He Yisheng listened to the conversation between the two as he slowly walked over to the lotus pond, stopping at a stone-carved bridge and watching them.

He should be questioning them, He Yisheng thought—questioning their capabilities. They were far too young, still getting excited over a big lotus pod. Compared to that supreme figure in the palace, they seemed like children playing house.

But then again, he wondered—why should he question them? There might be others in this world who wanted to rebel, but right now, the only ones within his reach were these two.

Besides, they didn’t seem to be acting recklessly. He had said so much, yet they only picked out the useful parts to ask about. As for the palace and what went on in there, they didn’t probe a single word further. It was a matter far from respectable, and yet they’d left him a shred of dignity.

“Much sweeter than anyone else’s! A’gu, give those two to Yisheng.”

He Yisheng watched as the smiling woman brought over the lotus pods. He opened his hands carefully to receive them, trying hard not to touch her.

But she didn’t seem to care at all—she closed his hands around them herself. That reminded him of earlier in the room, when Shi Buyu had touched his hair and patted his shoulder.

They didn’t mind his filth, but he himself felt utterly disgusting—filthy through and through.

He Yisheng lowered his gaze to the lotus pod in his hand. It was large, each seed plump and bulging against its round holes. Where it touched his palm, it was warm, as if it still carried the sun’s heat.

“What are you spacing out for? It’s for eating, not admiring,” Shi Buyu said, tossing an empty shell at him. Of course, it didn’t go very far—but the sound it made was loud.

Obediently, He Yisheng peeled a seed and put it in his mouth. He thought it should taste very sweet, but unfortunately, he’d been fed all sorts of strange things, even potent medicine. His sense of taste was ruined—he couldn’t taste the sweetness. Even when he peeled the lotus heart and ate it, he couldn’t taste the bitterness either.

“Is it sweet?”

He Yisheng looked up. “Sweet.”

“I’ll have someone bring you a few every day. It’s just a small lotus pond—we should eat sparingly.”

Yan Shian smiled. “Move to another courtyard for now. I’ll have the one next door connected so we can build a bigger pond. Next year there’ll be plenty to eat.”

“No need to move. If there are too many, I won’t treasure them.” Shi Buyu cradled four or five pods in her arms, turned around a few times, then walked over and placed one more in He Yisheng’s hand with a single arm. “One more for you. No more than that. The sun’s too hot—go rest. Qingshan, see him off.”

“Yes.”

He Yisheng was indeed struggling to stay on his feet. Before leaving, he said, “If you have anything you want to ask, feel free to come to me anytime.”

“No need to rush. We’re going to look into the Consort’s case first. You focus on recovering. Cousin, find him a good doctor for his health.”

Yan Shian agreed. Sending lotus pods and finding doctors—if it had been anyone else, it might’ve felt like a ploy to win someone over. But strangely, when Shi Buyu did it, it didn’t feel that way. With her nature, if she wanted to do something, she simply did it—wondering why would be redundant.

It was stifling indoors, so Shi Buyu headed straight to the wind-and-rain corridor, peeling lotus seeds while watching He Yisheng slowly make his way out.

It was the season for blooming bougainvilleas. One whole wall had turned into a sea of red flowers.

The thin, small boy walked unsteadily, step by step. When he passed by that sea of flowers, he paused and looked up at them—then slowly continued on his way.

Shi Buyu peeled another lotus seed—but didn’t eat it this time.

Yan Shian took one and sat beside her, peeling seeds too.

After a moment, she said, “Someone in the palace helped him.”

Yan Shian nodded. He was more familiar with the palace, so he understood better. “He escaped far too easily. The palace is hard to enter—and even harder to leave.”

“That’s one thing. Another—you remember his state when he first woke up?”

Yan Shian thought for a moment, then understood. “He said he played dead. But if that were really the case, he shouldn’t have opened his eyes while we were still there. Either he overheard our conversation and used us to escape, or… he didn’t play dead at all. He used some other method to fake it.”

Shi Buyu nodded. “I paid attention. At that time, he had just woken up. To survive in a place like that, I believe he must be very smart. But no matter how smart, he’s only fourteen. He’s only been in danger for seven months—not seven years. The planning time is far too short to pull off something this big. So, someone in the palace must be helping him.”

There were countless palace maids and eunuchs in the palace. From what he had said, he did receive help from them. If there were more eunuchs who had helped him, he had no reason to keep it a secret.

The two exchanged a glance—they had clearly both thought of this.

“No need to rush. We’ll find out eventually.”

Yan Shian suddenly smiled.

Shi Buyu popped a seed into her mouth, raising her eyes to ask what he was smiling about.

“When there’s no clue to anything, you always say ‘no need to rush.’”

“Solving mysteries can’t be rushed. Rush, and you’ll make mistakes. I’m very patient,” Shi Buyu said with a smile. Yan Shian noticed that whenever she mentioned “White Beard,” she was always smiling.

“White Beard used to say, matters are controlled by people—and people are constantly changing. So, things won’t stay the same either. One moment, it’s like this—no clues to be found. The next moment, it changes, and maybe the clues I want will be there. That’s why you have to learn to wait. Don’t be anxious.”

Yan Shian placed the peeled seeds into her bowl and said a bit enviously, “I never had a White Beard like that.”

“Of course not. He’s mine.” Shi Buyu stood up and stretched lazily, then got serious again. “They’re snatching people so brazenly now, and it’s been going on for a while. By now, they’ve probably gotten bold and careless. Not like at the beginning. Send more people to sniff out their trail.”

She paused, then looked at Yan Shian. “You have enough manpower?”

“If I say I don’t, will you lend me some?”

“I have no one,” Shi Buyu said without hesitation.

Yan Shian raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“I really don’t. And even if I did, they’re not mine.”

Yan Shian mimicked her, stretching too—but not quite naturally. He dropped his arms halfway. “When I was still young, Grandfather was already buying and training people nonstop. He hasn’t stopped to this day.”

Shi Buyu put her hands on her hips. “Hearing you say that, if I didn’t know the truth, I’d think your grandfather’s plotting a rebellion.”

“He’s very cautious. I don’t even know where those people are trained. When he thinks they’re ready, he sends them to me.”

Shi Buyu teased him. “Aren’t you worried he might have ambitions to control the emperor and rule the country?”

“I’ve thought about it, but I wouldn’t say I’m afraid,” Yan Shian said with a smile, looking at her. “Besides, to control the country, you’d first have to control the emperor. I just make sure no one can control me.”

“If White Beard were here, he’d pat your shoulder and say: ‘Not bad, kid. You’ve got some spirit.’” Shi Buyu picked up all the lotus seeds and pods, ready to head inside. As she passed the man, she paused and stuffed the last two pods into his arms.