Dawn was breaking, with the first rays of morning light illuminating the beast-ridge rooftop, coating the entire Marquis estate in a faint golden halo. Yet within a side room in the outer courtyard, sunlight seemed unable to penetrate, leaving the person inside forever trapped in unfathomable darkness.

Kneeling in the room was a woman, her frail body curled on the ground trembling. Her delicate face was streaked with tears, creating quite a pitiful sight. The two men seated above her, however, showed no compassion. Xiao Du impatiently tapped his fingers on the table, frowning as he said, “Are you done crying? If so, then speak properly!”

The woman kneeling on the ground lifted her head pitifully, staring with tear-filled eyes, “What does My Lord want this servant to say? I truly know nothing!”

Zheng Long, who had been standing coldly beside Xiao Du, strode to her front, lifted her charming little face with his hand, and said coldly, “Miss Yunxiang, you and I were husband and wife for one night. Have you forgotten everything so quickly?”

The woman called Yunxiang showed panic in her eyes, wanting to lower her head to escape, but her chin was firmly gripped and she couldn’t move. She could only tremble as she replied, “General Zheng… must have mistaken me for someone else.”

“Mistaken you?” Zheng Long snorted coldly, sweeping his gaze over the pile of clothes, scent balls, and sachets beside Yunxiang. “Then explain what these things are.”

Yunxiang sobbed, “These are some of my old clothes. I thought to dispose of them casually to save space in the room. I truly don’t know what I did wrong.”

“Old clothes?” Xiao Du’s gaze turned cold as he stared directly at her. “What old clothes require you to sneak out to the corner gate’s dark alley in the middle of the night to destroy evidence?”

Yunxiang shuddered at his stare. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a chill on her face. She looked over in terror to see Zheng Long had drawn the dagger from his boot, gently pressing it against her face. His voice carried a bone-chilling coldness as he said, “Think carefully before answering. Such a delicate little lady—if chunks of flesh were carved from her face, it wouldn’t look very pretty.”

Yunxiang trembled all over. She closed her eyes in terror, finally steeling her heart and saying firmly, “I haven’t done anything! No matter how much the General interrogates me, I know nothing.”

“Enough.” Xiao Du waved his hand impatiently, seeming too lazy to continue circling around with her. He said to Zheng Long, “If she won’t speak, then you help her speak.”

Zheng Long sheathed his dagger. Thinking of how he had fallen for this woman’s trick filled him with rage. With angry accusation, he demanded, “On His Lordship’s wedding day, you deliberately seduced me into improper relations with you, then while I slept, you moved Ping’er’s corpse to my bed and arranged it to look like rape and murder to frame me, didn’t you!” Yunxiang stared wide-eyed in terror, desperately shaking her head, “I’m wronged! How would I dare do such a thing?” She paused, seeming to remember something, then lifted her head again, “The real culprit… hasn’t she already been caught? My Lord can examine my fingernails—there’s not the slightest damage. How could I be the murderer?”

“Oh?” Xiao Du raised his eyebrows and said slowly, “The news we released never mentioned that the killer broke a nail in the victim’s neck. How do you know about that?”

Yunxiang’s body shook violently, finally collapsing limply to the ground, despair showing in her eyes. Zheng Long pressed his dagger to her throat, “You shameless wretch, tired of living, daring to set your sights on me! You thought you were clever, hiding another maid’s broken nail fragment beforehand so that if things went wrong, she could take the blame for you. Who knew His Lordship had already seen through your tricks? Someone with such meticulous thinking who could create such an elaborate scheme—how could she carelessly leave her own broken nail in the victim’s skin! So His Lordship played along, deliberately capturing Zhuyun first, then spreading word that I could recognize the scent from that night, forcing you to change your incense and frantically destroy old clothes and fragrances, allowing us to catch you red-handed.”

Yunxiang stared in despair, making terrified gurgling sounds in her throat, prostrating herself and begging, “Yunxiang knows she deserves death ten thousand times over. My Lord, General, spare my life!”

Xiao Du snorted lightly, glancing at her sideways, “Ready to confess?”

Yunxiang nodded through her sobs and honestly confessed, “That Ping’er, relying on being the legitimate wife’s head maid, often oppressed and bullied us. On His Lordship’s wedding day, I was arranging the room with her. I couldn’t stand her domineering attitude and argued with her a few words, but she slapped me without a second thought. In my anger, I fought with her, but accidentally killed her! I knew that causing such trouble at His Lordship’s wedding banquet would mean certain death if discovered, so I decided to drag General Zheng down with me. I thought that with General Zheng’s distinguished status, accidentally killing a maid would definitely be covered up by His Lordship, and no one would investigate the truth further. Who knew it would become such a big incident later. Fortunately, I had broken Zhuyun’s nail beforehand and embedded it in Ping’er’s neck, thinking this would fool everyone. Only yesterday when I heard the servants discussing did I learn that General Zheng could identify the incense I wore that night. Since Zhuyun had already been convicted and the matter seemed completely settled, I thought to take all the old incense and clothing out to burn, to avoid future trouble. Who knew…” Seeming to foresee her fate, she couldn’t continue and covered her face, weeping. Zheng Long listened with continuous scoffs, but Xiao Du frowned and asked, “You said you originally planned to use General Zheng to cover this up, meaning that cry of ‘murder’ wasn’t from you?”

Yunxiang nodded, “I hoped as few people as possible would know about this. Why would I shout about it everywhere!”

“Then do you know who did shout?”

Yunxiang slid her hands down from her face, staring blankly and shaking her head, “After I arranged everything that day, I was already terrified and didn’t dare stay a moment longer. How would I know what happened afterward?”

Xiao Du frowned in contemplation. After a moment, he called a servant from the doorway and instructed, “You few take turns watching this room. Don’t let anyone in or out, understand!” Seeing the servants nod quickly in agreement, he left with Zheng Long.

As soon as they were outside, Zheng Long couldn’t help muttering, “Why keep her confined? She should be sent directly to the authorities to clear my name.” Xiao Du looked ahead with a stern expression, “There are still many holes in her testimony. This matter probably isn’t so simple—there may be other inside story. We need to keep her and interrogate her several more times to find the truth.”

Following his gaze, an apricot tree in the courtyard was blooming brilliantly, its dense branches extending diagonally over the pink wall. Petals fell with the wind, landing on Yuanxi’s skirt. Yuanxi gently brushed the fallen flowers from her skirt, sighing inwardly as a maid led her into Concubine Wang’s room.

Concubine Wang was reclining on a brocade couch, talking with the maids in the room. Seeing Yuanxi enter, she warmly came forward, ordering maids to bring tea and fruit. While inviting her to eat pastries, she smiled, “Why did you come so early? New brides inevitably get tired. No one would fault you for sleeping longer.” She then winked at her meaningfully.

Yuanxi knew she was deliberately teasing her, but she was naturally poor at socializing. Even encountering someone as smooth and versatile as Concubine Wang, she couldn’t help feeling constrained and timid, afraid of saying too much and making mistakes. She only smiled as a response. Fortunately, Concubine Wang didn’t take it to heart and chatted casually before asking, “Have you looked at account books before at home?”

Yuanxi quickly shook her head. With her status, she naturally couldn’t have accessed such things before. Concubine Wang sighed and continued, “The Marquis estate is large with extensive business—besides the shops and banks in the capital, there are three estates outside the city supporting several hundred people. Though it looks prestigious to outsiders, this household isn’t easy to manage! You should know how many eyes are watching you, waiting to catch your mistakes. Though I’ve had the reputation of household manager these years, ultimately it’s not legitimate. I’ve always feared that any small mistake would bring criticism. Now that you’ve come, I can finally hand over this burden I’ve carried so long. I’m truly happy!” As she spoke, she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, seeming overcome with emotion.

Hearing these words, Yuanxi was somewhat moved, thinking perhaps she had been overly suspicious. Originally coming just to placate Xiao Du, she now developed a serious intention to learn. “But I don’t understand anything and will need Concubine Wang to teach me patiently. Where should I start learning?”

Concubine Wang rubbed her reddened eyes, put away her handkerchief, and smiled again, “Having this intention is good.” She then led her to the cabinet, unlocked it, and brought out a large stack of account books. As she arranged these books before Yuanxi, she said, “Start by learning to read account books. These are the estate’s accounts from recent years. Study them thoroughly, memorize them completely, then I’ll teach you properly.” Yuanxi stared at the several-inch thick stack of account books, her eyes immediately going somewhat vacant as she timidly asked, “Must I… memorize all of these?”

“Naturally,” Concubine Wang said very seriously. “You must know every account transaction by heart to understand whether the income and expenditure numbers are reasonable. I understand this is difficult for you, but everything is hard at the beginning. I came through this way too.”

Yuanxi stared blankly at the pile of account books, feeling somewhat like crying. At this moment, Concubine Wang was already instructing a nearby maid, “Xingtao, help Madam carry these back to her room.” Yuanxi dazedly curtsied farewell and followed Xingtao out the door. Thinking that she had just entered the household and already faced this mountain of account books, she immediately felt a splitting headache. She walked forward with heavy thoughts, following Xingtao, not knowing how many gates they passed through. When she looked up, Xingtao was nowhere to be seen.

Yuanxi started in alarm, looking around to find completely unfamiliar scenery, having no idea where she was. Having been in the Marquis estate only a few days, she basically relied on servants to guide her everywhere. Now suddenly abandoned in a completely unfamiliar place, she felt both panicked and anxious, not knowing what to do.

She hurriedly looked around, wanting to find a servant to ask directions, but the servants in this courtyard seemed deliberately dismissed by someone. After searching for a long time, she encountered no one. Feeling anxious and hesitating whether to leave the courtyard to try her luck, she suddenly heard screams coming from the side room ahead!

The screams clearly belonged to a young woman, echoing in the quiet courtyard and sounding particularly alarming. Yuanxi bit her lip in hesitation, unable to ignore it. She followed the sound to the side room and secretly peered through the window. The scene inside completely stunned her, leaving her motionless for a long moment.

She saw the Xiao family’s Second Young Master Xiao Qing, half-naked, holding a whip and fiercely striking downward. The woman beneath him was clearly moaning in pain but not struggling, with even some pleasure showing in her eyes. On her jade-like back, crimson blood trickled down like red plum blossoms blooming enchantingly in snow. Xiao Qing’s eyes blazed with fire. He threw down the whip, bent down to lick the wounds on the woman’s back, tore off her skirt, and thrust forward violently…

Yuanxi couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She quickly crouched down, suppressing the strong nausea in her stomach, wanting only to escape this courtyard quickly. Just then, hands gently patted her shoulders, nearly making her cry out in shock.

She quickly turned back to see a gentle, dignified face above her, but bearing an indescribable sadness—it was Xiao Qing’s legitimate wife, Wang Shiqin. Yuanxi immediately understood that Wang Shiqin must know about what was happening inside. She slowly stood up, somehow feeling great sorrow herself. Not knowing what to say, she stood helplessly in place while still hearing the continuous moaning from inside, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Wang Shiqin smiled at her kindly first, gesturing for her to move to the courtyard gate to talk. Only then did Yuanxi react, carefully following her to the gate corridor. Wang Shiqin gently asked, “Sister-in-law, are you lost?”

Yuanxi quickly nodded. Wang Shiqin still smiled warmly, taking her hand and carefully explaining how to return to the main courtyard. Seeing that even after her husband’s shameful behavior was discovered, she could maintain such composure, Yuanxi couldn’t help but admire her inwardly while feeling sorry that such a good woman had encountered the wrong person, adding many hardships to her life. She hurriedly thanked Wang Shiqin, thought for a moment, but swallowed the words she wanted to say. Some things were better left buried than painfully exposed, hurting both parties.

After this ordeal, Yuanxi only wanted to quickly return to her room to see familiar Nanny Li and An’he to calm her nerves. Following Wang Shiqin’s directions, she hurried through gates and corridors, but the more she walked, the stranger it felt. Why did the places she passed seem increasingly remote, without encountering even half a servant?

Walking with doubt in her heart, she finally passed through another gate into a small courtyard overgrown with weeds, clearly seldom maintained. Just as Yuanxi wondered why there was such a place in the Marquis estate, a face suddenly jumped out from ahead!

This face was mostly tangled with disheveled dry hair, revealing only half an eye that glared at her viciously! Yuanxi was so frightened she retreated several steps, but the person pressed forward step by step, grinning with yellow teeth. Only then did Yuanxi see clearly this was a woman of about thirty to forty years old, her bloodless face dominated by a several-inch-long scar, making her look even more terrifying.

Yuanxi felt her heart about to burst. She quickly lifted her skirt to run back, but the woman swiftly ran in front of her, shouting, “Who are you! What are you doing here!”

Seeing those withered hands with bulging veins about to grab her arms, Yuanxi was nearly in tears. She forcefully swung her arm away, but the woman was so frail she fell to the ground. She slowly propped herself up, pointing at Yuanxi with a finger like a dead branch, saying viciously, “You won’t have a good ending! This is a curse! A curse! Hahaha!” She suddenly laughed madly, her laughter harsh as metal scraping stone, making one’s hair stand on end.

At this moment, a little maid ran out from inside, helping up the fallen woman anxiously, “Yunniang, how can you run outside randomly? What if something happens!” Yuanxi didn’t dare delay, quickly turning to run outside, but suddenly crashed into a solid chest. Looking up, it was actually Xiao Du!

She had never wanted to see her husband as much as now. Just as she felt joy, Xiao Du pushed her away, rushed to help up the fallen woman, carefully brushing dry twigs from her hair. Yuanxi stood there stunned. If she wasn’t mistaken, she had discovered care and tenderness in his eyes that she had never seen before. The woman called Yunniang, upon seeing Xiao Du, suddenly began crying and laughing, then fainted completely.

Xiao Du lifted his head with an ashen face, looking at the maid, “How have you been caring for her, letting her become like this!”

The maid was already crying in fright, “I only went to cook a meal and she disappeared. Some outsider must have stimulated her, causing her illness to flare up again.”

Xiao Du turned his gaze to Yuanxi, roaring, “Who told you to wander around here? Do you know this is a forbidden area of the estate!”

Only then did Yuanxi come to her senses. Just as she was about to explain, she suddenly remembered Wang Shiqin’s gentle smile as she directed her to this courtyard, making her entire body turn cold as if plunged into an ice cellar. How many people and matters in this Marquis estate were beyond her understanding! Who should she trust?

Seeing her still in a daze, Xiao Du couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. He scooped up Yunniang and walked inside. The little maid anxiously circled but couldn’t help, only following behind with lowered head. Yuanxi stared blankly at this scene, suddenly calling out, “That’s not right! There was another person that night!”

Xiao Du turned back sharply, but looking down at the unconscious Yunniang in his arms, he quickened his pace to send her back to her room before returning to ask, “What did you just mean?”

Yuanxi had just realized this crucial point and said urgently, “If the culprit was just a little maid, how could she alone move a dead person of similar size in and out, and still have time to arrange such a complex scheme while General Zheng was drunk and unconscious?”

Xiao Du also frowned, “You mean someone helped her move the body outside, waited for Zheng Long to fall asleep, then carried it in together and arranged the scene together.” He suddenly remembered Yunxiang’s previous testimony, silently cursing as he rushed outside. Yuanxi didn’t know what was happening, but she wouldn’t stay here for anything, so she followed behind breathlessly. The two ran all the way to the side room where Yunxiang was confined, finding the servants knocked unconscious on the ground and Yunxiang lying on the bed with wide-open eyes, already breathless.

It was now near noon, and servants from various quarters began preparing the day’s lunch. In Tianxiang Courtyard, Concubine Wang was being served at the table by maids. Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, a maid suddenly rushed in and whispered something in her ear. She laughed coldly, “She got off easy this time. I’d like to see if she can be so lucky every time!”

In Dongjiang Courtyard, Concubine Cai was copying calligraphy as usual. Her handwriting wasn’t elegant, but after years of practice, it had become quite presentable. Writing to the middle of a page, she suddenly paused, took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and revealed a meaningful smile.

In the Buddhist hall, Madam Zhao was helped to stand by Nanny Yu, sighing gently. Her usually cold face showed sorrow as she murmured, “I have chanted sutras and prayed for your blessings. Rest in peace.”

But Yunniang, lying unconscious on the couch, suddenly opened her eyes, sitting up straight. Her pupils were completely clear, without any trace of madness…