After leaving the palace, Su Jinli's brows were as tightly locked as a city gate, never relaxing for a moment. In just three days, she had to present a satisfactory script to the emperor. The time was as tight as a taut bowstring, and there was no room for carelessness or slackness.
"Jinli, don't worry, I firmly believe that you will succeed." Jiang Yan stared at Su Jinli, his eyes full of unwavering encouragement, like a ray of sunshine penetrating the haze.
Su Jinli forced a smile, but that smile could not hide her worry: "Well, I will do my best. But the time is too tight..."
Jiang Yan gently held Su Jinli's hand, as if to pass on his strength to her: "I will always be by your side. In the next few days, I will be responsible for helping you collect various materials, you just need to focus on your creation."
Su Jinli nodded slightly, a warm feeling welling up within her. Returning to the Prime Minister's residence, she plunged headfirst into her study, devoting herself entirely to the conception of her storybook. Sometimes her brows furrowed in thought, as if she were searching for a treasure trove of inspiration in a vast ocean of thoughts; sometimes she wrote furiously, the tip of her pen scratching against the paper, as if engaged in a fierce race against time.
Upon hearing this, Young Marquis Su rushed over anxiously, carrying the toy sword he always carried with him on his shoulder, with a serious expression on his face, "Sister, is there anything I can help you with?"
Su Jinli looked at her brother's naive appearance and couldn't help but smile. "As long as you don't cause trouble, you're helping me. Otherwise, why don't you go and find out for me if there's anything new and interesting happening in the capital recently?"
"Okay!" Young Marquis Su responded crisply, turned around and ran out like a gust of wind. The small figure disappeared in the courtyard in an instant.
Soon, Su Qingyao also walked lightly into the study, holding a box of brand new rouge in her hand. She walked gently to Su Jinli's side and said with concern, "Sister, don't exhaust yourself. Here, this is the rouge I developed. Be sure to try it when you finish writing."
Su Jinli took the rouge, her heart filled with emotion, her eyes slightly red: "Thank you, sister."
However, in another corner of the Prime Minister's Mansion, when Liu heard about the difficult situation Su Jinli was facing, a sinister light suddenly flashed in her eyes, like a poisonous snake in the dark night: "Hmph, Su Jinli, I'll see how you can get through this time." After that, she gently raised her hand, called over Nanny Zhou, and then whispered a few words in her ear, her voice low and cold.
Nanny Zhou nodded repeatedly, a flattering expression on her face, and hurried away. Not long after, she, along with a few furtive servants, snuck into Su Jinli's study like a ghost. Taking advantage of the unnoticed situation, they quickly stole some of Su Jinli's completed manuscript like thieves, then tiptoed away quietly, as if they had never been there.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Jinli, exhausted from writing, stood up to stretch her aching muscles. When she glanced back at her desk, she froze, as if under a spell. The manuscript, which had just been on the table, had vanished, as if it had evaporated from the face of the earth.
"Someone come!" Su Jinli was extremely anxious and shouted loudly. Her voice echoed in the silent study, revealing endless anxiety.
Lingge and the other maids heard the shouts and rushed in from all directions, looking panicked. Lingge asked anxiously, "Miss, what happened?"
"The manuscript is missing!" Su Jinli's voice was trembling. She was anxious and began to search everywhere in the study, not missing any corner.
"What should I do?" Lingge was also panicked and kept spinning around in place.
Su Jinli took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Her eyes gradually became firm. "Someone must have done this intentionally. Lingge, go check immediately to see who was near the study just now."
Lingge responded and ran out like an arrow. Not long after, Lingge returned with a grim expression: "Miss, someone saw Madam Zhou and a few servants enter the study, and they left in a hurry not long after."
A flash of anger flashed in Su Jinli's eyes: "It's indeed Liu, that vicious woman!" After that, she turned around and rushed out in a hurry, determined to find Liu to ask for an explanation.
As soon as he reached the door of the study, he ran into Jiang Yan. Seeing Su Jinli's pale face and abnormal expression, Jiang Yan hurriedly asked with concern: "Jinli, what happened?"
Su Jinli suppressed her anger and told Jiang Yan everything about the manuscript being stolen. Jiang Yan's brows knitted together like a twist of dough, "Don't worry, we'll think of a way. There are still two days left before the deadline. If we rewrite it, we'll definitely have time."
Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan, feeling a mixture of emotions. She felt angry and helpless about the manuscript being stolen, but also touched and dependent on Jiang Yan's company. "But time is so tight, this..."
Jiang Yan held Su Jinli's hand tightly, his eyes full of determination and warmth: "Don't worry, I will always be by your side. If we work together, we will definitely be able to get out."
Su Jinli nodded slightly. With Jiang Yan's encouragement, she took a deep breath and sat back down at her desk, her eyes alight with fighting spirit as she began writing again. Jiang Yan quietly helped by grinding and carefully sorting through the materials he had collected, occasionally offering Su Jinli a cup of hot tea, his eyes filled with concern and support.
Meanwhile, Liu sat in her room, looking at the stolen manuscript with a smug smile on her face, a twisted and sinister one. "Su Jinli, let's see how you can turn things around this time. I'll show you what happens when you cross me!" Then, she hurled the manuscript into the brazier, her eyes gleaming with malevolence. As she watched the manuscript gradually crumble to ash in the flames, she seemed to see Su Jinli's hopes shattered. The flickering flames illuminated her sinister face, making it look particularly terrifying.
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