Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

"I'm going to the capital tomorrow," Xie Huaiyu said.

The mere mention of Kyoto triggered Mingyi's immediate thought of that person, causing her to tense up instantly. She grabbed the man's arm, asking, "What happened?"

Xie Huaiyu looked up and saw a hint of unease in her eyes, and guessed what she was worried about.

He immediately composed himself and gently reassured her, "It's nothing serious, don't worry."

"Then what are you going to the capital for?" The more vague his answer, the more she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Seeing her like this, Xie Huaiyu knew that if he continued to hide it from her, she would probably not be able to sleep well again.

After a moment's hesitation, she recounted her encounter with her aunt that day.

"But don't worry, sister, I've already sent her away. She's already left Lin'an Town."

Mingyi frowned, her face full of displeasure: "Who does she think she is, my aunt? She remarried long ago after my uncle passed away, and she can no longer be considered a member of the Ji family. Yet she dares to act like an elder to me. She has such a thick skin!"

Xie Huaiyu had witnessed firsthand how shameless that woman was.

"Sister, please calm down. She came from Kyoto to tell me about your death. Everyone knows that we were very close. If I remain silent, it will only arouse suspicion."

Mingyi hesitated for a moment: "But I'm worried he might do something to harm you."

They both knew perfectly well who "he" referred to.

Seeing her worry about him, Xie Huaiyu felt very warm inside and said gently, "He has no reason to harm me, so please don't worry, sister."

To prevent her from overthinking, Xie Huaiyu changed the subject.

Looking around at the newly added furnishings and the exquisite paper-cut window decorations, she asked, "My sister went out today. Are all of these new?"

Mingyi's attention was indeed diverted, her eyebrows relaxed, and she smiled faintly: "Yes, it's almost the New Year, and Yuegui and I went to the market to buy some New Year's goods."

"Did my sister cut these paper-cut window decorations herself?"

Mingyi nodded: "Is it pretty?"

Xie Huaiyu didn't hold back in praising her, "It's beautiful. My sister is very skillful. After all this decorating, this place is starting to feel more and more like home."

The night was quiet and gentle, and the man's eyes were even more tender, filled with love.

He stared intently at the girl before him, as if he had something to say.

Mingyi suddenly stood up, looking slightly flustered: "It's getting late, Brother Huaiyu should go back."

"Mingyi..."

Mingyi turned away from his burning gaze and said softly, "I'm a little tired."

Xie Huaiyu knew perfectly well that she was deliberately avoiding him, and sighed inwardly, "Oh well, there's no rush."

"Then I'll take my leave now, and not bother you any longer, sister."

Xie Huaiyu usually lived in the yamen (government office) but not with them, partly to avoid arousing suspicion.

As he reached the door, he turned back. "By the way, I've processed your new household registrations. I'll have Thirteen bring them over tomorrow."

Thirteen was his servant.

To outsiders, since Mingyi and her brother are already dead, they naturally need to change their appearance and live with new identities.

Xie Huaiyu worked in the government office, so handling such trivial matters as household registration was a piece of cake for him.

Without him, they would be undocumented, making it inconvenient for them to go anywhere, and they might even get arrested.

Xie Huaiyu did not inquire about Mingyi regarding the land deed; it was her property, and he would not covet even a fraction of it.

...

"Young Master was just about to confess his feelings to the young lady, why did you chase him away?"

Yuegui closed the door, keeping the wind and snow out, and asked, "Could it be that you are concerned that he is still engaged to Miss Li?"

This Miss Li is Li Yunwan, the daughter of the former prefect of Qingzhou, but now she is the daughter of a disgraced official.

I heard he's mentally unstable, acting crazy, and I don't know where he's being held now.

Xie Huaiyu never mentioned her to Mingyi; Yuegui learned about her from Shisan.

Yuegui said, "Now that the young lady is back, the young master will definitely not marry her."

Even she could see it clearly: Xie Huaiyu's heart and eyes were always only occupied by Ji Mingyi.

The candlelight flickered beneath the window. Mingyi leaned against the window, his pale fingers idly fiddling with a wooden zodiac animal carving, looking listless.

"I've always known his feelings, but if I were to be with him, I would definitely put him in danger."

"He risked a great deal to help us escape and hide, and I can't be so selfish as to continue to drag him down..."

Yuegui was taken aback upon hearing this. She had thought that everything was finally settled and that Mingyi could finally spend her life with Xie Huaiyu.

But she was oversimplifying things.

Xie Huaiyu was a man of great vision and ambition; he would not remain a county magistrate for his entire life, confined to the small town of Lin'an.

He will return to the court to serve as an official sooner or later. As long as Zong Xian is alive, Xie Huaiyu will have to hide her forever. Just thinking about those days of being unable to see the light of day is suffocating.

This is not the life she wants.

So she planned to leave Lin'an Town once the storm had passed.

If she couldn't go back to Jiangzhou, she would go to Jiangnan, where her maternal grandmother had left her property, enough for her to settle down and make a living.

-

Xie Huaiyu traveled through the night, and by the time he arrived at the Zong residence, the sun was already high in the sky.

The servants led the way and took him to the Pine and Crane Garden.

Today marks the seventh day since Mingyi's passing, and the white mourning banners in the mourning hall have not yet been removed.

Zong Xian, dressed in snow-white mourning clothes, squatted alone by the brazier, silently burning paper money, ashes flying and settling on his shoulders.

Xie Huaiyu pursed his lips slightly, slowly stepped forward, bowed, and said respectfully, "Second Uncle."

Zong Xian raised his eyes.

He looked travel-worn, with reddened eyes, and appeared to be suppressing his grief.

Zong Xian said calmly, "She's here. Let's offer her some incense."

Xie Huaiyu accepted the incense offered by the servant as instructed, walked to the memorial tablet to pay his respects, and as he closed his eyes, a tear slid down his cheek.

A gloomy, scrutinizing gaze remained fixed on him, never wavering, like a venomous snake.

After offering incense, Xie Huaiyu seemed unable to restrain herself any longer. Clenching her fists, she questioned Zong Xian with red eyes, "How did she die?"

Zong Xian's tone was unreadable: "It was Wei Zhao's spy planted in the mansion who killed her."

Xie Huaiyu was taken aback; this answer was unexpected, and the astonishment on his face was genuine.

Zong Xian took him to see the spy.

As soon as he stepped inside, a strong smell of blood hit him, and Xie Huaiyu instinctively raised his hand to cover his nose with his sleeve.

The man beside her remained expressionless and said, "She's inside."

Xie Huaiyu glanced at him.

He was indeed curious, so he stepped inside.

The light inside was much dimmer than outside, making it feel eerie.

Xie Huaiyu suddenly had a very bad feeling. He stopped and looked around the room. There was no one in sight, only a large black vat.

There seemed to be something alive inside the jar, dark and wriggling slightly.

Upon closer inspection, that dark clump was clearly hair!

"!!!"

Xie Huaiyu was horrified and immediately dared not look, hurriedly retreating.

His face was deathly pale, and he could barely stand by holding onto the door frame, panting heavily.

Zong Xian was still outside the door, standing with his hands behind his back. He possessed the noble demeanor unique to powerful officials from aristocratic families, but there was a dark blue ring under his eyes, which vaguely revealed a gloomy and indifferent meaning.

"You saw it?"

Xie Huaiyu looked at the person in front of her in horror, "What did you do to her?"

Zong Xian didn't take it seriously: "It's just turning them into human pigs."

The saying goes, "It is better to kill than to mistreat," let alone a living, breathing human being.

Moreover, no one knows better than Xie Huaiyu that the people inside are innocent.

He dared not say these words aloud, and could only keep them to himself.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that Mingyi had successfully escaped from here; the man in front of him was truly terrifying!

Zong Xian's voice was calm: "I found out that after I left that night, she broke into the room, and she was also the one who set the fire. But she refuses to confess no matter what. She insists that Ji Mingyi was already dead before she did it."

Zong Xian's gaze fell on Xie Huaiyu's bloodless face, and he asked, "If it were you, would you believe her?"