The young man calmly answered her question this time, no longer acting indifferent. However, his tone sounded perfunctory, as if admitting to having a poor character would make her let him go.

The physician sneered and exposed his lie, saying, "Nonsense. This is obviously a fall injury."

The young man let out a soft scoff and said nothing.

After observing him for a moment, the physician glanced at him sideways. "Did you reset this leg yourself?"

The young man remained silent, clearly acknowledging it.

The physician, annoyed, scolded him, "What a reckless act! Have you even learned how to do this? You're lucky your leg isn't crippled!"

The young man responded with an indifferent "Mm."

While he remained unconcerned, the young girl beside him was extremely worried.

"Doctor, is his leg injury serious? Can it be healed?"

The physician glanced at the girl, his temper softening slightly. "Yes, as long as he rests and takes care of it."

Qiao Shuyue let out a sigh of relief.

Since he needed treatment, she asked the physician to examine him thoroughly. However, given the difference between men and women, it was inappropriate for her to stay. As soon as Qiao Liang pulled her out of the inner room, someone hurriedly entered from outside.

One of Qiao Liang's guards recognized the newcomer and was momentarily stunned. "Why are you here?"

The siblings turned to look.

The visitor clasped his hands in greeting. "Second Young Master, Miss Yue, I am from Fourth Young Master's courtyard. He instructed me to ensure that you both return home before noon."

Before noon?

Qiao Liang glanced outside at the sky. The sun was directly overhead—not early, not late, just on time.

Puzzled, he turned to Shuyue. "How does Fourth Brother know we're here? Did you arrange to meet him?"

Qiao Shuyue's face paled slightly. She shook her head and murmured, "Fourth Brother must have... must have already figured everything out."

Others might not know, but she did—her Fourth Brother had always been exceptionally intelligent. As a concubine's son, like Second Brother, he wasn't burdened with family responsibilities.

While Second Brother was carefree and idle, Fourth Brother was diligent and studious. However, he kept a low profile, never seeking attention. His talent and strategic mind were well hidden. If not for the events of her past life, she would have never realized how deep and unfathomable Qiao Yu truly was.

It was no surprise that he could guess where she went and what she had done.

"Fourth Brother never does anything unnecessary. We must go back," Qiao Shuyue said anxiously. "Second Brother, wait for me."

With that, she turned and rushed back into the inner room.

Lifting the curtain, she barged in hastily, just about to speak when she suddenly heard the physician exclaim in surprise.

The young man swiftly grabbed his tattered clothes from the side and barely managed to cover his lower body in time.

For once, an embarrassed expression appeared on his face. In the dim room, the tips of his ears quietly flushed red.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Qiao Liang approached. "Yue'er?"

Qiao Shuyue snapped back to her senses, her gaze shifting aside in discomfort. "I... we have to return to the manor..."

Her face slightly flushed as she retrieved a small purse from her sleeves.

In front of the physician, she poured the remaining pieces of silver onto the table.

"This... this is all that's left." She pushed the money toward the physician, pleading, "Uncle Wu, could you take him in for two days?"

Doctor Wu chuckled. "Oh? Now that you need a favor, you're calling me 'Uncle'? Just a moment ago, wasn't it all 'Doctor'?"

This Doctor Wu had come from an aristocratic family and had known Qiao Shuyue's parents since childhood. Their families had maintained ties for decades, even after the Wu family had fallen from prominence.

He frequently visited the Qiao residence to provide medical care and was quite familiar with the family.

Qiao Shuyue lowered her head, embarrassed. "Uncle Wu, you're the best. I won't ask you to do it for free."

Doctor Wu narrowed his eyes at her. "If I took your money, I'd truly be an old disgrace."

He didn't accept the money and instead turned back to check on the young man's leg.

Qiao Shuyue had little time to argue. She couldn't wait for him to change his mind, so she simply left the money on the table and ran off without looking back. As she hurried away, her voice drifted into the inner room.

"Please, don't tell my mother about this! You're the best—"

Since childhood, Qiao Shuyue had bright eyes, a lively spirit, and an endearing presence. Anyone who met her couldn't help but feel protective of her.

Doctor Wu had visited the Qiao residence so often that he, like the rest of the family, treated this little girl as if she were his own.

Though she appeared obedient, her mind was always full of mischievous ideas. Whenever she caused trouble, she often relied on him to cover for her.

As a child, she had a kind heart and frequently brought him stray cats and dogs to heal.

Doctor Wu inserted a needle into the young man's leg and, in a rare moment of distraction, glanced up at him.

Bringing a stray person for him to treat—this was a first.

———

What could have happened at home that made Fourth Brother send someone to summon them?

Qiao Shuyue was filled with unease throughout the journey, mentally preparing for the worst. However, just as the carriage came to a stop, it suddenly swayed and started moving again.

Qiao Liang frowned slightly and lifted the curtain for a look outside.

His personal guard was sitting beside an unfamiliar figure, both driving the carriage toward the back gate of the Qiao residence.

The alley outside the back gate was narrow, making it inaccessible to carriages. It was mostly used by servants and rarely came in handy.

"You are...?"

The unfamiliar servant turned his head and gave a slight nod. "Second Young Master, I am Yu Sheng, one of Fourth Young Master's attendants."

He had a delicate, youthful face, with dimples appearing when he smiled.

Qiao Liang recognized him. Yu Sheng had grown up alongside Qiao Yu, inseparable since childhood. He was one of Qiao Yu's most trusted confidants.

Qiao Liang furrowed his brows. "Where is Fourth Brother?"

Yu Sheng offered an apologetic smile and explained, "The young master didn't say much before leaving. He only instructed me to wait for you here and to take you through the back gate as per his orders."

"He's not at the residence?"

Yu Sheng nodded. "The young master has gone to Anji Temple to see Madam."

He hesitated for a moment before cautiously adding, "He also said that both of you know exactly why you went out today, and that it's best to be careful. If you don't want to be punished, you should listen to him..."

There were actually five more words at the end "Don't ask unnecessary questions." But seeing Qiao Liang's expression darken, Yu Sheng wisely decided to leave it at that.

Qiao Liang stared at Yu Sheng for a long moment before dropping the curtain and sitting back down.

Inside the carriage, Qiao Shuyue had overheard part of their conversation. She anxiously twisted her fingers and said, "Second Brother, we have to listen to Fourth Brother."

Qiao Liang wasn't sure where his sister's absolute faith in Qiao Yu came from, but since she was so insistent, he had nothing more to say.

After stepping down from the carriage outside the back gate, the siblings quietly slipped back into their respective courtyards, accompanied by their personal attendants.

Not long after, Nanny Liu also returned.

Back outside the Qiao residence, she had been separately escorted away, along with the ten strong guards borrowed from Qiao Liang's courtyard.

Now, upon entering, she explained that she and the guards had entered the residence openly through the side gate—another arrangement made by Qiao Yu.

"The servant who claimed to be Fourth Young Master's close aide looked familiar, and he was very serious. I didn't dare delay. When I saw Yu Sheng taking over the carriage, I thought Miss had sought Fourth Young Master's help as an inside man."

Qiao Shuyue gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "I wouldn't dare ask him for help."

Nanny Liu shuddered at the memory. "It's lucky we listened to Fourth Young Master. As soon as we stepped inside, we ran into Madam's personal maid, Nanny Li. She said she saw me leaving with a group of people this morning.I nearly broke into a cold sweat."

Qiao Shuyue's heart pounded as she nervously asked, "Did she see Second Brother and me leave?"

Nanny Liu shook her head. "She didn't mention it, so she must not have. She only saw my back, and you left early—no one noticed."

"She asked why I was taking so many people with me," Nanny Liu said with relief. "Luckily, Fourth Young Master had prepared an excuse for me, so I repeated exactly what he told me to say, and she couldn't find a single flaw in it."

Just as Qiao Shuyue was about to ask what the excuse was, Yuzhu suddenly exclaimed, "Wow! So many koi fish! Nanny Liu, where did these come from?"

Qiao Shuyue looked down and noticed a bucket by Nanny Liu's feet, filled with seven or eight lively, golden-red fish swimming happily.

Nanny Liu chuckled. "This was Fourth Young Master's clever plan. He had someone deliver these fish to me and told me to say ‘The young lady was upset that she didn't catch any fish the day she fell into the water. She heard that there were fish in a small river west of the moat, so she cried and insisted on having people go fish for her.'"

"But since we only have Guard Li in our courtyard, and he can't swim, I had no choice but to borrow men from Second Young Master."

This explained why Nanny Liu had taken ten guards out in such a hurry that morning.

Yuzhu blinked in amazement. "That explanation... sounds completely believable."

If she hadn't known the truth, she would've believed it instantly.

"Exactly. Everyone in the manor knows that Miss fell ill after falling into the water while trying to catch fish. When Nanny Li heard my excuse, she simply laughed and said that Miss still has a child's temperament. After all, the Qiao family is known for being stubborn, so this excuse was perfectly reasonable."

Qiao Shuyue was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't speak for a long time.

Thanks to Qiao Yu's help, no one had noticed that she and Qiao Liang had secretly left the residence.

She never expected that Fourth Brother would help her.

If he was willing to cover for her now, would he also be willing—like Second Brother, to help her bring Xie Zhaoling back?

Afternoon had passed. Qiao Shuyue ate her meal in the room, had a decoction prepared, and fell asleep after taking the medicine.

When she woke up again, she vaguely heard low voices in the room.

Two familiar male voices, and also...

Half-dazed, Qiao Shuyue called out, "Mother?"

Madam Chu turned around abruptly and smiled. "You're awake?"

She reached out to touch Shuyue's forehead, looking satisfied. "No fever this time. Seems keeping you grounded at home was the right decision."

Hearing this, Qiao Shuyue's eyes widened, meeting her mother's gentle gaze.

So, Mother really didn't know she had sneaked out!

"Mother..." Although her mother was unaware, she still felt guilty. Shuyue threw her arms around her and rubbed against her affectionately. "I'm sorry, Mother. I shouldn't have gone out while I was sick."

She shouldn't have left, shouldn't have lied, and shouldn't have dragged her brothers into covering for her.

She was a bad child, but she had no choice.

Because Xie Zhaoling was also an important person in her life, she couldn't just abandon him.

A cough interrupted her thoughts. Qiao Shuyue turned her head and saw her second brother rubbing his neck guiltily.

"Well, uh... I should get going—"

"What's the rush?" A youth, whose voice was still changing, smirked as he grabbed his older brother's arm. "Mother went to Anji Temple this time to pray for blessings for both Yue'er and Second Brother. May the heavens grant you clarity of sight and hearing so you don't keep making reckless mistakes."

Qiao Liang: "..."

Was that a veiled insult? How was he blind, deaf, and reckless? He was just spoiling his little sister! What did Fourth Brother know?

His face darkened. "I'm your elder brother. Show some respect."

Madam Chu scoffed. "As an older brother, you're not even as sensible as your younger sibling. In two years, you'll be of age, yet you still lack composure."

Being scolded by his mother, Qiao Liang didn't dare argue.

He shot a glare at Qiao Yu before lowering his head. "Mother is right."

"I heard from Yu'er that your men went to catch fish for Yue'er? Good. That's how an older brother should be." Madam Chu's gaze was calm. "I won't hold yesterday's matter against you. After all, I also bear responsibility for allowing Yue'er to leave."

Qiao Liang bowed. "Thank you, Mother."

"Aunt Zhao came to plead for you while Yue'er was sick. You are her son, so I understand her anxiety. However, she shouldn't have overstepped her position by bringing her concerns to Yue'er and saying things beyond her status."

Qiao Liang lowered his head.

Madam Chu continued, "But Yue'er pleaded on your behalf, which shows that you have always been good to her. The deep bond between you siblings makes me very pleased. I'll lift Aunt Zhao's house arrest starting today. You may have dinner with her tonight."

"Thank you, Mother!" Qiao Liang was overjoyed, his face lighting up. He imitated Qiao Shuyue, hugging Madam Chu and grinning. "You're the best!"

Then, he happily skipped out the door.

Madam Chu pinched the bridge of her nose in mild frustration.

After checking on her daughter a bit more and seeing that her complexion was normal, she was reassured. She got up and called to Qiao Yu, "Stay and chat with your sister for a while. I have things to attend to."

Qiao Yu bowed respectfully. "Take care, Mother."

The room quickly fell silent.

Qiao Yu stood still for a moment before slowly walking over to the bedside.

Lowering his gaze, he saw the young girl blinking at him innocently.

Then, she leaned in, looped her arm around his, and shyly asked.

"Fourth Brother, you're so smart. Can you think of another way to take me out tomorrow?"

The calm in Qiao Yu's eyes shattered inch by inch. Finally, he lost all patience, placed his palm on her head, and pushed her away in disgust.

———

The next morning, Qiao Shuyue stepped out of the carriage, feeling refreshed.

She looked up at the large sign reading "Wu's Medical Hall" and then turned back with a bright smile at her brother.

"You said I'd find my 'explanation' here." Qiao Yu's gaze was cold as he studied her cheerful expression. "You better mean it."

With his hands behind his back, he walked past her and raised a hand to knock on the door.

But before he could, hurried footsteps sounded from behind.

"Miss Yue!"

A voice, trembling with fear and on the verge of tears.

The siblings turned together.

Qiao Shuyue hesitated. "You're the one Second Brother left here yesterday..."

"Yes, it's me! That boy, he—"

"He's in trouble?" Qiao Shuyue asked urgently.

Her anxious tone made Qiao Yu raise an eyebrow.

The servant, looking utterly distressed, gritted his teeth. "That boy... he escaped!"

Crack!

Qiao Shuyue's heart shattered.