Should he speak?

Or not?

If he spoke, would this Wu Shunian use it to control them, to blackmail them?

If he didn’t speak, wouldn’t that appear insincere?

After a moment’s contemplation, Yan Sanhe said candidly: “The matter is indeed serious. If the heart demon isn’t resolved, the old lady’s descendants will suffer misfortune.”

Wu Shunian looked thoughtfully at Pei Xiao: “Young Master Pei, didn’t your maternal grandfather’s family hold the position of Vice Minister of Revenue?”

They’d already taken the resurrection pill—the Ji family matters weren’t something that could be concealed.

Pei Xiao nodded. “My uncle once held the position of Vice Minister of Revenue.”

“Once?”

Wu Shunian frowned: “Then what about now?”

“I won’t hide it from you—he’s now a prisoner.”

After a pause, Pei Xiao felt he couldn’t let Wu Shunian lead him by the nose, so he added:

“Wu Shunian, this is already the third token of allegiance we’ve given you. We’ve shown all our sincerity.”

Wu Shunian lowered his head without a word.

Because of his extreme thinness, his neck appeared especially long and slender, as if it could snap with a light twist.

Pei Xiao couldn’t gauge what this person was thinking. Under the table, his foot lightly nudged Yan Sanhe’s.

Yan Sanhe glanced at Pei Xiao but didn’t react.

Having spoken this far and even shown their hand, further urging would be meaningless.

They’d gone to such lengths to lure them here—clearly they wanted something.

Whatever it was, he’d speak of it sooner or later.

Sure enough.

After a moment, Wu Shunian looked up at Zhou Ye, his tone somewhat questioning.

“Miss Yan and Young Master Pei have presented us with three tokens of allegiance. Aye, let’s return three tokens to them. What do you think?”

With these words, the hearts of the three at the table pounded like drums.

Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!

Zhou Ye kept his eyes lowered, silent for a long while before saying expressionlessly: “This first token of allegiance, I give to Young Master Pei.”

Pei Xiao’s drumming heartbeat suddenly stopped at hearing this.

“I am a person of Hua Kingdom, but the Wu family are my masters.”

Oh my heavens!

What a massive token of allegiance!

All three gasped in shock simultaneously.

A person of Hua Kingdom, an official of Hua Kingdom, yet acknowledging an exiled monarch as master—this, this, this…

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao exchanged looks of disbelief.

Those who mixed in official circles could be greedy, lustful, neglect their duties, lack ambition—even if you preyed on the common people or treated human life as grass, it wasn’t a major issue. But being in Cao’s camp with your heart in Han…

That was treasonous betrayal of the country.

Pei Xiao desperately wanted to ask “why are you doing this,” but reason told him: he couldn’t ask.

“I accept this token of allegiance.”

“This second token of allegiance, I give to Young Master Xie.”

Zhou Ye looked at him: “The post station incident was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

Xie Zhifei frowned: “It wasn’t premeditated?”

“At the time it wasn’t premeditated—just taking advantage of an opportunity.”

Zhou Ye’s voice was very dry. “Actually, I met Young Master Pei and Young Master Xie two years ago.”

Xie Zhifei’s heart trembled. “You knew us two years ago? How?”

“I know!”

Pei Xiao’s mind was very sharp at the moment. “He must have seen us when he came to our Hundred Medicine Hall to buy resurrection pills.”

“Exactly. Every year when I come to the capital for my official report, I visit Hundred Medicine Hall. Because of this, I knew you both were extremely wealthy… so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Xie Zhifei asked: “Was it because you lacked money?”

Zhou Ye’s gaze lowered, lingering on Wu Shunian’s profile. “You could say that!”

“He always wants to give me the best, making the household finances unbalanced.”

Wu Shunian’s tone held no reproach—rather, his voice was gentle and steady.

He removed a jade thumb ring from his thumb. “This thumb ring is more than enough to offset those eight hundred taels. Young Master Xie, please keep it!”

Would I want something from someone surnamed Wu?

Xie Zhifei controlled his tone as much as possible: “Lord Zhou is right. I, Third Master Xie, don’t lack those eight hundred taels.”

Wu Shunian smiled without putting the ring back on, casually setting it on the table instead.

Zhou Ye looked coldly at Xie Zhifei, then turned his gaze: “Miss Yan…”

“Wait!”

Yan Sanhe interrupted him. “Before you present the third token of allegiance, I have two questions.”

Zhou Ye: “Speak!”

Yan Sanhe: “This trip to the capital—what were you doing? Another official report?”

Zhou Ye: “Specifically to buy medicine.”

Yan Sanhe: “The post station incident was spur-of-the-moment, but starting from the tea shop, that was premeditated?”

Zhou Ye: “Yes.”

Yan Sanhe: “Premeditated what?”

Zhou Ye smiled coldly. “Miss Yan is too impatient. This is precisely the third token of allegiance we’re returning to you.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

“But before presenting the third token of allegiance, I must ask you to first listen to a story.”

Zhou Ye bent down and whispered in Wu Shunian’s ear: “You tell it, or shall I?”

Wu Shunian was quiet for a moment. “It’s rare to meet a few young people. For some reason, I feel the desire to talk.”

Zhou Ye nodded, reached for the teacup before him, and brought it to his lips.

“Then moisten your throat first.”

Wu Shunian drank a few sips with Zhou Ye’s help, then said apologetically: “The story is rather long. I wonder if you have the patience to listen?”

“Yes! However long it is, we want to hear it—in fact, we couldn’t ask for more.”

Yan Sanhe’s voice was very firm.

The story Wu Shunian was about to tell wouldn’t be about an ordinary person’s ups and downs. His father alone—daring to raise troops in rebellion, daring to oppose Hua Kingdom, daring to annihilate the entire Zheng family—was already an extraordinary legend.

“This story begins with my grandfather.”

Wu Shunian’s lips curved in a faint smile.

“When you investigated the Wu family, you must have learned that the Wu surname originally belonged to the previous dynasty’s imperial clan. Because the Li clan staged a rebellion, they were driven from power.

The Li clan showed mercy and let the most insignificant branch of the Wu family survive.”

A magnificent historical saga, described by him so lightly…

Yan Sanhe couldn’t help but examine Wu Shunian again.

“When people fall from great heights, there are two possibilities: one type craves glory and wealth, determined to return to the past; another type withdraws from the world, becoming idle hermits.”

Wu Shunian’s gaze looked distantly ahead.

“This branch of the Wu family had always been timid and afraid. They went into hiding on Old Street by the Beicang River, far from strife, living peacefully.

They survived, but lived every moment under Li family surveillance. Though heaven and earth were vast, where could they hide from Li?

For nearly a century, generation after generation of Wu family lived in constant fear, their lives hanging by a thread.”

Human hearts weren’t originally like this.

Yan Sanhe sighed inwardly. No matter who sat on that throne, they wouldn’t leave the Wu clan unmonitored.

“Grandfather grew up in such an environment—introverted, taciturn, burying himself in books, deaf to idle matters.

My father once told me that Grandfather’s room was piled with books. Whenever he found a good book, he’d forget to eat, forget to sleep.”

Hearing this, Yan Sanhe couldn’t help thinking of Yan Xing.

Yan Xing was also obsessively devoted to books. Finding a good book made him happier than a child getting candy.

And those who love books must have depths in their hearts.

It seemed Wu Shunian’s grandfather was no ordinary person either.