It was a silent night. The moon was beautiful. The lights in Qingwei Garden were lit.

Mo Xuetong leaned against the couch and watched as Mo Lan packed up her clothes for their journey tomorrow.

The room was so quiet she could hear the candle flickering, sound suddenly disruptive in the dead silence of the night.

Mo Lan could no longer hold in her worries.

"Miss, are we really going to the Temple of Atonement tomorrow? Auntie Fang went to tell your father for a reason. She must be up to something."

"Eldest Sister has devised such an excellent excuse. I would look unfilial if I didn't go. Even father has agreed, so how can I not go?" Mo Xuetong tapped her long slender fingers on the couch thoughtlessly. She was thinking about the past few days.

Mo Xuemin had fallen into her traps again and again since she returned to the capital. How could Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang be willing to take that lying down? She didn't know when Mo Xuetong and Sima Lingyun had gotten together in her past life. It seemed, even this early in events, they had already been working together.

Sima Lingyun was close with the Mo's because he'd once saved Mo Xuemin. She'd fallen from her horse while out on a ride with some other young nobles. In her past life, Mo Xuemin had liked You Yuecheng, the son of Ming Kingdom's duke. Even though Auntie Fang had eventually become the Mo Madam, her status as a fake true daughter was not enough for the duke's family and, You Yuecheng had married someone else. Mo Xuemin had remained unmarried for her youth.

Was this why she chose Sima Lingyun? Right now, Mo Xuetong wasn't sure.

Mo Xuemin had brought Sima Lingyun into Mo Xuetong's courtyard. That was her first step. It seemed that her second step would be at the Temple of Atonement tomorrow. What would they do? Would they kill her outright? Or try to ruin her reputation like they did in her past life so she was forced to marry Sima Lingyun?

In her past life, she had locked herself in the back courtyards to hide her disfigurement. She knew nothing about what was happening outside. Then, she had fallen into the pond and Sima Lingyun had passed by and saved her. When she'd been forced to marry him, she hadn't minded. He was warm and kind and did not mind that she was disfigured.

So what was Auntie Fang plotting this time around?

She still didn't have enough power. Her maids were smart, but what could they do if she was attacked? Mother Xu and Mo Yu tried to stop Mo Xuemin and Sima Lingyun when they forced her to drink poisoned wine, but their actions has just cost their lives.

She had to find strong allies so she could go against the vicious and cruel Mo Xuemin.

But the problem was, even knowing what was coming, it was difficult for a sheltered noble girl to recruit allies. She had to beg Bai Yihao for help. She could not rely on his help every time. He was too dangerous...

Mo Lan packed clothes silently, not wanting to disturb her mistress.

Mo Xuetong looked at the darkness outside the window. Allies. She needed allies. Her fingers traced the lines of the couch and she looked over at the book. She sat up straight, eyes alight.

Mo Lan put down the clothes in her hands and poured her a cup of tea.

"Miss, would you like some tea?" Mo Xuetong did not take the cup but pulled on Mo Lan's hand. "Where are the books we brought last time?"

The books were mostly leisurely reads, not precious ancient scripts, so they were not in Mo Xuetong's room. Mo Lan's brow furrowed in concentration.

"I remember Mo He got someone to put them in the eastern rooms. Do you want to read them?"

"Go and find them. Find 'The Memoirs of Great Qin' and bring it to me."

"Yes Miss." Mo Lan didn't know what Mo Xuetong was up to, but she could tell her mistress was anxious.

Mo Xuetong was struck by a memory from her past life. Those leisurely reads became part of her dowry, and they accompanied her to the Duke's manor. She hadn't seen them as important, and she'd let them sit collecting dust. Sima Lingyun had been making a rare visit to her rooms, flipping through her books in boredom, and a piece of paper fell out. Sima Lingyun picked it up, read it, and then stood up in shock, knocking over the teacup on the table.

Mo Xuetong had looked up from her embroidery in shock. She'd wanted to ask him what happened but only saw him laughing madly.

Mo Xuetong had picked up the book on the floor and looked at its cover. It was a book her mother read, 'Memoirs of Great Qin'.

Sima Lingyun had gone missing for a few days. When he returned, there were two highly skilled secret guards by his side. The guards remained by his side until Mo Xuetong died. They'd been incredibly skilled and useful in taking down the Fuguo's.

He certainly hadn't found guards like that at the duke's manor. Combined with his odd behavior when he saw the book, she felt like the key had to be on that slip of paper. She clenched her fists, trying to hide her nerves.

"Miss, is it this book?" The curtains lifted and Mo Lan entered with a book. The maids have served Mo Xuetong for long enough to know how to read a few words.

Mo Xuetong took a deep breath, trying to control her excitement.

"Bring it over."

She flipped the book's cover page open with stiff fingers. Inside was a piece of yellowing paper. She put the paper under the light. There were only a few characters on the paper.

'Secret guards. Two.'

There wasn't a name written below. There was only a weird symbol, and beside it, a location.

The Temple of Atonement.

Mo Xuetong's fingers started to shake.

"Miss..."

Mo Xuetong carefully folded the paper in her hands.

"Mo Lan,” she said slowly, “don't tell anyone about what happened today. Not even to Mother Xu."

The fewer people who knew about it the better. This felt like an an extremely dangerous situation. She could barely breathe. Why would there be a piece of paper like this in her mother's book? Even if her mother was the eldest daughter of the General Manor and had a noble status, the existence of such a note felt like just the tip of an iceberg.

Mo Lan was a careful sort, and she nodded fiercely.

"Miss, I won't tell anyone, but.. it is also at The Temple of Atonement?"

The Temple of Atonement was one of the more famous Buddhist temples in the capital. It was said that 30 years ago, the insurgent Qin king had practiced cultivation rituals. The Qin king was very close to getting the throne, but failed. Legend said that the king had left behind many treasures. Many people had gone to find these treasure to no avail.

Partly because of this, most of the noble families in the capital liked to visit the Temple of Atonement, but it was also because of the unique and beautiful scenery.

When he moved to the city, Mo Huawen had lit an altar lamp for his deceased wife at the Temple of Atonement. That was why Mo Xuemin had an excuse to get Mo Xuetong to go there.

"It's lucky we're already going The Temple of Atonement. Mo Lan, how is your hand doing?" Mo Xuetong asked gently.

"I'm fine. I can go with Miss to the Temple of Atonement tomorrow. "Mo Lan knew why she was asking and she looked at Mo Xuetong with determination.

Mo Xuetong breathed out in relief. She reached out to pat Mo Lan's hand. She really could not leave Mo Lan behind. While Mo He and Mo Yu were smart, she liked Mo Lan the most. She was steady and presented herself well. Mother Xu was old and often could not join on the journey. She needed more help. No matter what, she had to find the two secret guards tomorrow.

With two skilled protectors, Mo Xuemin and Auntie Fang wouldn't be able to touch her.

"Miss, what should I do?" Mo Lan asked. She knew the situation was serious and was determined to help and not act without seeking permission. She would not make another mistake like before.

"Stop packing. Get Mo Yu and the others to pack tomorrow morning. Tonight, help me embroider this symbol into a pouch." Mo Xuetong smoothed out the paper in her hand. The symbol did not look complicated under the candle light. They almost looked like characters, but they weren't quite right. At a glance, they looked like a blooming orchid. It wasn't a difficult pattern to embroider.

Looking at Mo Xuetong's steady smiled, Mo Lan was in awe of her mistress's confidence. Mo Lan racing heart, frightened by the odd events of the night, finally calmed down. Her mistress had changed. Mo Xuetong's mother would have been relieved to see how strong her daughter had become.

And the paper must have been left by the late Madam Mo. She had loved her daughter. She would not have left something that would harm her.

Mo Lan prepared the threads while Mo Xuetong copied out the pattern. Then, the two started to sew. It was not difficult to make a pouch. In her past life, Mo Xuetong's seclusion had left her plenty of time to practice her needlework. She'd once embroidered a picture for the Old Madam's birthday.

The night passed without words. Mo Xuetong woke up early having barely slept. She found a plain dress and put it on. After bidding Mo Huawen goodbye, she boarded the waiting carriage. Auntie Fang sent her off with a smile, watching carefully as she rode away.

Once the carriage was out of site, the smile dropped. That little bitch, acting like she mattered at all. She would knock the girl down a peg.

"Has His Excellency left?"

"His Excellency already sent someone out to report. He has gone to the Temple of Atonement. You were in the study then, so I had to wait to tell you," Nanny Li whispered with a smile.

"Good, let the little brat get herself into trouble..."Auntie Fang laughed coldly. She turned to enter the manor. "She's practically begging to get killed. She can't blame others for what happens.”

"That's right, even if something happens to Third Miss in the temple...it has nothing to do with Auntie. Anyway, you aren't even there, and she was behaving inappropriately. She has nobody to blame but herself.”