Chen Guang received Qiao Zhao’s instructions and hurried to report to Shao Mingyuan.

“The Jinlin Guards will investigate?” Shao Mingyuan tapped the table and showed a look of sudden understanding. “Miss Li had the Marquis Changchun’s household beat gongs and drums in apology to draw the Jinlin Guards into action, didn’t she?”

Chen Guang listened in a daze: “How would the Marquis Changchun’s household apologizing draw the Jinlin Guards into action?”

“Borrowing force.”

Chen Guang still didn’t understand, but Shao Mingyuan laughed.

Miss Li was truly clever, but what was interesting was that this time she seemed too clever and instead brought trouble upon herself.

“Go back and tell Miss Li to rest assured. I’ll clean up the loose ends and won’t let the Jinlin Guards find anything. However, she wants to handle what comes next; there won’t be any external interference.”

“Yes.” Chen Guang took out a small porcelain bottle from his chest and handed it over. “This is from Miss Li.”

“Mm?” Shao Mingyuan accepted the porcelain bottle.

His fingers were slender and, due to the cold poison, were even more translucent than the white of the porcelain bottle.

Seeing this, Chen Guang couldn’t help but feel sad. He forced out a smile: “Third Miss said these are Cold-Dispelling Pills. If you take one daily, you won’t suffer so much.”

Cold-Dispelling Pills?

Shao Mingyuan played with the porcelain bottle in his hand and chuckled softly: “Thank her for me.”

Chen Guang grinned: “Third Miss also said she’ll repay you in the future.”

Repay me?

Shao Mingyuan was stunned.

What did it mean when a young lady said she would repay someone?

He remembered—Chi Can had said before that young ladies liked to use “pledging themselves in marriage” as repayment.

The porcelain bottle in Shao Mingyuan’s hand dropped in shock, falling onto the sandalwood table with a crisp sound.

Chen Guang quickly picked up the bottle: “General, what’s wrong?”

Shao Mingyuan awkwardly accepted the bottle: “Nothing. Go back quickly. Oh, and tell Miss Li that I don’t need her repayment.”

“Uh, this subordinate will return now.” Chen Guang left in complete bewilderment.

Shao Mingyuan stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the verdant green outside and shaking his head with a smile.

He was overthinking it. Miss Li was wise and composed when dealing with matters—she couldn’t be viewed through the lens of ordinary young ladies.

Summer nights came late, and though it was still bright outside, cooking smoke was already rising everywhere—it was dinnertime.

To dispel bad luck and calm everyone’s nerves, Old Madam Deng had specifically instructed the main kitchen to make the meals sent to each courtyard much more sumptuous than usual.

Li Hui faced the exquisite dishes but had no desire to pick up his chopsticks. It wasn’t until the food had grown cold that he gently placed his chopsticks back on the table and instructed his servant Qing Ji: “Qing Ji, clear away the food.”

Qing Ji persuaded: “Young Master, let me reheat the food for you. Please eat a bite or two—how can you not eat anything at all?”

Li Hui smiled: “It’s hot, I have no appetite. Clean it up. I’ll go out for some air.”

Sensing his master’s mood wasn’t right, Qing Ji worriedly followed him.

Li Hui stopped: “Don’t follow me. I want to walk alone.”

He pushed the door open and went out. The evening breeze still carried summer heat, yet Li Hui felt his heart was cold.

He wandered for a long time until darkness completely fell. Finally making up his mind, he lifted his feet and headed toward the East Side Courtyard of Yahe Courtyard.

“Miss, Third Young Master is here.”

Li Jiǎo had just finished dinner and was eating chilled grapes when she heard the maid’s report. She immediately said, “Please invite Third Young Master in.”

A moment later, the pearl curtain rustled softly as Li Hui walked in.

“Why did Third Brother come at this hour?” Li Jiǎo smiled as she went to greet him. Seeing Li Hui’s pale expression, she suppressed her surprise and dismissed the servants in the room.

With only the siblings left in the room, Li Jiǎo offered him the grapes: “These grapes from this purchase are very sweet. Third Brother, try some.”

“I don’t want any.” Li Hui said indifferently.

Li Jiǎo put down the grapes and looked deeply at Li Hui: “Third Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Li Hui looked into Li Jiǎo’s eyes, his throat dry. After a moment of silence, he spoke: “About what happened during the day—”

Elder Sister’s eyes were very beautiful. Grandmother and the others said Elder Sister resembled their deceased mother.

Elder Sister had never changed from how he remembered her, but when had she already changed?

Hearing Li Hui mention the day’s events, Li Jiǎo’s face darkened as she scolded: “Third Brother, I was just about to speak to you. How could you be so reckless, taking such a matter upon yourself?”

“Reckless?” Li Hui closed his eyes and asked Li Jiǎo: “If I hadn’t taken such a matter upon myself, and Third Sister couldn’t save people with golden needles, what would have been the result?”

“But you couldn’t ruin your future for Third Sister’s sake! If you were implicated in such matters, how could you still take the imperial examinations? If you can’t take the examinations, wouldn’t your whole life be ruined?”

A mocking smile flashed across Li Hui’s lips: “But if I hadn’t stepped forward, and without all those subsequent changes, wouldn’t Third Sister’s whole life have been ruined too?”

“Third Brother!” Li Jiǎo looked incredulous. “Is Third Sister that important in your heart? So important that you could sacrifice your future for her? What about me? I’m your blood sister from the same mother—have you ever thought about me? If you fall into the dust from now on, what will I do? How heartbroken would I be—”

“I saw it.”

“What did you say?” Li Jiǎo didn’t react at first.

Li Hui felt as if a piece of torn cloth was stuck in his heart, making him so pained he could barely breathe.

“Elder Sister, I said, I saw it.”

If he hadn’t seen it, how could he have recklessly stepped forward?

He believed Third Sister wouldn’t do such a thing—the truth would surely come to light.

But the consequence of the truth coming to light was that his blood sister was the real culprit!

Without pursuing the truth, Third Sister would be wronged; pursuing the truth would bring disaster upon his blood sister.

Who could tell him—if he hadn’t stepped forward, what should he have done?

The color drained from Li Jiǎo’s face bit by bit, her lips pale as snow: “You… what did you see?”

Li Hui stared into Li Jiǎo’s eyes, his voice so soft it was like a breeze: “I saw you and Chun Fang dressed in men’s clothing, walking over from the direction of that corner gate in the alley.”

Li Hui stepped forward: “Elder Sister, the person who disguised herself as a man and injured Jia Shu at Bichun Tower—that was you, wasn’t it?”

“No, it wasn’t—” Li Jiǎo instinctively denied it. “Third Brother, listen to me!”

Li Hui’s face was pale as paper, but his expression had a kind of alarming calm: “Elder Sister, speak. I’m listening.”

This version of Li Hui made Li Jiǎo unable to voice her subsequent denials.

She covered her face with both hands, crying bitterly: “It was me. But what choice did I have? I mistakenly entered Bichun Tower and encountered that beast. That beast directly pulled me into a room—”

Li Jiǎo trembled all over and threw herself into Li Hui’s arms: “Hui’er, I was so scared then, truly so scared!”

Li Jiǎo’s appearance made Li Hui feel both heartache and helplessness, but this time, the heartache could no longer cover the coldness in his heart.

“I had no choice. After learning he was a beast from the Marquis Changchun’s household, I could only reveal my identity to stop him.”

“But you said Third Sister’s name.”