Zi Yu was tight-lipped; under ordinary hands, she would likely never have yielded.
But unfortunately for her, she was facing Zhang Lei.
His specialty within their organization was torture.
His methods were no less formidable than those of the Dali Temple prison or the Ministry of Justice's dungeons.
Perhaps only slightly less so than the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
His formidable skills, meant for slaughtering bulls, were applied to Zi Yu, a mere chick, and he subdued her in a single round.
Despite Zi Yu's unassuming appearance, the words she spoke stunned Zhang Lei.
Without even changing his clothes, he rushed to the backyard to inform Zhang Yu, urging her to quickly summon their lord.
He had important matters to report.
Zhang Yu glanced at the closed door, hesitating.
The commotion from that room last night had been considerable, continuing for most of the night. To be woken after only a few hours of sleep, was it appropriate?
While she was still hesitating, movement had already begun within the room.
Su Xiao Qi gently nudged Shen Yun, who was holding her tightly, and softly said, "Husband, Zhang Lei is here. It must be something very important."
Shen Yun had also heard, but with the warmth and softness of his wife in his embrace, he didn't wish to move.
With Su Xiao Qi's nudge, a certain part of him began to stir again. He rolled over, intending to pin Su Xiao Qi down, but she saw through his intentions and rolled away into the depths of the bed.
She even kicked him, "Hurry up and get dressed, don't let them laugh at us."
Shen Yun sighed, leaned over, stole a fragrant kiss, and then put on his clothes and got up.
With Shen Yun taking charge, Su Xiao Qi didn't have much to worry about. He returned quickly.
His expression was grim, clearly indicating he was in a bad mood.
"How was it?" Su Xiao Qi asked.
She was certain Shen Yun's mood was directly related to what Zi Yu had confessed.
"Do you know about the 'Wang' maiden?" Shen Yun asked Su Xiao Qi with a grave expression.
"The 'Wang' what?" Su Xiao Qi was bewildered.
A fishnet? The internet?
However, she quickly reacted.
The term struck her as familiar. She suddenly recalled someone mentioning it in the original storyline.
But it was only a fleeting mention, never brought up again.
Therefore, she couldn't recall it immediately.
"Zi Yu confessed that she is part of an organization called 'Wang'," Shen Yun stated.
Su Xiao Qi blinked. An organization called 'Wang'.
Her knowledge of this organization was limited to its name.
Beyond that, she knew nothing.
Yet, her heart tightened involuntarily. For some reason, even though she didn't understand 'Wang'.
Upon hearing its name, her heart felt as if it were being clutched by something, making it difficult for her to breathe.
She pressed Shen Yun, asking what kind of organization 'Wang' was.
"Zi Yu is an outer member, so she doesn't know many details about the inner workings."
Shen Yun explained, detailing how Zi Yu was recruited.
When Zi Yu was still with Meng Ya, someone had already approached her.
But at the time, out of instinctual fear, she had refused.
Later, after arriving at their home, she harbored other intentions. When she was demoted from her position as a head maid, she felt resentment.
Once, while out buying thread and needles, she was stopped by a street vendor. After a brief conversation.
They learned all about her and began to indoctrinate her. Indeed, after just a few words, they convinced her.
In the initial stages of joining, she had nothing to do, yet received two taels of silver each month.
Gradually, they had her report everything happening within the household.
Finally, someone contacted her, asking her to assist Mei Xin in the front yard.
"Is that all?" Su Xiao Qi found the so-called 'Wang' organization to be quite ordinary.
They didn't employ any special methods, relying solely on the actions of the maids in various households.
Their schemes were truly malicious.
"It is likely that the person who attempted to assassinate Bao Ge'er during the Dragon Boat Festival was also from this 'Wang' organization."
Su Xiao Qi connected the dots.
She had long suspected that those people must have come from the same place.
Thinking of the name of the woman who jumped into the river, Su Xiao Qi's heart clenched.
Alas, it was her oversight. She should have realized long ago that Mei Xin was also from that place.
Otherwise, their names would be too much of a coincidence.
"What are your plans, husband?" Su Xiao Qi asked, though in her heart she thought that in her previous life, Shen Yun must have encountered similar situations.
From what she could gather, 'Wang' was not currently clear on who they were serving.
But since they were not allied with Shen Yun and his faction, they were certainly not aligned with Prince Duan.
It was highly possible that they were with the Crown Prince, but not necessarily.
"We will remain still for now, keep Zi Yu here, and guard her strictly," Shen Yun stated.
He told Su Xiao Qi that he intended to use Zi Yu to lure out the person behind her.
Su Xiao Qi nodded, calling it a good plan.
It was the only way. After all, the methods of the 'Wang' organization were too clandestine.
If Shen Yun hadn't been vigilant and interrogated Zi Yu thoroughly, they would likely still be unaware of who was plotting against them from the shadows.
Their actions were so underhanded that they must not be alerted, lest they spook the snake.
After the two had discussed their plans, Shen Yun directly summoned the elusive Zhang Feng and instructed her to watch over Zi Yu.
If she saw Zi Yu meeting with anyone, she was not to reveal herself but to follow them and seize the opportunity to gather more information.
With the arrangements made, Shen Yun suddenly turned and embraced Su Xiao Qi.
Su Xiao Qi was startled by this sudden display, patting his strong chest and exclaiming indignantly, "What are you doing? You scared me."
"Wife, do you know what day it is today?"
Su Xiao Qi hooked a finger, thinking about the date. What day was it today? The ninth of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival...
Uh, no. Her birthday was on the ninth of the ninth month.
She deliberately tilted her head, looking at Shen Yun as she leaned against his shoulder, and whispered, "What day is it today?"
Shen Yun saw that she was playfully teasing him, cupped her chin, lowered his head, and gently pecked her.
"Today is my day off."
Su Xiao Qi had been full of anticipation, but this news left her momentarily stunned.
"Day off? Day off? You have three days off each ten-day period, which are usually at the end of the period, aren't they?"
Typically, it was the tenth, twentieth, and end of the month.
Today was the ninth, so it seemed a bit early for a day off.
"I've requested a day's leave from His Majesty. I want to take you out of the city for a walk," Shen Yun said, pulling Su Xiao Qi towards the door.
"Hey, what are we going out of the city for? I just went to the Liu Yuan yesterday." She didn't feel like going today.
"Yesterday was yesterday, today is today." Shen Yun, without further ado, led her to inform Madam Zhao, pulled her into the carriage, and they set off.
The carriage traveled for a full hour before reaching their destination.
Su Xiao Qi saw the surroundings were lush and green, with rolling hills in the distance, clearly indicating they had arrived in the suburbs.
Where was this?
"Western suburbs," Shen Yun replied curtly.
Then he pointed to a row of large manors not far ahead.
"Let's go in!"
Su Xiao Qi blinked her eyes. Looking out, the manor ahead was enormous, occupying an area of at least a hundred mu.
Behind it were mountains and vast tracts of farmland.
"Is this your friend's place?"
Shen Yun stroked her chin, smoothing her slightly wrinkled clothes, and said gently.
"This is your manor, wife."
"Ha?" Su Xiao Qi was confused.
"Today is your birthday, a gift from your husband," Shen Yun whispered into Su Xiao Qi's ear, his voice tender.
Su Xiao Qi's heart trembled violently. She had thought Shen Yun didn't remember at all, but he had remembered, and prepared such a thoughtful birthday gift for her. She was immediately overcome with emotion.
"You, you still remember."
"Your birthday only comes once a year, how could your husband forget it!" Shen Yun smiled mischievously, his lips lightly brushing her cheek, causing a flush to spread across her face.