After deciding to exchange identities, Ming Niansheng told Luo Xinci everything she knew about the Marquis’s household, leaving nothing out.
She said that back then, the number of men who wished to marry Princess Shao’an could have circled the capital three times. The Princess agreed to wed Marquis Wuling on the condition that he would neither take concubines nor marry again. The Marquis consented, and they were married.
Afterward, misfortunes struck Prince Ning’s household repeatedly, and the number of male heirs dwindled. By the eighth year, only two younger sons remained. Later, a maid in the Marquis’s household became pregnant and was to be executed, but Princess Shao’an intervened to save her. Half a year later, Ming Niansheng was born.
Taken together, these events suggested that the Marquis, seeing the Prince Ning’s household weakened, had grown contemptuous of Princess Shao’an.
The Marquis had wronged her, and Ming Yuhe’s hatred for his father was only natural. Thus, when Luo Xinci witnessed Ming Yuhe kill the Marquis, she was horrified—but she never doubted the truth of what she saw.
First, there was the precedent of the Sun girl in Linzhou, who had murdered her own father and brother. And second, who would dare impersonate the Marquis within his own household?
Now, staring at the stern Marquis seated at the dining table, Luo Xinci was utterly bewildered. Frozen before the three figures, her lips trembled, unable to answer Ming Yuhe’s question.
“Where have your manners gone?” the Marquis frowned, his gaze full of disdain.
Luo Xinci jolted back to herself. With no time to think, she hurriedly bowed again: “Niansheng greets Father, greets Elder Brother…”
The Marquis ignored her. Princess Shao’an cast her a cold glance but said nothing. Only Ming Yuhe smiled and said, “We are all family—no need to be bound by formality. Niansheng, come here, to your brother’s side.”
His smiling eyes made Luo Xinci’s hair stand on end. Of the three people before her, two she had already met. But if she could choose, she would rather sit beside Princess Shao’an, who since her entrance had treated her as though she were invisible. She looked toward the Princess with desperate hope, silently praying she might once again show mercy—just as she had saved Ming Niansheng and her mother more than ten years ago—and extend a hand to her as well.
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for Princess Shao’an turned her eyes upon her.
Luo Xinci’s own eyes lit up instantly.
The Princess regarded her quietly for a moment, then said, “Looking at me won’t help. If he wants to make things difficult for you, you’ll just have to endure it.”
Luo Xinci: “…”
It was the first time she had met someone who spoke so bluntly. Too blunt—so much so that her embarrassment nearly smothered her fear.
But Ming Yuhe was entirely unfazed. “Mother jests. Niansheng is sincere and has never deceived me. Why would I make things difficult for her?”
Princess Shao’an asked, “You investigated her?”
“Yes.”
Mother and son spoke with ease, their exchange flowing smoothly. Meanwhile, Luo Xinci was still reeling from the humiliation of having her plea for help exposed and dismissed when another revelation suddenly struck her.
Ming Yuhe had investigated her! She looked at him in shock, only to see him smiling as he said, “Steward Tang reported that Niansheng caught a chill before leaving Linzhou. The maids at Yunshang Pavilion also said she was just recovering and rarely went out. What could she possibly have lied to me about? If anything, I thought she had grown bolder since childhood—but it seems she’s still just as timid.” Turning to her, he added, “Niansheng, that makes you far too easy to bully.”
He had investigated—but not in Linzhou, and not enough to uncover that she was an imposter.
Luo Xinci let out a quiet breath of relief. She had been in the capital nearly ten days, leaving Yunshang Pavilion only twice. Each time, she had run into Ming Yuhe, and each encounter had overturned all her careful preparations and assumptions. Too terrifying!
At this moment, she felt as though she were back in that study again, wishing only to end this needle‑prick supper as quickly as possible.
Afraid of further mishaps, Luo Xinci lowered her voice and said obediently, “Niansheng understands.”
Suppressing her inner resistance, she forced herself to muster courage and, like walking on thin ice, moved to Ming Yuhe’s side and sat down.
Once everyone was seated, Marquis Wuling asked indifferently about the old madam’s health, then about the books Luo Xinci was reading. She kept her head lowered and answered briefly but properly.
“The capital is not Linzhou. It is not a place where you can behave recklessly. If you have matters, seek your elder brother. If not, spend more time with your mother, chanting scriptures and cultivating yourself. Do not keep going out.” The Marquis’s tone was cold.
Luo Xinci had come to the capital to pursue the murderer—there was no way she could remain quietly in the household. But faced with today’s situation, she had no choice but to appear obedient for now.
Before she could reply, Princess Shao’an gave a mocking laugh.
Luo Xinci immediately dared not speak further.
Seeing this, the Marquis did not bother with empty formalities and ordered the meal to be served.
Having learned her lesson, Luo Xinci did not dare look at the three seated with her. She kept her head down, mind in turmoil, eating in silence. Fortunately, the household was strict in its rules—once the dishes were served, few spoke. She endured the so‑called family supper with trembling caution. Princess Shao’an left first, followed by the Marquis, leaving only Luo Xinci and Ming Yuhe.
The dishes had been cleared, but Ming Yuhe still had one last pot of wine at his side. He drank slowly, while Luo Xinci seized the chance to gather her thoughts.
Marquis Wuling’s apparent resurrection could mean only two things: either the one who died earlier was a fake, or the one she saw tonight was a fake. Whether Ming Yuhe had truly killed his father or not—none of it concerned her. The matter was too tangled, too dangerous. Even if the truth were laid bare before her, she did not want to see it. What mattered was whether Ming Yuhe was willing to let her go.
If the one who died before was truly the Marquis, then tonight’s figure must be someone Ming Yuhe arranged to impersonate him. In that case, Luo Xinci needed only to stand firmly at his side, cooperate with him, and play the role of a loyal younger sister.
What if the one who died earlier had been the fake? To save her life, she had told Ming Yuhe that she had come to the capital for the sole purpose of killing Marquis Wuling. If the real Marquis learned of this, he would never let her live!
Judging by the Marquis’s attitude toward her today, Ming Yuhe must not have told him yet.
“When does Niansheng plan to act?” Ming Yuhe’s sudden voice made Luo Xinci’s breath catch. She clutched her handkerchief tightly in alarm. Don’t panic! She forced herself to steady, turning her face aside.
The hall was lit with many candles, bright as day. Ming Yuhe rested his chin on one hand, gazing at her with a half‑smile, her reflection clear in his eyes.
Luo Xinci felt a deep unease, as though he could see straight through her. She turned her eyes away, lifted her teacup to cover her nerves, and sipped. Staring at her own reflection in the cup, she said, “I need to first understand what’s going on…”
“That’s simple. Do you still remember the last question I asked you in the study that day?”
Luo Xinci searched her memory, dragging the words out of that terrifying moment: “Have you thought about what consequences Father’s death would bring?”
She was not truly Ming Niansheng, so she had never cared about that question. Having barely escaped with her life, she had only worried about her own plans, and had completely forgotten it. Now, being asked again, she realized it was tied to the secret of the Marquis’s death and resurrection. She immediately focused her thoughts.
Ordinary men, once dead, leave grieving kin, are buried, and their estates divided among heirs. In the Marquis’s household, there was only Ming Yuhe as a son. Without question, he would inherit the title and everything else.
Luo Xinci’s thinking was simple. With maids present in the hall, she dared not speak plainly, but her eyes conveyed the meaning.
Ming Yuhe smiled, set down his wine cup, and said, “It’s late. Niansheng, let your brother escort you back.”
Luo Xinci dared not refuse.
Without attendants following, the two left the dining hall, walking slowly toward Yunshang Pavilion, half a step apart, one before the other.
“Father and His Majesty are at odds.”
Luo Xinci, avoiding his gaze, was watching her shadow cast low by the corridor lamps when she suddenly heard this sentence. Startled, she lifted her head. She had never considered entanglements of power. Ming Niansheng, long secluded in Linzhou, knew nothing of such matters either, and had never spoken of them.
“Several years ago, during a royal hunt at South Mountain, the Crown Prince was chased by wolves and became separated from his guards in the vast wilderness,” Ming Yuhe said. “The story is long, but all you need to know is that when the Crown Prince met with misfortune, Father was the prime suspect.”
Raised in remote Linzhou, Luo Xinci had never heard of such an incident. She froze for a moment, then asked, “And the result? Did the Crown Prince return?”
“He returned, gravely injured. His Majesty had no proof, so the matter was left unresolved.”
Luo Xinci had never imagined she would one day be drawn into struggles over imperial power. The revelation shocked her. Walking with Ming Yuhe through the covered corridor, watching her shadow shorten and lengthen again, she finally understood his meaning.
Marquis Wuling acted recklessly. If he truly died, the Emperor would seize the chance to uproot the entire household, and none within would escape disaster.
Therefore, Ming Yuhe would never kill the Marquis. The one who died before must have been a fake; the man she saw today was the real Marquis.
Following this line of thought, Luo Xinci reached her conclusion. Yet deep inside, she felt a vague sense—like brushing against the edge of something, only one step away from seeing the truth clearly, but unable to cross it. She was straining her mind when Ming Yuhe spoke again.
“So, you mustn’t keep thinking about killing Father.”
The sudden shift in topic broke her train of thought.
Ming Yuhe smiled. “That day, I was only teasing you. I never thought you would take it seriously.”
Luo Xinci was struck speechless. What kind of proper siblings would stage a fake father’s death as a joke?
“Niansheng, however bad he may be, he is still our father. Fratricide is something your brother could never commit. But since you have already made thorough plans and are determined to avenge your mother, I will not stop you. Let it be three months from now. When the time comes, I will have a way to safeguard the household.”
Luo Xinci: “…”
So this elder brother was no good man after all. Perhaps the one who died in the study was not truly Marquis Wuling, but this elder brother was certainly no virtuous soul! He must be pretending.
“Why so silent? Do you think three months is too long? Or was everything you said that day nothing but lies to deceive me?”
That was a threat!
“No!” Luo Xinci denied quickly.
This time, he looked less terrifying than before—more like a gentle elder brother helpless before a willful younger sister. But the shadow of what had happened in the study weighed too heavily. Luo Xinci dared not trust him, nor relax in his presence. Better to agree for now, and act when the chance arose. She said, “Three months it is…”
“That’s good.”
By then they had reached the gate of Yunshang Pavilion. Seeing the two in conversation, the maids discreetly withdrew.
Ming Yuhe stopped, his tone solemn: “Niansheng, everything I told you today concerns the survival of this household. You must remember—never speak of it to outsiders.”
As the greatest outsider in this household, Luo Xinci felt her heart sink at those words. The road ahead seemed utterly dark.
Would she ever have a chance to escape?
When Ming Yuhe returned to the main hall, Princess Shao’an was already waiting.
“That day she stumbled into the study because Liyang was playing tricks, luring her there. That should have been the end of it. Why frighten a silly girl? Let her stay half a month, then send her back to Linzhou at once!”
“She may not be willing to leave.”
Princess Shao’an frowned. “Don’t tell me she truly came to the capital out of filial duty.”
For more than ten years, all contact between the capital and Linzhou had been for appearances only. No one in the Marquis’s household truly regarded that grandmother and granddaughter in Linzhou as anything.
If Ming Niansheng truly respected that repulsive father from her heart, Princess Shao’an would regret having spared her life back then.
Ming Yuhe said, “She is not Ming Niansheng.”
“She isn’t?” Princess Shao’an was startled. “Then who is she? Where is Ming Niansheng now? And how do you know this?”
Originally, Ming Yuhe had thought the same as the Princess: let this supposed younger sister stay half a month, put on a show, then send her back to Linzhou and be done with it. But Jiang Liyang had meddled, and by mischief had let her witness what she should never have seen.
According to the guards’ reports over the years, Ming Niansheng should never have known those murderous methods. So Ming Yuhe had Steward Tang ask a few questions.
Learning that only Lianxing had attended “Ming Niansheng” closely on the journey, he realized at once this younger sister was an imposter. After summoning Zhou Lin and asking a few pointed questions, his suspicion was confirmed.
Ming Yuhe’s brows lifted slightly. “Of course I know.”
Princess Shao’an studied him for a moment, then believed him.
Of course he knew. He had played such games of falsehood many times before.
“Since you’re certain she’s an imposter, why keep pretending?”
“We must first uncover her purpose,” Ming Yuhe replied. “And besides, if she dares to do this, she must bear the consequences.”