As expected, under Ye Xiren’s strict vigilance—where even a fly would be caught and “interrogated”—the day of the third day of the third lunar month passed peacefully until evening, with nothing amiss.
The tightly shut gates remained closed. No one kicked them open to storm into the Ye residence and drag her away for the “execution of the entire family.” The Ye household was as tranquil as ever.
As the sun set, Ye Xiren nearly wept with joy.
At last, this calamity had been averted!
Yesterday’s arrangements had been correct: it wasn’t enough to merely remove the contents from the Guanyin Statue; they had to lure out the one who sought to harm their family. With Yun Xiang’s testimony and Lu Qian’s forced intrusion… the culprit had been found, and the crisis was completely resolved.
Ye Xiren lifted her head.
Her eyes gazed at the slowly setting sun, where layers of clouds piled upon one another and flocks of birds circled overhead. She swallowed back the moisture welling in her eyes.
“Are you crying?” Ye Changming limped over, speaking cautiously, his face filled with surprise.
Ye Xiren shook her head, her smile bright and radiant. “No, the light just stung my eyes.”
Only when Ye Changming saw not a trace of gloom on her face did he finally relax. He lifted his chin to change the subject. “I’m going to the study to exchange a book. Do you want to come along?”
His sister had been keeping an eye on him all day, not letting him out of her sight. If he wanted to return to his room, he’d have to bring her along…
However, Ye Xiren shot him a glance, looking rather disdainful. “No. It’s not like you don’t have legs. How old are you? If you want to go to the study, go by yourself. Do you really need someone to accompany you?”
She lifted the hem of her skirt and skipped cheerfully back to her room.
Ye Changming: “??”
“Ye Xiren, are you even making sense?” he exclaimed in exasperation, raising his voice. “Hey, where are you going? Aren’t you going to keep inspecting?”
“Just keep the gates shut and guard the house well. I’m tired today, so I’m going back to rest for a while.” Ye Xiren paused briefly to add a few more instructions.
Ye Changming’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked:
“Then can I go out to gather news? Today is the third day of the third month, the day of the peace talks. We still don’t know what conditions Bei Yan has proposed or whether the negotiations were successful…”
Ye Xiren smiled faintly. “No, you can’t. We’ll find out when Father returns.”
With those words, she hurried away, the pearl flowers in her hair sparkling, her dark tresses swaying, her retreating figure light and carefree.
Ye Changming rolled his eyes.
This domineering sister of his!
Leaning on his crutch, he wore an expression of clear disdain, yet he still turned and earnestly instructed: “Xue Chan, Xue Juan, watch over the Second Young Lady. Remember to have her eat something before she sleeps, and after the meal, brew her a bowl of Calming Decoction. Let her sleep soundly, and don’t disturb her.”
“Yes,” the two replied, quickly hurrying after her.
Ye Changming’s knuckles tightened around his crutch. Without needing assistance, he limped back to his room, his tall figure elongated by the setting sun. Though often scorned by Ye Xiren, he was, in truth, a genuine young talent of the capital.
The Ye siblings—one handsome, the other beautiful.
Meanwhile, Xue Chan fed her the Calming Decoction. Ye Xiren drank it comfortably, let out a long sigh, stretched out, and lay down.
“Young Lady must be exhausted these past few days. Rest well now.” Xue Chan tucked the blanket snugly around her.
Ye Xiren smiled, a pair of faint dimples becoming more visible as she lay down. Her pearly white teeth showed, and without her hairpins and ornaments, she looked partly youthful and partly charming—a girl of just sixteen, her dark, lively eyes clear and transparent, her voice gentle:
"You all should get some good rest too. Once the Ye family's calamity is completely over, I'll take you out to play and give you reward money!"
Xue Chan and Xue Juan both smiled, their hearts softening.
"You've worked hard for the Ye family today, miss. You should get to sleep quickly." Xue Chan stood up and lowered the gauze bed curtain. The temperature had risen a bit today, so she moved the brazier farther away to avoid overheating the room.
The two of them withdrew.
Ye Xiren closed her eyes, a relaxed smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.
She was thinking that peace talks were underway today. Once the world was at peace and the Ye family's disaster had passed, and with March being the perfect season for spring outings, she would go to the Southern Capital Buddhist Temple to offer incense, enjoy the greenery, and thank heaven for its protection…
Suddenly, the main gate was kicked open, and chaos erupted in the front courtyard.
The commotion that reached the rear courtyard was already quite faint, but Ye Xiren seemed to sense something. Her heart tightened, and all drowsiness vanished instantly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head.
She sat up in disbelief, looking toward the direction of the gate.
Ye Xiren: "??"
No way.
Again?
She had guarded so strictly—how could something still go wrong?!
"Nice to see you again. Where is that bold Second Miss Ye?"
The surroundings fell into dead silence, with no one answering.
Ye Xiren put on her clothes and came out, without any hairpins or ornaments. Under the torchlight, her face flushed with anger, her eyes blazing, and she gritted her teeth: "Lu Qian, what excuse are you using to frame us this time?!"
Lu Qian lifted his foot and walked toward her step by step, smiling: "Second Miss Ye, you've wronged me. How could I possibly have the ability to frame the Ministry of Revenue Minister's Mansion?"
Ye Xiren's heart skipped a beat.
This Lu Qian—today, he seemed even more brazen than yesterday?
Ye Changming limped out and, seeing him approach his sister, threw away his crutch and rushed forward to shield her behind him. He glared fiercely at Lu Qian and said angrily:
"You still dare to force your way into the Ye family? Aren't there any consequences for your slander and false accusations from yesterday?!"
Why was Lu Qian still standing here unharmed? Had Father not yet reported to the emperor?
Ye Xiren quickly pondered.
Lu Qian's face instantly darkened, and he sneered: "Yes, your father submitted a memorial yesterday accusing me. Fortunately, before any action could be taken, your Ye family fell into misfortune… So, Ye Pei's accusations are no longer important."
At this point, the glee in Lu Qian's eyes was unmistakable. If Ye Pei hadn't gotten into trouble, he might have really struggled to escape punishment. But now that Ye Pei was in trouble and the peace talks were still deadlocked, he had a chance to atone for his crimes and turn everything around.
The accusations of a criminal were no longer important.
"What do you mean?" Ye Xiren frowned.
"You probably don't know, do you? A major case exploded in court today. The batch of military provisions previously sent to the Yanjia Army had issues, and the truth was finally uncovered… It turned out to be your father, the Minister of Revenue, who embezzled the funds."
Lu Qian's voice was eerie:
"The person who raised the issue with the provisions and exposed the major case was your father himself. And in the end, the one uncovered was also your father, Ye Pei."
"Nonsense!" Ye Changming said in disbelief. "My father is honest and upright. There's no way he could have embezzled military funds. You're framing him!"
Ye Xiren: "…"
Her first reaction wasn't anger but… Next time, she would definitely guard her father closely and not let him go to court!
"Wait." Ye Xiren caught the information Lu Qian had revealed and seized the key point. "Leaving aside the fact that my father couldn't possibly have embezzled military funds, even if he did, why would he expose it himself in court?"
That didn't make sense.
Ye Pei reported issues with the military provisions, exposing a major case—he must have wanted to help clear some of the charges against General Yan, who was still imprisoned. In the end, it was discovered that he… Someone must have played tricks!
However, Lu Qian sneered meaningfully, "Today, that rebel was supposed to be sentenced to death. Your father’s report was meant to buy time and clear the rebel’s name, but he never expected… He didn’t clean up the evidence thoroughly, and someone uncovered it."
Seeing Ye Xiren about to speak, he shook his head and continued:
"None of that matters now, because at Shenshi today, your father admitted to embezzling military funds himself. He personally wrote a confession and submitted it to the court—no torture, no coercion. Your father confessed his crime at Dali Temple. The Emperor was furious and personally sentenced Ye Pei to execution of the entire family."
After saying this, he shook his arm, and an imperial edict unfurled. In the dim firelight, it looked like a monster capable of devouring everything, striking fear into the heart.
No wonder he barged in so brazenly—he held the imperial edict authorizing the confiscation of the Ye family!
Ye Xiren and Ye Changming both trembled simultaneously.
"No, absolutely impossible!" Ye Changming refused to believe it, shaking his head violently. He snatched the imperial edict, scrutinizing every word, unable to accept it.
After a brief moment of collapse, a familiar sense of death slowly spread through Ye Xiren. Hearing the words "execution of the entire family," she actually felt a sense of relief, as if thinking, "So it finally happened…"
The disaster of the third day of the third month had finally arrived.
"My father couldn’t have embezzled. How could he confess? What exactly happened today?" Ye Xiren stepped forward, her eyes fixed intently on Lu Qian, demanding answers.
She had too many questions.
Lu Qian held a knife in his hand, unsheathing it to play with. Recalling how stubbornly this person had stood in his way yesterday, his thin lips moved slightly as he slowly spoke, "Want to know? Beg me."
Ye Xiren didn’t hesitate: "I beg you."
Lu Qian: "…"
Lu Qian was left speechless.
Thinking about how he was competing with a little girl, he suddenly felt it was pointless. He sheathed the knife, took a deep breath, and waved his hand. "The superior has ordered us to handle this quickly to appease the Emperor’s anger. Take them directly to Caishikou."
He was cursed at as he was led onto the prison cart.
The guard tried to grab Ye Xiren, but she simply lifted her skirt and obediently followed, even saying to him, "Hey, we meet again. My grandmother is old—treat her politely."
After saying this, she walked out the door, climbed into the prison cart, and didn’t forget to close the door behind her.
That Lu Qian didn’t take the bait and refused to give her any information. Judging by his demeanor, he probably didn’t know much about the inside story anyway. She’d better hurry up and achieve rebirth so she could investigate it herself.
Guard: "?"
Seeing him staring blankly at her, Ye Xiren suddenly realized something and obediently stretched out her hands, muttering, "Oh, right, I haven’t been shackled yet."
Guard: "??"
Seeing he still didn’t understand, Ye Xiren urged, "Hurry up. The other prison carts have already left. Let’s get this over with quickly—don’t waste my time."
She needed to hurry up and achieve rebirth to go back.
Not only did she have to guard the Ye family closely, but she also had to protect Ye Pei at all costs!
Ye Xiren gritted her teeth secretly.
Guard: "…"
Imperial City Department, Imperial Prison.
In the pitch-black prison, only a sliver of light shone from the dungeon entrance. Inside, a figure sat with hands and feet bound by iron chains, blood staining the white undergarment.
The figure seemed unaware, still sitting upright in the dungeon, back straight. Hidden beneath disheveled hair, his eyes gazed toward the dungeon entrance, waiting quietly.
The next moment, he suddenly reached out and caught a rat scurrying past.
Shadows flickered at the entrance as a jailer entered to deliver food, placing a food box before the dark figure. The dishes were taken out one by one, and water was poured into a chipped bowl.
The dark figure released the rat in front of the rice bowl, the iron chains clanking loudly. He slowly closed his eyes.
At Caishikou, the executioner raised both hands, spat out a mouthful of strong liquor, and the Ghost Head Blade flashed coldly before descending heavily. Excruciating pain surged, blood splattered…
Ye Xiren clutched her neck and sat up abruptly, breathing rapidly, her eyes filled with terror.
"Young Miss?" The maids filed in, the head maid looking anxious as she wiped the cold sweat from Ye Xiren’s forehead and instructed, "Quickly bring some water!"
Such a familiar scene, such a familiar voice!
Ye Xiren let out a sigh of relief.
There was still a chance.
Her pupils suddenly contracted as she grabbed Xue Chan’s wrist, her tone urgent, "Wait, what is the date today?"
Ye Xiren stood up abruptly, her face full of anxiety. "Quickly help me dress, prepare the carriage, I need to go out. Bring Liu Xu and Yun Xiang from Grandmother’s room… Never mind, no need. Hurry up!"
How infuriating, it’s back to the first day of the third month.
Everything has to be redone.
She must prevent her brother’s "examination fraud," rescue her grandmother from "concealing evidence of collusion with the enemy," and urgently resolve her father’s "embezzlement of military funds."
Author’s Note:
Ye Xiren: This is truly exhausting me!