Nanyi sat by the bridge outside, spacing out for a long time. When she heard no more news of people jumping into the river, she figured Song Muchuan must have come to his senses, so she returned to Wangxue Stronghold.

She was also someone with a sharp tongue but soft heart, naturally admiring scholars. Those words had been spoken without thought—she worried she had been too harsh and he might really seek death again. Fortunately, that hadn’t happened.

For some reason, after saving Song Yushu, her thoughts of escape cooled down again. In this chaotic world, everyone faced difficulties at every step. Where could a small ant like her go to survive?

But what could returning accomplish? Those people called her “Young Madam” while casting contemptuous, disdainful gazes upon her.

Her virtue didn’t match her position, so naturally no one took her seriously or respected her. Yet Xie Queshan wouldn’t let her go, insisting on squeezing out her last bit of value.

Don’t be fooled by how Nanyi’s words rang with conviction when facing Song Muchuan—when it came to her own situation, she was equally lost and confused.

On her way back to her room, she heard the maids gossiping that Concubine Lu had been searching for two days for that precious item she’d lost and still hadn’t found it.

Concubine Lu’s maternal family had been nobility in the previous dynasty hundreds of years ago. After the country’s fall they declined, but precious heirlooms were still passed down—namely the jade pendant Concubine Lu had lost. She was mobilizing the entire mansion to search inch by inch, even gathering all the female servants to search their persons.

Nanyi hurried back to Zheyue Pavilion, not even noticing someone was sitting in her room when she first entered.

Suddenly looking up, she saw Xie Queshan sitting upright in the room, his expression dark and foreboding, instantly chilling her heart.

Nanyi was stunned for several seconds, sensing tremendous oppressive force. Her instinct was to kneel, but Xie Queshan caught her arm.

His hand gripped her wrist tightly, anger glinting in his eyes.

“What did I tell you?”

“What?” Nanyi was confused for a moment, then quickly realized, answering guiltily, “Not to kneel to anyone except elders.”

“What else?”

Nanyi looked at Xie Queshan blankly—she truly couldn’t remember.

Xie Queshan released her hand with disgust and threw out an icy command: “Take off your outer robe.”

Nanyi recoiled like a startled bird, looking at Xie Queshan with terror.

Xie Queshan was too lazy to waste words with her and directly drew the sword from his waist. The blade flashed swiftly—swish, swish, several cuts—and her sash was severed, her robes falling open. Without saying anything, he used his sword tip to force Nanyi backward. She retreated helplessly until her back hit the door frame with nowhere left to go. His sword tip lifted her outer robe.

The item hidden inside her outer robe also fell out.

It was a jade belt ornament of excellent quality with exquisite craftsmanship.

Nanyi was left wearing only a white undergarment. The inner clothing hadn’t dried completely, clinging to her body in wrinkled, sticky folds. She stood trembling in place—afraid, and even more humiliated.

She must have been possessed by ghosts. Yesterday in the Dowager Madam’s courtyard, seeing this item that Concubine Lu had dropped, she had inexplicably hidden it in her sleeve.

She was half motivated by revenge, half wanting to exchange it for some private money to prepare for future days outside the mansion.

But today when leaving the mansion, she heard how precious this jade pendant was. Nanyi didn’t dare take it to pawnshops in Li Du Mansion, fearing that tracing its origins would lead back to her, so she could only bring the jade pendant back.

She didn’t know when Xie Queshan had discovered it—she thought she had hidden it seamlessly.

“Didn’t I tell you to put away your thieving habits?”

“Yes…”

“Then why steal again?”

She tried to explain: “I picked it up in the Dowager Madam’s courtyard… I didn’t know whose it was.”

“Taking something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing!”

True, she was a thief who hadn’t reformed her bad habits. She was someone stained with filth from the great dye vat—guilty, base, truly in the wrong.

But she hated even more that Xie Queshan came to lecture her. All her suffering was brought by him.

Nanyi looked up, her eyes already red-rimmed. Feeling humiliated to the extreme, she retorted recklessly: “Mind your own business! I am a petty thief, my nature is hard to change—why should there be so many reasons? Isn’t it enough that I obediently help you watch Xie Sui’an?”

Xie Queshan’s tone was unusually stern: “Mind you? Living comfortably but insisting on courting death! Aren’t the things you have now enough for you to enjoy? But if Concubine Lu discovers you stole her belongings, do you know what you’ll face? Do you know shame?”

Nanyi shouted back at Xie Queshan: “You’re the one who doesn’t know shame!”

The expression on Xie Queshan’s face clearly froze.

Nanyi also realized what she had said, but the words were already spoken—today she just didn’t want to pretend anymore.

“I can only wait for your favors, wait for your rewards—those are the only things I’m allowed to have, but sooner or later you’ll take them all away! Do you know that suddenly giving a beggar wealth and luxury is a cruel thing? Because someday you superior people will take it all back, and I’ll still have nothing—even worse off than before!”

Xie Queshan fell silent, the anger on his face beginning to subside.

He had originally thought that since she now lived without worry for food and clothing at Wangxue Stronghold, stealing Lu Jinxiu’s jade pendant was purely out of greed and selfishness. He didn’t want her to make thievery a habit as before.

But he realized something was wrong with Nanyi.

He took a step toward her, staring intently: “Who bullied you?”

This simple question was like raging floodwater instantly breaking through an already overburdened, crumbling dam. Her tears flowed freely across her face.

He was somewhat at a loss. Previously her tears were mostly from fear, mostly pretense, occasionally a drop or two from sympathy. But at this moment, she was truly heartbroken.

It seemed that while he wasn’t paying attention, she had suffered great grievances.

But Nanyi didn’t think he would help her—she hadn’t even considered such a possibility. How could such boring inner courtyard affairs stir any ripples in his cold heart?

“Just go, please—” Nanyi pushed Xie Queshan toward the outside. “If you want to scold me, even if you want to kill me, come back tomorrow, alright? Let me be alone and quiet for a while.”

Xie Queshan refused to move.

He was somewhat angry. This was his rescued little wild beast. He gave her food and shelter, taught her to establish herself, taught her schemes, and planned to teach her reading and writing in the future, to learn more principles so she could live with dignity in this world without being bullied. He was harsh with her because he didn’t mind if she hated him, as long as she could grow—but who exactly had hurt her?

Just then, the courtyard gate outside was roughly opened, aggressive footsteps approached but stopped at the doorway.

He Ping’s voice came from the entrance: “Concubine Lu, the master is inside.”

Lu Jinxiu immediately dared not be presumptuous, her voice showing some hesitation: “I lost something. Someone said they saw the young madam pass by that area yesterday—I wanted to ask her about it.”

Xie Queshan glanced at the jade ornament in his hand, then at Nanyi.

Nanyi visibly began trembling. Obviously, she didn’t want to be caught red-handed by Lu Jinxiu and endlessly humiliated, but now her face and dignity were in Xie Queshan’s hands.

“Let her in,” Xie Queshan said expressionlessly.

Lu Jinxiu entered the room with her personal maid, but found that Nanyi didn’t seem to be in the room—only Xie Queshan sitting in the main seat with a somewhat dark expression, looking to be in a bad mood. She dared not provoke him further.

Xie Queshan held out the jade ornament: “Concubine, is this your item? I thought it was sister-in-law’s and came to return it, but found she wasn’t here. I was just about to leave when you arrived.”

How could Lu Jinxiu dare question him? She quickly stepped forward to receive it: “It is my item. Thank you, Master.”

Though Lu Jinxiu kept her eyes downcast, her gaze still darted around the room—a small movement that Xie Queshan noticed.

“Master, I’ll return now.”

Xie Queshan nodded, and Lu Jinxiu hurriedly turned to leave, appearing somewhat guilty.

Of course Lu Jinxiu felt guilty—she feared Nanyi might complain to Xie Queshan about her. Seeing Xie Queshan at Zheyue Pavilion made her extremely nervous. Fortunately, Nanyi wasn’t in the room now, and Xie Queshan showed no unusual reaction. On second thought, this made sense—such private boudoir matters, no matter how shameless a woman might be, she wouldn’t speak of them outside.

She felt somewhat relieved but didn’t want to stay a moment longer in this oppressive place.

Her haste aroused Xie Queshan’s suspicion. Lu Jinxiu was usually a watertight person who maintained excellent decorum. Her earlier intrusion into the courtyard had seemed somewhat rude, and now she was hurrying to leave without saying a word about the courtyard’s mistress…

“Concubine Lu—” Just as Lu Jinxiu was about to cross the threshold, Xie Queshan called out to her.