Chapter 3: Going Home with Big Brother

North of the City.

The Marquis of Chengming had just finished overseeing the raid on the Yu residence. After accounting for all 110 people inside, he had them escorted to the prison.

During the operation, they caught two guards trying to take advantage of the chaos to kill people. They were stopped just in time and also taken into custody.

Once the confiscated property was sent to the palace, the marquis personally visited the prison to ensure everything was handled properly. He sternly instructed the warden to keep a close watch—His Majesty demanded that every single person be kept alive.

By the time everything was settled, it was already the third watch of the night.

When he finally returned home, exhausted, he found his own residence in complete chaos.

The only heir to the household was missing. The Marchioness had fainted from panic. With the only person in charge absent, everyone in the manor was terrified.

Upon learning that the steward had already taken people out to search the city in three separate groups, the Marquis immediately shook off any thought of sleep.

This son was his only heir.

His wife had damaged her health giving birth to him and was unlikely to conceive again.

The boy had been the apple of their eye since birth.

But on the child’s first birthday, a blind Taoist had appeared, claiming the boy was a monster who had done too much evil in a past life. Because of this, the Buddha had taken one soul and one spirit from him before he could reincarnate.

With this soul and spirit missing, the boy had always been cold and distant, never forming close relationships with anyone—including his own parents.

Out of concern that this personality would be vulnerable to outside influence before he grew up, the Marquis and his wife decided to confine him within the manor, forbidding him from going out.

They never imagined he would sneak out.

“Please spare me, My Lord! I only dozed off for a moment, and the young master crawled out through the dog hole!”

Xie Yixing’s wet nurse was kneeling on the ground, her forehead red from kowtowing. But not even this could earn her a shred of mercy from the Marquis.

“What use is talking now? Just hurry and find him!”

The Marquis turned and entered his wife’s room. Seeing her lying on the pillow, wiping her tears, he rushed to comfort her.

“I’ve already sent people from the yamen to investigate. There’s been a surge in child kidnappings lately, but these criminals only abduct—they don’t harm.”

Madam Wei sobbed uncontrollably, “Our Xing’er has never left the manor before. How could he know the dangers outside? If he’s been kidnapped, and another one of his six remaining souls gets frightened away, what are we to do? He’s the heir—our only heir. He can’t end up a fool!”

The Marquis’s heart clenched. He sighed heavily.

“Xing’er isn’t the only one missing. Yu brother’s daughter Wei-jie’er is also gone.”

At the mention of the Yu family, who had just been raided, Madam Wei immediately stopped crying and lowered her voice.

“My lord, she’s missing too?”

The Marquis nodded. “I just finished cataloguing their property and thought the timing was right to send Xie Yun to pick her up. But Xie Yun searched the entire street and couldn’t find a trace of the little girl in the goose-yellow jacket with two topknot buns.”

Madam Wei bit her handkerchief in worry. “What should we do? Wei-jie’er was the most beloved daughter of the Yu family… and Xing’er’s betrothed…”

“Shh!”

The Marquis quickly covered his wife’s mouth.

“Walls have ears. As for Wei-jie’er, I’ve made a mental note of it. I will give Yu brother’s family a proper explanation.”

“As for the engagement—let’s speak of it later. Finding them is the priority.”

---

At dawn, the air was heavy with frost.

Layers of fog lifted, revealing a gentle light.

Servants from the Marquis’s household had searched all night without progress.

Meanwhile, street vendors setting up for the morning began to gossip idly.

“Did you hear? The Yu family was raided last night. The whole family was thrown into prison. They’ll be executed after the new year.”

“The Yu family in the north of the city? Aren’t they a noble military family? General Yu and his second son just received honors a month ago. How could they be raided so suddenly?”

“I heard they falsified military reports and embezzled soldiers’ pay. His Majesty was furious.”

“That can’t be. Didn’t Madam Yu and her daughter hand out porridge to refugees at the village entrance just days ago? How could they do something so evil?”

“You never truly know people’s hearts. How can you be sure that wasn’t just a show?”

---

Outside the city gates, farmers lined up with carts, waiting to enter the city market.

Yaoyao, who had been shaken awake by Xie Yixing, was about to turn over and fall back asleep when he suddenly tickled her under the arms.

She blinked away her tears and started giggling, then grew annoyed.

“You rascal!”

Xie Yixing ignored her indignation.

His dark eyes stared at her messy hair.

In just one night, it had become even more tangled than a bird’s nest.

He disregarded her protests and began undoing her braids.

The chubby little girl tried to push him away, but he was too strong.

Before she could resist, he had already skillfully redone her twin topknots into two neat little buns.

The jade bells she had worn in her hair yesterday now dangled adorably from the buns.

Yaoyao twirled in front of the bronze mirror in the room, completely satisfied with her new hairstyle.

Xie Yixing brought over a basin of water, ready to wash his hands—when suddenly, the little girl threw her arms around his waist.

She looked up with her chubby, round face, eyes squinting like crescent moons, and said sweetly, “Thank you.”

Xie Yixing tried to pull a smile, but it came out stiff—he realized he still couldn’t smile naturally.

So last night had been a fluke.

---

As Xie Yixing held Yaoyao’s hand and blended into the crowd entering the city, they happened to bump into the steward who had gone out to search for him.

The steward jumped off his horse in delight, only relaxing after confirming that the young master was unharmed.

Although they had found him, none of the household guards dared approach.

Even the steward only asked a couple of symbolic questions before immediately ordering a carriage, placing down the footstool, and padding his own arm with silk before daring to assist.

Everyone in the manor knew of the heir’s obsession with cleanliness.

Add to that his odd temper, and no one except the steward dared get close.

But this time, Xie Yixing ignored the steward’s efforts.

In full view of everyone, he firmly held Yaoyao’s hand.

Before the steward could even ask about her identity, Xie Yixing had already picked her up and carefully tucked her into the carriage.

The steward tried to help midway but was stopped by a single glance from the young master.

The treasure he’d retrieved—only he could touch.

Once the two were inside, the steward finally dared to wipe the cold sweat from his brow and immediately drove them home.

---

When Madam Wei heard they were back, she rushed out of bed, threw on a velvet robe, and waited in the front hall.

She looked out eagerly, but as soon as they returned, her son headed straight to his courtyard without even showing his face.

Madam Wei sighed. “Xing’er has always kept his distance from me and the Marquis.”

A maid tried to comfort her. “Madam, the young master does care about you and the Marquis.”

“It’s all because he’s missing one soul and one spirit,” the Marchioness murmured, then suddenly remembered, “That Taoist once said Xing’er’s missing soul could be replaced by someone born with an extremely yin and fiercely fated life. But after all these years, we’ve never found a single such person.”

“We had hoped that child from the Yu family would warm his heart after marrying him… and now with everything that’s happened… sigh, no use talking about it.”

Though Madam Wei claimed she was used to it, she still couldn’t resist making a trip to Xie Yixing’s Weirui Courtyard.

As she stepped into the back garden, she overheard servants whispering near the rock garden:

“Did the young master… just smile?”