Apart from a servant who got up at midnight to use the outhouse, their path remained clear without encountering anyone else. He Yan carefully walked to a door and whispered near Xiao Jue’s ear, “This is He Rufei’s study.”

This was originally He Yan’s study, though it now belonged to He Rufei. After walking around once and finding no other mechanisms, He Yan gently pushed open the door and entered.

Being familiar with her former residence, she moved with practiced ease. Xiao Jue followed her inside, and upon entering, He Yan was somewhat surprised.

The bookshelves were the same ones as before, and the desk hadn’t changed, but the study’s furnishings had more than doubled. It was filled with porcelain and antiques, completely different from when He Yan had lived there. She guessed that He Rufei had probably displayed all the gifts from His Majesty in the study, though she wasn’t sure who he was trying to impress. The bookshelf that once held only half its capacity of books was now packed full.

On the center wall hung a sword with a cyan-green blade and a slightly verdant scabbard—it was Qinglang.

She paused, her gaze unconsciously fixed on the Qinglang sword. She wanted to reach for it but withdrew her hand just as her fingers were about to touch the blade.

Xiao Jue asked, “What’s wrong?”

He Yan shook her head. “Now is not the time.”

Even if she could steal the Qinglang sword tonight, He Rufei would surely report it to the authorities tomorrow. The sword in her possession would become “stolen goods,” and she wouldn’t be able to display it openly. Wouldn’t that be an insult to Qinglang?

So, now was not the time.

He Yan thought for a moment, then walked to the bookshelf and crouched down, lying almost flat on the ground. She reached deep inside until she felt a familiar protrusion. The hidden compartment made a soft “click,” revealing an empty layer. From within, He Yan retrieved a small box about the size of her palm.

Xiao Jue asked, “What is this?”

“The Linglong Box,” He Yan whispered. “It was a gift from His Majesty, the only one of its kind in the world. When I left, I gave it to He Rufei, figuring he wouldn’t throw it away.”

The hidden compartment in the bookshelf was made during He Yan’s time. The Linglong Box was too precious to take with her when she married into the Xu family, so she gave everything to He Rufei. The Linglong Box was perfect for storing confidential scrolls, and even the finest craftsmen in the world couldn’t open it. Only the person who set the opening method would know how to unlock it, and the unlocking method could only be set once.

Given how precious this item was and He Rufei’s personality, he wouldn’t have discarded it. Moreover, since He Rufei believed He Yan was dead, and he was the only person who knew how to open the Linglong Box, he naturally felt at ease.

He never expected He Yan would return from the dead, which now worked to their advantage.

“I wonder what he put inside,” He Yan thought as she picked up the Linglong Box. Following her memory, she gently turned the mechanism, and after a moment, the box’s lid opened with a “snap.”

They both looked inside.

…

In Second Madam He’s room, He Xinying sat with Second Madam He at the bedside, holding the military book stolen from He Yan’s former residence at the Xu family. She asked, “Mother, what exactly is this? Did my sister leave this behind? Why did she keep this?”

She kept her voice very low. Only a small oil lamp burned at the bedside and all the maids had been sent out. He Xinying had said she hadn’t seen her mother in a long time and wanted to share the bed to care for her illness. Now she didn’t dare trust anyone or keep anyone close, especially those who came from the Xu family.

Second Madam He stared blankly at the military book in her hands, tears visible in her eyes, but she remained silent.

He Xinying felt her mother must know something and grew more anxious. “Mother, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you all hiding something from me? I feel there’s something strange about Xu Zhiheng. Elder Sister…” She wanted to say that perhaps He Yan’s death wasn’t as reported, but seeing Second Madam He’s face, she swallowed her words.

If there was something suspicious about He Yan’s death, Second Madam He would be even more heartbroken if she knew. Her mother’s health was already poor, and she couldn’t bear to add to her suffering.

“Ying’er, don’t concern yourself with these matters,” Second Madam He finally spoke, her voice particularly weary. “Just focus on living your own life well.”

“How can I live well when I might end up dying mysteriously like Elder Sister?” He Xinying blurted out.

She regretted her words immediately. Second Madam He’s face turned pale, and she suddenly coughed twice. He Xinying quickly grabbed a nearby handkerchief to wipe her mouth. When she lowered the handkerchief, it was stained with blood, a shocking sight.

He Xinying was startled and asked anxiously, “Mother… how did your illness become so severe?”

Although she knew Second Madam He had been bedridden for many days when she arrived, the He family had only said it was a common cold that would improve with rest at home. But now it seemed much more serious.

“Hasn’t Father called for a doctor? What’s going on?” He Xinying became urgent and was about to get out of bed. “I’ll send someone to invite a doctor…”

“Don’t go,” Second Madam He grabbed her hand. The seemingly frail woman gripped with surprising strength as if using all her life’s energy. “This is Mother’s old ailment, it’s nothing serious. Don’t worry.”

He Xinying was on the verge of tears. “Mother, why won’t any of you tell me anything? I feel the household is hiding something from me, but I don’t know what it is.”

Before marriage, she had lived without worries, innocent and happy. When her elder sister died and she married Xu Zhiheng, she caused some trouble but was quickly won over by his gentleness and care. A girl who had never experienced the dangers of the world naively believed she could be protected for life. But when some ugly truths were partially revealed, and she caught a glimpse of the filth and danger within, she began to feel the powerlessness of being a woman.

“Ying’er,” Second Madam He slowly began, “your elder sister is already dead, and Mother only has you as a daughter now.” She looked lovingly at He Xinying, reaching out to pat her head just as she did when He Xinying was a child. “Remember, whether in the He family or the Xu family, don’t trust anyone. Mother is powerless, unable to protect your sister or you. If you want to live well, don’t look, don’t ask, don’t listen.”

He Xinying said woodenly, “Elder Sister went blind shortly after marrying into the Xu family, couldn’t she see anything? Yet she still died.”

Pain flashed across Second Madam He’s eyes.

“Mother, just tell me, is this military book left by Elder Sister, and why does Xu Zhiheng consider it so important? And Elder Brother, who visits the Xu family every few days, isn’t coming to see me but to meet with Xu Zhiheng. And you…” she said, “Are you being held under house arrest by Father?”

Second Madam He looked at the young woman before her. Though they were sisters by blood, she always felt He Yan and He Xinying looked quite different. He Yan was strong, independent, quiet, and reserved, wearing a mask since childhood, so much so that now when she tried to recall, she couldn’t picture He Yan’s childhood appearance. She only remembered seeing her those few times after she grew up and returned to the He family as a woman.

A girl with somewhat heroic and clean features, determination, and courage in her eyes.

He Xinying was different, soft and gentle like a snow-white dumpling, naturally lovable. She would cry loudly if someone stepped on her foot and act coquettish for a pretty dress.

These two daughters had completely different personalities, so she naturally assumed He Yan was born strong, while He Xinying was born needing love and protection.

Until after He Yan’s death.

One day, she suddenly realized that perhaps in those past days, He Yan, like He Xinying, wanted to cry when wronged and longed to possess things she liked. Just as strong girls also need their mother’s care and love, the little girl who always tugged at her clothes asking for candy had grown up without her noticing.

He Xinying didn’t know that when she became serious and stubbornly pursued the truth, she looked so similar to her deceased elder sister.

However, even so, she still couldn’t say anything.

Knowing too much would only put He Xinying in more danger. She had already lost one daughter and absolutely couldn’t lose another.

“I…”

Before Second Madam He could finish speaking, suddenly someone shouted from outside: “Thieves! There are thieves in the mansion! Catch the thieves!”

Immediately, the entire He mansion became bustling with activity.

“Thieves?” He Xinying instinctively moved closer to the headboard, while saying, “Which thief is so blind as to dare enter our mansion?”

Second Madam He grabbed her arm. “Don’t speak, don’t go out, be careful!”

He Xinying nodded.

Meanwhile, He Yan was leading Xiao Jue through the courtyard, silently cursing He Rufei’s craftiness. Although He Rufei couldn’t change the opening method of the Linglong Box, this suspicious man had added a mechanism inside the box—once opened, it would sound an alarm.

This way, anyone who opened the Linglong Box here would be discovered.

However, when she opened it earlier, she had seen several letters inside. She tucked the letters into her clothes. Since He Rufei hadn’t left the Linglong Box empty and had specially added precautions, these letters must be extremely important. This trip hadn’t been entirely fruitless.

“All the guards are awake,” Xiao Jue reminded her. “Should we flee or fight?”

“I’m carrying your sword, and once it’s unsheathed, we’ll be exposed. We can’t fight,” He Yan lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, “Follow me!”

She knew every corner of the He mansion’s courtyard by heart, and avoiding people should have been easy. But perhaps because He Rufei had been particularly nervous lately, there were more guards than servants in the mansion. Now with the alarm sounding, torches and men emerged from all directions.

“They’re over there, chase them!”

“The General said if we catch the assassins, we don’t need to keep them alive, dead or alive doesn’t matter!”

He Yan inwardly sneered. Such fear only confirmed her suspicion that the letters in her possession must be extraordinary. She pulled Xiao Jue along, moving swiftly, and ducked into a room while passing by a building.

Second Madam He was holding He Xinying against the headboard, clutching the blanket nervously. When they unexpectedly saw two people appear in the room, He Xinying was about to scream, but the next moment, a cold sword was pressed against her neck. The masked person in black said, “Be quiet. Make a sound and I’ll kill you.”

He Xinying immediately fell silent.

He Yan held the sword, feeling extremely regretful. She had originally thought Second Madam He’s courtyard was closest to the outer wall and would make for a good escape route. Who knew that at this late hour, Second Madam He would be awake, and He Xinying would be here too? Why weren’t they resting at this hour—were mother and daughter having private conversations? A sour feeling rose in He Yan’s heart, but what did that matter now? She was holding her birth mother and younger sister at sword point.

Perhaps some noise had carried outside, as a maid asked from beyond the door, “Second Madam? Second Madam, has something happened?”

He Yan’s heart jumped, but before she could make any threats, Second Madam He had already responded in her usual tone, “Nothing’s wrong, just a bit of coughing.”

The noise outside ceased, and He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Looking behind her, she saw Xiao Jue vigilantly watching the door, guarding against any intruders.

“Listen,” He Yan said softly, “I have no intention of harming either of you. Give me the back courtyard key and let us leave.”

He Xinying tremblingly replied, “How do we know you won’t kill us to silence us?”

He Yan was somewhat surprised—this sister who appeared so gentle had some courage. She deliberately lowered her voice and spoke menacingly, “Do you think you’re in any position to negotiate with me?”

He Xinying’s face paled, and she dared not speak again.

But Second Madam He, ignoring the sword at He Xinying’s neck, got off the bed, retrieved a key from a drawer, and handed it over, saying, “You may go.”

He Yan was greatly surprised.

She had expected Second Madam He to try negotiating or find a way to alert the He family. He Yan had even prepared for such possibilities but hadn’t expected such a peaceful response. She couldn’t help looking at the woman before her, whose eyes were fixed intently on her with a complexity He Yan couldn’t understand.

She seemed to be looking at He Yan, yet also looking through her at someone else. If He Yan hadn’t known she was wearing a black mask, she would have suspected Second Madam He had recognized her.

Seeing He Yan not moving, Second Madam He pushed her again: “The guards will be here soon, hurry and go.”

Xiao Jue nodded to her: “Let’s go.”

He Yan had no time to think about anything else. She grabbed the back courtyard key and turned to leave. As they passed each other, she suddenly felt something being pressed into her hand. She had no time to look at it closely and instinctively tucked it into her clothes before using the key to open the back courtyard door and running out.

Second Madam He was right—their pursuers arrived in an instant. They had crawled through a dog hole to get in, but there was no time for that now. Having been exposed, they went straight for the back wall. As the pursuing guards were about to follow, one suddenly felt a pain in his knee. Looking down, he saw a yellow dog had appeared from somewhere and bitten his calf. The man howled in pain, unable to continue the pursuit, and could only watch as the two black-clad figures disappeared into the night.

…

The mansion was in complete chaos. He Xinying finally calmed her nerves and relit the lamp on the table, patting her chest as she said, “That scared me to death. That person’s eyes were so fierce, I thought they would kill us. Mother, if Uncle knows we let the assassins escape, even though it was to save our lives, he’ll be angry. If no one discovers this, let’s not tell anyone for now… Mother?”

Second Madam He was staring blankly at her hand, as if she hadn’t heard what was just said. He Xinying called urgently, “Mother!”

Second Madam He came to her senses and looked at her, saying, “I understand. Don’t tell anyone about this… not even Master Xu.”

He Xinying felt something was strange. Her mother’s expression when looking at the black-clad person had been very odd. Then she thought of something else, “But were those two really thieves? I saw their hands were empty, they didn’t steal anything. My military book… right, where’s my military book?”

The book had been at the bedside while they were talking on the bed, but now it was gone. He Xinying was stunned, “Oh no, did those two steal my military book? But why would they steal that? Mother, did you see my military book?”

Second Madam He coughed once before saying, “Don’t bother looking. I gave the military book to that person in black.”

“Wh-why?” He Xinying could never have imagined Second Madam He would do such a thing.

“That thing would bring disaster if it stayed with either of us.” Second Madam He’s expression was vacant. “Since those two came to steal, yet their hands were empty, who knows if they got what they wanted. If they did, this is icing on the cake; if they didn’t succeed, then this is help in their time of need. Their dangerous trip to the He mansion won’t have been in vain.”

“Mother,” He Xinying said angrily, “how can you say that? That was something I worked so hard to get from the Xu family.”

“Ying’er, remember this,” Second Madam He’s expression became serious, “whether it’s tonight’s assassins or the military book from the Xu family, keep it all to yourself. Don’t mention a word to anyone.”

He Xinying had come seeking answers, but now with one mystery unsolved, she found even more questions, yet could do nothing about it. In the end, she could only respond, “I understand. I won’t mention it to anyone.”

…

Fei Nu was waiting outside and received He Yan and her companion. The three quickly took refuge in a separate courtyard.

“What is this place?” He Yan asked curiously.

“My private residence in Shuo City. Sometimes when things are inconvenient to do at the main residence, I come here,” Xiao Jue answered.

He Yan thought briefly and understood. Master and Madam Xiao were particularly kind, and Xiao Jue’s circumstances meant his actions would not be understood by most people. This arrangement was good—what they couldn’t see wouldn’t cause trouble.

He Yan pulled out the letters from the Linglong Box from her clothes, waving them at Xiao Jue proudly, “See? This trip was quite fruitful. I told you going to the He residence would be worth it.”

Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, “It was dangerous. This is the only time—don’t do it again.” After a pause, he continued, “Starting tomorrow, He Rufei will surely use this as an excuse to search all of Shuo City. Stay home these next few days and don’t act rashly. When these letters go missing, I’ll be the first person He Rufei suspects, and it might affect you too.”

“It’s fine, I’m the Wu’an Marquis appointed by His Majesty himself. Without evidence, he can’t do anything to me.” He Yan eagerly opened the letters. “Let’s see what these letters say first. He Rufei hid them so carefully, I don’t believe they’re love poems.”

There were three letters in total. He Yan and Xiao Jue opened them to read. Though not long, after reading them, both their expressions changed.

“Bastard!” He Yan put down the letter and couldn’t help striking the table with her fist. “How can there be such a heartless person in this world!”

Of the three letters, two were to the Wutuo people, and one was to Xu Jingfu. Although He Yan had suspected He Rufei might have connections with Xu Jingfu when she saw his servant Ding Yi in Liang Prefecture, she had no proof. Now these letters spelled it out clearly in black and white.

In the Battle of Huayuan, He Rufei had indeed made a deal with the Wutuo people. He Rufei had given the Fuyue Army’s military intelligence to the Wutuo people, deliberately making the victory devastating, and in exchange, he could establish connections with Minister Xu and show his sincerity in cooperation with Xu Jingfu. He would also strongly advocate for peace when the Wutuo envoys came to the capital to sue for peace, promoting the establishment of Wutuo trading posts in Great Wei.

From beginning to end, what He Rufei feared most was having his identity exposed, having people discover he was different from the previous “Flying Swan General.” But just to conceal his identity, he had committed treason, disregarding the lives of Great Wei’s citizens, showing neither loyalty nor righteousness.

Xiao Jue looked at the letter in his hand. He Rufei’s connection with Xu Jingfu was also troublesome. Xu Jingfu had overwhelming influence among the civil officials, most of whom favored peace. Now those advocating for war were just a few military officers. The “Flying Swan General” had always had considerable prestige among military officers, and if He Rufei advocated for peace, the remaining pro-war military officers would be very few indeed.

He Yan took a deep breath, “Such a shameless person, once he entered officialdom, truly became even worse. And he’s using my reputation—it’s disgusting.”

“Don’t worry,” Xiao Jue said calmly, “I’ll handle everything.”

He Yan suddenly remembered that when leaving the He residence, Second Madam He had pressed something into her hand, but the situation had been too urgent then for her to look at it closely, so she had tucked it away. Now that she finally had time, she took it out of her clothes.

It was a book, apparently rolled up for a long time, with wrinkled and yellowed pages and dog-eared corners. This book had been read many times, as the pages had become thin from handling. As soon as He Yan opened it, she froze.

Xiao Jue stood behind her, his gaze also falling on the book.

“This is…”

“My military book,” He Yan murmured, flipping through a few pages. There was no mistake—it was indeed her handwriting. In her previous life after joining the army, she had read many military books, repeatedly studying the most valuable ones and adding her notes and annotations in the margins.

Later, when she married, everything related to the “Flying Swan General” had to be abandoned. She couldn’t take her sword, couldn’t take her war horse, and certainly couldn’t take her trusted subordinates. In the end, He Yan secretly hid one military book in her dowry chest and brought it to the Xu family.

In public, she was Madam Xu, graceful and gentle, no different from other women. But in private, she missed her days of freely galloping on the battlefield, and whenever her fingers traced over the book’s pages, she would think of her comrades who had fought life-and-death battles with her in the military camp.

She had hidden this military book inside the bedpost where she slept, and now, it had been returned to her.