My Lord, my wife said she doesn't have time to talk to you.

"Sister Huaying, will you go into the mountains tomorrow? We have run out of firewood at home, and I have to go collect some, but I'm scared." Dongxue walked into the yard and said in a low voice.

Huaying came out of the kitchen with a bundle of firewood in her arms, "Okay, we'll go together tomorrow. Take the firewood first. You're in for a treat today. Come and try this new mung bean sprout I invented. How does it taste?" Putting down the firewood, Huaying pulled Dongxue to the table to try the new dish.

Seeing Fu Shiyan coming over, Dongxue was embarrassed to eat, but couldn't resist Huaying's repeated urging, so she took a bite. Her eyes lit up and she nodded, "Delicious, delicious."

Huaying asked again, "Is it really delicious?" Dongxue took another big bite and stuffed her cheeks with puffy cheeks, and nodded.

Fu Shiyan put the ribs in a bowl, and then took a bite of the cold bean sprouts. Feeling Huaying's gaze, he said, "Not bad."

"Dongxue, sit down and eat with us. The ribs have been stewed for quite a long time. Try them." Huaying brought a small stool and placed it next to the table.

"No, no, my mother is already at home cooking." After saying that, she turned around and tried to leave. Huaying picked up the bowl of pork ribs on the table and stuffed it into her hand with a smile, "We've known each other for so long, why are you still so shy?" Dongxue scratched her head embarrassedly.

Fu Shiyan discovered that he was not the only one treated specially by Huaying. She seemed to be very friendly to everyone and did not have the arrogance she had when they first met.

Looking at the home-cooked meal in front of him, he recalled the day he first met Huaying, the night the Prime Minister's Mansion caught fire, when he and Fu Lei escaped from the secret passage while avoiding assassins and walked all the way to the palace.

That day happened to be the Lantern Festival, and the streets were bustling with people. The festivity on the streets formed a sharp contrast with the Prime Minister's Mansion several blocks away. In order to conceal his presence, he endured the pain in his leg and maintained his demeanor as he looked for Fu Yi's carriage.

"Excuse me, have you ever seen a girl wearing a yellow dress, about this tall, with a small round face and big eyes, very pretty?"

A girl dressed as a maid anxiously asked, grabbing his arm, her eyes looking around the crowd. There were a few drops of water on her chin, and it was unclear whether they were tears or sweat from her forehead.

"No." Fu Shiyan replied in a low voice, hiding his murderous intent. He pulled away the girl's arm and continued to walk forward. He felt something sticky on the soles of his feet and quickened his pace.

I heard the girl behind me crying, "Miss, Miss, where are you, wuwuwu, Miss, Miss. Where are the other people in the Prime Minister's Mansion, wuwuwu Miss, where have you gone..."

After walking for a while, Fu Yiqian was beside him. Seeing that he looked pale, he immediately helped him walk towards the carriage. Inside the carriage, Fu Yiqian covered the blood that kept coming out of his legs with a cloth while looking for hemostatics. Fu Shiyan seemed to feel no pain and urged Fu Lei to drive quickly to the palace.

A carriage was speeding along the street leading to the imperial city. A group of masked men in black were hiding on the eaves on both sides of the road. With a loud whistle, the masked killers flew down from the eaves and ran towards the carriage.

Fu Lei did not dare to delay and whipped his horse as he galloped along. Suddenly, screams of men in black were heard behind him. Fu Shiyan opened the curtain and saw men in black falling to the ground one by one after being shot by arrows.

When the carriage stopped, all the men in black had been shot to death, and the man who shot them was also dressed in black.

A slender woman in black walked out of the crowd, pulled down her veil, and said with tears in her eyes, "Shi Yan, it's me. Have you seen your elder brother?"

"Sister Sumu?" Fu Shiyan got off the carriage and looked at the person in front of him.

"Your eldest brother wrote to me yesterday, saying that he would go to the military camp to discuss our marriage with father today. I was afraid that father would scold him for being rude again, so I went to the military camp, but father said he had not seen him. He also told me that something happened in the Prime Minister's Mansion and he could not use troops without orders, so he had to go to rescue the old Prime Minister himself. I disguised myself and followed father to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but it was too late. When I came out again, I saw someone chasing a carriage. I guessed it was someone from the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Su Mu recalled that every time she went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to play, his wife would make her favorite tea and delicious snacks, which made her, a child who had lost her mother at a young age, feel a different kind of family love.

She and Brother Shi Chen were childhood sweethearts and grew up together. When she came of age, the two families had arranged a marriage for them. They were supposed to get married this year, but now... tears fell onto her veil.

"Sister Sumu, you go back first. I will definitely find my eldest brother. Now I have to go to see the emperor." After saying that, he turned around and was about to get on the carriage.

"Shi Yan, the world knows that you have been burned to death. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. Now the Prime Minister's Mansion has lost everything. Your elder brother's whereabouts are unknown. I can't guarantee that you can even walk to the palace. Such a big thing, the emperor will investigate."

Fu Shiyan knew very well that the result of meeting the emperor was waiting and being protected. His brother had some fame, but because of his chronic illness in recent years, his father taught him martial arts to strengthen his body, and he had not had time to study and practice calligraphy to pass the imperial examinations. How could he compete with the people in the dark? Could he rely on his passion?

Fu Shiyan closed his eyes and suppressed his overwhelming resentment.

"It's not advisable to stay here for long. I'm going to look for your elder brother. If you have any problems in the future, please come to the old place to find me." Su Mu led his people away with tears in his eyes.