Chapter 122: Patience Is a Virtue

Shen Nanyuan nodded in acknowledgment and, under the watchful eyes of the shopkeeper and his assistants, boarded the carriage.

Wu Miaofu sat quietly to one side. Shen Nanyuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on the floral hairpin in her hair before drifting away. She said softly, "My mother is already having clothes made for you, so we won’t need to stop at the clothier. Let’s head to Bright Moon Restaurant instead; Jinyu happens to like their dishes, so we can bring some back for him."

"Whatever you say, cousin."

Wu Miaofu kept her head bowed, her voice barely a whisper, looking as frail as if a gust of wind might knock her over.

Shen Nanyuan asked, "Did you sleep well last night? Is there anything you aren’t accustomed to?"

"No, everything is wonderful. Thank you for your concern, cousin."

"Well, if you find anything uncomfortable, just go see my mother."

"Alright."

Shen Nanyuan: "..."

She just couldn't get a conversation going. Her cousin was truly frail and exceptionally introverted; no matter what topic she broached, it hit a dead end. Gao Xueluo was a chatterbox, and she shared plenty of common ground with Meng Chuyue, but when it came to Wu Miaofu, the air just went cold.

Shen Nanyuan paused briefly. "Is there any special food from your hometown?"

At the mention of this, Liu'er’s eyes lit up. She cast a cautious glance at her mistress before speaking softly.

"Yes, Eldest Miss," she said. "There are so many delicious things in Yunzhou, but the best is our local cured sausage. The Master wanted to have me bring some for you, but the journey was long, and he thought the Duke of the State’s Mansion surely had everything, so he decided against it."

In truth, the main reason was that her mistress had forbidden it. She felt it would be too embarrassing to arrive with a bag of sausages, so the Master hadn't insisted.

Shen Nanyuan rested her chin on her hand. "Is that so?"

She smiled. "I’d quite like to try them. If I ever have the chance, I’ll certainly visit Yunzhou to taste them."

Liu'er nodded vigorously, her face beaming.

Shen Nanyuan took a sip of her steaming tea, pondering to herself. She wondered if these sausages tasted the same as the ones from her previous life. She had eaten them before and remembered the flavor being quite good.

By the time they reached the hour of Shen (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM), they hadn't stayed at Bright Moon Restaurant for long. After picking up some of Shen Jinyu’s favorite dishes, Shen Nanyuan and Wu Miaofu returned to the Duke of the State’s Mansion.

***

Late at night, everything was deathly silent. Yet, one residence in the capital remained brightly lit.

Several shadows paced back and forth inside the room, their voices tinged with urgency. "What are we to do? The Third Prince has just returned to the palace, and the Emperor sending him to investigate this matter clearly shows he intends to test the prince's capabilities. He certainly won't let us off if we are discovered..."

At this point, the voice rose sharply, filled with fury. "I told them to bury the bodies far away! They buried them so close by—even killing those people isn't enough to appease my rage!"

"Please, Heir, calm yourself. You are the only son of Prince Rui; the Prince will surely ensure you come to no harm."

"Everything was fine for the past few years. How is it that as soon as this Third Prince returns, all these issues arise?"

Gu Qingfei gritted his teeth hard. "Besides, all of this was their own doing. They offered themselves up for the sake of wealth and glory. What does it have to do with me? I never forced them."

He turned his head, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "The capital has been tightly guarded recently, and I didn't dare act for fear of discovery. But things have loosened up over the past two days. To prevent them from speaking nonsense, have the rest of them killed and dumped far away. If I find out this happens again, I’ll have your heads!"

"...Yes, Heir. I will take men to handle it immediately."

***

Shen Sinian glanced back at the guard beside him. The guard nodded in immediate understanding and remained in place to keep watch, while Shen Sinian followed silently behind the men who had received the orders.

After a long walk, they arrived at a dark, cramped residence. The men headed straight for the backyard. One of them moved a ladder from a corner and pulled open the door to a cellar. Instantly, several weak voices wafted up from within.

"Kind sirs, we haven't had anything to eat or drink for two days. Please, have mercy and give us a bite to eat."

"Please, kind sirs..."

Shen Sinian frowned at the sound. There was also a timid voice—a woman’s.

"Kind sirs, my family is in urgent need of money. I don't know when we can continue?"

"Continue?" the men sneered. "There will be no continuing."

The voices inside faltered, followed by a moment of disbelief. "Why?"

"Because you are all going to die."

At these words, the panicked, fearful cries of the crowd erupted. Shen Sinian’s expression darkened. With his sword drawn, he flashed into the cellar, the sharp blade pointed directly at the men who were raising their knives to strike the terrified people fleeing in every direction.

A cool night breeze blew. A full moon hung in the sky, casting a pale, silvery glow.

Xiao Yan stood before a pond in the palace courtyard, watching the koi swimming freely. His expression was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Your Highness, it is late. Would you like to rest?"

"No rush," Xiao Yan said calmly. "Wait a while longer."

His face was half-hidden in the night, appearing stoic and unruffled. His eyes were dark, seemingly veiled by a layer of gloomy, sharp intensity, and an overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from him.

In his peripheral vision, he caught the movement of bamboo leaves not far away.

Xiao Yan said coldly, "You may withdraw."

"But... if you should need..."

The eunuch glanced tremulously at Xiao Yan’s face, then lowered his eyes. "Yes, Your Highness."

Suddenly, the surroundings were empty and silent.

Shen Sinian’s figure flashed into view. He bowed slightly before Xiao Yan. "Your Highness, it is done."

"Did Prince Rui make any moves?"

"Prince Rui secretly sought out the Second Prince, but he has not yet realized that we already know the Heir is the one behind this."

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, a mocking curl appearing at the corner of his lips. "He naturally wouldn't realize that the cluster of Hibiscus mutabilis in his own home has become the evidence pointing to his son."

It was fortunate that, upon discovering the bodies were covered in a few stalks of Hibiscus mutabilis, he had panicked and ordered them dug up and discarded, fearing it would lead back to his son. That was exactly why the trail led to him so quickly. The Hibiscus mutabilis was a rare variety, and very few households in the capital possessed them, so the investigation would have eventually reached Prince Rui and his son regardless; it was only a matter of time.

However, after this, Prince Rui would undoubtedly stand with the Second Prince.

Prince Rui held no real power in the capital; he was merely an idle prince, so this matter would not change much.