Only one person in this world called Xie Zhifei this way.

Xie Zhifei was anxious as fire right now—where did he have time to deal with this ancestor? He mounted his horse saying, “Speak while walking. I have urgent business.”

“You’re more urgent than me!”

Pei Xiao was about to curse loudly when he saw Xie Zhifei’s expression was unprecedentedly ugly. Knowing something major had happened, he quickly mounted his horse and chased after him.

The two horses ran side by side.

Xie Zhifei spared a glance at Pei Xiao. “Speak. What’s the matter?”

Pei Xiao bounced up and down on his horse, his voice also bouncing: “Where did you find out about this person Li Buyan?”

Xie Zhifei raised his brows. “What, you found the person?”

Pei Xiao glared at him sideways. “I inquired all through Fugong County high and low—there’s simply no such person!”

Xie Zhifei’s forehead vein jumped. “How is it possible there’s no one?”

“That’s exactly what I want to ask you!”

“I…”

With this moment of Xie Zhifei’s hesitation, he immediately lit Pei Xiao’s fuse.

“Xie Wushi, my maternal grandmother’s tomb is still open. This weather gets hotter day by day. If it continues like this…”

Thinking of that scene, Pei Xiao’s hair stood on end.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I’d like to trust you, but you tell me yourself—what the hell are all these heart念s and heart demons you mentioned?”

Pei Xiao gnashed his teeth in anger. “Even ghosts wouldn’t believe what you say.”

Believe it or not!

Third Master doesn’t have time to care about your Ji family’s broken matters right now!

Xie Zhifei jerked the reins. The horse galloped away.

“Hey, you bastard, where are you going? Are you too ashamed to face me? You deliberately set me up.”

Pei Xiao also jerked his reins and caught up.

“Let me tell you, if you don’t help me resolve this matter, my maternal grandmother and I—one will pester you during the day, one will pester you at night.”

Xie Zhifei was so angry he almost fell off his horse.

Damn it!

Why isn’t there a single smooth matter?

…

Very quickly, the group rushed to Baoyu Pavilion.

The shopkeeper of Baoyu Pavilion knew he’d caused trouble and was just planning to close for business. Several door boards had just been erected when someone grabbed his neck.

“Speak! Where is that young lady?”

The shopkeeper, seeing it was Third Master Xie from the North City Military Commissioner, dared not conceal anything and related the matter in complete detail.

When the last word fell, the entire world became exceptionally quiet.

Pei Xiao looked with lingering fear at his lower region.

This young lady’s style of conduct—how was it somewhat similar to that little bitch the Xie family’s eldest raised outside?

Xie Zhifei felt he was about to suffocate.

Every fist that struck Yan Sanhe was like striking the Xie household’s face.

He asked through gritted teeth, “Who was the other party?”

The shopkeeper wailed with a mournful face. “Third Master, that person is the son of the Left Vice Minister of Justice, Xu Sheng. We common people can’t provoke him!”

“It’s actually him!”

Xie Zhifei felt as if he’d fallen into an ice cellar.

This person was the famously notorious lecher of the capital, keeping a gang of escorts and thugs around him. Any woman he set his eyes on—not one escaped.

“Master!”

Zhu Qing said in a low voice, “This matter needs to be reported to the master immediately.”

Xie Zhifei was very clear in his heart that his insignificant official position, facing Left Vice Minister of Justice Xu Lai, simply wasn’t enough.

“Right now, not only do we need to notify Father, but we also need to…”

He gritted his teeth and didn’t continue, but Zhu Qing immediately understood.

When the master received the news and rushed to the Ministry of Justice to demand the person, even if everything went completely smoothly, it would take at least one hour.

In this one hour, anything could happen in the prison. If it were a man, it would be bearable—at worst, tortured. But this was a young lady.

Thinking of this, Zhu Qing also panicked. “Master, what should we do?”

Xie Zhifei was stumped.

Even if the person had been taken by the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Censorate, he would have ways to try. But the Ministry of Justice…

That was the Han Prince’s territory. He couldn’t reach his hand in there.

“Xie Wushi, who is this young lady? Her righteousness is truly righteous enough, but she’s just too fierce—can a man’s manhood be kicked casually? And kicked twice?”

Just thinking about it, Pei Xiao felt his balls ached.

Xie Zhifei deeply sympathized. Back then, if he hadn’t dodged quickly, he would also have nearly been…

Suddenly, the expression on his face split apart, becoming like a fierce demon.

“Mingting, what did you just say?”

Pei Xiao: “…”

What did I say?

Zhu Qing: “Master, Master Pei said kicked twice.”

Like a bolt of lightning striking down from above, Xie Zhifei grabbed Pei Xiao’s collar.

“Twice—the injury must not be light. The Xu family will definitely go to the Imperial Physicians’ Court to request someone. You know people there well—quickly go find out who they requested.”

Pei Xiao looked completely confused: “…”

Xie Zhifei: “I don’t care what method you use, have that person exaggerate the severity—say if not treated immediately, he’ll be sterile for life, that kind of thing.”

“Xie Wushi, you’re asking me to lie with my eyes open. What if…”

“Pei Mingting!”

Xie Sanye spoke word by word.

“Li Buyan came from that young lady’s mouth. If you truly want to know why the person can’t be found, help me rescue her.”

“You bastard, why didn’t you tell me this earlier, you son of a bitch!”

Pei Xiao shoved Xie Zhifei away, mounted his horse. As the hoofbeats started, Young Master Pei’s curses came in an endless stream—

“Xie Wushi, I, Pei Mingting, was blind to become brothers with a crude fellow like you who speaks in halves! You dog!”

Xie Sanye—called both bastard and dog—picked at his ear, but the expression on his face relaxed somewhat.

The fiercer the cursing, the more seriously this kid took it, and the matter would one hundred percent be handled properly.

Zhu Qing: “Master, the person notifying the master has already departed. What should we do?”

“What do you mean what should we do?”

Xie Sanye curved a cold smile. “Come, follow Third Master to the Ministry of Justice to demand the person!”

…

Ministry of Justice office.

Young Master Xu’s pig-slaughtering screams made everyone’s scalps tingle.

The imperial physician hadn’t arrived yet. Xu Lai paced anxiously in circles.

He had several wives and concubines—each one only bore money-losing daughters. Finally got this one with a handle, still counting on him to continue the Xu family line. If that thing had any problems…

This would cut off the Xu family’s posterity!

“It hurts, I hurt…”

Xu Sheng grabbed his father’s sleeve, crying and shouting, “Father, have that bitch’s hand tendons and foot tendons severed for me. I, I want to rape then kill her, dismember her body!”

“This matter can be discussed later. Once she’s in our hands, that person…”

“I don’t want later—I want now, immediately, at once!”

Xu Sheng cried until tears flew. “Father, if you don’t avenge your son, your son won’t live—won’t live!”

“Good, good, good.”

Xu Lai gritted his teeth. “Father will immediately have someone sever her hand and foot tendons.”

…

In the prison, the stench was overwhelming.

Yan Sanhe sat cross-legged on a tattered mat, facing off against several unbridled rats.

Only her gaze held no focus.

By now, the Xie family should have received the news. Barring surprises, they absolutely wouldn’t sit by and watch—it was just a matter of time.

What she needed to do now, besides patiently waiting, was to guard against that person’s revenge.

But in this kind of place, how could she protect herself?

Yan Sanhe looked around, turned her back, and felt for the corner of her garment, then lightly tore.

A small gold hairpin fell into her palm.

This gold hairpin was small, but to pierce through an adult’s throat was easy as flipping one’s hand. If worst came to worst, she could also use it to preserve her innocence.

This was the last line of protection Yan Sanhe arranged for herself.

“Clang!”

The iron door at the end of the corridor was opened. Chaotic footsteps came from far to near.

All the blood in Yan Sanhe’s body, in this instant, rushed straight to her head.