While the front hall was in chaos, Zong Zhengheng had quietly made his way to the west courtyard.
The accounting office of the Jin’an Prince’s residence was located on the west side. Just ahead was the medicine room, and a few dozen steps beyond that was the back gate.
Using the excuse that “the young lady asked me to fetch medicine,” he openly entered the medicine room.
The medicine boy eagerly searched for the medicine for him, and he casually said:
“Qingyan, I’ll wait here for the medicine. Why don’t you go to the front hall to see how the young lady is doing?”
Qingyan nodded in agreement.
After all, the young lady had only instructed her to fetch medicine for Zhigui Gongzi, not to follow him around or keep an eye on him.
With that thought, Qingyan left.
As soon as she was gone, Zong Zhengheng exited the medicine room.
The accounting office was right next door.
He circled around to the back window and gave it a gentle push—it wasn’t latched.
He slipped inside, landing without a sound.
Inside the accounting office, an elderly man was hunched over a desk, writing furiously.
Zong Zhengheng held his breath and hid behind a cabinet. When the man finished a page and stood up to search for something, Zong Zhengheng moved swiftly, using the cabinets as cover to slip to the other side.
His gaze swept over rows of account books.
Hundreds of volumes, neatly categorized and arranged.
He examined them one shelf at a time.
This shelf contained the daily expenses of the prince’s residence.
This shelf held the income from various estates.
This shelf listed the annual festival gifts sent to the capital.
Then came the private accounts of the Jin’an Prince, the Princess Consort, Qiao Shuyi, and the various concubines in the rear courtyard…
He first pulled out the Jin’an Prince’s volume, opened it, and skimmed through the pages.
The expenditures were normal.
Purchases, rewards, repairs, social interactions… every entry was clear and reasonable.
There was no trace of funds being used to raise troops.
He frowned slightly.
Qiao Nanyu was arrogant yet cautious, and with advisors covering for him, it was only natural that no evidence would be left in the accounts.
He put down this volume and was about to reach for Liu Jinyu’s when—
Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by the hushed whispers of two maidservants.
Zong Zhengheng paused, listening intently.
“Have you heard? The Princess Consort has been divorced and driven out of the residence by the Prince!”
“So serious? The Prince has always doted on the Princess Consort and the Second Young Lady. How could he be so enraged this time?”
“I heard the Princess Consort was caught with another man… in the act! If the Second Young Lady hadn’t arrived suddenly, the Prince almost had her drowned in a pond!”
“What?! How could the Princess Consort… do such a thing?”
“Who knows? But in my opinion, Concubine Song is probably behind this. Did you see her in the side room today, putting on such a show? With the Princess Consort gone, the rear courtyard of the prince’s residence is likely to change hands.”
“What about the Second Young Lady? She’s always been so domineering in the residence, relying on the Princess Consort’s favor and the Prince’s indulgence. Now that the Princess Consort has been divorced, she…”
“Her? Without her mother to back her up, what can she do? Just wait and see—her good days are probably over.”
The footsteps gradually faded away, and the voices grew distant.
Zong Zhengheng stood between the cabinets, his brow slightly furrowed.
Liu Jinyu had been divorced?
Wasn’t Qiao Shuyi’s arrogance in the residence entirely dependent on Liu Jinyu’s favor and the Jin’an Prince’s indulgence?
Now that Liu Jinyu had been thrown out, could this “Second Young Lady” still command the wind and rain as she once did?
He suddenly felt curious.
What expression would that madwoman be wearing right now?
Bewilderment? Panic? Or…
He couldn’t imagine.
He had never met anyone like her.
Lost in thought, footsteps sounded again.
This time, it was the accountant who returned.
Zong Zhengheng hesitated no longer, gently placing the account book back in its original spot.
No need to rush—finding it in one or two attempts was impossible.
Using the shelves as cover, Zong Zhengheng moved to the window.
He climbed out but did not return to Jinglan Garden. Instead, he followed the base of the wall, heading westward.
After a few dozen steps, the view suddenly opened up—the back gate.
Outside the back gate was a quiet alley.
Hidden in the shadows, he raised his hand, pinched his lower lip, and let out an extremely soft, almost imperceptible whistle.
A moment later, a dark figure silently vaulted over the wall and landed before him.
The person was dressed in black, their face concealed beneath a hood, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.
They knelt on one knee: “Master.”
Zong Zhengheng lowered his gaze, his voice indifferent:
“I have been poisoned with Power-Dissipating Powder. Deliver the antidote to me at the fastest possible speed.”
A flicker of surprise passed through the shadow guard’s eyes, but they asked no questions, responding in a low voice:
“Yes, Master.”
Within the Jin’an Prince’s residence, who knew how many shadow guards were hidden, both openly and covertly?
Zong Zhengheng could only summon his own people in such peripheral areas. Venturing deeper would inevitably lead to detection.
Yet, wearing the guise of “Qiao Shuyi’s male favorite,” he could move about the residence without arousing suspicion.
A moment later, a dark, oppressive coldness filled Zong Zhengheng’s eyes as he ordered:
“Lu Wenzhou of the Lu family—kill him.”
“Zhao Hengyuan of the Zhao family, Qian Mingyu of the Qian family, Sun Zhao’an of the Sun family, Li Chongwen of the Li family.”
“If they love watching the show so much, then take their eyes.”
The shadow guard did not know what they had done to anger their master, only replying, “Yes, Master.”
“Dismissed.”
The shadow guard vanished beyond the wall in a flash.
Dusk settled in.
The last glimmer of twilight on the horizon was slowly devoured by the thick darkness.
Zong Zhengheng stood in place, his gaze as deep and dark as ink.
Just as he turned to return to Jinglan Garden, a figure caught the corner of his eye—
Not far away, beneath an old locust tree, Qiao Shuyi stood quietly watching him.
She stood there, who knew for how long.
Zong Zhengheng’s steps faltered slightly.
Had she seen something?
No, impossible.
Qiao Shuyi had never practiced martial arts. If she had been standing there all along, his Hanxiao Guard would have surely noticed.
He composed his expression, adopting his usual gentle demeanor.
“Shushu,” he said, stopping before her. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to ask you the same—what are you doing here?”
“I came to fetch medicine. The scenery here is nice, so I took a look along the way.”
“Oh?” Her voice gave no indication of whether she believed him or not. “I see.”
“I was seeing my mother off at the back gate.”
Zong Zhengheng was slightly taken aback:
“Madam… what happened?”
Qiao Shuyi’s calmness was unsettling.
“My father divorced her and sent her to a manor outside the city overnight.”
Zong Zhengheng’s heart sank slightly.
He had thought this madwoman, who had been pampered since childhood, would show some vulnerability after losing her mother’s protection.
Yet she was so composed.
Composed to an… abnormal degree.
But then again, when had she ever been normal?
“Then, Shushu… aren’t you sad?”
“Sad?”
“Someone wants me to be sad. But I refuse to give them what they want. I will make them pay. I will make them—even sadder.”
Zong Zhengheng shuddered involuntarily.
This madwoman was about to lose it again.
This time, were Qiao Shuqin and her mother her targets?
He suddenly felt a flicker of curiosity.
What means would she use to deal with those who had harmed her mother?
Zong Zhengheng lowered his eyes, concealing the flicker of interest that passed through them.
When he looked up again, his gaze held only gentleness and concern.
“I believe you.”
As soon as the words left his lips, a soft, warm body threw itself into his arms.
“Zhi Gui… You must believe me for a lifetime, do you understand? No, it’s not just about believing—you must stand by my side without hesitation, not like my father, who never truly loved my mother…”
“Zhi Gui, do you know what you mean to me?”
“Since I was young, countless people have surrounded me. Maidservants, attendants, sons of noble families, those who curry favor, those who flatter—but they were either servants, outsiders, or drawn to my status.”
“Only you.”
“You are the one I personally brought back.”
“The one I personally chose.”
“The one I personally decided on—a family without blood ties, my future husband.”
Zong Zhengheng froze.
A family without blood ties?
Her future husband?
But wasn’t he just her male concubine?
Zong Zhengheng lowered his eyes, his gaze misty and filled with sincerity.
Yes, she was a madwoman.
A madwoman’s feelings were the most genuine because she disdained pretense.
Did she truly like him that much?
Unfortunately, he could never like a madwoman.
After a long moment, Zong Zhengheng raised his hand and gently placed it on her back, comforting her as one would a child.
Qiao Shuyi sobbed in his embrace.
“Zhi Gui, you must never leave me, never betray me, do you understand?”
Zong Zhengheng’s eyes flickered slightly. “Mm.”
Betrayal?
There had never been loyalty to begin with, so how could there be betrayal?
He had come to Jinzhou to take her father’s life and to destroy her family.
Once the Jin’an Prince’s residence lay in ruins, he and she would be separated by life and death.
Naturally, that wouldn’t count as leaving.
He gazed into the empty air, his eyes devoid of any warmth.