Blossom

Everyone in the room and on the roof changed their expressions drastically.

Ji Hong stood up in alarm, saying, "That—that voice sounds like Liu Hong's!"

Liu Hong?

Du Ruo and the maidservant exchanged uneasy glances, both feeling a chill run down their spines.

The three of them looked outside.

A large red lantern hung under the eaves, its light swaying occasionally as the wind rustled the treetops. Beyond that, everything was pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly.

"What should we do?" Du Ruo glanced back at the still bed curtains and asked Ji Hong.

Ji Hong bit her lip. "The Second Madam has just managed to rest. We should at least find out what's going on before reporting back, right?"

The masters detested noisy servants the most.

The maidservant mustered her courage and clung to Ji Hong's arm. "Shall I go with you to take a look, sister?"

Ji Hong turned to Du Ruo.

Du Ruo quickly said, "I'm scared. I'll stay here and attend to the Second Madam."

Ji Hong's expression darkened at her words, but she still left with the maidservant.

Du Ruo saw them to the door.

Duan Gongyi let out a sigh of relief.

Then he saw Du Ruo glance around, and upon confirming no one was nearby, she dashed back inside. Lifting the bed curtains, she whispered urgently, "Second Madam! Second Madam!"

Duan Gongyi grew suspicious.

There was something off about this Du Ruo!

He widened his eyes.

The bed curtains were pulled aside, revealing the sapphire-blue brocade quilt tossed to one side—the bed was empty. There was no sign of Miao Ansu!

Duan Gongyi's heart lurched.

Looking up, he spotted Song Mo emerging in the small courtyard behind the adjacent flower hall.

Oh no!

Duan Gongyi immediately understood.

Noble households often had secret passages, designed for discreet activities away from prying eyes.

The rear annex where Miao Shi was resting might seem secluded, but in reality, it was separated from the heated room in the flower hall's backyard—where Liao Wang was being entertained—by just a single wall.

There was likely even a hidden door connecting to the side chamber where Miao Shi was resting.

Though he didn’t know why Song Mo was alone in the backyard of the flower hall or how Miao Shi had suddenly vanished, his instincts screamed that Song Mo was being set up!

Without hesitation, he gathered his strength, ready to leap down and warn Song Mo.

But as he channeled his energy, his body suddenly grew heavy, completely immobilized.

Duan Gongyi was horrified.

A sinister voice whispered in his ear, "Don’t move, or you’ll die without a grave!"

Duan Gongyi cursed inwardly.

What did it matter if he had a grave or not when he was already dead?

But his words came out as nothing more than faint grunts.

Regret and fury surged within him.

Regret that he had grown complacent in recent years, knowing full well that Liao Wang’s entourage included skilled fighters, yet failing to stay vigilant. Fury that despite all the kindness Dou Zhao had shown him, he was powerless to help when it mattered most.

His teeth ground together audibly.

Helplessly, he watched as Song Mo entered the heated room.

Liu Hong, who had seemingly vanished earlier, suddenly reappeared.

Creeping forward, she called out, "Young Lord," and pushed open the door to the heated room.

"Who's there?" came Song Mo’s low but stern voice from inside.

"This servant is Liu Hong, from the Second Master’s household—" she began, then abruptly let out a piercing scream.

The shrill sound echoed through the courtyard.

Liao Wang and Song Yichun, who should have been drinking in the flower hall, appeared in the courtyard at an impossible speed.

Liao Wang’s attendants, as if prepared in advance, fanned out to every corner of the courtyard, sealing off all possible exits.Duan Gongyi wished he could slap himself a few times.

"What happened? What happened?" Song Yichun shouted, his voice tinged with a hint of excitement as he pushed open the door of the heated room ahead of Prince Liao.

Soft lamplight spilled out like moonlight.

Duan Gongyi saw a woman huddled under a quilt in the corner of the daybed, while Song Mo stood before her.

It's over, it's over!

That woman must be Miao Ansu!

Caught in an affair with his own sister-in-law—whether there was evidence or not, the Young Lord would never be able to clear his name!

He closed his eyes.

But then Song Mo's voice, laced with mockery, reached his ears: "I never expected Father to be so impatient, even dragging Prince Liao here. Ah! I originally just wanted to teach Song Han a lesson, but now... how am I supposed to handle this?" He added, "Prince Liao, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. I apologize for the embarrassment!"

Huh?

What was going on?

Duan Gongyi opened his eyes.

Under the bright lamplight, both Song Yichun and Prince Liao wore expressions of absurdity, especially Song Yichun, whose gaping mouth could have swallowed an egg whole.

He looked again.

Song Mo was indeed standing before the daybed, but Song Han was the one hiding disheveled behind the bed's curtains.

Duan Gongyi blinked.

Suddenly, the weight lifted from him.

Without thinking, he sprang up.

A soft chuckle came from behind him: "Master Duan, you're in trouble now."

Duan Gongyi turned his head.

Under the moonlight, Lu Ming was grinning up at him.

Duan Gongyi clenched his fists until they creaked.

But Lu Ming paid no mind, gesturing toward the heated room instead.

Suppressing his frustration, Duan Gongyi could only crouch on the roof with Lu Ming, peering down in confusion at the scene below.

"Come out," Song Mo said coldly, staring at Song Han. "Hiding won't do you any good now." With that, he yanked down half the bed curtain and tossed it at Song Han. "Let's talk in the front. What kind of state are you in right now?"

Song Han's gaze was vacant, as if he were stunned or utterly unaware of what was happening. Mechanically, he steadied himself against the daybed and stood, murmuring, "What... what happened to me?" Gradually, awareness returned to his eyes, and his demeanor sharpened. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, scanning the room—before his expression twisted in shock as he turned to Song Yichun. "What... what is going on here?"

Song Yichun's face darkened, frost settling over his features. But before he could speak, the woman on the daybed burst into sobs: "Lord Duke, I don’t know how I ended up here either! I was attending to Second Madam in her room. Liu Hong went to the privy, and Ji Hong went to look for her. When I lifted the bed curtains, Second Madam was gone. I was about to call for help when everything went black—I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on this bed, with the Young Lord standing over me... I truly don’t know what happened! I wasn’t meeting secretly with Second Master..."

Duan Gongyi's jaw nearly dropped.

Duo Ruo had been in the back chamber just moments ago—how had she ended up in the heated room in the blink of an eye?

Whose doing was this?

And where had Miao Shi gone?

What roles had Ji Hong and the others played in all this?

And how had the Young Lord uncovered the plot against him?

He turned to Lu Ming.Lu Ming smiled and nodded at him, signaling him to watch for now.

In the heated room, Song Yichun roared, "Shut up! What do you mean by 'secret rendezvous'? Who said the Second Master was having a 'secret rendezvous'?"

Only then did Duo realize she had misspoken.

She stared at Song Yichun in terror.

Song Mo chuckled and said to Liao Wang, "Exactly, how could Song Han possibly have a secret rendezvous with his own father's bedroom servant? He must have had too much to drink and entered the wrong room. This is all just a misunderstanding!"

Liao Wang's expression returned to its usual joviality, and he laughed heartily. "Yantang sees things clearly. Song Han was simply drunk and went to the wrong place." Then he turned to Song Yichun and said, "Let's go! It was all a misunderstanding!"

Song Yichun forced a smile, slightly bowing as he gestured for Liao Wang to go first. "Indeed, indeed. Let's return to our drinks."

The three men walked out.

Song Han hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

Liu Hong, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly leaped up and tried to grab Song Mo's leg.

Song Mo nimbly dodged her.

Liu Hong fell face-first to the ground, her mouth bleeding from the impact. Undeterred, she crawled toward Song Mo. "Young Lord, save me! I was forced by the Second Master—if I didn’t obey, he would sell me to a brothel! Please spare my life, Young Lord! I’ll tell you everything..."

Song Han’s eyes burned with fury as he stepped forward and viciously kicked Liu Hong twice, making her cough up blood.

But Liu Hong knew that if she couldn’t make Song Mo turn back, what awaited her would be worse than death.

She screamed desperately, "Young Lord, it was the Second Master who made me drug the Second Mistress! He then had someone lure you to the heated room while she was unconscious, so others would think you were having an affair with her—"

How could Song Han have bungled this so badly?

Since the truth was out, he should have silenced this wretched servant immediately—how could he let her babble like this?

He turned and glared at Song Han, wishing he could devour him on the spot.

Song Han, pale with rage, stomped on Liu Hong’s chest.

Liu Hong let out a bloodcurdling scream, her eyes widening as she clutched her chest and collapsed, unconscious.

Duo shrieked in terror.

Song Han lunged forward and seized her by the throat.

Song Mo frowned slightly.

Suddenly, a stern voice came from outside the door. "What is going on here? Even if the maids have done wrong, there’s no need for such violence. The Duke of England's Mansion is no upstart household—what would people say if word of this got out?"

Liao Wang turned and saw a woman gently supporting a beautiful lady in her late teens as they entered.

The lady was tall, with striking long eyebrows and an air of heroic grace, like a heroine from a painting.

It was Dou Shi!

His eyes narrowed.

He had long heard that Song Mo deeply respected this wife of his, who was a year older than him. When he had seen her before, she had been beautiful, but now, with her confident stride and commanding presence, she was truly breathtaking.

Beside her stood another woman, dressed in an emerald-green robe embroidered with gourds, her hair adorned with gold hairpins and jade-inlaid lantern earrings dangling from her ears. Though not tall, she had a delicate charm and seemed deferential to Dou Shi—this must be Song Han’s wife, Miao Shi.

Liao Wang inwardly sighed.

It seemed this scheme had utterly failed.

He made a swift retreat."This is your family matter, I shall take my leave first!" Liao Wang smiled and nodded at Song Mo and Song Yichun before striding away with his entourage.

The heated room fell into dead silence.

Song Han stepped forward and slapped Miao Ansu: "Where have you been? How could you let that little wench Liu Hong spout nonsense..."

Song Mo seized Song Han's wrist, staring at him coldly without a word.

Song Han's eyes darted about as he tried to wrench his hand free.

But Song Mo's grip was like an iron vice, rendering him immobile.

"Enough!" Song Yichun bellowed. "Aren't you ashamed enough already? Let go at once!"