The night at the Hou Mansion during the early evening hour spread like ink. The windows of the Tingyu Pavilion glowed with warm yellow candlelight, casting fragmented shadows across the blue brick floor.
Inside the study, two bronze candleholders burned with candles. Sparks occasionally flew from the wicks, making the old books on the shelves shimmer with a gentle glow. Most of these books had been left by the original owner’s mother — medical texts and letters — which Wen Yinyue had organized after returning to the mansion, placing them within easy reach.
Wen Yinyue sat at the wooden desk by the window, wearing a pale blue cotton robe with subtle orchid embroidery on the sleeves. Her long hair was loosely tied in a bun, secured with a wooden hairpin.
She had just put two children to sleep, her fingertips still warm from Lingxi’s grip before bed, as she flipped through a yellowed ledger — the original owner’s daily expenses at age fifteen. On one page, written in delicate handwriting, was “Wang Ma delivered calming soup, three silver coins.” The ink had faded slightly, but her gaze lingered.
“Master.”
A light knock came at the door, Lin Feng’s voice low and carrying the chill of the night. Wen Yinyue closed the ledger and said, “Come in.”
The door opened slightly. Lin Feng slipped inside, still wearing his black night clothes. The sleeves had bits of grass and dew, showing he had just returned from outside reconnaissance.
He removed the mask from his face, revealing sharp eyes, slightly tired. He quickly walked to the desk and handed her a neatly folded piece of parchment. “The Shadow Network has investigated. The woman who drugged you five years ago, Wang Ma, was a servant of Lady Liu’s. After the incident, Lady Liu sent her to Li Family Village in the suburbs under the pretense of ‘recovering in her hometown.’”
Wen Yinyue took the parchment and unfolded it, revealing clear handwriting — Wang Ma’s address (the third mud-brick house at the east end of Li Family Village), family members (a son and a bedridden mother), daily routines (buying breakfast in the village in the morning, washing clothes by the river in the afternoon), and even her typical pale blue cotton dress and silver hairpin.
“How did you find this?”
Wen Yinyue’s fingertips brushed the three characters “Li Family Village.” Her tone was calm but attentive to the details.
Lady Liu had always been cautious. Once Wang Ma was sent away, all contact would be cut off. To get such detailed information, the Shadow Network must have put in significant effort.
Lin Feng stood by the desk, slightly bowing as he explained. “We first investigated Lady Liu’s family — Wang Ma came with Lady Liu from her natal home. Every year, Lady Liu sent some silver to Wang Ma’s mother. Lin Lei from the Shadow Network followed the servant delivering the silver and found Li Family Village. After a few days of local inquiries, we confirmed Wang Ma had spent the past five years taking care of her mother, never leaving the village, and only communicating with Lady Liu through a distant nephew.”
He paused, adding, “That distant nephew just visited Li Family Village yesterday, bringing some fabric as a ‘reward from Lady Liu.’ Our team intercepted him and found a note: ‘If anyone asks about what happened five years ago, say you don’t know, or your mother’s life is in danger.’ Obviously, Lady Liu has been threatening Wang Ma with her mother’s safety.”
Wen Yinyue’s eyes grew colder. She clenched the parchment, her knuckles whitening.
She could imagine the constant anxiety Wang Ma endured over the past five years — caring for her paralyzed mother while being threatened by Lady Liu, unable to reveal a word. Yet even so, Wang Ma had been the one who administered the drug back then, pushing the original owner toward the cliff. That account had to be settled.
“Is anyone from Lady Liu still in the village?” Wen Yinyue asked, her voice carrying subtle gravity.
She didn’t want to alert anyone. If Lady Liu had spies in the village, rushing to retrieve Wang Ma could endanger both Wang Ma and her mother.
“They’ve left,” Lin Feng shook his head. “The servant and the distant nephew left Li Family Village yesterday evening, returning to the capital. Only Wang Ma and her mother remain. No suspicious people were found.”
Wen Yinyue exhaled lightly, tapping her fingers on the wooden desk. After a moment of thought, she looked at Lin Feng with determination. “Tonight, you take two Shadow members to Li Family Village and bring Wang Ma back. Remember three things: First, be discreet. Don’t alert anyone in the village, and especially don’t let Lady Liu’s spies notice. Second, ensure Wang Ma’s safety and don’t harm her mother. We want the truth, not revenge. Third, bring Wang Ma’s mother to a small residence near the mansion so Wang Ma has no worries. Only then will she speak honestly.”
“Yes!” Lin Feng replied solemnly, loyalty shining in his eyes. “I will prepare immediately and take Lin Wu and Lin Yi — Lin Wu is strong and can carry Wang Ma’s mother; Lin Yi is agile and can scout the surroundings.”
Wen Yinyue nodded, retrieving a token engraved with the character “Xiao” from a drawer and handed it to Lin Feng. “Take this. If you encounter members of the Xiaoyao Pavilion’s outer guards, have them cooperate. Be careful on the road and return before sunrise.”
Lin Feng took the token, carefully hiding it in his night clothes, and bowed. “Master, rest assured. I will not fail.”
He turned toward the door, his steps light as a cat’s. Pausing at the doorway, he added, “Master, keep an eye at the mansion. Though Lady Liu has been quiet lately, she may still make other moves.”
“I know,” Wen Yinyue smiled, pointing to the silver needles on the desk. “With these, she can’t harm me.”
Lin Feng nodded and disappeared into the night. The study fell silent again, only the crackle of candles and occasional wind outside remaining.
Wen Yinyue picked up the original ledger again, her fingertips resting on the line: “Wang Ma delivered jujube paste soup.”
She closed her eyes, trying to recall fragments of the original owner’s memory — a particular afternoon five years ago. The original owner had just returned from the academy when Lady Liu ordered Wang Ma to bring a bowl of calming soup, saying it would “soothe the mind and improve the complexion.”
The original owner drank it without thinking. Soon, dizziness set in, and that night, Wen Wanru tricked her outside under the pretense of a “walk”…
“Back then, did Wang Ma know, or was she deceived by Lady Liu?” Wen Yinyue murmured, eyes opening.
She leaned toward the first possibility. Wang Ma, as Lady Liu’s servant for decades, couldn’t have been unaware of her intentions. Yet threats might have forced her compliance. Either way, only finding Wang Ma could solve the mystery.
She walked to the bookshelf, taking down a redwood box containing letters left by the original owner’s mother.
One letter, addressed to the original owner, mentioned: “Wang Ma may seem honest, but she is cunning. If anything happens, don’t trust her easily.” This confirmed Wen Yinyue’s suspicions — Wang Ma’s relationship with Lady Liu was far closer than it appeared.
Wen Yinyue returned the letters, then took out an old map of the mansion. Red markings indicated various courtyards, including Lady Liu’s Tingzhu Courtyard and Wen Wanru’s Xiuyu Pavilion.
Her gaze rested on the kitchen in Tingzhu Courtyard. Remembering Lin Feng’s report that “Wang Ma used to manage Lady Liu’s meals,” a thought occurred — perhaps Wang Ma’s drugging wasn’t a one-time event. Could the original owner’s mother’s ‘illness and death’ also involve Wang Ma?
Her heart tightened. Now wasn’t the time to dig into that. First, she had to find Wang Ma and uncover the truth of the cliff incident.
But she resolved privately: once this was over, she would investigate the original owner’s mother’s death. If Lady Liu hadn’t spared her, that account also had to be settled clearly.
By the middle of the early evening, the candles had burned halfway, wax dripping onto the blue bricks, forming tiny beads.
Wen Yinyue sat at the desk, studying Wang Ma’s information on the parchment, planning the interrogation: first ask about the drugging five years ago, then Lady Liu’s orders, and finally about the original owner’s mother. Every question had to hit the mark, leaving no room for lies.
Outside, the night grew darker. Other mansion courtyards had gone dark. Only the candle in Tingyu Pavilion remained, a beacon in the black night. Tonight was destined to be sleepless — Lin Feng and the team were on their way to Li Family Village, and she would wait here for them to bring back the truth, the first step in seeking justice for the original owner.
She walked to the window, opening a crack, gazing at the night sky. Few stars shone; a thin crescent moon hung in the distance, casting faint light. Wen Yinyue’s eyes were resolute. In her heart she thought: Original owner, wait a little longer. Soon, I will make Lady Liu and Wen Wanru pay for what they did.
The candle flames continued to burn in the study, illuminating Wen Yinyue’s figure, the ledger, letters, and map — old objects that seemed to tell the past, waiting for the moment the truth would be revealed.