“Zhu Weixi, Xie Erli.”

Yan Sanhe: “You two go keep Madam company. If she can still speak, have her recall the details of how she and the master got along over the years.”

The couple’s faces both showed some discomfort.

Young Master Pei frantically signaled Xie Erli with his eyes: Go quickly, brother! Can’t you see Yan Sanhe is creating an opportunity for you!

“Miss Yan.”

Xie Erli’s voice was detached. “I won’t accompany her. There are still matters at the yamen tomorrow morning. I’ll come after the workday ends.”

“That’s fine too.”

Yan Sanhe never forced anyone. “Young Master Pei, see Master Xie off for me.”

Young Master Pei really didn’t want to agree.

Seeing him off was false—persuading him along the way was the real purpose.

But how to persuade?

“Brother Xie, you need to be more magnanimous—your wife has already returned anyway”—these words, Young Master Pei couldn’t say them.

While Pei Xiao remained silent, Yan Sanhe had already walked before Zhu Weixi: “The snow is heavy outside. Come, I’ll see you off too.”

Zhu Weixi shook her head: “Yan Sanhe, I can walk by myself. Don’t see me off, hurry with your work.”

“Alright then. Remember to give Madam a message—tell her I’ve returned and am busy, and that no matter what, she must wait for me.”

Yan Sanhe: “I’ll bring the truth to her.”

Zhu Weixi’s eyes grew hot. She nodded forcefully. “I’m going now.”

She walked to the threshold on her own, opened her umbrella, and without sparing Xie Erli even a glance, stepped into the heavy snow.

One person, one umbrella disappeared at the archway without looking back once.

Xie Erli suppressed the anger in his eyes. Without even opening an umbrella, he hurriedly left.

Walking past the archway, he didn’t choose the path Zhu Weixi had taken but turned to leave in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Young Master Pei rushed out, looking this way and that.

Did this mean they were parting ways?

“That Xie fellow’s stubborn manner—how can he compare to Geng Songsheng?”

Li Buyan lightly raised an eyebrow: “Just divorce. It’d be more straightforward.”

“Don’t complain.”

Yan Sanhe: “Come with me to Jietai Temple.”

Li Buyan was greatly surprised. “In this heavy snow, what are we going to Jietai Temple for?”

Yan Sanhe said softly: “To look at the osmanthus flowers.”

…

Jietai Temple was in the inner city.

Pei Xiao was very familiar with it.

Previously, he’d often taken monks to entertainment houses to listen to music, including the abbot of Jietai Temple.

The snow was heavy. The four opened umbrellas and walked out of the Zhu Manor.

Huang Qi closed his umbrella and startled. “Master, look quickly—it’s Third Master.”

It was Third Master.

One hand holding an umbrella, one hand supporting himself against the carriage, his right foot barely touching the ground, dark eyes gazing at Yan Sanhe.

Seeing that he didn’t give him even a glance, Pei Xiao angrily rewarded Huang Qi with a knuckle rap.

“Don’t look at your own master, what are you looking at Third Master for?”

Huang Qi was dazed by the blow. “Can’t I look at Third Master?”

Pei Xiao: “You cannot.”

Huang Qi: “Why not? Aren’t you and Third Master good brothers?”

“Good brothers?”

Pei Xiao laughed coldly: “Only those who say everything to each other are good brothers. Those who sneakily do this and that are all bad seeds.”

“Li Buyan, make this shrew shut up.”

“Gladly!”

Li Buyan’s hand unconsciously reached for her waist, only then remembering her soft sword had broken on the mountainside of the Eastern Platform.

“Young Master Pei, have some self-awareness.”

Young Master Pei: “…” He was called a shrew again?

Yan Sanhe walked under Xie Zhifei’s umbrella and looked up: “Why did you come back again?”

“Everything has been arranged. The Grand Heir’s side, the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s side are also helping search. Both Zhu Qing and Ding Yi are watching.”

Xie Zhifei furrowed his brow looking at her: “I have nothing to do, so I’m watching the snow scenery at the Zhu Manor gate.”

Just spin your tale!

“How’s the scenery?” Yan Sanhe asked.

“The scenery is average.”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze deepened: “The person is excellent.”

His long-missed sweet talk was back!

Yan Sanhe: “The scenery at Jietai Temple is nice. Want to go see it together?”

Xie Zhifei: “Yes!”

Yan Sanhe: “Can you climb onto the carriage?”

Xie Zhifei: “I need you to help me.”

Yan Sanhe patted her shoulder. “Come, hold here.”

“Never mind, I’m reluctant to.”

Xie Zhifei braced himself against the carriage, hopping on one foot several times to reach the front, slowly lifting his injured leg up first.

Damn it, injured this badly.

Young Master Pei felt heartache again and raised his hand to give Huang Qi another knuckle rap.

“Can’t you see Third Master is inconvenienced? Why aren’t you helping him?”

Huang Qi: “…”

Li Buyan turned to look at Young Master Pei and chuckled.

Young Master Pei was puzzled: “What are you laughing at?”

Li Buyan: “Laughing that the shrew is somewhat cute.”

Young Master Pei: “…”

…

The carriage quickly started, but unfortunately hadn’t gone far before being stopped.

Stopped by Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Xie Zhifei lifted the carriage curtain, passed over his waist token, and smoothly handed over a banknote. The Embroidered Uniform Guard said nothing and let them pass.

“Recently the capital has strict inspections, especially after midnight—almost every carriage is checked, every person questioned.”

Yan Sanhe was alarmed: “The three masters from the Zhu Manor…”

“No need to worry.”

Xie Zhifei: “The Directorate of Astronomy has its own waist tokens. Their assignments are quite special—the Embroidered Uniform Guard generally doesn’t dare stop them.”

Yan Sanhe: “Did you run into your elder brother?”

Xie Zhifei was startled. “My elder brother left?”

“Yes.”

Xie Zhifei was slightly embarrassed, but only for a moment. “Going back is good. He needs time to process things.”

Yan Sanhe looked at Xie Zhifei. Xie Zhifei smiled bitterly: “We’re not him.”

After hearing Geng Songsheng and Zhu Weixi’s story, what would he think?

After learning about his father-in-law’s character, what would he think?

We’re all people outside the whirlpool, opening our mouths to speak lightly.

He’s in the whirlpool—he must taste all the flavors himself.

“Don’t talk about him.”

Xie Zhifei changed the subject: “What does Jietai Temple’s osmanthus have to do with Zhu Xuanjiu’s heart demon?”

With this question, the other two in the carriage quietly pricked up their ears.

“I haven’t yet figured out the relationship.”

Yan Sanhe: “Outside Zhu Weixi’s courtyard is an osmanthus grove. When Zhu Xuanjiu was seriously ill, he sent Zhu Weixi to Jietai Temple. I think this should be a very important clue.”

Xie Zhifei said “Oh,” then slowly continued:

“Since he dislikes Madam Mao, could there be someone else he likes? If so, I wonder if the osmanthus might be related to the person he likes. Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be thinking about it while ill.”

Yan Sanhe looked at Xie Zhifei, slightly surprised.

“What?”

Xie Zhifei: “Did you think of the same thing?”

Yan Sanhe: “Yes!”

Xie Zhifei: “That person should also be somewhat related to my sister-in-law. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent her.”

Yan Sanhe: “Yes!”

Xie Zhifei: “Find that person, and we can know why he favored my sister-in-law but detested Madam Mao. We can also roughly understand why he insisted on separating my sister-in-law from Geng Songsheng.”

Yan Sanhe was almost speechless—it was exactly the same as what she’d imagined.

Li Buyan was stunned. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “Third Master suddenly became intelligent?”

“Since I couldn’t go to Mount Wutai, I could only ponder things alone at home every day.”

Xie Zhifei looked up at Li Buyan, then his gaze fell back on Yan Sanhe.

“To avoid being disliked and standing there only able to be a wooden post.”

Young Master Pei didn’t understand this.

But when he didn’t understand, he asked.

“Who treated you like a wooden post?”

Yan Sanhe looked at her own reflection in Xie Zhifei’s eyes: “You!”

Young Master Pei felt wronged: “When did I treat him like a wooden post?”

Yan Sanhe: “When entering the city.”

Young Master Pei: “…” Did I?

Xie Zhifei drawled: “Yan Sanhe, so you understood all along?”

“I understood.”

Yan Sanhe shifted her gaze away. “Young Master Pei deliberately treated you like a wooden post.”

Xie Zhifei: “Why?”

Yan Sanhe: “Who told you not to give him candy?”

Xie Zhifei: “What about you?”

Yan Sanhe: “I was also deliberate.”

Xie Zhifei: “Why?”

Yan Sanhe: “Who told you to only give me candy?”

Xie Zhifei was startled, then burst into hearty laughter.

On the side.

Young Master Pei turned to look at Li Buyan: Can you understand this?

Li Buyan gave him a look that said “are you an idiot?”

They’re flirting—why would we need to understand it?