The moon gradually climbed higher. Lin Hao, following the footsteps of the person beside her, walked slower and slower.

Continuing this slowly, could the Heir of Prince Jing be planning to stay overnight?

Lin Hao quietly patted her cheeks and cleared her throat to break the stagnant atmosphere that was somewhat strange, somewhat anxious, yet also somewhat sweet: “If it’s someone inside the Jinlin Guard silencing witnesses, does that mean the identity of the mastermind behind kidnapping my elder sister is not simple?”

Qi Shuo nodded.

The two looked at each other, both thinking of the same person.

“It’s the Crown Prince, isn’t it?” Lin Hao’s voice was extremely low, yet her tone was certain.

“It should be him, but we still need to investigate thoroughly.”

Lin Hao walked forward, casually pushing aside a mischievous flower branch reaching from the roadside: “The Crown Prince’s left hand had problems, so he made a move against the Prince of Wei?”

She shook her head, utterly perplexed: “But I still can’t figure out what substantial harm kidnapping my elder sister could cause the Prince of Wei. If my elder sister’s reputation was ruined, the Prince of Wei would at most simply select a new princess consort.”

“That’s why we still need to investigate thoroughly.”

“If the Heir has news, tell me promptly.”

Qi Shuo nodded with a smile: “All right.”

“My big brother won’t have trouble, will he?” Thinking of the Jinlin Guard’s methods and manner, Lin Hao found it difficult to feel at ease.

Qi Shuo was silent for a moment, then said: “Perhaps a little. But with me here, rest assured.”

“Then I’ll trouble the Heir.” Lin Hao noticed his footsteps suddenly slow and followed his gaze to see her mother wearing a shocked expression.

It was Qi Shuo who reacted first, openly and frankly cupping his hands in greeting to Madam Lin.

Madam Lin steadied her chin, her tone subtle: “Are you two… taking a stroll?”

She had waited left and right at Jiaoyue Residence for A’Hao who never came. Growing anxious, she came out to walk around, never expecting to see this pair.

Bah, bah, what “this pair!”

Madam Lin shook away that terrifying thought, staring at Qi Shuo with scrutinizing eyes.

Qi Shuo suddenly felt nervous.

Madam Lin’s evaluations of him echoed and intertwined in his ears.

“Not easy either, with that sickly body, having to support such an enormous prince’s mansion in the future.”

“Really didn’t expect the Heir of Prince Jing could actually ride horses.”

Lin Hao hastily said: “Big Brother got drunk, so I’m seeing the Heir of Prince Jing off.”

Madam Lin was surprised: “Your big brother has decent alcohol tolerance, yet he got drunk?”

She couldn’t help looking toward Qi Shuo, thinking: The Heir of Prince Jing’s body isn’t well, but his alcohol tolerance is quite good. Won’t this make his body even worse?

Before, she wouldn’t have spoken up, but today he had helped her nephew, which made things different.

“Heir, drink less. Drinking too much harms the body.”

If this were her son, alcohol would be absolutely forbidden!

Qi Shuo: “…”

After a pause, he dutifully replied: “Thank you for your reminder. This junior has noted it.”

Madam Lin quite liked Qi Shuo’s receptive attitude and smiled: “Heir, hurry home. It’s already dark.”

“This junior takes his leave.”

With Madam Lin standing here, Lin Hao naturally couldn’t see him to the gate. Instead, a servant accompanied Qi Shuo toward the main entrance.

Once he had gone far enough, Madam Lin immediately asked: “Quickly tell me, what’s really going on?”

Madam Lin’s urgency made Lin Hao somewhat embarrassed. She said vaguely: “Nothing really, just fulfilling the host’s courtesy on behalf of Big Brother, seeing the Heir of Prince Jing off…”

Madam Lin looked at her with a strange expression: “Mother is asking you, what’s the progress on those two criminals?”

Lin Hao fell silent for a moment, even more embarrassed.

She had misunderstood!

“Those two criminals are dead.”

These words startled Madam Lin, her voice involuntarily rising: “Dead? How did they die?”

After hearing Lin Hao’s explanation, Madam Lin said seriously: “A’Hao, you did right. Your big brother has a careless temperament. It’s more reliable to ask the Heir of Prince Jing more often.”

“Ah, all right.”

That night, Lin Hao suffered insomnia.

She turned over from time to time, staring blankly at the incense ball atop the bed canopy in the dim haziness.

She didn’t dislike spending time with the Heir of Prince Jing, didn’t even dislike him revealing his feelings, but why couldn’t she help constantly thinking of that person who died with her in her previous life?

Perhaps she needed to find that person before she could understand her true feelings, rather than being like this now—like a scale swaying left and right.

Don’t think about it, don’t think about it. Find the person first, then talk.

Lin Hao hugged her embroidered soft pillow, turned over, and forced herself to sleep.

Compared to Lin Hao’s tossing and turning, Qi Shuo returned to give some instructions to his subordinates, performed simple ablutions, and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. He slept until some unknown hour, then suddenly sat up.

Though he had some alcohol tolerance, he rarely touched liquor normally. Waves of headache made him rub his temples as he began recalling yesterday’s events.

He had confessed his feelings to A’Hao!

Clearly recalling every detail, Qi Shuo felt his head didn’t hurt so much anymore.

This was something beyond his control, and also something that made him happy.

Changshun heard the movement and crawled up, seeing the Heir already washing up and rubbing his eyes: “Heir, it’s not even light yet, and you’re already up.”

Qi Shuo’s lips curved upward: “There’s business. Summon Xuan Yi to see me.”

Changshun rubbed his eyes again.

What had happened to make the Heir smile so broadly he could barely close his mouth?

Seeing him standing motionless, Qi Shuo frowned: “What?”

“Ah, this servant will go at once.” Changshun fled in a flash.

Another person rising very early was Cheng Shu.

Today it was his turn for duty, the early shift precisely.

Cheng Shu thought about the deceased important criminals and dressed absent-mindedly, only noticing when the servant reminded him he’d forgotten to tie his sash.

The servant held up a lantern to see him outside the mansion: “Young Master, be careful on the road.”

Cheng Shu took the lantern and strode forward.

The road was one he had walked many times, completely familiar. Although the sky was still dark, there were already quite a few figures hurrying along the road.

Among these people were commoners busy with their livelihoods, and also officials going to their posts like Cheng Shu. Everyone focused on hurrying along, paying no mind to others.

Cheng Shu was the same, concentrating on matters as his feet turned into a small alley.

It was the shortcut he took every time.

Compared to the broad streets, the narrow alley was darker, eerily quiet and somewhat frightening.

Cheng Shu paid it no mind, raising the lantern higher.

A mass of black pressed against the left-hand wall made his heart feel somewhat strange.

He didn’t seem to have seen something protruding here before—not good!

When he realized something was wrong, that black shadow clinging tightly to the wall had already moved.

Snow-bright blade light sliced through the darkness, slashing toward Cheng Shu’s neck.

Without question, this was aimed at taking his life.

Cheng Shu dodged in a fluster, barely avoiding the blade light. Almost by instinct, he threw the lantern in that direction and bolted back the way he came.

The sound of clashing weapons came from behind. Cheng Shu ran with all his might, nearly out of the alley, then returned.

Wait, he had already run away, so why were there still sounds of fighting?

He approached carefully. By the swaying light of the lantern that had fallen to the ground, he could make out two people fighting together.

Both wore black clothes. One had their face covered with a black cloth, while the other’s face was unobscured.

Just then, the lantern went out. By the residual light disappearing like a shooting star, Cheng Shu saw one person restrained by the other.

He couldn’t tell at all which was the person who had just ambushed him and bolted again.