Having received Xiao Jue’s verbal promise the day before to take He Yan to the upcoming palace banquet, He Yan slept particularly soundly that night. When she woke up the next morning, as usual, Xiao Jue was nowhere to be seen. Only Bai Guo sat in the courtyard, waiting for her to wake up and have breakfast, just like yesterday.

He Yan was accustomed to rising early in her previous life, and she felt somewhat embarrassed to have slept until late morning, keeping a young girl waiting. She asked Bai Guo, “Bai Guo, did your Second Young Master mention where he was going?”

Bai Guo shook her head, “Does Young Master He have urgent business with Second Young Master?”

He Yan smiled, “Just asking casually.” However, she found it somewhat strange – since returning to the capital, Xiao Jue seemed very busy, but what exactly was he busy with?

She didn’t dwell on it though, as she had other matters to attend to today.

After bidding farewell to Bai Guo, He Yan changed her clothes and went out. She didn’t call for a carriage, instead wearing a veiled hat and walking the streets. She could find her way to the Xu family residence with her eyes closed, and soon she stood before its vermillion gates.

He Yan stood at the entrance, gazing at the mansion before her.

Looking in from the outside, the residence seemed even narrower now – narrow like it couldn’t contain someone’s ambition, narrow like a coffin that had buried her within.

He Yan had thought that after so much time had passed, she would be calm. But standing here now, her emotions were difficult to settle. It was here that He Wanru had held her down in a pool of cold water, and she never saw the sun of the next day.

A servant boy was sweeping at the entrance. Xu Zhiheng was a meticulous person who required his residence to be spotlessly clean at all times. He disliked imperfections, just as he disliked scars on women’s skin.

He Yan approached and said, “Brother, I’d like to inquire about someone.”

The sweeping servant stopped and looked at He Yan, asking, “You are…?”

“I’m here on someone’s behalf to inquire about a person,” He Yan said softly. “Is there a concubine named He Wanru in your household?”

At these words, the servant’s expression changed dramatically. “You…”

The next moment, he felt something heavy in his hand. Looking down, it was a silver ingot. The servant swallowed and instinctively tucked the silver into his sleeve. After checking that no one was paying attention, he whispered, “Young Master, wait for me under the locust tree in the alley ahead. This isn’t the place to talk.”

He Yan nodded, “Understood. Make sure you come, and if you can help me find out about this person…” She smiled slightly. “There will be more rewards for you.”

The servant’s face lit up with joy, “Of course, of course!”

He Yan didn’t say more, as indeed this wasn’t the place to talk. Moreover, given the connection between Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei, there might be He Rufei’s people passing by. She lowered her veiled hat and went to wait under the specified locust tree in the alley.

He Yan wasn’t worried that the servant would take the silver and renege. Although the Xu family was an official household, they weren’t generous with their servants. This was largely because Xu Zhiheng was a Hanlin Academy scholar who preferred to spend money on decorative items, such as roof tiles, rather than on servants. Moreover, Madam Xu often said: “If you’re too kind to servants, they might develop inappropriate thoughts. Remember, a small favor breeds resentment when a larger one is asked for – masters and servants shouldn’t get too close.”

Having spent many years in military camps, He Yan didn’t have strong views about the “servant” and “master” distinction. She believed people were just people, and their social status was merely an accident of birth – how could it be used as a true measure of worth? Therefore, when she first married into the Xu family, before losing her sight, she had been very generous. The servants in the Xu household had been happy to serve her then. It was precisely because of this that He Wanru had repeatedly complained about her to Xu Zhiheng in secret.

The nature of masters shapes the character of their servants. Since Xu Zhiheng was the kind of person who would conspire with outsiders to murder his wife for profit, his servants would naturally be opportunistic and quick to follow where the wind blows.

Sure enough, after about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, someone sneaked into the alley – it was the servant from earlier.

He Yan said, “Brother, there’s a teahouse nearby. Let’s talk there.”

The servant nodded.

He Yan ordered a pot of fine tea at the teahouse and several exquisite pastries, showing great generosity. The servant before her couldn’t help but wonder which family’s young master this was, to be so wealthy.

“What should I call you?” He Yan pushed a teacup toward him.

“Young Master can call me Fu Wang.”

He Yan didn’t remove her veiled hat and spoke softly, “Well then, Fu Wang, about what I asked earlier – is that concubine named He Wanru still in your household?”

Fu Wang’s expression became troubled, “Young Master, to be honest, we did have a Concubine He, but a year ago, she was caught stealing and selling Madam’s valuables outside the mansion. The Young Master punished her according to family law, and later she fell seriously ill and died.”

He Yan: “I see.”

She wasn’t surprised internally. A year ago, shortly after her death, He Wanru had been disposed of by Xu Zhiheng. She had warned He Wanru that if Xu Zhiheng could kill her to keep a secret, he could kill He Wanru too.

“Young Master is looking for Concubine He because…” the servant studied He Yan, but the veiled hat concealed her face. He could only tell that the person seemed quite young.

“I was her childhood playmate, but I wasn’t in Shuo Capital before,” He Yan sighed. “After many years without seeing her, I wanted to visit, but I didn’t expect…”

Fu Wang had an internal revelation – what childhood playmate? This person was probably a suitor or former lover of He Wanru. After all, though he hadn’t seen her himself, he had heard that Concubine He was stunningly beautiful and captivating, to the point where she had once completely bewitched their young master, making him neglect even the First Madam.

“A concubine who committed wrongs wouldn’t be buried in the Xu family’s ancestral tomb,” He Yan said. “Where is she buried? If possible, I’d like to take her away.”

“Young Master, when Concubine He died of illness, she was wrapped in a mat and thrown in the mass grave,” Fu Wang said with difficulty. “By now, I’m afraid her remains can’t be found.”

He Yan laughed coldly inside. Xu Zhiheng had once shown He Wanru the utmost tenderness and affection, which she had even envied. Now it seemed this man was truly heartless to the extreme. With herself, one could say he never loved her and thus could be so cruel. But with He Wanru, a woman he had truly cherished, he was no different.

Seeing the man before him silent, Fu Wang thought this must truly be a passionate lover, still pining even after she had married another.

He Yan asked again: “What about Concubine He’s personal maids? If they’re still here, I’d like to take them away from this place. I’ve missed many years of Wanru’s life, perhaps they could tell me about it.”

“Young Master, Concubine He’s personal maids left the mansion after her death,” Fu Wang said.

He Yan smiled slightly, “What about the other servants in her courtyard?”

Fu Wang was startled.

He had only entered the household at the beginning of this year when the Xu family had recruited a large batch of new servants and maids. At the time, his fellow newcomers had found it strange – usually, such large households already had enough existing servants, so suddenly recruiting so many people either meant they needed staff for a new bride, or something had happened and the original servants were gone.

Young Master Xu had indeed married recently, but his bride was Flying Swan General’s cousin, and the First Madam had brought enough of her servants – they weren’t assigned to serve in the First Madam’s courtyard.

So… something must have happened, and the original people were gone. And by “gone”… they were dead?

Fu Wang wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, he was the most clever among the new batch of servants, yet was oddly assigned only to guard the gate, which often made him complain about the unfairness of fate. But now, from this stranger’s words, he glimpsed a corner of the iceberg.

With secrets, the more you know, the easier it is to die, but equally, it could change one’s fate. Fortune favors the bold – without risk, how could one achieve great wealth?

He Yan saw the light of desire in the servant’s eyes and added another subtle hint, “Fu Wang, I find you quite clever. How does your Young Master treat you?”

Fu Wang was stunned, and after a while said, “The Young Master… doesn’t remember me.”

“That’s truly a shame,” He Yan smiled. “If it were me, I would certainly make good use of someone talented like you.”

Fu Wang became somewhat excited.

Some things need only be hinted at, not spelled out. He Yan took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and placed it on the table, “I’ve learned quite a bit today, thank you. However… if you can help me find out more, such as about Concubine He’s maids or the servants who were there then, you could gain much more than this. Also,” she cautioned, “be careful when doing these things. So many servants have ‘left the household’ – it seems the Xu family masters are quite strict. It would be a shame if you, Fu Wang, were to ‘leave the household’ as well by accident.”

Fu Wang looked at the young master before him, both nervous and excited, and anxiously asked, “But where should I find Young Master?”

The fish had taken the bait.

He Yan smiled slightly, “When I have free time, I’ll come sit here. If Fu Wang needs to find me, you can come to this place – perhaps I’ll be here.”

With these words, she rose and left the tea room, leaving the servant sitting alone at the table, his expression constantly changing.

As soon as she stepped outside, He Yan’s smile faded.

Before approaching Fu Wang, He Yan had observed the servants coming and going at the Xu family gate and found that most faces were unfamiliar – almost all the servants from when she first married into the Xu family were gone.

This was natural – Xu Zhiheng wanted to eliminate all traces, so those servants couldn’t be kept. He Yan hadn’t expected to find any survivors; the witnesses had probably all been destroyed by Xu Zhiheng. But she needed servants like Fu Wang to work for her inside the Xu household.

Paper cannot wrap up fire – things that have been done will always leave traces. If not witnesses, then just some physical evidence, such as certain things He Wanru might have left behind, could all become evidence someday. If no one discovers anything, Fu Wang can collect intelligence for her, and if someone does discover something… Xu Zhiheng will become nervous, and a nervous person always makes mistakes.

Someone with a guilty conscience, even walking in sunlight, will suspect their shadow is a vengeful ghost coming for revenge.

Fu Wang was clever and ambitious – that was enough.

Just as He Rufei had once sent Ding Yi to harm her while Xu Zhiheng, her bedside companion, coldly watched – how they had used people around her to deal with her, she would return it all exactly as it was.

The nightmare for Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei was only beginning.

When He Yan returned to the Xiao residence, it was nearly evening.

Just as she entered the courtyard, she heard Bai Rongwei and Xiao Jing talking. Xiao Jing said, “You don’t need to make so many – making one for Huai Jin would be enough.”

Bai Rongwei responded with mild reproach, “How can you say that? Besides, the maids did all the embroidery. I only stuffed in some herbs – it wasn’t any trouble at all.”

He Yan stopped and bowed to them, “Master Xiao, Young Madam.”

“Young Master He,” Bai Rongwei smiled, “You’ve come at the right time. I was just about to send someone to give you these sachets.” She took two sachets from her maid’s hands and passed them to He Yan. “One is for you, and one is for Huai Jin.”

He Yan looked at them – the sachets were delicately made. One had black fabric embroidered with silver pythons in an elaborate pattern, while the other had ordinary auspicious cloud patterns, presumably meant for her.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, so I had the maids make some sachets. Inside are calming herbs and safety talismans. Since you and Huai Jin often travel outside, it would be good to carry them,” she smiled. “Please don’t think them beneath you, Young Master He.”

He Yan hadn’t expected to receive one and was quite surprised. “I wouldn’t dare think that. I’m truly grateful, Young Madam.”

“You’re Huai Jin’s friend, no need for such formality,” Xiao Jing said warmly.

He Yan nodded, always feeling awkward about the overwhelming kindness from the Xiao couple.

“Oh yes, in three days, we’re holding a banquet,” Bai Rongwei seemed somewhat embarrassed. “As I mentioned to Young Master He before, I’m hosting the banquet, and there will be many ladies and young misses attending… Does Young Master He have any plans that day? If not, perhaps you could stay at the mansion.”

He Yan: “…”

This was meant for choosing a wife for Xiao Jue – how had she gotten caught up in it? He Yan hurriedly said she’d think about it and fled in panic.

Watching He Yan’s hastily retreating figure, Bai Rongwei wondered aloud, “Why does Young Master He seem so afraid at the mention of young ladies? Though still young, it’s not too early to get engaged. Could it be that after spending so much time with Huai Jin, he also plans to remain single forever?”

Xiao Jing smiled, “Huai Jin treats him very well.”

“That’s true,” Bai Rongwei nodded. After marrying into the family, though she knew Xiao Jue wasn’t bad-hearted, he wasn’t one to show his emotions. But toward this young He Yan, he was notably protective.

“Having friends is good,” Xiao Jing’s gaze was content. “At least now he has someone to discuss things with.”

Under the oil lamp, He Yan lay on the table, looking at the sachet wrapped around her finger.

Bai Rongwei had given her two, asking her to give one to Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue’s sachet was beautifully made. He Yan wrapped the red cord around her finger, sighing inwardly – even the maids in the Xiao family were so skilled at needlework, it was truly humbling.

He Yan certainly wasn’t skilled at needlework. When she first married into the Xu family, while He Wanru frequently made shoes and clothes for Xu Zhiheng, He Yan had stayed up several nights just to produce one handkerchief. She had intended to embroider mandarin ducks at play, but after staring at it for a long while, Xu Zhiheng asked, “Is this… a duck?”

He Yan was greatly discouraged. Xu Zhiheng laughed heartily, and though he kept the handkerchief, he never used it. He Yan could understand – he was a court official after all, and using a handkerchief embroidered with what looked like a duck would likely invite ridicule from his colleagues. However, when she later found that yellowed, crumpled handkerchief at the bottom of Xu Zhiheng’s drawer, remembering how her hands had been pricked full of holes while making it, she still felt somewhat hurt.

She had always learned what men were supposed to learn – music, chess, literature, and art. She knew nothing of women’s work like needlework and embroidery, so when she had to act as a proper woman, she felt completely at a loss.

On the table sat a small wooden basket containing some needles, thread, and silver scissors, presumably for the servants’ use. He Yan picked up the silver scissors. Though delicate, to her hands accustomed to wielding swords, daggers, staves, and spears, the scissors felt unusually heavy.

He Yan wasn’t completely ignorant of needlework. During her years in the military camp, with only two sets of clothes, repairs were inevitable. When clothes tore, the soldiers would find whatever fabric they could to patch the holes. But men’s handiwork wasn’t as neat as women’s – it was functional but far from attractive. Sometimes a garment would have so many patches it looked worse than a beggar’s clothes.

He Yan had spent nights mending clothes too, but that was in her previous life.

The two sachets lay side by side before her – Xiao Jue’s more elaborate, He Yan’s plainer. She squeezed them; they were flat, and she could feel a triangular paper and some fuzzy herbs inside. After some thought, He Yan took out the needles and thread from the wooden basket.

The oil in the lamp was almost spent. He Yan stretched and stood up.

Half the night had passed. She wiped away the drops of blood from her fingers and sighed softly.

It seemed Young Miss He’s needlework skills weren’t much better – in both lives, she had no talent for women’s work. He Yan smiled, extinguished the lamp, and got into bed. The moonlight outside was faint, dimly illuminating one corner of the table.

On the table, the two sachets lay side by side, looking no different than before.

In the Shen mansion in the capital, the lanterns were still lit in Shen Xuexue’s room.

The servants in the courtyard had all gone to sleep, but Shen Xuexue was wide awake, lying on her bed, staring at the sachets hanging from the four corners of her bed curtains.

It had been several days since returning to Shuo Capital, and Xiao Jue must know by now. For the first time, she hadn’t visited the Xiao mansion, but equally, Xiao Jue had shown no response. Only First Young Madam Bai Rongwei had sent someone to inquire after her once.

Shen Xuexue turned over restlessly.

Even Inspector Shen had noticed something was wrong and asked if she had quarreled with Xiao Jue. Shen Xuexue shook her head, brushing it off, but internally felt increasingly anxious.

She had originally wanted to let Xiao Jue know she was upset. But after several days of standoff, it was she who felt uncertain. Perhaps Xiao Jue didn’t know – he was never one to care about such things, but if he did know… was he doing this deliberately?

A fire burned in Shen Xuexue’s heart.

When leaving Liangzhou, she found a clay figurine and a wooden carving in that box. She couldn’t help but overthink – the figurine was of a woman, did Xiao Jue have someone he liked? If it were just this, she wouldn’t be so panicked, but the person carved on the wooden piece was a female general.

The features were very similar to He Yan’s.

In that instant, all her previous suspicions turned into evidence before her eyes. Xiao Jue’s excessive closeness and care for He Yan, and He Yan’s occasional behavior made her uncomfortable. In Jiyang, Xiao Jue had also brought He Yan along, and his precious black jade that never left his side had been held by He Yan. The salve that Xiao Jue had especially emphasized shouldn’t be taken appeared in He Yan’s hands the next day.

If it were a male relationship, it would be too shocking, but… what if He Yan were a woman?

Shen Xuexue closed her eyes briefly.

That young lady dressed as a youth was already exceptionally striking and handsome, with refined and attractive features. If dressed as a woman, Shen Xuexue thought bitterly, she would easily catch people’s attention.

In all the previous years, though she had never won Xiao Jue’s affection, she hadn’t felt such a crisis. This young man had been outstanding since his youth, with a lazy disposition, and after his family’s upheaval, he became even more aloof and reserved. Despite his nature, his talent and appearance still attracted countless admiring young ladies, but Xiao Jue had never shown favor to anyone.

He wasn’t easily moved emotionally, so Shen Xuexue believed that among all women, only she could accompany him on the battlefield and support him. Given enough time, everything would naturally fall into place.

Her certainty came from her pride. But now, her pride had been completely shattered.

There was such a woman who could do more than her, not only accompanying Xiao Jue to the battlefield but fighting alongside him. What she couldn’t do, He Yan could. As for family background… if Xiao Jing could marry Bai Rongwei, a concubine’s daughter, the Xiao family didn’t care about that.

Shen Xuexue’s heart contracted repeatedly.

She couldn’t gain Xiao Jue’s special affection, but she also couldn’t bear to watch He Yan get ahead of her. She had been there first, she was the one who had been by Xiao Jue’s side the longest…

In the darkness, Shen Xuexue suddenly sat up.

She put on her outer clothes, walked to the table, and lit the oil lamp. Finding paper, brush, and ink, she sat at the table.

The lamplight made her eyes hurt, and her hands trembled slightly. After a moment, as if finally resolving herself, Shen Xuexue picked up the brush and began to write.

After investing so much time and energy only to be denied a satisfactory ending, no one would be content. She couldn’t accept this outcome. If Xiao Jue was destined not to stand on her side and think of her interests, then… she would have to deal with He Yan instead.

Shen Xuexue wrote faster and faster, when suddenly the brush tip slipped, using too much force and tearing the paper. She stared blankly at the thin paper before her, then abruptly raised her hand, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it to the ground.

After a while, she covered her face with both hands and began to cry softly.