Since that day, Shi Buyu had been spending more and more time in the study, with several new sheets of xuan paper now hanging on the wall.

He Yisheng knelt quietly to the side. If Shi Buyu didn’t call him, he could sit there the whole time. His temperament, which had started to recover somewhat, had suddenly regressed overnight.

“Among those people—was there anyone who helped you escape?”

He Yisheng blinked and came back to his senses.

Shi Buyu turned to face him, moved the seat aside, and sat cross-legged on the floor.

“The palace isn’t easy to get into—and even harder to get out of. Especially in your case, you were definitely under close watch. It’s not like you could just fake your death and leave. But since you didn’t want to talk about it, I didn’t press you.”

He Yisheng lowered his head.

Shi Buyu gave him a little smack on the head, hard enough to knock it askew. “Relax. I’m not forcing you now. Just don’t force yourself.”

“It wasn’t her. If she had died, she wouldn’t have left in that way.”

Now that he’d opened his mouth, the rest of the story flowed more easily: “She said she studied medicine with her father from a young age. She was exceptionally gifted and particularly loved researching ancient prescriptions, adapting them for modern use with remarkable results. Her father said she could become a legendary physician. When she was fifteen, her father passed away, and she took over his medical clinic, relying on her younger sister for support. She looked ordinary, but her sister was exceptionally beautiful. Fearing trouble, their father had stained her sister’s face yellow from a young age and never allowed her to treat patients like the elder sister did. She was only allowed to stay in the back, preparing and boiling medicine.”

“After their father passed, she feared she couldn’t protect her sister, so she scoured old medical texts and developed a new formula. She used up all the family’s wealth just to make three pills. She tested one on herself—her sister said her breath and pulse became almost undetectable. The effect lasted two hours. She and her sister planned that if something happened, they would each take one, injure themselves in non-lethal ways to appear dead, and if the danger hadn’t passed after waking, they’d take another. Two pills gave them four hours—enough to survive any crisis.”

“But fate had other plans. Everything had been carefully arranged—except for young love. Her sister revealed her face in front of someone she liked, and that person spread word of her beauty. Not long after, the sisters were kidnapped. She was thrown into the palace to work as a laundry maid—and never saw her sister again. I met her because of… an old eunuch.”

At this point, He Yisheng paused. Shi Buyu didn’t press him.

“She was delivering clothes when I was leaving. She looked at me several times—I thought she looked down on me. But later she chased after me and struck up a conversation. After that, I’d run into her almost every time I went out. Maybe I was too guarded—so she told me I looked like her sister, and then she told me this story. I wanted her pills, and she wanted to know whether her sister was in that palace hall—because I was the only person who could go in and out of there and still walk around freely. She’d waited a long time for someone like me.”

When he stopped, Shi Buyu finally asked, “Did you tell her the truth?”

“Of course. Why would I hide it?” He Yisheng gave a cold chuckle, but there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his face. “It’s been more than four years. Who knows how many people have come and gone. There’s no way her sister’s still alive.”

“She gave you the pills? And you actually took them?”

“She gave me both. I used the first one the night I left the palace, and the second one when I was sent to the mass grave. Either way, I was going to die—might as well take a chance.”

Shi Buyu looked surprised. “I thought she’d only give you one at most.”

“She probably never intended to survive that place.” He Yisheng mimicked Shi Buyu and sat cross-legged on the floor. “A woman who was dragged into the palace under such circumstances, yet in just four years managed to rise to the position of Shanggong (high-ranking palace lady) in the laundry department. That top eunuch even smiles when he sees her. She always managed to appear when I went out. She’s exceptionally intelligent and shrewd. Before, she lived to find her sister. Now that she knows her sister is most likely dead, she’s surely thinking of revenge.”

“Even if it’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?”

“Even if it’s like a mantis trying to stop a chariot,” He Yisheng said. “She said her mother died early, her sister was three years younger, and she basically raised her. Her sister was sweet and obedient. Even if she wanted to go out and have fun, if her sister didn’t agree, she wouldn’t go. After their father died, they were each other’s whole world. Now that half her world is gone, her own life doesn’t matter anymore.”

Shi Buyu looked at him again and again, and finally said, “I have a little… idea.”

He Yisheng looked up. This time, a faint smile touched his lips. “Want to team up with her?”

“Yisheng is so clever.” Shi Buyu gave full praise, then added, “We have the same goal. If we work together, it won’t be like a mantis against a chariot anymore.”

“She’d probably be willing. But unless you have someone who can get into the palace, she’s never getting out.”

Someone to get into the palace… that could be arranged.

Shi Buyu stroked his smooth chin as a wicked idea began to bubble up inside him. He shuffled back toward the desk and hesitated between drawing a diagram and writing a letter. Though he really wanted to draw, he decided to write—this was too complicated, and she wouldn’t understand the diagram anyway.

Suddenly, he turned back. “Give me a token—otherwise, she won’t believe it.”

He Yisheng thought for a moment, then stood. “I’ll step out for a bit.”

Shi Buyu didn’t ask further and began writing quickly.

Wanxia had been eavesdropping outside the entire time. When she came in, she laughed. “Miss, you really are born lucky. Just when you’re dozing off, someone brings you a pillow.”

“I think so too,” Shi Buyu grinned. “Whatever I need just shows up.” The palace had been entirely out of her reach—if there really was someone inside who could act as a contact, that would give her wings.

Wanxia glanced at the heading of the letter and smiled even more. Her young lady was naturally rebellious—if you disliked her, she’d provoke you; if you said she was wrong, she’d insist on doing it. And if you tried to punish her—she’d beat you to it.

But if you treated her well, she’d become soft as dough.

She ruffled Shi Buyu’s hair and decided to fry some little fish for her hardworking girl.

He Yisheng returned after a while and handed her a small gourd.

Shi Buyu examined it: one side had the character “Yi” (宜), and the other had a drawing of a medicine furnace with the character “Ying” (應) above it.

“She knows my name. Her surname is Ying, given name Dongqing. In the palace, she goes by Sujuan, Shanggong of the laundry department.”

Shi Buyu nodded, placed the gourd in a small box, and called out, “Qingshan, get Yan Ze here.”

Yan Ze seemed to be nearby, as he arrived quickly.

“Deliver these two things personally to Madam. They concern the palace and are extremely important.”

Yan Ze had thought that the drama between the young lady and Madam was about to heat up again—but when he heard it involved the palace, all other thoughts vanished, and he immediately went to deliver the items himself.