Since the assassination attempt on the boat last night, Xie Fu and the young men from various aristocratic families in Xiliang have been visiting various brothels much more frequently.

Huanhua Tower is located on the banks of the Huai River, with a wooden corridor on the outermost side and brightly lit pavilions on each floor.

Huanhua Tower is not as simple as its name suggests, just an ordinary small building. It is a three-story pavilion that extends along the Huai River, covering more than half the length of an alley.

Chen Xiaoxiao's dormitory is on the third floor, with a viewing platform facing the Huai River. Standing here, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the night view of the Western Liang Royal City and the Huai River, which reflects the moon and sparkles in the water.

She was playing the zither here, and not far in front of her was a soft couch, on which someone was leaning lazily with their long legs crossed in a very casual posture.

Even though she knew the man was no longer listening to her play, she dared not stop.

Chen Xiaoxiao was right; Xie Fu indeed wasn't paying attention to her playing the zither, since he couldn't discern anything from it anyway.

He was just wondering who was behind that blatant assassination attempt a while back. In the Western Liang capital, among the Xie family, who was so bold?

His subordinates entered right on time, "Young Master."

Xie Fu bent his knees and stood up, waving in Chen Xiaoxiao's direction, "I'm leaving."

Chen Xiaoxiao withdrew her hand from the zither, stood up, bowed, and respectfully saw him off.

The young master of the Xie family has been coming to her often lately to listen to her play the zither, but as soon as he lies comfortably on the soft couch, it's as if she's playing the zither to a cow.

She didn't know what the other party was planning, so she just needed to keep her mouth shut, not see what she shouldn't see, and not listen to what she shouldn't hear.

She gently touched the strings of the instrument. All she wanted was to live in this world; she didn't want to fight for anything else.

"Young Master, there are bandits roaming the desolate hills outside the city," Xie Fu said quickly, and his men had to quicken their pace to keep up with him so that they could convey the old master's instructions. "The nearby villages have been almost completely looted, and now they've started directly robbing women. The men we sent over earlier brought back news that, after engaging with them, judging from their skills, those bandits seem to have military experience and are not easy to deal with."

He would occasionally choose a brothel to sit in, trying to cultivate the image of a libertine. He originally thought it would be an easy job, but once inside, he was met with a pungent smell of perfume and a large group of people making a lot of noise. Only the Huanhua Brothel was relatively quiet.

He was already using this matter to cover up his true intentions. Old Man Mu Xiuyu's concerns were not unfounded. As a vassal state of Xiliang, the Xie family was the envy of many in Xiliang, and the one in the inland region also seemed to be distrustful of them recently.

Xie Fu frowned: "Let the old man send someone else."

The subordinate shook his head: "I'm afraid it won't work. In the beginning, even the old master didn't want you to take action..."

He lowered his voice and whispered in Xie Fu's ear, "Yesterday, a scout from the Central Plains brought news that someone in the court told the emperor about the last incident involving the boat, which displeased the emperor. The old master thinks it's best to avoid suspicion recently. However, with the Southern Barbarians attacking the city, all the generals who were left to guard the capital of Xiliang have been sent out, and the old master has no one left to use."

“Young Master, you know the Grand Master. He will not sit idly by and do nothing about the affairs of the people of Xiliang.”

It seems there really isn't anyone the old man can trust, otherwise he wouldn't have had to take action.

The Southern Barbarians have always been suppressed by their Xiliang cavalry, so why would they suddenly attack the city?

"Give the order to have the Wind and Thunder Cavalry prepare to depart first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, ma'am."

The Xie family mansion was not far away, and the two guards at the gate were the same as usual. As Xie Fu and his group approached, a woman in a white dress suddenly walked out of the gate.

Xie Fu stopped in his tracks as soon as the woman in the white dress appeared.

He remembered this person; he had seen her not long ago on the night of the assassination attempt. She was also wearing a white dress, which made her stand out in the night.

The streets were littered with corpses, but she wasn't afraid at all. In fact, Xie Fu felt that she didn't even seem to care about the corpses.

Without making a sound, Xie Fu gripped the sword at his waist and walked forward as usual, his face expressionless.

The guards at the door saw Xie Fu and quickly bowed, "Young Master."

The woman in the white dress tilted her head, and even through the white veil and hat, Xie Fu could clearly feel that she was watching him.

He gestured with his chin toward the guard at the door. "Who goes there?"

The guard didn't understand what he meant and looked somewhat bewildered. "What person?"

Xie Fu's subordinate rolled his eyes. "Everyone around here is one of our own. Who do you think the young master is asking about?"

The guard stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye and suddenly realized, "Ah, this female doctor has come to treat the master."

"Doctor?" Xie Fu looked the woman of unknown origin up and down, recalling how she had relentlessly asked him his name that night.

A smile played at the corners of his lips, its meaning ambiguous. "This young lady is just a doctor?"

The guard couldn't understand why his young master had suddenly laughed, so he respectfully explained everything he knew about the female doctor from beginning to end.

"Two days ago, my great-grandfather went to Changde Theater to watch a play as usual. As a result, his old illness suddenly flared up and the medicine he usually took could not suppress it. Fortunately, the doctor who was also watching a play at Changde Theater took action and managed to suppress my great-grandfather's condition."

He added, "These days, Your Highness, you've been busy... um... busy listening to Miss Chen Xiaoxiao play the zither. This female doctor has treated the old master many times, and the old master's health has improved a lot recently. She is truly a master."

While the guard was explaining, Xie Fu's gaze remained fixed on the unfamiliar woman.

When her identity and motives were questioned in person, she did not interrupt or express her dissatisfaction. She simply stood there quietly, as if she were not the one suspected of having ulterior motives.

“I see,” Xie Fu said, his tone rising. For some reason, he felt that this woman in the white dress was unusual. He continued, “Did she prescribe medicine for the old man?”

"It's open."

"Has it been examined by the doctor you usually see in the household?"

"They've all seen it and said there's no problem. It's a rare and excellent prescription. They even blamed themselves for not thinking of it sooner, saying that if they had used this pharmacy earlier, the old master's illness wouldn't have dragged on and become more and more serious."

Xie Fu tapped her index finger slowly on the hilt of her sword. Was she really a doctor? Was her lack of fear after witnessing that bloody scene that night due to her medical practice and worldly experience?

Then why did she keep asking about her own name?

He suppressed his doubts and smiled at the woman in the white dress. "Please don't take offense, young lady. We Xiliang are stationed on the border, and there are always spies from the southern barbarians trying to sneak in, so we are checking people more strictly. It was not an intentional offense."

When he spoke, the woman in the white dress finally reacted, raising her head as if to listen attentively.

After hearing his words, she slowly shook her head, "It's alright, it's what I should do..."

She pronounced the last three words very softly, which didn't sound like she was saying them at all.