The men of the Du household couldn't show their faces, the wife couldn't show hers, and the concubine's status was too low for it to be appropriate. The remaining three sisters were either too young or too concerned with appearances.

After much deliberation, Xu Keke ended up going alone, taking Xibao with her.

The Sun family's residence was different from the Du family's. First of all, it occupied a large area, almost like a park. The car circled half of the area before arriving at the main gate.

Secondly, the Sun family's ancestral home is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, rockeries and gardens, typical of an ancient, grand mansion.

Xu Keke had the good fortune to meet the second master of the Sun family at the door. He wasn't exactly handsome, but his features were regular. However, his figure had become somewhat out of shape due to his indulgence in wine and women.

He deliberately waited at the gate and greeted Xu Keke. He also mentioned that his mother was getting old and loved interacting with younger people, inviting her to visit often when she had time. After finishing his conversation, he said he had other matters to attend to outside, got into his waiting car, and left.

Everything was fine at first, and the servants were all very polite, but when they got to the inner corridor, trouble broke out.

A maid hurried over and stopped the servants leading Xu Keke inside. She called Xu Keke aside. Her voice wasn't too loud, but Xu Keke, a couple of steps away, could probably hear her clearly.

"The old lady just had a few sips of herbal tea and suddenly felt unwell in her stomach. She has already sent someone to fetch a doctor. The old lady's intention is to invite them to Lanyue Pavilion first, and then invite the second and third madams from there. Once the old lady is alright, they can be invited over for a final meeting."

Xu Keke followed the host's lead. She then changed direction and walked into the inner courtyard.

It was early summer, which should have been hot. But the courtyard was lush and green, with shade everywhere, making it comfortable to walk along. The scenery along the way was lovely, and the guide walked slowly, so Xu Keke wasn't in a hurry.

They arrived at a house with windows framed by latticework glass. The inside and outside were clearly visible, suggesting it was used for receiving guests. A servant ushered Xu Keke inside, explaining, "This is our house; it's where the lady of the inner courtyard receives guests."

Xu Keke understood what she meant; this meant she was being treated like one of her own and that she wasn't being neglected.

A servant brought tea, and even prepared a cup for Xibao. Xibao had been overwhelmed with excitement ever since she entered the courtyard. Now that someone had specially given her water, she was overjoyed. Somehow, she didn't quite manage to take the cup properly from the servant, and it fell to the ground, splashing onto Xibao's trousers and shoes.

The servant remained calm, telling Xu Keke not to be offended and offering to take Xibao downstairs to change. His expression showed no sign of panic.

Her composure calmed Xi Bao down from her earlier panic. Hearing that the shoes were cloth shoes with lead buckles, Xi Bao looked at Xu Keke with a cautious, expectant gaze.

Xu Keke understood that if they wanted to set up a scheme, they would have to get rid of Xibao somehow. So she readily agreed.

The incense burning in the room didn't smell to Xu Keke's liking, so she picked up the teacup next to her and simply poured it out.

A short while later, a young man in his early twenties pushed open the door and entered. His face was still covered with a cloth strip, and as soon as he came in, the door was locked from the outside.

Hearing the sound, the young man removed the cloth from his face and looked at Xu Keke with surprise. He reached out to pounce on her, muttering vulgarities.

Xu Keke smiled, recalling the torture instruments Yan Shuo had brought in. The ancient tools remained unchanged, as did the ancient methods.

"Should I address you as Young Master Sun, or can I simply call you Sun Siyuan?"

The young man, who hadn't looked at her, turned to look at her. His eyes were somewhat dazed, and he was still babbling incoherently.

"There's no one outside, so that's enough. You probably don't know, but my reputation is now tied to that of the young marshal of the Commander's Mansion. If my reputation is tarnished, you won't even have time to get married before the Sun family takes care of you."

Sun Siyuan stopped looking at her and turned to look outside, muttering something under his breath, but his voice was a little softer.

"How do we get out? You have a better idea than I do. Hurry up, don't you want to see a good show?"

Xu Keke's words silenced Sun Siyuan completely, and his gaze towards Xu Keke became incredibly clear.

Xu Keke didn't beat around the bush with him. "Last time you were talking nonsense to Kang Shu, you just wanted to urge her to go see your third aunt as soon as possible, right? I bet there's something fishy going on inside."

"Kang Shu?" Sun Siyuan spoke properly, which was more pleasing to the ear than when he was spouting nonsense.

“The girl who comes to see you every time. Didn’t you almost take her as a concubine?” Xu Keke suddenly thought of something. “Who helped you? Your second aunt? You don’t trust the old lady, otherwise you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. The third madam and you probably don’t get along. You wanted to take Kang Shu as a concubine and then say that she cured your illness, right?”

Sun Siyuan stared at her with a dark expression. "Who are you?"

"It seems you're being heavily suppressed by the Sun family. You're not well-informed. You don't even know who I am or why I'm visiting today. And yet you dare to cooperate with them. Aren't you afraid they'll kill two birds with one stone and expose you too?"

Xu Keke took out a small pistol from her pocket, which she had asked Yan Shuo for yesterday. Xu Keke asked Sun Siyuan again, "If you can't open it, I'll use the gun."

Sun Siyuan glanced at her, walked to the door, and imitated two bird calls outside.

Then, a young maid emerged from the bushes. She looked around as she approached the house and saw Xu Keke standing next to Sun Siyuan. Startled, her eyes widened, and she didn't dare to move for a long time.

Sun Siyuan waved to her anxiously, signaling her to come over.

The young maid walked over timidly. She opened the door from the outside, her eyes fixed warily on Xu Keke.

"Where are you going?" Sun Siyuan asked, following behind Xu Keke as she walked out.

"Where does your third wife live? Where should I go?"

Upon hearing that she was going to see the Third Madam, the little maid hid behind Sun Siyuan in fright, her small hands tightly clutching his sleeve.

"Can you tell me what you're going to do?" Sun Siyuan asked earnestly.

He did not deny the speculation about Kang Shu, and regarding his later achievements in his previous life, Xu Keke believed that his current sincerity was simply a normal performance of his acting skills.

"There's a good show, do you want to see it?" Xu Keke didn't answer his question. "Take me there, we can watch it together."

Sun Siyuan walked past her and went straight ahead. The little maid pulled him back, and he turned back to give her a gentle smile, "You go back first, it's okay, I'll be back in a bit."

Xu Keke glanced at the little maid again. She was pretty, not stunningly beautiful, but pleasing to the eye. It seemed Sun Siyuan truly cared for her. He was afraid that if she went there and got into trouble, she would become a burden to her, so he was coaxing her to go back.

In her previous life, Du Rui married him and died young; there was probably a reason for that.

The maid looked at him worriedly again before reluctantly leaving.

Xu Keke followed behind Sun Siyuan and walked in another direction.