Although she spoke casually, Shi Buyu was extremely cautious in her actions.

First, she sent a letter to her big elder brother. Wan Xia brought back his reply along with a familiar pill sealed with beeswax.

Shi Buyu braced herself for a scolding before opening the letter. To her surprise, her big elder brother didn’t scold her at all. The letter contained only one sentence: “Your talent already shows, and your courage is strong. May the country be blessed with prosperity.”

Excited, Shi Buyu ran to Yan Shian’s study and slapped the letter onto the desk. “Look!”

Yan Shian gestured for Luo Qing to wait, then looked at the letter along with Shi Buyu but noticed it was just a short line—and clearly addressed to him.

He looked up. “This is…?”

“It’s a reply from my big elder brother!” Shi Buyu’s eyes sparkled. “Not only did he not stop us, he actually praised you! Yan Shian, do you know when my big elder brother last complimented me? It was when I was seven years old!”

A smile appeared in Yan Shian’s eyes. “Very rare?”

“You should ask my seventh elder brother how rare it is. Not getting scolded means you did pretty well!” Shi Buyu was so thrilled, it was as if the praise was for herself. After all, Yan Shian was now under her protection. What did it matter if her big elder brother praised him? Praising him was like praising her! Shi Buyu felt she could shout out loud next time she saw big elder brother.

The words danced on her tongue for a moment before Yan Shian asked, “You’re this happy for me?”

“Of course! You’re mine now, so praising you is like praising me!”

‘Mine.’ Yan Shian savored the two words in his mind, and every line on his face softened as he nodded in agreement, “Hmm, praising you or praising me is the same.”

“That’s how it should be.” Having shared the good news, Shi Buyu didn’t interrupt their continued conversation. Grabbing the letter, she ran off again, deciding to send another letter to big elder brother and add a few touches. Since she was already praised, wouldn’t it be good to give him a little something too?

Yan Shian watched as she brought light and warmth to the room, then saw her leave with it. The room fell into silence, the light dimmer.

“Light the lamps.”

Glancing at the still very bright sky outside, Luo Qing and Yan Ze exchanged looks and lit the lamps.

“Keep the news tightly sealed. Not a word must reach mother, to prevent her from making rash plans that could ruin ours.”

“Yes.”

They had already advised what they could, but the master wouldn’t listen, so they could only do their best to be thorough.

In the following days, Shi Buyu didn’t go out. She dissected and analyzed this matter piece by piece, considering every possible scenario she could think of. She even forced herself to imagine from the emperor’s perspective, to see if there were any flaws in her plan. Even the tiniest gap she would fill, not daring to slack off.

Yan Shian continued as usual, either studying at home or appearing at the Floating Life Pavilion. In a short span of time, the emperor came again, and at the same time, twelve corpses were thrown into the palace.

Shi Buyu was startled by the number. That night, she went to see for herself and found that the bodies were far more damaged than before.

“Eleven of them I’ve seen before, only one is unfamiliar,” He Yisheng’s voice trembled, “The youngest one.”

The youngest was a boy no more than eleven or twelve years old.

Shi Buyu felt breathless and leaned on her knees to steady herself.

Yan Shian instinctively wanted to help her up but saw Auntie holding her close and withdrew. He too felt deeply distressed.

After a while, Shi Buyu stood. “It’s cold now; the bodies won’t rot quickly. Have your men guard this place well. Don’t let wild dogs get near. Arrange for portraits to be made, carefully, with multiple copies. Especially of the youngest one—try to restore his appearance as clearly as possible. See if there are any distinct features. Also, check if any families in the capital or nearby have recently lost a child that age.”

Shi Buyu looked at the pit, her voice cold: “Let’s see if even heaven wants to punish him for all his sins.”

That night, no one could sleep. The next day, Shi Buyu was weary and wanted to lean on someone. She had Auntie send a letter out.

That evening, the capital was as bustling and noisy as ever.

Shi Buyu was dressed like a noble son of a wealthy family, and Wan Xia disguised herself as a guard. They first took a small boat, then boarded a large ship. Someone was already waiting, guiding them into one of the ship’s cabins.

One side of the room was magnificent and grand, the other arranged like a small study. Bookshelves were filled with volumes, and the desk was fully equipped. Though different styles, the combination strangely didn’t feel out of place.

A man lay comfortably in a reclining chair, leisurely flipping through a book. Hearing the movement, he didn’t look up.

He was slender, with graying temples, a dignified face with three long strands of beard, and a clear furrowed brow.

Shi Buyu walked over, sat down on the floor, hugging his calf and leaning against his thigh without moving.

After a while, the man put down his book, gently patted her head, and looked down at her.

“Big elder brother.”

“Hmm.”

“Can we let him be a dethroned king?”

“Yes.”

Shi Buyu looked up. “I’m serious!”

“I’m serious too.”

Big elder brother picked up a maltose candy from the plate and brought it to her mouth. It was awkward since he hadn’t done this in years. When she bit into it, he continued, “But because of Ji An, he cannot be.”

Shi Buyu suddenly had a sudden inspiration, hurriedly chewed and swallowed the candy, shifted her hips closer to big elder brother’s leg and faced him. “Brother, you all knew about him long ago, didn’t you? You’ve been preparing for this situation for a while, right? White beard has connections with him, right?”

“Yes.”

The answer was too straightforward and made Shi Buyu freeze for a moment. But why?

“Shi Er, do you think he’s worth helping?”

Shi Buyu met big elder brother’s gaze.

“You’ve known him for five months now. Do you think he deserves you to plan and risk everything for him?”

Is he worth it? Shi Buyu nodded without hesitation: “Yes.”

Such a good person, who knew she valued trust, and even though not used to it and never trusted anyone, he learned to trust her. He never questioned anything she said and cooperated with whatever she asked. He gave her birthday gifts, worried she wouldn’t be happy after others left, and stayed by her side. He dared to take risks because he trusted her…

How could such a person not be worth it?

“That’s the answer.” Big elder brother smiled faintly. “We too have such a person worth risking everything for.”

Shi Buyu was silent for a moment, then hugged his leg again and stayed still.

She understood.

“When big elder brother first learned of the disgusting things he did, what did you think inside?”

Big elder brother gently patted her head. “If I don’t think of him as human, I feel better inside.”

Shi Buyu thought for a moment and shook her head. She couldn’t do that. She just wanted to throw that person into boiling oil.