect rent.

On this day, Xie Sui’an happened to have business. Nanyi wasn’t familiar with Li Du Mansion and had no trustworthy maid by her side. With no other choice, she could only take a map of Li Du Mansion and go to the streets herself.

Before departing, Nanyi had sworn confidently to collect all the rent from the shops and tenants, but when she actually faced these common people with their backs to the yellow earth and faces to the sky, Nanyi couldn’t bring herself to say a word about demanding money.

Logically speaking, with grain prices soaring, both tenants and merchants should have made money. But the tenants had no grain to sell at all—their autumn harvest had been requisitioned by the army, and after entering winter with continuous heavy snow, even the paths to Tiger Kneel Mountain to gather medicinal herbs for sale had been blocked.

The merchants appeared to earn hundreds of gold coins daily, but under the influence of war, the purchase prices of goods were also expensive. Sometimes even after paying high deposits, goods being robbed halfway was common. Most of the extra profits had to be paid to officials as protection fees, with what remained barely covering the shop assistants’ expenses.

Thinking of her own days of being too poor to eat, Nanyi deeply empathized. Facing these pleading faces begging her for leniency, her heart softened completely. Gritting her teeth, she made the arbitrary decision to exempt everyone’s rent.

She didn’t collect a single penny. Nanyi anxiously pondered how she would explain this to Concubine Lu when she returned.

Nanyi’s steps also slowed, intentionally or unintentionally delaying her return to Wangxue Manor, feeling somewhat uncertain inside.

Suddenly the surroundings became inexplicably noisy, with people rushing toward the city walls en masse, not knowing what had happened.

Nanyi was pushed onto the street by the boiling crowd. She guessed it was the university students causing trouble again.

Since Xie Zhu’s leap from the building, the scholarly integrity had moved the entire city. Under the leadership of the university students, people gathered at the prefectural office to petition, with the crowds growing ever larger.

Prefect Huang Yankun continued to be a shrinking turtle. Government runners were dispatched throughout the city to arrest people and disperse the leading university students. But this couldn’t stop the voices of the people.

The Shipbuilding Bureau continued its strike. The ship parts that had been completed were also smashed and burned by themselves, resolutely refusing to leave them for the Qi people. The citizens’ attitude toward the Qi people had evolved from initial fear to current disgust and resistance, becoming increasingly intense, and the Qi people’s pressure was also growing.

The streets and alleys were all in chaos. Nanyi didn’t want to join this commotion and just wanted to leave quickly.

In a trance, she heard an intermittent voice.

“This lady… don’t push forward, be careful of trampling…”

This voice struck Nanyi’s ears like a thunderbolt, awakening distant memories—

Nanyi frantically turned around, urgently searching against the crowd flow toward the voice. The crowd was like rushing water overflowing a dam, wave after wave, threatening to submerge her. She desperately surfaced, trying to find Zhang Yuehui’s face from memory, but those passing by her were all unfamiliar faces.

Squeezed in the crowd until her hair was slightly loose and her clothes disheveled, looking completely bedraggled, Nanyi finally stopped and accepted reality. How could she possibly see Zhang Yuehui in Li Du Mansion… She must have misheard.

Nanyi stood there dejectedly, reaching to touch the jade bracelet on her wrist. The jade was warmed by her body temperature, and the young man’s face became clear again in her howling memories. She missed him so much, or rather missed those days when she didn’t have to be constantly on edge.

The human spirit always needs a place to rest, and he was the last cherished memory this homeless person had in this world. But even if she saw him again, what could she say to him? Beg him to take her away? Who could contend with that demon Xie Queshan, and who could be confident of protecting each other in these chaotic times?

Nanyi turned around desolately. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand.

The heart that Nanyi had suspended for a moment fell back down when she heard Xie Sui’an’s familiar voice.

“Sister-in-law—”

Nanyi turned back to see anger and anxiety filling Xie Sui’an’s face. She realized something had happened.

When Xie Sui’an spoke, her tone carried some desolation: “Third Uncle he…”

Nanyi followed Xie Sui’an’s gaze and saw a person hanging from the city wall. From a distance, he appeared thinly clothed, covered in wounds, swaying in the wind.

Below the city wall, government runners read out a proclamation.

“This person Xie Zhu, formerly supervisor of the Shipbuilding Bureau, is a traitor of the Bingzhu Bureau who conspired to murder Qi people and destroy the friendship between our two dynasties—his heart deserves death! Therefore he is suspended from the city wall for public display for three days, with execution to follow on a chosen date!”

Everyone had thought the Qi people’s silence these past few days was due to pressure and preparation to compromise. No one expected that not only would the Qi people not follow public sentiment, but they would respond with such barbaric actions. Xie Zhu was the foremost Confucian scholar of Li Du Mansion. To be so crudely hung from the city wall was nothing short of an ultimate humiliation, causing public outcry.

Half the city’s people gathered beneath the city walls, protesting en masse.

The government runners of Li Du Mansion hid themselves, letting Qi soldiers directly come forward to disperse the crowd. The Yu Dynasty honored Confucian scholars, who held transcendent status. The government runners didn’t dare treat the university students roughly and often just went through the motions, but the Qi soldiers were different—they used real swords and spears to drive people away.

When conflict arose, blood was soon seen, and the situation became uncontrollable.

Xie Sui’an’s hand was already gripping the soft sword at her waist tightly. Nanyi had no doubt that the next second she would rush forward and fight the Qi soldiers with her life.

But she was a daughter of the Xie family and also represented the attitude of the noble families. If she became involved in the conflict, it would only make things more troublesome. Nanyi nervously pressed Xie Sui’an’s hand, afraid she would act impulsively, dragging her away from the conflict.

Faced with such chaos, Nanyi began to feel powerless. Her instinct was to run away, to take Xie Sui’an and flee, to leave this uncontrollable chaos…

The smell of blood permeated the air. A storm was approaching.