Hearing that shocking news, Heena literally shot upright in bed—

"WHAT?! AH!"

—and immediately collapsed back down with a cry of pain as every single muscle in her body screamed in protest at the sudden movement.

Everything HURT. Moving was AGONY.

Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open and Samuel rushed in, looking genuinely alarmed.

"What happened?! What’s wrong, wife?! Are you hurt?!"

And then Heena looked at this DEMON of a man standing in the doorway.

He looked absolutely PERFECT.

Like someone had given him a luxury spa treatment overnight.

His skin was glowing with health and vitality. His hair was perfectly arranged. His robes were crisp and clean. His eyes were bright and alert.

He looked like he’d just gotten the best night’s sleep of his entire life, completely refreshed and energized. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Meanwhile, Heena could barely SIT UP without feeling like her entire body was breaking apart.

Samuel hurried over to the bed and said with concern, "Are you alright? Are you in pain? Let me help you sit up properly."

He gently, carefully helped her into a sitting position with pillows supporting her back.

Heena looked at him with utter HATRED in her eyes and said accusingly, "Thanks to SOMEONE, I can’t even sit up by myself now. My entire body is destroyed."

Hearing that complaint, Samuel had the absolute AUDACITY to smile—a small, satisfied, almost proud smile—and said, "Ah. Um. Would you like some water? You should stay hydrated."

With that, he passed her a cup of water.

But Heena’s wrist couldn’t even move properly to take it.

Between the original sprain from the "soap incident" and now the additional strain from last night’s... activities... and all the pulling and gripping and general physical exertion—her wrists were completely useless.

Samuel had to actually hold the cup to her lips so she could drink.

The HUMILIATION of it.

While she was drinking, the System continued reporting in her mind, trying to fill her in on everything she’d missed:

’The old Master met with Maya earlier today. And more importantly, the MALE LEAD—Chen Yifan—came to visit the household this morning!’

Hearing that critical information, Heena uttered in her mind with alarm, ’Why the hell did that senile old bastard let Maya out of confinement so quickly? What happened?!’

The System shook his head and explained, ’It is said that the male lead came to visit the old Master this morning. After a private conversation with Chen Yifan, the old Master was apparently quite happy—he received quite a few expensive gifts and favors from the official. And Chen Yifan somehow convinced him that his wife Maya and the official don’t actually have any inappropriate connection. That they were just having innocent, friendly conversations about scholarly matters and religious philosophy.’

Hearing that explanation, Heena shook her head mentally and said with disbelief, ’Not possible. That old bastard is suspicious and paranoid like sticky gum that won’t let go. I don’t believe he’d just suddenly trust Maya again after one conversation. There’s something else going on.’

The System shrugged his little shoulders and said, ’I don’t know all the details, but I think Chen Yifan must have given the old Master quite a substantial reward or bribe or something. Maybe promised some official favor or business opportunity. Something significant enough to overcome his paranoia.’

Heena was thoughtful despite her physical exhaustion. ’Maybe. We need more information. I’ll have to go investigate this myself and figure out what actually happened.’

Samuel, who had been watching Heena’s face while she was clearly lost in thought, looked at her with a worried expression and said, "Wife? Wife?"

Suddenly Heena snapped out of her mental conversation with the System and looked at Samuel. "Yes?"

He looked at her with genuine concern and said, "I’ve been asking you questions for several minutes but you weren’t responding at all. You were just staring into space."

Hearing that, Heena looked at him and said, "Oh. Sorry. What did you ask?"

Samuel touched her forehead gently, checking for fever, and said, "Are you feeling alright? You seem distracted. Are you in pain? Dizzy? Feverish? Just tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you immediately."

Heena paused, looking at his genuinely concerned face.

Despite her exhaustion and soreness and frustration with the entire situation, she felt a small warm feeling in her chest at his obvious care.

"How are you feeling?" Samuel asked again when she didn’t immediately answer. "You were unconscious for almost an entire day. I was worried something was wrong, but you were breathing normally and didn’t have a fever, so I just let you rest. But if you’re in serious pain or—"

"I’m fine," Heena interrupted, though her voice came out weaker than she intended. "Just... extremely sore. Everything hurts. I can barely move."

Samuel’s expression became guilty. "I’m sorry. I should have been more careful. I didn’t mean to—I lost control and—"

"It’s done now," Heena said, cutting off his apology. "No point dwelling on it. But we need to talk about what happened while I was unconscious."

She tried to shift into a more comfortable position and winced at the pain.

"The System—I mean, I heard through the servants’ gossip network—" she corrected quickly, covering her slip, "—that Maya has been released from confinement. And that some official came to visit your father. What happened exactly?"

Samuel’s expression became more serious as he moved into business mode.

"Ah. Yes. That was... an unexpected development."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and began explaining.

"Early this morning, an official named Chen Yifan came to the household requesting a formal audience with my father. He’s apparently a mid-level administrator in the provincial government—responsible for tax oversight and dispute resolution in this district."

Heena nodded, encouraging him to continue despite the throbbing pain in her lower body.

"Chen Yifan brought expensive gifts—fine tea, imported silk, some rare medicinal herbs. He was extremely polite and deferential to my father, praising his business acumen and reputation."

Samuel’s expression showed he clearly didn’t trust this sudden friendly visit.

"Then he explained that he’d had a few chance encounters with my father’s wife—with Maya—in public places. The temple, the market. He claimed they’d had brief, innocent conversations about religious philosophy and literary matters. Nothing inappropriate."

"And your father believed that?" Heena asked skeptically.

"Not at first," Samuel admitted. "Father was still suspicious. But then Chen Yifan made an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

Samuel’s jaw tightened. "He offered to use his official position to help expedite some of Father’s business contracts with government suppliers. Contracts that have been delayed for months due to bureaucratic obstacles. Chen Yifan claimed he could resolve the issues within weeks."

Heena’s eyes narrowed. "So he bribed your father with official favors."

"Essentially, yes," Samuel confirmed. "And he also implied—very subtly, very carefully—that if Father continued to confine his wife based on nothing but anonymous accusations, it might... reflect poorly on the household’s reputation. That it might suggest Father was an unreasonable, controlling husband who mistreated his young wife."

"Ah," Heena said with understanding. "Social pressure combined with material incentive. Smart."

"Father released Maya from confinement immediately after Chen Yifan left," Samuel said with clear disapproval. "He even apologized to her for ’overreacting’ to the anonymous letter. Promised he wouldn’t restrict her movements anymore."