“Miss!”

“Miss!”

The servant women quickly surrounded her, helping her up with seven or eight hands.

At this moment, Du Yiyun was scared pale-faced, her hair disheveled: “Yan, Yan Sanhe, you allowed your slave to assault others. You, you just wait.”

Yan Sanhe looked at her calmly: “Mm, I’ll wait.”

Du Yiyun, embarrassed into rage, shook off the servant women’s hands and stormed downstairs.

Li Buyan patted the dumbfounded Lanchuan, deliberately saying loudly: “Tomorrow Master will teach you the dog-beating stick technique. Guarantee when dogs see you, they’ll obediently take detours.”

Lanchuan: “Master, dogs are animals. We humans can’t stoop to animals’ level.”

Li Buyan paused, then smiled.

Oh my, this little girl…

Not bad!

…

A small episode made all the shop assistants and seamstresses understand—these four unremarkable people couldn’t be provoked.

They didn’t even put in their eyes the thousand-gold daughter of Minister Du from the Ministry of Rites, the future Princess Consort of the Prince of Han’s heir.

The assistants served tea and snacks more attentively than serving ancestors.

The seamstresses surrounded the four, not only taking measurements but enthusiastically introducing the current fashionable styles among noble ladies.

Yan Sanhe couldn’t stand that overly warm energy. She signaled Li Buyan with her eyes: “I’ll go downstairs first.”

Li Buyan wasn’t at ease. Turning around: “Wait for me. I’ll go down with you.”

A seamstress grabbed Li Buyan’s body and turned it around: “Miss hasn’t finished measuring yet. Absolutely mustn’t move.”

Yan Sanhe: “I’ll just walk around the courtyard. Make two more outfits for Tang Yuan and Lanchuan. Pick the best-looking styles.”

The courtyard was right inside the building with people coming and going. Li Buyan felt reassured.

“Tang Yuan, Lanchuan, when picking masters, you must pick ones with kind hearts like our miss. Those who keep ‘lowly maid’ on their lips constantly—no matter how much silver they give, we don’t serve them.”

Yan Sanhe smiled.

Tang Yuan also smiled.

Lanchuan followed with a silly smile.

…

After the clothes were measured and styles selected, Li Buyan paid the deposit and hurriedly went downstairs with Tang Yuan and Lanchuan.

Down the stairs, turning back, just a few steps led to the courtyard.

The winter courtyard had nothing worth seeing—a tall scholar tree, several clumps of green bamboo, a shallow pool beside them with a few fish inside.

Li Buyan’s gaze swept around—no one in sight. “Yan Sanhe, Yan Sanhe?”

Called twice—no one answered.

Don’t tell me she ran into that lunatic Du Yiyun again?

“Tang Yuan, check the front and back gates. Lanchuan, go ask around.”

“Yes!”

Both ran off and quickly returned.

“Miss Li, she’s not at the front or back gates.”

“Master, the shop assistants all say they haven’t seen her.”

Li Buyan’s gaze sharpened. She strode to the counter.

White light flashed. A sword appeared at the shopkeeper’s neck.

“My young miss has gone missing. She disappeared right in your courtyard.”

Li Buyan’s tone was sinister: “I’ll give you half a cup of tea’s time to find her. Otherwise, this aunt will make sure you don’t see tomorrow’s sun.”

The shopkeeper remembered their miss—thin, very frail-looking.

But in broad daylight, how could someone disappear?

Impossible!

“Miss, don’t worry. I, I’ll look for her right away. You first, first move the sword away.”

Li Buyan withdrew the sword, watching the shopkeeper’s hurried back. An indescribable unease surged in her heart.

…

Half an hour later.

Five Districts Military Commission.

Xie Zhifei’s eyes were fierce but his expression remained fairly calm.

“Luo Daqiang.”

“Boss, here.”

“Report received—Cabinet Minister Xie Daozhi’s goddaughter went missing at Jinxiu Silk Shop. Command the brothers from all five directions—East, South, West, North, Central—to immediately search for her.”

“Yes!”

After watching the person leave, Xie Zhifei suppressed his voice: “Ding Yi.”

“Master?”

“Release word to all informants. Whoever has news of Yan Sanhe, regardless of size, the Xie family rewards five hundred taels of silver.”

Ding Yi: “Master, should we… at the Embroidered Uniform Guard…”

Xie Zhifei: “Don’t alert them yet. Wait until I return from the Du house.”

Ding Yi: “Yes.”

Xie Zhifei: “Zhu Qing, you come with me to the Du house.”

Zhu Qing: “Yes!”

Xie Zhifei grabbed the sword at hand and walked into the courtyard, raising his head to look at the sky.

Entering the twelfth month, the weather became terribly cold and gloomy. For five or six days the sun hadn’t appeared. At this moment, a strong wind was blowing, making the cloud layers churn.

This scene gave Xie Zhifei a feeling that wind and rain were about to come, filling the tower.

…

Du estate.

Flower hall.

“Absurd!”

Du Jianxue: “My daughter wouldn’t bear to step on even an ant. How could she possibly have captured Yan Sanhe and hidden her?”

“Minister Du, your esteemed estate’s young miss had a verbal altercation with Yan Sanhe at the silk shop this afternoon and threatened her, telling her to wait. The shop assistants and seamstresses are all witnesses.”

Xie Zhifei forcefully knocked the table: “Trouble is, please have your estate’s young miss come out to cooperate with the investigation.”

Du Jianxue was so angry his nose went crooked.

“Xie Zhifei, don’t be too presumptuous. Look where this is? Who am I? What is my daughter’s status?”

“This is the Du estate. You are the Minister of Rites. Your daughter is the future Princess Consort.”

But so what?

Xie Zhifei stood up, looking down at Du Jianxue, word by word: “Duty requires it. Please cooperate. Otherwise…”

Du Jianxue slammed the table hard: “You still dare ‘otherwise’ with me?”

Xie Zhifei laughed coldly: “Men, Yan Sanhe has disappeared. Miss Du is under serious suspicion. Arrest her and take her to the Five Districts Military Commission for severe interrogation.”

“No need to arrest. I’m right here.”

Du Yiyun walked in with her head held high: “A lowly person—is she worth my action? Xie Zhifei, you’re trying to look down on whom?”

Xie Zhifei laughed coldly: “Someone with a prior record still has the face to say such things? Du Yiyun, you’re trying to look up at whom?”

“You…” Du Yiyun ground her teeth.

Xie Zhifei’s voice suddenly turned cold: “I ask, and I’ll only ask once. Yan Sanhe has disappeared. Was it your doing?”

“So what if I did it?”

Du Yiyun said hatefully: “She allowed her slave to assault me. I… ah ah ah ah…”

Zhu Qing’s long sword was at Du Yiyun’s neck, scaring her into shrieking.

Li Buyan’s trick—though damaging, was effective.

Du Jianxue rushed over but was grabbed by Xie Zhifei.

“Miss Du.”

The corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile: “Think carefully before speaking. Blades and swords have no eyes. They won’t care whether you’re Minister Du’s daughter or the future Princess Consort.”

Zhu Qing’s hand lifted. The blade pressed forward a bit.

Du Yiyun was scared out of her wits, shaking her head repeatedly: “It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t me. I, I haven’t had time yet!”

Xie Zhifei looked directly into her eyes.

Du Yiyun realized that previous sentence wasn’t enough.

“I, I wouldn’t… bring trouble on myself before marrying.”

With these words, Xie Zhifei didn’t hesitate even a moment. He turned and left.

As Zhu Qing withdrew his long sword, he broke precedent to speak: “Miss Du, take someone’s advice. Miss Yan is not someone you can touch.”

Du Yiyun was so scared tears flowed: “Father, Father, even a servant dares bully me…”

“Bullying us too much.”

Du Jianxue pounded the table until it rang: “Bullying us too much!”