Nanyi was stunned for several seconds, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

The word “captive” had been heard daily, but hearing it so often had dulled her imagination. Only at this moment did she truly feel its shocking reality.

“Madam, there are many people watching. Let’s go.”

Song Yushu quietly reminded Nanyi.

Only then did Nanyi notice they had lingered here too long, and the guarding Qi soldiers had become suspicious and were looking their way. She could only move to leave.

Before turning the corner, she couldn’t help but look back again. The princess had already entered the residence, and the vermillion gate was about to close.

As if possessed by spirits, Princess Lingfu also turned back for a deep look, meeting exactly with Nanyi’s lingering gaze.

Then that vermillion lacquered door closed, shutting away that woman’s sorrowful, anguished expression.

This gaze wasn’t intense, yet it struck Nanyi’s chest like a blunt club, blow after blow.

Nanyi lowered her eyes sadly and noticed Song Yushu’s hands gripping the edges of his scrolls so tightly that his knuckles had turned pale.

He too was very angry.

“Song Qilang, when you were in the capital before, did you hear of this princess?”

“Her name is Xu Kouyue. She was the most favored princess in the Eastern Capital’s imperial city.”

“Kouyue? What a beautiful name.”

“It’s said she was born at midnight. That night, dark clouds obscured the moon, but just at the moment of her birth, a loud cry rang out from the vermillion eaves, and all the dark clouds in the sky scattered completely, as if instantly knocking open the moon’s gate and spilling moonlight. Thus the emperor cherished this daughter even more and bestowed the name ‘Kouyue.'”

Nanyi listened with a heavy sigh. From these few sentences, one could know of her past basking in boundless favor.

She had been the moon in the sky, the phoenix on the branch. But beautiful things are all fragile. When war’s flames sweep through, none are spared.

——

Xu Kouyue followed everyone through the gate. When Wanyan Jun stopped in the courtyard, she dared not proceed further, standing by the screen wall. The servants all tactfully dispersed, leaving only these two in the courtyard.

Wanyan Jun turned to look at Xu Kouyue, his expression sinister and cold.

“No one’s watching now.”

A seemingly random statement, but Xu Kouyue already understood.

She knelt on the ground, removed her gorgeous outer robe, folded it neatly and placed it before her, then bit by bit removed the hairpins adorning her head, the earrings from her ears, the golden bracelets and jade bangles from her hands, placing them on the outer robe before respectfully presenting them with both hands.

In the harsh winter, she wore only a single garment, thin as a sheet of white paper. Clearly, she had been tamed to have such tact and obedience at this moment.

Tears streamed down her face, yet her hands remained as graceful as orchids, her every movement still elegant.

But Wanyan Jun showed her not the slightest pity. Seeing her submissive face made him feel even more disgusted. He flicked his sleeve, scattering all the fine clothes and jewelry she had presented to the ground, and strode away.

On the goose-yellow robe on the ground, a dirty footprint appeared prominently.

Xu Kouyue was accustomed to this, gathering up the things from the ground again. After reorganizing everything neatly, she didn’t hurry to rise, but lifted her head in this square courtyard, gazing vacantly at her homeland’s setting sun.

The western cicadas sing their song, while the southern crown brings deep homesick thoughts.

——

After escorting Song Yushu back to Jiangyue Ward, Nanyi returned to Wangxue Cottage somewhat distractedly. In just one day away, she had encountered many incidents, and her state of mind differed greatly from yesterday.

Yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the change had begun.

She wanted to find Xie Sui’an, but learned that upon returning, Xie Sui’an had been ordered by Lu Jinxiu to be confined to her room under house arrest, with layers upon layers of guards watching.

Without need for elaboration, it was clear that with the sudden change in Li Du Mansion’s situation, Lu Jinxiu feared her daughter might cause trouble and become involved in Xie Zhu’s case, so she had preemptively confined her.

Nanyi completely forgot about the rent collection and was just preparing to return to Zheyue Pavilion when she encountered Lu Jinxiu in the courtyard.

Seeing her empty-handed, Lu Jinxiu looked somewhat suspicious: “Young Madam, you’ve just returned? Where is today’s collected rent?”

Nanyi answered quietly: “The tenant farmers and merchants really don’t have that much ready cash…”

Lu Jinxiu was somewhat impatient: “Young Madam is too naive. Those cunning people are just full of tricks and various excuses to avoid paying rent.”

“I waived three months of their rent.”

Lu Jinxiu gasped sharply: “What?!”

Lu Jinxiu’s voice was too loud, causing passing maids to all turn and look. She had previously been able to maintain a pleasant expression toward Nanyi, but now truly couldn’t keep up the pretense, her tone containing obvious reproof.

“Young Madam, how generous of you, going out once to play the great philanthropist. Do you know what sustains the expenses of all of Wangxue Cottage? With so many mouths to feed in the mansion, will Young Madam support them all?”

Nanyi was already frowning inwardly. The Xie family still lived in luxury amid the chaos, proclaiming their righteousness and virtue on one hand while refusing to open their eyes to see the world’s suffering on the other.

But she still maintained a apologetic smile: “Isn’t the Grand Madam ill? Giving away some wealth can be considered accumulating merit and praying for blessings for the Grand Madam.”

Lu Jinxiu’s words were choked back—noble families valued filial piety most, and anything done to honor elders was not excessive. Nanyi’s casual remark instead made Lu Jinxiu appear to be in the wrong.

Lu Jinxiu looked at Nanyi several more times with displeasure. Being silenced by this country woman left her somewhat unhappy.

But she absolutely couldn’t say anything more. Lu Jinxiu knew her boundaries well.

She always remembered to play the dignified woman of a noble family, even though deep down she was someone who fawned on the powerful while trampling the weak, a person of mercenary nature. Good and evil didn’t matter much to her—she just clearly understood that compassion too was a good mask to wear.

She quickly changed her tune: “Since Young Madam has such intentions, then go back and copy a few more Buddhist scriptures to pray for the Grand Madam.”

Nanyi didn’t dare say she was completely illiterate, and could only obediently agree.

Lu Jinxiu had already anticipated that she was a crude person. Even if she copied Buddhist scriptures, they would be unpresentable—either she couldn’t produce them at all, or she would embarrass herself before the Grand Madam. Having regained some ground, she felt slightly more balanced.

……

After returning, Nanyi looked at the densely packed characters in the Buddhist scriptures as if looking at hieroglyphs, feeling overwhelmed. She somewhat regretted that when Zhang Yuehui had offered to teach her to read, she had thought things that couldn’t immediately bring money were useless and had been too lazy to learn. Her vision then had been extremely shortsighted, seeing only the few taels of silver before her eyes.

Nanyi felt a great sense of defeat toward herself. She didn’t know what she could do or what use she had.

Just as she was feeling dejected, an idea rapidly expanded in her mind.

By the time she began regretting and wanting to retreat, she was already standing under the eaves of Jingfeng Residence.

Guards were posted all around Jingfeng Residence. Inside it was pitch black—Xie Queshan had gone out to attend a banquet tonight and wasn’t in his room. For Nanyi, avoiding the guards’ patrols and slipping into the room wasn’t difficult.

Stealing, after all, was her old trade.

That night Gusha had delivered the city defense maps to Xie Queshan, so the maps should be in his room. She went straight to Xie Queshan’s desk, forcing herself to remain calm as she searched through it, though her hands shook violently and her heart pounded like beating drums.

Finally she found a scroll of parchment. Though she couldn’t read the characters on it, the drawing showed Li Du Mansion’s city layout, so this must be the city defense map. Just as she was about to examine it closely, suddenly a voice came from behind her.

“What are you doing here?”