Zhou Xuan returned to Jiulianfang around 11 o'clock at night, just after the third watch drum had been struck, a time when people were quiet and the night was deep.

  Zhou Xuan dismounted his horse between the three cypress trees, and walked up the steps of the Qin mansion in the dark. Just as he was about to knock on the door ring, the gate suddenly opened, revealing a warm red glow. A small red lantern emerged, followed by a gentle voice saying: "Zhou - young master, you're back."

  Zhou Xuan saw a beautiful and melancholic face emerge from the darkness behind the lantern, it was Qin Que. She must have been waiting by the door for his return, hearing the sound of him dismounting at the entrance, she quickly opened the door to welcome him.

  Zhou Xuan smiled warmly and said, "Tomorrow we'll find new servants, honest and loyal ones. We can offer them double the salary of others, and let those who left us regret it to death."

  Qin Que heard Zhou Xuan say this, and knew he was confident in rescuing her father. Suddenly overjoyed, she said softly: "Thank you."

  Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "No need for thanks among family."

  Zhen and Lu An heard Zhou Xuan's voice and also came to greet her. Zhen asked: "Zhou sister, has Zhou Gongzi found your sworn brother General Lin? What did he say?"

  Zhou Xuan said: "Waited for half a day, didn't wait for it, saying that the selection show went to Wuning."

  "Ah!" Qin Que couldn't hide the disappointment on his face.

  Zhou Xuan said, "Don't be in a hurry, let's talk after we go inside." As they entered the hall, they saw Madame Qin, Old Yaohuan, and Xiao Huixiang all sitting around an octagonal carved flower table. Xiaodi was already asleep in Madame Qin's arms, with a crystal lamp shining dimly on them.

  "Madam Qin asked: 'Son-in-law, how is it going? Can your father-in-law be released tomorrow?'"

  Except for Xiao Di who had fallen asleep, the other six people stared at Zhou Xuan's mouth with their twelve eyes, waiting for him to speak.

  Zhou Xuan sat down and faced Qin Furen, saying: "I waited for a long time outside Chaoyang Fang but didn't see my brother-in-law. Later, Lin Erniang returned and it turned out that she had helped me find my brother-in-law. She said he went to Wuning and won't be back tonight. Thinking of Father-in-law suffering in prison, I was anxious and couldn't sit still. I heard from Lin Hanyun that her father, Lin Du Hu, values his eldest daughter greatly, so I mustered up the courage to ask for Lin Dajie's help. After many twists and turns, I finally got Lin Dajie to intervene, guaranteeing that my father-in-law would be fine and could leave prison soon."

  "That's great, Brother-in-law is really capable."

  "Really, good son-in-law has worked hard! Son-in-law hasn't come back, the old woman has been restless, son-in-law comes back, the old woman is at ease."

  At this time, Qin Que saw his cousin Lu An get up and walk alone to the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky. He knew that his mother's words had made his cousin very uncomfortable, but Qin Que couldn't comfort him now either. He asked Zhou Xuan: "Which Miss Lin did Master Zhou see?"

  "Ah, does the Lin family have several Miss Lins?"

  "No." Qin Que said: "I'm asking if it's that female Taoist priestess Jingyi?"

  Zhou Xuan said: "Right, right, it's her. I'm also curious, how did Lin Xiaojie become a female Taoist priest? Does Que Er know the reason?"

  Qin Que's face turned slightly red as she heard Zhou Xuan call her "Que Er", and she said, "That is Miss Lin Daoyun's heartache, I don't want to gossip about others behind their back."

  Zhou Xuan let out an "oh" and it turned out that Lin Xiaojie's full name was Lin Dao Yun, with a "Dao" character in it. It seemed that she indeed had a connection to the Xuanmen Taoist sect. Judging from Qin Que's tone, he should be aware of Lin Dao Yun's heart-wrenching past, but he didn't say anything, seemingly intentionally teasing Zhou Xuan.

  Zhou Xuan said: "Lin Xiaojie was still quite gentle, invited me to drink tea, and promised to help me plead for mercy on behalf of my father-in-law when I left."

  "Would you like to have some tea?" Qin Xiao was surprised, Lin Daoyu's tea art was exquisite and her temperament was also proud and aloof. The relatives of the high-ranking officials in Jiangzhou were honored to be able to taste the tea of Jingyi Xianzi, but never had they heard that she invited a young man to have tea?

  Zhou Xuan said: "Yes, it's quite particular, just because it's too particular, I feel uncomfortable, I like to be more casual and free."

  Madam Qin, after all, was getting on in years and couldn't stay up late. Now that she knew Zhou Xuan had invited Lin Daoyu to help out, her mind at ease, sleepiness began to creep over her. She said to Zhou Xuan: "Son-in-law, it's getting late, get some rest early." She let the old servant girl carry Xiaodi and went back to the inner courtyard with Qin Que and the others.

  Zhou Xuan saw Luan An still gazing at the moon and walked over to call out: "Little Luan—"

  Lu An quickly turned his head away, and with a swift motion, he wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. Then, smiling, he said: "Brother Zhou, I also want to thank you. My uncle's affairs were all taken care of by you, and I couldn't even lend a hand. It's really embarrassing."

  Lu An said that, and Zhou Xuan felt that he was not a bad person after all. He didn't become biased to the point of being unreasonable due to jealousy. He patted Lu An's shoulder and said: "Little Lu, that Assistant Professor Jiang wants to bring down Dr. Qin, but Xu Cishi has already made it clear that he won't let him be a doctor. If Dr. Qin gets out of prison without any issues, this Jiang guy will have no way to stay in the medical office. So I'm sure this Jiang guy will jump into action again, and the fake marriage case will stir up more waves. The key to it all will be you - Lu An."

  Lu An jumped in fright: "What is it? Is it me? Why is it me?"

  Zhou Xuan said: "The Jiang surname has bought off Song Dachun, so naturally they know you've arrived at the Qin residence. The reason they didn't drag you out at the time was mainly because you only just arrived these past two days, and can be said to be unaware of the case. Moreover, the Jiang surname thought this case would simply and easily establish Dr. Qin's guilt, but now that the case has turned out unexpectedly, they will definitely cling tightly to you, saying you came to take Miss Qin to Shouzhou for marriage, and you won't be able to avoid going on trial again."

  Lu An was not stupid and naturally understood this truth. His face turned even paler as he asked, "Didn't you say that as long as Lin Xiaojie stepped forward, everything would be fine?"

  Zhou Xuan said, "We must make the worst assumptions and think of all possible loopholes. It's like playing chess - we can't expect our opponent to be blind to our moves. We need to take preemptive action because I don't know what kind of person this Li Daren is. Logically speaking, Xu Cishi has the right to conclude the case, but he says he needs to wait for Li Daren's return. What if this Li Daren insists on making an example out of someone? So we need to be prepared in advance, right?"

  Lu was silent for a moment before saying: "Brother Zhou is right, so I'll leave here tonight and return to Shouzhou."

  Zhou Xuan said: "Sneaking away won't work, if Lord Li believes Jiang's slander and wants to get evidence from you, even if you run back to Shouzhou, they'll still catch up with you."

  Lu An's face was pale with a hint of green, his eyes were filled with fear, this staying also wasn't good, leaving also wasn't good, what could Lu An do?

  Zhou Xuan comforted him, saying: "Don't be afraid, it's nothing serious. If you really have to testify in court, they'll ask you why you came to Jiangzhou and whether it was to marry Miss Qin or not. I think you're a very clever person, Little Lu, and you should know how to answer."

  Lu An nodded silently and slowly turned around to walk towards the house of Ding family.

  Zhou Xuan looked at Lu An's back, shrugged his shoulders, and had a helpless expression. He thought to himself: "This is fate, this is destiny, everything was set in motion when Dr. Qin pulled me into the car by the side of Gan Tang Lake. Life is full of helplessness, we are all pawns being manipulated by fate, it's just that Lu An is a pawn who has been treated unfairly."