Ming Shu’s hands, though soft, held surprising strength as they remained locked around his neck, refusing to let go. Lu Chang was pulled down until he was nearly touching her face. The young lady’s sweet fragrance mingled with the scent of alcohol like an intoxicating wine. Even the strongest liquor in the world couldn’t compare to her soul-stirring allure at this moment. However, the name that escaped her lips filled him with a storm of anger.

Lu Chang was experiencing two extremes of torment. He had to resist Ming Shu’s beauty before him while controlling the fury threatening to burst from his chest—truly a terrifying test of his rationality. He braced his hands on either side of Ming Shu’s head to avoid being pulled onto her, his fists clenched tight.

“Lu Ming Shu, say it again—who am I?” Lu Chang vowed that if he heard that name from her lips again, even just the surname, he would find a way to seal her mouth.

“Who are you? How would I know who you are? You’re so annoying, always appearing all blurry, you…” Ming Shu spoke as if in a dream. As she continued, she grew irritated herself and pulled him down harder.

Lu Chang was caught off guard, lost his balance, and was yanked down, his head landing beside hers on the pillow, their cheeks touching. He was completely stunned.

“Come closer, let me see who you are.” Ming Shu turned on her side and clumsily cupped Lu Chang’s face.

Lu Chang’s face cycled through shades of white and red before settling on a deep crimson. He lay on his side, partially propped against her pillow, and removed her hands from his face, asking, “Well, can you see now?”

“I still can’t see clearly!” Ming Shu shook her head pitifully, then broke free from his grasp. She wrapped her arms around Lu Chang’s neck and pulled him into her embrace. “Never mind, just stay here with me.”

After all, it was just a dream—she could do whatever she wanted.

Lu Chang nearly suffocated.

He struggled to turn Ming Shu’s face toward him and said, “Lu Ming Shu, listen carefully—I am Lu Chang.”

“Lu Chang… Lu Chang…” Ming Shu mumbled his name dreamily.

“Yes, Lu Chang,” he emphasized.

Ming Shu had been confused, but at his emphasis, she suddenly let out a startled cry. She pushed his face away forcefully and pulled the blanket over her head. Her muffled voice came through the covers: “Lu Chang… is Brother… Brother can’t… go away, go away, hurry and leave!”

What a terrifying nightmare!

She didn’t want this.

“!” Lu Chang’s heart was beyond exploding.

So in her dreams, Song Qing Zhao could climb into her bed, but he couldn’t?

If he hadn’t misunderstood, wasn’t that what she meant?

Lu Chang abruptly sat up and reached to pull away her blanket, determined to clarify things with her, when suddenly two throat-clearing coughs came from the doorway.

He turned to see his mother standing there, holding a bowl of sobering soup, her eyes fixed on him with an inscrutable gaze.

“Get out. Don’t take advantage of your sister while she’s drunk!” Madam Zeng stared at him.

“…” Lu Chang clenched his fists tightly before releasing them and storming away from the bed.

Madam Zeng shook her head and went forward to help Ming Shu sit up and drink the sobering soup.

The night passed with Lu Chang tossing and turning while Ming Shu slept soundly.

————

When Ming Shu woke the next day, she held her head as she got up.

She felt she had had a strange dream last night, but when she tried to recall it, the dream was like a running ball of yarn—impossible to catch.

Drinking leads to trouble!

Downstairs was quiet, without even a sound from Zhao Bao. Ming Shu walked downstairs while yawning, but before she could finish her yawn, she spotted someone sitting in the hall. The yawn caught in her throat and was swallowed back.

Lu Chang had returned.

When had he come back?

Ming Shu had no recollection—he must have returned while she was out looking for Wen An. If so, he must have seen her drunk when she came home.

Thinking this, Ming Shu felt uneasy, and even her footsteps became lighter as she descended.

“Brother,” she greeted when she reached the bottom of the stairs. “You’re back! Did you arrive yesterday afternoon?”

“Mm.” Lu Chang looked up at her once, very calmly.

Too calmly… so calm it made her heart anxious.

Ming Shu gave a dry laugh and slipped into the kitchen to find Madam Zeng. Madam Zeng was cooking and upon seeing her enter, simply said, “Help me take some food to Old Lady Li next door later.”

“All right.” Ming Shu agreed without thinking, then glanced toward the hall and whispered close to Madam Zeng, “Yesterday when I was drunk, my brother…”

“He carried you upstairs on his back,” Madam Zeng answered concisely.

“Then did I… did I do anything last night…” Ming Shu asked with a bitter expression. She couldn’t remember what she had done the night before.

Madam Zeng finally turned around, saw her face scrunched up like a bitter melon, and couldn’t help but laugh, “You pinned your brother to the bed and rubbed against him.”

“…” Ming Shu was dumbfounded—was she so bold when drunk?

“I’m joking. Nothing happened, don’t overthink it.” Madam Zeng patted her head and added, “The metropolitan examination is approaching, and your brother will be staying home to study during this time. Don’t disturb him these days, let him prepare for the examination in peace.”

“I understand.” Ming Shu looked once more at the person sitting in the hall and nodded solemnly.

There were still over twenty days until the metropolitan examination. During these twenty days, she absolutely couldn’t interfere with her brother’s studies.

————

Ming Shu was true to her word. After breakfast, she helped Madam Zeng deliver food to Old Lady Li, then returned and tiptoed upstairs. She bundled up her bedding and carried it to Madam Zeng’s room, replaced Lu Chang’s bedding with fresh ones, and gathered all her belongings from his room to move them to Madam Zeng’s room.

As she packed, she wondered what she could do with her silver.

Between what the Yin family had given her and the payment from County Princess Wen An, she had accumulated over two hundred taels of silver, making her the wealthiest person in the family. She was thinking about what to do with it.

They needed to change houses—their current residence was too cramped. However, Lu Chang needed to focus on studying for his examination now, so moving house would be inappropriate. Moreover, if he passed the metropolitan examination, the court would arrange an official residence for him, which would be better than anything they could rent or buy. So she wasn’t in a hurry about the house, but she thought about finding two maids to help Madam Zeng with housework and getting a page boy for her brother. With the remaining silver, she wondered if she could open a shop.

“What are you doing?” Lu Chang’s voice broke in.

Ming Shu snapped back to reality and realized her brother had come upstairs.

“I’ve moved my things to Mother’s room and cleared this room for you. You can move up here now. The examination is coming soon, and you need quiet to study. You also need good rest at night to stay energetic. I’ll bring your three meals up to you from now on, and you can focus on studying in peace. I absolutely won’t cause you any trouble.” Ming Shu stepped aside to make way.

Lu Chang looked at the empty room, then at Ming Shu’s smiling face. She was nothing like the drunk who had tormented him last night—now she was the perfect picture of a thoughtful sister.

Lu Chang’s head ached at the word “siblings,” and he quickly pushed the thought aside, only saying, “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

His voice was flat, showing neither pleasure nor anger, but Ming Shu still felt something was off: “Brother, are you angry with me? I know I shouldn’t have gotten drunk, but yesterday Wen An was upset about Xie Xi’s matter, so I kept her company with a few extra drinks.”

“Mm.” Lu Chang remained noncommittal, not even scolding her.

Ming Shu felt increasingly uneasy, but she couldn’t very well ask why he wasn’t scolding her—that would make it seem like she deserved to be scolded. So she dejectedly carried her things away.

Lu Chang entered the room, and although it had been cleaned, a faint fragrance still lingered—identical to what he had smelled when he was next to her pillow last night. Thinking of the previous night, his heart began to churn again. He quickly strode to the window, threw it open, and sat down to read, struggling to calm his heart.

True to her word, Ming Shu didn’t disturb him, only bringing his dinner to his room in the evening. She walked silently, delivered the food, and left, closing the door behind her.

Lu Chang’s heart gradually settled.

But this calm was like thin ice on a winter pond—the slightest touch would crack it, revealing the turbulent waters beneath.

At night, when he undressed and got into bed, though the blankets had been changed, the mattress hadn’t. As soon as he lay his head on the pillow, he caught that fragrance again, lingering and swirling as if she were lying beside him. Lu Chang lay with his eyes open, staring into the dark room for a long while before finally sitting up.

It was burning hot, like a fire raging inside him. He couldn’t sleep.

The fire couldn’t be released, only controlled by willpower. He sat still for a moment, then threw off the covers and got out of bed. He put on his clothes and went downstairs to the kitchen, where he used a ladle to scoop up two dippers of cold water and splashed it all over his face. Only then did he feel somewhat calmer.

But that room—he refused to go back and sleep there.

The next day, Ming Shu, worried about bringing Lu Chang his breakfast, woke up early. Rubbing her eyes as she went downstairs, she was about to call for Madam Zeng when she saw Lu Chang already sitting in the hall reading.

“Brother?” she greeted him, puzzled. “Why aren’t you studying in your room?”

Lu Chang didn’t even turn around, just giving a noncommittal “mm.” Ming Shu walked past him and looked at him twice.

Was it her imagination, or were there dark circles under his eyes? Had he been studying here all night without sleeping?

He was being far too diligent. She would have to buy some tonics for Mother to make into a soup for him.

Days passed one by one, with Lu Chang staying home to focus on his studies while Ming Shu restrained herself from going anywhere, simply staying at home.

She worried that if she went out, she might distract Lu Chang again, so she even declined invitations from Wen An and Yin Shu Jun, thinking she would consider other matters after her brother finished the metropolitan examination.

During these peaceful days, however, news of the murder case at Song Ling Academy gradually spread throughout Bian Jing. Even in Sheng Min District where Ming Shu lived, a neighborhood of common folk, people were discussing this murder case. Along with it, the Young Master of Yong Qing Marquis couldn’t escape public scrutiny, and his affair with Tang Li couldn’t be kept secret.

Ming Shu heard that because of the matter between Xie Xi and Tang Li, County Princess Wen An was heartbroken and bedridden with illness. The neighborhood sympathized with the poor County Princess. Meanwhile, Xie Xi, just released from prison and returned home, was bound and personally escorted by the Yong Qing Marquis to the Prince’s mansion to beg for forgiveness from the Prince and County Princess. However, even after Xie Xi endured his father’s whipping outside the mansion, they weren’t allowed to enter. Finally, the sickly County Princess came out supported by her maid, her face streaked with tears, and told Xie Xi she would agree to his union with Tang Li and withdraw from their engagement.

In an instant, everyone in the capital sympathized with County Princess Wen An’s misfortune while admiring her character. In contrast, Xie Xi’s gentlemanly facade was shattered, and the streets rang with curses against him. This time, the Prince finally acted as a proper father should—he entered the palace to petition the Emperor, describing Wen An’s suffering and requesting justice. Combined with the earlier memorials from the Third Prince and the Minister of Rites, an imperial edict was issued annulling Wen An and Xie Xi’s engagement by imperial command, leaving no room for criticism. This completely cut off the Xie family’s path to protect Xie Xi through the Prince’s influence.

A few days later, another imperial edict arrived at the Xie family. Due to Xie Xi’s various misdeeds and poor character unworthy of his position, considering his father’s service to the country, the family’s title wasn’t stripped, but Xie Xi himself was removed from his position as heir and demoted to commoner status, permanently barred from participating in the imperial examinations.

When Ming Shu heard these rumors, she was holding a letter from Wen An—the supposedly bedridden County Princess was laughing triumphantly in her letter.

These tactics were indeed on a different level from Yin Shu Jun’s.

————

Spring was a fickle season, alternating between warm and cold. Next door, Old Lady Li had fallen seriously ill again these past few days, coughing constantly. Wei Zhuo had found two maids to care for her, so Madam Zeng didn’t need to tend to her daily, but she still visited every few days to check on her. This day, while bringing some pastries with Ming Shu, they happened to meet Wei Zhuo coming to visit the old lady, so the three entered together.

The old lady could barely recognize people anymore and was sitting on her bed taking medicine. When she saw Madam Zeng and Wei Zhuo enter together, her cloudy eyes brightened, staring intently at them. After they each greeted her, Old Lady Li suddenly burst into tears, grabbing Wei Zhuo and Madam Zeng’s hands, sobbing: “You… you’ve finally come back to see this old woman…”

Everyone was startled as Old Lady Li placed Wei Zhuo’s hand on Madam Zeng’s, wiping her eyes as she continued: “Son, daughter-in-law, it’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back.” As she spoke, she cried even more heartbrokenly.

Everyone understood—Old Lady Li had mistaken Wei Zhuo and Madam Zeng for her deceased son and departed daughter-in-law.

The situation became awkward. Madam Zeng’s face reddened, unsure whether to withdraw her hand or leave it. Wei Zhuo also grew uncomfortable. When the little maid tried to explain, Madam Zeng stopped her.

Madam Zeng slowly withdrew her hand and sat beside the old lady, consoling her gently. Wei Zhuo understood her intention and set aside his awkwardness to play the role of the old lady’s son, comforting her.

The old lady cried for a long while before gradually calming down, looking at everyone with a smile. Ming Shu stood to the side, glancing between Madam Zeng and Wei Zhuo, somehow finding the situation amusing. After the old lady was properly comforted and lay back down, they finally left her room.

Due to the old lady’s misunderstanding, Madam Zeng and Wei Zhuo remained awkward upon leaving. Madam Zeng walked slowly in front, her arm linked with Ming Shu’s, while Wei Zhuo followed behind as they left the Li residence.

“Madam Zeng,” Wei Zhuo called out to her. “Thank you for earlier.”

The doctor had said Old Lady Li was terminally ill and wouldn’t survive this spring. Being able to fulfill her wish at the end was a comfort for the old woman’s lifetime.

“Don’t mention it,” Madam Zeng barely dared look at him, merely returning a courtesy before taking her leave.

After walking a few steps with Ming Shu, she suddenly stopped and looked around.

“Mother, what’s wrong?” Ming Shu asked.

“I don’t know why, but lately when I go out, I always feel like someone is following me,” Madam Zeng looked around but saw nothing unusual. “Perhaps I’m just being paranoid.”

She then continued walking with Ming Shu.

Wei Zhuo remained standing there. With his exceptional hearing, he had caught Madam Zeng’s words. His gaze shifted and locked onto a man standing at the entrance of the opposite alley. The man met his eyes for a moment before guiltily averting his gaze like a thief and retreating into the alley. Wei Zhuo took several swift steps to the alley entrance, grabbed the man’s collar from behind, threw him to the ground, and unhesitatingly stepped on him.

“What kind of miscreant are you, spying on respectable women?”

The man had no martial arts skills and couldn’t resist at all. After crying out in pain several times, he grabbed Wei Zhuo’s ankle and shouted: “Quick… take your foot off! This… this master is a servant from the Minister of Rites’ household.”

“Minister of Rites? Lu Wen Han?” Wei Zhuo frowned.

“How dare you! You dare speak my master’s name so directly?” the man cursed.

“Heh.” Wei Zhuo gave a cold laugh. “And what if I do?”

The man was about to curse back, but looking up, he saw the murderous glint in Wei Zhuo’s eyes.

A man who had returned from the battlefield carried all the blood he had shed in his eyes.