On the way back to her room, Shi Buyu’s feet seemed to have a mind of their own. She slipped into the book tower and secretly took two storybooks back with her—but she didn’t rush to open them.

First, she went to the study and wrote down all the information she had gathered today. Then she dissected and combined the details in her own way, thinking it over for a moment before picking up her brush again to add all the resources she could use. Staring at the sheet of paper filled with writing, she fell into deep thought.

Yan Shian was definitely still hiding something, but the things he hid were his trump cards—not something he would easily use, and certainly not on an external matter like a prisoner rescue.

Shi Buyu carefully reconsidered everything from start to finish. That’s right—leading the pursuers in the wrong direction wasn’t arranged by her, nor by Yan Shian; it was simply because the two sides had no communication before and each thought the other was responsible.

At that time, an outsider had lent a hand. Who could it be?

Counting on her fingers: The Seventh Brother’s actions were arranged by her, so he was out of suspicion.

Although the Eldest Brother was in the capital, she wouldn’t be going to him anytime soon. She was 70% confident she could complete the prisoner rescue deal with Yan Shian; only if that deal failed would she ask Eldest Brother for help. By the time he found out about her prisoner rescue plan, it would be too late to make arrangements—so it probably wasn’t him either.

Then was it Fifth Brother? Though not in the capital, he knew her plan and might worry she would fail, so sending someone to help her patch up any gaps wasn’t impossible.

If she had known earlier, she would have had Auntie go over and ask directly to confirm if the person who intervened was friend or foe—only then could she rest easy.

After pondering a while, she stood up and walked out.

Over there, Yan Shian had learned that Miss Shi had gone to the book tower. Her bag was bulging when she left, as if she had completely forgotten she had just promised not to bring any storybooks back to her room. Once out of sight, she hadn’t intended to obey at all.

“Go collect all the storybooks.”

Yan Ze replied, but after a moment reminded his master: “Miss is in high spirits right now. If you take the books away, she might get angry.”

“If Auntie comes back and she’s still so low-spirited as today, she’ll be annoyed I bought those storybooks for her.” Yan Shian dipped his brush in ink, “Collect them first.”

Luo Bo urged him with his eyes: “That Auntie Wan is no ordinary servant. She doesn’t care if you treat her well or not, but if Miss is hurt, she probably wouldn’t want to stay.”

Yan Ze recalled the day he brought some meat bones over and had even gotten a smile from Auntie Wan. Feeling Luo Bo was right, he quickly turned around to gather the storybooks.

Luo Bo held up his sleeve and prepared ink for his master: “Since Miss knows so many secrets of yours, did she reveal anything about the person behind her?”

“She mentioned a white-bearded man who must be the one who took her away from the Zhongyong Marquis’s mansion. When she first met me, the first thing she noticed was his white beard, so she gave him that name.” Yan Shian paused writing: “White Beard is knowledgeable about astronomy and geography, and skilled in military strategy. She has eleven brothers, each with different expertise, and she combines the strengths of them all. When she first came here, she said an old friend had come to visit. I thought for a long time, but couldn’t figure out which old friend would be so capable. Do you know anyone like that?”

Luo Bo thought for a while, then shook his head: “If he’s really that formidable, he shouldn’t be unknown.”

“Right, he shouldn’t be—but I believe such a person exists. Otherwise, where would Shi Buyu’s skills come from?” Yan Shian shook his head. “She won’t talk about it, so I won’t pry. If one day she brings that person to me, then I’ll know.”

“Understood.”

Just then, a greeting came from outside: “Miss Shi.”

The person who had just left soon came back to find him. Yan Shian quickly put down his brush and went to the door: “Why have you come back? What’s the matter?”

“Discovered something. Can I come into the study?”

“Of course.” Yan Shian led them inside.

Shi Buyu sat down on the cushion in front of the desk. Luo Bo pushed a small table over, and she didn’t hesitate to lean on it and told him about the matter.

Yan Shian frowned slightly: “You mean that day, besides us, there was another group there?”

“Mm. For now, it seems they helped us, but unless we know who they are, we have to stay on guard until they show themselves and we can confirm if they’re friend or foe.”

“Got it. I’ll investigate this carefully. Do you have any suspects?”

“Yes. If it’s them, then no worries. Once Auntie returns, I’ll confirm it. I promised her I wouldn’t go out before she came back.”

Yan Shian took a sip of tea, seeing that Miss Shi wasn’t someone who ignored all advice—she was quite obedient when Auntie was around.

After finishing the talk, Shi Buyu didn’t stay longer. But when she reached the door, she paused and turned back: “Cousin, I want to give you a suggestion.”

A smile appeared in Yan Shian’s eyes: “Please go ahead, cousin.”

“Your mansion is too deliberate in every detail—whether decoration or arrangement. If there’s something on the left, there has to be the same on the right. The railing on the north side has a carved flower, so the south side must have the same flower in perfect symmetry—even the petals and stamens are identical. Even the trees in the courtyard are planted in pairs. You’ve used every inch of the house to the fullest; everything looks perfect at a glance—just like you.”

Shi Buyu tilted her head, leaning against the doorframe: “But don’t you think something’s missing?”

Yan Shian never realized there were so many problems in his mansion. Thinking it over, he couldn’t figure it out, so he asked: “What’s missing?”

“The life and spirit.” Shi Buyu said, “Every flower and tree has its own shape, but you cage them. If a branch grows out a bit, you prune it. The north railing is carved with orchids, but the south railing carved with floating clouds wouldn’t be a crime. The stones on the garden path don’t have to be uniform in size, and the spacing doesn’t need to be measured exactly with a grass rope. Each flower has its own beauty; they don’t have to be arranged by color, nor do the buds have to grow the same size—cutting off the smaller ones is unfair. They try so hard to grow, but they can only reach that size. It’s not their fault, and you can’t force them all to grow according to your demands. It’s not that they don’t want to—it’s that they can’t.”

Yan Shian listened in a daze. Was she talking about the mansion? But to him, it sounded like she was describing him.

Caged and pruned again and again, if he ever deviated even a little, he would be stopped and told, in the harshest way, that he was wrong and had to get back on the right path. Years of shaping, polishing him into what she wanted.

“Can you help him break out of this cage?”

Luo Bo’s expression changed, and he whispered a warning: “Master!”

Yan Shian came back to himself. The face of the person standing against the light showed some doubt. He smiled unconsciously and covered up the comment: “I want you to help me change this mansion, is that okay? You can see its problems; I worry others will notice them too.”

Shi Buyu didn’t pay attention to what she hadn’t heard clearly earlier—after all, they were allies. If others saw through him, it wouldn’t be good, so she agreed. It would only cost her a little effort, not much time.

“I’ll walk around and when I’ve thought it through, I’ll draw you a plan.”

“Good.”

After Shi Buyu left, sunlight once again poured onto the spot where she had stood. Yet Yan Shian vaguely felt she was still there.

“Master, you can’t think like that.” Luo Bo sat on the cushion opposite him, worried. “You’ve come this far with such difficulty. If you lose heart now, all these years of hard work will be wasted.”

“You don’t have to worry. I never had a choice. I can only walk this path.” Yan Shian paused. “You may leave now.”

He picked up his brush again, but forgot what he intended to write.