Qi Huaiyu ran for two blocks before stopping, leaning against a wall and panting heavily. Sweat mixed with dust left streaks on his face, making him look even more disheveled.

"Xin Jiuwei..." he gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the gold hairpin until they bled, "It's all your fault..."

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the gold hairpin—the last piece of jewelry left by Madam Feng, said to have been a gift from Lady Xin. A crazy thought surfaced in his mind: since Xin Jiuwei valued her mother's belongings so much, perhaps...

Qi Huaiyu smiled sinisterly. He wiped his face and walked towards the north of the city—there lived a craftsman who specialized in making counterfeits.

Xin Jiuwei returned to her courtyard, dismissed her attendants, and sat alone under the lamp, lost in thought. The account book of the East City Silk Shop lay open on the table, but she couldn't focus on the numbers.

Her brother's questions and Mr. Ye's advice echoed repeatedly in her mind. She picked up her pen and wrote the four characters "teaching according to aptitude" on the paper, the ink deeply soaking into the rice paper.

The sound of the night watchman's drum drifted in from outside the window; it was already past midnight. Xin Jiuwei rubbed her aching neck, got up, and opened the window. A night breeze brushed her face, carrying the chill of early autumn. In the distance, the lights of the Ye residence were still bright—that was Xiao Xun's residence.

Thinking of Xiao Xun, her heart pounded with unease again. That man was too dangerous, a double-edged sword; used well, he could slay enemies; used poorly, he could harm her. But right now, she truly needed that sword...

"Miss." Qingtao knocked gently on the door, "The light in the young master's courtyard is still on, would you like to..."

Xin Jiuwei shook her head: "Let my brother have some peace and quiet." She paused, then added, "Tomorrow morning, send over my ivory abacus."

Qingtao's eyes widened in surprise: "That was left to you by the madam..."

"That's precisely why it should be given to my brother," Xin Jiuwei said softly, gazing at the moonlight outside the window. "If Mother were watching from heaven, she would surely wish for us siblings to be of one mind."