As the woman’s thin, small figure vanished into the mouth of the alley, the young Commander in his black armor lightly nudged his horse’s flanks. He led the carriage containing Old Madame Su away from the wharf. Seeing this, the bearded Deputy Commander hurried ashore to begin the cleanup, seemingly unwilling to spend another moment with the remaining members of the Su family.
Catching a glimpse of Qiu Ling riding away in her peripheral vision, Su Muhe finally withdrew her gaze.
Her subtle movement did not escape Su Muzhi, who let out a cold, mocking sneer.
“Even at a time like this, you still have the face to look at a man?”
Su Muhe ignored her. Instead, she patted the dust from her knees and stood up on her own.
“Deputy Commander Lu was right. The Su family is at a critical juncture. If Sister has vented enough, you should compose yourself. Do not let others make a laughingstock of us. Once we return to the manor, if I am to be punished by family law, I will accept it.”
The woman’s voice remained soft, her expression still that of the quiet, law-abiding girl she had always been. Yet, whether it was the words she spoke or the aura she projected, everything seemed entirely different.
Even the Su family’s managers and servants could see it; how could Su Muzhi not notice?
However, people are often unable to shift their perception of someone they have known for years in a short time. Su Muzhi merely assumed her concubine-born younger sister was someone who couldn't handle the storm—that she had broken before the final moment and was only feigning composure because she was desperate to flee.
“What? Now you’re worried about being embarrassed? Did you think about this day before? I suggest you wise up. The only thing you can rely on is the Su family. If the Su family falls, do you think that Qiu boy will spare you a second glance?”
“The one who repeatedly made baseless assumptions and shouted is you, Sister. From beginning to end, I have not said a single improper word. If we are to speak of embarrassment, it is Sister who should be worried.”
If Su Muhe had previously been like a fishhook hidden beneath the water, blurred and indistinct, that hook had now broken the surface. To touch it was to be snagged to the bone.
Su Muzhi was stunned. Before she could react, Su Muhe had stepped directly in front of her.
“It is true that you and Brother can rely on the Su family. But for me, the only thing I can rely on is myself.” Su Muhe’s voice was gentle, whispering almost directly into Su Muzhi’s ear. “Earlier on the boat, for some reason, I felt the air was terribly damp and cold. I wanted to tell Shangqu to add a brazier of charcoal to warm the room, but I was rebuffed by the boatman. He said I was delicate and couldn't stand a bit of wind. I thought then—if Sister were there, what would a single brazier matter? You could have demanded one even in the height of summer.”
In all the years they had lived together in the manor, this was the first time Su Muzhi had heard her quiet sister speak so much at once. She had always believed that this silent, non-competitive sister was naturally mute and had nothing to say.
But looking at her now, it wasn't that Su Muhe had nothing to say; it was that she had spent years habituated to keeping her words buried in her heart.
The crowd of servants and managers kept their heads bowed, yet their eyes couldn't help but drift toward the two sisters. They couldn't hear what Su Muhe was saying, but they saw Su Muzhi—who usually had the final say in everything—wearing an expression of unprecedented stiffness and dread.
“Save these words for Father. Everything I have obtained is what I deserve. If you have the ability, come and take it yourself. Talk is cheap.”
Su Muzhi finally found her voice. Having spoken, she turned away unceremoniously to leave, only to have her arm seized by Su Muhe.
Su Muhe’s strength was terrifyingly great; for a moment, Muzhi couldn't break free. When she turned her head, she met a pair of eyes as misty as a spring rain.
“Actually, as early as Yinma Beach, I sensed there were people at the wharf. I knew why they had come, but I felt that with Sister’s wisdom and methods, you would surely be able to settle everything. I thought I only needed to stand obediently to the side and watch, as I always do. I just didn't expect...”
“You did it on purpose?” Su Muzhi whipped her head around. Her eyes, bloodshot from staying up all night, were filled with disbelief. “You did it on purpose, didn't you? You clearly knew that if today’s matter was exposed, the Su family would face disaster, yet you still allowed that thief onto the cargo ship to lure the Commander here. You did it just to drag Father and me down! All these years the Su family has provided you with food, clothing, and protection. You merely felt a bit mistreated, and now you dare point your spear at your own family? Do you have no conscience? Are you even a member of the Su family?!”
Over twenty years of neglect, bullying, and silent oppression were now reduced to the trivial phrase "a bit mistreated." Su Muhe almost wanted to laugh out loud.
But she knew she couldn't. She simply stared at the expression on Su Muzhi’s face, not wanting to miss a single detail.
“What is Sister saying? I don't understand. I have been of one mind with you from start to finish.” After saying this, Su Muhe leaned close to her sister’s ear again, her tone sincere. “I am also doing this for the good of the Su family. Sister has managed the household for all these years; has Father ever truly appreciated your efforts? Isn't the seal for the family business still kept with Brother? Why not let your younger sister try taking over this thankless task? Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west. You are so clever; you will understand this truth one day.”
Su Muzhi’s face turned pale instantly, as if she had finally understood everything in that moment. Shaking, she reached back and grabbed Su Muhe’s wrist, her ten fingers squeezing with such force that her crimson nails nearly dug into the other woman’s flesh.
Su Muhe let out a perfectly timed cry of alarm and stumbled backward as if about to fall. Seeing this, Shangqu immediately rushed forward to support her mistress. Su Muzhi refused to let go, pulling and shaking Su Muhe while screaming in rage.
“Su Muhe! You... you are truly something!”
Shangqu struggled to protect Su Muhe, turning to shout at the stunned servants and boatmen on the wharf.
“The Eldest Miss has been traumatized and has lost her mind! Why are you just standing there? Pull her away!”
Several servants hesitated, but then Guo Rengui, who had been shrinking in the corner, suddenly straightened his back. He raised his voice and barked an order.
“What are you dazed for? Can't you see the Second Miss is being beaten? Pull them apart!”
The Second Miss was being beaten? Did that even matter?
But today was clearly different from the past. Everyone froze for a second, then read the definitive signal on Guo Rengui’s face. They swarmed forward like a hive of bees, dragging Su Muzhi away as if she were a dead dog.
Poor Su Muzhi had been raised like a precious pearl, pampered with fine food and clothes. She prided herself on being a master of business and household management, a figure of absolute authority in the Su family. When had she ever been treated like this in public? In that moment, fury attacked her heart; she clutched her chest, gasped for air, and fainted.
Supported by Shangqu, Su Muhe slowly stood up. She looked down at the red finger marks on her arm and spoke calmly after a long pause.
“Sister has been overtaxed by worry these past few days, and just now her anger flared too fiercely. She needs to recuperate for a while. Manager Guo, please take her back to the manor and settle her in a quiet courtyard.”
Guo Rengui immediately complied with subservience, shouting orders to get things done. There was not a trace of his previous "wait-and-see" opportunism. Or perhaps, this was the highest level of opportunism—the wind hadn't even fully picked up, yet he had already firmly grasped the helm.
A few other managers who usually worked under Su Muzhi had followed her off the cargo ship. Seeing this situation, they couldn't quite wrap their heads around it. After a long while, one of them finally spoke up hesitantly, as if trying to confirm something.
“We don't know when the Eldest Miss will wake up. Regarding the monthly accounting...”
“Has Manager Fang grown muddled with age?” Su Muhe’s voice was suddenly louder than it had ever been. Though she still looked like a frail willow in the wind, her features seemed to unfurl with newfound clarity. “Is the person standing before you not a member of the Su family?”
Manager Fang finally understood where the climax of today’s grand drama lay. He hurriedly bowed and saluted the woman before him with deep respect.
“Forgive me, Second Miss. This servant understands.”
Shangqu arched a delicate eyebrow, showing a hint of the authority usually reserved for a head maid.
“Then what are you waiting for? Get to work.”
The crowd looked at each other, clearly harboring many concerns about the current situation. For a moment, no one moved.
Seeing this, Su Muhe simply stood there and began to calmly delegate the tasks that needed to be handled. She explained the various matters in order of priority, without a single pause or hesitation from start to finish. Her logic was clear and her arrangements were sound; she was not inferior in the least to Su Muzhi, who was famous for her decisive efficiency.
There was one other major difference: from the managers and head maids down to the boatmen and laborers, she could accurately call every single person by their name. One must know that the former Su Muzhi only ever gave orders; she only asked for names when it was time to assign blame.
The expression of submissive resignation had vanished from the Second Miss’s face, replaced by a calm confidence. It took her only the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn to tidy up the mess Su Muzhi had left behind. She then distributed the accompanying carriages and horses to the managers and servants who needed to travel quickly, while she herself asked Shangqu for a cloak and began to walk slowly away from the wharf.
Manager Guo Rengui, ever observant of the shifting moods, followed behind with a humble, fawning expression.
“Oh, Second Miss, the way back is not short. Why don't I call a carriage for you...”
Su Muhe did not speak, only frowning slightly. Shangqu immediately understood and turned to block Guo Rengui.
“My lady wishes to walk alone. Manager Guo, doing your own job well is the greatest care you can show her.”
Guo Rengui froze, clearly not yet accustomed to the style of this "newly ascended master." He muttered a few more words before turning to leave.
On the other side of the wharf, the scorched cargo ship had been towed to the bank. Officials newly dispatched from the Prefect’s office had just arrived and were preparing to board for a further search. Meanwhile, Lu Zican had quickly assigned men to the Su manor to search for more clues regarding Kang Renshou’s murder.
In his hand, he held a small booklet sewn from rough-edged paper. The handwriting inside was in a delicate "flower-pinning" small regular script, making it impossible to associate the writing with the person who held the pen. Because of his previous military punishment, the hand he used to hold the pen was still shaking slightly. He was using a deer-hair brush to carefully cross out the last item on a list when a soft female voice suddenly sounded not far ahead of him.
“Deputy Commander Lu.”
Lu Zican looked up to see Su Muhe, draped in a light green cloak, watching him with her maid by her side.
This Second Miss of the Su family didn't seem to have had much interaction with him. When had she learned his name and rank?
Lu Zican blinked and responded politely.
“So it is the Second Miss. May I ask what business you have with me? If there is nothing, it would be best to return to the manor with the others. If the Commander seeks someone for questioning later and cannot find them, he will lose his temper.”
Su Muhe smiled faintly, unbothered by the warning in his tone. She asked directly, without any circumlocution.
“Has the Commander already returned to his residence?”
The woman appeared very well-mannered, standing exactly five paces away from him, refusing to step an inch closer. But considering the scene that had just played out on the wharf and this current inquiry...
Lu Zican cleared his throat and instinctively stroked his beard.
“The Commander is devoted to the case and has been working tirelessly outside these past few days. Now that there is progress, he should be returning to his own residence to continue the interrogation. If Miss Su has official business regarding the case, you may send someone to the residence to find him during the day.”
His words were polite, but the underlying meaning was clear: *If it is private business, do not go. Do not go after dark. And do not go in person, lest it be improper and cause misunderstandings.*
Yet Su Muhe seemed entirely oblivious to his deeper meaning. She merely lowered her head, her expression tinged with a touch of sorrow.
“Deputy Commander Lu, please do not blame me for being forward. It is just that such things have happened in my family, yet I was unaware and powerless to help. I only blame myself for being too concerned with the face of my father and brother that day, failing to share more of what I saw and heard. Otherwise, Sister would not have acted so willfully and brought us to this point. Right now, I truly do not know how to face the Commander. I can only prepare some small gifts another day to apologize at his door, as a token of gratitude for his hard work these past days...”
Her own sister had humiliated her in public, and her fiancé-to-be had cast her aside without a word. Yet this young girl, whose family had just met with disaster, could speak these words without a change in expression. What kind of soul was hidden behind that gentle and quiet face?
Lu Zican’s expression was complicated, but after a moment, he said politely.
“The Second Miss worries too much. My Commander only recognizes justice; he will never implicate the innocent. As for these small gifts...”
He paused here, the scene of him sharing fish soup with several colleagues in the back garden that day flashing through his mind.
That slow-simmered fish soup had been truly delicious, without a hint of fishiness. But his Commander had already warned him not to accept such things again. He could only put on a serious face and refuse.
“As for the gifts, there is no need. The Commander has said that we must not accept things from the citizens for free; even food is improper. In any case, I thank the Second Miss for her kind intentions and will accept them on my Commander’s behalf in spirit.”
“Then so be it.” Su Muhe did not press the matter, speaking with perfect poise. “Please tell the Commander that Muhe is willing to cooperate with the investigation on behalf of the Su family. If there is anything Sister did improperly, I hope the Commander will be patient. We will have many days to interact in the future; Deputy Commander Lu need not be so distant.”
The future? After what happened today, could there still be a "future" between the Qiu and Su families?
Lu Zican stood dazed in place until the woman in the cloak departed with her maid’s support. Only then did he snap out of it.
*Appearances can be deceiving.* He had understood this truth since he was very young. It was true for himself, it was true for this Second Miss of the Su family, and it was true for that brat who had broken into the Commander’s residence that day...
Speaking of which, he had thought he would inevitably run into that person today, but after all this commotion, there was no sign of them. Could they be hiding somewhere again, brewing some wicked scheme, waiting for him to let his guard down before jumping out to catch him off guard?
Lu Zican shuddered. The brush in his hand suddenly left a smudge on the rough-edged paper. He muttered a few more times, trying to wipe it away with a finger, only to find it was beyond saving. He simply tore the page out, folded it, and tucked it into his sleeve. Then, without showing any annoyance, he began to transcribe the contents of the page onto a new sheet, word for word.
After walking dozens of paces away, Shangqu finally slowed her steps.
“Miss, the Commander has already left. Should we head back as well? If the government officials come looking for us later...”
Su Muhe shook her head gently.
“No rush. It’s hard to say what will happen later, but for now, I have made things clear to Lu Zican. He won't find it easy to keep a blatant eye on us. Just walk with me along the river for a bit.”
Shangqu looked up at the sky.
“But... it looks like it’s going to rain.”
Su Muhe thought for a moment, a faint smile appearing on her face.
“That’s perfect. While Manager Guo hasn't left yet, go and get that umbrella for me.”
That umbrella. That umbrella again.
Ever since she got that tattered umbrella, the Miss took it almost everywhere, whether it was sunny or rainy. Even in a situation like this, the first thing the Miss thought of was still that umbrella.
Shangqu pursed her lips, looking somewhat reluctant, but she eventually turned and hurried away.
Su Muhe turned to look toward the wharf. The flow of people had thinned considerably; only the moored boats remained, swaying quietly with the river’s current. On the other side, the shallow beach where the reeds swayed was even quieter, with nothing but a few water birds.
Decades ago, Yinma Beach had been the liveliest place on this riverbank. But now, it had become a forgotten corner. Except for days like today, no one spared it a second glance.
Perhaps in another few decades, the entire Huan River would flow through a different path, and the bustling wharf of Jiugao City beneath her feet would cease to exist.
But what did it matter? At least for now, this river was flowing in the direction she had anticipated, just as she had hoped.
Su Muhe watched for a while longer before finally setting off toward Yinma Beach.
***
