Wei Jia walked while looking back, somewhat dissatisfied that Xiao Wei was walking beside him. “Behind us is a pair of affectionate siblings, and behind them a pair whose relationship is unclear but who look quite pleasing together. Yet we two big men walk together. Bai Yu, our presence isn’t very impressive.”

Xiao Wei didn’t look back. Not looking didn’t mean not wanting to. Being able to carry out the secret decree together with Mo Zi while Yuan Cheng remained in the capital—he had nothing to complain about with this situation. Departing in early spring, the round trip would probably take over two months. Many things could happen, and many things could change.

“Yuan Cheng, how can you not go?” Rescuing Doulü, rescuing Jin Yin, rescuing that scoundrel Crown Prince—such an enormous task, yet he actually wasn’t going. She was confident about building ships, but not confident about other matters. She had many worries and often had to rely on quick wits in the moment, which sometimes weren’t even effective.

Yuan Cheng gently grasped Mo Zi’s sleeve and led her toward a side path. “We’ll take this way.” This was just like her—once things were spoken openly and warnings given, she stopped being awkward. This was truly a temperament he couldn’t help but like.

“What about Yang Qiao?” Mo Zi understood the meaning of splitting up. If all six people went out together, the secret decree would become a public decree.

“Yang Ling knows what to do.” Yuan Cheng turned east and west, seemingly familiar with the route.

This path was extremely secluded. Due to the cold weather, it was quite desolate. Looking at it now, the imperial palace was no different from the courtyard of any wealthy household outside.

Yuan Cheng didn’t answer her question, and Mo Zi temporarily didn’t ask. This was inside the palace—seemingly calm on the surface, but who knew if there might be eyes or ears hidden behind.

A narrow door with faded color, indistinguishable from the wall, had a young eunuch standing guard. Seeing Yuan Cheng, he bowed and called out “Minister Yuan,” quickly opening the door.

Outside was a wide corridor. Another door, with a heavy black lock on it. The young eunuch took an equally heavy iron key to open it.

The two walked out, and the door quickly closed behind them. Mo Zi only knew the cardinal directions but wasn’t familiar with this area of buildings. Looking at the wall color and roof tiles, it was quite impressive.

Yuan Cheng walked along one wall for a short while and stopped at a small door, knocking twice. The door opened immediately.

“My lord, a messenger official just came with a message from Minister Li. He requests you go over.” Ming Nian said urgently. “This humble one feared you might return late, so I said you returned to the mansion once and might have to wait—Mother of mercy!” Seeing Mo Zi, he turned to run. But she scared him into standing still with one sentence.

“You just go ahead and run. When it’s time for you to marry, I’ll have your lord pick a fierce one for you. Illiterate, very lazy, and very good at beating people.”

“Miss Mo Zi, this humble one won’t dare again next time.” These past days, to avoid her, he’d been walking with his head turned—his neck was nearly twisted.

“Ming Nian, the words ‘next time’ are unnecessary.” Yuan Cheng pointed out with a smile.

“My lord, if You won’t speak well of me, that’s one thing. But how can You also step on me?” Alas, for whom did he toil and work so hard? Loyal and devoted, as clear as the sun and moon. Yet both of them—no, Mo Zi didn’t appreciate it.

“I can barely protect myself. If I don’t step on you, she’ll think I made you do it.” Yuan Cheng glanced at the person eagerly rubbing her fists together. “Ming Nian, you indeed didn’t think this matter through. An innocent young lady—even as you said, devoted to your lord me—if she was too shy to express her feelings, you still couldn’t do that. Fortunately, Mo Zi is different from others. From now on, if young ladies who like me all get sent to me by you, you’ll have harmed me.”

Ming Nian listened with eyes going straight and face turning bitter. To please Miss Mo Zi, his lord was going to completely flatten him. His loyalty—wuwu.

What? Ming Nian told Yuan Cheng that she liked him? This lad had too much free time, didn’t he? It was true that she thought so in her heart, but she still couldn’t let Ming Nian off. She raised her willow-leaf eyebrows and ground her teeth.

“However, fierce, illiterate, very lazy, very good at beating people—I don’t know where to find such young ladies either. Why don’t I simply entrust Ming Nian’s lifelong matter to you to handle?” Poor thing, his servant. Originally, he’d wanted to treat him well, but now self-preservation was more important.

Mo Zi laughed heartily. “That couldn’t be better.”

Ming Nian wailed loudly, “My lord, absolutely not! This humble one would rather not marry than marry a tigress.” A shrew who also beat people—his one arm couldn’t withstand it.

But Yuan Cheng fled—oh, saying he hadn’t come for half a day, there must be official business piled up—and entered the room.

It turned out the large complex of buildings ahead was the Grand Secretariat, and this small courtyard was Yuan Cheng’s office.

Seeing no hope, Ming Nian immediately put on a pitiful face and begged Mo Zi for mercy. “Miss Mo Zi, this humble one was wrong and won’t dare again. Actually, if I had told the young lady the truth, could the young lady really have stood by and watched? You probably would have rushed over even faster than me. Also, I have merit too. That Jiao Gugu somehow got the information. If I hadn’t had someone block her, she would have already barged into my lord’s courtyard. At that time, she wouldn’t care about antidotes or not—she’d definitely make my lord settle for that person. I inquired about it—Qiu Shuang didn’t bring anything else, just brought a big box of medicine. I heard she understands medicine and poisons. Who knows if she had some evil thing to control people’s minds and used it on my lord in passing? From then on, my lord would be bewitched and never care for you, young lady, again. So even if I have no merit, I have toil. Please spare me this time, young lady.”

This was hardly begging for mercy—more like claiming credit. Mo Zi couldn’t help but laugh. Ming Nian didn’t know the Soul-Consuming Pills came in a pair—if Qiu Shuang didn’t take hers, even offering herself wouldn’t resolve it. Although she was angry that Ming Nian had helped too much this time, one sentence in that sophistry was quite right. If she had known Yuan Cheng had been drugged with an aphrodisiac, she probably would have gone on her own initiative, and absolutely didn’t want Qiu Shuang taking advantage. Looking at it this way, she no longer had reason to settle accounts with Ming Nian. This young servant had initially been rigid and mechanical, repeating Yuan Cheng’s words verbatim to her. Today he was eloquent and voluble—he’d truly been trained. So she made a show of force, kept a stern face and maintained airs, warned him repeatedly, and let the matter rest.

Who knew that as soon as she stepped into the room, she heard Ming Nian muttering.

“I don’t know if you’re not appealing or if my lord is a sage and gentleman. Shut in a room like that, yet nothing happened at all. Coming out fully dressed to take the antidote.” He clicked his tongue twice. “I really don’t know if I helped the right person. All my painstaking efforts wasted.”

“Ming Nian!” She really couldn’t bear it and turned back, reaching out to smack his head.

Who knew this fellow had become as slippery as a loach—she didn’t touch a single hair. With a whoosh he ran off, still making faces at her.

“Young lady dares to find me a tigress for a wife. I also dare to divorce her.” Counting on his fingers, grinning, “How many of the seven grounds for divorce does she already violate?”

Yuan Cheng heard the commotion outside crystal clear. Seeing the curtain move and hearing Mo Zi’s huffing footsteps approaching, he quickly opened a ledger and pretended to be very busy.

“That brat Ming Nian absolutely must be disciplined. Being clever is good, but being so clever he’s insolent gives people headaches. When I was a maid, as soon as I left the small courtyard with Sanniang, I’d keep my head down and eyes averted, cautious and careful. Afraid someone would catch me doing something wrong and beat me to death.” Although the final result often went contrary to wishes, at least her consciousness and attitude as a maid were excellent.

“His cleverness is on the surface; yours is internal. He leaps high, but we still have him in hand. Others can’t get a handle on you. Instead, you drag them along step by step.” So the matters from when she was a maid really couldn’t be used as examples for servants to learn from. If they all learned from her, they’d all become masters.

Ming Nian was his servant, yet he worried and schemed for her all day long—clearly favoring her. This was another of her qualities—she could get everyone up and down to work together with one heart. Naturally likable.

Mo Zi wrinkled her nose, inwardly admitting Yuan Cheng was right. Therefore, when she spoke again, she returned to proper business. “Why exactly aren’t you going to Daqiu? If you don’t go, I don’t feel confident.”

“There are still many matters to handle here, and I think His Majesty has chosen good companions for you. You four have cooperated once before. You and Xiao Wei have already faced off. All are people who can hold their own. You’re most familiar with Daqiu. With you leading the team, I feel confident.” Yuan Cheng trusted his own judgment, though his next words were half true and half false. “I’m only mediocre at swimming. I don’t know martial arts and am quite useless. Going would only drag you down.”

Mo Zi pursed her lips. Knowing he always had plans, “But has there been progress on your family’s case?” If so, she could understand.

Yuan Cheng handed her the ledger in his hand, indicating she should look before speaking.

Mo Zi recognized it at a glance. “Isn’t this Ge Qiu’s guest reception record? I’ve wondered—you’ve been fixated on it, but I couldn’t see anything suspicious in it. Am I too stupid?”

“You’re not stupid. Rather, when I investigated earlier, there was something that concerned me but I couldn’t uncover. After looking at this ledger, I gained new insight.” Yuan Cheng took the ledger back, spread it flat on the table, his fingertip gliding across it, skipping several pages, then gliding across a line, continuing this motion until the last page.

Mo Zi had strong observational skills and immediately discovered the common point—what he’d marked were all Si Di Xianniang’s guest service records. She didn’t have photographic memory, and since this matter had been set aside for a while, she thought for a moment before remembering that Xianniang was the Ge Qiu courtesan who had once entertained Wu Yanle and Ye’er.

“Does she really have a problem?” Nothing showed on the surface. “I asked Ge Qiu, who entered with her that day. She didn’t even speak a word.”

“That day, the guest requested the Golden Wind Melody of the Autumn Moon Lyrics.” Yuan Cheng said.

“So what—it can’t be, could there be a secret mechanism hidden in the melody?” Unheard of.

“This Xianniang—her mother was also a flute player years ago. The night that letter framing my grandfather and father for treason was placed on Old General Xiao’s desk, her mother was playing the Golden Wind Melody for several Daqiu foreign guests at the细柳园 brothel of that time. Is it coincidence, or is there mystery? What do you think?” Seemingly unrelated bits and pieces were gradually connecting.

“So you’ve already investigated in such detail?” Even digging up the fact that Daqiu guests visited brothels back then. “Xiliu Garden—I seem to have heard this name somewhere.”

“Before Wuyou Pavilion opened, Xiliu Garden was the most famous pleasure quarter, with dealings with many high officials and nobles. Now it’s dilapidated and closed.”

“I went there.” She remembered now. “Cen Er wanted to buy it to open a Wangqiu House. I thought that since it had been a brothel, it might ruin Wangqiu House’s reputation. The broker said the madam wanted to return home to retire, so it was an urgent sale. The price was actually cheap—”

“The madam? The broker said the madam?” Yuan Cheng seemed to have discovered something and asked, “What was the broker’s name?”

Mo Zi didn’t dare delay his official business. “Surname Ma. If you want to see him, I’ll have Cen Er find him. Little Ma also served as the middleman for Sanniang’s new home.”

“Just help me find out where he lives.” Yuan Cheng thought for a moment.

Mo Zi agreed. The next day she told him where Little Ma lived.

The wrongful case from years ago—a living witness was actually found through this lead.