cousin

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and Jie Xiangsi and her companions' carriage finally arrived at the outer city gate before curfew. Perhaps because it was close to the end of the year, the officials at the city gate were checking people very strictly, comparing their portraits one by one before letting them pass.

Yuhe huddled inside the carriage, opened the window a crack, and looked at the imposing officials ahead, muttering to herself, "This is truly the capital; I can hardly breathe."

Can't breathe?

Jie Xiangsi smiled and said, "That's too much of an exaggeration."

As they were talking, it was their carriage's turn to enter the checkpoint. Yuhe slammed the window shut and sat back in her original seat.

"Knock knock".

The carriage wall was tapped twice, neither too hard nor too softly.

"Inspector and guard, open the carriage door."

Yuhe opened the car door and handed two household registration documents that had been prepared in advance to the head official.

Su Feng took the book, glanced at it, and then looked at them briefly, her tone somewhat surprised: "You're here to see Yan Zhi?"

Jie Xiangsi nodded. "Yes."

Upon hearing this, Su Feng raised a brow with his captivating eyes and, before the two could react, called out to those behind him, "Yan Zhi! Your cousin is here!"

As Su Feng finished speaking, the steady sound of horses' hooves came from not far away, and a figure passed through the white mist and stopped in front of Jie Xiangsi's carriage.

"cousin?"

It was a deep, magnetic voice, and perhaps because the weather was too dry, the voice was a little hoarse.

Sitting in the carriage, Jie Xiangsi looked up.

The man sat casually on the horse, one hand holding the reins and the other resting on the narrow knife at his waist. His understated yet luxurious dark blue robe hung quietly at his side, and he wore a pure black cloak. His beauty was like jade and pine trees, and he was uniquely handsome, unparalleled in the world.

At this moment, he leaned slightly forward into the carriage, his large figure blocking out most of the light, so Jie Xiangsi couldn't see the expression on his face, only that his dark eyes were shining brightly.

This is Zhou Yanzhi, the grandson of the Empress Dowager, the son of Prince An, and the youngest Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

For some unknown reason, Jie Xiangsi met the man's dark eyes directly, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Cousin Yanzhi."

In fact, Xiao Yan and Zhou Yanzhi knew each other, and were quite familiar with each other. However, wherever the two of them were present, things were rarely peaceful.

Zhou Yanzhi disliked her flamboyant behavior, and she disliked his rigid behavior. Whenever they met, they would engage in a verbal battle before they would stop.

Thinking about it this way... she and he could barely be considered a pair of bickering lovers.

The snow was falling heavily, and a thin layer of frost quickly settled on Zhou Yanzhi's eyelashes. He glanced at the household registration document for Jie Xiangsi, whispered a few words to Su Feng beside him, and then returned the document.

Brushing the frost off his cloak, Zhou Yanzhi turned his horse around and gestured to the coachman to follow. The carriage moved slowly, and Zhou Yanzhi slowed down as well, walking to the side of the carriage window.

Jie Xiangsi opened the window a crack, only able to see the man's clothes swaying with the horse's movements.

Zhou Yanzhi's voice came through the car window.

"My cousin has come from afar, and my mother specially sent me to greet her."

He paused for a moment, as if he had just realized something.

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Zhou Yanzhi, and my courtesy name is Ce'an."

Through the window paper, the girl's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, came through. The body of Jie Xiangsi was gentle, and even her voice was exceptionally tender: "Xiangsi knows that her cousin is a young talent and decisive in solving cases. Even though Xiangsi is far away in Danzhou, she can still know a thing or two about him."

Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow.

"My cousin is too kind."

...

The sound of horses' hooves clattered as they passed through the long street, and around the next bend lay Zhou Yanzhi's home, the Prince An's Mansion.

Zhou Yanzhi's father was the youngest son of the Empress Dowager. He was frail and sickly from a young age and died of illness when Zhou Yanzhi was just one year old.

The Empress Dowager pitied Zhou Yanzhi for losing his only child at a young age, and the Emperor also cherished his younger brother. Because of this affection, he also extended his fondness to Zhou Yanzhi, and the Prince An's mansion was built to be very magnificent.

The exquisite buildings almost occupied the entire street, and the three large characters "Anwang Mansion" on the plaque were very majestic.

Zhou Yanzhi was often away from home because of his work, and Aunt Xie preferred quiet, so the large Prince An's Mansion was only inhabited by Aunt Xie and a few servants.

Zhou Yanzhi dismounted at the gate. Aunt Jie, who had received the news, had already sent two old women to wait at the gate. As soon as Jie Xiangsi's carriage stopped, they took her off in an orderly manner, exchanged a few pleasantries, and led her towards the main hall.

Passing through the long corridor, you arrive at the main hall.

The room was spacious and bright, with a valuable silver charcoal burning in the central stove, providing ample and stable heat.

Inside the hall sat a beautiful lady who still retained her charm. Although there were a few fine lines around her eyes, her overall demeanor suggested that she must have been a beauty in her younger days.

"Yanzhi pays respects to his mother."

Zhou Yanzhi, who was walking in front, bowed first, and the nannies surrounding Aunt Xie quickly bowed their heads. Seeing her son, who was never home, return, Aunt Xie smiled happily, "Get up."

Zhou Yanzhi responded with a "Yes," then took off his cloak and sat down at the lower end of the table.

Without Zhou Yanzhi's cover, Xie Xiangsi was exposed, and in an instant, everyone in the room focused their attention on her.

Many of them showed an inquisitive attitude.

Jie Xiangsi knew that this was the first step she wanted to gain her aunt's approval. As a distant relative, her aunt and she naturally didn't have much affection for each other. If she made a bad first impression, her life in the Prince An's mansion would definitely be difficult.

Fortunately, Xie Xiangsi herself was born with a beautiful and delicate appearance, and Xiao Yan was also a noble lady in the capital, so her manners were certainly impeccable.

So……

The rest comes down to emotional intelligence, eloquence, and knowledge.

She stepped forward slightly, knelt down to ease her longing, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Jie Jiaxiangsi pays respects to her aunt."

As Xiangsi approached and bowed, Aunt Jie quickly stepped forward to support her, saying, "Good child, there's no need for such formalities."

Aunt Jie's voice is very pleasant and so kind that it makes you feel instantly fond of her.

Jie Xiangsi stood up with her aunt's help, lowered her eyes and obediently let her aunt pull her to sit down, respectfully saying, "Thank you, Aunt."

Aunt Jie gently stroked Jie Xiangsi's face with a touch of tenderness: "Poor child, your father passed away early. Since he entrusted you to me, you can stay with me from now on. It just so happens that your cousin is away from home all year round, so you can keep me company when you come."

Jie Xiangsi nodded in agreement, then turned to Yuhe and gave him a wink, presenting him with a palm-sized piece of jade.

Under Aunt Jie's gentle gaze, Jie Xiangsi explained, "Aunt, I have come alone this time and have nothing to give you, except for this piece of jade, which is pleasing to the eye. I hope you will accept it."

Although Jie Xiangsi spoke modestly, anyone with discerning eyes could see that this jade was more than just pleasing to the eye; its texture was clear and its color lustrous, making it a top-quality piece of jade.

While in the capital, Xiao Yan didn't pay much attention to jewelry and ornaments, but she knew more or less about the preferences of noble ladies. Aunt Xie was one of them, who had a particular fondness for jade.

It just so happens that Xiao Yan had hidden a piece of jade in the suburbs of Beijing when she was young, and she simply dug it up a few days ago when she passed by.

Clearly, the gift touched Aunt Xie's heart, and the smile on her face became more genuine.

"You're so thoughtful."

Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had passed the test.

The atmosphere in the hall warmed up immediately. As they chatted, it became time for dinner. Aunt Xie ordered the servants to prepare food for Xie Xiangsi and Zhou Yanzhi, who refused to go home, to dine together.

Watching her son eat so elegantly but actually so fast, Aunt Xie put down her chopsticks and frowned: "Ce'an, eat slower. You've finally come back, can't you stay home a little longer?"

Jie Xiangsi also put down her chopsticks.

Sensing the reproach in his mother's words, Zhou Yanzhi stopped what he was doing, picked up a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. "I've been busy lately, but I'll definitely spend more time with you when I have some free time."

Hearing this template-like statement, Aunt Xie said helplessly, "Alright, alright." Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Haven't you found Xiao Jiangsheng yet?"

Zhou Yanzhi paused in his tea-sipping motion, knowing that his mother knew, and nodded.

Aunt Jie understood and sighed, "Alright then, go ahead and do your thing."

Zhou Yanzhi nodded in agreement, took the cloak from the old woman beside him, and strode out, quickly disappearing from sight.

Unnoticed by anyone, Jie Xiangsi dug her five fingers deep into her palm, her eyes filled with an unfathomable expression.

Xiao Jiangsheng, a young general of the Great Zhao Dynasty, is also... her twin brother.

Still looking?

Could it be that my brother isn't dead?!

Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Jie Xiangsi chatted with her aunt for a while before being led away by a servant to rest.

...

Aunt Jie had a small courtyard prepared for Jie Xiangsi on the west side, which was called Chaoxi Pavilion.

The courtyard is filled with plum blossoms. At this moment, the plum blossoms are in full bloom, and snow is falling on the plum tips. At first glance, it is indescribably elegant.

Fearing that Yuhe might not be able to take good care of Jie Xiangsi by herself, Aunt Jie also assigned two slightly older maids, one named Qingshu and the other named Moyue.

At this moment, the two were helping Jie Xiangsi prepare water for her bath, while Yuhe was organizing the things Jie Xiangsi had brought.

After bathing, Xie Xiangsi sat in front of the mirror, while Qingshu took a handkerchief and helped her wring her hair. Looking at her face in the mirror, which bore no resemblance to Xiao Yan, Xie Xiangsi was stunned.

The person in the mirror had a slight upturn at the corners of their lips, exuding a gentle and graceful demeanor. But Xiao Yan's smile was quite different. Xiao Yan was bright and beautiful, as radiant as the morning sun, and her smile was even more unrestrained and exuberant.

Gently stroking the face in the mirror, Jie Xiangsi felt a pang of sadness. In her past life, Xiao Yan had ultimately died beneath the city gates that day.

"Miss, Miss?" Qing Shu called softly a few times.

Jie Xiangsi then came to her senses and looked up to explain, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you just now. What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that your hair has been wrung out, and I was worried you might be tired from your journey, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to bed." Qing Shu folded the handkerchief and placed it aside, speaking gently.

Feeling that the hair was indeed dry, Jie Xiangsi nodded.

"Oh, okay."

Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly remembered something and looked up at Qing Shu: "By the way, Sister Qing Shu, I'm new here. When I entered the city, I saw officials looking at people with portraits. Can you tell me what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Shu nodded, "Of course."

So, Jie Xiangsi called Yu He and Mo Yue, and the four of them sat down around a round table in the room.

Qing Shu and Mo Yue initially declined to sit, but Yu He insisted on pulling them down, saying, "Please sit down, my young lady is very easygoing, there's no need for formalities in private."

Seeing that Xie Xiangsi nodded in agreement without showing any unusual expression, the two then sat down.

Seeing Xiangsi's curious eyes, Qing Shu couldn't help but chuckle. After a moment, she said, "If we're talking about big things, I'm afraid there's nothing bigger than the Xiao family's treason case."

"Yes, yes, yes, a month ago, everyone was talking about this, but it only started to quiet down these last couple of days," Mo Yue said, propping her head up with her hand.

Yuhe exclaimed in surprise, "My God, why are the officials at the city gate checking people?"

Qing Shu thought for a moment and said, "I heard that General Xiao is not dead, so I took the portrait to look for him."

He didn't die...

Even though she was mentally prepared, Jie Xiangsi's heart still skipped a beat.

My brother is still alive! That's such good news, it's wonderful!

Wanting to know more, Xie Xiang thought for a moment and said with feigned surprise, "Sisters, we haven't been very well informed along the way. We only know about the Xiao family's treason, but we've heard that the entire Xiao family has already been brought to justice."

"I don't know about that, but it's a fact that General Xiao is still alive." Qing Shu paused, then lowered his voice and continued, "The person in charge of searching for General Xiao is our young master, so it should be true."

Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi's heart trembled.

It was actually... Zhou Yanzhi...