The room fell into a long silence, like a wordless mourning.

Mourning for Zheng Huantang’s life.

If his life could be condensed into a play, before the twins were born with their first cries, the play was spectacular and brilliant. After that, it became a tragedy.

“Oh, right.”

Liang Pangde suddenly remembered something.

“Once I saw he was in such a state of dejection, I cursed Lady Zhao a few times, saying she’d ruined his entire life. Who would have thought, he actually told me it was he who had wronged Lady Zhao.”

After hearing this, Liang Pangde wished he could split the man’s skull open to see how his brain was constructed!

He had wronged Lady Zhao?

Bullshit!

Yan Sanhe asked calmly: “When he said he wronged Lady Zhao, how old were the twins?”

Liang Pangde calculated in his mind. “About six or seven years old.”

Yan Sanhe was quiet for a while. “Didn’t you ever ask him what plans he had for the future?”

“How could I not have asked?”

Liang Pangde glared at Yan Sanhe with great dissatisfaction. “I don’t know how many times I asked.”

Huantang, the twins can’t stay confined forever. They’re growing day by day—will they be locked up for life?

Huantang, you can’t just remain idle like this forever, can you?

Huantang, doesn’t the old general have some arrangement for Haitang Courtyard?

Huantang, you have to think of a solution!

Yan Sanhe: “Did he remain silent?”

Liang Pangde recalled for quite a while. “At first, he always remained silent. Later…”

“Later what?”

“Later it seemed he said… said he wanted to find a good match for his daughter early, marry her into a good family.”

Liang Pangde slapped his thigh, speaking with great certainty. “Right, he also said the farther away she married, the better—that way she wouldn’t bring misfortune to the Zheng family.”

These words hit like a punch straight at Xie Zhifei and Yan Sanhe’s faces—heavy, harsh, and clean.

Xie Zhifei’s eyes darkened.

This brought them even closer to the goal Yan Sanhe wanted to achieve.

For some reason, Yan Sanhe felt a trace of loss in her heart.

So they had already made arrangements for me.

But the moment this trace of loss emerged, Yan Sanhe regretted it.

Wasn’t this good?

Hadn’t she already implicated them enough?

She took a deep breath. “Liang Pangde, regarding the Zheng family’s massacre, what’s your view?”

Liang Pangde suddenly fell silent. After a long while, he gave a derisive laugh. “If I say it, I’m afraid you’ll laugh your heads off.”

Yan Sanhe: “Tell us.”

“If you ask me, it’s still Lady Zhao’s fault.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because her birth chart brings misfortune to husbands, the children she gave birth to became demon fetuses.”

A trace of grief appeared on Liang Pangde’s gloomy face. “I don’t know who the true culprit is in the Zheng family case, but I’m certain of one thing.”

Yan Sanhe reached for her teacup. “What?”

Liang Pangde’s gaze was penetrating. “The one hundred and eighty members of the Zheng household, and Old General Zheng far away in the Northern Territories—they were all brought to ruin by those demon fetuses.”

“Crack—”

The teacup tipped over, tea water spilling out, dripping onto the floor drop by drop.

In the dripping sounds.

A large palm fell on Yan Sanhe’s shoulder. As the warmth from the palm seeped through her clothing, she heard Xie Zhifei’s steady voice above her head.

“Don’t forget what Elder Brother Zhu said.”

She hadn’t forgotten.

Demon fetuses don’t bring misfortune to people, but I do.

Yan Sanhe pulled out a handkerchief and quickly wiped the water stains from her hand. “Besides these things, is there anything else you want to tell us?”

“Yes.”

Liang Pangde rose abruptly, two fires burning in his eyes, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

“You must find the true culprit. Don’t let them go. They should be cut into a thousand pieces, torn apart by five horses—may they all die terrible deaths, every last one of them.”

…

The carriage waited at the Imperial Academy.

Seeing Yan Sanhe’s vacant gaze, Xie Zhifei suggested softly, “Shall I walk with you?”

Yan Sanhe was startled. “Why walk?”

Xie Zhifei simply stopped. “It’s not good for a person to be wound too tight. You need to let yourself relax appropriately.”

“Forget it, there are still matters…”

Her words cut off abruptly.

The wind lifted Yan Sanhe’s hair, a few strands falling across her lips. She looked up at Xie Zhifei. “Alright, walk with me.”

Along a stretch of stone-paved road, they walked in silence, neither opening their mouths to speak.

Behind them, Li Buyan followed at a moderate distance. Occasionally when bored, she’d look up at the two people ahead.

Heart demons one after another—these two barely had time to speak alone together. They seemed to always be rushing about.

But for some reason, Li Buyan felt that at this moment, their backs revealed an unspoken tacit understanding.

…

This stretch of road was stealing a moment of leisure from a busy life.

When the time was about right, Xie Zhifei took the initiative to help Yan Sanhe into the carriage.

The carriage headed straight for the separate courtyard.

The carriage stopped. They disembarked.

The moment Yan Sanhe stood steady and looked up, she saw Young Master Pei sitting on the threshold, his gaze looking at them gloomily, his expression…

Like a stray dog abandoned by someone.

“Why does he have that expression?”

“Feeling wronged, obviously.”

Xie Zhifei strode forward, stopping on a step so his gaze was level with Pei Xiao’s.

“We met Liang Pangde and learned some things. Your timing is perfect—saves Ding Yi a trip to your yamen.”

Yan Sanhe followed over, pointing her finger at Young Master Pei’s nose with a dissatisfied expression.

“You weren’t there. Xie Wushi is too taciturn. No one could work with me in harmony—it exhausted me. You’re not allowed to be absent in the future.”

“Young Master Pei.”

Li Buyan smiled lightly. “Without you keeping watch, that Liang Pangde even told Yan Sanhe to get lost. Is that proper?”

The stray dog had been brought back home. Not only was there good food and drink, there were people to coax him too.

Pei Xiao looked at the three people before him. His jumbled emotions all disappeared at once.

He sprang to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and rolled his eyes dramatically at the nearest Xie Zhifei.

“Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and tell me what you found out!”

With that, he turned his head and walked into the separate courtyard on his own.

Xie Zhifei’s sharp eyes caught sight of gauze wrapped around his right hand. He quickly caught up and grabbed him.

“How did you hurt your hand?”

“…”

“Who did it?”

“…”

“Daring to bully my Third Master’s good brother—tired of living?”

“…”

“Is it serious? Let me look in a moment.”

“…”

“Does it hurt? Want me to blow on it?”

“…”

Xie Zhifei turned his head and glared at Huang Qi who was following behind the two.

“Not protecting your master properly—your monthly stipend is forfeit.”

Huang Qi’s mouth opened. Just as he was about to defend himself, his neck tightened. Turning his head, he saw Li Buyan had grabbed him.

Fine.

What defense was there?

Everyone understood.

The master had injured his own hand. After Yan Sanhe and the others left, he’d punched the wall and blood immediately flowed.

This was the first time he’d seen his master so helpless—eyes reddening, teeth biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Don’t push him anymore in the future.”

Yan Sanhe felt somewhat guilty. Thinking from his perspective, it truly was difficult.

“We weren’t meant to be together anyway.”

Li Buyan looked proud. “Are you worried I can’t get married? Who am I? Li Buyan—one of a kind.”

Yan Sanhe reached out and grasped Li Buyan’s wrist, her gaze holding an indescribable complexity.

“That’s right. One of a kind.”