Nanyi didn’t remember how she walked out of Jingfeng Residence. Her steps were unsteady, and she nearly stumbled at the threshold.

Xie Sui’an was still shaken, but for her, things weren’t too terrible yet: “Sister-in-law, fortunately Xie Queshan believed us. Don’t panic, I’ll find a way to get you out of Li Du Mansion—if it really comes to it, you can leave with Prince Ling’an’s party. We have to escort them to the ship anyway.”

Nanyi gradually came to her senses: “How do you plan to send Prince Ling’an away?”

“This matter cannot be risky. It must be done under absolutely certain circumstances, otherwise staying hidden in the city would be safest.”

“But the Qi people have already occupied Li Du Mansion. What would constitute absolutely certain circumstances?”

Xie Sui’an looked around—there was no one nearby. She lowered her voice and whispered in Nanyi’s ear: “The Chancellor sent a secret letter. He’ll send an appropriate person to take over Li Du Mansion’s Bureau of Illumination. The next step is to seize military power.”

That meant a direct confrontation.

Any scheme could be exposed, but real strength was the most reliable guarantee. Nanyi felt slightly more at ease. She still had room to maneuver, definitely still had options—she couldn’t give up.

“Xiaoliu, I have an idea that might help identify the spy hiding in the Xie residence.”

Nanyi whispered in Xie Sui’an’s ear.

Neither of them noticed that in the shadows, a pair of eyes was watching them.

As the New Year approached, these past few days had been calm. Xie Queshan hadn’t come to trouble Nanyi either, only having He Ping deliver copybooks daily, requiring Nanyi to practice calligraphy.

Nanyi didn’t dare disobey and practiced with trembling fear.

Once, she had been curious about Xie Queshan, even felt some empathy for him, but now she dared not harbor any emotion other than dread.

She had naively thought that his constant threats to kill her were just words, that he wasn’t actually so ruthless, that the great demon wasn’t really so evil…

He always had ways to sound the alarm for her, to make her know her place. She couldn’t see through which moment of him was real. She even felt… a little hurt.

But she couldn’t understand where this vague sense of hurt came from.

He Ping’s words interrupted her distraction: “Young Madam, today the master wants you to practice characters from ‘Zijin’ in the Book of Songs. ‘Green, green is your collar, distant, distant is my heart. Even though I do not go to you, why do you not send word?'”

Nanyi took the stack of rice paper He Ping handed her, with model characters written by Xie Queshan. She could read the sounds and knew the meanings—the only thing she lacked was character recognition. Xie Queshan taught her to read one sentence daily and had her trace each character about ten times. Her speed of learning characters was progressing by leaps and bounds.

But after several days of studying, Nanyi discovered that many sentences in the Book of Songs… to put it plainly, weren’t they love poems?

The Book of Songs was required reading for beginners—even five-year-old children from noble families could read it, nothing unusual. But what made it awkward was that since their last parting, Xie Queshan and she had never met face to face. They communicated daily through He Ping, who brought rice paper with model sentences written by Xie Queshan each morning, then returned in the evening with Nanyi’s fully written copybooks for Xie Queshan to check.

She couldn’t say exactly what was strange about it, but… it was just somehow odd.

Like there was an obscure river flowing beneath an immovable iceberg.

The inconsiderate wind outside rattled through the book pages on the table, stopping precisely at the page of the Book of Songs.

“Even though I do not go to you, why do you not come?”

Xie Queshan’s brush tip paused for a long time as he gazed silently toward the quiet window. That young woman would never again nimbly leap through the window from the sill.

He had to keep her at a distance. Any error in distance could trigger enormous mistakes. He had to walk alone through the raging sea—what did it matter if the surging waves dampened his robes? He needed no islands.

In another courtyard, someone had been restless for several days.

Ever since that night when she seemed to witness intimate affairs between Nanyi and Xie Queshan, Lu Jinxiu had been trying to confirm it. If they truly had illicit relations… it would be absolutely scandalous!

She had been observing Zheyue Pavilion and Jingfeng Residence for several days, becoming increasingly certain that Xie Queshan was hiding Nanyi in his room. But when she wanted to rush in and catch them in the act, her own daughter brought someone who resembled Nanyi into Jingfeng Residence and switched Nanyi out.

Lu Jinxiu’s jaw nearly dropped—she never expected her unmarried daughter to be involved in such sordid affairs. She was even more determined to investigate thoroughly.

Just now her maid had rushed back with the latest news—these past days, Xie Queshan’s personal guard He Ping had been delivering things to Zheyue Pavilion. She had deliberately bumped into He Ping and, while helping him organize his things, glimpsed the rice paper he was delivering. Written on it was clearly: “Green, green is your collar, distant, distant is my heart. Even though I do not go to you, why do you not send word?”

Lu Jinxiu was so angry she forgot her ladylike composure and slammed the table: “Isn’t this a love poem?! They really are… utterly shameless! Utterly shameless!”

But how exactly to handle this left Lu Jinxiu in a dilemma. After all, it was Xie Queshan—who dared provoke him?

Yet she absolutely couldn’t ignore it. With so many eyes throughout Wangxue Stronghold, someone was bound to witness their illicit affairs sooner or later.

Once this matter spread, not only would it disgrace the Xie family’s reputation, it would inevitably affect Xiaoliu’s future marriage prospects. The Xie family’s womenfolk would be unable to hold their heads up before other families.

One bad apple could spoil the whole barrel. Lu Jinxiu gritted her teeth—she had to handle this matter quietly.

That afternoon, Lu Jinxiu saw Xie Queshan leave and found an excuse to send Xie Sui’an away as well.

Confirming that there was absolutely no one left in the mansion who could speak for Nanyi, Lu Jinxiu led a group of maids and stormed into Zheyue Pavilion with imposing momentum.

Four maids first blocked the doors, preventing anyone from entering, then four more maids entered the room and pinned down Nanyi, who hadn’t yet reacted.

Nanyi had been practicing calligraphy and was completely bewildered, looking at Lu Jinxiu in confusion.

“Concubine, what does this mean?”

“You still have the face to ask me?! Although you and Hengzai have no conjugal relations, you still occupy the position of the Xie family’s young madam, enjoying wealth and honor without having to fight for scraps outside. The Xie family has treated you well, hasn’t it? Yet you commit such shameless illicit acts!”

Nanyi was even more confused: “What illicit acts?”

Lu Jinxiu was too lazy to waste words with Nanyi and gave her maid a meaningful look.

The maid poured a cup of poisoned wine.

“Saying more would only dirty my mouth. In normal times, the crime of adultery would merit death by beating! With the New Year approaching, I don’t want such bloodshed. I’m granting you a cup of poisoned wine—if you’re sensible, drink it yourself.”

Nanyi panicked: “Concubine, are you misunderstanding something?”

“Misunderstanding? I’ve been suspicious ever since Third Master had you take over the inner courtyard that day—why would he protect you so much for no reason?”

Lu Jinxiu glanced at the rice paper on the table with an expression of utter disgust, afraid of dirtying her hands as she pinched a corner and threw it at Nanyi’s face.

“Using the Book of Songs for secret romantic correspondence! Absolutely shameless!”

Nanyi finally understood—Lu Jinxiu had misinterpreted her private interactions with Xie Queshan at Wangxue Stronghold.

“Concubine, Concubine—he and I truly have nothing between us. If you don’t believe me, call him here for us to confront each other face to face. Sixth Sister can also testify for me—”

Lu Jinxiu wouldn’t listen at all. She swept her gaze across the maids and glared: “What are you standing around for? If she won’t drink, can’t you force her to drink it?”