Pei Xie no longer wore the coarse servant’s clothes; instead, he had changed into black attire that allowed for easier movement.
The outfit was somewhat form-fitting, outlining his physique.
Though Pei Xie was on the lean side, his shoulders were broad, his waist taut, and when he leaned close to cover her mouth and nose, his intense masculine presence surrounded Zhu Xingxu from all sides, giving her an unfamiliar sense of nervousness.
Her eyes involuntarily drifted toward his body.
She startled herself with the thought, instantly stepping aside.
Even at a distance, Zhu Xingxu’s heart pounded, and she kept her head lowered, unable to look at him.
Pei Xie had been waiting in the study for some time. To avoid startling her, he had resorted to this strategy.
As he approached, he caught the faint scent of citrus on Zhu Xingxu.
For no reason, his mood lifted considerably. Once Zhu Xingxu realized who had come, she relaxed.
It meant that tonight, she might not have to attend to the bedroom duties.
She touched her pocket—the medicine Pei Xie had given her was still there.
Curiously, Zhu Xingxu asked, “How did you get here?”
According to Pei Xie’s previous plan, she should have been the only one coming today.
Pei Xie listened carefully to the sounds outside, and only after confirming no one was nearby did he speak softly, “The timing is about right, and since you are coming today, the guards in the study are more relaxed. I came here ahead to wait for you.”
After speaking, he turned and began searching the study for what he needed.
Seeing him move, Zhu Xingxu hurried to Li Dong’s desk to look for brushes.
Time was precious; she did not want to fall behind. The brush holder was large, containing at least several dozen brushes.
So this is what a scholar’s collection looks like…
She picked out a few brushes she recognized and tossed them onto the desk.
Soon, the desk was littered with scattered brushes.
On Pei Xie’s side, the search went smoothly; by simply considering Li Dong’s habits, he quickly found what he was looking for.
He took the item and glanced at Zhu Xingxu.
Seeing her struggling with the remaining five brushes, Pei Xie walked over, glanced at them, and selected the correct one.
He handed the brush to her. “Take good care of it.”
Zhu Xingxu carefully put the brush away, tears nearly welling up.
Finally… Finally…
Heaven knows how much effort she had put in just to obtain this brush.
At that moment, all past troubles seemed insignificant.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and exclaimed, “How do you know everything?”
Pei Xie smiled faintly, not accepting the compliment. “Actually, I didn’t recognize the Kuqing tree brush.”
What? He didn’t know?
Zhu Xingxu frowned. “Then how did you know this was the one?”
Pei Xie replied, “Li Dong brought the Kuqing tree brush from afar, which shows it’s the one he’s most accustomed to using. The others are all pristine, as if newly bought.”
Zhu Xingxu looked back at the other four brushes.
Indeed, just as he said. But she still felt uneasy.
“But what if he values the Kuqing tree brush and won’t use it?”
Pei Xie was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t considered that.
“Hm… that’s possible.”
To be safe, Zhu Xingxu took the other four brushes as well.
After all, a few extra brushes wouldn’t be a burden.
Pei Xie agreed. With their items secured, Pei Xie moved toward leaving.
At a window in the back, he warned, “Be careful.”
Zhu Xingxu became anxious again.
He’s leaving already?
She quickly grabbed his sleeve.
“Can you stay a bit longer?”
She did not want to face Li Dong alone. Pei Xie’s heart skipped a beat at her grip.
Calmly, he removed her hand. “If Li Dong discovers another man in the study, neither of us will survive.”
With that, he tried to exit through the window.
He pushed once. Nothing moved.
He tried another window. Still stuck.
Zhu Xingxu asked, “You can’t get out?”
Though reluctant to admit it, Pei Xie had no choice.
At that moment, Li Dong’s voice came from outside.
“Aunt Cuihua? The maid I saw from the other day?”
“That girl’s quite capable, she won’t trouble Madam.”
As he approached, Zhu Xingxu’s heart nearly leapt to her throat.
She tried to drag Pei Xie behind a screen.
But there was nothing there; if Li Dong entered, he would see them!
They were in real danger…
Just as she resigned herself to a final cry, Pei Xie suddenly discovered something along the wall.
Zhu Xingxu watched him with anticipation.
Following the plot of any drama, there must be a hidden switch.
Li Dong’s footsteps were at the door.
Pei Xie felt a slightly raised spot and pressed it.
At the moment Li Dong opened the door, Pei Xie and Zhu Xingxu were transported into a basement.
Zhu Xingxu stood for a moment, adjusting to the darkness.
“Does it really exist?”
Pei Xie smiled confidently.
As expected, Li Dong’s study concealed a secret space. He produced a fire striker and lit it.
He grabbed an oil lamp nearby and dropped the fire striker into the oil.
Clearly, Li Dong had prepared it, probably using it often. Warm yellow light illuminated their faces.
Zhu Xingxu’s face was dark, blending into the shadows, but with only the two of them present, she didn’t mind.
Pei Xie carried the lamp, walking ahead.
Zhu Xingxu followed closely, afraid to lag behind.
The passage was spacious enough for at least five people to walk side by side.
Pei Xie focused on the path ahead, mindful of potential traps.
Zhu Xingxu clung to his arm, her warmth brushing him with every step, causing him momentary stiffness.
Though this wasn’t their first contact, in this setting, Pei Xie felt uneasy.
He forced a calm tone. “Step back a little.”
“No!”
Zhu Xingxu refused, pressing even closer. To her, his body felt as cold as the cave wind.
She disliked it but couldn’t move away. Pei Xie stayed silent, afraid she’d lean in again.
They walked closely together. Pei Xie concentrated on the path.
The passage ended in a stone chamber. The flickering lamp barely lit the way.
The path was free of stones and weeds; Li Dong must traverse it often.
The deeper they went, the more Pei Xie was convinced Li Dong had used it repeatedly.
His steps quickened, eager to reach the end.
Zhu Xingxu hurried to keep up. At the exit, it opened into a broad stone chamber.
Before Zhu Xingxu could admire the vastness, a mound of gold in the center startled her.
“This…”
Pei Xie’s eyes shone with delight.
He approached and examined the gold, picking up a small piece to inspect the bottom.
Sure enough, there was an inscription.
Pei Xie snorted. “As expected.”
Zhu Xingxu peered at it without hesitation.
At the bottom of the gold lay: “Fifth year of Chengqing, June, Kang City flood.”
He picked up several others; each piece detailed different events on different dates.
As Pei Xie suspected, the gold was disaster relief money once allocated by the court.
He and Pei Yan had long suspected the Crown Prince faction of embezzling portions of disaster relief, but without proof, exposing them would invite censure from ministers and suspicion from the emperor.
The destitute never received the life-saving funds.
Layered exploitation ensured only a fraction reached the people.
To appease the populace, the court continued disbursing funds, gradually depleting the treasury.
Looking at the gold, Pei Xie’s eyes narrowed.
Most of it had indeed gone into the Crown Prince faction’s hands.
They used it to consolidate power, paving the way for his ascension.
Through investigation, Pei Xie had ruled out several individuals, finally focusing on Li Dong, the junior minister of the Dali Court.
With the items found in the study and this mound of gold, Li Dong was beyond escape.
The question remained: how to transmit this information?
The chamber likely had more than one exit.
While Pei Xie contemplated, Zhu Xingxu explored the room.
She found a dark hole in the stone wall, its destination unknown.
“Look!” She is called Pei Xie.
He followed her gaze. At the opening, he sensed wind.
This had to be Li Dong’s escape route. Unexpectedly, they were the first to use it.
Without hesitation, he entered. Zhu Xingxu quickly followed.
He moved too fast, not waiting for her.
The passage was dark, but the lamp helped.
The wind grew stronger, carrying the sound of flowing water.
They quickened their pace, eventually emerging into the outskirts of the capital.
It was a deep night, stars glittering like diamonds, and a gentle breeze blew.
Fresh air filled Zhu Xingxu’s lungs as she adjusted from the confined space.
She looked around, dazed. “We… made it out?”
Pei Xie nodded. Zhu Xingxu felt unprecedented relief.
Since entering the Li residence, except for that day at the Flower Festival, she had remained confined there.
In the Zhu household, she could do as she pleased, but in Li residence, strict rules governed the servants, making her long for the outside.
Suddenly, she realized something.
“Does this mean we don’t have to return?”
Pei Xie chuckled.
“With the goods secured, why return?”
Zhu Xingxu’s eyes widened, then she grinned.
Pei Xie smiled too.
Despite countless missions, none had given him such joy.
Perhaps it was because this time, his partner was Zhu Xingxu.
Besides the brush she wanted, he felt he could give her something more.
As a token of gratitude for her near-month of hard work, he asked,
“What do you want?”
She turned to him. “What?”
Pei Xie looked at her seriously. “You helped me greatly. Is there anything else you want?”
Zhu Xingxu tilted her head. “I already got what I wanted.”
Pei Xie shook his head. “Something else.”
She understood—he wished to give her an extra reward.
She thought for a moment, but nothing special came to mind.
“Nothing.”
Pei Xie frowned. “Then I can just give freely?”
He was not the type to withhold because she said no.
Zhu Xingxu nodded. It retained the excitement of an unknown reward.
The two of them walked back into the capital.
Though the city gates were closed, Pei Xie showed his badge; the guards, after careful inspection, let them pass.
Zhu Xingxu lingered to glance at the badge.
That must be the royal badge mentioned in books… she wanted it so badly.
But once the guards were satisfied, Pei Xie put it away.
Inside the city, she realized she couldn’t return to the Zhu household in her current state.
Pei Xie anticipated her concern and booked a room at Xianlai Tavern.
After paying, he prepared to leave. Zhu Xingxu grabbed him again.
“Where are you going?”
She truly admired him, there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.
He wanted to leave, and she felt unwilling.
Pei Xie gently freed his sleeve from her grip.
“To report back.”
Zhu Xingxu finally realized her overreach.
Indeed, it had been inappropriate.
She stepped back, reestablishing distance between them, restoring the boundary formed by the mission.
Before leaving, Pei Xie handed her a large bar of snow cream, meant to wash away the blackened ointment.
Back in her room, Zhu Xingxu had hot water prepared and locked the door, ready to bathe thoroughly.
After using the snow cream, the darkened areas washed away quickly, returning her skin to its natural tone.
She wondered if the ointment had sun-protective effects; her skin felt even fairer after washing.
Humming, she bathed, then collapsed onto the bed, falling straight into sleep.
The next morning, she headed to the Zhu residence.
A soft bed, delicious food—she was finally coming home!