The candlelight flickered, casting a dim, yellowish glow over the entire room.

Song Xizhi looked up in alarm and met the man's deep, affectionate eyes, where his superior looks were not concealed at all.

He no longer wore the old silver mask with dark patterns; instead, his face was directly visible.

Since that fleeting glimpse, looking at him now, one can only sigh in admiration; his bone structure is profound, and his appearance is like that of a god.

Compared to He Jingyan's gentle and refined beauty, she possesses a sharper, more striking quality.

Song Xizhi simply stood up abruptly, then took a few steps back defensively, his expression calm, but a hint of wariness lurked deep in his eyes.

Her movements were quite large, causing the paper, pens, and unopened letters on the table to scatter onto the floor.

Looking at her aloof and wary demeanor, the man felt as if his heart had been squeezed by a large hand.

His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't say a word. He simply squatted down and, with a slight effort, picked up the letters scattered all over the ground, one by one.

There were five envelopes in total, none of which were opened.

In the very center of the letter were the words “Zhizhi, open this gently” written in vigorous, flowing handwriting.

The man lowered his eyes slightly.

In fact, at the very beginning, when Song Xizhi first arrived at Heyan Mountain, he would write a letter and send it back every day.

He Jingyan would reply occasionally, and sometimes he wouldn't.

The replies are mostly empty words, like "Have you eaten?", "Have you slept?", "How was your day?", and "How is your recovery going?"

But ever since Song Xizhi removed the man's mask and discovered that he was not her husband, she finally realized how little she actually knew about He Jingyan.

She tried hard to be a part of his life, just like any ordinary couple in the world.

For some reason, she felt that although He Jingyan treated her well, there was always a subtle distance between them, like an invisible wall.

She didn't really understand him at all.

After that day, Song Xizhi felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite explain, and being busy with matters on the mountain, he rarely sent letters back home.

He Jingyan, on the other hand, sends one or two letters a day.

However, she didn't even have time to open it to see.

The man carefully collected the letters one by one, holding them in his palm. After a moment, he handed them to the square table, his voice soft and his expression unreadable.

"Why haven't you opened it yet? Have you been very busy lately?"

Song Xizhi took the letter back from the square table and held it in his palm: "I've been very busy lately and haven't had time. It's just some ordinary greetings between husband and wife."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly and looked at the man's face: "My benefactor...why did you come so late at night?"

The man's gaze lingered on the letters for a moment before he slightly averted his eyes:

"I've come with a message. You asked me to investigate the owner of that house before, and I've now found out the identity of the adulterer."

Song Xizhi gave a slight "Oh": "Actually, there's no need to make a trip. You can also write a letter."

Her aloof demeanor made it seem like she was practically telling people to leave.

That makes sense, though. Now that he knows his identity, and given what just happened, it's indeed inconvenient for him to come to the bedroom late at night.

The man was silent for a moment, then looked up and raised an eyebrow at Song Xizhi: "I see so many letters on your table, but you haven't opened them. What's the point of writing letters?"

Song Xizhi then sat back down on the soft couch, holding the letters in her hands. These were the things she had longed for most in the past, but now she couldn't bring herself to open them.

She simply said, "There are priorities; we can look at those letters later."

The man took a step closer, a wave of bittersweet emotion washing over him, and even his voice deepened: "Aren't you curious?"

Song Xizhi frowned and looked at him, carefully observing his appearance, only to find his words somewhat strange: "Are you referring to the identity of the adulterer?"

After a pause, the man nodded and recounted the events in detail: "The adulterer is Zhao Qingshu. Although he was very cautious, he never came back after we found his house."

"But we can find out who frequently came and went from Heyan Mountain in the past."

Song Xizhi nodded, a hint of confidence in his eyes: "I've already guessed Zhao Qingshu's identity, but I still lack evidence. Thank you for telling me this."

Song Xizhi's quick guess of the adulterer's identity surprised the man once again.

However, after realizing what was happening, he actually smiled, a smile that looked somewhat relieved. He continued to Song Xizhi, "There's something wrong with Zhao Qingshu's restaurant."

This time, Song Xizhi was stunned. The man smiled and continued to explain to her, "His restaurants are very popular. The people who frequent them are all rich and noble, which has brought a lot of convenience to Prince Yu."

"Nothing seemed amiss before, but by examining all the props scattered throughout his room, we discovered something was off..."

Song Xizhi recalled Consort Zhen's meaningful gaze once again: "You mean...?"

The man nodded: "I suspect that this restaurant is not just an ordinary restaurant; there may be some power-for-sex transactions hidden inside."

Song Xizhi's eyes changed.

"Power and sex in exchange"—the man puts it euphemistically, but Zhao Qingshu likes such perverse methods. This kind of transaction is probably stained with countless blood and tears and can't be exposed to the light of day.

No wonder Consort Zhen brought this up with her; that's what she was after.

And my former benefactor said that many of the methods Zhao Qingshu used came from the Western Rong. Now that he has such a restaurant, doesn't that mean that all aspects of Daqian have been infiltrated?

Thinking of this, Song Xizhi took a deep breath: "This matter needs to be investigated carefully after we go down the mountain."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at the man in front of her again, her words containing a hint of probing: "Now that we have found out about Zhao Qingshu, and even the forces behind Zhao Qingshu, will this information be of any help to our benefactor?"

"...Or is it of any help in the Han family case?"

Song Xizhi always felt that the man in front of her looked somewhat familiar.

It was like a person, someone she had just met.

The man nodded and gave Song Xizhi a smile: "Zhao Qingshu is connected to the Western Rong, and this information is helpful for the Han family case."

Song Xizhi narrowed his eyes, then abruptly changed the subject: "I also learned something, and I'm telling you now, my benefactor, as a way of repaying your kindness."

The man slightly raised his brow, a hint of curiosity appearing on his handsome face.

Song Xizhi stared at him intently, observing every subtle expression on his face, and then said, "The man we rescued in the bamboo forest that day was the emperor, the emperor of Daqian."

The man's expression shifted slightly before he replied, "So he's the emperor?"

But Song Xizhi slightly narrowed his eyes, pondering his subtle expression just now, and felt that he was not surprised at all.