After Bai Qingqing left, Bai Jinghuai sat in troubled silence, clutching Madam Qiao’s hand. “Siwen,” he said, “our daughter has been raised so well—what if someone unworthy sets their sights on her?”

Madam Qiao glanced at him and immediately understood. “Didn’t Qingqing receive the Emperor’s favor? She can choose her own marriage. If she’s unwilling, no one can force her.”

“But… what if she’s willing, out of gratitude?”

Madam Qiao hesitated. “That can’t be, can it? Our Qingqing is one of the finest girls in Xuancheng, yes—but that man, that official, has seen all manner of women. Maybe it really was just a whim, a rare act of kindness?”

Bai Jinghuai said nothing. He had looked into that man’s eyes—he didn’t seem like someone moved by fleeting whims or charitable urges. Forget it. They would wait and see.

…

That night, the corpse brought back to the Embroidered Guard’s headquarters was examined on Ning Yan’s orders. The gaping wound in the chest was confirmed as the cause of death, and the murder weapon was indeed the bloodstained dagger found at the scene.

But that wasn’t the most crucial discovery.

Hidden within Huang Xun’s robes was a sealed letter, accusing Bai Jinghuai of being the true mastermind behind the old rebellion in the southwest. It claimed he had deflected suspicion and pinned the crime on someone else just as the truth was about to surface. Attached to the letter was a half-torn, yellowed piece of parchment filled with classified information—marked confidential and, unmistakably, written in Bai Jinghuai’s handwriting.

When Ning Zhao discovered it, she felt a wave of dread rise in her chest. She rushed the evidence to Ning Yan without a moment’s delay. “Sir, this matter is grave. I leave the decision to you.”

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Ning Yan read the documents carefully, then slowly curled his lips into a smile—one without warmth, its meaning impossible to read.

Every piece was meticulously set in place—had he not intervened, the evidence alone would have been enough to pin a charge on the Bai family. The corpse of Huang Xun would stand as proof that Bai Jinghuai had murdered to silence a witness.

“Who else knows about this?”

“Rest assured, sir—only two people handled these items from start to finish. Both are reliable.”

“Then tell them these things never existed.”

“Understood.”

Ning Zhao accepted the order, but after a pause, curiosity got the better of him. “Uncle… is someone targeting the Duke of Ying’s household? But they haven’t crossed anyone, have they?”

Ning Yan tucked the documents into his robe and cast him a sidelong glance. “Sometimes being too good isn’t a virtue—it only makes you easier to bully.”

Ning Zhao’s face fell. “Uncle, I didn’t mean—”

Ning Yan cut him off. “I’ll enter the palace at first light. If anyone comes asking about the murder, you know what to say. But I doubt anyone will.”

The slight curve of Ning Yan’s mouth sent a chill through Ning Zhao. He lowered his head and dared not ask further.

The next day, what had been found on Huang Xun’s corpse appeared on the emperor’s desk.

The young sovereign read through the evidence without a word, and Ning Yan said nothing either, standing in composed silence below the dais.

Only after a long while did the emperor lift his head, a trace of irony on his face that had no place on an emperor’s features. “Such a crude attempt at framing someone, yet they dared play this trick right beneath my nose. Tell me—do they think I’m some naïve child, easily fooled?”

“The Duke of Ying didn’t report the matter to the authorities, and yet the local magistrates arrived only moments behind me—clearly it had all been arranged in advance. Their plan failed this time, and I suspect they’ll lie low for now, afraid of alarming their prey.”

“You mean I shouldn’t let such a golden opportunity go to waste?”

“I only serve at Your Majesty’s command. Whatever Your Majesty wills is what I will do.”

“Oh, cut the act. These materials should’ve come to me through the Ministry of Justice. How is it they landed in your hands instead? What—was that Bai family girl so beautiful even you lost your head?”

To the emperor’s surprise, Ning Yan nodded plainly. “She is indeed beautiful.”

“…”

The emperor burst into sudden laughter. “Fine. It’s rare to see you take an interest in any woman. That’s not a bad thing. The Duke of Ying is loyal and kind—I’d hate to see him suffer unjustly. Let us set this matter aside… for now.”