eavesdropping
When she woke up, it was already evening.
Lin Xu felt as if she had been in a dream, but she couldn't remember what she dreamt about. Suddenly, she opened her eyes with a jolt. She found herself lying peacefully on the bed, covered with a thin brocade quilt.
Outside the window, the sunset was fading, casting a faint afterglow.
She simply sat up, and soon Rongwei and Zhuling came in, bringing a bowl of thick, still steaming ginger soup. Granny Qin touched Lin Xu's forehead with concern, then breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss has had a good nap, she's much better now, she's even sweating."
Where is my husband?
Zhu Ling stepped forward, took the empty soup bowl from her, and said gently, "There are many guests today. Many of the young guests have left. Now that the master has returned, many officials have come, so both of you have been invited to keep him company."
Lin Xu nodded gently, then helped Rong Wei off the bed. The day felt so long, almost unreal. She wondered how Dou Zhen was doing after the banquet… For some reason, the faint worry in her heart hadn't dissipated.
During the banquet today, her gaze swept quickly over everyone, and she vaguely felt that something was amiss.
Thinking this, she asked Granny Qin to simply comb her hair into a low bun, and then changed into a plain lotus-colored long jacket before going to the front yard to take another look.
Zhu Ling was very worried: "Does Madam still want to go? Second Master just specifically instructed that you should rest well."
She was already in good health, and after a short rest, she was full of energy. Moreover, now that the banquet was over, she assumed that the Crown Princess and the Princess Consort of Gong, among other people of high status, had already left.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him otherwise, Zhu Ling had no choice but to take a cloak with a thin fleece draped over Lin Xu's shoulders from the wardrobe. Then she and Rong Wei followed closely behind, walking all the way to the front yard.
But there were red flowers and green willows, bathed in the glow of the sunset. Under the eaves, old women had already lit corner lanterns. Inside the flower hall, silks and brocades were in full bloom, and the faint sound of string and bamboo instruments could be heard from the end of the corridor.
The guests inside had already changed. The soft laughter of several older women could be faintly heard from the flower hall. At the end of the corridor, Dou Huaisheng had specially arranged for the steward to prepare several tables in the east corridor. He was currently drinking and chatting with a group of guests who had come to offer their congratulations. The hearty laughter of men could be faintly heard from there.
In the southeast corner of the flower hall, there is a stone platform made of several exquisite stones, and next to it is a moon gate. With the cool breeze, the corner of a light green robe can be vaguely seen dancing in the wind.
Lin Xu felt that the color looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen it at the banquet earlier today. Without thinking too much, she signaled Zhu Ling and Rong Wei to be quiet, and then carefully and quietly approached the moon gate.
The moon gate leads to the artificial hill and waterside pavilion in the backyard, where lush vegetation grows everywhere. Her footsteps are so light that no one notices her approach.
As Lin Xu finally stopped in front of a patch of bamboo shadows in front of the moon gate, she heard the whispers of two people at the door.
"...I haven't even had a chance to congratulate Young Master Dou yet. In the blink of an eye, Young Master Dou's career is going smoothly, and he has been promoted back to Mujing. It seems that his future is even more unattainable. Now, I should respectfully address him as Lord Dou."
But only a moment later, Dou Yanxun's calm yet cold voice drifted in on the evening breeze:
"General Duan, you flatter me. General Duan was ordered to guard the Golden Palace, and now he has free access to the Eastern Palace to protect the Crown Prince's safety. Not to mention that the General holds the troop deployment token and controls most of the capital's military force. He truly deserves to be a descendant of a military family, and we are all in awe of him."
Lin Xu paused slightly upon hearing the voice.
The people behind the moon gate were Dou Yanxun and Duan Jinru!
No wonder she felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw that corner of clothing; it was clearly Duan Jinru, whom she had glimpsed coldly looking at her during the chaos at the banquet earlier that day.
But what could possibly be the connection between these two people?
Lin Xu quickly recalled that more than half a year ago, when he was strolling around a rouge shop, he had run into Duan Jinru. It was Duan Jinru who had warned him coldly at that time that Dou Yanxun was involved in the matter, and that he had never given up investigating the incident at Shaojing Garden that day.
Could it be that Duan Jinru came here today to ask Dou Yanxun about what happened that day?
She instinctively held her breath.
But then he heard the leaves fluttering in the wind, making a soft, rustling sound, and Dou Yanxun's voice sounded exceptionally cold:
"Since General Duan went out of his way to avoid the crowd and called me out, there's no need to beat around the bush. Please speak frankly."
Duan Jinru chuckled softly upon hearing this, his voice as cold as ice:
"To my shame, Lord Dou and I are merely nodding acquaintances, and we haven't met for months. But seeing you today, I can't help but recall our brief encounter at Shaojing Garden. Shaojing Garden has always hosted the city's elite, yet it has never been the site of an assassination attempt. If I hadn't stood in front of my uncle that day, he would probably be..."
"The situation was perilous that day, and it was thanks to General Duan's bravery that His Highness was able to be safe. His Highness must be grateful for the General's merit in saving him that day, which is why the General has risen so high in rank since then."
Seeing that Dou Yanxun was only offering perfunctory words, Duan Jinru also curled his lips into a cold smile:
"Just now, Lord Dou told me to speak frankly, but you yourself were evasive. Lord Dou has always been unpredictable, and that day he even went so far as to obstruct our patrol... If you truly have a clear conscience, why would you do this?"
Duan Jinru paused, then sneered:
“After you left that day, I thoroughly searched the private room where the lord and his wife were. There was a bow and arrow coated with deadly poison inside. If the prince hadn’t not been unharmed that day and only suffered a sword wound, this evidence alone would have been enough to charge you with assassinating a prince!”
Upon hearing this, Dou Yanxun remained silent for a moment without replying.
However, Lin Xu, separated by a moon gate, couldn't help but clench his fist hidden in his sleeve—
That bow and arrow were clearly the ones she had kept all along, something Dou Yanxun had never known. Moreover, the poison they both suffered from was the aconite she had coated on the arrow. At the time, she hated Dou Huaisheng and didn't want to marry into the Dou family, which was why she risked her life…
If the aconite poison hadn't accidentally gotten onto their wounds that day, Dou Yanxun wouldn't have mistakenly thought he had saved his life!
When Duan Jinru questioned her before, he didn't mention that he had found the bow and arrow. She thought that the bow and arrow had also disappeared. She didn't expect that after so long, Duan Jinru was still investigating the matter. She didn't expect that he would tell Dou Yanxun in person today!
Given Dou Yanxun's intelligence and shrewdness, he would surely realize in an instant that the bow and arrow were related to him...
Is the secret she once kept hidden in her heart about to be revealed?
Lin Xu panicked. Just as she was getting anxious, she heard Dou Yanxun laugh:
"Since General Duan has suspected me for so long, why not wait until you find real evidence before confronting me face to face?"
Duan Jinru remained silent, and Dou Yanxun continued:
"Moreover, since General Duan is now ordered to guard the Eastern Palace, he should be more focused on protecting His Highness the Crown Prince. If he were truly focused on ensuring the safety of the Crown Princess, how could his men have infiltrated the back garden of my Dou residence and informed the Crown Princess, thus exploiting my wife's safety for their own purposes?"
A sudden evening breeze arose, rustling the bushes and trees in the forest. She hid among the thick grass, a chill creeping into her heart.
I see.
No wonder I was wondering how Miao Yiyun's people saw me when she was making suggestive remarks in front of everyone; it turns out it was Duan Jinru's men who tipped me off...
Today, the Dou residence is filled with distinguished guests, and Duan Jinru has brought a considerable number of men to protect the Crown Princess's safety. Presumably, it was when Zhou Weikan's servant cried for help that Duan Jinru's men saw him. These Crown Prince's guards are all highly skilled and move freely, leaving no trace whatsoever.
No wonder Zhou Weikan didn't notice it at the time.
but--
When did Dou Yanxun find out? She had only slept for an hour when Zhu Ling told her that he was furious after learning she had fallen into the water, and that he left shortly after she fell into a deep sleep, even summoning Steward Qi for questioning before leaving. She hadn't expected him to know everything in such a short time. Did he also know about her chance encounter with Zhou Weikan today?
Before she could think further, she heard Duan Jinru remain silent for a long time before finally speaking in a muffled voice. Because of the moon gate, Lin Xu couldn't see his expression, but she could sense the displeasure and a rare ruthlessness in Duan Jinru's voice:
"Since that's the case, then you'd better take care of yourself. If the real culprit is found out in the future, regardless of whether you, Dou Yanxun, were the one who assassinated my uncle, as long as you are involved in this matter, I will absolutely not tolerate you anymore."
Soon, the two parted on bad terms. In the banquet hall, a few maids carried out the leftover food and wine. Duan Jinru snorted coldly and left first, while Dou Yanxun stood in the moonlight, his tall figure reflected in the moonlight, exuding loneliness.
All around was quiet, except for a burst of laughter and the sound of string and wind instruments coming from the far end of the east corridor. Lin Xu could only vaguely see the hem of his clothes fluttering through the door. After a while, he returned to the banquet hall under the moonlight.
Therefore, it was not appropriate for her to stay here for long. Lin Xu then composed herself and waited quietly alone in the dim light for a while. After everything around her had returned to calm, she led Zhu Ling and Rong Wei toward the east corridor.
But after walking only a few steps, they saw Yin'er coming out of the kitchen on the side, carrying a plate full of cups and saucers. On the plate in her hand were several crystal-clear bowls of rock sugar amber soup.
When Yin'er saw that it was the Second Madam, who had a very good relationship with her young mistress, she quickly bowed and greeted her with a well-behaved expression.
Lin Xu was about to look for Dou Zhen when he laughed and said, "Why are you still preparing these sweet soups when the banquet is over?"
Yin'er hurriedly said, "Second Madam, you don't know this, but today Third Miss and several other young ladies from noble families had a very pleasant conversation, and even after the banquet ended, they were reluctant to leave. So Madam instructed me to prepare this sweet and moist amber soup for the young ladies and send it to them. I heard that you were not feeling well earlier, Second Madam, have you recovered?"
Lin Xu nodded.
Since that was the case, they followed Yin'er through the flower-covered corridor. Before long, they saw several graceful young women sitting around the hexagonal pavilion in the southeast corner of the flower hall. Each of them was beautiful, and the faint sound of their laughter could be heard.
A young girl dressed in a peach-colored jacket with auspicious patterns, her hair styled in two buns and adorned with pearl hairpins, was covering her mouth and laughing softly.
"...Miss Dou just turned 18 today, and I noticed that several young masters from prominent families couldn't take their eyes off her for a moment, especially that young master. I secretly observed him several times, but I've never seen him pay such attention to any girl before."
Dou Zhen had changed out of her fine clothes at some point, wearing only a light blue long jacket. Her hair was still adorned with many hairpins. Perhaps she had drunk some wine during the banquet, for her face was slightly flushed and she sat demurely among the crowd.
The other noblewoman was more clever-looking, dressed in a short, soft, light green silk jacket. Her cheeks were still slightly chubby from being a baby. She held a half-peeled ripe peach in her hands, took a bite, and said with a smug smile:
"The Donglai peaches grown in autumn are the most delicious and juicy."
Seeing this, the others laughed at the girl in green.
“…Miaoyi, you’ve been eating all day, and you’ve already eaten three of these peaches. You should have an empty stomach for a while.”
"Miss He is the biggest glutton..."
Lin Xu took another closer look at the girl who was holding a peach and praising it, and then recognized her as He Miaoyi, whom she had met once at the Princess's residence, and the younger sister of General He Qijiang, who had made great military achievements.
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