In the Xu residence at night, someone had settled down and lit an oil lamp.

The bedding beside her was empty – Xu Zhiheng was spending another night in the study.

He Xinying walked to the table, draped an outer garment over herself, and gazed at the flickering wick in the oil lamp with a complicated expression.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had started, but an invisible barrier seemed to have formed between her and Xu Zhiheng. To be precise, Xu Zhiheng had become particularly strange after the last palace banquet. Later, at Yuhua Temple, she encountered the Marquis of Wu’an, He Yan, who shared the same name as her elder sister. Shortly after returning home, He Rufei had come to visit her – though it was more of a probe than a visit.

Once doubt takes root, it becomes impossible to dismiss. He Xinying could sense that the Xu family was harboring a great secret, perhaps related to her deceased elder sister, and possibly… connected to the He family as well.

Standing by the window, she felt the extreme cold of Shuojing’s winter. On such a cold night, all the servants had retired to their quarters. He Xinying stared at the bare tree branches outside, contemplating for a long while before finally putting on a cloak, picking up an oil lamp, and leaving her room.

She moved quietly, taking careful steps to avoid disturbing anyone. The night watchmen of the Xu residence stayed outside the main courtyard and wouldn’t come in. The oil lamp cast a dim light, barely illuminating the path beneath her feet. He Xinying made her way in the darkness to an abandoned courtyard.

This desolate courtyard was where her deceased elder sister He Yan had once lived. Even after He Yan’s death, Xu Zhiheng maintained the courtyard’s original appearance. The last time He Xinying was here, she had caught Xu Zhiheng frantically searching through the drawers, though she was discovered before she could see what he was looking for. Now, with no one around, she wanted to investigate.

Although no one currently lived in the courtyard, the snow had been swept clean. She approached He Yan’s room, finding the door unlocked – it opened with a gentle push.

He Xinying entered. The room carried a musty, moldy smell, both cold and damp. She was slightly puzzled – wasn’t Xu Zhiheng supposed to frequently reminisce about her elder sister? If he truly missed her, why was this room uncleaned, covered in dust, appearing as if no one had set foot in it for ages, as though people were actively avoiding it?

He Xinying looked around with her oil lamp. It was a lady’s chamber, with shelves at the front displaying some inexpensive vases and ornaments. In the middle stood a small table covered in thick dust, with teacups and a teapot wrapped in cobwebs. Further in was a large wooden bed, which appeared relatively cleaner, covered with a thin blanket. The room felt eerily empty and desolate, lacking the warmth and elegance typical of a young lady’s chamber. Upon entering, one was immediately struck by a sense of coldness.

Even though He Yan had lived in the He family residence only briefly before marriage, her maiden chamber there had been carefully decorated. If this was indeed He Yan’s room in the Xu family, preserved as it was during her lifetime, then He Xinying thought her deceased elder sister’s life here must not have been as blissful as rumors suggested.

If the sparse furnishings were meant to prevent a blind person from tripping, the items and utensils here still seemed unusually shabby and perfunctory. There were no entertainment items – a blind person living alone in such a large room would likely have been driven mad, He Xinying thought to herself.

He Xinying walked to the table where she had previously seen Xu Zhiheng ransacking the drawers in search of something. She pulled out the drawer, finding it empty as expected – anything of value had likely been taken by Xu Zhiheng already.

She hadn’t noticed that unconsciously, she had begun to view Xu Zhiheng as an adversary. Her trust and dependence on this gentle and attentive husband had been replaced by wariness and suspicion. Even his usual warmth and kindness now seemed fake to He Xinying.

After thoroughly checking all the drawers and shelves in the room, she found nothing of value. Having been out in the cold for too long, the wind was creeping into her knees. She rubbed her numbing legs and, noticing the relatively clean bed, sat down on its edge.

The room was illuminated only by her oil lamp’s faint glow, creating an eerie atmosphere. As silence settled in, He Xinying began to regret coming here. The room was empty, and she had heard that spirits of the deceased often lingered in places they had frequently inhabited during life. If her elder sister was here… though they were blood relatives, they hadn’t been particularly close, and seeing a ghost at night could truly frighten someone to death.

He Xinying couldn’t help but grip the bedpost – a habit from her childhood. As a child, she had been timid and always slept with her mother. When she grew older and could no longer share her mother’s bed, having her quarters, He Xinying was still afraid. During the scariest times, she would sleep against the wall, tightly gripping the bedpost on that side, quietly praying to Buddha for protection.

Today was no different. However, as her fingers slid down the bedpost, something felt unusual. He Xinying froze, then felt the spot again, sensing something. She climbed onto the head of the bed, held up the oil lamp for a closer look, and discovered a slightly protruding piece of wood on the wall side of the bedpost.

With a woman’s attention to detail, she pried at it with her fingers, and the wooden panel came loose, revealing a yellow paper scroll with writing inside. Her heart raced, understanding that anything hidden here must be extremely important. This might very well be what Xu Zhiheng had been searching for earlier.

Someone could come by at any moment, so He Xinying quickly pulled out what appeared to be a book scroll from the deliberately hollowed bedpost. She hurriedly hid it in her clothes, carefully replaced the wooden panel, and cautiously left with her oil lamp.

Everything was unusually quiet as He Xinying secretly made her way back to her room, where she finally dared to take out the scroll. In the dim lamplight, she saw it was indeed a book scroll. After flipping through a few pages, she was stunned – it was… a military treatise?

It contained various military strategies, with the reader’s notes and interpretations in the margins. The handwriting was not Xu Zhiheng’s. No one in the Xu family practiced martial arts, and given how secretly it was hidden in He Yan’s room, this military treatise must have belonged to her deceased elder sister.

But… why would He Yan read military treatises? It would have made more sense if it belonged to her cousin He Rufei, but why would He Rufei’s military book be hidden so carefully in the Xu family?

He Xinying held the military treatise, unable to make sense of it all. Suddenly, voices were heard outside. Startled, she quickly extinguished the oil lamp, hid the scroll in the bottom drawer of the cabinet under the table, and hurried to lie down on her bed. Just as she settled, a maid came knocking at the door: “First Madam? First Madam?”

“What is it?” He Xinying replied, feigning drowsiness.

After a moment of silence, someone said, “There’s been a thief in the courtyard. Master asked us to check on First Madam.”

“A thief?” He Xinying felt nervous but maintained a surprised tone. She put on her outer garment and opened the door for the maid, asking puzzled, “How could a thief get into the residence?”

“We don’t know,” the maid replied, seemingly relieved to find He Xinying safely in her room. “Master is interrogating the thief now.”

“I’ll go take a look,” He Xinying said. She closed her door and followed the maid to the main hall.

In the main hall, Xu Zhiheng sat in the central chair, surrounded by servants and maids. A person dressed as a servant knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Xu Zhiheng: “Master, please spare me! I truly didn’t take anything, nothing at all!”

Xu Zhiheng’s face was dark with anger as he stared intently at the man: “Enough nonsense! Hand over what you stole from First Madam’s bedpost, or you’ll die here today!”

As he spoke these words, his eyes were filled with malice and ferocity, completely different from his usually gentle and amiable demeanor. He Xinying was startled, and hearing the word “bedpost” made her even more nervous. She forced a smile and walked to Xu Zhiheng’s side: “Husband, what has happened?”

Seeing He Xinying, Xu Zhiheng’s expression softened slightly. He pointed at the person on the ground and said, “This person snuck into He Yan’s former courtyard at night and stole her belongings from the bedpost. Utterly despicable!”

Fuwang – the kneeling servant hurriedly explained: “Master, it truly wasn’t me! When I found the bedpost, it was already empty. I didn’t take anything from inside!”

Fuwang was also lamenting his misfortune. Tonight, he had merely taken advantage of the quiet night to secretly enter the former First Madam’s room to search for old belongings for that mysterious person. After looking around the room, he had indeed found something unusual – the inner bedpost. He had hoped to find some secret inside, but when he opened it, it was empty. Before he could even feel disappointed, he had somehow alerted people outside and was brought before Xu Zhiheng.

“Master, I didn’t do it. If you don’t believe me… search my person, search my quarters… I’m being wrongly accused!”

He Xinying watched the servant repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy, her heart racing – this servant had become her scapegoat. However, if it were just ordinary valuables, given Xu Zhiheng’s temperament, he wouldn’t be so harsh. At most, he would have the servant beaten and driven from the residence. Yet now, he seemed determined to pursue this to the end. Could Xu Zhiheng know what was actually in the bedpost? But it was just an ordinary military treatise!

He Xinying couldn’t understand it.

“I see nothing but lies from your mouth. Since we can’t get the truth here, I’ll hand you over to the authorities,” Xu Zhiheng said coldly.

At these words, Fuwang’s face changed dramatically. Throughout history, servants handed over to authorities by their masters usually faced death, often through torture. Though he was greedy, he hadn’t planned to forfeit his life. Moreover, this was unjust – he hadn’t taken anything. In such circumstances, preserving his life was paramount. Fuwang pleaded: “Please don’t turn me over to the authorities, Master. I was hired to steal these things. I’ll tell Master everything I know – could you spare my life?”

“Hired?” Xu Zhiheng looked at him.

“Yes, yes,” Fuwang kowtowed repeatedly. “Even with a hundred lives’ worth of courage, I wouldn’t dare steal from the residence on my own!”

Xu Zhiheng stared at Fuwang, seemingly trying to determine the truth of his words. After a moment, he addressed everyone else: “Leave us. I have questions for this thief.”

He Xinying glanced at the servant on the ground. “Husband, I…”

“You leave too,” Xu Zhiheng said firmly.

He Xinying said nothing and withdrew. After the door closed, she looked back at the room, suddenly realizing her palms were wet with sweat.

That military treatise… what was going on?

Inside the room, Xu Zhiheng asked: “Tell me, who sent you to steal from the Xu family?”

“It was… General He.”

“You dare lie to me?” Xu Zhiheng exploded in anger.

Fuwang immediately prostrated himself in fear. “I wouldn’t dare deceive Master. The people who contacted me said their master was General He!”

Xu Zhiheng’s fists clenched as he suppressed his emotions. “Why would He Rufei send you to steal?”

“I don’t know,” Fuwang wiped the sweat from his brow. “They gave me some silver, and I was momentarily foolish. I thought it was just stealing some items and asking about a person, not some great crime against heaven, so I agreed.”

“Asking about a person?” Xu Zhiheng’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly did they want you to do?”

Hoping only to survive, Fuwang decided to reveal everything he knew. “They wanted me to find some of the late First Madam’s belongings and information about people from her past. When I entered service here, First Madam had already passed away, so I couldn’t find any people. I thought I might at least find some items.” He was cunning, mentioning only his current failed attempt and not the earlier matter with Granny Qin. “Tonight I snuck into First Madam’s room but was discovered before finding anything. But Master, truly, I didn’t take what was in the bedpost. When I found it, it was already empty!”

This wasn’t a lie, but Xu Zhiheng remained skeptical.

“Please spare my life, Master. I’ll never dare do this again!” he begged.

The usually kind and gentle Master Xu gave no immediate response. Fuwang dared to glance up and saw the man’s face half-lit by lamplight – one side normal as usual, the other twisted like a fierce demon, disturbingly cold.

After what seemed like an eternity, just as Fuwang feared for his life, the man finally spoke. Xu Zhiheng said: “Since you say, General He hired you, I’ll spare your life. However…” his voice darkened, “the next time they meet with you, you must tell them you found nothing, and you cannot mention that I caught you.”

He wanted him to deceive He Rufei’s people. A flash of doubt crossed Fuwang’s mind, but he quickly bowed his head, expressing tearful gratitude: “Thank you, Master! I will serve Master well!”

Xu Zhiheng watched the kowtowing servant without comment.

He Rufei was secretly investigating He Yan’s old belongings – what for? Was he trying to find leverage to threaten him?

Of course – the recent fire at Xianchang Hall had conveniently destroyed the childhood records of “He Rufei.” When news reached the Xu family, Xu Zhiheng guessed He Rufei was behind it. It seemed He Rufei wasn’t as calm about his identically named cousin’s appearance as he outwardly appeared.

The He family had too many vulnerabilities – Second Madam He, He Rufei himself, the brothers He Yuansheng and He Yuanliang. In comparison, the Xu family had far fewer weak points. Even He Yan’s death – he hadn’t done it himself. If the truth came out, Xu Zhiheng could completely absolve himself.

Perhaps this very fact made He Rufei uneasy, driving him to desperately search for evidence of He Yan at the Xu residence. If he could prove that Xu Zhiheng had known about He Yan and He Rufei’s identity swap, when the truth eventually emerged, the Xu family couldn’t escape either.

He Rufei was afraid, so at this crucial moment, he wanted to ensure the Xu family would sink with them.

Xu Zhiheng’s expression darkened.

Though he had known about this from the start and understood that the He and Xu families were in the same boat, witnessing it happen under his nose still displeased him. When all was well, naturally everyone hoped for mutual prosperity and glory, but once trouble arose… He Rufei’s actions showed a distinct lack of honor.

Since He Rufei was being so unreasonable, there was no need to show consideration. Just as Fuwang had found nothing in He Yan’s room, without evidence, he, Xu Zhiheng, could still protect himself if things went wrong.

…

That night, He Yan tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She knew He Rufei wasn’t General Fei Hong – there were too many inconsistencies. But the world demanded evidence. Her words alone couldn’t reveal the truth. Moreover, this truth seemed utterly incredible.

There were no living witnesses left in the Fu Yue army. Granny Qin alone wasn’t enough, and to catch He Rufei, they needed to start with the Battle of Huayuan. During that battle, He Rufei must have had some unspeakable connection with the Wutu people.

He Rufei was cautious. To find evidence of his treasonous collaboration with the enemy, they might need to visit the He residence.

The He residence…

He Yan sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard and gazing at the bed curtains, her thoughts drifting far away.

In truth, she wasn’t afraid to re-enter the He family home. In that “He family,” she had endured enough exploitation and cold shoulders. Returning now, she had no lingering sentiments.

But the thought of facing Second Madam He again… she didn’t know how to handle that.