Young Master Pei asked, “What did you do right?”

Xie Zhifei: “Having your father leave first.”

Young Master Pei’s expression changed slightly. “What did you do wrong?”

Xie Zhifei: “Not driving my brother away.”

“So…”

Pei Xiao also sat up, asking with trepidation, “You think Taiwei’s words… were true?”

“Whether true or false is hard to say.”

Xie Zhifei bit his lip. “I only know that when a person is about to die, their words are kind.”

“Ancestor…”

Young Master Pei was so anxious tears were about to fall.

“Please stop scaring me. If his words are true, and we keep investigating, it’ll be a disaster of having our families exterminated and clans wiped out. This young master hasn’t married a wife yet, hasn’t had a son yet. I don’t want to die so early.”

“So what you need to consider now isn’t whether Taiwei’s words are true or false, but…”

Xie Zhifei’s face darkened, using an unprecedentedly serious tone.

“Whether to continue investigating with Yan Sanhe, or stop here?”

“This…”

Young Master Pei hesitated.

Keep investigating—his life wouldn’t be safe.

Don’t investigate—the Zhu family would all die out.

But…

The Zhu family dying had nothing to do with him dying.

Pei Xiao made an immediate decision. “Don’t investigate. Withdraw.”

Preserving his life was most important!

“Not only must we withdraw, we must make Yan Sanhe and her group withdraw too.”

Pei Xiao hesitated. “Especially Hero Li. We must keep watch over her. This is no joke.”

“Hero Li doesn’t matter much. The key is Zhu Yuanmo.”

Xie Zhifei touched the cold sweat in his palm. “As long as he doesn’t want to continue investigating this heart demon, Yan Sanhe and Li Buyan don’t need watching at all.”

“If I were Zhu Yuanmo, I wouldn’t investigate.”

Pei Xiao scooted forward a few inches, lowering his voice. “Although both end in death…”

Pei Xiao lowered his voice even more. “Dying from heart demon complications is still better than having the family exterminated and clan wiped out. The former can at least preserve the Zhu family’s reputation. The latter… there’d be nothing left.”

Xie Zhifei slowly exhaled.

His heart ached right now.

Very much.

…

In the carriage.

Zhu Yuanmo leaned against the carriage wall, his face as white as a ghost, barely alive.

“Elder Brother.”

Xie Erli passed over the warm tea. “Drink a little, moisten your lips.”

There were several cracks on his lips, and dried bloodstains remained at both corners of his mouth. If he went back like this, the family would worry.

Zhu Yuanmo shook his head and said hoarsely, “Erli, after Mother’s funeral, take your elder sister home. Don’t come to the Zhu household for now.”

“Elder Brother?”

“You call me Elder Brother, so I must think of you all. I can’t involve you, can’t involve your Xie family too.”

Zhu Yuanmo said slowly, “Save one if we can.”

Xie Erli’s heart trembled at these words, yet he couldn’t refute them.

Mingting said if it involved the Imperial Observatory, he tried his hardest to think of the worst—at most Zhu Xuanjiu had deliberately miscalculated someone’s fate, misjudged feng shui, or harmed someone else.

Who could have imagined…

It would actually involve the Late Crown Prince.

This was a calamity of nine generations being executed!

Xie Erli had originally thought he could help somehow, but now it seemed he absolutely could not.

Not only could he not, but Third Brother and Mingting must withdraw. They absolutely could not get involved anymore.

“After returning, don’t mention this to anyone, including Second Brother and Third Brother. Don’t say a word. Act as if nothing happened.”

“Elder Brother, then what about the Zhu family?”

“Erli.”

Zhu Yuanmo’s heart felt like it was being cut with knives. “The Zhu family has reached its end. The end…”

Xie Erli looked at him sympathetically, wanting to say “Heaven never seals off all exits,” and wanting to say “There’s still Miss Yan.”

He couldn’t say anything.

Heaven never seals off all exits—but the Zhu family had precisely reached a dead end.

There’s still Miss Yan—throughout the land under heaven, all is the king’s territory; among all who dwell by the shores, all are the king’s subjects.

Yan Sanhe was just a frail young woman. She could resolve heart demons for the dead, but had no way to make the living show mercy.

The Late Crown Prince’s Witchcraft Curse Case?

That pointed directly at the current emperor!

…

The carriage stopped at the back gate. The old steward hurried down several steps and lifted the curtain.

Xie Erli helped Zhu Yuanmo down from the carriage and through the gate.

The old steward helped the eldest master put on mourning clothes, briefly explained the current situation in the residence, then asked in a low voice:

“Seven days from now is the funeral. Master, where do you plan to bury the mistress? This old servant should begin preparations.”

According to Zhu family rules, married couples were buried together in the same tomb.

This actually didn’t need asking, but now…

The old steward had to ask.

Zhu Yuanmo used his sleeve to wipe the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth and said coldly, “Isn’t his coffin displayed in the temple? Let the mistress’s coffin be lowered into that tomb plot first.”

As for that person…

He wasn’t even worthy of entering the Zhu family ancestral burial ground!

“Yes!”

The master and servant talked while entering the mourning hall.

Seeing the eldest brother return, Second Brother and Third Brother quickly got up and came forward.

Zhu Yuanhao was just about to speak when Zhu Yuanmo’s gaze turned stern, assuming the demeanor of the family head. “Everything waits until we’ve seen Mother off.”

Second Master Zhu and Third Master Zhu, seeing the eldest brother’s stern face, didn’t dare say more and immediately retreated to their original kneeling positions.

Zhu Yuanmo picked up a stick of incense, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner. Then he knelt on the prayer cushion.

After kowtowing three times, he didn’t get up. Instead, amid his brothers’ and sisters-in-law’s alarmed cries, he collapsed forward.

…

Just as Zhu Yuanmo collapsed, Xie Zhifei knocked on Yan Sanhe’s window.

“It’s me.”

“Have Zhu Qing help you to the main hall to talk.”

Yan Sanhe hadn’t slept all night, and her clothes were all neat and tidy.

She walked to the main hall, lit a lamp, and opened the door to invite the master and servant inside.

Outside the door, Xie Zhifei supported himself with one hand on the threshold, one foot balanced on tiptoe. “Let’s just talk here. It’s only a few words.”

At this moment, the sky was still gray and dark. Candlelight shone from behind Yan Sanhe, seeming to wrap her in a circle of soft glow.

His heart also softened accordingly.

“I won’t come over these next few days. I’ll go home to stay for a while and rest my leg. Seven days from now when the mistress’s funeral procession sets out, I’ll go see her off.”

Yan Sanhe nodded.

“About this heart demon…”

While speaking, Xie Zhifei observed Yan Sanhe’s expression.

“How about we pause for now? Wait until we’ve seen off the mistress, let Elder Brother Zhu think it over before deciding.”

“Xie Chengyu, is Tianshi’s mansion in the capital still there or not?”

Xie Zhifei’s pupils trembled. “You, what do you want to do?”

“Want to go take a look.”

Seeing his face turn white with fright, Yan Sanhe quickly added, “Just Buyan and me. We’ll take advantage of the darkness and won’t alarm anyone.”

Xie Zhifei covered his chest. “Yan Sanhe…”

“I cherish my life.”

Yan Sanhe interrupted him. “As long as Zhu Yuanmo says not to investigate, I absolutely won’t continue investigating.”

“You said so?”

“I said so.”

“Is that a promise?”

“It’s a promise!”

Xie Zhifei’s heart—the stone weighing on it—finally dropped. What he feared most was Yan Sanhe insisting on continuing the investigation.

“After I return to the ministry, I’ll find a way to help you search, but you two can’t go. Take Zhu Qing with you.”

Yan Sanhe: “Alright.”

So obedient?

Xie Zhifei was somewhat unaccustomed.

“In the past, no one cared!”

Yan Sanhe tossed out this sentence and slammed the door shut with a “bang.”

Xie Zhifei’s hand was nearly caught by the door—fortunately he pulled back quickly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, savoring that last sentence. His heart, which had been beating rapidly, suddenly beat even faster.

In the past, no one cared.

Now that someone cares, naturally she cherishes her life more.