After six hundred evening drumbeats, if you’re still on the street, that’s breaking curfew and you’ll be caught and flogged.

Ethan Green encouraged, “We’re almost there.”

“Let’s go.”

Charles Reed frowned deeply, grabbed Edward Brooks together with Ethan Green, and, urged on by the drumbeats, ran into the night of Chang’an.

“Dong.”

“Dong.”

“Time’s up! Close the gates!”

With the final drumbeat for closing the gates, the entrance to Dunyi Ward slowly shut.

The Chang’an curfew began, lasting until the fifth watch the next day.

The drums ceased, people dispersed, and only the moon remained over the nine avenues.

……

Three figures, panting, stood in front of a house within the ward.

The Liu residence was just an ordinary two-courtyard home, looking rather shabby, not matching Brian Clark’s luxurious attire.

“No officers?” Charles Reed looked around warily, his eyes full of doubt.

“We… ran fast.” Ethan Green was still catching his breath. “Besides, this is under Chang’an County’s jurisdiction. If they’re transferring people, isn’t it slow?”

They knocked on the door ring, and soon a woman’s voice sounded from inside.

“Who is it?”

“Liushang. It’s me, Ethan Green, and Edward is here too.”

Soon, with a creak, a thin maid opened the door.

“Edward, why are you here at this hour? Did you… run here?”

“Let’s talk inside. Have any officers come by?”

“Officers? No.”

Charles Reed was a bit surprised and muttered to himself, “No officers have come?”

……

The eldest daughter of the The Brooks Family was named Olivia Brooks, known as The Eldest Miss Brooks.

Hearing the commotion, she personally brought a candle to the front hall. Seeing Edward Brooks had brought people, she hurriedly asked what had happened.

These siblings—while the brother was plain-looking, the sister was very beautiful.

Charles Reed was a bit surprised at first, but then realized that Edward Brooks was born of a concubine and resembled Lu Fengniang more, while the earlier children of the The Brooks Family were born to Henry Brooks’s first wife.

Presumably, The Second Miss Brooks was also quite attractive, which was why she could marry into the Eastern Palace.

At this moment, when Olivia Brooks heard about her father being taken, her beautiful face turned pale.

By candlelight, Charles Reed observed her carefully, noticing that her attire was quite plain, different from the current trend of extravagance, and she wore no makeup.

Also, her eyes were red—she must have been crying.

Once she had calmed down a bit, Charles Reed asked, “Is Liu Langxu not at home?”

“My husband… is not here.”

“Did he come back at noon?”

“Yes.” Olivia Brooks wiped her tears and replied.

“Did you mention the The Brooks Family’s request for him to divorce?”

Olivia Brooks didn’t want to discuss such matters with outsiders, especially since she didn’t know Charles Reed and wondered why someone so young could be so imposing. But given the urgent situation, she nodded, pondering the consequences.

It had all happened so suddenly that no one had time to react.

Charles Reed asked again, “What did he say?”

Olivia Brooks hesitated for a moment before replying, “He said, ‘As long as our bond is strong, according to Tang law, neither the authorities nor my father-in-law can separate us.’ He told me to be as steadfast as a rock.”

“How did you respond?”

Olivia Brooks felt uncomfortable being questioned, turned her head aside, and replied softly, “A rock is thick and solid, and can last a thousand years.”

“And then?”

“My husband said, ‘That’s good,’ then went to the study. He didn’t stay long, left in a hurry, and hasn’t returned since… sigh.”

With an involuntary sigh, Olivia Brooks had already guessed the outline of what had happened.

“He didn’t say where he was going?”

“I asked, and he said he was going to seek help from a friend.”

“May I take a look at the study?”

“My husband usually doesn’t allow anyone in the study, but since…” Olivia Brooks, knowing the urgency, stood up and said, “This way, please.”

The front hall of the Liu residence was clean and tidy, with little decoration, but the study was filled with many paintings and calligraphy.

As soon as the door opened, the first thing in sight was a painting hanging on the wall, inscribed with a poem.

Charles Reed stepped forward, leaned in for a closer look, and in the dim candlelight could just make out the last line.

“Regardless of wealth or poverty, I only wish for true understanding.”

The calligraphy was excellent, flowing and elegant—even a layman could tell it was the work of a master.

“This is a handwritten piece by Li Beihai,” Olivia Brooks said, stepping forward. “My husband once gave him a gold artifact, and he returned the favor with calligraphy, paintings, and a famous horse.”

“Li Beihai?” Edward Brooks exclaimed, “Li Beihai of ‘Right General like a dragon, Beihai like an elephant’?”

“Right General like a dragon” refers to Wang Xizhi, the Right General. That Li Beihai could be compared to Wang Xizhi shows his extraordinary talent.

Since Edward Brooks knew whose calligraphy it was, he looked more closely and found it felt different from his first impression.

Liushang muttered discontentedly, “But the gold artifact my husband gave away was clearly part of the lady’s dowry.”

“Mind your tongue.”

Olivia Brooks lightly scolded the maid, carefully holding the candle, and looked around the study with a gaze that was both sad and full of admiration. “My husband is fond of befriending famous scholars. All these are rare masterpieces, but… they also bring trouble that’s hard to avoid.”

She didn’t hand the candle to Charles Reed, instinctively afraid it might damage one of the paintings or calligraphy.

Charles Reed checked the desk in the dim light.

There was an inkstone on the desk. He touched it—the ink wasn’t completely dry, so it must have been ground that afternoon.

Suddenly, there was a rapid and forceful knocking at the front gate.

“Open up!”