The carriage clasps outside jingled with a ding-dong sound, while inside the atmosphere was ambiguously indescribable. Yuanxi stared wide-eyed, and after a while finally understood what was happening. Reflexively, she reached out to push against his chest, but then abruptly stopped, instead clutching his clothing, which actually added a hint of wanting to refuse yet welcome.

Her mind was in chaotic turmoil, frozen there unable to advance or retreat. At this time she felt the pressure on her lips slowly withdraw, and she quickly began breathing heavily. Xiao Du’s face stopped half an inch from hers, his eyes seeming covered with a layer of mist. His fingertips gently brushed across her cheek as he said, “Hasn’t anyone told you that when being kissed, you should concentrate a little?”

Yuanxi’s pink lips parted slightly as she blinked blankly, saying in a small voice, “Who… who should have told me?” Xiao Du finally gave up hope of getting a normal response and simply lifted her chin again, kissing her fiercely. Her lips tasted soft and sweet like her voice, carrying a fresh sweetness that melted bit by bit into his heart. Just as he was satisfied and wanted to deepen this kiss, the carriage suddenly stopped with a jolt. The curtain was lifted from outside, and the servant who had claimed the lakeside spot stood outside with a face full of smiles, “Marquis, ahead is the famous Drunken Immortal Tower in the capital. Third Miss sent me to find you, saying if we return to the residence now we’ll miss dinner, so we might as well eat here.”

Having narrowly escaped twenty rod strokes earlier, he thought to make up for his mistake and curry favor, but instead saw Xiao Du glaring at him with a look that could devour people, while behind him… behind him sat the Madam with a completely red face. The servant immediately felt a chill from head to toe, his legs couldn’t help but tremble, and the experiences of the first half of his life began flashing before his eyes…

Xiao Du subjected him to a death stare from head to toe, finally squeezing out one word through gritted teeth: “Scram!” The servant felt like he’d received a great pardon and fled backward rolling and crawling. Xiao Zhixuan looked strangely at him running back with a deathly pale face and shouted, “How was it? Did big brother agree to eat here?” The servant wiped his sweat while still shaken, thinking to himself: “Thank goodness he didn’t actually eat me.”

Xiao Du angrily turned back into the carriage to see Yuanxi holding a brocade cushion with a completely red face, trying hard to bury her face into it. He immediately felt somewhat amused and pulled the cushion away. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Zhixuan had already bounced to the carriage exterior, calling out, “Big brother, I heard Drunken Immortal Tower’s eight-treasure duck is especially famous. Let’s go try it today…”

When she caught sight of the scene inside the carriage, though still somewhat naive, she understood a few things and immediately shrank her neck, silently retreating, only calling out from afar: “I’ll go to the restaurant first to wait for you.” Xiao Du was angered by these tactless people until his face darkened. At this time Yuanxi raised her head, looking pitiful as she said, “I’m hungry…” Xiao Du glared at her with mixed anger and amusement, finally having no choice but to helplessly pull her down from the carriage.

After the group finished eating at Drunken Immortal Tower and returned to the Marquis residence, the sky had completely darkened. As soon as Xiao Zhixuan stepped through the gate, she happily ran forward, then turned back with a wink, “I’m going back to my room first. Big brother, sister-in-law, you should rest early.”

Xiao Du walked unhurriedly beside Yuanxi, just thinking of saying something when he suddenly saw a familiar figure flash by ahead. His heart stirred as he quickly said, “I have some matters to handle,” then strode forward quickly. Yuanxi hadn’t dared look at him since getting off the carriage, and had eaten the entire meal without knowing what it tasted like. Now seeing him leave hurriedly, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt some inexplicable melancholy.

The moonlight slowly stretched the shadows of several people. Yuanxi secretly reached up to touch her own lips, her heart feeling like something had gently tugged at it, making her steps somewhat unsteady. When the group passed outside Madam Zhao’s courtyard, they suddenly heard An’he softly exclaim, “That person looks like the Master!”

Yuanxi raised her head and saw the Old Marquis standing alone with his hands behind his back, his blue-gray robes blending into the tree shadows. Thin mist crept up his clothing, gradually dampening his temples, yet his posture remained completely motionless, only gazing foolishly toward the window lattice inside, as if only this one thing in heaven and earth was worth watching over. The stars in the sky reflected in his eyes, containing tenderness, pity, reluctance, and some things Yuanxi couldn’t understand. Within the pale yellow paper window, a weak and slender shadow was reflected, seeming to be leaning against the window silently weeping. But she didn’t know that the person she constantly thought of stood just beyond this wall. Only inches apart, yet separated by the ends of the earth.

Yuanxi stared blankly at this scene, lowered her head and sighed quietly, instructing An’he and Rong Qiao not to make a sound as they carefully passed by, afraid of disturbing this quiet mutual gazing in the night. She didn’t know what had happened between the Master and her mother-in-law, and those love and hate, right and wrong hidden and entangled in the years – she would only truly understand many years later.

Xiao Du strode quickly into the study. In the indoor darkness, a figure slowly appeared – black clothes, black boots, a sword at his waist, with only a dark green camellia embroidered at the robe’s corner. This was the mark of the Marquis residence’s hidden guards. Upon seeing Xiao Du, he immediately bowed, his face full of self-reproach, “It’s all this subordinate’s fault for arriving late, nearly causing the Marquis and Madam to come to harm!”

Xiao Du waved his hand, “It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect them to be so impatient – Jade Spring Lake had many people with many eyes watching, yet they dared risk taking action.” He lifted his robes and sat down, then asked, “Did you capture anyone alive?”

The hidden guard shook his head, “Those men were all well-trained death warriors. Seeing they couldn’t escape, they immediately committed suicide, leaving no clues. However, in this subordinate’s opinion, this matter must be connected to the Xia clan.”

Xiao Du’s gaze flashed, “Is there movement at the border again?”

The hidden guard pulled out a secret letter from his bosom and respectfully handed it over. Xiao Du opened it to read carefully, then laughed coldly, “Chancellor Xia, that old fox, indeed wants to use the matter of Wu Kingdom’s secret dealings with the Mu Rong to make an issue of it, taking the opportunity to have Xia Xian take over as commander of the Xiao family army. It’s just a pity that not one person in the Xiao family army is willing to follow his orders. He couldn’t lead even one battalion at Jade Function Pass, couldn’t accomplish a single task, and could only slink back to the capital.”

The hidden guard lowered his voice, “So they should understand better than anyone that as long as the Marquis remains, General Zheng and the others won’t easily hand over military authority, and they can’t do anything about the Xiao family army. So this time, they’re desperate and impatient to strike at the Marquis.”

Xiao Du burned the secret letter over the candle flame, “I didn’t expect Chancellor Xia’s heart to be so ruthless – to deal with me, he doesn’t even care about his own daughter’s safety.”

The man in black hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, “How can the Marquis be certain that Madam has nothing to do with this matter!”

Xiao Du suddenly turned around, glaring at him fiercely, “Who gave you the audacity to speak rashly about the mistress!” The man in black immediately knelt down, yet his face still showed no sign of retreat, “Forgive this subordinate’s directness, but Madam is after all Chancellor Xia’s daughter, and she just happened to encounter danger together with the Marquis. Whether this matter is related to her or not, she is still the person closest to the Marquis. We cannot be unguarded!”

Xiao Du was stunned, and before his eyes floated her face that always carried some shyness, and those eyes that flickered like a young deer’s. Could someone with such eyes also lie? He impatiently waved his hand, “Enough, I have my own judgment.” Then he seemed to remember something and asked, “How about the person I had you investigate last time?”

The hidden guard said, “Luo Yuan is from Jizhou, passed the imperial examinations in the Gengzi year, and the following year was recommended to enter the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. In daily life he’s frugal and belongs to no factions, only having occasional contact with fellow examination graduates. In his youth he served as a tutor in the Xia household, but after entering court, no further connections with the Xia faction have been discovered.”

Xiao Du pondered for a moment, then said, “Help me deliver a letter to Luo Yuan, saying that my younger sister is unruly and the residence needs to hire a new tutor. Ask if he would be willing to enter the Marquis residence during his off-duty hours to teach my sister.”

The hidden guard looked up at him strangely but said nothing more, accepting the order and departing through the window.

Xiao Du sat alone in the room for a long time. Moonlight shone through the window lattice onto the silver bow on the wall. In his mind seemed to float again the slightly weathered face of the late Emperor, his voice deep and full of expectation: “The Xiao family army is the lifework of your father and me, an iron cavalry guarding the border defense. Now I’m placing it in your hands. You must remember, no matter what price must be paid, you must definitely protect it!”

The fragrance of gardenia flowers struck him, causing him to suddenly awaken. Xiao Du stood up and walked leisurely to outside Yuanxi’s courtyard. An apricot branch extended diagonally from the courtyard wall in bloom, and her soft, sweet voice sounded in the distance. He stood silently for a long time, finally gently breaking off the apricot branch before him, holding it in his hand as he turned and left.