At the end of the seventh hour, as lamps flickered dimly, two carriages stopped one after another in front of the Yu mansion’s main gate.

Servants rushed over upon hearing the sound, hastily helping Yu Xinyi inside.

Yu Xinyi was now awake, though her limbs still felt weak. She gripped Yu Lingxi’s hand and whispered: “Suisui, you weren’t wrong…”

Yu Lingxi knew her sister must have gathered intelligence during her visit to the Eastern Palace. She held her sister’s hand in return, comforting her softly: “Don’t worry, Elder Sister, everything will be fine.”

She then instructed the servants: “Keep quiet, don’t disturb Madam.”

Ning Ziluo sat in his carriage with the curtain lifted, watching as Yu Xinyi was helped inside to rest.

Yu Lingxi noticed two reddish-purple bite marks on his neck and wrist, likely inflicted by her sister in her delirium.

Noticing Yu Lingxi’s gaze, Ning Ziluo smiled dismissively and pulled down his sleeve to cover the marks.

People said the young Prince of Nanyang was a spoiled and arrogant young noble who spent his days idly playing with cats and dogs, but at critical moments, he showed rare and sincere youthful gallantry.

Yu Lingxi carefully folded his gold-embroidered outer robe and respectfully returned it with both hands: “Thank you, Your Highness! My sister and I will forever remember this kindness.”

“It was nothing, Second Miss Yu. No need for such formality.”

The Prince of Nanyang waved his hand generously, his voice carrying the unique clarity of youth. “Besides, I didn’t do much. I had just arrived at the palace gate when I heard the Eastern Palace was under attack, with two pavilions on fire. I happened to meet His Majesty who had come upon hearing the news, allowing us to rush there in time.”

Without the fire, he would never have been able to request the Emperor’s presence so quickly. The process of entering the palace, seeking an audience, and reporting would have taken at least another half hour.

If that had been the case, he couldn’t imagine what Commander Yu might have suffered in the Eastern Palace.

A woman as fierce and fiery as Commander Yu should never endure such humiliation.

The Yu family carriage stood quietly at the steps, but Ning Yin was nowhere to be seen beside it.

Yu Xinyi stood in the washing room, pouring several basins of cold water over her head. The shock made her languid, heated body suddenly tense, finally bringing her back to her senses.

When Yu Lingxi entered, she saw her sister shaking the cool water from her hair, smashing the wooden basin as she exclaimed: “That despicable Ning Tan infuriates me! Indeed, the royal family has not produced a single decent person in this generation!”

The kind and benevolent ones never survived to adulthood, dying prematurely in various ways. And what of those who lived?

Yu Lingxi said: “We shouldn’t say that. Perhaps there are one or two good ones?”

Yu Xinyi knew she was referring to Ning Ziluo. She grabbed a cloth hanging on the screen to dry her face: “Even so, that’s just finding the tallest among dwarfs.”

She changed into dry clothes, nauseated by the cloying fragrance on her military uniform.

Yu Lingxi, whose nerves had been taut all day, could finally catch her breath. She stepped forward to embrace her sister’s thin but firm waist, saying with lingering fear: “Elder Sister, you scared me tonight.”

Yu Xinyi’s wet hair hung loose as she turned to pat her sister’s back. “Don’t be afraid, Suisui. Your elder sister grew up in military camps, very capable indeed. Ning Tan’s despicable tricks can’t harm me.”

Yu Lingxi nodded.

There were still important matters to discuss. After catching her breath for just a moment, she composed herself and said: “We now know the Crown Prince ordered the disaster relief grain theft to frame us. Having startled the snake from the grass, he will surely find ways to contact his accomplice inside and destroy evidence.”

Yu Xinyi released her, frowning: “Indeed, this is a difficult problem.”

But Yu Lingxi shook her head: “No, this is our opportunity to counterattack.”

“What do you mean, Suisui?”

“Place men to watch Vice Minister of Revenue Wang Lingqing closely. If the Crown Prince makes a move, he will surely send secret messages to him. Thirty thousand stones of grain occupy substantial warehouse space and cannot be destroyed quickly. By following the trail, we can find where the grain is truly hidden.”

“Brilliant!”

Yu Xinyi looked at her with newfound admiration, her anger turning to joy: “Suisui, who taught you this? You’ve become increasingly clever.”

Yu Lingxi smiled without answering.

Compared to Ning Yin, these minor players’ tricks were truly insignificant.

“No more talk. I’ll take men to keep watch immediately.”

Yu Xinyi said, “Whether they use carrier pigeons or fast horses to deliver secret messages, we’ll intercept them all.”

Yu Lingxi worried about her sister’s health: “Elder Sister needs rest. Let’s have Qingxiao handle this.”

With the deadline at noon tomorrow, how could she sleep?

Yu Xinyi hugged her sister, pressing her hand against the back of her head: “Suisui, take good care of Mother.”

With that, she took up her sword and strode out the door.

The water clock dripped, and the sound of the night watch striking the second watch echoed through the streets.

Yu Lingxi sat for a while, for some reason repeatedly recalling the image of Ning Yin pulling the reins to stop the carriage, and those cold eyes like moonlight reflecting in a deep pool.

She took a deep breath, opened the door, and called for a maid: “Have the kitchen prepare some night snacks and warm wine.”

Before long, the night meal was ready. Yu Lingxi placed it in a lacquered food box and carried a lamp to the rear courtyard.

The light was still on in the outer quarters. Yu Lingxi instructed her maid to wait at a distance while she carried the food box forward and knocked on the door.

The door was ajar and opened with a creak at her lightest touch.

Yu Lingxi didn’t think much of it. Just as she lifted her skirt to step inside, she heard the splashing of water.

Looking up, she realized Ning Yin was bathing naked in a tub by the window.

Seeing Yu Lingxi enter uninvited, he showed not the slightest embarrassment, merely raising his calm gaze. His pitch-black eyes reflected the misty, fragmented light of the water, his upper body’s contours taut and distinct, fine droplets of water rising and falling with his breath.

The dim lamplight added a warm jade-like luster to his otherwise cold white physique.

Yu Lingxi’s footsteps halted, her gaze involuntarily following the water droplets that fell from his jawline, sliding over the rising and falling contours to land on his firm chest.

After half a year of care, his old wounds had faded, except for a whitish scar across his left chest, two inches long and thin, appearing to have been made by a short blade.

Yu Lingxi had seen this scar in her previous life.

Each time she saw it, she wondered what kind of extraordinary master could have stabbed Ning Yin in the heart.

“How much longer does Young Miss wish to look?”

With a splash of water, Ning Yin casually draped his arm over the edge of the tub, shamelessly suggesting: “Would you like to come closer for a better view?”

Yu Lingxi respectfully declined.

It wasn’t that she was shy—after all, in her previous life, she had attended his baths and seen even more provocative scenes.

It was purely that Ning Yin’s physique made her feel danger.

That was an oppressive feeling carved into her marrow.

“I’ve prepared a night meal. I’ll wait for you at the corner pavilion in the corridor,” she said, then closed the door as she left.

Breathing in the damp air after the rain, she slowed her steps, suppressing the restless heat stirring within her body.

After waiting in the pavilion for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ning Yin arrived, his hands clasped behind his back, stepping through the moon-reflected puddles.

He wore a snow-white inner robe, his half-dry black hair hanging loose, carrying a refreshingly cool dampness. If not for his excessively cold eyes and the ruthlessness hidden in his dark temperament, he would have had the air of an unparalleled gentleman.

On the stone table lay a full spread of night snacks—exquisite pastries as well as fine wine and delicacies, each as fresh as could be.

Under the octagonal lantern in the pavilion, Yu Lingxi was like a vibrant, lively painting of beauty, even her hair strands seeming to glow.

“Sit,” Yu Lingxi gestured with a smile.

Ning Yin looked at her for a moment before lifting his robe to sit across from her, his tone as calm as still water: “This time, is Young Miss apologizing or expressing gratitude?”

“Neither.”

Yu Lingxi poured wine with her delicate hand and offered him a cup. “Tonight brings double joy, and I’ve invited Wei Qi to drink in celebration.”

Ning Yin took the wine cup and played with it but didn’t drink. “An hour ago, Young Miss was prepared to sacrifice herself. The crisis remains unresolved. What double joy is there?”

Yu Lingxi looked up with a smile and said softly: “My sister and I escaped the tiger’s mouth with the help of a noble person. This is the first joy.”

After a pause, looking into Ning Yin’s deep, upturned eyes like drops of ink, she firmly declared: “Tonight’s events prove that Wei Qi and I share a common goal. Working together for mutual benefit is the second joy.”

Ning Yin raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes showing some interest.

“How does Young Miss know what my goal is?”

“In Wei Qi’s eyes, am I that foolish?”

Instead of answering, she questioned him in return. Ning Yin laughed: “Indeed, Young Miss appears delicate but is as clear as a bright mirror. Otherwise, how could you have devised a plan to use yourself as bait?”

Yu Lingxi pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in his words and raised her cup: “I toast to you.”

Ning Yin held his cup without moving. Having returned alone from hell, he only needed pawns, not allies.

Yu Lingxi didn’t mind. She took the initiative to clink her cup against his, making a light “ding” sound.

She drank first in respect, frowning as she sipped in small mouthfuls, then showed him the empty bottom of her cup. Her rosy lips glistened with the moisture of the wine, tempting one to pluck.

Ning Yin remained silent for a while, then finally raised his hand under her expectant gaze, bringing the wine to his lips and draining it in one gulp. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he set down the cup, turning it upside down.

Yu Lingxi smiled with satisfaction.

Raindrops fell from the banana leaves as the night grew quiet.

Ning Yin propped his temple with his hand and said flatly: “This is the last time.”

For the sweet beauty before him, he had given up those thirty thousand stones of grain meant for the uprising.

It didn’t matter though. He never made losing deals, and he had thought of a more interesting game.

As for the meat that had slipped from his mouth, sooner or later, he would reclaim it from her.

Ning Yin stared at her moist, alluring lips, his slender fingers idly tracing the rim of the cup.

After a moment, he asked abruptly: “The fifth day, isn’t it?”

“What?” Yu Lingxi tilted her head.

Ning Yin didn’t elaborate further, curving his lips in a mysterious smile, saying languidly: “Actually, I’m very curious. Young Miss cares for so many people. Where does Wei Qi rank?”

“When did I ever care for the world? It’s just…”

It’s just that in her previous life, being all alone was too lonely and difficult, so she wanted to grasp every bit of warmth she could and protect everyone she wished to protect.

The wine’s effect rose and spread some warmth in her belly.

Yu Lingxi seriously considered Ning Yin’s question, counting on her fingers: “Father, Mother, Elder Brother, Elder Sister—these four are equally important, all of first importance in my heart. Then Ah Li, Xue…”

Ning Yin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Yu Lingxi reconsidered—she didn’t owe Xue Chen anything in this life—and corrected herself: “After that would be Flower Slave and Wei Qi.”

Ning Yin snorted.

Even a cat ranked ahead of him.

He nodded in understanding, tapping the cup with his knuckles before standing up: “Wei Qi understands.”

The last time he had said “Wei Qi understands” was when he was planning to make Xue Chen fall into the lake and drown.

Yu Lingxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she asked: “You haven’t eaten anything yet. Where are you going?”

“To kill cats.”

Ning Yin stood with his hands behind his back as the wind lifted a strand of his hair across the corner of his lips. With a half-smile, he said: “For each one I kill, my position in Young Miss’s heart will rise by one rank. When all are killed, Wei Qi will be the most important person in Young Miss’s heart.”

He spoke the most ruthless words in the gentlest tone.

If someone else said this, perhaps it would just be a joke, but Yu Lingxi knew Ning Yin wasn’t joking. He was truly capable of doing it.

She sighed softly and stood up: “Wei Qi, come here.”

Ning Yin stood without moving.

Yu Lingxi walked up to him and repeated: “Come closer.”

Ning Yin maintained his posture with hands behind his back, looked at her for a moment, then reluctantly leaned forward slightly.

Yu Lingxi tilted her head up to meet his gaze, and under his cold stare, she raised her hand and gently placed it over her heart.

“It doesn’t work that way.”

The corridor was quiet as she looked into Ning Yin’s eyes, so close, and said softly: “I only have these few important people in my life. They live in my heart. Each one you kill is like stabbing me in the heart. If you kill them all, my heart will die too, only making me grow further from you. Do you understand?”

Ning Yin’s gaze moved downward, falling on her delicate hand resting over her soft chest.

After a quiet moment, he shook his head and sneered: “This isn’t fair.”

“What…”

Yu Lingxi was confused, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed her palm against his chest.

Completely different from a woman’s soft fullness, beneath the thin fabric were hard muscles. His heartbeat struck steadily against his chest cavity, making Yu Lingxi’s fingertips tingle.

Whether from the wine or the lingering fragrance, Yu Lingxi was enveloped in his shadow, frozen like prey that had been locked in a predator’s sights.

Ning Yin gave her no chance to retreat, his long, powerful hand firmly gripping hers.

He leaned in closer, suppressing his deep voice as he chuckled: “Can Young Miss guess how many people I keep in here?”