“Boss Lu, Teacher Xie has arrived.”

The sky had darkened. There were already very few pedestrians walking on the streets, and most of the shops had closed. But on the second floor of a building facing the street, the lanterns hanging outside Youhuang Hall were still lit.

Outside the back dark room, a young servant reported.

Lu Xian was sitting inside, looking at the results handed up from below, frowning very dissatisfied.

Hearing the announcement, he cursed, “Not coming early, not coming late. Usually, even eight sedan chairs couldn’t invite him here, but tell him a few pieces of good wood have arrived and he comes on his own. So I’m not even as good as two pieces of broken wood!”

As he spoke, he slapped the confidential report onto the table with a “pa.”

He stood up and walked outside.

Inside Youhuang Hall, there was a specially designated qin room for guests to test instruments. When Lu Xian pushed open the door and entered, he saw that his young servant had already very conscientiously placed a charcoal-burning brazier in the room and even brewed Xie Wei the best Bitan Piaoxue tea from here.

His nose nearly twisted with anger.

Lu Xian walked over and poked the servant’s forehead with his finger. “How much does he pay to buy a piece of wood? You set out a charcoal basin and brew fine tea for him—what am I, your boss, supposed to profit from? Can’t you grow a brain?”

The servant looked at him quietly.

His boss just had this stingy nature—it couldn’t be changed.

Besides, which time had Teacher Xie come here and drunk poor tea? Even if he didn’t brew it, the boss would probably obediently go brew it himself later anyway.

But he didn’t argue anything, just silently withdrew and even closed the door behind him.

Lu Xian glared with anger. “Look! Look at how unruly these servants are! Who’s really the master of Youhuang Hall!”

Xie Wei was currently sitting cross-legged on an arhat bed by the window where a square table had been placed. Because he feared the cold, a thin velvet blanket was draped over his legs. Hearing this, he only smiled lightly.

Lu Xian walked over and discovered he was looking at something.

Ten or so sheets of xuan paper covered in writing—they seemed to have been rolled up when brought, with both ends still slightly curled. By their appearance, they looked like answer sheets. What Xie Wei was currently examining was the one on top. Looking at it, he couldn’t help but slightly bend one finger, pressing it to his lips, actually laughing aloud.

This chicken-scratch handwriting…

Lu Xian felt his eyes hurt just looking at it once.

He directly lifted the hem of his robe and sat down opposite Xie Wei, his expression strange. “I heard you entered the palace today to examine the companions selected for the princess. These couldn’t all be answer sheets from those aristocratic young ladies, could they? This handwriting is truly too ugly…”

But Xie Wei didn’t take up this topic.

He only pulled out the other eleven answer sheets from below, gently released them, and casually tossed them into the charcoal basin, where they immediately caught fire. He appeared completely unconcerned, keeping only the one he’d just been reading, rolling it up and setting it aside.

Only then did he slightly raise his brows. “You have superior catalpa wood here?”

Not saying anything was fine, but once he opened his mouth, he could choke someone to death.

If he weren’t currently working for this person, Lu Xian dared guarantee that someone like Xie Wei would need to be beaten to death the moment he stepped out the door!

In his heart, he could only wish for him that the next qin he made would take three to five years to carve, then be split with one blade!

At the moment, he coldly pulled his lips into a smile and said, “There is superior catalpa wood, but I have two pieces of bad news here. Which do you want to hear first?”

Xie Wei sighed gently. “Still brooding over that You Fangyin.”

If he’d known earlier, he would have had Jianshu come help collect the wood materials.

Why make this trip himself?

Lu Xian couldn’t bear to hear this name now. Hearing it made him explode. A perverse anger pressed in his heart, always feeling he was being played for a fool. “You gave the order for them to investigate. But after several days of investigation, what results are there?”

As early as learning that Xu Wenyi had hoarded raw silk without selling, Lu Xian felt this You Fangyin was suspicious.

And behind her was a mysterious backer.

If they didn’t uncover this backer, his heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. After all, he was a shrewd old fox in business who was also extremely stingy and calculating. Yet when buying raw silk, someone had actually gotten there first, which instead confirmed for the other party that raw silk would definitely rise—this nearly made him cough up blood in anger.

This kind of thing, Lu Xian absolutely could not tolerate.

A few days ago, he and Xie Ju’an set a direction, feeling this matter couldn’t be separated from the canal transport and people on the canal, so they had people screen everyone You Fangyin had recently contacted.

The first round of investigation came back saying there were no suspicious persons.

Lu Xian was so angry he called the people in for a severe scolding, then had them carefully and thoroughly re-investigate those people, expanding the scope to everyone indirectly connected through the entire You Manor. At the same time, Xie Wei memorialized the emperor, clearly stating that silk prices in the capital and Jiangnan had been maliciously suppressed, to thoroughly investigate officials in court related to this matter.

This really did produce results.

There were indeed officials on the canal who united with merchants. First, the merchants maliciously suppressed silk prices, then had people capsize the silk boats transporting raw silk on the Grand Canal. Thus, with supply less than demand, silk prices naturally skyrocketed.

After profiting, officials and merchants each took half.

After the matter was exposed, naturally a large group of officials and merchants were investigated.

But on the You Manor side, they only found one steward who was distantly related to a servant running errands for some official’s household on the canal. He had indeed heard about this information beforehand and had inadvertently let it slip while drinking at You Manor.

Everyone took it as a joke and didn’t take it seriously.

No one truly took advantage of this opportunity to buy raw silk and hoard it waiting for prices to rise—not even that steward took it seriously.

“Xie Ju’an, this matter truly defies common sense.” Lu Xian lightly tapped the low table with his finger, emphasizing to Xie Wei, “Suppose that You Fangyin truly was fortunate and daring enough to gamble, learning from this steward that silk prices would rise, so she went to buy raw silk. But would she need to fabricate a ‘backer’ that doesn’t actually exist? The existence of this ‘backer’ wouldn’t help her in any way. So the only explanation is that this ‘backer’ truly and actually exists! We just haven’t yet found where he’s hiding.”

Xie Wei also lowered his eyes in thought.

But Lu Xian grew more somber as he spoke. “This person’s methods are strange. Knowing the information, they only put out four hundred taels to buy raw silk. Perhaps they didn’t dare do more, but perhaps they lacked money. Or perhaps behind this matter, there’s a deeper meaning we can’t guess. Things we can see through aren’t frightening. Only things we can’t see through make me very uneasy.”

Xie Wei said, “If you feel that finding one steward isn’t enough to dispel your suspicions, then have people follow that You Fangyin for a while. Xu Wenyi’s raw silk only sold two days ago—the money just arrived and is still warm. If this You Fangyin truly has a backer, surely she must go give the ‘backer’ an accounting, right? Then we can know whether this ‘backer’ exists or not, and if so, exactly who it is.”

Lu Xian wanted exactly these words from him.

He immediately smiled, clapping his hands. “Then you must send some skilled people to watch. Best to have Daoqin go personally. In case the backer’s side is also formidable, don’t lose your wife and lose your soldiers too!”

Xie Wei said, “Daoqin may not be willing to go. Stop wasting words. What’s the other piece of bad news?”

At this moment, Lu Xian gazed at him, his eyes flickering.

Xie Wei picked up his teacup. His slender fingers rested on the lustrous glaze of sky-after-rain color, then stopped, suddenly realizing something. “Related to Yongyi Marquis Manor?”

Lu Xian nodded, knowing that with Xie Wei, anything related to Yongyi Marquis Manor was a major matter—

Though to this day he still didn’t understand why.

At this moment, he considered his words before speaking. “Recently, the capital arrested traitors associated with Prince Pingnan, and there have been several more incidents of court officials being assassinated. The Emperor has clearly been enraged. The Ministry of Justice and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are both investigating this matter simultaneously, and internally they’re competing to see which side can first discover who in the capital opened convenient doors for these traitors. Among the aristocratic families, everyone is in a panic, each afraid of being investigated. Even if unrelated to traitors, they fear the Embroidered Uniform Guard might uncover something else. It can be said everyone avoids the Embroidered Uniform Guard like the plague. But guess what? Young Master Yan’s side took in an Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion named Zhou Yinzhi, who’s actively working for him to fill the Chiliarch position vacated by Zhang Zhe’s impeachment. Today it’s almost settled—tomorrow he’ll be promoted.”

“Embroidered Uniform Guard…”

Xie Wei had been in the palace all day and didn’t yet know what had happened outside. Hearing Lu Xian’s words, his two refined long eyebrows immediately furrowed. On that handsome face, a bleak and severe aura suddenly descended.

He was frightening when he didn’t smile.

He only asked in a deep voice, “Yongyi Marquis Manor has always stood upright and never had any involvement with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How could Yan Lin promote this Zhou Yinzhi?”

When Lu Xian learned of this matter, he also found it very strange and specially had people inquire about it. At this moment, he looked at Xie Wei and said, “This Zhou Yinzhi originally worked for Vice Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue and was a household servant of the Jiang Manor, later rising to Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Some guess Young Master Yan received a request from his future in-laws. Others say—this person was recommended to Young Master Yan by that Miss Jiang Second.”

“…”

Jiang Xuening.

Xie Wei’s gaze fell heavily back on that rolled-up answer sheet, recalling what he had said to her today in Fengchen Hall. For a moment, emotions churned in his eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes, considering something.

But Lu Xian said, “This timing, this coincidence—Embroidered Uniform Guard, Yongyi Marquis Manor, the old case of Prince Pingnan. The matter isn’t simple anymore.”

When Jiang Xuening returned to the Jiang Manor, it was already late.

Clearly, the news that she had passed etiquette and examination and was ultimately selected as a princess companion had long since reached the manor. From the moment she got off the carriage outside the manor gates and walked inside, everyone she saw along the way was deferential and respectful to her, wishing they could smile ten faces’ worth of flowers on one face.

That attitude compared to before she entered the palace was simply worlds apart.

If not for the deep impression from two lifetimes of cold looks and contempt from these people in the manor, even Jiang Xuening wouldn’t dare believe these were the same faces showing such drastic changes before and after.

From this, one could see what an honorable matter it was to be a companion to the princess and gain favor from the palace nobles.

Jiang Boyou and Meng Shi also hadn’t slept yet. Both knew Jiang Xuening would return home today, so they waited.

Upon returning to the manor, Jiang Xuening went to pay her respects to the two of them.

Clearly, both had actually originally held little hope for Jiang Xuening, especially hearing that Xie Wei would preside over the scholarly examination after entering the palace. So learning she had actually passed the examination, the surprise in their hearts was truly indescribable. Originally prepared with a basketful of words to comfort her not to be sad after being eliminated, now all those words were useless. Moreover, already somewhat distant from their daughter, they didn’t know what else to say. They could only praise her for doing well and bringing honor to the family. Beyond that, they could only tell her to hurry back to her room and rest well.

Jiang Xuening had been averse to this palace matter from the start. All the way hearing congratulations, she had already been annoyed to the extreme. Hearing them tell her to go back and rest, she stood up expressionlessly, not being polite even half a sentence, and simply said, “Then daughter takes her leave.”

Having said this, she withdrew.

Just stepping from the room to the corridor, she heard Meng Shi’s raised, dissatisfied voice from behind. “Look at her—just selected as a companion and already so arrogant! Does she still regard me, her mother, at all?”

Jiang Xuening’s footsteps stopped for an instant, her fingers hanging at her sides clenched tight.

But after standing for a moment, she still lifted her feet and left.

Tang’er and Lian’er following beside her both heard Meng Shi’s voice just now. At this moment, following behind Jiang Xuening step by step, neither dared say an extra word.

But walking along, Tang’er and Lian’er discovered she was going in the wrong direction.

This…

Wasn’t this the path to Eldest Miss’s room?

The two instinctively sensed something was about to happen.

Their Second Miss was accustomed to being domineering. In the past, she showed no mercy when bullying Eldest Miss, but during this period, she hadn’t made any moves.

Was she about to revert to old habits?

The two exchanged glances, wanting to stop her, but thinking of Jiang Xuening’s usual temperament, they didn’t dare.

In no time at all, they had already reached outside Jiang Xuehui’s room door.

The maid who had just come out carrying water was startled at the sight of her, nearly throwing the copper basin to the ground. Her face deathly pale, she stammered, “S-S-S-Second Miss, g-good evening…”

Jiang Xuening glanced at her and directly crossed the threshold to walk in.

Inside, Jiang Xuehui had already finished washing. She had let down the hair that had been styled during the day. Her jet-black long hair draped over her shoulders. Her face wore no powder or rouge. Though her looks were somewhat lacking, she excelled in her serene temperament.

Even seeing her enter, she only lightly furrowed her brows.

She said, “Seeing this ill-intentioned posture, I suppose Mother gave you grief again, so now you’ve come to give me grief.”

Jiang Xuening smiled. “Just my walking one step toward your room is enough to upset her for half the day. No need to give you grief—she’s upset enough on her own. Who told me to be a daughter raised by a concubine who also learned a whole set of frivolous and sordid ways from that concubine? A few days ago, my head must have been hit by a door—I actually thought about being kind to others and getting along peacefully, not making trouble with her. But today I suddenly understood—when living in this world, being content is most important. There are already so many unpleasant things outside. If I still have to suffer at home, life would be too bitter. From now on, whoever makes me discontent, I must find a way to make that person even more discontent. So, although you didn’t ask, tonight I’ll tell you about Wanniang. How about it?”