At the sight of the final signature on the letter, Shen Mother swayed uncontrollably and braced a hand against the table, her face pale and drawn.
"Mother, don't overthink it. Brother only..."
Shen Mother sighed deeply. "He Qian, why does your brother keep making me fear for him like this? How could he go to the Northern States without taking anyone along?"
The servant kneeling on the floor could not help speaking up. "Madam, it was my fault. I should have informed you."
This servant was the rough-looking man who had lain in bed pretending to be Shen Yangge. He had still been rather confused when they brought him in, but seeing that neither of the two mistresses of the household had dealt him a fatal blow, he knew his life had been spared.
But seeing how distressed Madam Shen was, he suddenly regretted not telling her when Lord Shen left. Now that Lord Shen had left Capital City and traveled so far, how could they possibly catch up with him?
He stammered, "M-Madam, I am guilty."
Shen Mother waved a hand and said with a frown, "Enough. Yangge asked us to forgive you in his letter. We are not unreasonable people, either. This truly was not your fault. You may go."
The servant froze for a moment, then hurriedly bowed and withdrew. Yet just after he stepped outside, as he walked down the corridor lost in thought, two figures suddenly seized him. Before he could shout, someone covered his mouth.
A heavy blow struck the back of his neck.
The rough-looking man passed out.
By the time he woke again, several days had passed. He had been locked up for days, but had suffered no punishment and had no wounds. Someone even brought him meals on time.
At first,