"I’m afraid so!" Su Pei’er said worriedly.

’Judging by the commotion, that group must be after Second Miss Ye. If they find her, then...’

But Ye Chutang showed no trace of panic on her face. She just gave a light yawn.

"I haven’t done anything. Why should I hide?"

Su Pei’er was speechless.

’I never expected Ye Chutang to say something like that so matter-of-factly. If I hadn’t spent most of last night waiting on pins and needles, I might have actually believed her.’

"S-So... they won’t come search here, will they?"

’Second Miss Ye is so composed; she must have a plan. Maybe... maybe she didn’t leave a single trace last night?’

Seeing her nervous expression, Ye Chutang smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. They aren’t looking for me."

’Shen Yanchuan was the one who made the move. What does that have to do with me, Ye Chutang?’

Su Pei’er, of course, had no idea what Chutang was thinking. Hearing her words, the knot of worry in her chest finally loosened.

"Oh, that’s good! That’s good!"

’Here, the heavens are high and the Emperor is far away. If we really run into those brutes, anything could happen.’

Noticing the faint weariness still lingering in Ye Chutang’s eyes, Su Pei’er whispered, "W-Well, you should get some more rest. I won’t disturb you. I’ll bring you something to eat later—"

"That won’t be necessary." Ye Chutang shook her head, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.

Su Pei’er asked, puzzled, "What are you doing...?"

"They’re here."

"...Who?"

Su Pei’er’s question was answered a moment later.

KNOCK KNOCK!

The knocking from outside was quite forceful.

"Anyone home?"

Su Pei’er’s heart skipped a beat. She understood instantly—it was the men from the mine! They’d come looking for them!

She grew flustered at once, clutching her handkerchief tightly. "Second Miss Ye, maybe... maybe you should hide?"

’If they find out something is amiss, we’ll be in deep trouble!’

Ye Chutang calmly pulled on her boots, glanced outside, and then chuckled. "They certainly have an aggressive way of doing things."

’Even though Shiluan City is just a small town, those miners shouldn’t have the authority to conduct a door-to-door search.’

’The only way they could do this is if the Shiluan City government is already filled with their people.’

Hearing the voice, the young maid had already gone to open the door.

CREAK—

When she saw the burly men standing outside, the young maid jumped in fright and stammered, "W-Who are you looking for?"

The man in the lead sized her up with a glance before peering into the courtyard.

"There was an incident at the mine last night. A few men were buried, and we’re looking for their families. Does anyone from this household work at the mine?"

The young maid shook her head so hard it was like a blur. "No, no! I-It’s just my mistress and me here! There’s no one else!"

She was young and had a timid look about her, so she certainly didn’t seem like someone who would be involved.

"Your mistress?"

The words had barely left his lips when Su Pei’er pushed her door open and stepped out.

When the men saw her, a flash of stunned admiration appeared in their eyes.

One of them, as if suddenly remembering something, narrowed his eyes and asked, "You look unfamiliar. Are you new here?"

Su Pei’er stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "We’ve been here for over a month, but we rarely go out, so it’s only natural you haven’t seen us."

Another man rubbed his chin. "I seem to recall hearing that a beautiful woman had moved in. Must be her."

Su Pei’er’s eyelid twitched, and she was inwardly alarmed.

’Shiluan City may be small, but plenty of people come and go each day. Yet these men seem to know everything that happens in town.’

’This is no ordinary mining operation!’

She gave the men a reserved smile.

"My family met with a tragedy, and I have no other relatives. When I passed through, I found the scenery here so beautiful that I decided to stay."

Her story sounded plausible enough.

Seeing that both the mistress and her servant were delicate women, the men didn’t press further and turned to leave.

The young maid clutched her chest, still shaken. "Those men are so aggressive! How can they just go door-to-door looking for people like that?"

Su Pei’er pressed her lips together. "Never mind. It has nothing to do with us. We should just ignore it."

She turned and returned to her room. Just as she was about to tell Ye Chutang what had happened, she saw that Chutang had completely changed her appearance.

At a glance, she now looked like a thin, unremarkable young man.

"S-Second Miss Ye?" Su Pei’er’s eyes widened. She couldn’t understand how Ye Chutang had managed to completely alter her appearance in the short time she’d been gone.

At the same time, she finally understood why Ye Chutang hadn’t been the least bit flustered when she heard those men at the door.

’Even if Ye Chutang stood right in front of them now, they would never recognize her!’

Ye Chutang took out a purse and from it, she pulled a stack of silver notes, placing them on the table.

"Here’s one thousand taels. You’ll need money while you’re staying here, so take this."

Su Pei’er quickly refused. "I can’t possibly take this! You’ve already given us so much; how could we ask for more? Please don’t worry. I can play the pipa and do needlework like embroidering handkerchiefs. The money I earn from that is enough—"

"Just take it."

Ye Chutang shook her head.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to stay here for a while longer. Consider this an advance on your payment."

Ye Chutang had saved Su Pei’er’s life. Never mind just standing guard here; she wouldn’t hesitate even if she were asked to give up her life. How could she possibly accept this money?

"But this is too much. I—"

Ye Chutang finished her adjustments, scrutinizing her reflection in the bronze mirror. Once she was certain there were no flaws, she turned around and smiled. "Greasing palms, maintaining relationships... which of those doesn’t cost money? Just use it as you see fit. I’ll be back in a while."

Su Pei’er froze, finally understanding what Ye Chutang meant.

’It seems Shiluan City really is hiding a significant secret, for Second Miss Ye to be taking such pains to set up this scheme.’

She knew she could no longer refuse. Biting her lip, she finally curtsied deeply.

"Pei’er will not let you down, Second Miss Ye."

Seeing that Ye Chutang was about to leave, she couldn’t help but ask, "Are you leaving now? But those men are surely still out there searching. Maybe you should wait a little while?"

Ye Chutang’s lips curved into a smile.

"This is the most exciting part. Naturally, I can’t miss it."

’If I don’t go and see for myself, how will I find out who the real power pulling the strings in Shiluan City is?’

...

「South of the city, in a certain residence.」

A man with a scar across his face, his expression savage, stared coldly at the men kneeling before him. He spoke in a sinister voice:

"Still no sign of him?"

Fear was etched on all of their faces.

"Spare us, my lord! W-We’re already searching the entire city! We’ll find him even if we have to dig three feet into the ground to do it!"

"Y-Yes! Please, just give us a little more time, my lord! The man is highly skilled. To have infiltrated our mine without a soul noticing, he must have come prepared! We have men posted at every city gate. We’ll definitely catch him!"

The scar-faced man narrowed his eyes. "Have the others woken up yet?"