At this critical moment, Sui Tan had no time to hide her abilities anymore. Her fair fingertips shimmered with golden light, as if sparks of fireworks were dancing upon them.  

Without hesitation, she threw herself into Lin Qi’s arms while twisting their positions midair—tucking herself protectively against his chest and flipping them so that she was curled above him.

Even with the reflexes of a shadow guard, Lin Qi couldn’t react in time. By the time he sensed something was wrong, the two had already crashed heavily to the ground in that entangled position.  

Forced to act as a cushion, Lin Qi coughed violently from the impact. Sui Tan lay on his chest for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass before quickly sitting up. After surveying their surroundings, she grimaced and promptly ducked back against him.  

“As expected of you.”  

The bright moonlight spilled down, illuminating the small space around them and revealing their dire predicament.  

They had accidentally fallen into a hunting trap, likely designed for large prey.  

The narrow, square pit was densely lined with sharp spears of varying sizes. Dried, dark-red blood clung to the spear tips, and the walls bore countless scratches and bite marks from desperate animals—silent testaments to how hopelessly inescapable this abyss was.  

Yet, despite being a death trap where even the slightest misstep could turn one into a pincushion, Lin Qi—who had fallen in completely unprepared—had somehow emerged unscathed.  

His arms were spread wide, his body splayed out, and beneath him, either the hidden mechanisms had failed or the spears had missed their mark. Aside from the bitter taste of blood in his throat from acting as a buffer, he hadn’t suffered a single injury.  

Lin Qi finally regained his senses. After a quick glance around, he coughed lightly and offered a rather unconvincing explanation:  

“I’ve… always been quite lucky since childhood. I don’t get hurt easily.”  

And don’t die easily either, she silently added in her mind.  

The sudden mishap had disrupted their pursuit, and catching the culprit was now out of the question.  

Unwilling to move for fear of injury, Sui Tan had Lin Qi continue lying on the ground while she sprawled on top of him, deep in thought.  

The night had been a relentless series of dangers, with every person and event unfolding unpredictably. Suddenly, as if struck by a realization, she lifted her head, her delicate brows furrowing.  

“Lin Qi, you’ve been to the royal hunting grounds many times. Did you know these traps existed?”  

Still flushed beneath her, dutifully playing the role of a cushion, Lin Qi thought carefully before shaking his head decisively.  

Sui Tan fell into contemplation. “I was thinking—that person’s martial skills were no weaker than yours, and they clearly had the ability to escape. So why lead us here and then maneuver us into falling into this trap?”  

Lin Qi stiffened. The vague sense of unease that had haunted him all night finally solidified into tangible suspicion.  

They locked eyes—one looking up, the other down—and the same realization flashed through their minds like a thunderclap in the night, prompting them to exclaim in unison:  

“It was a diversion!”  

“Oh no,” Sui Tan scrambled up, no longer caring about potential injuries. “Quick, quick—we need to get out of here.”  

Lin Qi, equally aware of the urgency, immediately moved to comply.  

But the moment he steadied himself, before he could even speak, Sui Tan had already leaped onto him with lightning speed, clinging tightly to his neck as she frantically adjusted her position and urged, “Hurry, hurry!”  

“Y-Young Miss…!”  

No matter how pressing the situation, Lin Qi now didn’t dare move a muscle.  

The two were locked in a far more intimate posture than ever before. The thin layer of her dress did little to conceal anything—Sui Tan was practically wrapped around him, guiding his hands to her waist and thighs for support.  

Everywhere he called, warm palms touched burned hotter than the fiercest summer day, scorching him to the core.  

Lin Qi was so flustered he could barely speak, his words stumbling once again.  

“Young Miss, th-this is… i-it’s improper. Your reputation—”  

“No one will find out. As long as I’m with you, and as long as you keep thinking that you don’t want us to be discovered, no one ever will.”  

Her logic was full of holes, but it was clear Lin Qi had lost all capacity for rational thought.  

Seeing that this wasn’t working, Sui Tan’s almond eyes glinted mischievously. She adjusted her position slightly, leaning closer to his ear before whispering, her breath warm and teasing:  

“Lin Qi, if you don’t move now… I’ll kiss you.”  

A blush spread across his cheeks at an impossible speed, flooding all the way to the tips of his ears.

Lin Qi shook his head, took a deep breath, and shot Sui Tan a reproachful glare. If not for the inexplicable flush creeping all the way down his neck, she might have actually believed the rumors that he was utterly unaffected.  

“Young Miss, this subordinate has overstepped.”  

Knowing there was no escape, Lin Qi stopped resisting. He tightened his hold on Sui Tan and, with a single leap, vaulted out of the trap before breaking into a sprint.  

The wind howled past them. Under the cover of night, the direction of the camp flickered with scattered torches, as if some unimaginable storm was brewing.  

Even after considering countless possible schemes, Sui Tan never expected the situation would escalate to the point of alarming the Emperor himself.  

The two of them rushed back in a frenzy, only to be met with their first thunderbolt of news: for some reason, the Emperor had decided to personally oversee an overnight trial for the case of the murdered commoner girl.  

The main hall of the hunting grounds, where His Majesty resided, was brightly lit and packed with people.  

Leaving the imperial guards at the entrance for Lin Qi to handle, Sui Tan slipped in through a side passage, squeezing her way into the crowd.  

The murder case was still under investigation. The eunuch who had discovered the body had been dismissed, and Imperial Physician Hu—who had examined the corpse—now stood in the center of the hall, awaiting the Emperor’s questions.  

“Well?” Lin Qi, having caught up, leaned in and whispered.  

Sui Tan gave a slight shake of her head, her gaze still fixed intently on the center of the hall.  

There, Imperial Physician Hu stood with lowered eyes, the picture of deference. Had she not personally witnessed his true state not long ago, even she might have been fooled.  

“Physician Hu is under puppet control again.”  

The surrounding nobles bustled about, chattering idly as if this were none of their concern. Amidst the clamor, Sui Tan felt nothing but a bone-deep chill.  

Manipulation techniques required time and proximity. Given the night’s chaotic events, only someone already stationed in the camp would have had the opportunity to perform a second control.  

“Lin Qi,” she murmured, “the person who will stop at nothing to frame Eldest Sister is right here in this crowd.”  

Lin Qi stiffened. After a moment, he lifted his head, his expression complicated as he scanned the surroundings.  

The spring hunt was a major event, attended by ministers and nobles alike. At this moment, the main hall was practically filled with the very pillars upholding the Great Liang’s imperial court.  

And the culprit was hidden among them—either disguised as one of them or, worse, *actually* one of them.  

Had they not returned in time, the testimony of the manipulated Physician Hu would have become the most damning evidence against the Qin family’s eldest daughter.  

“Don’t be afraid,” Lin Qi said softly, sensing Sui Tan’s lingering dread. He stepped forward slightly, positioning himself more firmly behind her.  

“I’ll protect you.”  

His warm chest pressed forward, closing the distance toward the trembling girl who now realized she was surrounded by enemies—yet still maintaining a respectful gap, careful not to overstep.  

The silent support warmed Sui Tan’s heart.  

She shot him a grateful glance, then subtly leaned back, quietly shrinking the space between them.  

“Physician Hu,” the aging Emperor coughed before speaking, “state your findings.”  

Under the puppet technique’s control, Physician Hu bowed and recited, word for word, the same conclusion he had given her earlier.  

“Your Majesty, the commoner girl died from being thrown headfirst to the ground. In this humble servant’s opinion, the Qin family’s eldest daughter—”  

Now.

A glint of golden light flickered at Sui Tan’s fingertips.  

The next moment, Physician Hu—who had been droning mechanically—suddenly shuddered violently. Clarity flashed in his eyes, and his tone abruptly shifted, becoming inexplicably impassioned:  

“—could never be the murderer!”  

The Emperor nodded knowingly, as if this was the answer he had been waiting for. Without another word, he waved his hand, signaling the end of the night’s trial.  

The much-anticipated overnight interrogation had concluded just like that. Though His Majesty left no further instructions, those embroiled in the affair each harbored their own speculations and schemes.  

So when, the next morning, the Shanglin Park officials tactfully suggested that “given the current turbulent circumstances, the young ladies of the Duke Qin’s household should return home and await further developments,” Sui Tan wasn’t surprised.  

After Eldest Sister had been taken away by the Dali Temple, now she and her half-sister were being expelled from the hunting grounds—politely “escorted” home.  

The Duke Qin’s estate had sent three young ladies to the spring hunt. One was embroiled in a murder case, and the other two were being “sent back.” It was easy to imagine the fury of the Duke—who had remained at home due to illness—upon learning the full sequence of events.

There was no need for the concubine’s honeyed words to explain—the entire household, masters and servants alike, knelt trembling on the ground as Duke Qin’s fury erupted in full display.  

Sui Tan knelt at the very front to receive his reprimands. As a shadow guard of the imperial family, Lin Qi couldn’t involve himself in the Duke’s domestic affairs, so he stood alone beneath a tree outside, waiting for her.  

The willful Second Young Miss Qin kept her head bowed, feigning meek obedience, but her little face was a riot of expressions.  

One moment, it was stubborn defiance; the next, she rolled her eyes at the Duke’s ranting about “a son’s duty to his father, a wife’s submission to her husband.” Occasionally, when the Duke wasn’t looking, she even turned to stick her tongue out at Lin Qi, pulling a face.  

Lin Qi watched quietly, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.  

Duke Qin’s tirade continued, and Sui Tan remained the picture of a troublemaker who cowered under authority—her servants knelt in chaos, the scene lively with clamor.  

Even though the lingering fear from last night’s dangers was still fresh, by morning, it was as if nothing had happened. She was full of life, vibrant to the point of intimidation.  

Lin Qi couldn’t remember the last time he had seen someone so vividly colorful—like the boldest stroke of crimson in a world of dull grays, a single brushstroke enough to unsettle his heart.  

“My Lord! My Lord!”  

Lin Qi, lost in his observations of Sui Tan, suddenly snapped to attention at the urgent cries.  

A gatekeeper rushed in, breathless, and hurried to Duke Qin’s side.  

“My Lord, Young Master Sun—he requests an audience!”  

The enraged Duke’s eyes bulged. “Who?!”  

The servant wiped his sweat. “Th-The former fiancé of the Eldest Young Lady!”  

Though Sui Tan had privately criticized this ex-brother-in-law-to-be for dragging her sister through scandal, this was her first time seeing him in person.  

Admittedly, Young Master Sun was handsome. Had she not known of his fickleness, she might have even called him dignified.  

“Young Miss.”  

Seeing Sui Tan practically leaning out from behind the screen to gawk, Lin Qi couldn’t help but call out—though he wasn’t sure what he was trying to remind her of. His words came out inexplicably sour.  

“It’s improper for you to stare at another man like this.”  

“Lin Qi,” Sui Tan ignored him, still clinging to the screen while waving for him to come closer and look too.  

Lin Qi hesitated but reluctantly shuffled over.  

“Young Miss.”  

“Lin Qi.”  

Her jade-like arms looped around his neck, pulling him down to her level before she whispered:  

“Do you smell something strange?”  

Lin Qi glanced first at her hands on him, then answered—though his voice rose slightly at the end.  

“Yes. A perfumed scent.”  

Sui Tan wrinkled her nose. “It’s awful. Who would wear this as a sachet…? And it’s so familiar—where have I smelled it before? Ah, I know!”  

She suddenly straightened, smacking her fist into her palm as if struck by revelation, her face alight with realization.  

The warmth of her touch still lingered on his neck. Lin Qi could barely suppress the waves of regret surging in his chest, forcing himself to feign indifference as he asked,  

“What is it?”  

Sui Tan looked up, stars dancing in her eyes. “Lin Qi, I know how the commoner girl’s murder happened!”