The revelation that He Yan was a woman and had been granted marriage to Xiao Jue by His Majesty caused widespread shock. On this day, the Shen family residence in the capital was as silent as death.

Shen Muxue knelt on the ground, head bowed in silence. Shen First Young Master and Madam Shen stood to the side. Madam Shen’s face was filled with worry, wanting to speak but hesitating. After a long while, Shen First Young Master finally spoke, looking at Inspector Shen who stood in the hall with his hands behind his back and a cold expression: “Sister was just momentarily confused. Father, please don’t be too harsh with her.”

“Momentarily confused?” Inspector Shen turned around, his gaze falling on Shen Muxue, his eyes reflecting either pain or anger as he said, “Our Shen family has always been known for integrity and uprightness. I never imagined I would raise a daughter who would learn such underhanded methods. She was ‘momentarily confused,’ and in that carelessness, she nearly cost someone their life!”

Inspector Shen was thin and refined in appearance. Though aged now, one could still see traces of his youthful grace. The proud and aloof look in his eyes was identical to Shen Muxue’s. While he was usually strict with his son, he had been particularly lenient with his daughter. This was the first time he had ever been so angry with Shen Muxue – even when she had insisted on following Xiao Jue to the frontier, he hadn’t been this upset.

“You can’t say that,” Madam Shen felt sorry for her daughter. “That He Yan was indeed a woman, and Muxue only spoke the truth. If she hadn’t deceived His Majesty in the first place, her identity wouldn’t have been exposed by others. Those who commit wrongs should be punished. You keep finding fault with Muxue, but what she did was truly considering His Majesty’s interests. We can’t let a woman parade around pretending to be a man, can we?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Inspector Shen gave her a cold look, and Madam Shen dared not speak further. Inspector Shen said, “Absurd! You only see that she disguised herself as a man to join the army and deceived people. Why don’t you see how she led troops against the Wutuo people? The Battle of Jiyang, defending Rundu… Do you think military merits are easy to earn? Without the virtue of saving the common people, how could His Majesty so easily promote her to Marquis of Wu’an? Moreover,” he stared at his daughter, “I heard that back in Liangzhou when spies infiltrated the garrison, you didn’t know the details, but He Yan sent you away. Regardless of the outcome, she was helping you. I taught you from childhood that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a fountain of gratitude. When someone shows you favor, even if they don’t take it to heart, you should remember it. I never expected this was how you would remember it.”

Shen Muxue kept her head bowed in silence.

“What’s more surprising,” Inspector Shen continued as if determined to say everything at once, “is that not only did you choose to be the petty person who exposed her identity, but you didn’t even dare to stand up openly, instead hiding behind Wang Rong. Don’t you realize that by doing this, you’ve harmed Wang Rong as well!”

Shen Muxue’s body trembled slightly.

At the palace banquet, the stranger who revealed He Yan’s female identity was Wang Rong, her childhood friend. They had known each other for many years, and Wang Rong’s father was good friends with Inspector Shen. Shen Muxue knew that Wang Rong liked her, but her heart belonged entirely to Xiao Jue.

She had considered revealing it herself but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it. She feared He Yan might lose her life because of it – she hadn’t intended for He Yan to die, only wanting her to stay away from Xiao Jue. She was even more afraid of facing Xiao Jue’s disappointed and cold gaze. When Wang Rong came to the Shen residence and noticed Shen Muxue’s worries, he asked about them. Shen Muxue finally couldn’t hold back and revealed all her troubles. After listening, Wang Rong left without a word, saying only, “Just wait.”

Wait for what? He hadn’t said.

“I didn’t expect him to do this,” Shen Muxue weakly defended herself.

Her father, Inspector Shen, stared at her with piercing eyes, his voice like a knife that could cut her open: “Did you not expect it?”

Shen Muxue was speechless.

Did she not expect it?

Wang Rong had liked her for many years and was willing to do anything for her. He was impulsive and reckless. When she told him about this matter, hadn’t she guessed how he would react?

She just didn’t want to admit that she was such a despicable, base person.

Seeing Shen Muxue swaying as if about to fall, Shen First Young Master finally softened and said, “Even so, Sister knows her mistake now. Father, you know Sister has had feelings for Xiao Huaijin for years. When another woman suddenly appeared, how could Sister feel at ease? Sister has never been one to share her troubles with others. It’s my fault as her brother for not being more thoughtful and only realizing this now. If Father wishes to punish her, punish me as well.”

“This has nothing to do with Brother. I made the mistake, and I alone should bear the consequences,” Shen Muxue knelt upright.

“You’ve liked Xiao Huaijin for so many years, but has he ever shown you the slightest response?” Inspector Shen suddenly asked.

Shen Muxue looked at him.

“Love never comes from gratitude,” Inspector Shen said softly. “When you wanted to go outside, leave Shuojing, and stay by his side, though I didn’t support it, I didn’t oppose it either. I knew Xiao Huaijin would never love you, but I thought that as long as you left the house, broadened your horizons, and met more people, your mind would naturally expand, and gradually, you would let him go. I never expected,” he sighed, “that it would only make you fall deeper.”

Shen Muxue pressed her lips together in silence.

Even her father could see that Xiao Jue would never love her. She had never felt such a failure before.

These words were too harsh, and Madam Shen couldn’t help but argue angrily: “How can there be a father like you? If Xiao Huaijin doesn’t appreciate Muxue, it’s because he lacks judgment. I don’t think much of him either! A woman joining the army for no good reason – I don’t understand anything about saving the common people, I only know that all rules have been broken. Xiao Huaijin is willing to marry such a woman and isn’t afraid of being laughed at by everyone!”

Shen First Young Master wanted to speak but held back. This time, Inspector Shen ignored his wife’s arguments and just looked at Shen Muxue: “You’ve traveled no less than He Yan and the people you’ve met may not be fewer than hers, but your vision and ideals fall far short of hers. I’m not saying I don’t believe in you, but after tonight, the difference between you two is clear.”

“You are not her equal.”

Tears immediately welled up in Shen Muxue’s eyes. She had been proud all her life, unwilling to cry in front of others, but at this moment, she could no longer suppress her grievance and humiliation. Tears streamed down her face.

Inspector Shen stopped looking at her and calmly said, “From today on, you are not allowed to go anywhere. Our Shen family does not resort to violence. Since you’ve made a mistake, you will be confined at home for a year.”

“My lord!”

Inspector Shen ignored his wife’s plea, swept his sleeve, and left the hall. The night wind outside the courtyard was extremely cold, cutting like a knife when it hit one’s face.

Shen First Young Master caught up with him and walked beside Inspector Shen, “Father, isn’t a year too long?”

Inspector Shen looked at the blue bricks on the ground and smiled bitterly, “Xiao Huaijin is protective of his own. Do you think he won’t trace this back to Muxue?”

“But…”

“Because of his father’s position, he won’t do anything to Muxue, but after all these years, the friendship between our family and the Xiao family ends here.”

…

Of course, they weren’t the only ones shocked by this matter. At the Cheng family residence, relatives who learned of Xiao Jue’s marriage news were all stunned and suspicious – how could His Majesty suddenly arrange a marriage? They were busy being surprised about the arranged marriage and didn’t pay much attention to He Yan as a person, only knowing that her family held no significant official positions, making her status unequal to someone like Bai Rongwei.

As for Cheng Lisu, more than Xiao Jue’s arranged marriage, he was more shocked that He Yan was a woman.

“How could my Big Brother possibly be a woman?” The young boy paced back and forth in his room, unconsciously pulling at his clothes. “How is this possible!”

After returning to Shuojing City earlier, he had been forced by the Cheng family to attend school. The school only allowed students to return home one day per month, and even on that day, he was locked at home to practice calligraphy with no freedom to go anywhere. Therefore, when Xiao Jue and the others returned to the capital, Cheng Lisu couldn’t even visit the Xiao family.

When he finally finished school this month and returned home, he not only learned that Xiao Jue and He Yan had returned but also received the bonus news that they had both been granted marriage by His Majesty.

“My Big Brother…” he grabbed a servant and said: “who could kill a tiger with one punch, how could possibly be a woman?”

Heavens above, had he gone mad or had the world gone mad?

“No, I must go find Uncle!” Thinking of this, he pulled open the main door and walked out, determined to find Xiao Jue and get answers.

“No, Young Master, the Master and Mistress said you can’t leave the mansion… Someone come quickly, the Young Master is trying to leave!” The servant boy hurriedly followed.

…

“Wuwuwuwu, they’re all liars—”

At the Song family residence, Song Taotao was crying inconsolably.

“How could my Brother He possibly be a woman? You must all be lying!” The little girl’s eyes were swollen from crying. Madam Song and Master Song stood outside the door, looking at each other helplessly.

After returning from Shuojing, Song Taotao had become uncharacteristically well-behaved and obedient, practicing music, chess, calligraphy, and painting at home every day. Madam Song suspected she had fallen in love with someone and often worried about what to do about the marriage arrangement with the Cheng family if she truly had someone she liked. They understood Song Taotao’s temperament – previously, she didn’t know what love felt like, and that Cheng Lisu was a lively young man. The couple thought that as they spent time together, feelings would naturally develop. But if she had someone else in her heart, the arranged marriage might turn into a source of resentment.

Madam Song had tried to subtly ask Song Taotao who the person in her heart was. Each time, Song Taotao had dodged the question. The clever girl knew that He Yan currently held no high position, and even if she told her parents, they wouldn’t agree. It was better to wait – given that young man’s abilities, it was only a matter of time before he would be appointed to a high position. Before then, there was no need to tell others; she just needed to hold onto him as a person.

Until tonight when news of Xiao Jue’s arranged marriage arrived, Song Taotao went on a hunger strike at home, crying and making a scene, threatening to hang herself. Only then did Madam Song and Master Song realize that their daughter’s beloved was Xiao Jue’s fiancée.

The couple didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Taotao, stop crying. Since she’s a woman, your crying won’t change anything. Quickly wipe your tears, your eyes are swollen like walnuts…”

“That’s right, after all, Young Master Cheng’s uncle is Governor Xiao. If you like Miss He, after you marry Young Master Cheng, you can often visit the Xiao family. Won’t you be able to see Miss He frequently then?”

This only made things worse – upon hearing this, Song Taotao became even more devastated. “Who wants to visit the Xiao family? She deceived my feelings. I never want to see her again, wuwuwuwu…”

…

While chaos reigned in some places and others found the situation laughable, there were also those who, like stray dogs, returned home feeling deeply unsettled, seeing shadows everywhere they looked.

Xu Zhiheng couldn’t sleep.

After returning home, he told He Xinying that he had many official documents to handle and would sleep in the study. He told He Xinying to retire early, then shut himself in the study.

At midnight, He Xinying got up to use the toilet and, thinking of Xu Zhiheng, found a thicker quilt from the cabinet. The weather was getting cooler, and the study wasn’t as warm as the bedroom. If he caught a cold at this time of year, it could be troublesome. She carried the quilt to the study but found the lamp lit and no one inside.

He Xinying sat in the study chair for a while, thinking perhaps Xu Zhiheng would return soon. However, after a quarter of an hour, there was still no sign of him. She was stunned, feeling both worried and suspicious – even for a trip to the toilet, this was too long. Could something have happened? Last year in Shuojing City, someone had gotten up at night to use the toilet, and there was frost on the ground. In the dark, they hadn’t seen, slipped, and when the servants found them the next day, they were already gone.

Worried that Xu Zhiheng might have fallen somewhere, she didn’t dare disturb others. She left the quilt in the study and carried a lantern to search. She didn’t go as far as her in-laws’ courtyard, just circled around her own courtyard, but couldn’t find Xu Zhiheng.

So late at night, could he have left the mansion?

He Xinying thought for a moment and, for some reason, as if possessed, turned her gaze toward a courtyard near theirs – He Yan’s courtyard.

This courtyard had belonged to her sister, the short-lived First Madam Xu. After He Yan’s death, the courtyard had been sealed, and the servants who had worked there were dismissed. However, He Xinying had heard a rumor that He Yan didn’t have many servants, and sometimes those servants had been assigned to serve another concubine in the Xu family.

He Xinying was skeptical of this rumor. After all, He Yan was a daughter of their He family – no matter how bold the Xu family might be, they surely wouldn’t dare to be so negligent. Moreover, she hadn’t seen that concubine since entering the household. When asked, she was told the concubine had made a mistake and been sent away.

He Xinying understood that the Xu family had probably done this to avoid making her, the new wife, uncomfortable. Since they showed such consideration for her, they must have treated He Yan well too. As time passed, He Xinying forgot about it, believing it was just an unreliable rumor.

However, there were sometimes strange things about He Yan. For instance, this courtyard – the Xu family said Xu Zhiheng missed his wife so much that he kept this courtyard as it was, not clearing it out for others to live in, just leaving it empty. But He Xinying had never seen Xu Zhiheng visit this courtyard.

Wouldn’t someone who missed their deceased wife often visit places from the past and pick up old belongings to reminisce?

But perhaps Xu Zhiheng was afraid that seeing these things would make him miss her more, so he deliberately stayed away. He Xinying found this reason for Xu Zhiheng.

Regarding He Yan, she had previously felt some jealousy, but now she felt none at all. Competing with a dead person was meaningless, especially since, no matter how He Xinying tried to convince herself, she didn’t feel any threat from He Yan.

In other words, she didn’t sense any deep, unforgettable love from Xu Zhiheng toward He Yan.

The lantern cast a faint light, and the wind outside blew away what little drowsiness she had left. She stared at the dark, empty courtyard, thought for a while, and unconsciously moved her feet toward that place.

She had only visited this courtyard once, shortly after marrying into the Xu family, but she had only reached the courtyard. When He Xinying tried to enter the room, a maid appeared and softly said, “First Madam, Young Master doesn’t allow others to enter this courtyard.”

He Xinying was a new bride then and didn’t want to argue with Xu Zhiheng about this, so she retreated. As time passed, she hadn’t thought about going there again. Tonight, for some unknown reason, she mysteriously wanted to take a look. He Yan had been recuperating at the estate before quickly marrying after returning to the He family. In truth, she hadn’t spent much time with this blood sister, so much so that now, she could barely remember what He Yan looked like.

But perhaps she could still see the place where He Yan had lived, glimpse some traces of her blood relative’s life.

Before she knew it, she had reached the courtyard. This courtyard was as cold as ever – whether in summer or autumn, it always felt as cold as winter. The maids kept the ground spotlessly clean, but they couldn’t sweep away the air of age and decay.

He Xinying slowly walked to the door, about to push it open, when suddenly she froze – there were sounds inside.

At first, she was nervous, fearing thieves had entered the courtyard, but listening to the sounds, she realized thieves wouldn’t be so bold. She held up her lantern and secretly walked to the bedside, peering through a gap in the window paper.

The oil lamp was lit inside, and she saw Xu Zhiheng.

A Xu Zhiheng completely different from his usual self.

He was still wearing the clothes he had worn to the palace today. He was typically a very particular person who would always bathe and change clothes after returning home, but today he hadn’t. He sat at the large table in the room, frantically pulling open drawers one after another, searching for something.

His movements were violent, devoid of his usual elegance and gentleness. From this angle through the window, he looked like a complete madman.

He Xinying’s heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran through her from head to toe. Looking at this unfamiliar husband, fear welled up in her heart.

In her panic, she accidentally stepped on a stone. With a “clang,” the stone slipped and fell down the courtyard steps, making a noise.

“Who’s there!” At the same time, Xu Zhiheng looked up.

He yanked open the door and rushed out shouting, “Who’s there!”

He Xinying was startled.

For a moment, she wanted to run away, feeling as if Xu Zhiheng would turn into an evil ghost the next moment and pounce on her to take her life. She forced a smile and stepped forward, saying, “It’s me.”

Xu Zhiheng squinted at the person before him, and after a moment, the malice and tension in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a smile. However, this smile seemed stiff and perfunctory, and his tone carried a hint of agitation, “Xinying, why are you here?”

“I was worried my husband would be cold at night, so I took a quilt to the study to find you, but you weren’t there. I was concerned that in the night, the husband might have fallen, so I carried a lantern to search around.” Seeing Xu Zhiheng’s nervous expression, she had a thought and smiled, saying, “I was just trying my luck, and didn’t expect my husband to be here. Husband must be missing sister?”

Xu Zhiheng was stunned, then agreed, “…Yes.”

He Xinying sighed, saying sadly, “It’s good that husband is so devoted, but… sometimes you must also think of your own health.”

Xu Zhiheng closed the room’s door, blocking He Xinying’s view, and took her hand to walk outside, “Never mind, it’s cold out here. Don’t catch a cold with me, let’s go back.”

His hand was as cold as if it had no life in it.

He Xinying obediently said, “Husband, didn’t I mention before that I wanted to go to the mountain to pray to Buddha during the Mid-Autumn Festival? My mother finally has some free time these days, so I was thinking of going up the mountain the day after tomorrow, and also praying for my sister in heaven, is that alright?”

Xu Zhiheng’s expression froze for a moment, “…Alright.”

“Does husband want to come along?” He Xinying asked.

“I won’t go,” Xu Zhiheng answered, “I’m very busy these days and probably won’t be able to accompany you up the mountain.”

Hearing this, He Xinying didn’t get angry, but just smiled and said, “That’s fine, then I’ll include my husband’s share in my prayers to Buddha. Buddha won’t blame husband for being busy with important matters of state and family.”

She was very obedient and considerate, good at saying pleasing words – a woman with some cleverness yet also quite foolish. This was exactly what Xu Zhiheng liked about her. Compared to He Yan, putting on an act in front of He Xinying was much easier.

His heart gradually relaxed, and the fear born from hearing that familiar name at tonight’s celebration banquet was largely dispersed by their conversation.

He Yan was dead, and the dead don’t come back. So the living person must just be playing tricks.

He would work with He Rufen to thoroughly investigate the background of this trickster.

The lantern cast faint, dim light in the night. He didn’t notice the obscure expression hidden behind his wife’s obedient voice.

He Xinying felt that she had never truly known this husband. The Xu Zhiheng she had seen through the window crack earlier – frantic, obsessive, agitated, and vicious – made her suddenly feel that perhaps Xu Zhiheng was the real one. She couldn’t help but wonder, was this current elegant, considerate, seemingly perfect man without any flaws the real Xu Zhiheng?

Had her sister He Yan ever seen this side of Xu Zhiheng? He Yan had been so fragile, always in poor health. If Xu Zhiheng had accidentally revealed this side to He Yan, would her sister have been frightened out of her wits?

But He Yan was already dead, and she couldn’t ask a dead person.

He Xinying suddenly felt that this seemingly warm and bright Xu family seemed to have many secrets she didn’t know about.

A frightening thought arose in her mind.

Had He Yan died by accidentally drowning?