Shu Jian walked into Huaiyin Pavilion with a bloodstained feathered arrow in his hand. He glanced at Zhu Jiayu before saying to Wei Qinglou, "Young Master, this was found by the soldiers along the way as you instructed."
He raised the feathered arrow and presented it to Wei Qinglou.
Because the arrowhead had been poisoned, the blood on it had turned dark brown, which might not be noticeable unless you looked closely.
Wei Qinglou squinted at it for a while, then handed the arrow to Zhu Jiayu and said, "You saw me shoot three arrows last night, this is one of them."
Zhu Jiayu didn't take it. Instead, she looked at the bloodstains on the arrowhead in his hand and asked, "Was he shot?"
Wei Qinglou remained silent, his expression resolute.
"Have you seen the body?" she asked, looking at Shujian.
Shu Jian shook his head: "The area around Mianhe is covered with mountains and forests, and tigers and wolves often appear at night. I'm afraid Rong Heng's body has already been taken away by wild animals."
is that so?
Is Rong Heng really dead?
Zhu Jiayu knew that Shujian and Wei Qinglou had no reason to lie to her about such a thing, but she still felt it was unreal.
After Rong Heng's conspiracy was exposed, Wei Qinglou laid a trap in Songjiang City. How could he still escape from the city? Would such a powerful figure really die so easily from an arrow?
After a moment of silence, she took the arrow from Wei Qinglou's hand, examined it carefully for a long time, and then said, "Lord Wei, may I have this arrow?"
Wei Qinglou didn't know what she wanted to do, but it was just an arrow after all, and he had no reason to refuse her, so he nodded and smiled, "If you want to keep it, then take it."
Zhu Jiayu gave a soft "hmm" and said, "Does my lord have anything else to discuss? If not, I will take my leave now."
Wei Qinglou opened his mouth, then closed it again, and said with a faint smile, "No, that's all. I invited you here just to talk to you about Rong Heng. Go back and rest. Since you're about to set off on your journey, you should naturally take care of your health."
Zhu Jiayu nodded and left.
Shu Jian looked surprised. How come he didn't know that his young master had the ability to predict the future? When he asked him to invite Miss Zhu to Huaiyin Pavilion, he didn't mention Rong Heng, did he?
After watching Zhu Jiayu leave, Wei Qinglou turned around and saw Shu Jian staring at him. He immediately said irritably, "Don't you have anything better to do? Do I have to ask you to leave?"
Shujian snapped out of his daze and hurriedly grabbed his sword and went downstairs. Although he didn't know how the city gate caught fire, he was still afraid that he, an innocent little fish, would be caught in the crossfire.
...
As August approached, Zhu Jiayu finally returned to Suiping.
When Grandpa Zhu learned that she was back, he was so happy that he went to Liyun River to catch a basket of fish and brought them back to the mansion, intending to personally cook a whole fish feast for his beloved daughter.
He thought his daughter would be deeply moved by his love for her, but to his surprise, Zhu Jiayu couldn't help but gag upon hearing the news.
Wishing the old man: ...
He felt that his daughter's emotions were directed in a slightly wrong direction.
Seeing her father looking somewhat dejected, Zhu Jiayu explained from the carriage, "Father, on our way back, we had nothing to eat, so we relied entirely on the guards to catch fish in the river. I've been eating tasteless grilled fish for two days now..."
There was nothing they could do. After leaving Songjiang, they couldn't find a place to eat or stay. They also had no food to eat along the way and had to fend for themselves. Fortunately, the guards who accompanied them had experience traveling, otherwise they probably wouldn't have been able to afford even grilled fish.
But now that she's back in Suiping and has the means, Zhu Jiayu naturally doesn't want to eat fish anymore. Not only does she not want to eat it, but even just looking at it makes her mouth taste bitter.
Zhu Congjian sighed: "Alright, then the butler, come here and put these fish into the pond."
The butler, who was standing to the side, wiped his sweat and said with difficulty, "Master, there are already too many fish in the pond. We can't release any more."
Zhu Jiayu raised an eyebrow slightly: "It seems you're having a good time in the manor."
There are so many fish in the pond that we can't release any more. Her father must have been fishing day and night to get so many fish.
Those who didn't know better might think they were in the fishpond business.
"Let's not talk about this," Zhu Congjian waved his hand. He couldn't say any more. If he accidentally revealed something, his daughter would probably be even angrier. He looked at Zhu Jiayu and smiled, "Come down quickly. What would you like to eat? I'll tell the cook to make it for you. I always have someone clean your room, so you don't have to worry about it getting dusty from being unoccupied for so long."
Zhu Jiayu nodded, recited a list of dishes, then got off the carriage and led Lüzheng back to the courtyard.
Zhu Congjian waited for her outside the courtyard with a smile. After she put down her luggage and came out, he said, "It's a bit unfortunate today. My friend who went fishing with me happened to come back with me. I was thinking of inviting him to stay for dinner, but I didn't expect Ayu to come back today as well. You see..."
He explained the situation clearly without saying much, making it clear that whether or not to keep him was entirely up to Zhu Jiayu's wishes.
Zhu Jiayu stared at him for a long time, but couldn't see anything amiss, before nodding: "Since he is Father's friend, it's no big deal for him to stay for a meal. Father doesn't need to hide anything from me."
Zhu Congjian stroked his beard: "It's good that you think that way. Then go sit in the dining room for a while. I'll take you there. The cook just came to say that she knew you were coming back and had already prepared your favorite dishes on the stove. The maids have started serving the dishes now, but the stewed fatty duck with cherry meat, the steamed duck and pork platter, and the mutton crystal dumplings you ordered will have to wait a while."
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said it was alright. After taking Lüzheng to the dining room and sitting down, Lüzheng looked around and, seeing that no one was around, asked Zhu Jiayu mysteriously, "Miss, aren't you curious about who the young friend Master mentioned is?"
Zhu Jiayu paused in her hand, which was holding the Eight Treasures Cake. She turned her head and looked at Lüzheng suspiciously. After a long while, she frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
She knew very well that Lüzheng was not one to speak without reason; if she could say such a thing, then the young friend her father mentioned must have some problem.
Seeing that she really couldn't believe it, Lüzheng sighed: "Miss, don't you think about it? You've been away in Heling for half a year. Half a year ago, the master had the idea of having you find a husband through the bridal chamber. Although you persuaded him to stop thinking about it, he's naturally getting anxious now that you're getting older."
"I have just inquired and found out that the young friend that Master invited today is the eldest son of a family of doctors in the city. His medical skills are excellent, and he is also handsome. In short, Master thinks he is a good match for you, so he wanted to take this opportunity to let you meet today."
After hearing what she said, Zhu Jiayu suddenly felt that the Eight Treasures Cake in her hand had lost its flavor.
She always felt that things weren't that simple.
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