"If I hadn't been so arrogant back then, how could I have been bullied at my doorstep by a small family like the Jin family?"

With a sigh, the madam leisurely departed.

She has said what she should and shouldn't have said; what she does next is up to Meiyu's choice.

Hopefully she'll be smart and not do anything she shouldn't!

"Miss," Qiu Qing said anxiously, "what exactly are you thinking?"

Her daughter's actions are becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have agreed to this, but he did so without hesitation.

"I have my own plan for this, so don't worry."

"How can we not be anxious? We're about to be walking into the lion's den. We have no choice but to be anxious."

That damned old woman has already made plans with others; this time, escaping won't be so easy.

“Miss,” Qiu Qing grabbed Mei Yu’s hand, her tearful eyes looking straight at her, “Why don’t we run away!”

She felt hopeless about the future.

Even if we escape this time, these kinds of things will only happen more often in the future; we can't be so lucky every time.

"Run away?" Meiyu chuckled lightly. "Run away to where?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Qing was stunned.

Immediately, tears of grievance fell down her cheeks.

Leaving the county requires household registration documents, and since they, mistress and servant, are both weak women, even if they could leave, where could they go?

Even if they manage to escape, where will they find refuge?

"Miss, what should we do?"

The sobbing, the bewildered eyes, the desperate tone—it seemed there was no hope at all.

She really, really wanted to go back to the past.

Back then, the Qian family still lived in grand mansions. The master was stern and dignified, the mistress was gentle and loving, and the young lady was happy every day, without a trace of gloom.

However, countless times in the dead of night, all that remains is the heavy reality that makes it hard to breathe.

“Don’t be afraid,” Meiyu said, holding Qiuqing’s hand in return. “I will handle all of this. You just need to be normal for a few days, and everything will be fine.”

She knew she was being too risky, but she had no choice.

She absolutely cannot be involved with someone like Wu Yuan; she must extricate herself from the situation as soon as possible.

Back then, the Qian family was only accidentally injured, yet they were all executed. If I were involved and had no one to protect me, dying without a complete corpse would be considered a good end.

"real?"

"Really," Meiyu rubbed Qiuqing's head, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Your eyes are all swollen from crying, go wash them quickly, or they'll hurt later."

The two, mistress and servant, were the same age. Meiyu was two months younger than Qiuqing, but compared to Meiyu's maturity, she was not as composed.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry for making you laugh, Miss."

"Go quickly!"

The alley next to Deyilou.

"Young Master, shall we go in?"

“No need,” Wu Yuan said with a cold expression. “Wait a little longer. Deyilou has become the target of everyone’s anger. We can’t act rashly.”

He had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected Jin Yu to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

He strongly suspected that it was Meiyu's scheme, but he couldn't find any evidence.

Everything was too coincidental, yet so perfectly natural.

"This young master of the Jin family," the person next to Wu Yuan said coldly, "is truly more trouble than he's worth!"

"Young Master, should we kill him?"

“No need,” Wu Yuan shook his head, “a spoiled brat is nothing to worry about.”

"Should we give up on Meiyu?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan lowered his eyes. "Mei Yu has a special identity and a beautiful appearance. She is very deceptive. Even if we can't use her this time, we can't give up on her."

What's more, he hasn't given up yet!

"Young Master, why don't you go see her first? It's good to test the waters. What if she sells us out?"

"She wouldn't dare!" Wu Yuan's voice was firm. "No matter how cunning she is, she's just a woman; there are plenty of things she can use against her!"

Even if Meiyu wanted to distance herself from them, so what?

He won't give him that chance.

"Young Master, you already have a plan?"

"Bring me pen and ink," Wu Yuan said, raising his chin. "Help me deliver a letter to Deyilou."

Originally, I intended to use this fatal weakness in the most crucial place, but I didn't expect Meiyu to be so restless.

Even without evidence, Wu Yuan sensed that something unusual was happening today.

He wouldn't let even the slightest suspicion go unpunished.

One cannot be careless in what one does. No matter what, one must nip problems in the bud. If there is even the slightest sign of trouble, it is better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go free.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"By the way, did you lure away the people secretly protecting Ji Xuan?"

"Young Master, only one group has been led away; there are still two more groups to go."

"Useless trash! Three days! I'll give you three more days. If you can't finish, go to the punishment hall and receive your punishment!"

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes narrowed slightly, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. "Your subordinate obeys!"

After saying this, he took the letter and left in a hurry.

"Meiyu, don't forget to disappoint this young master!"

Meiyu, who had just calmed Qiuqing down, received the letter and clenched her fingers immediately upon seeing the short sentence on the paper.

If you want peace and safety for everyone in the afterlife, then listen to me!

"Wu Yuan, you've gone too far!" Mei Yu almost ground her teeth to powder. "If there's even the slightest impropriety in my Qian family's ancestral graves, I'll tear you to pieces!"

A pharmacy.

After another acupuncture session, Ji Xuan sat lazily in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

"Anichi, come out!"

"An Yi greets Master."

"How's the matter going? Have you found Wu Yuan's location?"

"Three locations have been identified for now, and the rest will need to be investigated."

"How is Yang Qing? What information did he find out at Qingfeng Temple?"

"After Yang Qianhu discovered that Wu Yuan had close ties with Deyilou, he had already set up surveillance."

"Deyilou?" Ji Xuan blinked. "What kind of place is that?"

He had already toured the entire county town, so why didn't he know this place existed?

Upon hearing this, An Yi blushed and then stammered, "I was afraid of offending Master's ears."

"Your Majesty," Qi Yong quickly advised, "that's no good place. It's better not to listen."

"explain!"

Upon hearing this, An Yi could only grit his teeth and explain, "Master, that's a place where men seek pleasure, a brothel."

After saying this, he immediately lowered his head, afraid that Ji Xuan would be angry and punish him.

As expected, upon hearing the word "brothel," Ji Xuan became enraged and shouted, "Shut up! That's indecent!"

"Master," Qi Yong said with a wry smile, "this old servant tried every precaution, but you still found out."

He didn't want his master to know about brothels, such a dirty place.

Although there are many beautiful women inside, they are all impure and skilled at flattering their masters.

Qi Yong was afraid that Ji Xuan would be led astray and that he would ruin his health, so he had been avoiding him these days.

Ji Xuan grew up in the palace and had never been to such a place. She was very naive and wouldn't have suddenly thought of it if no one mentioned it. Qi Yong had also given her a strict order to keep quiet, so as time went by, she herself forgot about it.

After a cup of tea, Ji Xuan felt she had made a mountain out of a molehill. She coughed twice and then asked slowly, "An Yi, has Yang Qing found out anything about the relationship between the two?"