You also know this matter is important?

Yet you dare to push forward desperately?

Yan Sanhe: “Third Master, are you very idle?”

Xie Zhifei: “Very idle!”

Yan Sanhe gritted her teeth. “What if I don’t agree?”

“Try it?” Third Master’s gaze was ice-cold.

This was a Xie Zhifei Yan Sanhe had never seen—like a rakshasa who would take the life of anyone who defied him.

This person was truly strange.

Clearly earlier he told her that because of the Xie family, he couldn’t continue investigating Tang Qiling’s case.

“Since Third Master wants to go, let him go!”

Li Buyan said to Yan Sanhe meaningfully, “Once we reach Hejian Prefecture, Third Master might even be able to help.”

Before Yan Sanhe could speak, Xie Zhifei stood up. “Then it’s settled. I’ll go back first.”

What’s settled?

Yan Sanhe’s face darkened. “Does Third Master still remember what your surname is?”

“No need for Miss Yan to remind me. Anyone can forget, but…”

Xie Zhifei laughed coldly. “I cannot forget what my surname is or what my name is.” Nor can I.

I truly can’t understand you!

Yan Sanhe turned to look out the window, giving everyone her back.

To the side, Li Buyan looked at this one, looked at that one, thinking: This situation doesn’t seem quite right.

Yan Sanhe was fine—at least this person hadn’t awakened yet.

But Third Master shouldn’t be like this. Didn’t he have some feelings for Sanhe? How could it be that once she moved out of the Xie residence, those feelings were like a fart—released and gone?

“Third Master, I’ll see you out!”

“Oh my, then I’ll trouble Hero Li.”

Xie Zhifei walked to the courtyard entrance, suddenly turned around, his gaze dully looking at Yan Sanhe once more, then turned and left.

Yan Sanhe looked at this person’s back, somewhat dazed. This person kept looking at her again and again with indescribably complex expressions in his eyes. What exactly did he mean?

Couldn’t figure it out, might as well not think about it.

“Tangyuan!”

“Miss!”

“Pack three sets of clothes for Li Buyan and me. Have the kitchen steam a basket of steamed buns immediately.”

“Miss, are you going to…”

“Going out. Watch the house well. Don’t worry—we’ll definitely return within ten days.”

Having said this, she walked out of the study and into the night.

The night was cool as water.

Yan Sanhe’s mind was exceptionally clear.

Connecting the information points of gentry, successful candidate, retirement, and adopted daughter wouldn’t be too difficult. As long as Tang Jianxi was alive, this trip to Hejian Prefecture would definitely find him.

He was Jingchen’s senior fellow student and had adopted Jingchen’s foster daughter. So if Jingchen’s coffin couldn’t be closed, he couldn’t possibly sit by and do nothing.

It could be foreseen that many things about the Tang family could definitely be learned from his mouth.

From the nunnery to the Office of Music, then to the Tang family… she was approaching the core of the entire incident step by step, and the most important part of this core was the spring examination fraud case and the Late Crown Prince.

Too dangerous, Xie Zhifei!

Yan Sanhe murmured lowly, “No matter what, I cannot drag you and Young Master Pei into this again!”

…

At the residence gate.

Just as Xie Zhifei was about to mount his horse, his arm was suddenly grabbed.

He twisted his head. “What instructions does Hero Li have?”

Li Buyan withdrew her hand, smiling. “I want to say a few private words with Third Master.”

Xie Zhifei looked at Li Buyan’s face, his hands crossing his chest defensively. “Late at night, it’s not quite appropriate for us, a lone man and woman!”

Li Buyan’s smile didn’t change. “If Third Master treats me as a man, it’s appropriate.”

“Zhu Qing, wait for me at the alley entrance.”

“Yes!”

Zhu Qing mounted his horse, pressed his legs to the horse’s belly, and the person had already galloped away.

“Say what you need to say.”

“Third Master, regarding our Sanhe…”

“Hero Li.”

Xie Zhifei coldly interrupted. “At this critical juncture, you should be thinking about how to help your young miss resolve heart demons, not inquiring about irrelevant matters.”

“Xie Zhifei.”

Li Buyan addressed him by full name. “I, Hero Li, don’t understand what ‘irrelevant matters’ means. I only understand one thing.”

“Speak!”

“Whoever dares bully our Sanhe, I’ll kill them!”

A surge of anger rose from his lower abdomen. Xie Zhifei was so angry his eyes shot golden stars. He thought: You troublemaking stick, open your shit eyes wide and look clearly—I’m bullying her?

I could give her my life!

…

Two horses galloped one after another through the dark night.

Just as they were about to reach Four Lanes Alley, Zhu Qing in front suddenly pulled the reins. The horse spun several circles in place before steadily stopping.

Xie Zhifei didn’t know what he was doing and also pulled his reins.

Zhu Qing dismounted, walked before Xie Zhifei, bit his back teeth, raised his head and said, “Third Master, can we not go to Hejian Prefecture?”

“Why?”

“Because of the Xie family.”

Xie Zhifei’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

“Master surely doesn’t know how shocked Brother Han was when I mentioned the three words ‘Tang Qiling.'”

Zhu Qing clenched his hands tightly. “If not for Master’s past kindness to him, he wouldn’t have investigated these two people for Master at all.”

The Brother Han that Zhu Qing mentioned was named Han Yong. He held the position of Flag Commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard—not a high rank, but responsible for collecting various intelligence.

Several years ago, Han Yong’s mother fell gravely ill with no cure. He sought out Xie Zhifei, hoping he would ask Young Master Pei for a favor to buy a few Soul-Returning Pills from the Hundred Medicines Hall at a discount.

Xie Zhifei learned that Han Yong had already emptied his family fortune to treat his mother’s illness, so he simply paid out of his own pocket and gave him twenty Soul-Returning Pills.

“After Brother Han passed me the information, he repeatedly warned me with one sentence. Even if I don’t say it, Master understands in his heart.”

More than understood!

Xie Zhifei dismounted, looking at Zhu Qing and speaking in a low voice.

“What you’re saying, I know.”

“Since Master understands in his heart, you shouldn’t interfere further with Jingchen’s matter. If the Master finds out about this…”

Zhu Qing didn’t dare continue speaking, nor did he dare keep thinking. When investigating Zhu and Tang, he was already trembling with fear.

“Just now, listening to Miss Yan’s meaning, she doesn’t want Master to follow. I also know Master can’t let go in his heart.”

Zhu Qing lowered his head. “But even if you can’t let go, you must let go. Master has so many people behind him. Isn’t that right, Master?”

Xie Zhifei looked at him, his gaze as if dyed with autumn night’s cold air, somewhat chilly.

When his soul fell into Xie Residence Third Master’s body, Zhu Qing had just arrived at the Xie residence. In nine years, master and servant had relied on each other, not separated for a single day.

Zhu Qing was the type who wouldn’t produce a fart even if beaten three times, but once matters were placed in his hands, they were handled even more reliably than if Xie Zhifei did them himself.

“You’ve already seen that I can’t let go?”

“I’ve followed Master for nine years.”

When Master was happy, when unhappy, when speaking truth, when speaking lies, when truly smiling, when falsely smiling…

Zhu Qing knew all of it clearly in his heart.

“Master was already different toward Miss Yan back in Nanning Prefecture. When Master gets drunk, he never causes trouble with women, only with men. Master often says causing trouble with women will cause problems.”

Xie Zhifei suddenly smiled.

So I had already become interested back then.

But life’s circumstances are unpredictable—who could have known that girl would go round and round and turn out to be my former younger sister?

“Why is Master smiling?”

“Smiling because you really do understand me!”

Hearing this, Zhu Qing immediately knelt on one knee.

Xie Zhifei lowered his head. The arc at the corners of his lips slowly disappeared.

“Behind me is not only the Xie family, but also Young Master Pei, the Grand Imperial Grandson. Even for their sakes, I shouldn’t take this risk. I understand all this in my heart, I’m clear about it all, I’ve weighed it all. But Zhu Qing…”

Zhu Qing suddenly raised his head, looking at his master in disbelief.