Study (under renovation)

Zhou Quan nodded upon hearing this and said, "I just visited her a few days ago. She is currently living with her two children in Caomao Hutong in the suburbs. The courtyard is large and secluded. I have also secretly investigated the neighbors, and they are all ordinary people. For the time being, everyone is at peace. The two children are now being enrolled in a private school in the hutong."

Upon hearing this, a hint of coldness flashed across Lin Xu's eyes.

That day at the Lin residence, the once exquisite and magnificent Yilan Garden was now dilapidated and empty. The countless possessions that Qi Shuang'er had amassed through greed and plunder had long since vanished. The Lin family was sparsely populated, and the servants were all loyal servants born into the household; it was impossible for them to have harbored any intention to steal.

Where else could Qi Shuang'er's precious possessions, which she had accumulated in the past, have ended up, except for her older sister Qi Rou'er who fled in panic?

Lin Xu couldn't help but give a sarcastic smile.

So-called sisterly affection is nothing more than this.

In her past life, she had deeply envied those seemingly harmonious sisterly relationships. However, in this life, she first witnessed the hypocrisy between Yao Suran and Yao Su'an, and then the manipulation and scheming of the Qi sisters. Even the affection between blood relatives could be fake—

What in this world is truly real and will never change?

Qi had tried to kill her several times. If Qi Shuang'er knew that the relatives she had gone to great lengths to bring into the household not only failed to support her but also absconded with all her wealth after she fell on hard times, how would she feel?

Lin Xu thought quietly, and a coldness slowly rose in his eyes, like winter frost mixed with cold mist, stretching endlessly.

"Qi Shuang'er was cunning and calculating throughout her life, and she was undeniably clever. Unfortunately, in the end, it was Qi Rou'er, whom she trusted wholeheartedly, who betrayed her. Even if she was her own sister, she still lost to profit. Although merchants are known to value profit over parting, such cold-heartedness is truly pitiful and lamentable."

Perhaps, Qi Rou'er harbored impure intentions after marrying a merchant and becoming a widow. Qi Shuang'er, despite her cunning, was outmaneuvered by her own family.

The house in Caomao Hutong where Qi Rou'er and her two children now live was originally her father's ancestral property. The Lin family was sparsely populated, and the house had been uninhabited for many years, nearly abandoned. Settling Qi Rou'er there made it easier for Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan to check on things from time to time.

Having learned from his past life's repeated betrayals, Lin Xu wouldn't be so careless in this life. After all, this woman who had traveled all the way from the remote Jiangzhou to Mujing was capable of stirring up trouble during her short stay at the Lin residence; she was definitely more than just a shrewd woman on the surface. Keeping her around might prove useful in the future.

Another reason is that the child is innocent.

Although Lin Xu didn't particularly like Yu Mei and Hai Ping, he couldn't bring himself to kill them. In the end, he decided to spare their lives, as long as they didn't cause any more trouble.

Zhou Quan whispered:

"Miss is kind-hearted. The travel expenses you gave Qi Rou'er back then were enough to support her and her son for several years. You also provided them with an empty house to stay in. Even if Qi Rou'er is ungrateful, she should know how to behave. They are an orphan and a widow, weak and alone. I suppose they will not cause any more trouble for the Lin family. Let them fend for themselves."

Lin Xu sighed and nodded slightly.

Looking up, I saw the moonlight as light as water, with cloud shadows drifting leisurely across the sky, sometimes obscuring the crescent moon, sometimes showering the ground with its clear light. Amidst the sparse and oblique cloud shadows, there was a sense of tranquility.

Only after taking control of others' lives in this life did she gradually realize how absurd and ridiculous her past self had been. The saying goes, "One can never be too careful," and in her past life, it was precisely because she had consistently trusted the wrong people that she had gradually become someone whom everyone could deceive. She had relied too much on those around her; he could save her once or twice, but he couldn't protect her forever. Moreover, with a family like the Zhou family, a family of imperial merchants for generations, if she had actually married into them, she would probably have been devoured long ago, leaving not even bones behind…

Lin Xu recalled her past life and remained silent for a long time. In the silence, she looked up at the moon, quietly thinking, but she vaguely sensed something unusual in the clouds.

The eaves, hidden in the moonlight, appeared exceptionally desolate. Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a swift, dark shadow seemed to flash past from behind the high eaves.

Upon closer inspection, the dark figure moved with remarkable speed and sharpness, clearly a highly skilled expert. In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished into the thick darkness of the night.

Who is that?

Lin Xu lowered her eyelashes and exchanged a glance with Zhou Quan, who was also looking up and noticing the strange look. Zhou Quan placed his hand on the dagger tucked at his waist and nodded to her.

As expected, her prediction was correct. This Dou family villa was indeed quite strange.

The surroundings were quiet. She had only recently returned to the manor, and the servants were all performing their duties. Dou Yanxun had dismissed everyone and was now alone in his study. The wooden windows of the study had intricate latticework, letting in a dim, yellow light.

Dou Yanxun... Could it be that he couldn't resist making a move while she was away from the manor?

This man is unfathomable, usually appearing nonchalant and lazy. If one is not careful, it might be easy to deceive him. But Lin Xu had, after all, witnessed him covered in blood and was involved in the assassination attempt on Prince Mao... Such a person might already have assassins or secret guards around him.

It was on the day of the first snowfall that Lin Xu first noticed something amiss. It was clearly a light snowfall that had just fallen in winter; she and Dou Yanxun had only just gotten up, and no one had stepped on it. Yet, on the path half-hidden among the bamboo grove in the courtyard, there were faint traces of half-footprints.

Upon closer inspection, the footprints clearly belonged to a tall man. There were very few men in the inner courtyard to begin with, and she was very familiar with Dou Yanxun's footprints, comparing them with those of Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan.

It doesn't belong to the three of them.

She knew then that someone had secretly broken into the villa. However, she never knew whose people were involved. So she simply noted down the size and pattern of the footprints without making a sound, and kept a close watch on them ever since.

At the end of the year, many servants came to the mansion to help with the decorations, so a small oil stain was left on the eaves of the villa. She had secretly sent Zhou Qi and his companion to leave it there, pretending that the servants had accidentally gotten it on while hanging lanterns.

Sure enough, a few days later, just before dawn, Zhou Quan discovered that there was another half-footprint on the oil stain.

Comparing the two, it turns out they were both from the same person as the one from that snowy night.

At first, she did have her doubts about Dou Yanzhou.

But upon closer reflection, this highly respected eldest son has a promising career ahead of him and is quite close to Dou Yanxun. He should have no trouble getting around the villa, so why would he need to act so furtively and try to hide his identity?

It wasn't until Dou Yanzhou visited that day, and Lin Xu sat with him in the villa, that he carefully noticed the shoe prints left by Dou Yanzhou.

Although the sizes were similar, Dou Yanzhou walked with a very relaxed posture and did not have the habit or posture of lightly touching the ground with his toes. Furthermore, Dou Yanzhou's clothing and daily necessities were those of the most respectable person in the mansion, and he would never wear shoes with such hard soles.

Therefore, eliminating all possibilities, the ownership of that footprint—

It is likely that only someone like Dou Yanxun, who keeps by his side, whose whereabouts are unpredictable yet whose skills are extraordinary, meets all the criteria.

She then sent Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan to secretly observe for several days. Sure enough, whenever that figure appeared in the night, Dou Yanxun would coincidentally be spending the night alone in the study.

—It was clearly a deliberate attempt to hide it from her.

His initial coldness at not wanting to share a room with her, and his later intimacy and pretense between husband and wife, were probably just to make it easier for him to gather information when he was alone and out of the room.

It was all just an act.

He didn't want her to know about it, so she pretended she hadn't noticed anything.

Only after Dou Yanxun left did he secretly send Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan to search for the man's whereabouts. Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan had practiced martial arts since childhood and were the most agile and outstanding people by Liang Zhengyuan's side in the past, but so far they had never caught up with that figure that disappeared in an instant.

In other words, that person's skills were clearly superior to those of Zhou Qi and Zhou Quan... and perhaps even far superior to them.

First, he was inextricably linked to the assassination attempt on Prince Mao, and then a highly skilled and unpredictable bodyguard tipped him off. If she hadn't already known that Dou Yanxun's seemingly carefree and irresponsible demeanor was merely a facade, she probably wouldn't have easily believed that this seemingly dashing Dou Yanxun was actually a cunning and treacherous individual with a thousand faces.

And now that she sleeps beside him every day, if she isn't careful about these small things, she might have already stopped breathing in her sleep. Dou Yanxun could get rid of her at any time if he wanted to.

Lin Xu was naturally more aware of this than anyone else.

.

As night deepened, the walls of the palace were illuminated by a soft, dim light, which, through layers of gauze curtains, resembled shimmering ripples on the night sky. Lin Xu sat before the dressing table, letting Qingmo remove her hair and all her hair ornaments.

She dipped her fingers into the warm water, feeling a warmth gradually envelop her, and casually asked, "Where is my husband? Has he already gone to rest?"

Qingmo whispered, "Second Master had some wine with First Master and several of his colleagues during dinner. When he returned, he rested in the study and told us not to disturb him."

Just as I expected.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not press the matter further. Instead, he gazed quietly at his reflection in the bronze mirror.

Stripped of all the elaborate adornments, her clean, fair face seemed to have lost some of its sharpness. Her eyes, reflecting the gentle, clear water, were like pools of spring water, radiating an innocent and pitiful charm.

She gently closed her eyes, feeling utterly weary. She wondered how long these deep, calculating thoughts would continue. Lin Xu inexplicably felt a pang of longing for her innocent, naive days.

After she finished washing up, Lin Xu put on a thin beige gauze shawl, gently pushed open the door, and walked gracefully into the study.

Looking around, the study was completely quiet. A strong smell of alcohol wafted through the air, as if the lingering effects of intoxication still remained.

Lin Xu frowned. Had Dou Yanxun been drinking?

She then walked to the screen behind the display shelf, where a rosewood canopy bed, a small table, and a rosewood couch were placed, creating a resting area in the study.

As her vision gradually adjusted to the dim light, she saw Dou Yanxun hunched over the table, half his face turned toward the window, his eyes tightly closed, his thick, long, sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed. Beside him, a jade wine pot lay askew on the table, and in the cup beside it, half a cup of wine remained unfinished.

He actually fell asleep?

Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat, and she took a few steps closer, filled with doubt. She couldn't be sure if Dou Yanxun was feigning sleep. Just as she was about to reach out and pat his shoulder, Lin Xu's gaze involuntarily drifted to a still-wet painting on the table beside her.

There were only a few strokes on the paper, and the drawing was not yet finished. Yet, one could vaguely make out that the figure in the drawing resembled a woman.

The figure depicted in the painting has a cool and aloof appearance, with a calm expression. Only the eyes shine brightly, their expression unreadable yet subtly hazy, as if they hold a thousand unspoken words.

Dou Yanxun could actually paint... She had never known that. And although the painting was simple, it was remarkably lifelike.

Lin Xu couldn't help but take another look, and then his heart skipped a beat, and he stood there stunned.

Qingmo couldn't help but whisper, "Madam, why do I feel... the woman in this painting looks more like you?"

Lin Xu withdrew his outstretched hand and turned to look at the figure who was currently slumped over the table.

A strange emotion welled up inside her, uncontrollably. Dou Yanxun... he actually drew her?

The study was quiet. Dou Yanxun's body rose and fell evenly with his breathing. His thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his cheeks. The man who always wore a smile on his face looked completely unfamiliar when he was asleep. Calm and serious, as if he were a different person.

A complex expression flashed across Lin Xu's eyes.

She slowly clenched her fists within the wide sleeves of her dress. Her fingertips, still faintly fragrant from soaking in warm rose petal juice, lingered with a delicate aroma. Her usually well-maintained nails, trimmed into rounded semi-circles, held a hidden secret—

After washing her hands, she carefully added some sleeping powder to her fingernails.

A mere sprinkle of the substance, when inhaled through the nasal cavity, will render the user unconscious within moments. Even upon waking, the user will be completely unaware of what happened, simply resembling a deep sleep.

She had originally intended to investigate Dou Yanxun's true strength after the guard left. If he was evasive or remained silent, she would drug him and search the study herself.

But to her surprise, by the time she finally made up her mind to come in, he was already completely drunk.

Even the paint was half-dry—he was painting her before he passed out drunk.

The woman in the painting has a cold and aloof expression, but her eyes clearly belong only to her and cannot belong to anyone else. She would never mistake her for someone else.

A gentle night breeze brushed against the half-open window. Having spent so long in the study, she couldn't help but feel a chill. But Dou Yanxun remained completely still, and it didn't seem like he was pretending.

Was he not acting?

Lin Xu glanced at the painting again; the ink was still wet, slowly dripping down, drop by drop.

never mind.

After a long while, Lin Xu sighed softly, turned around, and left.

She returned to her elegant abode to rest, and spent a cold, dreamless night. When she awoke, a soft ray of light shone on her face.

Lin Xu's tightly closed eyelashes trembled slightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tall figure in front of the window. The man was unusually dressed in an official robe, with intricate cloud patterns on the cuffs. He was adjusting the jade belt binding his hair in front of a bronze mirror, a slight smile on his lips.

Hearing faint sounds of movement coming from the bed, Dou Yanxun turned around.

Her face was adorned with jade-like hairpins, and her features were radiant and elegant.

That captivating face was shrouded in a quiet interplay of light and shadow. His peach-blossom eyes seemed to shimmer with a gentle light as he gazed intently at her for a long time, the light in his eyes flickering slightly. His smile deepened.

"Has Madam woken up?"