And so both fell silent as the Wang family mansion came into view in the distance. They entered through the gate, where the doorkeeper helped lead away their horses, and father and son walked along the corridor, heading straight toward the inner courtyard.

Lanterns bearing the character “Wang” written with perfectly straight horizontal and vertical strokes cast a hazy red glow on the ground, giving this desolate mansion a hint of warmth.

Walking in the night, Wang Lin gradually slowed his steps, turning his head to look at Wang Yun.

Wang Yun, not understanding the deeper meaning, stood beneath the lantern watching his father.

Wang Lin gazed at Wang Yun, who stood half a head taller than himself, his face showing both gratification and sorrow: “Yunner… actually, I never wanted your hands to be stained with blood.”

Wang Yun pressed his lips together, looking at his father for a long while before saying: “I am of the Wang family. All the storms that face the Wang family, I shall stand at the forefront to shield against them, not begrudging even my life.”

Wang Lin raised his hand to pat his shoulder heavily, sighing: “Good child… it’s a pity that in this generation of the Wang family, you are the only one.”

“Though Clan Sister is a woman, she is resolute and decisive and now holds the position of Empress. For our Wang family, she must surely endure even greater hardships,” Wang Yun said.

Wang Lin’s face showed shifting expressions as he frowned for a long while before nodding and saying: “Yes, after all, she too is of the Wang family…”

Wang Yun spoke again: “If A’Ruo hadn’t met with misfortune, she too would have made an outstanding Princess Kui.”

“Indeed, the other girls of this generation of the Wang family are all mediocre, none as outstanding as her who caught Prince Kui’s eye at first glance,” Wang Lin sighed. “Back when His Majesty was still Prince Yu, he was invited to drink at our home, and he too was captivated by your clan sister at first sight. It seems in this world, what attracts people is always strikingly exceptional beauty.”

Listening to his father’s sighs, Wang Yun gazed at the red lanterns hanging beneath the eaves, unconsciously thinking of Huang Zixia, remembering three years ago when she was fourteen, how he had secretly followed behind her, watching that slender figure in silver-red, like a newly sprouting flower stem, soft yet with a distant, refined bearing.

That distant refinement made him search through his memories, and the young Huang Zixia in his mind slowly turned her head, and then…

Her face merged with that of Yang Chonggu, becoming the same person.

Huang Zixia and Yang Chonggu – one a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, one a seventeen or eighteen-year-old eunuch; one delicate, one refined; one fair-skinned, confident and radiant in the old palace gardens, one frail and sallow-faced, cautious beside Prince Kui.

—Though merely a small eunuch in the prince’s mansion, why did he repeatedly remind him of Huang Zixia, and why had he felt something strange about him from their very first meeting? Was it simply because he was skilled at solving cases like Huang Zixia, and his features somewhat resembled those in the wanted poster?

He had even secretly sent people to investigate Yang Chonggu’s identity, discovering his background was clear and straightforward, from Jiucheng Palace to Prince Kui’s mansion, even still having the mark he had made when entering Jiucheng Palace—though at that time Yang Chonggu couldn’t write, and had only drawn a circle on the paper.

Moreover, there was an even more indisputable proof: Prince Kui Li Shubai.

To question Yang Chonggu at Prince Kui’s side was tantamount to offending Prince Kui himself.

Thinking of that fiancée who had brought him such profound shame and humiliation, he momentarily became distracted. But immediately he heard his father’s voice: “Yunner, the Wang family has declined to such a state, our ancestors must surely feel ashamed in their graves… All hope for this generation now rests upon your shoulders. Even if you cannot restore the Wang family’s former glory, at least, you must not let the Wang family lose its influence in court!”

Wang Yun nodded solemnly, saying: “Our family now has the Empress in the palace and you, Father, in court. We are not in a weak position.”

“You’re wrong. Actually, in court and palace, the person with the greatest influence on the Wang family is neither the Empress nor us,” Wang Lin smiled slightly, his smile not without pride, and asked, “Have you forgotten? There is still one person capable of overturning the world and changing dynasties. It’s just that everyone has overlooked that this person also bears the surname Wang.”

Wang Yun lowered his head, remaining silent for a long while before finally saying: “Yes.”

“After Wang Ruo’s coffin is sent away in the coming days, you must go pay him a visit, lest he forgets our clan,” Wang Lin said, then after thinking, added, “He likes to keep fish, remember to bring him some—red small fish would be best.”

“I wonder if the kitchen still has anything to eat?”

Having returned to Prince Kui’s mansion, Huang Zixia felt a pain in her stomach. Today, apart from eating a few spring rolls in the morning and drinking several cups of tea at noon, she had been running about outside all day without a grain of rice passing her lips, and now she was truly starving.

She clutched her stomach as she shuffled to the kitchen to look, finding the stoves cold and not a soul in sight.

“This is no way to live…” Huang Zixia regretted not asking Lu Daniang earlier where things were kept, resulting in her inability to find anything to eat now that she was gone.

With difficulty, she found two dry steamed buns in the bowl cabinet. Huang Zixia took one in each hand, stuffing it into her mouth as she walked toward her quarters in the side courtyard.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, she saw a light burning in her room. Startled, she hurried to the door to look and was so shocked she nearly dropped the buns in her hands—

That, that, that person sitting inside leisurely reading by lamplight, wasn’t it Prince Kui Li Shubai?

She stood dumbfounded at the door. Li Shubai had already raised his head to see her and beckoned to her with his hand. She shuffled in holding the two half-eaten steamed buns and asked: “Your Highness… what brings you here so late at night?”

He didn’t speak, merely raised his chin slightly to indicate a food box beside him.

She hesitantly picked it up and opened it, taking out the contents—

A bowl of Imperial Consort’s congee, a plate of honey-glazed fried dough, a bowl of White Dragon Shine, a portion of Chopsticks’ Spring, and even her favorite shrimp roast and Snow Infant, all still steaming hot.

She glanced at Li Shubai, seeing he paid her no attention, immediately threw aside the steamed buns, took out the ivory chopsticks from the food box, first setting a pair by Li Shubai’s side, then quickly grabbed the remaining pair herself and immediately speared a piece of Chopsticks’ Spring.

Chopsticks’ Spring was currently fashionable in the capital, though its ingredients were nothing special, just roasted quail. But this quail’s sauce was perfectly authentic, the cooking time precisely controlled, and given her current state of extreme hunger, she tore through two pieces in an instant before finally catching her breath and returning to a normal pace of careful chewing.

Li Shubai also put down his book and asked: “Any progress?”

She didn’t speak, but took out the half silver ingot from her clothes, placing it on the table, saying: “Found in Jin Nu’s room.”

Li Shubai took it and turned the silver ingot over, examining it carefully.

On the back of the ingot were cast two lines of characters, the first line reading “Deng Yunxi Song Kuo,” the second line reading “Ten Taels Complete.”

Huang Zixia then took out the previous half-silver ingot from the couch drawer and handed it to him.

The two pieces fit together perfectly, forming a complete ingot. The characters on the back were now complete, reading “Deputy Envoy Liang Weidong, Deng Yunxi, Song Kuo, Inner Treasury Envoy Zhang Junyi, Cast Silver Twenty Taels Complete.”

Li Shubai put down the joined silver ingots and looked up at her: “Where did you find it?”

“Under the flower stand in her room.”

“That’s not right,” Li Shubai said decisively.

“Yes, her room had been searched by many people, a silver ingot shouldn’t have been left in such an obvious place as under the flower stand,” Huang Zixia said, then took another sip of Imperial Consort’s congee before continuing, “So, it must have been left by Cheng Xuese who just left.”

“Cheng Xuese?” Li Shubai finally showed some emotion, “She’s come to the capital?”

“Yes, but I didn’t see her, I only heard from people at the Music Bureau that an extremely beautiful woman carrying a painting went to Jin Nu’s room. But by the time I got there, she had already left.”

“Missed her, nothing to be done about that,” Li Shubai frowned slightly, then asked, “Why didn’t Chen Niangniang inform you?”

“Perhaps because Jin Nu and Cheng Xuese were close friends, she went to look for Jin Nu first?” Huang Zixia pondered thoughtfully, then said, “But Chen Niangniang should be most concerned about Yi Niang’s matter, she should have immediately brought her to me regardless.”

Li Shubai nodded, saying: “Chen Niangniang is in Prince E’s mansion after all, we can go find her directly tomorrow.”

“Mm, besides that, I examined the terrain outside the Music Bureau today and found a place. It was too late today to search for anything, but if we go tomorrow, we’re sure to find something.”

“Looks like tomorrow will be another busy day for you.” As he spoke, seeing the candlelight dim, he closed his book and took up the scissors from the table beside him, trimming away the curled wick and brightening the candle a bit.

Under the flickering candlelight, the quiet room fell silent. Huang Zixia was eating when she looked up to see Li Shubai watching her in the reddish candlelight, causing her to hesitate momentarily.

Li Shubai moved his gaze away, casually picking up the ivory chopsticks to select a few bean sprouts from the Snow Infant dish, and placing them in the bowl before him.

Huang Zixia hesitated for a long while before finally managing to say with difficulty: “Thank you… Your Highness for saving me some food…”

“No need,” he cut off her words, then looked at her for a long while before saying languidly, “I’ve always believed that a well-fed horse runs faster.”

Her mouth twitched slightly as she said: “Your Highness has great foresight.”

“So, run faster tomorrow, and remember that the Wang family will soon be transporting Wang Ruo back to Langya.”

“Yes…” Speaking of the Wang family, she recalled meeting Wang Yun tonight, and holding her chopsticks, stared blankly at the flickering lamplight for a moment, then wisely chose not to mention it, to avoid causing complications—

After all, it seemed to be just a chance encounter unrelated to the current case.