It was dawn.

In the Zuo family's residence, most people had already fallen asleep. In the courtyard of the inner residence, Zuo Wenxuan, holding a mug, poured tea for the person who came to report.

On the stone table, half-burnt incense sticks, meant to repel mosquitoes, produced wisps of smoke. With a wave of his hand, he scattered them, just as chaotic as Zuo Wenxuan's thoughts at that moment.

"... The young man named Sun Wukong who stopped Yue Yun tonight looks very much like..."

"Alas, I told him not to go, but he still went..." Zuo Wenxuan rubbed his forehead. "This matter needs to be strictly kept secret."

"Is it really..."

"Once exposed, the matter could be a big deal or a small one. Today, looking for Chen Shuangran and Zuo Xingzhou would only be insignificant small scenes. This matter will relate to the future attitude of the Southwest towards the Southeast, and even towards the entire Confucian school..."

"Understood..."

"..."

"But Xingzhou..."

"The incident on the twenty-second, still can't be found..."

In the night, Zuo Wenxuan's words were slow and soft, as if afraid of waking the sleeping people, or like ripples falling on the water.

"Maybe he's gone..."

...

The same night.

Using a short knife to scrape off the beard on his face, waiting for the face in the mirror to gradually become somewhat "bright-browed and starry-eyed", the other emotions that stirred in his mind made him slam the knife on the table with a bang.

"What have I been doing..."

It was past halfway through Chou Shi (1-3 AM), the city outside was quiet, but the restlessness in his heart was still churning. It wasn't just the unpleasantness he felt at Silver Bridge Square that night, but also a greater sense of frustration. He hastily put on his clothes and went out again, saying to the gatekeeper, "Uncle Xu, I'm going to the Princess's mansion."

He rode his horse through the night.

Soon after, he sat in the courtyard sprinkled with starlight, his sister rubbing medicinal wine on his bruises, talking about the progress of the evening.

"... In Jiangning, Commander Chen once said that Long Aotian was a warrior of the Chinese Army, who had temporarily left for a mission... Miss Yan thought he was dead at the time, and now doesn't know where he went. I didn't expect to see him here..."

"So it was him..."

Reaching out to pat the medicinal wine on Yue Yun's body, Yinping's expression was also quite solemn for a moment.

Then she said, "Why did you shave your beard? Do you know you look like neither a human nor a ghost?"

"Sis! I'm talking about serious business!" Yue Yun said in exasperation.

Yinping smiled.

"Thinking about it this way, Zuo Wenxuan's attitude is clear. The night Zuo Xingzhou stood you up at Silver Bridge Square, he met with these two 'lewd demons' and made contact. Zuo Wenxuan should also know about it, so he told you that there was nothing strange about the matter. But in that case, we shouldn't be able to find any news about Zuo Xingzhou from their mouths... Strange, why did they come here..."

"Mr. Ning saved us, and has a relationship with Father and His Majesty. But after all, the Southwest's regicide and rebellion are not on the same path as us. There are people coming here in the open and in secret, nothing surprising..." Yue Yun said in a muffled voice.

"That's what I'm saying." Yinping patted him. "In the past, I dealt with Miss Yan a lot in Jiangning, and later Commander Chen also said that Long Aotian was one of their people, so I didn't think much about it. But now that I think about it, if he really is a spy from the Southwest, this person's actions are really strange. According to Miss Yan, this person is skilled and bold, upright in character, but also has a loose tongue. But today, what he said to you was really thoughtful and watertight..."

"... He deliberately disrupted the marriage between Yan Family Fort and Shi Baofeng in the beginning?"

Yue Yun's eyes widened.

"It's possible." Yinping thought for a while, "But in any case, it all seems strange. The strangest thing is that they are not very old. When they were in Jiangning, they weren't even qualified to come out as secret agents, and they always ran around with the title of 'lewd demon', which is embarrassing to even talk about..."

"The one named Sun has a very solid foundation, with the rumored Tai Chi's perfect circular skill." Yue Yun thought carefully, and said, "Sis, do you think it could be a junior from the Black Flag coming out to gain experience?"

"This possibility is very high, but if you think this way... Yue Yun, if you go out to travel the world and come back with the title of 'Five-Foot Lewd Demon', what do you think everyone will say about you?" Yinping paused at this point, and shook her head: "... It's too strange."

"... It's too strange." Yue Yun also shook his head and sighed, "Father would slap me to death."

"That won't happen... Hanging you up and beating you is unavoidable."

"I won't be able to get married anymore."

"The whole family won't be able to hold their heads up..."

"Hmph hmph..."

"Hehe..."

Suddenly seeing the two "lewd demons" whom they had been looking for in Jiangning that night left them a little confused. The siblings thought about it while casually teasing each other for a while. After a while, Yue Yun then said, "Then there are no clues about Zuo Xingzhou..."

Yinping also fell silent for a moment.

"The situation in Fuzhou, from recent observations, is no longer a matter of one or two small things... Yue Yun, there's a war going on here."

Her mention of war made Yue Yun's muscles tighten for a moment: "... Huh?"

"Do you remember before we came out, Father once told us that there might be a big turmoil in Fuzhou before the fleet returns?"

"... Is it this time?"

"Now it seems, there is a very high possibility that it will be this time." Yinping said, "In the past six months, many gentry in various parts of Fujian have been dissatisfied, causing trouble from time to time, even making a big fuss about killing yellow dogs. They are in the dark, and the imperial court is in the open, so this kind of fighting can't be finished. In fact, both sides are not satisfied. His Majesty wants to solve this matter, and the gentry in various places with ulterior motives also want to—they won't wait for the maritime trade fleet to return, either they will attack the sea ships, or they will do it before that..."

"..."

"Chen Shuangran has been making moves constantly between March and April. Whether it's intentional or coincidental, she has already attracted the attention of all parties. She is the most obvious fuse next to the powder keg. Next, the key to this game is likely to fall on her. She wants to make a scene, and people with ulterior motives want to bet on her. His Majesty, His Highness, and even the gentlemen in the city, are probably also thinking of making a clear-cut battle. As long as they win this time, the wavering fence-sitters in private will be peaceful for a long time..."

"But..." Yue Yun thought for a while, "Mr. Li said that the best way to govern a country is to be a good warrior without remarkable achievements..."

"If the officials are content with the status quo and promise the local gentry of Fujian power and status, and promise them the meritorious deeds of restoring the dynasty, then those troublemakers can naturally be dealt with secretly before the world notices. But His Majesty does not want Fujian to be just a small Wuchao isolated in a corner, he wants to vigorously carry out reforms. There is no way around it. The times are different from before, and eight or nine out of ten people have doubts in their hearts. If you want the reform to continue, you must always knock down the most prominent troublemakers so that the wavering people in the rear know the determination of the reform."

Yinping sighed, "Now it seems that Zhong Ergui and Zuo Xingzhou are also caught in the waves of this turmoil..."

"... Then does that mean... no appeal for justice, no searching for people?"

"Appeals for justice must be made, and people must be searched for, but you must also be clear about what will happen next. Now it seems that if things go wrong, the city of Fuzhou will be awash with blood."

Yinping paused slightly here.

"Think about it carefully, since the two people in Silver Bridge Square came from the Southwest, and Zuo Wenxuan also knows about it, then things are a bit complicated. Some things, what should be asked, what shouldn't be asked, it's not easy to tell. With your temperament, don't go to their door recently, lest you cause unnecessary trouble... If you have time, I'll find a time to probe the bottom of that Five-Foot Lewd Demon."

After she said these words, Yue Yun nodded first, but then hesitated, hesitant to speak: "Sis, why don't I go..."

"... How come?"

"That, that guy is a lewd demon, who looks dignified, and deceived a lot of ignorant women on the street. Sis... after all, you haven't married yet..."

Before he finished speaking, he received a punch on the back from his sister.

"What are you saying? Am I also an ignorant woman?"

"Of course you're not, sis, but he does look alright, with seven-tenths of the handsomeness after I shave my beard... and it is said that lewd demons are not skilled in martial arts. I'm mainly afraid that you will fall for his tricks..."

Yue Yun remembered Yan Yunzhi in Jiangning. Although he still didn't know what kind of tricks the Five-Foot Lewd Demon had, he carefully considered it and raised his vigilance to the highest level. He earnestly tried to dissuade his always reliable sister, and was beaten up again in the process, but he didn't care.

Yinping was amused by his seriousness. After hitting him for a while, she spoke about the tasks at the Princess's mansion recently, saying that she "might not have time to go," which stopped Yue Yun's nagging. After thinking about it again, she felt absurd.

"Intrigue, gatherings from all sides, in the past, such as Chengdu in the Southwest, such as the Jiangning Conference, were considered big scenes, but here... a few days ago, we were talking about what Flower Monk Tunyun came for, and today there are these two 'Four-Foot' and 'Five-Foot' lewd demons. What's wrong with this Fuzhou...? Such a big event actually only attracts a bunch of lewd demons to gather?"

Under the starlight, she sighed with a bitter smile...

...

The same starlight spread above Fuzhou City.

When she woke up in the middle of the night, Qu Longjun opened her eyes and did not see the figure on the opposite bed.

She lay on the bed, looked over there, and waited for a while, biting her fingers.

Then she picked up the fire starter and lit the small lantern hanging by the bed.

It felt like something was missing in her heart...

She felt scared...

She carried the lantern and went out of the room.

...

It was almost Yin Shi (3-5 AM), and the silver light spilled from the night sky.

Ning Ji sat on the roof, watching the rows of houses extending under the clear light of the night.

In his mind, he was thinking about complex problems.

At one moment, he heard a subtle sound from below.

Qu Longjun got out of bed, walked in the room, went in the direction of the outhouse, and passed through the corridor on the side.

"Little Long, Little Long..."

He heard her calling out softly, her voice very weak, like a rabbit in the night.

For some reason, Ning Ji hesitated for a moment and did not answer...