Accidentally entered
As night fell, a cold wind blew down rain and snow, and the candlelight reflected on the window paper was blown out, making the whole courtyard quiet.
Jie Xiangsi lay on the bed, staring blankly at the bed curtains above her head.
The voice of Qing Shu seemed to still echo in his ears: "The Xiao family is, after all, a family of generals with a century of history. They should have been sent to the capital for trial, but they were attacked on the way. Now, it is rumored that the Emperor was afraid that the Xiao family's merits would overshadow his own, so he did it on purpose. The Emperor was furious and ordered the Crown Prince to find General Xiao and investigate him thoroughly."
Her fingers unconsciously clenched the brocade quilt, her brows furrowed in longing.
His achievements overshadowed those of his master...
The scene of his father teaching him and his brother flashed through his mind. He said that as people of the Great Zhao, they must be loyal to the Great Zhao and the Emperor for their entire lives, and must never have any disloyal thoughts.
Father would never rebel, but... what if His Majesty is afraid of the military power in Father's hands?
Except for the elder brother, none of the Xiao clan members survived. This attack must have been premeditated, otherwise, given their abilities, it was impossible for not a single one of them to escape.
Thinking of the evidence the Imperial Guards had found in the mansion, Xie Xiangsi frowned.
On the day of the raid, she was the only person in the Jin'an Marquis's mansion. Her father and brother were rarely home, and her mother had passed away early. She was in charge of managing everything in the mansion.
She was certain that those letters and evidence had appeared out of nowhere.
Furthermore, only a few of her trusted confidants knew her whereabouts on the day she left the city. Could it be... that there was a traitor within the manor?
Now that her brother is still alive, he must know who killed the Xiao clan members. Xiao Yan knows her brother's character; he will definitely seek revenge.
So what she needs to do now is to stop Zhou Yanzhi from finding her brother and, incidentally, find the mole.
Thinking of this, Jie Xiangsi was in a dilemma again.
Stopping Zhou Yanzhi is indeed a tricky matter. Both of them became famous at a young age, but the older brother left people with the impression of a spirited young general, while Zhou Yanzhi was a cold-blooded and ruthless Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
Anyone he arrested and brought to the Dali Temple, regardless of their social status, would be severely punished, even if they didn't die. His ruthlessness was terrifying, to the point that even though he was handsome, no family had ever been heard of wanting to marry him.
Moreover, he is the Empress Dowager's most beloved grandson. Apart from the current Emperor, the only person in the capital who dares to challenge him to his face is Xiao Yan.
If it were before, it would be fine, but now Xiao Yan is dead, and the one who is alive now is Jie Xiangsi. Does Jie Xiangsi dare to challenge Zhou Yanzhi?
Of course I wouldn't dare.
She was an orphan girl who came to the capital seeking refuge. If we treat her badly, wouldn't that be ungrateful? I already possess Jie Xiangsi's body; I can't let her bear the infamy of being heartless and cruel.
So... what other ways are there to get close to him?
"Snap—"
The sound of tree branches breaking and snapping came from outside the window. Jie Xiangsi's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely audacious idea popped into her mind.
What if you became someone close to him?
The sound of wind and snow seemed to grow louder at night, and a storm raged in Jie Xiangsi's heart. Becoming Zhou Yanzhi's lover was the safest method, but also the most difficult.
Amidst the howling wind, Jie Xiangsi closed her eyes, her mind already made up.
Then...
Using the guise of affection to obstruct others.
...
The next day, Jie Xiangsi was awakened by the glaring light in the room. She had been thinking for a long time last night and was still a little sleepy when she got up. She let Qing Shu and Mo Yue help her wash up.
It was still early, but Qing Shu said that Aunt Jie would usually be copying scriptures in her room at this time. After thinking for a moment, Jie Xiang thought about it and decided to go and pay his respects to Aunt Jie first.
Considering that Jie Xiangsi was still in mourning, it would be inappropriate for her to wear white at someone else's house, so she wore a light gray plain patterned pleated skirt, paired with a lake blue stand-up collar long coat, and a plain-colored vest. Her long black hair was all tied up, simply decorated with a white jade hairpin and a white hairband.
In this way, it can be seen that she is in mourning, but it will not cause any bad luck.
Considering that Qing Shu was more composed and more familiar with the entire mansion, Xie Xiangsi only took Qing Shu with her, leaving Yu He and Mo Yue in the courtyard.
As she entered, Aunt Jie had just finished copying the last word of the sutra. Seeing her, she quickly pulled her to sit down by the brazier, gesturing for the old woman to light a hand warmer, and said with a smile, "Why are you up so early? You must have had a long journey yesterday; you should have slept in a bit more today."
Jie Xiangsi smiled shyly, took the hand warmer handed to her by the old woman, and said, "I heard that my aunt copies scriptures and recites them every day. It just so happens that because I have been weak since childhood, my father often makes me copy scriptures in order to train my character."
She sighed as she said this.
"I was in such a hurry when I went to the capital that I didn't have time to bring the scriptures. I thought I would copy them with my aunt, but I didn't expect that I would be too late."
Hearing this, Aunt Jie smiled and said, "I don't believe in gods or Buddhas. I'm just copying scriptures to pray for Yanzhi's well-being. He's away from home all year round, and as his mother, I'm always worried. I figured I might as well copy some scriptures since I'm just idling around. Maybe they'll actually be useful."
After saying that, he sent someone to bring over a key and handed it to Xie Xiangsi, saying, "This is the key to the library of the Prince An's mansion. You can go and get whatever books you need yourself."
Thinking that she should go all out, Jie Xiangsi obediently took the key and smiled slightly at her aunt: "Then thank you, Aunt. I have nothing to repay you with, but I will definitely transcribe scriptures and pray for you and my cousin every day in the future."
These words from Jie Xiangsi made Aunt Jie very happy.
"Then Auntie thanks you for your help, Xiangsi."
She only had one son, Zhou Yanzhi. Although Zhou Yanzhi was not as mischievous as ordinary boys, he was exceptionally cold-hearted, which caused her to grieve for a long time.
Now, a woman named Jie Xiangsi has arrived. She's beautiful and knows how to sweet-talk people, giving her a taste of what it's like to have a daughter.
So, Xie Xiangsi went empty-handed, but returned with a large pile of gifts bestowed upon her by her aunt.
Looking at the items on the table, Xie Xiangsi knew that her status in the mansion had risen to another level. After all, winning over Aunt Xie's favor was a skill in itself.
Moreover, if one wants to get close to Zhou Yanzhi, one must please Aunt Xie.
Thinking of this, Jie Xiangsi felt a headache coming on.
Zhou Yanzhi doesn't come back to the manor often, so how can she get close to him?
...
Of course, Jie Xiangsi didn't expect this opportunity to come so quickly.
Because of her military family background, Xiao Yan had practiced martial arts since childhood. Almost the instant the person broke into the room, she opened her eyes and felt an unfamiliar atmosphere filling the room.
Seeing this, Xie Xiangsi opened her mouth to call for help, but the person who came noticed her intention and rushed forward to cover her mouth, pressing Xie Xiangsi, who had already stepped halfway off the bed, back down and making her fall heavily back into the bed.
"Don't make a sound, it's me."
The person spoke, and the voice sounded very familiar.
Jie Xiangsi paused for a moment, then tilted her head to signal Zhou Yanzhi to let go of her hand, and asked in surprise, "Cousin?"
"Um."
As if he were injured, Zhou Yanzhi's breathing was somewhat unsteady, and there was a faint smell of blood in the air.
After a moment, Xie Xiangsi hesitated and said, "Um... cousin, you're pressing down on me, can you get up first?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Perhaps it was her reminder that made Zhou Yanzhi belatedly realize that their current position was somewhat awkward.
Face to face, or in bed.
He was wearing night clothes today, which were made of little fabric. Since Jie Xiangsi had already gone to bed, he was only wearing a thin inner garment.
The two were very close, and he could almost feel the warmth emanating from Jie Xiangsi, and... the rise and fall of her body.
Almost instantly, Zhou Yanzhi felt a surge of heat rise to his forehead. He thought to himself that it was a good thing it was nighttime, otherwise Jie Xiangsi would definitely have seen his flushed face.
Suppressing his embarrassment, Zhou Yan apologized incoherently.
"Sorry, I'll get up right away, sorry..."
Although Jie Xiangsi was also embarrassed, she didn't react as strongly as him, and just kept replying, "It's okay."
Pulling a blanket over herself, Jie Xiangsi looked at the person breathing heavily not far away and whispered, "Do you want me to treat your wounds?"
Zhou Yanzhi shook his head, then realized it was nighttime and, fearing Xie Xiangsi might not have seen it, added in a low voice, "No need, thank you, cousin."
"good."
Jie Xiangsi responded softly, but didn't tell him to leave, since judging from his posture, he probably wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon.
So, one of them sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket, while the other leaned against the round table, panting.
For a moment, apart from Zhou Yanzhi's suppressed panting, the room was very quiet.
After a long pause, Zhou Yanzhi finally spoke, his voice much calmer, but still somewhat awkward.
“I’m sorry, cousin. I didn’t mean to barge into your room. I haven’t been home for a long time, and I… I didn’t know that Mother gave this courtyard to you.”
Jie Xiangsi shook her head.
"It's alright, ignorance is no excuse."
Hearing Jie Xiangsi's calm voice, Zhou Yanzhi felt even more guilty.
In the past, when he was injured, he would sneak back to the mansion and rest in this courtyard. Today, he habitually went into the room as well, and didn't even notice that there was someone in the room.
My cousin went to Beijing alone to stay with her mother. She was all alone and helpless, and was probably terrified but dared not tell anyone.
I was so rude!
So, Zhou Yanzhi carefully considered his words before speaking.
"It was my fault today. If my cousin wants compensation, she can just tell me."
He shook his head, trying to ease his longing.
"Cousin, I'm really fine."
Zhou Yanzhi's persistence.
"Cousin, don't worry that I'll go back on my word. A gentleman keeps his promise."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi finally poked her head out from under the covers, looking intently at Zhou Yanzhi, "Really?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Something feels off.
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, he nodded, "Really."
"Anything is fine?"
Zhou Yanzhi hesitated for a moment, then said affirmatively.
"Anything is fine."
Hearing his promise, Jie Xiangsi didn't show it on her face, but she was secretly overjoyed.
In their past life, the two had been rivals for many years. Although they disliked each other, over the years, she had come to understand Zhou Yanzhi thoroughly, and could be said to understand him better than anyone else.
Although he has a temper as bad as a rock, he is not without merits. If his cold-heartedness is his biggest flaw, then his integrity is his greatest strength.
then……
Under Zhou Yanzhi's earnest gaze, Xie Xiangsi slowly spoke.
"cousin."
"What?" Zhou Yanzhi asked, puzzled.
He spoke each word of "解相思" with great care and concentration.
"I said, I want my cousin."
Zhou Yanzhi: "?!"
Zhou Yanzhi: "Huh?"
...
The sound of wind and snow outside the window continued, but the room was eerily quiet.
Seeing Xie Xiangsi's serious expression, Zhou Yanzhi was unusually at a loss. He hurriedly lowered his head, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. He kept stammering, unable to finish his sentence.
"Cousin, you...I..."
"How...can this be..."
This appearance is completely different from his usual cold and stern demeanor when he interrogates people at the Dali Temple. If those people from the Dali Temple saw him like this, they would probably laugh at him behind his back.
"Pfft—"
Suddenly, a very soft laugh rang out in the air.
Zhou Yanzhi looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes. Martial arts practitioners are usually sharp-witted, but Zhou Yanzhi felt inexplicably dizzy at that moment.
Jie Xiangsi rolled up the quilt and got out of bed, walking step by step to Zhou Yanzhi.
Under Zhou Yanzhi's puzzled gaze, she placed the medicine bottle in his hand and said with a smile, "People often say that my cousin is a heartless and cruel official, but I think the rumors are untrue. My cousin clearly has feelings in his heart, but he just hasn't met the right person yet."
Zhou Yanzhi curled his lips.
"Oh? So you know me very well?"
He shook his head, trying to relieve his longing.
"Xiangsi dares not presume to know her cousin's thoughts, but to be honest, I was just joking with her earlier. However, there is indeed something that Xiangsi would like to ask her cousin for help in understanding."
Hearing her say that, Zhou Yanzhi became interested and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Go on."
"Just now, when my cousin got up, Xiangsi inadvertently glimpsed a silver ingot. Judging from its shape, it seems similar to the evidence seized in the Xiao family's treason case. But the Xiao family case has not yet been decided, has it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
