When “Qinyuan Chun·Snow” emerged, the scholarly community throughout the capital was in an uproar.

For three consecutive days, carriages and horses crowded the entrance to the Music Bureau, with those wanting to see the courtesan forming a long queue.

But for the first three days, not a single person managed to see her.

It was said that the courtesan had been exclusively reserved by a remarkable personage for three days—during which she served only him.

The commotion outside had nothing to do with Yan Sanhe. These past few days, she hadn’t been sleeping well, her dreams filled entirely with this person called “Departed Waters.”

On the morning of the fifth day, when Zhu Qing came to relay a message, she was still trapped in her dreams.

“Tell Miss Yan that Third Master will have his noon meal at the Quiet Reflection Residence today.”

“This…”

“It’s official business.”

The words “official business” jolted Yan Sanhe fully awake. Her voice hoarse, she said, “Tangyuan, agree to it.”

“Yes.”

At noon, Xie Zhifei entered the Quiet Reflection Residence looking entirely presentable.

Inside the Quiet Reflection Residence, the meal was already laid out on the table. Though Yan Sanhe’s leg was injured, she sat with her back perfectly straight.

Xie Zhifei sat down beside her, first glancing at her injured foot, then unhurriedly sweeping his gaze over Li Buyan, Zhu Qing, and Tangyuan before lightly clearing his throat.

Li Buyan and Zhu Qing said nothing, sitting down silently.

Tangyuan didn’t dare sit at the same table as Third Master. Frightened, she turned her head and fled.

Xie Zhifei paid her no mind, picking up his chopsticks with a smile. “Everyone’s here. Let’s eat.”

Usually, it was Yan Sanhe who picked up the chopsticks and said “let’s eat.” Times had certainly changed—Third Master, armed with that slip of paper tucked at his waist, had begun taking charge.

Li Buyan cursed “bastard man” in her heart on behalf of her young lady.

Zhu Qing gently reminded him with a look: Master, don’t be too arrogant.

Yan Sanhe remained quite composed, eating at a leisurely pace.

Xie Zhifei picked up the serving chopsticks and placed food on her plate. “Eat more. You’ll need to use your brain shortly.”

Yan Sanhe hated it most when others served her food. She glared at him coldly.

He set down his chopsticks. Without speaking or eating, he just sat there.

Yan Sanhe’s eyelids twitched incessantly. After a long moment, she picked up that serving of food and finally put it in her mouth.

Xie Zhifei smiled silently.

What’s he smiling about!

Yan Sanhe’s head throbbed with frustration. She thought to herself that if this person served her food again, she’d throw it in his face.

Another serving came over.

The one serving the food wore an especially bright smile, his gaze especially sincere.

Yan Sanhe’s heart began pounding chaotically again. After several deep breaths, she picked up the food, glanced at Xie Zhifei once, then again.

Then…

Slowly brought it to her mouth!

Beside them, Li Buyan and Zhu Qing silently breathed sighs of relief.

Throughout the meal, except for the person who kept serving food, no one ate comfortably. When Zhu Qing finished his last mouthful of rice, he began hiccupping.

One hiccup after another, drawing Third Master Xie’s considerable displeasure.

Zhu Qing fled to guard the courtyard gate, thinking to himself that this could hardly be blamed on him—he’d literally been frightened into hiccups.

After the meal, tea was served, and Xie Zhifei got straight to business without any pleasantries.

When to tease a little, when to push a little, when to cut to the main topic… no one understood these tactics better than Third Master Xie.

“Departed Waters’ real name is Tang Zhiwei. In the twenty-third year of Yuanfeng, her family was raided. She entered the Music Bureau afterward—she was nineteen that year.”

The twenty-third year of Yuanfeng?

That was during the Late Emperor’s reign.

Yan Sanhe said, “Continue.”

Xie Zhifei continued, “She became courtesan at twenty, was redeemed at twenty-seven. She spent a full eight years at the Music Bureau.”

Eight years of selling smiles at the door—not a short time.

“Who redeemed her?”

“I’ll get to that later. First, let me tell you about her identity before the raid.”

Xie Zhifei asked, “You know about the Crown Prince’s curse case that occurred in the thirty-first year of Yuanfeng?”

“The day we examined the terrain at the Zheng residence, you already asked me this question.”

“How much do you know?”

“Not much. Just the few things everyone on the street knows.”

“Which few things?”

“A son took his father’s birth chart, nailed it to a puppet, and had a sorcerer cast spells cursing his father to die quickly. When someone reported him, the son went all in—he raised troops in rebellion, but ended up losing his own life instead.”

Yan Sanhe added, “And so another son profited, smoothly ascending to the throne.”

Xie Zhifei said, “The Late Crown Prince had a teacher named Tang Qiling.”

That single short sentence made Yan Sanhe’s hair stand on end. She blurted out, “Tang Qiling is Tang Zhiwei’s…”

“Father!”

Xie Zhifei continued, “Tang Qiling had only her as his daughter.”

Yan Sanhe was thoroughly astonished. After a long moment, she sighed, “No wonder she was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her status was actually that high!”

Hearing this, Xie Zhifei could only smile bitterly.

He didn’t know what kind of luck this girl had, but she always encountered thorny people and thorny cases.

Yan Sanhe asked, “Why was the Tang family raided?”

Xie Zhifei replied, “Because of the Spring Examination fraud case in the twenty-third year of Yuanfeng. Tang Qiling was the chief examiner.”

Yan Sanhe found this hard to believe. “Tang Qiling helped with fraud?”

Xie Zhifei explained, “This case is from the Late Emperor’s time. I haven’t obtained the case files yet, so I don’t know the specific circumstances. My father knows some details, but I don’t dare ask him.”

“What was Tang Qiling’s final outcome?”

“He died of illness in prison.”

“What about the other members of the Tang family?”

“Tang Qiling had his daughter late in life. His first wife died young, and Tang Qiling never remarried. Father and daughter depended on each other.”

Xie Zhifei continued, “The other members of the Tang clan were exiled to Lingnan. After all these years, who knows if they’re alive or dead.”

“Then!”

Yan Sanhe asked again, “Who redeemed Tang Zhiwei?”

Having explained the causes and consequences, Xie Zhifei answered frankly, “I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

Yan Sanhe froze. “How could you not find this out?”

“Anyone who can redeem a woman from the Music Bureau must have considerable status—at least a third-rank official or higher. Think about it—how many officials would want others to know about such things?”

Xie Zhifei pulled out a slip of paper from his robe. “This is the person who nominally redeemed Tang Zhiwei—surname Li, given name San.”

“Li San?”

Yan Sanhe remarked, “The name sounds fake.”

“You’re right. The name is fake, the identity is fake—everything is fake.”

Xie Zhifei said, “I had people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard look into it. Forget finding out who’s behind Li San—even Li San himself, after redeeming Tang Zhiwei, vanished into thin air. But I can be certain of one thing.”

“What?”

“The person who could redeem Tang Zhiwei absolutely wouldn’t have low status.”

Yan Sanhe immediately understood the deeper meaning.

The Spring Examination fraud case was no small matter. Tang Qiling’s identity was no ordinary one. The waters here ran unfathomably deep!

Slowly, she lowered her head as a sense of powerlessness surged in her heart.

How had she gotten entangled with court politics again? Old Lady Ji’s heart demon was like this, and Jingchen’s heart demon was the same. This was very troublesome!

“I uncovered this much in five days. Won’t Miss Yan coax me a little?”

Yan Sanhe suddenly looked up.

“Come on, coax me once. After you coax me, Third Master will continue working for you.”

Xie Zhifei pressed his lips into a thin line and smiled.

“Working Third Master means working Young Master Pei. Working Young Master Pei means working that one. Miss Yan, we’re not afraid of trouble.”