The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Xu Qianhui couldn't take it anymore.

She could be called a vixen, she could be called vulgar, and she could even ignore Fu Shi's endless rehashing of past events.

Is it possible to steal underwear?

This charge is too dirty and too stupid. She absolutely cannot stand being treated as a mentally unstable freak.

She put on her cloak and quickly followed Qing Shu as he walked out of the side courtyard.

Qing Shu walked very fast.

He was carrying the white underpants in his hand, and when he reached the fork in the road, he deliberately held them up a little higher.

Two old women on night patrol came by with lanterns. One of them saw him, stopped, and greeted him.

"Brother Qingshu, what are you carrying in the middle of the night?"

Qing Shu coughed and said, "The young master's things were stolen, but they were just found."

The old woman saw the object clearly and quickly pressed the lamp down.

"Oh dear, you dare not look! Who is so bold as to steal the young master's underpants?"

Qing Shu gestured towards Ci'an Hall with his lip and said, "Don't talk nonsense about what happened tonight."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"We didn't see anything."

Xu Qianhui hid behind the artificial hill, listening until her temples ached.

What do you mean by "don't talk nonsense"?

Once these words are spoken, even the kitchen maids who tend the fire will know tomorrow that Miss Xu has hidden the young master's personal belongings.

Not satisfied with that, Qing Shu circled around to the moon gate and bumped into two servants.

He repeated his previous statement before walking through the alleyway toward the Pine and Cypress Courtyard.

Xu Qianhui was very familiar with Songbai Courtyard, and since Lin Zuoqing disliked noise, the servants in the courtyard dared not wander around.

She easily found her way to the bedroom and hid behind a bush.

Peeking over, one could see Lin Zuoqing sitting under the eaves, with Qingyan standing beside a pillar, sword in hand.

He hadn't changed his clothes; his outer robe was casually draped over his shoulders, and a wine cup sat beside him.

The lamplight fell on his profile, casting a faint shadow on his brow bone.

He even showed a hint of loneliness.

Qing Shu entered the courtyard with light steps.

"Master!" He held up the wet underpants high. "I'm back!"

Lin Zuoqing's hand stopped at the edge of the wine cup.

He looked up, a deep frown forming between his brows.

That look of disgust was as if he were looking at a pile of garbage in a stinking ditch.

Qingyan couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Did you go and steal underwear?"

Lin Zuoqing shot him a sharp glare.

"Watch your mouth."

Qingyan immediately stopped laughing.

Xu Qianhui was exhausted from watching.

He had Qing Shu carry the underpants around the city so that everyone in the Manfu would know that the young master's underpants had been found in Xu Qianhui's room.

Xu Qianhui acted recklessly as soon as he entered the Duke's mansion. Unable to get the young master's attention, he stole his underpants.

Lin Zuoqing frowned and looked at Qing Shu.

"What are you doing?"

Qing Shu, oblivious to everything, smiled smugly: "Master, how was it? Did I handle this matter well?"

Lin Zuoqing took a deep breath before saying, "Tell me, what did I tell you?"

Qing Shu counted them on her fingers.

"Master instructed me to keep an eye on Ci'an Hall. If the Second Young Master goes there, we must find a way to force him to leave."

"We'll see."

"They also want me to check if they've been sleeping together. I've already thought of that; I even brought a pair of your underpants beforehand, just in case the Second Young Master really comes, so I can stop them."

Qing Shu spoke more and more fluently.

"Well, just after the Second Young Master's death at 7 PM, Miss Xu returned at 1 AM. She had just blown out the lamp when I knocked on the door."

"The bed in the room wasn't messed up, and the water in the washroom had just been used, so they definitely didn't succeed."

"Underwear has also become useful."

Xu Qianhui closed her eyes behind the bushes.

If she hadn't worn menstrual pads tonight, Lin Zuo'an might not have been so easy to deal with.

But coming from Qing Shu's mouth, these words made it sound like she was an object being inspected.

Lin Zuoqing's expression darkened further.

"continue."

"Then, I wanted to teach Miss Xu a lesson, so on my way back I deliberately took a detour so that the night patrol would see me. Maybe the Second Young Master will find out about this tomorrow."

Qing Shu finally noticed that Lin Zuoqing's expression was off, and swallowed hard.

"Don't worry, sir. Even if Miss Xu had a hundred mouths, she couldn't explain herself clearly. Only we know how wronged she is."

The corridor was quiet for a while.

The wind rustles through the bamboo leaves.

Seeing Lin Zuoqing's increasingly grim expression, Qing Shu's voice weakened.

"Sir, did I do something wrong?"

Lin Zuoqing sneered, "What do you think?"

"Last time she unleashed her dogs to humiliate you, I only..."

"You just want to stand up for me and get justice, don't you?" Lin Zuoqing leaned down, resting his elbows on his knees. "How about you take the position of heir apparent?"

Qing Shu's knees buckled, and he immediately knelt down.

"Sir, I know I was wrong. I will never act on my own again."

"Go and gag those night watchmen. If even a single word of gossip gets out, you'll be sent to the stables to feed the horses." Lin Zuoqing stared at him. "Also, you're not allowed to do such despicable things again."

Qing Shu nodded hurriedly: "Yes."

Xu Qianhui crouched behind the bushes, slowly loosening the straps of her cloak.

She came to seek justice, but ended up listening to a confusing legal case.

Lin Zuoqing sent someone to silence her, which was a way of cleaning up her mess.

But if he hadn't sent people to keep an eye on him first, this mess wouldn't have happened.

Xu Qianhui suddenly remembered a play he had heard in Jiangnan before.

In the play, a general is imprisoned for massacring a city and is scorned by countless people. Not only do the powerful families who once elevated him to prominence sever ties with him, they also turn against him.

Later, countless "umbrellas of the people" were erected in the streets to protest the general's innocence.

Only then did people realize that the city's inhabitants, under the leadership of the county magistrate, had devised a plan to capture over a thousand enemy prisoners and imprison them within the city.

Fearing retaliation from the enemy, the magistrate specially dressed the enemy prisoners in civilian clothes, while he led the people to hide in the mountains.

When the general rushed to the aid, he immediately recognized the enemy prisoners, so the entire city that was massacred consisted of enemy soldiers.

The lines of the opera that Xu Qianhui found most unforgettable were:

At the peak, false supporters are born; at dusk, devout believers are witnessed.

As for how dusk came about, that's none of your business.

dog man.

Even the dog I keep is so petty.

That's enough. It's not a skill to protect your own in public. Since he's willing to clean up the mess behind the scenes, there's no need for further pointless arguments.

After Lin Zuoqing had been in his room for a long time, Xu Qianhui quietly left Songbai Courtyard.

The lights in the side courtyard of Ci'an Hall had been turned off at some point.

She crawled back into bed, too lazy to even change her clothes, and just tossed her cloak to her feet.

Xu Qianhui slept very soundly.

When I woke up, the sun was already shining on the window paper.

After quickly washing up, she went to pay her respects to the old lady. As soon as she arrived at the door, she could vaguely see that the room was full of people.

Madam Fu and the Duke sat to the left of the old lady, while Minister Lin and Lin Rulan stood quietly to the side.

Xu Qianhui stopped outside the door.

When Granny Fang saw her arrive, she was about to announce her arrival when she raised her hand to stop her.

Then I heard Fu's trembling voice.

"Mother, it's one thing to let Xu Qianhui go to the polo match, but how could you bring her into the mansion? Have you forgotten why he was driven away three years ago?"

The Duke echoed, "Aqing is getting married after the New Year. If Mother calls her back to live here now, it will be difficult to explain to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence."

The old lady sneered.

"So what if it's the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion? The Marquis of Wu'an has been retired for many years. For them to be able to climb up to our Duke's mansion is nothing short of a stroke of good luck. Lin Zhiwei, no matter how unhappy you are, you'd better keep it to yourself."