Zhu Qing wasn’t good at comforting people—he could only say one thing:

“Third Master, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night.”

Ever since Ding Yi had helped resolve the Zhu family’s heart demon, he had become quite invested in fortune-telling and divination.

“Master, should we ask Master Zhu to interpret the dream or something?”

Xie Zhifei took Ding Yi’s words to heart. No matter how he reflected on this dream, it felt inauspicious.

“Third Master.”

Tang Yuan’s voice rang out in the courtyard.

“Miss Yan is calling Third Master to the study to discuss matters.”

“Coming right away. Ding Yi, fetch water.”

“Yes!”

The water was brought, and after Xie Zhifei hastily washed his face, he walked out of the side room.

Zhu Qing and Ding Yi habitually followed him.

But just as the three reached the courtyard gate, they were stopped by Li Buyan. “Sanhe instructed that Third Master may enter, but Zhu Qing and Ding Yi should wait in the outer courtyard.”

Xie Zhifei was taken aback. “Why?”

Li Buyan pointed at Huang Qi squatting in the courtyard, his face helpless. “I don’t know why. Huang Qi and I must also wait outside the courtyard.”

“What about Mingting?”

“Young Master Pei is already in the study.”

Li Buyan hooked his finger toward Huang Qi.

Huang Qi pouted as he walked toward the outer courtyard, muttering, “What is Miss Yan doing? What can’t I hear?”

“Less nonsense.”

Li Buyan pushed him outward, closed the courtyard’s main gate with a bang, and said in a low voice, “She won’t even let me listen, so who do you think you are?”

Though spoken quietly, Xie Zhifei inside the gate heard every word clearly.

The seven of them had been together since resolving Old Madam Ji’s heart demon. Yan Sanhe had never kept anything from anyone—she treated them all equally.

What was going on today?

In the study, Yan Sanhe sat at the desk, her complexion even paler than last night, looking somewhat sickly.

Xie Zhifei immediately stepped forward. “Where do you feel unwell?”

Yan Sanhe shook her head and pointed to a chair, indicating he should sit first.

Xie Zhifei wasn’t reassured. He reached out to touch her forehead—it was still that cold temperature, no fever. Only then did he turn and sit down.

Looking up, he saw Pei Xiao’s sword-like brows tightly furrowed. Xie Zhifei cleared his throat and asked:

“Why won’t you let them come in and listen? Has something happened?”

Pei Xiao quickly nodded in agreement, thinking to himself: Those three rough men are one thing, but Li Daxia should be allowed in—she’s your best friend.

“Third Master, Young Master Pei, after the Crown Prince and I left Prince Han’s manor, I returned to the villa to meet up with you all, while the Crown Prince went back to Duanmu Palace to find Yan Xi, correct?”

Pei Xiao nodded. “That’s right.”

Xie Zhifei raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Only with this reminder did Pei Xiao notice that Yan Sanhe’s voice had suddenly become hoarse.

“Are you sick? Should I have my half-brother come check your pulse?”

“Never mind these irrelevant things, let’s discuss the main issue.”

Yan Sanhe’s expression suddenly became impatient. “We had just regrouped when the Crown Prince sent word that Yan Xi had disappeared, correct?”

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao exchanged silent glances: Such impatience between her brows was rarely seen.

Neither dared to change the subject again, answering in unison: “Correct!”

Yan Sanhe: “So, our entire group headed straight for the Crown Prince’s Duanmu Palace, correct?”

The two: “Correct!”

“When we arrived at Duanmu Palace and sat down with Zhao Yishi to discuss, Third Master said he would go find the person, while Young Master Pei and I should wait at Duanmu Palace for news.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze shifted to look at Xie Zhifei. “Correct?”

This had just happened. It couldn’t be more correct.

Xie Zhifei nodded.

“You left with Zhu Qing and Ding Yi. Young Master Pei, Li Buyan, Huang Qi, and I waited anxiously in Duanmu Palace’s flower hall.”

Yan Sanhe: “We waited less than two hours when you sent someone to notify us that Yan Xi had been found. We didn’t dare delay a moment and immediately left through the west city gate, heading for the outskirts.”

Xie Zhifei nodded again.

“All our actions were sudden—we hadn’t discussed them beforehand. So then…”

Yan Sanhe’s voice was almost a low growl from her throat. “Who would know we were going to the western outskirts to meet Yan Xi?”

Xie Zhifei’s expression changed dramatically. “You mean…”

“That arrow was aimed directly at Yan Xi. From this we can see…”

Two flames rose in Yan Sanhe’s eyes.

“Either someone has been secretly following us all along, or one of us has been passing information to the outside!”

Like a hammer striking down hard, Xie Zhifei felt his vision darken, even his breathing became tremulous.

Yan Sanhe: “If someone was following us, with so many masters like Shen Chong, Li Buyan, and Zhu Qing present, they would have noticed something. Yet they detected nothing at all.”

“So there’s a mole among us.”

Pei Xiao was startled by his own blurted words and quickly added, “How… how is that possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

Yan Sanhe’s fist slammed on the desk as she stood and walked to face Pei Xiao. “I ask you, what kind of person is Yan Xi?”

Did that even need asking?

Pei Xiao: “He used to serve Prince Huairen, but now he’s fallen out of favor.”

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly. “Where would a eunuch who’s fallen out of favor get the courage to tell lies?”

Pei Xiao: “This…”

Yan Sanhe: “Why would he tell lies?”

Pei Xiao: “This…”

Yan Sanhe: “For whom is he telling lies?”

Pei Xiao: “This…”

He couldn’t answer a single question.

Something seemed to flash through his mind. Pei Xiao suddenly stood up. “Yan Sanhe, you mean there’s someone behind Yan Xi?”

Yan Sanhe spoke word by word: “There must be someone.”

Zhao Yishi had already applied pressure, and he was the Crown Prince—below one person, above ten thousand. Did Yan Xi have any reason to lie?

Wouldn’t he want to use this information to help the Crown Prince resolve the war horses issue and earn himself a chance to rise again?

“Moreover.”

Yan Sanhe’s chest rose and fell slightly. “This time… Yan Xi was telling the truth.”

Xie Zhifei walked to their side. “What makes you say that?”

Yan Sanhe looked at him. “He said the Emperor only allowed the old general to die of illness, not die in battle.”

Xie Zhifei was silent for a long while. “I understand. This fits the late Emperor’s modus operandi.”

Pei Xiao: “The late Emperor’s heart wasn’t big enough to let someone who betrayed him go down in history with glory.”

A brief silence filled the room.

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao simultaneously thought of one thing—

After Yan Xi revealed the truth, when Yan Sanhe questioned him about why he had lied, just as Yan Xi began to speak, that arrow came.

From this it was clear that the person behind Yan Xi feared he would expose them, which is why they struck.

Xie Zhifei stared blankly at Pei Xiao, and by chance, Pei Xiao was also looking at him.

Their four eyes met.

Both saw in each other’s faces the question in their hearts—

Who was the person behind Yan Xi?

In the silence, Yan Sanhe said hoarsely, “To find the person behind Yan Xi, we must first find the mole.”

Xie Zhifei’s face turned frighteningly dark. “Yan Sanhe, you drove them all to the outer courtyard—you suspect several of them?”

“You even suspect Li Daxia?”

Pei Xiao said through gritted teeth, “Have you gone mad? She’s utterly loyal to you.”