Fu Tingyun’s greatest worry had once been the fear of not adapting to Jiangnan’s lifestyle after marriage. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined someone would use such despicable means to frame her. Despite her current predicament, whenever she thought of her loving mother and doting grandmother, she always felt there was still room to salvage the situation, that things weren’t completely hopeless.

But at this moment, she no longer had such confidence or certainty.

She paced anxiously around the room.

Fu Tingyun remembered how, as children, all the sisters loved to play in their grandmother’s chambers.

Grandmother would always watch them with delight, immediately ordering servants to prepare whatever food they wanted, opening the storeroom for whatever clothes they desired, not getting angry when they broke bowls or losing patience when they misplaced things. However, if anyone violated the rules of the Fu family’s “Female Instructions,” Grandmother would never be lenient.

All the sisters had been punished by kneeling at one time or another.

During each punishment, Mama Li, following Grandmother’s orders, would lecture them: “Young ladies, you wear fine silks and satins, eat delicacies of all kinds, travel by carriage, and are attended by maidservants. All that’s required of you is to rise at dawn, recite the ‘Admonitions for Women,’ spin thread, cut cloth, and serve food to your elders. How can you find that unbearable? You must understand that the Fu family relies on such rules to maintain its standing. As daughters of the Fu family, since you enjoy the Fu family’s protection, you should uphold the Fu family’s rules. How can one only enjoy benefits without giving back? Whoever breaks the Fu family’s rules has undermined generations of the Fu family’s hard work, is unworthy of being a Fu family daughter, and therefore unworthy of the Fu family’s protection!”

Previously, as the best at needlework and studies, she had never carefully considered Mama Li’s words.

Now, she felt a chill down her spine.

Suddenly, her nose ached, and she plunged into a hard chest.

It was a man’s chest.

How could there be a man in her room?

Her face turned pale with fright, and she was about to scream.

Someone covered her mouth.

“Can’t you be more composed!” The voice was deep, with a trace of impatience.

Without looking, Fu Tingyun knew who it was.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, she had completely forgotten about him!

She hadn’t even prepared any vegetarian buns.

She smiled bitterly and hurriedly said: “My maid sprained her ankle today. I didn’t have time to inquire about the granary, and I didn’t prepare any vegetarian buns either…”

Fu Tingyun hadn’t lit a lamp and couldn’t see clearly. She could only tell that he wore a short jacket and was clean, without any peculiar smell.

He nodded expressionlessly. Though his mood was unreadable, he didn’t question further, showing no sign of blaming her for inefficiency.

Fu Tingyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He suddenly asked: “Do you have any more of those Four Substance Pills?”

Fu Tingyun was quite surprised: “No, there are none left.”

His lips tightened slightly.

She sensed his displeasure.

Realizing she had made no progress on the task he had given her, she immediately felt uneasy and hurriedly said: “Warrior, may I ask what you need those pills for? Master Hui Guo at the temple is skilled in medicine. Perhaps I could ask her for some suitable medicine tomorrow?”

A hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, but he quickly replied: “I have a young brother who was injured by a tiger trap.”

So they were hunters.

No wonder he wore tattered clothes yet possessed such excellent skills!

For some reason, Fu Tingyun felt relieved: “Rest assured, warrior, I’ll get some medicine for external injuries for you tomorrow.”

He nodded and turned to leave, but after just a couple of steps, he paused. Before she could blink, he had vanished.

Fu Tingyun was startled and looked around, discovering him sitting on a crossbeam of the room.

Just as she was about to ask what had happened, she heard some faint movement outside.

Fu Tingyun listened carefully.

Then it seemed like there was no sound at all.

As she was wondering about this, she heard very light footsteps.

Fu Tingyun looked up at him in surprise.

He gestured to her not to look around.

The footsteps grew closer, stopping at her door: “Ninth Miss, this servant is Mama Chen.”

What did she want?

If there was anyone Fu Tingyun least wanted to see at this moment, it was Mama Chen.

“What is it?” Her voice was very cold.

“Lu’E needs to take care of Han Yan, so I thought the Ninth Miss would have no one for night duty.” Mama Chen’s tone was also cool. “I used to serve the First Madam and know some of the proper protocols. While Han Yan is ill, why not let me serve the Ninth Miss for night duty?” It wasn’t a question but a statement of a decision already made.

Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but burn with anger.

This wasn’t night duty; it was surveillance.

“Mama Chen is one of my eldest aunt’s people. How could I, as a younger family member, dare to use your service?” Fu Tingyun said with some mockery. “Please don’t trouble yourself, Mama Chen.” She added, “It’s getting late, and I’m a bit tired. I want to retire early, so I won’t chat with Mama Chen anymore.”

The person outside remained silent for a moment, then said: “If that’s the case, I’ll have someone bring a daybed to rest under the Ninth Miss’s eaves for the night!”

She was determined to wear her down!

“Fortunately, the weather is hot, so Mama Chen needn’t worry about catching a cold,” Fu Tingyun curled her lip, making the door bolt clatter loudly to signal her unwelcome.

Mama Chen called Fan Mama to bring a daybed.

There was a commotion outside.

Fu Tingyun trembled with anger.

He leaped down from the beam without making the slightest sound.

Fu Tingyun looked at him in amazement.

He raised his eyebrows, as if to say she was making a fuss over nothing.

Indeed, if Biyun Temple’s high walls and fierce dogs couldn’t stop him, what obstacle was a small Jingyue Hall?

But it wasn’t appropriate for him to stay in her room.

She beckoned to him, indicating he should follow her, then went to push open the east wing room window.

The window didn’t budge.

She applied more force.

The window still didn’t move at all.

She immediately understood.

Since Han Yan’s whereabouts had been revealed, Mama Chen must have learned how she had gotten out. To prevent future incidents, Mama Chen had likely ordered someone to seal the window from the outside.

Fu Tingyun frowned slightly.

The inner chamber was on the east side, with a window facing east and another facing south. The south-facing window was under the eaves, exactly where Mama Chen was now placing the daybed. The only other way out was through the inner chamber door.

She peered through the door crack.

Outside, two rough servant women were preparing bedding on the floor while talking softly.

It seemed they would have to wait until the women fell asleep!

She turned and shook her head at him, indicating he couldn’t leave for now.

But he pointed to the roof.

Glass was still a Western novelty, rare and precious. Even in the Fu family, they had only installed glass in the six doors of the main hall a few years ago. Ordinary households used paper coverings, making rooms dark even during the day, with only a few translucent tiles on the roof for light.

Fu Tingyun was somewhat confused.

He had already sprung up to the crossbeam, then tiptoed to reach the translucent tiles, gently lifting one.

Fu Tingyun was shocked.

The courtyard and house she considered secure were like paper barriers to him.

What in this world could stop him?

Truly, the sky is vast for birds to fly, the sea boundless for fish to leap!

Her expression stiffened.

Why not…

She bit her lip, pondering deeply. Seeing he was about to remove all the translucent tiles, she beckoned to him.

In the moonlight, he frowned but still jumped down.

“I have something I’d like to discuss with you, warrior.” She stood straight with her back to the window, her face hidden in darkness, her expression unclear. “As you can see, my situation is precarious. The task you’ve entrusted me with might be difficult.”

“If that’s the case, then let’s forget about it!” he said without taking offense. “As long as you don’t reveal my whereabouts, I won’t trouble you again…”

She hadn’t expected him to be so reasonable.

“No, no, no,” Fu Tingyun said urgently while feeling relieved: “You’ve misunderstood my meaning.” She paused, then said softly: “Some days ago, I had a quarrel with my cousins and was punished by my grandmother, sent to Biyun Temple for reflection. Thinking of my mother worrying about me at home, I felt uneasy and wanted to write her a letter. But these servants, following my grandmother’s orders, won’t let me leave Jingyue Hall. With my heart in two places, my energy divided, my actions inevitably lacked thoroughness. Now that one of my maids is sick and the other must attend to her, I can focus wholeheartedly on this matter for you. Whether you need grain or medicine, I will find a way to help you. But I truly miss my mother. Could you help me deliver a letter to her?” She didn’t intentionally want to deceive him—their acquaintance was too shallow for deep confidences, and some things were simply unspeakable.

She was as fragile as porcelain before him; he could decide her life or death at any moment. Such a request was somewhat excessive, so she could only tempt him subtly: “My father is a Lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, and my mother manages the household effectively, having acquired some properties over the years. If the warrior could lend a hand, my mother would surely be extremely grateful. Then the warrior could also bring your brother to settle down, solving my predicament while providing a place for your young brother to recover. Wouldn’t that be perfect for both of us?”

He remained silent, gazing at her steadily.

The red light from outside fell on his face, and she noticed his eyebrows were black and thick, his eyes profound, like the depths of a lake under willow shade, so deep they emanated a hint of blue, captivating the soul.

Fu Tingyun suddenly felt somewhat timid.

Perhaps she had used the wrong approach?

But the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired; what use was timidity now?

She took a deep breath: “I’ve thought it through. With so many people in the temple, and the kitchen having no overnight provisions, the daily meals must be rationed per person. So they must go to the granary every day for grain. If I watch the nuns in the kitchen around mealtime, I can find out where the granary is…”

“Where is the letter?” he suddenly asked, interrupting her.

“Ah!” The matter was so abrupt that Fu Tingyun didn’t immediately react.

“I’m asking, where is the letter?” he calmly repeated, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.

Fu Tingyun was overjoyed but dared not show it, fearing that a careless move might anger this unpredictable man and complicate matters. She had no mind to contemplate the peculiar gleam in his eyes.

“Please wait a moment, warrior!” she said, taking two steps where others would take three, going to her bed. She retrieved brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from under the bed board, poured water, ground ink, dipped the brush, and wrote a family letter at top speed, handing it to him.

“Warrior, please deliver this letter to someone called Mama Bibo,” Fu Tingyun said. “Just ask her to pass it to my mother.”

He took the letter and put it in his clothes, then lifted the translucent tile, climbed out, and replaced the tile.

Fu Tingyun looked up at the pure white translucent tile, exhaled a long breath, and felt her body suddenly lighten.