Ning Yan withdrew with his usual calm, walking steadily beneath the ornately carved eaves and painted beams. Yet with every few steps, a drop of crimson splashed silently onto the jade-polished floor.

The world often said that serving the emperor was like living beside a tiger. Ning Yan had never thought so—he’d always regarded life and death with indifference, meeting even the Son of Heaven without fear. But just now, when the emperor spoke the name Bai Qingqing, something stirred within him—an emotion he had never known before.

Only in that moment did he truly realize: the man before him held the power to decide life and death with a word. He didn’t care about his own fate—but Bai Qingqing… she could not be left to such whims.

Ning Yan paused at the top of the tall stone steps, tilting his head back to squint into the flawless blue sky. Something had settled in his chest—like an invisible shackle, cold and unnerving.

…

The Bai family had barely begun to recover from the recent ordeal when another wave of unrest struck.

Bai Jinghuai’s face was grave. “The Embroidered Guards found a secret letter on Huang Xun. The emperor has ordered me to remain at home and not attend court for now—all my duties are temporarily suspended. But Yan’er’s assignments continue as usual…”

He couldn’t quite decipher the emperor’s meaning. “It seems His Majesty does not truly suspect our family, but neither is he treating it as if nothing has happened.”

Bai Yan and Bai Rui felt much the same. Bai Yan returned home with a heavy heart. “The emperor has already instructed the Ministry of Justice to investigate thoroughly. From his words, it seems he believes our family has been wronged. Minister Qin from the Ministry even came to speak to me—said the emperor personally emphasized I need not worry. But I can’t shake the feeling… this is only the beginning.”

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So far, only Bai Jinghuai had been relieved of his duties. That was likely due to Lord Ning Yan’s intervention. Had Ning Yan not appeared when he did, the Bai family might not have escaped so lightly—they could very well have ended up behind bars.

But a single letter found on Huang Xun’s body wasn’t enough to convict Bai Jinghuai. And if someone was determined to bring the Bai family down, more traps were surely waiting.

Bai Rui, no longer the careless youth he once was, clenched his jaw. “Father, who exactly was involved in the Southwest Rebellion back then? Why target our family now? Could it be that someone else was truly behind it all, and now that the truth is about to come out, they’re desperate to throw the Bai family under the carriage wheels as scapegoats?”

Bai Jinghuai’s gaze turned dark. Back then… they had all been his comrades-in-arms, trusted like brothers. He had never doubted a single one of them. That betrayal had been a catastrophe—a wound that had never truly healed.

He shut his eyes briefly. But now, he had a family he had to protect. “There were many involved back then—not only those here in Xuancheng, but also some still in the Southwest…”

…

The incident surrounding the Bai family stirred a storm across Xuancheng. Even without an official conviction, fear rippled through the city—many whispered that the Duke’s household might vanish from Xuancheng overnight.

Once bustling with visitors, the gates of the Duke of England’s residence now stood lonely and silent. Outside, people spoke of the Bai family in hushed tones, cautious not to utter the wrong word.

In the estate of Prince Ping, Fu Yanghong sighed repeatedly in front of his two sons. “How could this happen? It’s just too hard to believe.”

Fu Yi, knowing the depth of his father’s decades-long friendship with Bai Jinghuai, remained silent. In their past life, after the Bai family had been convicted and imprisoned, Fu Yanghong had stubbornly submitted petition after petition in their defense—until the emperor, worn thin by the constant pleas, finally forbade him from mentioning it again. Courtiers tried to dissuade him, but Fu Yanghong would always reply: he believed in Bai Jinghuai’s character—he would never do such a thing.

“Father, about this matter…”

“How could Jinghuai have done something like this? Even if he had just come to discuss it with me… how could he resort to murder and silencing witnesses? Far too reckless!”

Fu Yi swallowed the words he had intended to say. A subtle doubt began to grow in his heart. Was his father truly convinced that the Duke of England had done it all?