Even Shi Buyu, who rarely feels embarrassed, had moments when she found it hard to show her face. But once she was out of others’ sight, she returned to her usual self as if nothing had happened.

She glanced around, and instead of heading back inside, she changed direction and walked toward the front gate. From there, she made her way to the spot where she and Yan Shi’an had first met. Sitting down on the threshold, she smiled.

The residence hadn’t changed much—just no longer perfectly symmetrical. The beams and pillars now had distinct patterns, and the garden’s flowers, plants, and trees had been rearranged. Amid the seeming disorder, there was a certain harmony. It looked much livelier now, just like that person—it felt more human than when they first met.

She hoped that lady would come around eventually. If Yan Shi’an were a meek and obedient sort, he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. And if he were meek and obedient, she wouldn’t think much of him.

The one she, Shi Buyu, was going to support had to be someone truly exceptional.

“Miss, what are you doing here?” Wan Xia hurried over. “Young Master Wu Fei has sent a letter.”

Shi Buyu stood up, took the letter, and opened it with a smile. “If he’d delayed any longer, I’d have started to suspect he was being kept there as a son-in-law.”

The letter was written on several sheets of paper, with flamboyant, dragon-like calligraphy that was hard to read.

“What did Young Master Wu say?”

“He’s playing around every day—and bragging to me about how he can spear fish now.” Shi Buyu ground her teeth. “He’s forgotten all about us in his fun!”

Wan Xia couldn’t stop smiling.

The girl had traveled far and wide with the old master. Most of her acquaintances were maintained through letters. Over the years, those she stayed close with were either kindred spirits like Fan Can, temperamentally compatible like Dan Niang, or like Wu Fei—whose friendship came through rough scuffles. Then there was another type: people with mutual respect who, despite infrequent contact, would risk their lives for each other with just a few words. Her young lady had no shortage in this department.

“The Ghost Festival has passed. The Shi family people should be arriving these days. A-gu, go let Wu Fei’s people know to stay for a couple more days.”

Shi Buyu folded the letter and started walking out. “From now on, you don’t have to run errands like this anymore.”

Wan Xia, of course, was more than happy. Her lady was lazy by nature—she couldn’t fight well, couldn’t run fast—and Wan Xia always worried whenever she was out of sight.

The Shi family members arrived sooner than expected—ten of them showed up the next day.

The one leading the group was the family’s retainer, Yu Liang. “The Second Young Master said that while our faces may be unfamiliar, some might still recognize us. To avoid being identified by people with ill intent, we were all told to grow beards.”

Not only had they grown beards, but they had also changed from martial attire to household servant uniforms—wearing blue robes and black headwraps. Except for their slightly sturdier builds, they looked no different from ordinary house servants.

Shi Buyu understood immediately. Shi Xu was worried about causing her trouble and had clearly trained them well during this time.

“Perfect timing,” she said without wasting words. “Yu Liang, send two men back to the mountain. Bring me a list of who’s being sent away and who’s returning. Deliver it to the dock on the Fengxian River in Xing’an County at noon four days from now. There will be someone waiting. A-gu, give me a token.”

Wan Xia thought for a moment, then took a jade hairpin from the dressing table, snapped it in half, and handed it to her. Yan Shi’an had sent over a lot of these kinds of things, but Shi Buyu found them troublesome and never used them.

Yu Liang selected two men to step forward.

Shi Buyu handed them the pointed half and showed them the other half’s design. “The contact will have this when they meet you. If they can’t produce it—kill them and run.”

She spread out a pre-prepared map on the ground and pointed from the dock to a mountain. She had chosen the dock in Xing’an County because of its favorable location. “Have Shi Xu arrange for people to wait here. If anything changes, head into the mountains and run west. Once you cross these few peaks, you’ll reach Qingping County, the administrative seat of Yanxi Commandery. Knock on the back door of the magistrate’s office and look for Prefect Kuang. Just tell him you’re with Little Twelve.”

Yu Liang was stunned. “You mean… there could be danger?”

“It’s just a precaution.” Shi Buyu rolled up the map and handed it to him. “I’m in the capital, and I don’t know how many of Chancellor Zhang’s men are lurking in Yanxi Commandery. If you’re unlucky enough to run into them, you’ll need to flee, won’t you?”

It was just a precaution, yet she had already made such thorough preparations.

Yu Liang accepted the map with both hands, remembering how, during the prison break, she had also made elaborate pre-arrangements—several retreat routes were prepared in advance. Second Young Master had said she must have run through the entire operation countless times in her head beforehand, calculating every detail, which was why their escape had gone so smoothly.

At the time, he thought it was luck. But seeing how she planned for every “just in case,” he suddenly realized that the success had been inevitable.

“A-gu, give this to Wu Fei’s people. Tell them the time and place.”

Wan Xia agreed with a smile and asked, “Aren’t you writing Wu Fei a reply?”

“Nope. Let him stew.”

Shi Buyu huffed and turned back to the others. “Any word from those who left?”

Yu Liang shook his head. “No.”

She wasn’t surprised. The mountain stronghold was a place to hide. Shi Yan wouldn’t let outsiders send letters back. And he only took a few people with him—unless it was something urgent or they found a clue, they wouldn’t send anyone back soon.

That left nothing else to ask. A few faces flashed in her mind. Shi Buyu paused and changed the subject. “While you’re here, don’t think of yourselves as guests relying on someone else’s charity. Be polite to the master of the house, and just get along with everyone else as usual. Don’t go where you shouldn’t. Don’t ask about what doesn’t concern you.”

“Yes.”

Shi Buyu looked at A-gu. She wasn’t used to playing the role of a master—these were all the instructions she could give.

Wan Xia took over. “Quite a few people here are skilled. You can ask Steward Yan where they usually train. Your main job here is to ensure the young lady’s safety—do not slack in that duty.”

The ten men responded in unison.

With A-gu handling the rest, Shi Buyu stopped worrying. She quietly sorted through the loose ends in her hands. There wasn’t much she could do right now—but it was time to give Chancellor Zhang a “sweet treat.” Moving the people out of Xing’an County would also make things safer for the Shi family’s men.

“Qingshan.”

Someone outside responded, “Qingshan, the young lady is calling you.”

“Yi Sheng? Why didn’t you say anything when you arrived? Come in. Qingshan, go ask your young master to come.”

Shi Buyu went to prop open the window. From here, she could see the lotus pond. Unfortunately, she’d already eaten all the lotus seeds—only a few scattered flowers remained.

Qingshan left.

He Yisheng remained standing at the door. “I’m fine now. My body has recovered. I just came to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

“Come in and talk.”

He did enter. Slender and beautiful—when standing there silently, no one would ever mistake her for a man.

Shi Buyu often saw him in the library and was long used to his appearance. She sat back down on the mat and motioned for him to sit wherever he liked.