In the Master's room, Yanwan was stared at by a young maid with icy eyes. As if she had been frightened, her face changed drastically.

Taking two steps backward, her eyes were watery, reddish, and brimming with tears. Anyone who looked at her could tell that she was about to cry and hence their heart would melt with pity.

The air was awkwardly frozen for a while.

Leng Qingtang's face darkened. He remained silent and turned his deep gaze to the side, away from Yanwan and Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunxi irritatedly rushed to pull Qinger away and scowled her.

"You should have behaved better. Now get out!"

Being scolded by her Lady in front of the person she disliked, Qinger felt embarrassed and aggrieved.

Pressing her plump lips together, she sobbed,

"I... I'm the one who cares for you the most!"

Looking at the back of Qinger, who was running away, Gu Yunxi felt sorry as well.

Turning back, she cast a numb look at the Master and then apologized to Yanwan,

"Please forgive us, Lady. That girl is too young and impolite."

"No offense taken."

Yanwan's smile was as beautiful as a flower, and she didn't seem to care.

Gu Yunxi forced a dry smile.

"Please continue to talk with the Master. I'll prepare dinner..."

"Yun Guaner..."

When Gu Yunxi turned to leave, the Master finally spoke on the bed.

"There are two nannies who came with Yanwan. I have had the wing-room cleaned up. From now on, the three of them... will live with me in this courtyard."

From his tone, she could tell that he was not asking, but announcing to her.

Gu Yunxi never looked back but replied emotionlessly,

"As you wish."

Coming out of the Master's courtyard, Gu Yunxi halted her steps and raised her head for a deep breath.

The sky was dotted with twinkling stars. The moon hung in the north, elegantly lying in thin clouds, cold and lonely.

Gu Yunxi's heart was empty.

Two days ago, she thought she and the Master would die in prison. At that time, she had desperately thought that she could be with her beloved one forever and never be separated and ambushed by others. Therefore, what was to fear even if she died?

Released from the prison, she thought they were given a second chance in life. She vowed to cherish the time with the Master in the future and stay by his side all her life.

She had believed that the Master would treat her as before after the near-death experience together. When they met again, they would stay intimately close and suppress joy and excitement in their hearts. And she would sit by his bedside as both of them unburdened themselves to each other.

Unexpected, the beautiful conception collapsed like a sandcastle and vanished into nothingness after the woman named Yanwan was taken into the Mansion.

Gu Yunxi could not have foreseen it. When they met each other, the situation had changed completely.

There seemed to be something shattered in her chest. She believed it was her heart.

Plodding slowly, Gu Yunxi was suddenly taken aback by a dark shadow in the corner. Looking closely, it turned out to be Qinger.

She had been awaiting her Lady for a while.

Seeing Gu Yunxi walking out of the Master's courtyard alone, she hurriedly approached her with her eyes loaded with worry.

"Lady…"

"Hush..."

Gu Yunxi was stunned and raised her hand to cover Qinger's mouth. She carefully looked around and lowered her voice.

"My dear, don't yell again. People would hear you!"

Qinger angrily pulled Gu Yunxi's hand away and complained.

"What are you afraid of? If you had put on women's clothing back on earlier, this mess would never have happened! I just can't accept it. How much have you gone through since you followed the Master? Now he decides to take in a girl as he pleases. If you don’t defend yourself, I’m afraid there will be no place for you in the end!"

Gu Yunxi looked at Qinger silently. She was so touched that her eyes were stung by tears.

The maid was young and bad-tempered, but she was kind and loyal. She followed her Lady wholeheartedly and always considered everything for her.

Gu Yunxi sighed softly, cordially took Qinger's hand, and said excitedly,

"I know you care for me, but we need to focus on the overall picture now. Now that the Master is in trouble. To regain His Majesty's trust is the most important. Yanwan is sent by Her Grace. We must persevere for the sake of the Master and the Eastern Depot. Qinger, please be patient for the Master and me. Don’t treat her badly. Could you do that?"

Lowering her head, Qinger had nothing to say but nodded resignedly.

Gu Yunxi patted her on the shoulder and was about to take her back when she met Cheng Wanli holding a long round lantern as he walked to them.

"Well, you woke up, girl?"

Cheng Wanli was surprised to see her.

"Hush!"

Gu Yunxi gestured him to be silent and then pointed to the Master's room. She whispered to him,

"Chiliarch Cheng, you'd better call me 'Yun Guaner' in the future."

Cheng Wanli's face froze. Obviously, he had met the girl from the Palace a long time ago.

Cheng Wanli gazed at the direction of Gu Yunxi's finger and lowered his eyes as he sighed.

"Yun Guaner, let's go. I'll walk you back. I have something to discuss with you."

"With me?"

Flattered, Gu Yunxi looked up at Cheng Wanli curiously, whose square face was lit brightly by the orange lantern.

In the past, he would pull a long face to her from time to time.

Gu Yunxi did not dare to delay and obediently followed the Chiliarch. Guided by the orange-red light, she returned to her room.

Cheng Wanli didn't mind the taboo on avoiding a lady's room. He put the lantern under the porch and escorted Gu Yunxi inside.

As soon as they went inside, he came straight to the topic.

"Yun Guaner, don't worry about that girl. We both know the Master's current situation. You should take a step back on this matter for now, understand?"

Gu Yunxi grinned and beckoned him to sit at the table.

"Don't worry. I know what to do."

When Cheng Wanli took his seat, Gu Yunxi also sat opposite him and asked seriously,

"Uncle Cheng, did you find any clues about the Spring Banquet lately?"

Cheng Wanli showed a trace of frustration as he shook his head slowly. Dim and void, his eyes were fixated at the tabletop.

"It seems that the Emperor didn't want to look into it. He walked the old path and used the head of the Imperial Ceremonial Service, Manager Liu, and the head of the Music Office as scapegoats. They were executed by having their flesh cut off piece by piece the next day after the attempted assassination..."

Gu Yunxi's face instantly turned pale, and her big eyes were fraught with shock. She could not accept the utter disregard for human life.

"How could it be like that?"

"The Emperor had his plan. To be honest, the assassination was quite strange as if the Emperor was not the target at all..."

Depressed, Cheng Wanli finished his words and punched the table with his fist.

Gu Yunxi nodded slowly and replied with a complex expression.

"So it was truly aimed at the Master... I knew it. Things never eased up since Jiangan. If you don't find out the culprit behind the scene soon, I'm afraid he will continue to attack the Master and the Eastern Depot."

Cheng Wanli said,

"Our people are in the Eastern Depot at the moment under the jurisdiction of the Honor Guards. Their hands are tied. Many things cannot be done."

Gu Yunxi squinted slightly. Pondering for a moment, she looked directly at Cheng Wanli and asked,

"In your opinion, could the dancers who had been swapped during the Spring Banquet be murdered already?"

Cheng Wanli crossed his arms and frowned as he shook his head in disagreement.

"Unlikely. The Palace is closely guarded, and people are allowed to enter in a certain period. It is not convenient to shed blood during the day. Before the accident, the Eastern Depot was in charge of the Garden. To kill someone in the Palace has a great risk."

"I figure that they only had the chance to swap the dancer on the way between the Garden and the Palace. Also, the internal officer supervising that road must be close to the one behind the scene so they could have the opportunity. But after the accident, I learned that the internal officer contracted a violent illness and died only a few days after the job. I haven't heard of any homicide case recently in the capital. So those damsels might still be alive. They could be hidden away, maimed and sent to the border, or sold as slaves."

"Find them!"

Gu Yunxi claimed decisively.

"Find them! At least rescue the witnesses first so we can question them. Even if they are dumb, they can still write..."

"How?"

Interested in her idea, Cheng Wanli's eyes lit up. Before Gu Yunxi could finish, he interrupted and objected with a frown.

"Those assassins are dead! This is what vicious about the culprit. He deliberately destroyed the evidence and did not give the Master a chance to reverse the case!"

"They are dead, but their roster is still here. There should be records of the dancers for each performance, right?"

"Right!"

Cheng Wanli immediately came to a realization. He clapped his hands excitedly, and the gloomy cloud on his face instantly became thinner.

"The roster you mentioned was kept in the Music Office. It should be sealed after the accident. But the Imperial Ceremonial Office will always have a copy as usual."

Hearing the good news, Gu Yunxi was energetic and happy. She clenched her fists and said to Cheng Wanli,

"I'll try to get in touch with Zhaoyi Yu and let her transcribe and send out the seven dancers' names on the roster."

"I recognize most of the girls in the Garden. I can ask the painter to portrait according to my description, and then send secret guards to search. Once they have the dancers' location, they can immediately try to rescue them."

Cheng Wanli tilted his head in thoughts.

"Now the Eastern Depot is surrounded by the Honor Guards, and no one can be brought out. But I can gather a couple of secret guards on the street and conduct the search. We also have guards in other provinces. If necessary, they can be summoned back too!"

"Don't!"

Gu Yunxi raised her hand in objection. She gazed at the Chiliarch and said firmly,

"The court blocked the Eastern Depot because they are already wary of us. We must not gather force now lest the matter becomes more complicated. No matter how difficult it is, we will have to carry it. More people mean more trouble. We must not give others a handle!"

Surprised, Cheng Wanli stared at the teenage girl in front of him. His admiring gaze fell on Gu Yunxi's features marked by unfading scars and stayed for a long time.

Dressed neatly in men's garments, she sat elegantly at the table with her slightly lowered sight. In silence, her determination and confidence were revealed.

That calm and wise look was indeed somewhat similar to the Master.

Cheng Wanli sincerely commended her. She was worthy of being the Master's protege! In the past year, she had retired from her childishness and transformed into a totally different person than the sickly and timid little girl in the Garden. Now the daring young lady showed absolute courage and wisdom in her every move.

Thinking of the night he saw her outside the Meridian Gate after the accident happened in the Palace, her perseverance deeply affected him.

Noticing her unhealthy face, Cheng Wanli said,

"Girl, it's been eventful lately. You must have suffered a lot. Go rest now."

"No. I'll go to the kitchen to make some food for the Master. He will take medicine later, so he can't have an empty stomach."

"Oh…"

Cheng Wanli sighed. A feeling of distress and sadness that he had never felt before rippled in his heart.

"Yun Guaner, ask the servants to do that. You're responsible for your own body. Don't exhaust yourself."

Gu Yunxi just stood up and was staggered the next moment. She looked at Cheng Wanli with her tearful eyes as if she was surprised by the hard-won compassion towards her.

Cheng Wanli noticed the doubts and puzzles on Gu Yunxi's face and suddenly moved his eyes away. His tanned square face blushed and became a big purple eggplant.

"Um... Well, girl... I'm a coarse man. I might be too straightforward sometimes, but I mean no harm. If I have offended you before, please don't take it to your heart..."

Mumbling incoherently, he was referring to the strict words and ill-temper he had to Gu Yunxi in the past.

Gu Yunxi grinned generously as she consoled him with a delightful voice,

"Uncle Cheng, what are you talking about? Why can't I recall your offenses? In the Eastern Depot, you have been with the Master for a much longer time than me. You are the one which the Master trusts the most and my senior. I'll obey the teachings of my senior. If I make any mistake in the future, I still turn to you for advice."

The confession filled Cheng Wanli with mixed feelings, and his eyes were reddish about the rims.