"It's a letter written in blood," she said, biting her lip.

Gu Changjin's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Who wrote it?"

"It was written by me, or rather, it was written in my name," Xu Li'er lowered her gaze. "I don't know who that person is. Whenever they came, they would speak in a muffled voice behind me. I... didn't dare to turn and look at them. They told me that if I died and left that letter behind, Eunuch Yang from the Eastern Depot would pay for my mother's death. Furthermore, it could save Lord Gu's life. That person said that Lord Gu's assassination on Changan Avenue was orchestrated by Eunuch Yang. As long as Eunuch Yang lives, you, Lord Gu, will never find peace. They also said that an official as righteous as Lord Gu shouldn't die at the hands of those barbarians."

Xu Li'er paused here and lifted her eyes, looking earnestly at Gu Changjin.

"I originally agreed to it. I planned to hang myself obediently once the incense burned out. My worthless life, if it can avenge my mother and save your life, then it would be a worthwhile trade. Except—"

As the incense burned down little by little, she suddenly found herself unwilling to let go.

She didn't want to die before mourning for her mother, before hugging the little kitten she had raised herself, or before seeing the locust trees in front of her house bloom one last time.

When Yang Rong had taken her away, her cat was pregnant and lazy all day. She didn't know how many kittens it had given birth to. The locust tree in the courtyard was planted together with her father when she was young. In a few days, it would be covered in blooms, and her father used to love picking those flowers to give to her mother and her.

All these memories suddenly became vivid and beautiful amidst the fragrant smoke of sandalwood in the inn.

It was strange, but when her mother closed her eyes, she had truly lost the will to live. She thought it would be better to join her mother and father in the afterlife sooner rather than later.

When the time truly came to die, she found herself reluctant to let go.

Perhaps it was because she was a timid person by nature.

Tears welled up in Xu Li'er's eyes as she asked, "Would Lord and Lady think that Li'er is cowardly and afraid of death?"

"How could we?" Rong Shu said with a serious expression. "If you were truly afraid of death, you would have confessed your crimes when you were first interrogated at the Northern Supervisory Office." She continued earnestly, "This isn't cowardice; you're simply taking responsibility for your own life. Miss Xu must understand that no one can force you to die if you don't wish to. It's not shameful to cherish life. You have the right to live well without any guilt. Don't think that closing your eyes and tightening a noose will make death easy—it's a painful experience. Besides—"

She softened her tone and spoke with absolute certainty, "Lord Gu won't die so easily. Don't worry, that eunuch Yang from the Eastern Depot won't be able to kill Lord Gu."

After all, he was the future prince, and the only one who could die at the hands of Yang Xu was Gu Changjin, not the other way around.

Rong Shu had never doubted Gu Changjin's capabilities. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sought his help to save Xu Li'er.

Upon hearing this, the Lord Gu she mentioned slightly turned his gaze and glanced at her.

It was peculiar, but the irritation in Gu Changjin's heart suddenly dissipated.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he gazed out the window.

She wasn't entirely wrong. Yang Xu didn't have the capability to take his life, and Xue Lier shouldn't have died either. There was no path that needed to be paved with the blood of the innocent.

If there were, it wouldn't be the one Gu Changjin would tread.

The carriage jolted along the road until they reached Wutong Lane, where Mama Zhang had already led Yingyue and Yingque to wait in the Songsi Courtyard.

Upon entering the yard, Rong Shu instructed, "Prepare the eastern chamber for Miss Xue to spend the night. Tonight, all of you rest in the main house. That's it, take Miss Xue to settle in first. I still have some words to speak with Second Master."

Gu Changjin stood by the Moon Cave Gate, not entering the courtyard. Hearing Rong Shu's words, his foot, about to step forward, paused.

Rong Shu approached him and carefully said, "The black-clad assassin who attempted to kill Miss Xue at the inn today carried a distinct scent. If this concubine didn't smell wrongly, it should be agarwood."

Authentic agarwood was incredibly rare, mostly offered as tribute from foreign regions, making it extremely hard to purchase on the market.

Many aristocratic families enjoyed using agarwood to display their noble status, but the agarwood they used wasn't genuine; instead, it was a compounded fragrance made from agarwood, dragon's brain, and osmanthus juice.

In the capital, the number of households that could afford genuine agarwood could be counted on one hand.

Gu Changjin immediately understood Rong Shu's meaning.

"Are you sure it was agarwood?"

Rong Shu pondered for a moment before nodding. "This concubine is quite sensitive to scents. My mother once had a piece of agarwood the size of a fist. When I was learning how to make incense, I often played with it. Although the scent on that person was very faint, this concubine believes she didn't smell incorrectly."

Worried that she might have been too boastful, she added, "My lord should only take it as a reference, not rely on my words as evidence."

Gu Changjin neither agreed nor disagreed, simply nodding and saying, "Madam has had a busy night. You should return and rest early."

After Rong Shu left, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Agarwood?

Chang Ji asked from behind him, "Master, shall I investigate which families in the capital use agarwood?"

Gu Changjin shook his head. "No need to investigate. In this capital city, there are some people who don't use agarwood, yet still carry its scent on them."

Chang Ji pondered Gu Changjin's words for a long while before finally understanding. "Master means that the person is—"

"Well, tell Heng Ping to return tomorrow and stop keeping an eye on that person," Gu Changjin said, glancing at the sky. "I'll make a trip to Liu Mo Hall. You go back to the study first."

Chang Ji's heart sank as he watched Gu Changjin's figure disappear towards Liu Mo Hall, a worried look on his face.

Madam disliked it when the master showed mercy and weakness. Now that the master had saved Xu Li'er today, would Madam blame him? One could never predict Madam's methods...

In truth, the master had already instructed him earlier, when he finished his duties for the day, to secretly guard the posthouse once the people in Liu Mo Hall had retired for the night.