Chapter 1031: Behind the Scenes Mastermind

Under the cover of night, Zu An made his way to the vicinity of the Pei manor.

The street where the City Lord's mansion stood was home to high-ranking officials and nobles. With soldiers patrolling everywhere, security here was naturally much tighter than in other areas. Zu An didn't dare to be careless. He skillfully evaded patrolling soldiers multiple times before finally reaching the wall of the Pei manor.

Choosing a secluded spot, he quickly and quietly scaled the wall. Having been there several times before, he navigated the manor grounds with ease, avoiding the guards.

He arrived at Pei Mianman's courtyard. Just as he was about to enter, he suddenly saw a figure climb out from within.

His expression darkened. Was someone attempting to snoop around here?

With a light step, he instantly moved to the person's side, launching an attack.

The other person clearly sensed his presence, twisting their body like a nimble snake to evade his attack. At the same time, a long leg shot out at an incredible angle towards his lower abdomen. Such flexibility was truly astonishing.

Zu An quickly parried, and the two exchanged several moves in quick succession.

"Huh?" Both felt a strange sense of familiarity. Upon seeing the two familiar, trembling forms, Zu An immediately halted his attack. "Big Manman?"

"Ah Zu?" The figure in black pulled down their veil, revealing a charming face that glowed brightly under the faint moonlight. It was none other than Pei Mianman, who looked at him with surprise and delight.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Zu An removed his own mask, looking at her with curiosity.

She was wearing a full night suit in her own home. The suit was quite form-fitting, perfectly accentuating her figure.

He couldn't help but find it amusing; anyone familiar with Big Manman would recognize her just by her figure, rendering the mask pointless.

Pei Mianman's face flushed slightly. She opened her mouth to reply when, suddenly, the voice of a guard echoed from nearby: "It sounds like something's happening over there. Go check it out."

"Quick, come inside with me." Pei Mianman pulled Zu An by the hand, hurrying back into the small building.

"Miss, why are you back again...?" The maid, Hong Zao, looked startled upon seeing Pei Mianman, but then froze completely when she spotted Zu An behind her.

Oh no, she thought, this means I'll have to stand guard outside for another night.

Zu An was also somewhat surprised because Hong Zao wasn't wearing maid's attire; instead, she was dressed in Pei Mianman's clothes, and even her hair was styled similarly.

What exactly were these mistress and maid up to?

A role reversal?

Pei Mianman quickly closed the door and swiftly began to undress.

Zu An's expression froze. "Uh, there's no need to rush so much, Hong Zao is still here."

Pei Mianman rolled her eyes at him but offered no reply.

Realizing that she was wearing her usual clothes beneath the night suit, Zu An immediately understood his mistake.

"Miss, there seemed to be some commotion over here just now. Are you alright?" A guard's voice called from outside.

"I'm fine," Pei Mianman said, opening the window slightly and leaning out halfway. "Haven't I told you not to come near my courtyard unless there's an actual problem?"

"It's because Master is concerned about your safety, Miss, which is why he recently assigned extra men to patrol the area," the guards quickly replied, bowing their heads. Even with just a fleeting glimpse, they couldn't help but marvel at how truly beautiful she was.

"Your cultivation levels aren't even as high as mine, so who's protecting whom, exactly?" Pei Mianman scoffed. "Don't disturb my rest."

With that, she slammed the window shut.

The guards weren't upset; after all, few people in the entire manor had the privilege of speaking to the young lady like that.

Ah, the young lady truly was magnificent.

"Search the vicinity," one guard instructed, "and make sure no scoundrels disturb the young lady." While none of them harbored improper thoughts, they instinctively wanted to do more to ensure her safety.

Just then, two wild cats suddenly darted out from nearby, hissing and snarling at each other.

"Oh, it's just cats fighting," the guards said, breathing a sigh of relief. They bowed towards the small building and quietly departed.

Zu An withdrew his hand, which had been using the jade cong to control the wild cats, and smiled at Pei Mianman. "They were just concerned about you. Why are you so rude to them?"

Pei Mianman rolled her eyes. "It's all because of you! If I were polite to them, they'd constantly be showing their faces around here. What if they ran into you?"

"You have a point." Zu An chuckled wryly, then pulled out a bag of pastries and handed them to Hong Zao. "Here, take these. These are the pastries I promised to bring you last time."

"Oh my, these are the most popular pastries from Xu Ji! You can't even get them on weekdays without queuing for ages!" Hong Zao exclaimed, taking the bag and involuntarily swallowing. "Thank you, Young Master-in-law."

"Good girl, Hong Zao." Hearing her call him "Young Master-in-law" immediately put Zu An in a good mood.

These pastries were a gift from Yu Yanluo when he left the Yu manor; he was simply passing them on to Hong Zao as a gesture.

"You just got here and you're already trying to charm my personal maid," Pei Mianman interjected, sounding a little jealous. "So, what gift did you bring for *me*?"

"I'll treat you to a lollipop later," Zu An said with a grin, taking her hand.

"Pah!" Pei Mianman's face flushed, and she quickly pulled her hand away from his.

Hong Zao, standing nearby, heard mention of food and immediately started to drool. "What's a lollipop? Can I have some?"

Pei Mianman frowned. "This doesn't concern you. Go downstairs and get some sleep."

With that, she gently pushed Hong Zao towards the stairs.

Hong Zao simply said, "Oh," thinking to herself how stingy her mistress was for not sharing the lollipop, and how generous Young Master-in-law was for bringing her so many delicious treats.

With that thought, a wide smile spread across her face.

After Hong Zao had gone downstairs, Pei Mianman couldn't resist glaring at Zu An. "Don't say such things in front of Hong Zao in the future. She's still young."

Zu An paused. "She's not small at all."

He recalled Hong Zao's rather well-developed figure, musing to himself if the water the mistress and maid drank was particularly nourishing, explaining why they were both so... well-endowed.

Pei Mianman was speechless.

Sensing her sharp glare, Zu An finally caught on. He gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject. "What exactly are you two up to? She's wearing your clothes, and you're in a night suit?"

Pei Mianman replied, "Wasn't there a huge commotion in the city earlier today? I heard someone led county troops to besiege your temporary residence, and I was worried something might happen to you. But my father had locked down the entire Pei manor, not allowing anyone to leave. So, out of desperation, I had to sneak out, having Hong Zao pretend to be me here in case anyone checked. Who knew I'd run into you just as I got out?"

Zu An's heart immediately warmed, and he clasped her small hand tightly. "Manman, you're so good to me."

"Are you alright?" Even though he stood safely before her, Pei Mianman was still worried, inspecting him from head to toe, afraid he might have sustained an injury.

"I'm fine..." Zu An then briefly recounted the events that had transpired earlier.

"You suspect Jian Taiding is behind this?" Pei Mianman nestled into his embrace, her peach blossom eyes flickering like the brightest stars in the night sky.

"He's certainly the most suspicious right now, but I still feel like something isn't quite right," Zu An said, frowning. "Oh, by the way, does Zhao Zhi visit your house every day?"

Pei Mianman's face flushed slightly. "Don't overthink it; I haven't seen him at all."

"That's exactly the issue," Zu An said, slapping his thigh. "While Zhao Zhi might be a bit disreputable, he's still the Crown Prince of Qi. He wouldn't humble himself to be such a sycophant. So, it's very odd that he keeps coming to your house every day."

Pei Mianman's expression changed. "Are you suspecting my father?"

"Not necessarily," Zu An mused for a moment before asking, "Who does he meet every time he visits your house these days?"

"My father and *that woman*, of course," Pei Mianman huffed, privately reluctant to call the latter 'mother'. "Oh, and sometimes her father also comes over to see his grandson."

"Yu Xuansu?"

"Yes."

Zu An's brows furrowed. Yu Xuansu was the Sima of the Governor's Prefecture. Below the Governor, the ranks were Chief Clerk and Sima. Since Chief Clerk was Jian Taiding's original position, Yu Xuansu was now effectively the second-in-command of the Governor's Prefecture.

Could it truly be connected to the Yu family?

The image of that flawlessly beautiful face involuntarily surfaced in his mind. If that woman were the mastermind, he mused, her acting skills would likely put all Oscar-winning actresses combined to shame.

"Hey, what are you doing with your hand? It's so cold..." Pei Mianman suddenly noticed something amiss. She looked down and was instantly filled with both shame and annoyance.

"I couldn't help myself," Zu An chuckled, his actions undeterred.

Pei Mianman bit her lip and gently pushed his hand away. "Not today, I'm on my period. How about I ask Hong Zao to come up and keep you company instead?"

"I'm not an animal," Zu An replied, naturally avoiding such a subtly dangerous proposition. "It's fine. Even when you're on your period, there are other ways to have fun."

Pei Mianman looked utterly bewildered.

Soon, she felt a sudden chill as her clothes began to slip away.

...

"Hold it yourself."

...

"Ugh... and you said you weren't an an... animal."

...

Meanwhile, back at the temporary residence, Pei You entered the prison cells. As the supervisor, the guards outside naturally did not stop him.

Inside the cell, Zuo Su was seated cross-legged on the bed, recuperating. Sensing the disturbance, he opened his eyes. "Are you here to interrogate me again? I've already told you everything there is to tell. There's no point in asking more."

Pei You didn't reply, his eyes merely glinted with an unusual light as he stared silently at Zuo Su.

Zuo Su's expression suddenly shifted dramatically. "It's you!"