After saying all that needed to be said, Shi Buyu returned to her own courtyard.

She washed up, changed clothes, and carefully considered whether there were any overlooked aspects in this scheme.

As time passed, news from outside gradually filtered in. She unraveled the tangled threads and, based on the development of the situation, slowly released the information she held.

Luo Qing handled matters in the outer study, working in tandem with Miss Shi to carry out various arrangements.

When Yan Shian came in, Shi Buyu initially thought it was A’Gu and didn’t even look up. “Tell my brother to withdraw all his men. The ones on Yan Shian’s side will be enough.”

Wanxia responded from outside.

Shi Buyu sensed something was off and looked up. Seeing Yan Shian, she smiled. “You’re up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” Yan Shian sat down with support from the screen table, waved Yan Yi away, and said, “You didn’t sleep all night. Aren’t you tired?”

“It’s just one night. That’s nothing,” Shi Buyu said, looking at him. “Good timing. Let me fill you in on the latest updates. That drunkard doesn’t dare go back now. Bold as he is, he’s just squatting by the city gate and refuses to leave.”

Bold? Who could compare to you? Yan Shian thought silently.

Such a grand scheme, involving so many people—and yet the person who discovered the corpses wasn’t someone she had arranged, but a famously drunken local. He usually passed out wherever he got drunk—in the river, in the mountains, under bridges—you could find him anywhere. This time, he happened to pass out exactly where the corpses were buried. It was so perfect it felt like divine intervention. Even the drunkard himself thought he’d just wandered there while drunk.

To flawlessly integrate such an uncontrollable variable into the plan—it was a stroke of genius.

Yan Shian sighed. “I didn’t expect that child to be from the You family.”

The You clan was a noble family older than even the Dayou dynasty itself. Whether out of love for their own or pride and dignity, they would absolutely pursue this matter to the end.

Shi Buyu picked up a paperweight, then put it back down, speaking in a muffled tone. “See? Commit enough evil, and heaven really will come for you.”

Yan Shian was silent for a moment. “Back when the Grand Ancestor was unifying the land, the You family made great contributions. After this incident, I fear they’ll drift away from Dayou.”

“When enough people become disillusioned, it signals a kingdom’s fall,” Shi Buyu said bluntly. “You have an innate advantage. In the future, just work on winning them back.”

“Because of my father?”

“Because your father died by his hand. You’re a victim too. No matter how much hatred they have for that dog emperor, none of it falls on you. If you overthrow him, you’ll have avenged many people. They’ll naturally become your allies and draw closer to you.”

Yan Shian lightly tapped his forehead. “My brain isn’t functioning too well right now. Didn’t even think of that.”

“Sounds like you’re still hurt pretty bad,” Shi Buyu looked at him. “Want to hear more?”

“Yes.”

Shi Buyu continued, “Just before you arrived, I received news. The three men who arrested you—are all dead in prison. Li Sheng is furious.”

“No surprise. They weren’t going to live anyway.”

“Their deaths serve as silencing for them, but it’s also beneficial to us. If they were interrogated, it might eventually lead them to suspect you knew about the location, and then all your suffering would’ve been in vain. They would’ve ditched you and tried another route.”

Yan Shian nodded. That was indeed true.

Shi Buyu casually picked up a slip of paper. “Minister Zhang didn’t leave the palace until very late last night and was summoned in again early this morning. Zhu Ling, on the other hand, hasn’t made a move. That man is definitely not simple.”

“I’ve already sent two groups to investigate. If we still can’t find anything… then it’s not just that he’s not simple—he’s suspicious.”

Shi Buyu had also considered that possibility, but something didn’t quite add up.

“Wait a little longer. No rush,” she said. “I’ve arranged for some students to draw portraits. Though the weather’s cold, the corpses are probably already damaged. Who knows what they’ll be able to draw?”

“I knew you’d use that as a tactic. Earlier, I had my men scatter some powder,” Yan Shian met her bright gaze, and couldn’t help but smile. “They shouldn’t have decayed yet.”

Shi Buyu felt that as an ally, Yan Shian was incredibly reliable. He thought things through thoroughly, covering for the things she missed. He followed her arrangements without hesitation, even putting himself in danger. He claimed not to know how to trust people, but ever since they became allies, he’d been doing nothing but showing her trust.

This was someone she had struck a deal with. Even if he hadn’t been this good, she still had to go through with it. But thankfully, Yan Shian was very good—he had never made her feel uncomfortable.

“I was a bit worried. If the corpses were too far gone, the portraits might raise suspicion. But now I’m relieved. Have your artists draw a lot of them. Don’t just post them in the capital. Tomorrow I’ll have someone suggest distributing them via merchant caravans to other places.”

Yan Shian looked away slightly, avoiding her gaze. Yet he secretly loved being looked at with such admiration. So he looked back up, pretending not to be looking at her while clearly focusing on her face, still listening and responding attentively.

“That way, it expands the scope in a justified manner. Even if someone notices something off, it’ll be too late to stop.”

“Whoever tries to stop it will immediately fall under suspicion.” Shi Buyu sneered. “Sure, scholars are easy to manipulate—but I’m not. If anyone dares show their face, I’ll rip their mask right off.”

She sounded fierce, but… not fierce at all. Yan Shian quietly thought to himself, quietly delighted. The feeling was like having a piece of candy in his mouth—sweet no matter how he tasted it.

“Miss,” Wanxia rushed in. “A new family moved in across the street. Something’s off. I watched them closely—they’re watching the Yan residence.”

“Let them watch. The show’s not over yet,” Shi Buyu’s mind turned rapidly. “Is the hot spring estate being watched too?”

“Yes, I was just about to report that,” Wanxia said. “The other party was dressed in imperial guard uniform. They questioned Yan household servants, then visited the other households that helped last night.”

“As long as the three who tried to arrest Yan Shian are dead, we don’t need to fear questioning.” After a moment’s thought, Shi Buyu called, “Yan Ze.”

“Here,” Yan Ze came in quickly.

“Your master just had an incident. According to custom, go home and ward off the bad luck—make a big show of it. Bring everyone back from the hot spring estate, and put up a notice to sell the place. Lowering the price a bit doesn’t matter.”

Ever since yesterday, Yan Ze had been running in circles under Miss Shi’s instructions. By now, he reflexively obeyed and rushed to work—completely forgetting he was supposed to check with his actual master seated right there.

Yan Shian lowered his head to suppress a laugh, not reminding anyone at all. In fact, he even liked how this household suddenly seemed to have a capable female head taking charge.

It was wonderful.

Shi Buyu didn’t notice any of that. “Tomorrow’s court session—Li Sheng will definitely raise this matter. The emperor got no benefit and even exposed his own tail. I want to see how he handles it.”