"General Xiang, Young Miss." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Get up. If you fail to take good care of her again, I’ll consider replacing you." Xiang Minghou stroked her hair, eyeing the two figures kneeling on the ground.

"Yes, sir."

Luo Wen and Luo Xuan got to their feet, inwardly cursing Qian Fanji all over again...

"Let’s go. We’re heading back to the Capital City. Four Directions Town is a bit unsafe." Xiang Minghou stood, then bent down to scoop the little girl into his arms.

"What’s wrong?"

"On the way here, the Four Directions Town authorities dispatched a lot of men. There was a massacre not far from town yesterday, and many people died. Did you hear anything from inside the town?"

"No." Ye Qianning shook her head.

"It’s a good thing you didn’t run into them. I could tell from their clothes that they were from a notorious assassin organization in the martial world. Some of them didn’t look like they were from Beili, either," Xiang Minghou said as he carried her out of the inn.

"Did you see the bodies, Father?"

"I just glanced at them. I didn’t get a close look."

"Then it was probably the grim aftermath of a fight between two groups."

The authorities usually didn’t open cases for this kind of fighting. Clashes between factions in the martial world were quite common.

"That’s most likely the case. It hasn’t been safe outside the city lately, so you should avoid leaving if you don’t have to." Xiang Minghou tucked her into the carriage, then jumped in himself.

"I know." Ye Qianning nodded.

Luo Wen slowly drove the carriage away.

Inside the tavern.

Qian Fanji stood on the second-floor corridor, leaning against a round pillar as his gaze fixed on the spot where Ye Qianning had just been sitting. ’She’s so cute when she acts spoiled.’

He couldn’t help but imagine himself in Xiang Minghou’s place, and a smile crept onto his lips at the thought.

"Master."

His attendant’s sudden appearance shattered his daydream.

Qian Fanji’s smile vanished. "What took you so long?"

"I was held up by someone yesterday, Master. Are you alright?" The attendant’s clothes were stained crimson, a clear sign of the previous day’s fierce battle.

"It was a close call, but I’m fine."

"Master, was it General Xiang who saved you?" the attendant asked.

Qian Fanji didn’t answer. "Prepare the carriage. We’re returning to the city."

"Yes, Master."

Qian Fanji walked back to his room. On the bedside table lay the booklet from yesterday. With it, the Qian Residence could finally be cleared of the false accusations from all those years ago. And he, Qian Fanji, now had a daughter.

It was truly a double blessing!

——

The Minister Mansion

Qian Fu already knew about yesterday’s assassination attempt. The incident outside Four Directions Town was inextricably linked to Qian Fanji.

After what happened back then, hidden figures kept a close watch on the court officials, so there was never a chance to send the booklet out. All these years, Fan Ji’s eyes had never left those same court officials either.

Therefore, he knew the affairs of the Capital City’s officials very well. The guiltier an official was, the less they dared to take risks, and they would hide for years on end.

Now that East Shu had entered the Capital City, those people could no longer hide.

He wondered how Fan Ji was doing. He’d heard the death toll outside Four Directions Town was catastrophic.

"Master, the Chief of Staff has returned," a young servant hurried in to report.

Qian Fu stood up and went to the door to greet him. Only after seeing him did his anxious heart finally settle. "Where are you hurt?"

"It’s not life-threatening."

"I’ve told you so many times not to get involved in what happened back then. It’s perfectly fine to just live a peaceful life as the Chief of Staff, but you just won’t listen." It wasn’t as if Qian Fu hadn’t considered clearing their name himself back then.

But the matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Qian Fanji took out the booklet. "It’s not that I’m unwilling to be just a Chief of Staff. I just feel that the Qian family shouldn’t be subjected to the world’s gossip and criticism, and neither should you, Father."

"Once this booklet comes to light, the court will be thrown into turmoil, and the number of people implicated will be immense." It was like a giant fishing net, catching both big and small fish alike. When the time came, the imperial court would surely descend into chaos.