It was afternoon, and the atmosphere in the Eldest Branch’s residence of the Su family was complicated and tense. The courtyard where Su Boyong lived seemed rather quiet, but people had gathered both inside and out. The door opened now and then, someone carrying in hot water or carrying out bloodied water. In the parlor nearby, the old patriarch Su Yu sat silently in the seat of honor, leaning on his cane, with several elders of the collateral branches beside him; Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang stood in the courtyard outside the door.

Su Tan’er sat near the door with her mother, her two aunts, and Ning Yi. Her mother and the two aunts were weeping quietly; behind them, Xing’er, Juan’er, and Xiao Chan were dabbing at their eyes too. But aside from crying continuously at the very start, Su Tan’er had since wiped her tears away and hadn’t cried again — her posture looked no different from usual, but her hands gripped the arms of the chair so tightly her fingertips had gone white, her eyes red-rimmed, her gaze cold and waiting for whatever news would come next — about her father, or about the captured assailant.

When she’d first arrived back, her hands had been covered in blood, her clothes spattered with it too; if Ning Yi hadn’t told Xiao Chan to fetch water to wash her hands, her hands would probably still be red now. She still hadn’t changed out of the bloodstained clothes, and her hair had come slightly loose. She remained composed and clear-headed. There was little Ning Yi could do; for now, all he could do was wait and see how things developed.

Everyone in the courtyard was a relative fairly close to the main branch of the Eldest House. Beyond this courtyard, those waiting for news would mostly be whispering among themselves, speculating about the possible outcome, what would happen next, how the balance of power among the Su family’s three branches might shift, and so on.

The assailant had been caught on the spot, but he wasn’t being held at the Su residence — the constables who’d arrived had taken him straight to the magistrate’s office. For now, the Su family could only wait for preliminary word to come from there.

Silent waiting. No good news came from those going in and out of the bedroom — mostly just talk of the master’s injuries being too severe, still being treated, and the like. Occasionally someone would come into the courtyard and ask quietly about the situation. At one point, someone who’d just rushed over was speaking quietly at the parlor entrance, and several people’s eyes turned toward the hall. One of them was Su Wengui, who had just arrived; his gaze flickered, he gritted his teeth, and strode in through the door.

“Ning Yi. You were right there — how could you fail to protect Uncle?”

Just days ago, they’d all been out at the pleasure quarters together, but now the mood had turned entirely. His voice was low and clipped, seething with fury. Ning Yi raised an eyebrow as Su Wengui suddenly closed the distance, furiously grabbing Ning Yi’s clothes to haul him up — the next instant, Ning Yi caught his wrist, twisted it, and pinned him one-handed against the pillar behind him.

“Let go of me, you useless—” Su Wengui, aware he couldn’t raise his voice here, hissed under his breath. Ning Yi merely tilted his head slightly, regarding him with a flat, indifferent gaze. At the front of the parlor, a sharp crack sounded — the sound of a cane striking the floor. Old Master Su rose from his seat. White-haired and white-bearded, he still carried himself with vigor; though normally kind and gentle, he was now clearly holding back fury. The young servant boy at his side tried to help steady him, but was brushed aside, and the old man made his way over, slow but steady.

Watching the old patriarch draw near, a flicker of triumph passed through Su Wengui’s eyes. “Let go of me… Third Grandfather, Third Grandfather, look at him…” He struggled a few more times. Ning Yi looked at him for a moment, sighed inwardly, and released his hand, no longer bothering with him. Outside, the whispering crowd all watched this scene unfold. Su Wengui stumbled forward a few steps: “Ha, Third Grandfather, look at him—” He’d barely turned his head when he met Su Yu’s gaze fixed directly on him, the old man’s expression brimming with fury. In an instant, the cane swung up and came down — before Su Wengui could even finish speaking, there was a wet crack, blood splattering across his face — the cane had struck him mercilessly across the head.

“At a time like this…” Ning Yi murmured under his breath, already turning and walking back to where he’d been sitting. Su Wengui, struck down, staggered nearly out through the hall behind him, tripped over the threshold, and fell to the ground. Struggling to turn back over, his left cheek was already torn open, blood and half a tooth spilling from his mouth. The old patriarch’s cane came to rest on the floor as he advanced, step by step.

“At a time like this…” the old man said, shaking his head slightly, his voice low and heavy. “Put away your petty schemes!”

Given the situation just now, if Su Wengui had barged in and made a scene, regardless of who was in the right, everyone afterward would inevitably say that the matrilocal son-in-law had been right there when it happened, implying all sorts of things. But something this transparent — how could Ning Yi or the old patriarch fail to see through it?

Within the Su family’s three-branch rivalry, what the old patriarch wanted above all was stability; the last thing he wanted to see was open hostility breaking out among the brothers. This matter hadn’t even been resolved yet, but looking purely at the outcome, these two knife wounds alone could bring down the entire Eldest Branch — who was to say whether the other two branches had any hand in it or not.

With the matter still unresolved, what weighed most urgently on the old patriarch’s mind right now was likely preventing any kind of internal strife within the Su family — and here was Su Wengui, playing this petty trick right in front of him. This old man, gentle-faced for so many years, had finally erupted. He walked slowly out past the threshold, swept his gaze over the whispering crowd outside, then sighed.

“This doesn’t concern the rest of you, it’s fine — don’t crowd the courtyard… everyone go wait outside.”

In the crowd, Su Yunfang nodded and waved to those around him; many in the courtyard began filing out one by one. The old man added, “Carry Wengui out too.” A young servant came over to help support Su Wengui.

As for Su Wengui’s extreme foolishness, Ning Yi had found it absurd from the very start. The man had some cleverness to him — enough that some of his peers even called him a mastermind — yet here he’d wasted it on something like this. Ning Yi stood watching for a moment, then turned and sat back down. As he placed his hand on the armrest, another hand covered it — Su Tan’er, still sitting there with lips pressed tight, had laid her hand over his and gripped it hard, fingertips trembling slightly, turning her head to glance at him. Ning Yi nodded and gently patted the hand resting beneath his.

Someone came out from the bedroom again; this time Su Yunfang was supporting the old patriarch in the corridor as the person delivered a brief report — largely the same as before. In truth, Ning Yi more or less understood that with injuries like this, the danger to life would likely persist for several days straight; if any definite news came through right now, that would probably be the worst news of all. For the moment, though, there was nothing to do but wait here.

The old patriarch, supported by Su Yunfang, turned to head back, pausing briefly as he passed Ning Yi and Su Tan’er. He reached out and patted their joined hands a few times, his expression complicated, and finally just nodded and said, “You two — take care of each other.” He turned and went back toward his seat; it wasn’t yet time for final words…

After a while longer, one of the Su family’s stewards who’d gone to the magistrate’s office returned and reported on the situation.

“…The criminal who stabbed the master is named Chen Er. Apparently he’s originally from Jiayu, in Ezhou. According to him, three years ago when our Su family opened a shop in Ezhou and acquired land there, we hired local thugs to drive his family from their home. His mother died as a result at the time, and he and the rest of his family were forced to relocate to a low-lying area. This year’s flooding struck, and because their land was so low, they couldn’t escape in time — his wife and children all died in the flood. So when he came to Jiangning and saw members of the Su family, murderous intent suddenly took hold of him. This man… his identity tokens check out, his travel permits check out, and he speaks with a clear Ezhou accent…”

The steward finished, lowered his head, and paused briefly. “But when we tried to use our contacts within the magistrate’s office, we couldn’t get anywhere. Steward Chen said the officers arrived unusually fast, and even now, we can’t get access to this Chen Er at all… It seems someone had already smoothed everything over before we even got there. Once the formal trial happens in a few days — even if Chen Er is sentenced to death — I’m afraid…”

Su Tan’er listened silently, her expression unchanged, only her grip on the armrest growing tighter. Then, with a sharp crack, the old patriarch’s cane struck the floor. Through gritted teeth, each word deliberate: “This wasn’t only aimed at Boyong. Someone… means to move against our entire Su family…”

Merchants prized their reputation above all, and a motive like this — driving a man’s family to ruin — once made public and stirred up by ill-intentioned parties, would deal a devastating blow to the entire Su family’s name. This man hadn’t merely stabbed someone and thrown the Eldest Branch’s position into imbalance — in turn, it would take a bite out of the whole Su family. Su Yunfang’s face darkened. “The Xue family?”

Su Zhongkan shook his head. “Hard to say.”

The old patriarch fell silent a moment. “Investigate further. Use every connection we have to dig into this Chen Er’s background. Inside the city, outside the city, all the way to Ezhou — have the shopkeeper in charge of Ezhou find out whether this incident three years ago actually happened. Keep probing the magistrate’s office too… Choosing to strike right after the gates closed, committing murder and then turning it back against us — this person is ruthless and deeply calculating, that much is plain. This is a matter of life and death for our Su family. All of you must hold things steady. I… will need to go pay some visits myself…”

Having said this, the old patriarch rose, leaning on his cane, and made his way out. “If Boyong’s condition stabilizes, send word to me.” He then offered a few words of comfort to Su Tan’er’s mother and the two aunts. As he stepped over the threshold, he looked down at the bloodstains along the corridor floor for a long moment, then tapped his cane against them. “No more indulging this kind of foolishness.”

With that, the old man left, supported by the young servants and maids.

However severe the injury, treatment couldn’t continue indefinitely — there always came a point where it had to pause. As evening approached, the physician finally exhausted what he could do.

“The master remains unconscious. The next few days will be dangerous — whether he pulls through is uncertain, though there’s still hope. It’s just… my lady, young mistress, young master — you should prepare yourselves mentally. The wound to his back struck the spine. Even if the master survives, afterward, I’m afraid… both his legs may well be paralyzed. If it’s only his legs, that would be the best outcome we could hope for…”

At these words, Su Tan’er’s mother swayed suddenly, then fainted.

The setting sun burned magnificent clouds along the horizon. The entire Su residence was now in motion. As for this particular courtyard — someone shocked, someone weeping, someone fainting — in this vast household now stirred into frantic activity, it was, for the moment, no more than a small matter…

Something greater, more complicated, more dangerous, perhaps already waited ahead in the coming night…