Xie Suzhi.

The name was one Shen Siyi knew all too well.

She didn’t know him personally, but she heard his name often.

Because he was the one Mr. Qi wanted to curry favor with the most. For every festival and holiday, the Qi Mansion would prepare all sorts of gifts to send to the Xie Mansion.

Without exception, the gifts were always returned.

Mr. Qi had privately complained that Xie Suzhi was impervious to persuasion, like an unchewable stone.

As the Emperor’s trusted confidant, countless people tried to curry favor with him, only to be turned away at the door.

Befriending him was next to impossible.

Shen Siyi had also heard that several military officers close to Mr. Qi were currently under investigation by Xie Suzhi.

‘So, does that mean Xie Suzhi wore night clothes and snuck into the Qi Mansion that day to find evidence of their collusion with military generals?’

Xie Suzhi intended to uproot everyone involved, root and stem.

No wonder everyone said he was ruthless and merciless.

Seeing the shimmering light in Shen Siyi’s eyes, Xie Suzhi turned to leave. Shen Siyi quickly followed him.

“You can’t leave! Everyone saw me go into the cabin with Marquis Tongping. Now that he’s dead, they’ll think I did it.”

Xie Suzhi glanced at her. “That’s your problem.”

Shen Siyi stomped her foot in anger. “How could you set me up like this?”

Xie Suzhi remained unmoved. He turned and walked away, tossing a remark over his shoulder: “Your taste in men is terrible. First a poor scholar, now this kind of person. Let this be a lesson to you. Maybe next time you won’t be so bold.”

Shen Siyi chased after him, only to see the deck was now filled with guards in black. The group of men who had just been drinking and making merry were all captured and forced to kneel at the bow.

“Let the girls who came to pour drinks today go. Take the rest back for individual interrogation,” Xie Suzhi ordered. The guards immediately complied.

The officials were in a panic, so scared they nearly wet themselves.

“Mr. Xie! Mr. Xie, we’ve been wronged! Marquis Tongping only ever invited us for drinks. We know nothing about his conspiracies or how many bribes he took!”

Xie Suzhi regarded them coldly. “His problem isn’t just simple bribery. It’s potential treason and collusion with the enemy.”

As soon as he said this, the men were dumbstruck.

‘That damn Marquis Tongping was actually committing treason?’

‘We’re screwed because of him!’

The painted boat docked, and the men were led away one by one by the guards, their heads hung in despair.

The bank was already surrounded by government soldiers, and local commoners had gathered to point and gossip.

Guards carried down a stretcher covered with a white cloth, and the crowd immediately erupted in discussion—

“He’s dead already? Good riddance!”

“Yeah, a traitor who colluded with the enemy isn’t worth anyone’s pity.”

“I heard the maids on the boat talking. It seems he was killed by a woman.”

Xie Suzhi’s face was cold. Just as he was about to disembark, he suddenly heard a high, delicate cry from behind him—

“Xie Suzhi!”

He stopped in his tracks and looked back.

He saw Shen Siyi, her hair disheveled and tear tracks on her face, hiking up her skirts and running swiftly toward him.

Before anyone could react, she threw herself into his arms.

Xie Suzhi froze, his narrow eyes widening slightly.

Shen Siyi clutched the lapels of his robes and wailed, “Thank you! If you hadn’t shown up when you did, that bastard Marquis Tongping would have defiled me!”

Hearing this, the surrounding commoners had a sudden realization, and the crowd erupted like water hitting hot oil.

“So, it turns out Mr. Xie killed Marquis Tongping to save the damsel in distress.”

“What a good official!”

Xie Suzhi snapped back to his senses, his brow furrowed tightly as he hissed at Shen Siyi in a low voice.

“You are audacious! Let go!”

“I won’t!” Shen Siyi appeared to be sobbing into his chest, but in reality, her hushed voice was full of defiance.

She lifted her eyes, and only Xie Suzhi could see the triumphant smirk on her face.

“I’m not taking the blame for murder. Everyone knows you’re the one who did it now, and I’m not even wronging you.”

“Are you determined to latch onto me? If you don’t let go, I’ll throw you in the water.”

Shen Siyi blinked her pretty eyes twice. “I doubt you’ll get the chance.”

Xie Suzhi faltered. Noticing the flash of cunning in her dark eyes, he grew wary. “What are you planning?”

“Do you feel something wrapped around your wrist?”

Prompted by her, Xie Suzhi finally looked down at his own wrist.

It was a silver-ring-like bracelet of some unknown material, and it had locked their wrists together!

“Go ahead, throw me in the lake. You can’t unlock these handcuffs without me anyway.”

Xie Suzhi was stunned. “You—!”

Shen Siyi didn’t give him a chance to react. She let out a shriek, rolled her eyes back, and pretended to faint. She leaned back slightly, looking as if she were about to fall into the lake.

Xie Suzhi hastily caught her, lest he be dragged into the water with her.

Seeing him hold the beauty tightly in his arms, the unknowing commoners below cheered and applauded.

“Way to go, Mr. Xie!”

“Mr. Xie! This girl is your destiny!”

Xie Suzhi looked at the beauty in his arms, her eyes squeezed shut, and gritted his teeth. “Shen Siyi!”

She paid him no mind, but the corners of her red lips quietly curled into a smile.

「Many years later」

Xie Suzhi was reading through a diary Shen Siyi had left behind.

He saw that after returning home that day, she had recorded everything that happened.

She had written: “In my third year since transmigrating, I handcuffed a man.”

At that moment, neither of them knew that the other would be their one and only destiny in this life.

…

The affair of Marquis Tongping spread through the Capital City like wildfire.

Once his crime of treason and colluding with the enemy was exposed, it immediately implicated the military officers close to him, revealing the truth of their corruption, bribery, and abuse of power for personal gain.

The Emperor was furious and ordered the extermination of their nine relations. The court was purged from top to bottom, and for his great merit, Xie Suzhi became the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Cangyun Country.

When Shen Siyi returned home, she was not punished. On the contrary, she received a hefty reward from the government as a commendation and appeasement.

Because of this, Mrs. Qi’s attitude toward her softened slightly. Having heard the rumors on the street, she constantly asked about Shen Siyi’s relationship with Xie Suzhi, wondering if it was as ambiguous as the gossip suggested.

Shen Siyi would only smile without saying a word, which made Mrs. Qi feel her attitude was all the more secretive.

In any case, perhaps because of Xie Suzhi, Mrs. Qi no longer oppressed Shen Siyi. Instead, she started keeping a closer watch on Qi Jingchun.

Originally, after that incident, Shen Siyi thought Xie Suzhi would never bother her again.

But to her surprise, he came again one rainy night.

At that moment, Shen Siyi was behind a screen, taking off her clothes and preparing to change into her nightclothes for bed.

The window was pushed open from the outside. A gust of rainy wind blew in, making the candlelight on the table flicker.

Shen Siyi’s gaze snapped back sharply. Through the hazy screen, she saw Xie Suzhi climb in through the window.

She frowned. “There’s a perfectly good door, but you insist on using the window. Xie Suzhi, are you addicted to breaking into a lady’s chamber at night?!”

Xie Suzhi looked up to speak, but when he saw she was wearing only a dudou and loose inner trousers, he immediately averted his gaze.

“Put your clothes on,” Xie Suzhi said, turning his back to her, rainwater dripping from his body. “I need your help with something.”

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