A few moments later, the carriage rolled to a stop before the Shen residence.
Shen Yao stepped out, his movements slow, his expression calm. The day had been long — longer than he had expected. He stretched shaking the exhaustion off his shoulders.
"Young Master should rest first " Xi Shu said hurriedly
"No time, I still have some letters from Old Lei to read through" Shen Yao shook his head.
Xi Shu stepped in front of Shen Yao blocking the path.
"If the young master still has work, I can-"
"No" Shen Yao replied quickly "I want to be alone"
Shen Yao then side stepped around Xi Shu who looked a bit helpless.
Young master seemed distracted today.
He sighed before following along
Walking through the main gate and into the hall.
Shen Yao stopped. His brows furrowing.
Not far ahead, Shen Miao stood near the center of the hall, her hands clasped in front of her, her expression polite but guarded. Beside her stood his second uncle, Shen Yu, and his aunt, Chen Mi. Their smiles were warm as they glanced at Shen Miao.
Almost too warm.
What was happening?
Looking to the sides, Shen Yao spotted Old Shen seated nearby, his face was unreadable, his hands rested tensely on his walking stick.
Shen Yao's fingers curled inside his sleeve.
What were they doing here?
He stayed neutral as he took a step forward successfully grabbing the attention of the people seated in the hall.
"Second Uncle. Second Aunt." He bowed slightly. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Sensing the intentional distance from the Shen Yao, the smile on Shen Yu's face faltered slightly. Before he quickly fixed his expression.
Shen Yu smiled. "We came to check on your sister."
"After all that happened at the banquet, we thought it best to see her in person."
Chen Mi nodded, her eyes sweeping over Shen Yao with compassion of an elder looking at a child they watched grow up.
"Yes, we realize that the fourth Miss has been through so much," she said, her voice soft, concerned.
"We just wanted to make sure she was recovering well."
Shen Yao glanced at Shen Miao. Her expression was calm, but her fingers, hidden in her sleeves, were twisting the fabric.
It doesn't look like it
He turned to his uncle and aunt then Old Shen and Shen Miao.
It seems they didn't trust them either
Shen Yao took another step forward, nodding to his sister in acknowledgment before turning toward the two obvious unwanted guests.
"Then Second Uncle Second Aunt, I thank you for your concern," Shen Yao said.
"But there was no need for all of this, as you can see, she seems to be recovering well."
Shen Yu and Chen Mi's expressions changed.
"Wait. I-" Shen Yu said
Without looking at them, Shen Yao turned to his grandfather and bowed slightly. "Grandfather."
Old Shen smiled slightly. "You've had a long day. You can go and rest."
"I'll deal with this"
'Wait no, we-" Chen Mi said
Everyone turned to her at once. Even Shen Yu felt as if something was wrong with this situation why wasn't his nephew playing by his original script anymore
Shen Yao took the dismissal as permission to leave.
"Excuse me," he said.
"First Young Master we-"
He walked past them, his steps even, his gaze fixed ahead.
He did not look back.
---
Walking into the study, it was quiet.
Shen Yao closed the door behind him and stood still for a moment.
He was finally alone.
In the distance he heard voices — his aunt's laughter, his uncle's murmurs, the soft shuffle of servants.
They were still there but right now that wasn't his major concern.
He walked towards his desk and knelt down lifting the loose floorboard beneath it.
The small wooden box was still there, untouched.
He remembered placing it there for safekeeping.
He slowly lifted it out, careful not to alert anyone and set it on the desk, then opened the lid.
The half‑phoenix seal lay inside, its dark metal still tarnished with age, its rubies catching the faint light from the window.
He picked it up and held it, testing its weight in his palm.
The pattern was the same — the phoenix, the curve of the tail, the upward sweep of the wings. It vaguely matched the fan Guo Yun was holding.
Now that he was alone, he recalled their meeting and for some reason he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he had wanted him to see it.
Was it intentional?
He turned the seal over, running his thumb along the broken edge. Clean. Deliberate. Snapped by hand.
Am I missing something?
He searched his memory — fragments of conversations, fleeting images, the original owner's buried recollections — but nothing surfaced.
He threw the seal back in the box and slid the floorboard into place. The box lay on the desk motionless as he walked towards the window deep in thought.
---
Having placed the box aside, Shen Yao spent the afternoon reading letters from the border.
Reports from the north, updates on the Xeng movements, requests for supplies and reinforcements. The words blurred together, their urgency dulled by distance.
He couldn't focus.
He turned to the box for the twelfth time and sighed.
He then set the scroll down and rubbed his brow.
Tomorrow.
He had to find someone to look into it
Into the origins of the seal
Dalishu
He muttered under his breath.
---
Later that day
The sun had set by the time the house grew quieter and quieter as everyone retreated to their courtyards.
Shen Yao sat in his study, the door closed, the candle burning low. He waited until he was certain no one was nearby.
"Yu Xie." He said in a low voice
A shadow stirred at the edge of the room. Yu Xie stepped forward, his presence silent, his head bowed.
"Young Master."
Shen Yao did not turn.
"Do you know what this is?"
He held up the seal in his hands. It glistened in moonlight spilling through the open window.
Yu Xie's gaze flickered to it for a while.
A look of understanding appeared in his eyes before it quickly disappeared.
"Yes," he said.
Shen Yao waited. He did not ask the question he wanted to ask. He let the silence stretch knowing that even if he asked he would get nothing out of him.
Yu Xie stayed quiet.
Shen Yao finally turned to face him.
"What is the connection between this seal and the envoy from Dalishu?"
Yu Xie's jaw tightened. His head lowered further.
"I cannot say."
Shen Yao studied him for a long moment.
Of course, he knows
Shen Yao thought briefly glancing at Yu Xie.
The seal originally came from him but the connection of how it's related to him was what he didn't understand.
He sighed.
"You're dismissed."
Yu Xie bowed and melted back into the shadows.
Shen Yao sat alone in the study, the seal still in his hand.
It seemed the envoy knew.
Yu Xie knew.
It felt like everyone who had to know, knew yet he was still in the dark.
He set the seal back in its box and blew out the candle.
Tomorrow, he would find someone who could finally give him some answers.