Just as he was about to burn the unopened letter as usual, he suddenly held the envelope, his brows slightly furrowed.

Something wasn’t right.

Although the current social customs were open, and it was common for girls to pursue the young men they admired, even so, marriage still emphasized a match in social status.

The Mu family had made contributions in establishing the dynasty and enjoyed imperial favor. By his generation, they were exceptionally wealthy and influential.

He had been receiving love letters from girls since he was twelve or thirteen years old. He knew that the minds of young girls were different, some more, some less, some long, some short, but they would all choose the most beautiful stationery within their means and add a faint scent of perfume.

However, this letter used the most ordinary cotton paper, the ink was not of high quality, and it didn’t even bother with incense.

Within the range of those eligible to be his wife, there would never be such a poor and careless girl.

Mu Zhao’s eyes paused slightly, his fingertips lightly pinching the letter, intending to open it and take a look.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing it, Mu Zhao’s world crumbled.

Extremely erotic words were brazenly presented before his eyes.

Besides these words that made his scalp tingle, there were also descriptions of actions that could be considered indecent.  Most egregious of all, if he wasn’t mistaken, the man in the letter was named Mu Zhao.

Heh, what a coincidence.

His name was also Mu Zhao.

This was pure slander!

He had always been self-restrained, never concerning himself with such romantic affairs, and he had never even read illustrated books or storybooks.

Unexpectedly, the first time he saw such things, it was about himself.

And the girl in the story was different every day; today she was surnamed Li, tomorrow Zhang, and the day after Gao.

Mu Zhao had to subtly inquire about what was going on, but he got nowhere.

Since he couldn’t ask, why not investigate himself?

In short, he would never tolerate someone who slandered him.

Thinking of this, the young man had calmed down considerably.

“Bring me the crumpled paper from the previous two days as well,” he instructed Ling Chuan.

The crumpled pieces of paper were spread flat on the table, and Mu Zhao finally confirmed that the three letters were written by the same person, and most likely a woman.

The handwriting was elegant, the strokes delicate, the lines soft, yet the strokes were clean and neat.

They say that handwriting reflects the person.  Judging from this beautiful handwriting alone, she should have a gentle and resilient personality, but why would she write such obscene words?

Mu Zhao’s mind conjured the slender figure he’d seen at the city gate.

His first impression of that girl could be described as “pale.”

Her skin was porcelain-white, her brows like spring mountains shrouded in light mist, in the chilly early spring, like a cloud that would shatter at a touch.

But inside, she was full of schemes.

One cannot judge a person by their appearance, so what’s the difference between judging a person by their handwriting and judging them by their appearance?

Mu Zhao mocked his previous narrow-mindedness, casually copied some unimportant characters, and gave them to Ling Chuan, saying, “Go to the various calligraphy and painting shops and see if you can find out whose handwriting it is.”

Ling Chuan had been by his side since childhood, deeply trusted by him, and his work was naturally very reliable. Before the sunlight faded into darkness, he returned with the news.

“Reporting to the Marquis, these storybooks all come from the same person, the young concubine daughter of Lord Yue, Yue Si Chao. She usually takes on private work at a calligraphy and painting shop in the East Market.”

“Lord Yue?” Mu Zhao snorted coldly. “Yue Shu Yao’s sister?”

Ling Chuan shook his head, then nodded again. “Not the Lord Yue from the Ministry of Revenue, but the Lord Yue who is a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, the uncle of Miss Yue Shu Yao.”

“Based on this relationship, that girl should be Miss Yue’s cousin.”

“It’s a coincidence… she is the girl who used a ‘tease-and-retreat’ tactic on you at the city gate the day you returned to the capital.”

Mu Zhao raised an eyebrow: “You also think she was using a ‘tease-and-retreat’ tactic?”

Ling Chuan readily agreed, “Naturally. If she didn’t admire you, how would she deliberately greet you back to the city in such weather?”

“Since she admires you, then she deliberately argued with you later, she must have wanted to attract your attention!”

“And these inexplicable letters these days, if this gets out, how will she marry anyone else in the future!”

“She must have made up her mind to marry you!”

“That’s why Miss Yue was not angry but happy. She must have been instructed by her cousin. When you asked about these letters, she really took it to heart… It seems that this girl’s skills are extraordinary. In just a few days, she has already left an unforgettable impression on you…”

Ling Chuan continued to chatter on the side, Mu Zhao’s gaze fell on the crumpled pile of paper, thinking that the impression was indeed quite unforgettable.

He would probably never forget in his life that such a scheming woman had admired him, and had gone to such lengths to pursue him.

Not only did she disregard her own life, but she also risked her reputation.

She didn’t care about her life or reputation.

“What was her name again?” he suddenly asked.

“Yue Si Chao.”

Mu Zhao seemed to sneer, then realized something was wrong.

“…Si Zhao?”

“Heh, I didn’t expect her to be so infatuated with this Marquis, even her name is full of admiration.”

“Come with me tomorrow, and let’s have a talk with her,” he said impatiently.

Actually, if it were another girl, Mu Zhao wouldn’t have to go to such great lengths; no response would be the best answer.

But Yue Si Chao was different.

She had already done so many outrageous things, and if he didn’t completely extinguish her thoughts, he didn’t know what more outrageous things she could do.

The rainy season had just passed, the early cherry blossoms had just bloomed, and the warm sun cast a layer of golden light on them, like an endless expanse of pink auspicious clouds.

Ling Chuan had already found out Yue Si Chao’s routine. Half an hour before she went to the East Market every day, Mu Zhao waited under a cherry tree she would pass by.

Yue Si Chao slowly turned the corner and saw the striking face that was hard to ignore, then she was slightly startled.

At this time, Mu Zhao was leaning against the tree trunk, his arms crossed in front of him, his long legs casually placed, his eyes closed as if he were napping.

The sunlight shone through the branches and fell on his long, thick eyelashes, like a string of scattered gold.

It looked like he was waiting for someone.

Yue Si Chao was not someone who was self-deceived, and she certainly wouldn’t be narcissistic enough to think that a figure like Mu Zhao was condescendingly waiting for her.

But the fact that she was using him to make money made her feel a little guilty.

She inexplicably didn’t want to just swagger past him.

So she stopped, wondering whether she should go to Ji Shu’s place today.

In just a few days, the ladies’ bids had reached fifty taels of silver per story.

Excluding Ji Shu’s share, she would get forty taels of silver.

This day’s earnings were almost equal to all the savings she had accumulated before by being frugal and working hard.

And she knew very well that making money by using Mu Zhao would not last long.

Once these ladies discovered that Mu Zhao would no longer ask them questions because of these letters, they would naturally cool down, so she could earn as much as she could each day.

She had a big plan in mind that she hadn’t mentioned to anyone.

Only when she had saved enough money could she find a way to redeem her maidservant, get some fake death medicine, bribe the servants in the mansion, and throw her and her mother to the mass grave. After the medicine wore off, they could change their names and live a new life.

They could also buy a small courtyard and do some small business.

In short, she was diligent, hardworking, and intelligent, so supporting her mother and herself would not be a problem. In this way, they wouldn’t have to look at anyone’s face anymore.

Thinking of this, Yue Si Chao felt that she couldn’t let Mu Zhao’s appearance on this street today make her feel guilty and stop her from making money.

A clear cowbell sound came from afar. She looked up and saw a woman who looked like a peasant woman driving a bullock cart, with a cart full of hay, slowly heading towards the East Market.

“Auntie!” she whispered.

The old cow “mooed” and stopped. The auntie looked at her and said enthusiastically, “What’s wrong, girl?”

She took out fifty cash and carefully handed it over.

“I’m also going to the East Market, but I sprained my foot. Could you please give me a ride?”

“I can sit in the hay.”

“No problem!”

The auntie was very straightforward and immediately let her get on the bullock cart.

The bullock cart started slowly, and Yue Si Chao lay in the hay, her heart beating a little fast.

In order not to be discovered by Mu Zhao, she even piled more hay on herself.

When she was about to pass Mu Zhao, she instinctively looked at him through the gap between the wooden board and the hay. Her hanging heart finally settled a little, but unexpectedly, the man suddenly opened his eyes.

Yue Si Chao caught sight of that cold and arrogant gaze, and her breath instantly stopped.

Her remaining rationality kept her from moving.

After a moment, the bullock cart completely passed him.

The gentle spring breeze lifted the hair on the man’s forehead, completely revealing those handsome brows and eyes like ice.

He looked down at the tracks of the bullock cart that had just passed, and asked Ling Chuan beside him, “It’s just a cart of hay, how can it be so heavy?”

Ling Chuan said casually, “You’re always like this, even though it doesn’t concern you… His Majesty is already wary of you, so let’s not meddle in these unimportant matters.”

Mu Zhao took a deep breath, looking a little unhappy, “It’s already the time of the day. So when will that woman come?”

“Ah…this…” Ling Chuan hesitated.

He had clearly investigated, and the girl always kept her appointments and never arrived late.

“Shall we go and have a look at that calligraphy and painting shop?”

“No,” Mu Zhao refused without thinking.

If it was really as Ling Chuan had investigated, if he went to that shop himself, what would be the difference between that and a rabbit falling into a tiger’s den?