Yan Seventh Young Master lowered his eyes to examine the drawings on the paper.
The illustrations were quite detailed, carefully broken down into five steps.
Image 1: Grappling hook scaling the courtyard wall.
Image 2: Crying and sobbing, seeking a servant to guide the way.
Image 3: Sneaking into the room to lie in wait.
Image 4: Blowing out the candle and making a move.
Image 5: Grappling hook scaling back over the courtyard wall.
Yan Seventh Young Master pointed at the second image: "Step two is where the problem will arise. Yan Rongshi has never ordered the procurement of beautiful women. If a sobbing beauty suddenly appears, the servants will certainly become suspicious."
Ying Xiaoman asked, puzzled, "How do you know I'll encounter a servant who will be suspicious? Maybe they'll immediately send me to that dog official's courtyard to curry favor."
Yan Seventh Young Master gave her an ambiguous glance.
"For such a major matter as avenging blood relatives, it's better to think it through more thoroughly."
He pointed at the paper: "For example, if the servant becomes suspicious, how will you respond? If your response is inappropriate, the servant will shout and alert the guards. How do you plan to deal with this servant? Surely you won't kill them?"
"Of course I won't kill them. If anyone asks, I'll just say..." Ying Xiaoman thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "The madam sent me to the young master's quarters."
Yan Seventh Young Master raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Yan Rongshi's mother passed away many years ago. The servant will definitely ask which madam you're referring to. How will you answer? If your response is inappropriate, the servant will shout again, alerting the guards..."
Ying Xiaoman was bombarded with questions she couldn't answer, and felt somewhat unconvinced.
She knew nothing about the Yan family either, yet hadn't she successfully infiltrated and threatened the Second Young Master Yan, then left without issue?
The Seventh Young Master was good in every way, except he overthought things, scaring her as well.
"Anyway, let's just start doing it," Ying Xiaoman summarized her successful experience infiltrating the Yan family.
"Crouching outside the wall will never allow us to exact revenge. Once we scale the wall, we can improvise. Who knows, it might just work out."
Yan Seventh Young Master: "..."
Whether it succeeded or not, the consequences would be equally terrifying!
"This matter still requires careful consideration," Yan Seventh Young Master took a deep breath and quickly came up with two reasons the other party would accept.
"Don't go to the Yan residence for the next five days. First, I'm busy cleaning house, so it's not convenient to be disturbed; secondly, during this house-cleaning period, the Yan residence will be brightly lit day and night. It won't be suitable for you to use your grappling hook anywhere."
Ying Xiaoman nodded in agreement: "Then we'll wait. I won't bother you for five days, while you catch all the villains in the Yan family who harmed you. Don't let a single bad seed escape."
Under the dim lamplight of the small courtyard, she looked up, her serious expression tinged with expectation:
"You said Yan Rongshi lives under the same family roof as you, but there's a deep blood feud between you. Is he the mastermind behind this recent attempt to harm you? Can you use this house-cleaning opportunity to expose him?"
Yan Seventh Young Master paused: "Probably... not."
"Why not?"
"Because," Yan Seventh Young Master answered slowly, turning his head away in the oncoming spring breeze, his beautiful peach blossom eyes avoiding the attentive young woman before him, and sighed softly:
"He is the new head of the Yan family, with deep roots in the family. I can't shake him."
Ying Xiaoman said with disappointment, "This dog official is quite formidable."
She then consoled Yan Seventh Young Master, "Endure it a bit longer. After you finish cleaning house in five days, I'll go kill him that very night."
Yan Seventh Young Master: "...There's no need to be in such a rush..."
The two continued discussing their new plan under the lamplight, with Ying Xiaoman listening and carefully making deletions and revisions on the paper.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the Seventh Young Master had entered relaxed, yet after sitting under the lamp for a while, his shoulders gradually seemed to grow heavy...
It must have been her imagination. After she put away the revenge plan scroll, the Seventh Young Master took out a tightly wrapped oilpaper package from his sleeve and placed it on the table, opening it.
Inside the oilpaper was a handful of brightly colored cherries.
"These are newly available cherries. The taste isn't exceptional, but they're fresh and cute. I happened to see them this morning and brought some for you to try."
Ying Xiaoman picked up a plump, bright red cherry, examined it curiously for a moment, then put it in her mouth.
The unfamiliar sweet and sour flavor exploded on her tongue, and she immediately inhaled: "Sour..."
"Is it sour when you first bite it?" The Seventh Young Master also picked one up and put it in his mouth to chew.
"Mine is sweet from the start. Try another one."
Ying Xiaoman picked up another one and chewed it skeptically, "Oh, it's not entirely sour, there's quite a sweet aftertaste. It gets better the more you eat."
The Seventh Young Master laughed softly and ate a second one himself.
"Cherries that have just come into season are always sour with a hint of sweetness. In about half a month, you'll be able to eat purely sweet cherries."
"Ah, I see." Ying Xiaoman continued eating a third cherry, enlightened. It was indeed sour at first bite. In the moment she inhaled sharply from the sourness, the initial tart flavor dissipated, and a sweet aftertaste emerged, leaving a fragrant taste in her mouth.
"I've eaten three now, and they're all sour at first, then sweet. How did you manage to pick one that was sweet from the start earlier? Do you judge by size?"
The Seventh Young Master said leisurely, "I was just encouraging you to eat more. Mine was actually sour at first, too."
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
The Seventh Young Master opened the courtyard gate in the sweet cherry-scented air, letting in a lean man in gray robes who had been waiting outside.
"This is Sui Miao. He's been by my side since childhood, so we don't need to avoid speaking in front of him."
Sui Miao bowed deeply and formally performed a grand salute.
Ying Xiaoman was startled, and with half a cherry in her mouth, she hurriedly stood up to help him up, but Sui Miao refused to rise.
"Thank you, Miss Ying, for saving my young master. I have no way to atone for my sins and am incredibly grateful."
Ying Xiaoman looked at the Seventh Young Master's confidant in confusion, and he explained, "On the night I was drunk and got into trouble, Sui Miao went to a nearby restaurant to find hangover soup for me."
"Ah..." So that's what happened.
Sui Miao only stood up after completing three full, formal bows.
The three of them gathered around the stone table under the tree and sat down in turn. Ying Xiaoman continued to eat the sour-sweet, refreshing cherries while listening to the two men talk quietly.
The last two servants who accompanied the Seventh Young Master that night were named Yan Tu and He Huan.
Yan Tu's body surfaced under Dongming Bridge at noon the next day, having drowned with no external injuries. He Huan went missing.
Eight days ago, He Huan's body washed up on the banks of the Bian River, two hundred li downstream from the capital. It was sent back to the city for examination, and it was determined that he had also drowned, with no external injuries.
"Drowned..." The Seventh Young Master pondered, "What were the exact dates of their deaths?"
"The date of Yan Tu's death is very clear. He drowned on the night Young Master disappeared, and his body surfaced in the river the next day at noon. He Huan's body was found in an advanced state of decay, but the coroner's examination still concluded that he died on the night Young Master disappeared."
Ever since Yan Tu's body was recovered, there had been rumors in the Yan family: The Seventh Young Master had fallen into the water while drunk, and the two personal servants, Yan Tu and He Huan, unable to escape punishment, had drowned themselves out of fear of repercussions.
Only because He Huan's fate was unknown, it was difficult to draw a conclusion.
Seventh Young Master: "So, when He Huan's body was found downstream two hundred li away half a month later, it further confirmed the story that I had fallen into the water while drunk and the servants had drowned themselves out of fear?"
"Yes," Sui Miao lowered his head and said, "In the days after Yan Tu and He Huan's bodies were found, but before Young Master reappeared, the clan had almost reached a conclusion and started discussing dates to... erect a cenotaph for Young Master."
The Seventh Young Master laughed as he listened under the lamplight.
But that laughter was different from his usual laugh, carrying a hint of mockery and coldness. Ying Xiaoman watched, feeling it was unfamiliar, and suddenly the sour-sweet cherries in her mouth lost their flavor.
She absentmindedly nibbled on a cherry.
The two deaths in the Yan family turned out to be the servants from the night the Seventh Young Master got into trouble. According to his account, one of them was a traitor who harmed the loyal servant, so how did the traitor end up dead as well?
Yan Seventh Young Master, with that unfamiliar-looking smile, instructed Sui Miao:
"Investigate Yan Tu's background. Thoroughly sift through his family's social connections, extended family details, and any changes in their household. He didn't have the ability to arrange a carriage to leave the city on his own, so someone outside must have given him a substantial benefit, working together to accomplish this plot."
Sui Miao stood up to take his leave, silently exiting.
The two sat down again, and Ying Xiaoman picked through the cherries under the lamplight, looking for ones that weren't sour. She selected thirteen or fourteen, which they shared, and she raised her hand to cover a small yawn.
The Seventh Young Master looked up at the moon in the middle of the sky and also stood to say goodbye.
Before leaving, in addition to returning the paper notes she had given him last time, he brought a few extra and tucked them into Ying Xiaoman's hand.
"I've returned home and don't lack money. These are all from my personal savings, take them and use them."
Ying Xiaoman counted the money by the lamp and found that Yan Seventh Young Master's private funds were all in large denominations of two and five guan. She now had a total of twenty-seven guan in her possession.
Ying Xiaoman put the twenty-seven guan in a hanging basket, then suddenly remembered something. She ran to the stove, took out a small plate of mulberries from a bamboo basket covered with thin bamboo strips, and rushed out the door.
At this moment, Yan Seventh Young Master had already mounted his horse, his cloak and hood concealing his figure thoroughly. It seemed he was going somewhere else late at night.
Ying Xiaoman held out the plate of mulberries in front of his horse. "We bought these mulberries today. Mother said to save some for you, in case you came back tonight. Try them, they're very sweet."
Yan Seventh Young Master loosened his hood, revealing his elegant and handsome features in the moonlight. His upturned phoenix eyes curved with pleasure, their light brighter than the stars above.
"Sweeter than cherries?" he asked with a smile, leaning down from his horse. "Let me try."
Ying Xiaoman held up a bunch of mulberries.
Just as she was about to bring them to his mouth, her hand somehow shifted a few inches, and her fingers touched his warm lips first. Her heart skipped a beat, and her hand froze in place.
But those warm lips pursued, gently plucking the mulberries from her fingertips.
Yan Seventh Young Master sat back on his horse, holding the mulberries between his teeth. His gentle smile in the moonlight was completely different from his expression during the earlier discussion by lamplight.
"Indeed very sweet."
Ying Xiaoman stood by the door holding the plate of mulberries, watching as the horse disappeared around the corner of the alley. The rider waved to her from afar, gesturing for her to go back inside.
It wasn't until the sound of hoofbeats faded into the night that her wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. However, her mood was inexplicably elated, almost to the point of humming a tune.
She turned around happily with the mulberries in her arms—and came face to face with two enlarged faces.
Two figures had suddenly appeared silently by the door, startling her so much she almost spilled the mulberries. Fortunately, the two figures bowed in unison, revealing themselves to be the coachmen who had been helping to guard the house these past few days.
Everyone in the Ying family now knew that the so-called "coachmen" sent by Eleventh Young Master were actually guards, one surnamed Wang and one surnamed Hu, both very capable.
Appreciating their hard work guarding the door day and night, Ying Xiaoman asked politely, "Do you need something, brothers?"
The two guards had complex expressions. "Eleventh Young Master intended to visit earlier, but was refused by Miss Ying. He knows it's because of his inappropriate words and actions in Tongluo Alley. He doesn't know how to make up for his previous mistakes and make Miss Ying change her mind and be willing to see him."
Guard Wang continued to persuade, "For someone of Eleventh Young Master's status to be so humble and sincere is extremely rare. Miss Ying has already refused once, surely you can't actually refuse to see him out of anger. If Miss Ying has any requests—cherries, loquats, rare seasonal fruits and such—you can ask for anything..."
"I already made my request in Tongluo Alley," Ying Xiaoman said curiously. "Yan Seventh Young Master owed four guan, and Eleventh Young Master paid the debt for him. We settled the account face to face. What else does Eleventh Young Master want to see me for? I have no other requests, and I won't see him."
The two guards sighed and said, "We will faithfully report Miss Ying's words."
Ying Xiaoman closed the door and returned to the small courtyard.
Although the two brothers Wang and Hu outside were guarding her family's door, their hearts were with Eleventh Young Master. They kept talking about "someone of Eleventh Young Master's status," which she didn't much like hearing.
The streets of the capital were full of important people. Even Yan Rongshi, the enemy she wanted to kill, was considered an important person. So what?
She continued to sit under the tree, lost in thought, unconsciously adopting Yan Seventh Young Master's usual manner of speech.
"First, I need to get some dark-colored clothes to avoid blood stains being conspicuous when I go down the alley. Second, I need to bring a change of clothes to change inside before climbing out the window clean, to avoid leaving a scent... Ah."
She added another item before the first thing to do: "I need to test the Ministry of Justice's dogs first."
Yan Seventh Young Master left and wasn't seen for several days.
The neighbor, Madam Shen, came to knock on the door and thank them happily.
"My husband has finally received his salary. Sister Ying, you're one of the few sincere people in the neighborhood. Since we moved to the capital, for holidays and festivals everyone either sends stationery and paintings or incense and Buddhist scriptures. This is the first time someone has sent rice and grain."
"To be honest with you, Sister Ying, last time when we were in dire straits, I wanted to pick out some of the gifts from colleagues to send to the pawnshop. My husband wouldn't allow it, saying if colleagues saw them in the shop it would be embarrassing and we couldn't hold our heads up in the capital. Our child couldn't even eat porridge, yet there were still many expensive inkstones on display in the study, gold-leafed scriptures..." As she spoke, she choked up and wiped her eyes.
Ying Xiaoman's adoptive mother sighed upon hearing this. "We're country folk who've known hardship, we don't understand those expensive things in the capital. Country people send things like rice, noodles, meat, and eggs. Just don't laugh at our lack of sophistication."
Madam Shen's eyes were red as she said, "Who would dare laugh at you, Sister Ying? My husband was only transferred to the capital last year. Weren't we living in the countryside before? My father also taught in the countryside his whole life. In my opinion, sending rice, noodles, meat, and eggs is what sincere people do. Not like these sixth and seventh-rank petty officials in the capital, all putting on airs..."
The two stood by the door, chatting back and forth for nearly half an hour.
When her adoptive mother closed the door and came back, she made a rare comment, "Although Madam Shen next door is an official's wife, she's quite sincere. I wasn't wrong before, she really is a teacher's daughter."
Ying Xiaoman was tidying up things at home, with a polished grappling hook hanging from her waist in a leather pouch.
These past few days, heeding Yan Seventh Young Master's warning, she hadn't gone to Changle Alley, worried about interfering with his plans to clean house. But the northern streets of their new neighborhood were unfamiliar, so she wandered around when she had nothing to do.
Firstly, having money gave her confidence. Yan Seventh Young Master had given her so much private funds that she couldn't help but start thinking actively, wondering if there were any butcher shops for sale nearby.
Secondly, although she didn't go to Changle Alley, her enemy Yan Rongshi from Changle Alley must go out sometimes. She would leave the alley entrance every day around 7-9 am, walking slowly along the street, trying her luck. Today's luck wasn't very good; she hadn't encountered him again.
She walked towards the west gate inner street of the Ministry of Justice, buying two meat buns and two oil pastries along the way.
As the Qingming Festival approached, there were already many vendors selling sanzi, a fried dough twist eaten during the Cold Food Festival. When she stopped to buy some sanzi, she suddenly heard an unusual panting sound behind her. Nearby pedestrians quickly moved to both sides, clearing a large empty space on the road.
Two slender black dogs were being led by an official wearing a black robe with red trim and black boots, running across the street panting heavily.
Ying Xiaoman paused in the act of buying sanzi. The Ministry of Justice's dogs!
It turned out the dogs running in front were clearing the way.
After clearing a large area of the road, a long line of sword-bearing officials followed, with the lead official holding clanking shackles. In the middle of the procession was a small blue cloth sedan carried by four people.
Bystanders pointed and commented.
"Another official has committed a crime and is being taken to the Ministry of Justice for trial. The court treats scholars and officials well, maintaining some dignity before guilt is determined by using a sedan to 'invite' them. But look at how the officials in front and behind are closely watching the sedan, with shackles at the ready. If the accused official dares to try to escape, they'll be shackled in public, which would be quite unsightly..."
"I see, you're very knowledgeable," Ying Xiaoman said with sudden understanding, thanking the helpful capital resident.
The person who had explained smiled and said, "You're new to the capital, aren't you, young miss? Stay a few more years and everyone will know. Just last autumn and winter, there was a huge court case involving dozens of officials. Every day on this street there were officials escorting a long line of blue cloth sedans into the Ministry of Justice for trials..."
Ying Xiaoman didn't care about officials committing crimes; she only focused on the Ministry of Justice's dogs.
As the two black dogs gradually ran closer from the distance, she put down the sanzi and broke open the still-steaming meat bun, holding it up to the wind.
The savory aroma of the meat filling wafted out.
Taking advantage of everyone's attention being on the sedan, she tossed half a meat bun to the side of the road.
The two black dogs were running joyfully along the roadside when they suddenly stopped, sniffing vigorously at the half meat bun with their noses, wagging their tails happily.
The officials behind came running up, panting. They scolded the dogs and kicked the meat bun aside. The two black dogs tucked their tails between their legs dejectedly and continued running forward.
As Ying Xiaoman watched, her eyes lit up.
The meat buns worked well!
She wrapped up the sanzi she had bought and put them in her cloth bag, then pulled her bamboo hat down low and followed in the direction the slender black dogs had run.
When the procession of officials reached the front of the Ministry of Justice, they indeed split into two lines.
The blue cloth sedan chair was carried into the yamen, followed by officers with waist swords and chains. Two slender black dogs, familiar with the route, turned into a narrow side alley and slipped through a half-foot bamboo hole in the side door.
The dog-walking officer emerged covered in sweat, complaining to his colleague guarding the side door for half a day.
Several officers stood chatting idly under the shade, none noticing a shadow like a wisp of smoke flashing at the entrance before disappearing without a trace.
"Woof! Woof!"
Five or six hounds in the kennel barked loudly in unison. The officer who had returned from walking the dogs paused his idle chat and cursed with a laugh, "These damn dogs, we walked two of them, and now the other four want to go out too. So noisy."
The dog kennel wasn't crowded, with only two officers busily sweeping and feeding the dogs. No one noticed a slender figure wandering along the corridor, carefully surveying the area.
The intermittent barking suddenly stopped. Then, the sound of brass locks being opened echoed in succession.
Ying Xiaoman sensed something was amiss. She peeked cautiously from behind a pillar, just in time to see the officers unlocking the cages one by one, letting out the remaining four hounds for a walk.
The hounds crouching in the cages had bright, eager eyes, all eight of them staring at the pillar where she was hiding.
Ying Xiaoman: "..." Before the four hounds could be released from their cages, there was a soft click in the corner of the kennel as a gleaming grappling hook latched onto the top of the wall.
"Woof! Woof!" The four released hounds rushed to a corner of the inner courtyard wall, barking loudly in unison.
Several officers stopped their idle chat in surprise and ran to inspect that corner. They found half a fragrant meat bun lying by the courtyard wall.
"These beasts still need more training, getting all excited over half a meat bun," the officers grumbled as they dragged the dogs away. "Who threw their leftover meat bun here? Sweepers, clean it up quickly."
*
There was a soft thud at the top of the courtyard wall.
Ying Xiaoman nimbly jumped down from the adjacent courtyard wall, retracting her grappling hook and hanging the leather pouch back on her waist. She stood in the middle of the courtyard, surveying the quiet little yard adjacent to the dog kennel.
When she finally got a clear view of her surroundings, she was stunned once again.
In a small bamboo grove opposite her stood a young man wearing a moon-white robe.
The man was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a fair complexion, arched eyebrows, and melancholic eyes—staring directly at where she had landed.
For quite some time, as Ying Xiaoman busied herself with putting away her grappling hook, the man remained motionless in the bamboo grove. The shadows of the bamboo leaves danced restlessly on his moon-white clothing, making him look like a spectral apparition unsuited for the daylight.
Ying Xiaoman's lips twitched slightly. She recognized the ghost-like figure standing in the bamboo grove; she had seen him twice before on the street.
—It was none other than Eighth Young Master Yan!
Eighth Young Master Yan spoke in a gloomy tone, "Ignoring the main gate, you enter by scaling walls and eaves. Which family sent you, femme fatale? Go back the way you came. I'm already a cast-off from the Yan family; your honey trap won't work on me."
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
This was the first time she had heard Eighth Young Master Yan speak. His voice wasn't unpleasant, but it carried a tone of bitter self-pity.
Eighth Young Master Yan continued gloomily, "If not a honey trap, perhaps you're an assassin sent to silence me? Very well, to die at the hands of a beauty like you, I can leave this life without regrets." With that, he truly closed his eyes, assuming a pose ready for execution.
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
Eighth Young Master Yan really did look like a ghost. She stood outside the bamboo grove, not daring to enter the eerie forest, and spoke to him from a distance.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm just passing through. You can continue standing in the grove; I'll just squat in the courtyard for a while. Once the dogs next door go out, I'll climb back out the way I came, without disturbing your official duties."
Eighth Young Master Yan's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, revealing a look of suspicion and uncertainty.
"You're just passing through, avoiding dogs? Don't you know I'm imprisoned in this courtyard?"
Ying Xiaoman had already crouched back in the shadow of the courtyard wall. Hearing this, she poked out half her face in surprise.
"You're imprisoned in this courtyard? Aren't you an official of the Ministry of Justice? Who could imprison you..." As she spoke, she suddenly realized something, her eyes widening in shock.
Could it be that the official brought into the Ministry of Justice in the blue sedan chair this morning was Eighth Young Master Yan?!
"Now you know?" Eighth Young Master Yan sneered.
"Yesterday a high official, today a prisoner. I never imagined that a beautiful young lady like you would also fall so low as to scale walls with a grappling hook, resorting to petty thievery."
Ying Xiaoman silently thought to herself that she wasn't a thief scaling walls. She had followed the Ministry of Justice's dogs here, feeding them what they liked to eat, planning to kill the dog official to make her escape easier...
The charge of killing an official was far worse than theft.
She remained cautious, keeping her mouth tightly shut, not letting a single word slip.
Eighth Young Master Yan assumed her silence was confirmation. Stirred by some unknown emotion, he began to lament to himself.
"I thought only I, Yan Gengsheng, was so unlucky in life, but it seems there are beauties as unfortunate as you. We're both fallen souls in this world; why should it matter if we've met before?"
Ying Xiaoman: ?
She had thought Eighth Young Master Yan was just gloomy and taciturn, but now he seemed to be rambling nonsensically.
The barking from the dog kennel next door gradually subsided. She brushed the dust off her skirt and stood up, initially planning to climb back over the wall. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she walked back to the edge of the grove.
"You're from the Yan family. How's your relationship with Yan Rongshi?"
Eighth Young Master Yan replied with self-mockery, "I fell into his hands and was sent to be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. What do you think of our relationship—"
Noticing the young lady's eyes suddenly light up, Eighth Young Master Yan's thoughts also took a sharp turn, "—Why? Do you have a grudge against him?"
Ying Xiaoman replied firmly: "I do. I want to ask about him. Will you answer?"
"First, tell me what kind of grudge? Is it worth my answering?"
"Blood vengeance. I want to kill that dog official Yan Rongshi."
Eighth Young Master Yan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Blood vengeance indeed! Little lady, you really are a femme fatale."
The gloomy air about his brows dissipated somewhat as he walked out of the bamboo grove and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.
"After all, he is my kinsman and brother. I can't help you plan your revenge. But feel free to ask any questions, and I'll answer truthfully."
With their goals aligned—the enemy of my enemy is my friend—Ying Xiaoman immediately sat on the opposite stone bench and excitedly shared her plan, barely containing her excitement.
"At night, I'll use my grappling hook to scale the courtyard wall. Crying and whimpering, I'll pretend to be a fragile beauty offering herself. I'll have a servant lead me to Yan Rongshi's quarters. I'll wait for him inside the room."
"After the dog official enters, I'll suddenly blow out the candle. In the pitch-black room, I'll hit him over the head with a door bolt, then jump out the window, use my grappling hook to climb back over the wall, and it's done. What do you think of my plan?"
Eighth Young Master Yan: "..."
Eighth Young Master Yan's lips twitched, his eyes gradually growing gloomy.
He suddenly stood up, pointing at Ying Xiaoman: "You're actually someone sent by Yan Rongshi, aren't you? Yes, I do indeed harbor deep resentment towards him! But I've never directly attempted to harm him! Imprisoning me in the Ministry of Justice wasn't enough for him, so he sent you with this absurd so-called revenge plan to mock me? My own brother, how ruthless!"
Ying Xiaoman was furious.
She also stood up abruptly, angrily pointing at Eighth Young Master Yan, "If I were sent by that dog official Yan Rongshi, may heaven strike me down! Who are you cursing at? This plan took me several nights to come up with!"
Eighth Young Master Yan: "..."
Eighth Young Master Yan's lips twitched, while Ying Xiaoman's eyes reddened with anger.
The fragile alliance they had just formed sat back-to-back for a while, each catching their breath before continuing to discuss their grand plan of revenge against their common enemy.