The moon hung at the zenith, stars descended, and beneath the ink-black clouds, a carriage clattered along the stone pavement. Inside the carriage, a faint storax incense burned, smelling quite pleasant. Yuanxi wrapped herself in a large silk robe, gradually growing drowsy.

But she constantly worried about one matter, not knowing how to explain it. She could only wildly speculate in her heart while secretly glancing at Xiao Du, hoping to read some clues from his expression. Xiao Du’s nerves, which had been taut all evening, finally relaxed, and he also felt somewhat weary. But sensing the constant glances from the person beside him, he finally couldn’t help but smile: “What’s wrong? Do you think your husband was particularly brave and mighty today?”

Yuanxi laughed softly, her heart easing a bit. Finally gathering courage, she began: “I wanted to say… I didn’t…” Her face flushed red, but she couldn’t continue. Xiao Du seemed to see through her concerns at a glance, gently pulling her into his embrace, resting his chin on top of her head: “You don’t need to say anything. I trust you.”

Yuanxi leaned into this warm embrace, her nose tingling with emotion. She had never been so grateful for his trust as at this moment. Xiao Du reached out to gently cover her eyes: “Don’t think randomly. If you’re tired, rest well.” With those solid hands covering her eyes, Yuanxi felt her eyelids growing heavy and peacefully fell asleep in his arms.

When she woke again, the carriage had stopped not far from the marquis mansion, but Xiao Du didn’t have her get out. Instead, he sent a servant through the side gate into the mansion first. After a while, the servant returned with a small bundle that he handed into the carriage. When Yuanxi unwrapped it, she discovered it was one of her own outfits. She immediately understood his meaning and looked at Xiao Du gratefully, surprised by his thoughtfulness, warmth blooming again in her heart.

After she changed clothes, the carriage slowly proceeded to the front of the marquis mansion. Though it was already deep into the night, the entire mansion was brightly lit with many servants waiting in the courtyards. Though the master, mistress, and two concubines weren’t personally keeping vigil, they had sent their personal servants to await news. Seeing all the mansion’s people staying up through the night waiting for news of her, Yuanxi felt quite guilty. Xiao Du took her hand as they got out of the carriage. Seeing her safe and sound, everyone finally breathed sighs of relief.

At this moment, An’he and Nanny Li rushed out with tears, embracing her and asking endless questions. Yuanxi softly comforted them while inwardly feeling grateful: fortunately Xiao Du had thoughtfully arranged everything for her, otherwise with so many people seeing her return to the mansion improperly dressed, who knows what gossip would spread tomorrow.

Seeing the mistress return safely, the servants who had waited all night all showed signs of fatigue. Xiao Du told An’he and Nanny Li to properly attend to the mistress and help her rest, then said to the others: “Everyone is tired today. Go back first. There are many things to do tomorrow.”

But just as the mansion’s people thought the storm had passed and went to their rooms to sleep, this restless night was only truly beginning.

The night wind rolled up evening clouds, wailing and circling in the air. A dead branch fell to the ground with the wind, suddenly snapping with a crack underfoot.

A woman ran barefoot from the bushes, stumbling and falling. Her pretty face was mixed with many bloodstains and tear tracks, looking quite wretched. Her disheveled black hair was blown wildly by the wind, constantly striking her face, but she couldn’t spare attention to brush it away. She just ran while looking back in terror, as if some beast lurked in that darkness that might pounce and tear her apart at any moment.

Urgent panting echoed in the night sky. The woman’s eyes filled with terror and despair as she desperately ran forward. Not far ahead, weak lights flickered, appearing in her eyes like flames of hope, making her use all her strength to run toward that brightness. But just as she drew closer to those lights, she suddenly stopped. Life gradually drained from her eyes as her blood-stained white clothing fell to the ground like a night lotus, quietly blooming and disappearing in the darkness.

After a while, in that lit room, Yunniang suddenly opened her eyes and sat up from bed, alertly looking toward the window. However, in the pitch-black courtyard, she could only hear leaves rustling in the wind and see nothing.

She habitually kept a lamp burning while sleeping, but tonight felt something was wrong. After thinking for a moment, she got out of bed, lit a lamp, and walked toward the door. As soon as she stepped outside, she smelled something unusual. Her suspicions deepened, and she walked a few more steps outside. Suddenly her foot kicked something round and sticky. She quickly lowered her head to look by lamplight and discovered it was actually a woman’s head: a bright red tongue hanging outside the lips, eyes bulging outward, and disheveled hair being blown by the wind around her ankles! Even so, she recognized this face—it was the maid from the new mistress’s room: Rong Qiao!

With a “clang,” the lamp fell to the ground. She covered her mouth and staggered back several steps. After thinking calmly, she finally let out a piercing scream.

The sharp scream slowly spread through the layered courtyards. After a while, this originally secluded small courtyard was filled with many swaying lights and human figures. Xiao Du, who had slept less than an hour, stood coldly in the center of the crowd, staring intently at the hideous head before him. Not far away lay a headless body, with flowers and grass all around stained red by splattered blood, suggesting this was where she had been murdered.

He saw Yunniang on the other side, sitting on the steps with her head in her hands, trembling all over from fright. He couldn’t help but roar loudly: “What exactly happened? Where’s Xi Qiao?”

Xi Qiao, the little maid attending Yunniang, stood to one side, already stunned speechless by this scene she’d never witnessed in her life. Seeing the marquis ask specifically about her, she could only stammer: “I… I heard Yunniang shouting, so I rushed out to see what was happening. Who knew I’d see this… dead person… lying here. But I, I really don’t know what actually happened.” The more she spoke, the more frightened she became, unable to help sobbing.

Xiao Du felt somewhat impatient and asked again: “Did you hear any strange sounds just now? Like screams? Or footsteps?”

Xi Qiao clutched her chest, shaking her head fearfully: “Maybe… maybe I was sleeping too deeply. I seemed to vaguely hear some rustling sounds, but they quickly disappeared. Then… I heard Yunniang shouting. But after I ran out, except for this dead person, I didn’t see anything.”

Xiao Du frowned and crouched down, carefully examining Rong Qiao’s head. The cut on her neck was very clean, clearly a single fatal blow. He pondered repeatedly: If Rong Qiao was murdered in Yunniang’s courtyard, how could there be such a skilled person in the mansion who could behead her in one strike without waking those inside the house, leaving no traces, and escaping completely? If Rong Qiao wasn’t murdered in Yunniang’s courtyard, how to explain this splattered blood? How did that person transport the body here without making noise or leaving bloodstains along the way? How did they escape?

Xiao Du’s head began to ache from thinking, so he instructed the nearby servants: “Search the mansion thoroughly. See if there are any suspicious people, and check if any bloody clothing is buried in the courtyards. Also, don’t disturb the master and mistress.”

After a while, the servants returned to report they had searched every courtyard without finding anything. Xiao Du’s expression grew increasingly grim. He knew all too well: if they couldn’t find the culprit, once this reached the authorities, Yunniang would definitely be considered the prime suspect, and how could her body withstand any torture instruments? He glanced at Yunniang, who had recovered from her shock and now sat hugging her knees on the steps, staring blankly ahead. He thought bitterly: This person not only wanted Rong Qiao dead but also wanted Yunniang as a scapegoat. If he found them, he definitely wouldn’t let “them” off easily!

At this moment, Xiao Du felt a pair of soft hands rest on his shoulders. Turning around, he saw Yuanxi standing behind him, her face completely pale. He couldn’t help but roar to the side: “Didn’t I say not to disturb the mistress!”

Yuanxi quickly said: “Don’t blame them. I couldn’t sleep peacefully, and seeing lights in the courtyard seemed strange, so I got up to see what was happening.” She slowly walked to Rong Qiao’s head, looking at someone who had been intimate and playful with her just yesterday, now already a cold, hard corpse with head separated from body. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth as tears continuously flowed.

Until today, she had never imagined Rong Qiao would betray her. Though Rong Qiao hadn’t followed her since childhood, she had always been very loyal, clever and capable, always arranging everything properly for her and thinking of her in all matters. She remembered how Rong Qiao had cried and said sorry to her as she collapsed, feeling certain there must have been some unavoidable difficulty. Now, whatever she had wanted to tell her was forever buried with her death.

Xiao Du gently supported her shoulder: “You haven’t fully recovered yet. Go back to your room and rest. I’ll handle things here.”

Yuanxi shook her head, showing determination on her face: “She was a maid from my room. I won’t let her just die like this!” She crouched down, staring at the head and examining it carefully. After a while, she took a deep breath and said: “There are deep marks at her temples from being blindfolded for a long time. Her bulging eyes and protruding tongue indicate death by throat slitting. The wound is clean, suggesting a very sharp weapon. The blood splattered this far indicates her throat was cut while she was still alive.” Her voice was soft and gentle, but her words were precise and detailed, leaving the nearby servants dumbfounded. Xiao Du glanced at them sideways: “What are you standing there for? Quickly write this down.”

Yuanxi never moved her gaze, staring at the headless body with a puzzled expression: “This collapsed position is somewhat strange, as if she was suddenly killed while moving.” Xiao Du stared at her strangely, not understanding what this meant. Yuanxi also couldn’t figure it out and was just standing up with furrowed brows when she suddenly felt pain in her temples and swayed, nearly falling to the ground.

At this moment, she was supported by a pair of solid arms. Before she could react, she felt the world spinning, and when she came to her senses, she found herself lifted horizontally by Xiao Du. His unrefusable voice came from above: “No matter what happened, you’re going back to rest properly first!”

Being suddenly carried by him in front of so many people, Yuanxi felt quite embarrassed, so she buried her face deeply in his chest clothing, trying to struggle to stand up. Xiao Du felt tickled by her movements and couldn’t help but lower his head to whisper harshly: “Don’t move around.” Yuanxi didn’t dare move anymore and could only let herself be carried back to the room stiffly.

Xiao Du gently placed her on the bed, carefully adjusting her porcelain pillow and straightening the thin quilt before preparing to turn and leave. Yuanxi silently watched him do all this for her, and the emotions accumulated through the night suddenly burst forth in her chest. She boldly reached out and grasped his hand.

Xiao Du felt her soft skin caressing his palm and cursed himself for having wandering thoughts at such a time. He turned and deliberately smiled: “Sleep quickly. You surely don’t need me to help you change clothes.”

Yuanxi’s face reddened as she lowered her head and said softly: “I wanted to say thank you. It’s been a long time since anyone took care of me like this.” Xiao Du looked at her timid expression, her flushed little face hidden in her clothing, and suddenly felt some impulses, wanting to hold her tightly in his arms, even…

Just then, the door was pushed open with a “bang.” Nanny Li entered carrying a basin of hot water, enthusiastically greeting: “The marquis hasn’t washed yet, has he? Don’t worry, everything has been prepared in the room. If you need anything, just order An’he and me around.” She had an attitude of absolute determination not to give up until she kept him there tonight.

Yuanxi and Xiao Du looked at each other, both feeling somewhat awkward. Xiao Du coughed lightly: “No need. There are still some matters to handle over there, so I won’t trouble Nanny Li.” Nanny Li stood there holding the water, unable to hide her disappointment. Xiao Du couldn’t help but smile, turning to Yuanxi: “You rest well first. I’ll… come in a couple of days.” Seeing Nanny Li’s beaming smile as she enthusiastically saw Xiao Du out, Yuanxi couldn’t help but pull the quilt over her head, hiding inside and pretending to sleep.

Though she was both tired and weary, she didn’t sleep peacefully that night. In her dreams, she sometimes saw Rong Qiao speaking to her with tears streaming down her face, and sometimes saw her dangling a bloody head, bulging eyes staring at her. Finally enduring until dawn, she was just groggily opening her eyes when she suddenly heard someone urgently shouting outside the door: “Is the mistress awake? The marquis wants her to quickly come to the flower hall, saying there’s an urgent matter to discuss.”

Yuanxi’s heart jumped. Since Xiao Du had told her yesterday to rest well, his sudden urgency to find her must mean something major had happened. Not caring about the dizziness in her head, she quickly called for Nanny Li to come help her wash and dress simply before hurrying toward the flower hall…