Morning light filtered through the latticed windows of Clear Moon Shadow as Shen Qingwan adjusted the clasp at her sleeve.
"Su," she said calmly, "you don't need to follow me today."
Maid Su paused mid step, surprise flashing across her face. "Lady?"
Qingwan smiled faintly. "I'll be safe. Shou An has something to do with me."
Su hesitated, then nodded. She had long learned to trust her lady's judgment especially now, when Shen Qingwan carried herself with a certainty that had never existed before.
Outside, Shou An was already waiting.
The Jade Brocade Pavillion looked the same as always rich fabrics hanging like cascading clouds, the low hum of customers drifting through the hall. Yet the moment Owner Yuwen saw Shen Qingwan step inside, her gaze sharpened.
This time, Qingwan did not come alone.
Shou An followed closely behind her, his presence quiet but unmistakable. He did not lower his head like a servant nor look around like a guard. He simply stood, alert and contained, eyes observing everything without lingering.
Yuwen said nothing aloud. She only inclined her head and led them through the familiar path past bolts of silk, behind stacked brocade, and through the concealed panel in the wall.
The hidden room opened before them once more.
Tea was prepared quickly. Steam rose between the three of them, curling softly in the enclosed space. Yuwen poured the tea herself, hands steady, though her gaze flickered briefly toward Shou An before returning to Qingwan.
Shen Qingwan was the first to speak.
"The tiger tally," she said, her voice even, "was never meant to bring back a man. Nor to retrieve a single person."
She stopped there.
The silence that followed was heavily deliberate.
Yuwen's fingers tightened slightly around the teapot. She leaned forward just enough to lower her voice to a whisper.
"…To bring an army," she said. "The hidden one. The shadow force."
Shen Qingwan's expression did not change.
No surprise.No denial.
Only a calm, unreadable stillness.
"Even the palace," Qingwan said gently, "does not know your brother by his real name anymore."
Yuwen's breath stilled.
"When he was on missions," Qingwan continued, "everyone called him Yuge. Not Yudi. That name was buried long ago." Her gaze lifted, sharp now. "But the name he uses today is Yeheng."
Yuwen's eyes widened just slightly. Understanding clicked into place like a lock turning.
"So…" Yuwen murmured, "…his first destination would be Suzhou."
Shen Qingwan did not answer directly.
Yuwen continued, voice barely above air, "He passed through there under disguise. Merchants, monks, travelers, Suzhou swallows identities easily."
At last, Qingwan lifted her teacup and took a single sip.
"Then you already know where to begin," she said.
The tea had gone untouched for a while.
Shen Qingwan set her cup down gently and lifted her gaze to Yuwne, her expression calm, almost casual as if what she was about to say carried no weight at all.
"Take Shou An with you," she said.
Yuwen's brows knit instantly. "That would draw attention," she replied without hesitation. "One person traveling quietly blends in. Two especially with a guard invites questions."
Qingwan did not argue. She only tilted her head slightly, a faint smile touching her lips.
"Going alone is what draws attention," she said softly. "A woman who moves in and out of places by herself, asking the wrong questions that is what people notice."
Yuwen paused.
"If you take Shou An," Qingwan continued, "they will not think you are investigating. They will think you are travelling."
Yuwen's eyes flickered.
"A woman and a man," Qingwan said evenly. "A bodyguard. A companion. Perhaps even something more, in the eyes of strangers." Her voice remained light, almost indifferent. "No one questions such pairs. They assume distance is for leisure, not secrets."
Understanding dawned slowly.
Yuwen let out a quiet breath. "So suspicion dissolves… because the picture is too ordinary."
"Or too bold," Qingwan corrected gently.
Yuwen looked at Shou An then standing silently at Qingwan's side, posture steady, presence unassuming yet impossible to overlook. Yes. He did not look like a spy. He did not look like an investigator.
He looked like someone who belonged.
"I see," Yuwen said at last, a trace of admiration in her voice. "Very well. I'll take him."
Shou An gave a slight nod, acknowledging the decision without comment.
Yuwen turned back to Qingwan. "You're certain?"
Qingwan met her gaze, eyes calm and deep, betraying nothing. "Yes."
What Yuwen did not know what she could not possibly know was that Qingwan's reason went beyond appearances.
Suzhou was not merely a place of disguises.It was where threads tangled.Where hidden loyalties surfaced.
And Shou An was not being sent merely to protect or accompany.
He was being placed where the truth would eventually move.
Qingwan lifted her teacup once more, her reflection rippling faintly on the surface.
"Safe travels," she said.
Yuwen nodded.