Xie Zhifei heaved a long sigh.

This sigh falling on Yan Sanhe’s ears told her that both he and Young Master Pei understood the deep meaning of her words just now.

So then, was Shishui’s redemption also secretly orchestrated by the former Crown Prince?

“Guihua.”

She wasted no words. “The person who redeemed Shishui was called Li San. Do you know the inside story about Li San?”

“He was just a fraud!”

Guihua’s emotions suddenly became agitated, staring intently at Yan Sanhe with hatred. “Said he’d redeem Shishui to take her as his concubine. The result?”

Yan Sanhe was startled by the hatred in her eyes. After a moment of silence, she asked softly, “Where was Li San from?”

“Fake—all fake.”

Guihua suddenly reached out with both hands, gripping Yan Sanhe’s arms tightly.

“I grew up in the Music Bureau. I’ve seen men’s faces most clearly. Once their pants drop, they swear to heaven one by one, speaking better than they sing.

Once they pull out, they wish they could put rat poison in your water. How could he sincerely want to take her as a concubine?”

Tarring all men with the same brush.

Young Master Pei’s brows shot up. He was about to retort when he saw Yan Sanhe’s expression and held it in after all.

Fine, fine, fine. For the sake of resolving this heart demon, Young Master Pei would bear humiliation on behalf of all men.

Yan Sanhe followed her words. “Since everything was fake, how could he possibly redeem Shishui? The Music Bureau wouldn’t agree either!”

“He had silver—lots and lots of silver.”

Guihua opened her mouth and without warning, wailed at the top of her lungs.

“I advised her, blocked her—she wouldn’t listen. I treated her so well, wished I could tear out my heart to show her. Why wouldn’t she listen to me… She got her karmic retribution… ahhh…”

The demonic sound once again pierced everyone’s ears, making all their hearts pound. Huangqi even shifted his steps closer to Yan Sanhe.

This wailing could really summon ghosts!

Yet in these few wails, Yan Sanhe heard something different. She immediately covered Guihua’s mouth with her hand.

The sound stopped abruptly. Guihua stared wide-eyed, looking at her in terror.

“Guihua, I’ll ask you a few questions. If yes, nod. If no, shake your head.”

Guihua’s eyeballs moved, mumbling an agreement.

Yan Sanhe: “You blocked Shishui’s redemption because you feared she’d suffer?”

Guihua nodded vigorously.

Yan Sanhe: “But she insisted on leaving with Li San?”

Guihua nodded while also mumbling, “Mm-mm-mm.”

Yan Sanhe suddenly changed tack. “Your methods of blocking her weren’t honorable?”

Panic surged in Guihua’s clouded eyes.

Yan Sanhe gave her no time to panic. “Later, you two completely fell out over this matter, to the point where you didn’t even have a final farewell. Isn’t that right?”

The young woman’s eyes were clear black and white, her gaze like a blade, leaving Guihua nowhere to hide. The panic in her eyes slowly transformed into horror.

She yanked away Yan Sanhe’s hand and shouted at her heart-wrenchingly.

“Wrong! I saw her off! I went to see her off! She just followed behind that Li San, didn’t even turn her head… didn’t turn back… wuwuwu…”

Yan Sanhe’s hand didn’t withdraw. Her palm landed directly on Guihua’s head. “You went to see her off. Your heart held concern for her, couldn’t bear to part with her, wanted her to stay.”

Guihua’s old eyes seeped tears, and along with the tears came two streams of snot, disgusting Young Master Pei to the point of nausea.

“Tell me, Guihua—who exactly was that Li San?”

Yan Sanhe gently changed her tone. “And what really happened between you two?”

Guihua’s heart calmed down.

Living to her age, no one had touched her head in ages. Mother rarely touched her head either—Mother always complained she was a little wild thing whose feet would scatter and her shadow couldn’t be seen.

Before Mother died, she touched her head once.

“Hua’er, do you know what Mother regrets most in this life? It’s giving birth to you. I shouldn’t have let you come walk this earth—such suffering.”

She lowered her head to look at her toes, thinking to herself: What use is saying such crap now? You can’t stuff me back inside.

Guihua shook her head, expelling Mother’s shadow from her mind. She pinched her nose, blew out two streams of snot, flung them behind her, rubbed her fingers on her shoe heel a few times, gulped down saliva, and looked up at Yan Sanhe.

“That Li San was a merchant from the south.”

“A merchant?”

“Said he dealt in silk, but I didn’t think so.”

Yan Sanhe gently patted Guihua’s head, asking softly, “Why didn’t you think so?”

Memories came crashing over her like a tidal wave.

Because few merchants had Li San’s bearing.

Sitting there, he’d lift a teacup with one hand, use the lid to stir a few times, lower his head to sip lightly, then set down the teacup and smile at Shishui.

That smile was transparently false—skin smiling but not the flesh beneath.

Actually, the Music Bureau did produce one or two infatuated men who’d bankrupt themselves to redeem their favored young ladies.

Such men looked at young ladies differently—with shining eyes.

Li San’s eyes held none of that. When he looked at Shishui, there was even a hint of indifference. His face seemed to wear a mask—sentiment on the surface, calculation underneath.

“Ah Shui, don’t go with him. He’s no good person. Maybe in a few years he’ll sell you off. Believe me—I’m very accurate reading people, never wrong.”

She approached, speaking softly, “Guihua, do you trust me?”

“I trust you, but I don’t trust him.”

“Trust me, and let me go with him.”

Shishui’s gaze was gentle, her voice gentle too. “Within half a month after I leave, he’ll definitely come back to redeem you.”

“I don’t want him to redeem me! What is he? Just has some stinking money!”

Guihua wailed in a hoarse voice.

“Ah Shui, aren’t things fine as they are now? We have food, clothes, life getting better each day. With me here, no one in the Music Bureau dares bully you.

When you reach thirty, you can become a mama. Pick a few outstanding young ladies, train them well, let them earn money for us. If they dare disobey, I’ll discipline them for you.

Ah Shui, the outside world is very chaotic, full of bad people and bandits. Some young ladies who were redeemed came back crying, saying they couldn’t survive outside.

When you’re old, I’ll still take care of you. When we die, we’ll be buried together. Even in the underworld, we can keep each other company.”

“But I want to go out.”

“Out, out, out—what’s so good about going out?”

“Being able to be a proper person.”

“Can’t you be a person at the Music Bureau?”

“What we are are ghosts. Only ghosts sleep during the day and emerge at night. People rise at sunrise and rest at sunset.”

She walked to the window, propped open the lattice, her voice slightly choked.

“Guihua, how long has it been since you’ve seen the rising sun? How long since you’ve heard birds chirping on branches at dawn?

In spring, the peach blossoms on East Mountain bloom beautifully. In autumn, the maple leaves on West Mountain are redder than sunset… The Music Bureau can’t see any of this, but I want to see it all.”

Tears silently streamed from her eyes.

“I also want to see another performance by the Qingyu Troupe. There’s a girl named Guihua in the troupe too. She sings beautifully.”

Guihua only felt bitter sorrow.

Ah Shui, do you know? Those East Mountain peach blossoms, West Mountain maple leaves, the Qingyu Troupe’s Guihua—I don’t want to see or hear any of it.

I was born at the Music Bureau, grew up at the Music Bureau, and will die at the Music Bureau.

This is where my four seasons are!