Mengyao opened his eyes to the filtering sunlight. He sighed as he got up. He truly wished that last night was a dream. It ended so poorly that he was afraid to leave his bedroom but he knew he had to face Madame Tung-Mei eventually. He would accept the punishment she gave.

After getting dressed and ready, he immediately headed to Madame Tung-Mei’s study. He knew she’d be there in the mornings after an important gathering to collect more information and figure her next step.

Mengyao took in a breath as he stood in her doorway. It felt like a lamb going into the lion’s den but there was no turning back now. He silently entered only a few steps before giving a bow and saying, “Good morning, My Lady.” to announce his presence.

The calligraphy brush Madame Tung-Mei held in her hand stopped before she set it down. Mengyao straightened himself as he looked at her. Though an expressionless woman with unmatched beauty, he felt her aura overwhelming him. She was truly upset.

“Yao’er. Please explain to me what happened last night,” she said, coolly.

Mengyao blinked a few times, trying to gather the words before he finally settled himself and bowed to her again. “My Lady, when I heard the Su Family being mentioned; I lost myself in my memories and emotions. I never meant to embarrass you in front of the Duan family. Please forgive me. I will accept any punishment you give.”

The silence was deafening once Mengyao stopped speaking. He looked to the floor, afraid to meet Madame Tung-Mei’s eyes at all. After a few moments, he heard her sigh.

“It can’t be helped. It was my fault,” Madame Tung-Mei commented as she picked her calligraphy brush up again. “I knew the Duan Family and Su Family were close. I thought that you’d be fine but I was wrong.”

“No, Madame Tung-Mei. I’m at fault! I was supposed to serve the guests to the best of my abilities and I failed!” Mengyao cried but found himself and bowed. “Forgive my outburst.”

“You’re fine,” Madame Tung-Mei said before setting her brush down and standing up. She walked over to Mengyao and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“How do you feel at the present moment?”

“I’m feeling fine, My Lady.”

“Good, good. I don’t have much for you to do today. Feel free to wander or even head to the market. You are dismissed for the day,” Madame Tung-Mei said before walking out of her study.

“Yes, My Lady,” Mengyao said after her.

That was unexpected. She didn’t give a punishment nor did she seem angry. Mengyao guessed that she was just concerned. He could never tell with her how or what she was feeling sometimes.

Since he was dismissed for the day and given freedom to do what he wanted, he figured he’d go to the library. When he arrived, he saw Lei there, going through scrolls. The Young master looked up and sneered, rising from his seat and leaving.

Mengyao barely had time to bow before he was shoved aside by the exiting Lei. Mengyao huffed slightly but shook his head. He headed to the section of scrolls that dealt with news and happenings around. 

He pulled out the scrolls that were relevant to his family and began reading them. Everything spoke about how the Su residence was burned to the ground and how the youngest child was assumed dead when his body wasn’t found among his family.

But every scroll said the same thing: No one knew who set the fire or murdered the Su Family. 

Mengyao sighed as he rested his head on his palm. Every article said that no one understood why the Su Family was targeted and many gave theories.

Maybe it was his father who had an affair and it was the result of a bitter and jealous mistress.

Or maybe it was his mother who had an affair and his father became so enraged that he caused the death of the entire family.

Another theory was that someone was envious of how close and wealthy the family had been and wanted to get rid of their competition.

Mengyao furrowed his brow. None of those things seemed true. Why would either of his parents have an affair? From the bit he remembered from that time, they were truly happy. They all were.

He just didn’t understand it. And the fact there was no one who could give a solid reason why it happened disturbed him.

Mengyao’s mind then drifted to a small comment that was said during the gathering between the Yi family and the Duan family. The way the Elder Junjie mentioned his family’s demise was so matter of factly, as if he were speaking about the weather. Thinking of how The Elder mentioned his family boiled in his stomach. 

He was going to get to the bottom of this. He needed to know and bring those who killed his family to justice. He decided to put the scrolls back and go into town. He knew rumors still went around about his family’s deaths. Who wouldn’t still speak about it?

It was a great mystery. And who didn’t love a good mystery?