An uncomfortable feeling suddenly arose in Zanying’s heart.

“What rumor?”

Duke Wei of the Northern Guard was summoned but contracted a grave illness.

Every time the full moon arrived, his meridians would suffer from the cold, and he would become erratic and temperamental, dangerous for anyone to approach.

If someone got too close, he would be driven by bloodlust and only stop after a violent killing spree.

The full moon refers to the sixteenth day of each month.

Every sixteenth, he would relapse—once a month, twelve times a year.

The night Zanying encountered him at the Xishan palace was exactly the sixteenth.

Zanying did not know how to process this information when she heard it.

She had thought that her little uncle had simply been feeling unwell that day, which explained why he was wrapped in furs and sitting by a fire during the summer.

After all, he seemed perfectly fine the next day, no different from anyone else.

How could it be that he suffered these attacks every month?

Cold affliction.

Bloodlust.

Violent killing.

“It’s not true.” She wasn’t sure who she was arguing with; she only knew that the wolf at her feet whimpered softly, its neck fur pinched painfully in her hand. “My little uncle isn’t bloodthirsty or violent. He isn’t cruel at all. The rumors aren’t true.”

She could vouch for that.

Manager Du sighed lightly.

It seemed that only this young lady would think that the Grand Marshal was “not cruel at all.”

However, there was one point he agreed with—he, too, did not believe such outlandish rumors.

Zanying immediately asked, “Can it be cured?”

Her voice no longer carried its usual calm, replaced by an unsettling anxiety without direction or support.

But this was not a question that Manager Du could answer.

The moon had risen to the center of the sky, and the room was lit by candles.

Zanying lay on her bed, fully clothed, her arms raised, holding a map above her eyes as she stared at the red circle marked on it.

Her little uncle had done so much for her.

The polo stick he had given her was still hanging on the wall, yet she had never known the pain he endured from his chronic illness.

Was this how a niece should act?

Frustrated, Zanying knocked herself on the head, and the sheepskin map slipped from her hands and fell onto her face.

She rolled over, propped herself up on her elbows, and began tracing distracted patterns on the soft silk bedding with her fingers.

After a long time, she realized she had written the character for “covet.”

It was the word he had told her the first time they met: “Covet, as in desire.”

“Covet” also had sixteen strokes.

“Sixteen…”

“Call me.” A voice, cool as the moonlight, broke the silence of the night.

On the screen lit by the candlelight, a tall, imposing silhouette appeared.

Zanying’s heart skipped a beat, thinking she had misheard.

She hurriedly slipped on her delicate shoes and got down from the bed.

As she lifted her gaze, she saw a shadow darker than ink cast on the lotus-patterned screen—tall, imposing, with the hem of his long sleeves still faintly swaying.

“L-little Uncle?”

Zanying stood there awkwardly in her embroidered shoes, not knowing where he had suddenly appeared from.

Her mind was filled with the words she had just uttered, and he must have heard them.

She still remembered when he visited Lord Gu, introducing himself as sixteen years old, though his real age might still be a mystery.

Zanying blushed from her ears down to her neck.

“I—I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

“It’s fine. I allow you to be informal.”

His voice was low and gentle, calming the overly polite young lady.

From behind the screen, he said, “I heard the Crown Prince came by yesterday. I was worried, so I came to check on you. You should rest; I’ll leave now.”

“Little Uncle,” Zanying called out hurriedly. She shuffled forward a couple of steps, looking down at herself.

Thankfully, her hairpins and jewelry were still intact, and her robes were tidy.

She softly said, “I can’t sleep.”

It was a subtle plea for him to stay.

Earlier that day, she had heard about his injuries from Manager Du.

Her mind was clouded with doubts and concerns.

Now that they had unexpectedly met, she wanted to see him and exchange a few words.

However, Wei Yu replied, “It’s late. It’s not appropriate.”

Zanying was puzzled by his sudden adherence to propriety.

She muttered, “Little Uncle, you came to visit me in the middle of the night. This is no longer the palace’s restricted grounds, and I am no longer anyone important. I can meet whoever I want, so how is it inappropriate?”

Wei Yu’s sharp hearing caught her grumbling, and he immediately said, “I’m leaving.”

The shadow on the screen vanished right away.

Tears welled up in Zanying’s large, sparkling eyes.

Frustrated with her loose tongue, she called out “Little Uncle” and hurriedly chased after him.

Rounding the screen, she saw Wei Yu standing just inside the shadowy threshold, his tall figure relaxed.

He looked down at her, blinking slowly.

Zanying’s lips, which had been pressed in anxious anticipation, instantly curved into a joyful smile.

Then, realizing what had happened, she tried to restrain her expression. “I’m not a child anymore.”

“Are you upset?”

Wei Yu, hands behind his back, tilted his head slightly, pretending to study her face.

Zanying quickly hid her happiness and calmly replied, “No.”

She gestured for him to come inside.

Seeing Chun Jin’s surprised and fearful expression at the door, Zanying knew that her Little Uncle hadn’t entered through the main entrance; otherwise, Manager Du would have already been here to greet him.

Not wanting to alarm anyone, she instructed Chun Jin to bring a small table and tea set.

Then, Zanying herself set up two cushions on the spacious floor, guiding Wei Yu to sit on the inside while she took a seat opposite him, her back to the door.

As the tea was served, she glanced up, inadvertently meeting his gaze—those lips, thin as a razor, almost startling. She quickly turned away and said, “Close the door.”

Chun Jin obediently shut the door and, through the paper window, watched the flickering candlelight inside.

Only then did she sense something was amiss.

Moments earlier, a dark figure had descended like a hawk hunting prey from the tall trees growing against the wall.

She had nearly screamed, only to realize it was the Grand Marshal.

Before she could speak, the Grand Marshal’s cold gaze swept over her, making her knees weak and her voice die in her throat.

But at this moment, the young lady ordered the maid to close the door.

On such a sweltering summer night, what could require shutting the door?

It wasn’t just Chun Jin who was puzzled. Inside the room, Wei Yu lowered his lashes, watching as the young lady across from him offered him a freshly brewed cup of tea.

A bead of sweat gleamed on the tip of her nose, and he asked her, “Aren’t you hot?”

At the same time, Zanying asked, “Is Uncle cold?”

Wei Yu glanced at her expression and understood, curling his lips slightly, “I’m hot.”

Zanying immediately had Chun Jin open the door again.

Wei Yu exhaled lightly and tapped his knuckles on the table to stop the child from running about aimlessly. “If you heard something from Manager Du, don’t take it to heart. Your little uncle is fine.”

Zanying quieted down.

After a moment, she hesitantly asked, “Does it hurt?”

Her voice was so soft, as if speaking any louder might aggravate the injuries inside him.

She knew nothing, but her concern was genuine. Wei Yu’s furrowed brow eased as he shook his head.

He had come today just to see her. Though he had decided to let her explore the world on her own, and though he trusted Manager Du to be reliable, he had been displeased to hear that the Crown Prince’s lackey was still pestering her.

He hadn’t come yesterday, as he had gone to visit the Gu family in Jiangcheng.

Tonight, unable to sleep, he had decided to come down the mountain to check on her.

It was supposed to be a quick visit, but he ended up staying longer than intended.

And now, he had been treated like a delicate porcelain doll.

Since she was keen on keeping him as a guest, Wei Yu stood up and said, “Let’s change seats.”

He had Zanying sit further inside.

As they brushed past each other, he bent down to pick up something, knelt with a flick of his sleeve, and casually spread it out on the table.

“Why did you draw my Jingkou?”

It turned out that the map Zanying had been studying all night had fallen to the floor when she rolled over, but she hadn’t noticed.

Wei Yu’s movements and tone were casual, but to Zanying, his sharp, penetrating demeanor exuded a subtle pressure.

The frustration she had felt all evening dissipated at his question.

She thought to herself, My little uncle isn’t a monster; surely he can’t deduce my past-life memories just from a circle on a map.

Still, she felt guilty and tried to change the subject. “Little Uncle, how did you enter the residence? I didn’t hear any announcement.”

Wei Yu glanced at her, amused. “Tomorrow, have someone raise the outer wall by a foot.”

Zanying let out a soft “Ah,” her eyes darting around as she remembered something.

Leaning forward slightly, her voice became more animated. “Little Uncle, I’ve figured out how to deal with the Wang family.”

She then eagerly explained her plan.