Gu Jinchao recounted her experiences from the past few days.

The brazier in the carriage burned quietly, occasionally making crackling sounds.

Chen Yan’yun listened attentively.

After finishing, Gu Jinchao asked with confusion: “Those South Sea pearls, you didn’t find them?”

Chen Yan’yun smiled and shook his head: “Perhaps someone else picked them up. Besides, it was dark, and to find those pearls you left would require searching inch by inch with torches.”

Gu Jinchao thought about it and agreed; she hadn’t held much hope at the time anyway.

She anxiously grabbed Third Master Chen’s sleeve: “Caifu and Madam Song remained there, did you rescue them?”

Third Master Chen nodded and pulled her into his embrace: “Rest well, don’t worry, I’ve handled everything. After you’ve slept a while, we can discuss your abduction. I also have something to ask you.”

Gu Jinchao did feel exhausted, but she dared not sleep.

“You mentioned earlier that someone escaped…” Gu Jinchao said, “Third Master, these people must not be let go, especially Xie Shixing. His martial arts are formidable and his mind is deep. Letting him live would surely bring endless trouble!”

If Xie Shixing remained alive and initiated another Sichuan calamity, it would be an enormous catastrophe.

Years ago in Sichuan, wherever Xie Shixing went, thousands of corpses littered the ground, and many turned to banditry and prostitution.

Later, after his death, when people ransacked his mansion, they discovered a “Seven Kills Stone” beneath his residence inscribed with: “Heaven creates all things for man, man gives nothing back to Heaven, kill kill kill kill kill kill kill.” It shocked everyone at the time.

“He certainly won’t be let go,” Third Master Chen smiled, but his eyes were cold as ice.

Anyone who dared harm Gu Jinchao deserved to be flayed alive and cut into pieces—death would not be enough.

Someone knocked on the door outside, and Chen Yi’s voice came through: “Third Master, the Marquis of Changxing’s heir is waiting outside, saying he wishes to speak with you.”

Third Master Chen nodded, then spoke softly to Gu Jinchao: “From now on, if you’re not accompanied by Chen Yi, you are not allowed to go anywhere. This time you were captured, I really…” His hand gripping Gu Jinchao’s shoulder tightened slightly, his lips moved but no words came out, he just stared at her and asked in a hoarse voice, “Do you understand my meaning?”

Seeing this handsome man’s gaunt cheeks and the blue stubble on his chin, how could she not understand?

How could she not have felt that each day passed like a year?

Gu Jinchao gently hugged him back, saying nothing.

Yet Third Master Chen felt her tears soak through his clothes, warm and damp, making his heartache.

His expression calmed somewhat as he stroked her hair: “If you still want to go out, you must not leave my side for even half a step.” In Gu Jinchao’s account, there were many opportunities where they could have turned danger into safety, but Jinchao lacked crisis awareness and the ability and wisdom to handle the situation. She was, after all, a woman—if he had been there, things would have been completely different. He would never let her be in danger again.

“I’ll have Chen Yi stand guard outside. If you need anything, just call for him.” He kissed her forehead before leaving the carriage.

Jiang Yan immediately followed him, while Ye Xian waited for him at the entrance. Watching him stand with his hands behind his back, the cold wind lifting the edges of his cloak.

He stood at the top of the steps with his hands tucked in his sleeves and said coolly, “Master Chen, do you know what I dislike most about you?”

Third Master Chen looked at him with a smile: “What does the Young Master mean?”

Ye Xian smiled and said: “This sanctimonious appearance of yours. Gu Jinchao may not see through you, but can I not? Only because she likes you, I haven’t interfered. How could someone with such deep thoughts and ruthless decisiveness have a gentle temperament?”

“None lament cut brocade, yet pity ink stains on fingers,” Third Master Chen recited, also smiling, “But what does this have to do with you, Ye Xian?” He calmly looked directly at him, showing cold emotions for the first time, “She is my wife. If you wish to care for her as an elder, I won’t stop you. But if you harbor ulterior motives, I’m afraid I won’t stand idly by.”

Third Master Chen took several steps up the stairs.

From here, one could still see the recently bare willow trees in the Academy Lane to the side, a scene of desolation.

“I had intended to thank you, but unfortunately, Young Master’s self-interest is too great. The word ‘thanks’ cannot leave my mouth,” he said lightly. “When something needs to be severed, it must be done, whether you wish to sever it or not.”

He would no longer continue to tolerate this; his patience wasn’t as good as he had thought.

He was, after all, a man and understood men’s thoughts best. Things they couldn’t have, they could covet for a lifetime.

Ye Xian remained silent, looking up at the stars in the cold sky.

“Master Chen, the heavens are about to change, do you believe it?”

Third Master Chen didn’t even look at him: “And what of it?”

Ye Xian gave a meaningless smile.

Suddenly, someone rushed out from inside—it was Ye Xian’s guard, running urgently with sweat covering his face: “Young Master… fire has broken out in the west!”

Ye Xian had told him to take Chang Hai to the side room to bring out Xie Shixing, but when they arrived, the west side was already engulfed in flames that had nearly consumed the main hall. Xie Shixing, who had been confined there, was nowhere to be found. Now Li Xianhuai was leading people to extinguish the fire.

Ye Xian’s face turned ashen after hearing this.

This was inside the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion, yet someone dared to start a fire!

He immediately led his men toward the mansion, and after a few steps realized that Third Master Chen was following.

He frowned: “Why are you following?”

Chen Yan’yun replied calmly: “To take a look. Since someone has escaped, we must find them.”

Ye Xian didn’t bother with him; the two headed toward where Xie Shixing had been detained. Chang Hai’s men also helped fight the fire, and it took quite some time to completely extinguish it. Third Master Chen led his men into the ruins, while Ye Xian called over the guards for questioning.

“…It’s strange, we all fell asleep inexplicably, and when we woke up, the building was already on fire. We wanted to go in and bring that person out, but when we entered, there was nothing inside.” The guard, knowing he had made a grave mistake, spoke stutteringly.

Someone walked in through the moon gate—an attendant of the Marquis.

“Young Master, the Marquis wishes to speak with you.”

With the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion in such chaos in the middle of the night, naturally, the Marquis himself would want to inquire about it.

Ye Xian frowned: “You may reply that I’ll be there shortly.”

The man bowed respectfully and withdrew.

The men Third Master Chen had brought had already retrieved something from the ruins and handed it to him.

He examined it, then showed it to Ye Xian: “Young Master should be quite familiar with this item.” It was a three-pronged hook, used for scaling walls.

It seemed someone had come to rescue Xie Shixing and had started the fire to disrupt their defenses.

“The item was dropped, likely because the fire grew too intense to retrieve it,” Chen Yan’yun said. “The person is probably still within the Marquis’s mansion, planning to slip out during the confusion. Young Master should first order the mansion surrounded, then send men to search the rear courtyard.”

The rear courtyard, with its many female residents, was the most vulnerable area.

Ye Xian held the fire-heated object and gave Chen Yan’yun a deep look: “Master Chen is a civil official, is he not?”

Chen Yan’yun smiled: “What, are scholars completely useless?”

Ye Xian said nothing more and led his men to search the rear courtyard.

…

After Third Master Chen left, Gu Jinchao finally took a deep breath. She pulled her cloak closer to the fire, her heart gradually easing.

With him by her side, Gu Jinchao felt most at ease.

She leaned against the carriage wall, thinking she still needed to tell Third Master Chen about the matter with Fourth Master Chen. This series of events was truly too complicated.

The carriage suddenly shook, the horse neighed, and Chen Yi’s voice came from outside: “Stay where you are and protect the carriage!”

What happened outside?

Gu Jinchao lifted the carriage curtain and called Chen Yi over to inquire.

Chen Yi bowed and said: “There’s a fire to the north, and it’s quite large!”

Gu Jinchao looked northward, exactly in the southwest direction of the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion. The red glow of the fire tinted the sky crimson—indeed, the fire was large, though it couldn’t reach them here. Looking around, Gu Jinchao realized that many Chen family guards surrounded them, and beyond them were armored soldiers, with security extending to the alley entrance…

Third Master Chen had brought so many people!

Gu Jinchao asked Chen Yi again: “Third Master doesn’t have private troops, where did these official soldiers come from?”

For a civil official to maintain private troops was a grave offense.

Chen Yi smiled: “Madam doesn’t know, Third Master has excellent relations with the Duke and connections with the Five Cities Military Command. Further afield, he can even mobilize the Divine Machine Camp Commander. Besides, borrowing men to pursue these bandits—troops can be borrowed from anywhere.”

Gu Jinchao silently pondered for a moment, then sighed: “It’s not appropriate, is it?”

Chen Yi was somewhat surprised but didn’t know what to say. Gu Jinchao had already sat back down.

A confrontation with Zhang Julian was inevitable, but she hadn’t expected it so soon.

Third Master Chen had disappeared, and she didn’t know what had happened in the Marquis’s mansion—how had the fire started?

Gu Jinchao thought of Xie Shixing.

This man was certainly not simple; could he be responsible? Third Master had people protecting him, so he should be safe, right?

She exhaled deeply, even more, unable to sleep now.

Please don’t let him escape!

After a while, Chen Yi brought her a bowl of hot porridge and a plate with four meat buns. “Madam, please eat something first. I could only find a shop that opened early, so please make do. There was a place selling salted soybean milk, but it didn’t look very clean…”

Was it almost daybreak already?

The meat buns were too large; Gu Jinchao could only eat one and gave the rest to Chen Yi. He didn’t mind but felt a little embarrassed.

Gu Jinchao thought about Changsuo at home, wondering how the child was doing. He seemed easy to care for, but if she wasn’t there to coax him to sleep, he would be difficult. Third Master Chen was still in the Marquis’s mansion and hadn’t returned, and she didn’t know how Caifu and Mama Sun were doing… Gu Jinchao was eager to return home.

As she was thinking, Chen Yi spoke through the curtain again: “Madam, the Third Master just sent a message. He wants me to take you home first! Please rest, we’ll reach Wanping soon…”

What about Third Master Chen? What exactly had happened in the Marquis of Changxing’s mansion? Gu Jinchao thought for a moment but decided not to ask Chen Yi further.

He guarded her closely and probably didn’t know what was happening inside either.