Chapter 90: Country Girl
Shi Ruixing reached for the hairpin in her hair and pulled it out: "You mean, this hairpin?"
Jingwu nodded and looked at the white jade hairpin, which was warm and smooth in texture and exquisite in workmanship, but was filled with a strong sense of resentment.
"The owner of this hairpin suffered torture and died before her death, leaving behind a trace of resentment that remains on this hairpin. The dreams you have are all based on what she experienced in her life."
Shi Ruixing gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes reddening, somewhat incredulous.
In her dream, she felt so desperate, so disgusted, so terrified—and it all felt so real…
"Girl, I..."
Shi Ruixing choked up and couldn't speak, tears streaming down her face.
Jingwu took out a handkerchief and handed it over: "Do you remember where this hairpin came from?"
“I remember, it was a gift from my best friend on my birthday.”
“Then let’s go find her together and ask her where the hairpin came from.” Jingwu held the hairpin in his hand, feeling the resentment emanating from it.
The hairpin's owner died with her eyes wide open in discontent, not yet laid to rest; her body is likely still somewhere. Bearing this resentment, her soul cannot enter the underworld, wandering the world. The resentment consumes her reason, surely turning her into a vengeful ghost. We must find her body and dispel her resentment.
"Okay, I'll take you to her house right away." Shi Ruixing quickly wiped away her tears, tidied her appearance, and led her out of the private room.
When Jingwu came downstairs, he happened to see his aunt talking to Xiao Er, so he went up and greeted her.
"Aunt, I have to go out for a bit and will be back later."
Ruan Chongyue looked at the woman beside her, nodded, and agreed: "Okay, be careful."
"Okay." Jingwu replied crisply and then walked out of the inn.
She followed Shi Ruixing into the Shi family's carriage and they went together.
The carriage swayed and came to a stop in front of a large mansion. Jingwu got off the carriage and looked up at the two large characters written on the plaque above the gate.
Qiao Mansion
"This is the home of my best friend Qiao Ya," Shi Ruixing said, while having a servant go in to announce her arrival. "I've known her since we were five or six years old, which is more than ten years now."
Jingwu looked around and saw that the house was grand and the servants guarding the gate were dressed in much better fabric than ordinary people, so he had a good idea of what was going on.
“Qiao Ya’s grandfather was once the Minister of Works. After retiring, he lived here ever since. Now, her uncle is also an official in the court. He is the current Vice Minister of Justice.”
As Shi Ruixing introduced her to the others, he thoughtfully instructed someone to hold up an umbrella for her.
Jingwu raised an eyebrow, chuckling inwardly. The Ministry of Justice, huh? That's really interesting.
No sooner had these words been spoken than a maidservant came out to greet them and led the two inside.
"The young lady is waiting for you in the flower hall."
Shi Ruixing nodded and led his people into the flower hall.
As soon as the two entered, a woman in a yellow dress came up to them, muttering to herself.
"I sent someone to invite you for tea this morning, but you said you weren't feeling well and couldn't come. Why are you here now? Are you feeling better?"
Jingwu's gaze fell on her. He saw that she had an oval face and a black mole under her phoenix eyes.
A Qiyun hairpin landed among her jeweled headdress, looking exactly like Shi Ruixing's. However, this hairpin was clean and free of any resentment.
"Who is this?" Qiao Ya immediately noticed the gaze, looked the person in front of her up and down, and then asked, "Whose daughter is this? I've never seen her before?"
“It was the master I invited.” Shi Ruixing grabbed her hand and asked urgently, “Aya, where did you get the hairpin you gave me?”
"I had it made by a craftsman. I told you when I gave it to you that I had him make two identical ones, one for each of us. What's wrong with that?"
Qiao Ya looked at her, puzzled.
Shi Ruixing opened his mouth, about to tell the whole story, when he heard the person next to him speak.
"I saw this hairpin and really liked it, so I asked Miss Shi about its origin," Jingwu said with a smile. "May I ask where the craftsman is? I'd like to have one made just like it."
Qiao Ya noticed a hint of hesitation in her eyes, then tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, "This hairpin is made of the finest Hetian jade, which is very expensive, and the craftsman charges a high price. If you really like it, you can always find an ordinary craftsman to make a replica."
Upon hearing this, Shi Ruixing frowned slightly, wanting to speak up to defuse the situation, when he heard someone beside him say something.
“It’s alright, I can afford it.” Jingwu looked at her with a half-smile and said, “Please tell me the artisan’s address.”
Qiao Ya twitched her lips and gave the address with a hint of disdain. Then she pulled her best friend's hand and walked aside, muttering to herself.
"Where did you get to know this person? He doesn't have a single valuable item on him. That hairpin must have cost three or four taels of silver to make. And you dare to spout nonsense about being able to afford it."
Hearing her not-so-loud voice, Shi Ruixing panicked and wanted to cover her mouth, but his body subconsciously looked at the girl next to him, afraid that she would hear it.
Her expression remained indifferent, and it was unclear whether she had heard anything.
"Don't say anymore," Shi Ruixing said softly. "I have something to do, so I'll be going now."
"Hey, you're leaving so soon after you just arrived?" Qiao Ya said with some dissatisfaction.
"If something really happens, I'll come to have tea with you in a few days."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Ruixing tried to take the girl away to find the craftsman.
"No rush." Jingwu looked at the person in front of him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, and said, "Would you mind taking me to the Flower Garden for a look, young lady?"
Qiao Ya's face immediately turned cold, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, and she angrily rebuked, "Where did you come from? How can you be so ill-mannered? You come to the host's house as a guest and wander around like this. You really are a country bumpkin."
"Aya!" Shi Ruixing belatedly realized that her best friend's reaction was a bit too strong. She frowned and realized that something must have happened.
She thought about it carefully and realized that the Qiao family did indeed have a Youhua Courtyard, but it had been empty for a long time and no one lived there.
"You're still protecting her?" Qiao Ya said, somewhat exasperated. "You're the daughter of an official, and you're protecting such a country bumpkin?"
Upon hearing this, Jingwu chuckled and said, "Then I'll trouble Miss Shi to invite the Prefect over so we can go and see the body in Youhua Courtyard together."
Shi Ruixing was momentarily stunned, both surprised that the person in front of him knew his identity and astonished that there was a corpse in Youhua Courtyard.
Qiao Ya was completely panicked. She didn't know how the person in front of her knew about her family's affairs, but this matter absolutely could not be spread.
She immediately turned her head and gave a look to the person behind her, and the maid behind her hurriedly went out.
Shi Ruixing had already realized what was happening and wanted to ask something, but when she met those eyes, she unconsciously instructed the maid to go home and invite her father.
"Rising, do you really believe what she said?"
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