The next day, in the Fragrant Pavilion, every move made by the The Bennett Family was reported here through the second steward of the The Bennett Family, John Bennett.

Still fuming, Lily bit her rosy lips, her silver teeth grinding audibly. Ever since entering the The Bennett Family, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

At this moment, John Bennett added fuel to the fire at her side, saying, “Second Madam, this man surnamed Feng is truly suspicious. I’ve already sent people to Songjiang to investigate, and there’s no word of any wealthy family named Feng in Songjiang Prefecture. Not only is there no recently ruined family, but from the richest households to the well-off commoners, no one has heard of such a name. Second Madam, I suspect this person is very likely a spy for the Prince of Yan who has infiltrated the residence. Didn’t the Commandant say so? The Prince of Yan has already stationed his troops north of the river, and our imperial army has surrounded them from all sides. If they can’t cross the river, they’ll have no burial place. The Yan army are all northerners, unfamiliar with boats; if they want to cross, they must send spies to win over Governor Bennett. The Prince of Yan, with no way out, will surely pin all his hopes here. The Commandant arranged for you to enter the The Bennett Family months ago precisely for this day. So now is the most critical moment, and this man surnamed Feng is suspicious to begin with. Moreover, Mrs. Bennett actually went to see him in person today. Clearly, yesterday’s incident was orchestrated by him behind the scenes. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that he’s a Yan army spy. If we don’t get rid of him quickly and the Commandant blames us, I’m afraid neither of us will be able to explain ourselves.”

Lily said coldly, “What you say isn’t without reason. At first, I suspected that cousin Miss, but now it seems unlikely. She’s too forthright, really doesn’t fit the part. Instead, this man surnamed Feng doesn’t look like a good person. You say we should get rid of him—how?” At this, Lily bit her silver teeth again and sneered, “Back in the Hongwu era, how glorious we Jinyiwei were. But now? In the twentieth year of Hongwu, the guard posts were abolished, and we became wandering ghosts. Only thanks to the protection of the Commander of the Imperial Guards do we have food to eat and something to do. But now, when investigating traitors, we Jinyiwei have to sneak around like thieves, even here in Zhenjiang. If it were before, how could we have fallen to this state?”

The second steward gave an awkward smile and said, “That’s why, isn’t this our chance? Whether we can restore the Jinyiwei’s glory depends on this. If we can make a contribution in exposing the Prince of Yan’s rebellion and let the court see our value, the day of restoring the Northern Garrison Office won’t be far off. However, we must act carefully. If the palace and the court find out we’ve planted spies in the The Bennett Family without authorization, who knows what will happen? The superiors are already under pressure for this arrangement. If outsiders find out and the court blames us, I’m afraid none of us will keep our heads.”

Lily laughed even colder, full of disdain: “You men act more like women. The situation is already urgent, and you’re still talking about benevolence and morality. If those really worked, why is the Prince of Yan’s rebellion still causing trouble? Enough, their business isn’t ours to debate. Think of a way to deal with this man surnamed Feng. I don’t want to see him in the residence anymore.”

The second steward nodded, then asked, “Should we report to the Commandant?”

Lily replied indifferently, “Up to you. As long as I see a corpse, that’s enough.” As if killing someone was as easy as eating for Lily.

……

Early the next morning, Charles Harper still went to the attic to teach.

Miss Bennett was, as usual, behind the screen, unwilling to show her face. Charles Harper wished he could kick down the screen to see his future wife, but unfortunately, April sat quietly in the corner as always, making it impossible for him to act out.

Charles Harper sat down in a rather lecherous manner and coughed.

Miss Bennett said, “Emily greets Teacher.”

Charles Harper replied, “Mm, let’s begin the lesson.”

Miss Bennett asked, “I wonder what story Teacher will tell today?”

Charles Harper was so annoyed he wanted to stomp his foot. I’m a teacher, not a storyteller! But… it seemed he really was becoming more like a storyteller. Tragic—such is the life of someone with nothing real in his head.

Charles Harper said blandly, “Telling you stories is to enlighten you. Our lessons should still focus on the classics, otherwise it would be improper.”

Miss Bennett responded with an “oh,” and asked, “So Teacher will lecture on the classics today?”

“No.” Charles Harper said decisively, “Today I’ll still tell a story, to continue enlightening you.”

Sitting to the side, April was both amused and exasperated. She had long suspected Charles Harper was a good-for-nothing.

Charles Harper could only resent his own lack of talent, yet still had to put on the airs of a great scholar, saying, “Today, as your teacher, I’ll talk about the Ming dynasty’s… uh, let’s just tell a story today…”