Madam Kuang’s maiden name was Zhou, and her given name was simply Wei.

Back in her natal home, she was the eldest sister, with two younger brothers. After marrying, she had only two sons, both of whom remained in the capital to care for her and her husband. She had never had a little girl around her.

Now, suddenly, one had appeared—pretty and sweet-tongued, calling her “Ah-jie” with every other sentence. Madam Kuang was afraid of missing a single call.

Like now, the girl was circling around her chirping sweet words, just for a bite to eat. To prolong the moment, Madam Kuang deliberately let the fish balls cook longer in the pot, watching the girl sniff the delicious aroma, drooling with anticipation, and savoring the joy of “raising a daughter.”

“Ah-jie, can we eat them now? Look, they’re already floating!” Shi Buyu tugged at her sleeve. “Auntie said once they float, they’re done.”

“That’s true for some things, but not all. These fish balls need to cook a bit longer,” Madam Kuang said with a straight face, lying effortlessly. She scooped one out, inspected it, blew on it, and held it to the girl’s lips. “I think it’s about ready. Try it and see.”

Shi Buyu took a bite—the inside was still hot. She hissed and nodded repeatedly, pointing at the pot, then at her mouth, then nodded again.

Madam Kuang pretended not to understand. “Still needs more cooking? No problem, we’re not in a hurry.”

Shi Buyu was alarmed. She hadn’t even chewed it properly before swallowing and cried, “We can eat them now, Ah-jie, they’re really delicious!”

“Is it the fish balls that are delicious, or your Ah-jie?” Madam Kuang teased while ladling the soup into bowls.

“The fish balls are delicious, Ah-jie is beautiful.” Shi Buyu gazed at the fish balls with heartfelt emotion. “Fifth Ah-brother really hit the jackpot marrying a wife like you.”

Madam Kuang beamed with joy and served Shi Buyu a bowl just for herself.

Grinning from ear to ear, Shi Buyu sat on a small stool by the stove, sipping the soup, utterly content.

She thought to herself that she needed to visit more Ah-jies in the future—what she couldn’t get from her Ah-brothers, she could definitely coax from their wives!

So before the meal was even served, she was already half full in the kitchen. Though she often acted recklessly, she knew big families had rules—people ate at separate tables, and when there were important guests, there was more talking than eating. One usually left the table hungry. Now that she was half full, she wouldn’t worry about starving later. How clever of her!

When the meal was finally served, Kuang Jing saw her and teased, “Full already?”

“I didn’t eat!”

“Wipe the oil off your mouth before you lie.”

Shi Buyu wasn’t falling for that. She licked her lips—wait, was that salt?

Yan Shian, holding back laughter, handed her a handkerchief.

She looked at him, eyes asking Is it really there?

He nodded. Her mouth was slick with oil—who knew how much she had already snuck, considering she hadn’t stopped eating since the carriage ride.

Just then, Madam Kuang arrived, covering her mouth to stifle laughter. “I just wiped your mouth for you earlier. How did you get oily again just from changing your clothes?”

Yan Shian quickly bowed. “Shian greets Madam.”

Madam Kuang didn’t know who he was, only that he was important, so she returned the greeting with a gentle demeanor. Then, linking arms with the flustered girl who was now staring everywhere but at them, she said, “Husband, let’s take our seats—can’t let our little Buyu go hungry.”

“No one’s going hungry with her around,” Kuang Jing said as he sat down first, and Madam Kuang took the seat beside him.

Shi Buyu and Yan Shian sat across from them.

There was no alcohol—just homestyle dishes and soup, and even the atmosphere was homely. Kuang Jing didn’t stand on ceremony; he picked up his chopsticks and helped himself to a piece of fish.

Madam Kuang took a bite too, smiling. “My cooking is average. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, but I really wanted to make something for Buyu. I hope you won’t mind, Young Master Yan.”

“Don’t believe him, Ah-jie’s cooking is amazing! Try the fish ball soup—I had three bowls!” Shi Buyu declared as she lifted a fourth bowl.

Yan Shian obediently took a sip and was surprised by how flavorful it was.

Shi Buyu grinned at him. “Isn’t it super tasty?”

“It’s extremely fresh,” Yan Shian said, glancing at the couple across the table. He rarely saw such a cozy domestic scene. “Lord Kuang, you are truly fortunate.”

“You think I get to eat this every day? Wei-niang rarely cooks.”

“Oh, now you’re complaining?” With that kind of casual talk, Yan Shian must be considered one of their own. Zhou Wei’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “Let’s be honest—how many meals have you had at home this month? Always running around like your feet don’t touch the ground, and now you’re blaming me?”

“Ahem…” Kuang Jing raised his soup bowl toward Yan Shian. “Let’s drink soup instead of wine.”

Yan Shian lifted his bowl in return.

But Shi Buyu wasn’t letting it go. “Ah-jie, Ah-brother is terrible. You should deal with him.”

Madam Kuang laughed. “He bullied you?”

“He knocked me on the head twice before!”

“Got it. I’ll knock him four times to avenge you.”

“Ah-jie’s the best.” Shi Buyu shot a smug look at her fifth Ah-brother. Scowl all you want, glare all you want—I’ve got Ah-jie!

The meal was relaxed and cheerful.

Madam Kuang was very perceptive. She listened only to what her husband wanted her to know and never probed further. For instance, she had known nothing about his sect or his fellow disciples until Shi Buyu showed up. Including Buyu, she’d only met three of the twelve.

Even now, she didn’t ask any questions. After drinking a cup of tea with them, she excused herself to “tidy up their rooms” and left.

Kuang Jing cradled his teacup and finally got to the reason he called them over.

“You used a clever method to spread those portraits. Quite a few have already reached Yanxi Prefecture. Looks like the man’s luck is truly running out. In Yanxi alone, four victims have already submitted official complaints. And once it spreads further, there will surely be more.”

When serious matters came up, Shi Buyu instantly shifted into a calm and focused mode. “Some of those portraits were drawn by us earlier. This is the perfect chance to spread them widely. Are the complaints in your hands now?”

“They’re at the local magistrates’ offices,” Kuang Jing replied. “The victims weren’t ordinary folks either. Even the poorest among them were wealthy merchants. This area is only two or three days from the capital. They all plan to go report the crimes in person.”

“Can you suppress it?”

“Do you have another plan?”

Shi Buyu nodded. “We just need to stall for a while. Let the case cool down. When public attention fades, they’ll dare to keep sending people into the palace. I want to expose everything in the act. After it’s out in the open, then the victims can go report it—it’ll have more impact.”

Kuang Jing turned the idea over in his mind and could already guess most of their follow-up moves. “I can keep a lid on it here, but other regions might be harder.”

“Someone like Prefect Li Sheng of the Capital Commandery—unless it’s a powerful noble family, he wouldn’t see a pile of complaints even if it reached the ceiling. As long as you can suppress things here, the rest won’t move so quickly. By the time they file their reports, I might have already blown this whole thing open. That would be perfect timing.”

Compared to that idiot Zeng Zheng, Shi Buyu had already mentally shoved Li Sheng face-first into the mud. With that level of incompetence, and he’s still a third-rank official? That dog emperor deserves to use trash like him!

“As long as you know what you’re doing,” Kuang Jing said as he rose. “Come with me. We’re going out.”