Chapter 54: The Fish Takes the Bait
In the courtyard of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion, the desolation of winter was barely punctuated by a few stubborn bare branches and the faint fragrance of winter plum blossoms. Amidst the decay, deep red flowers bloomed alone in the cold. As the cold wind swept through the bare branches, Xie Huailing and Bai Feifei stopped beside the holly bushes, their gazes suddenly meeting Lin Shiyin's as she admired the winter plum blossoms alone beneath the tree.
Lin Shiyin was wrapped in her cloak, so slender that she seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away. When she saw who it was, she gracefully and gently curtsied, displaying the manners of a well-bred lady. Her voice was soft and gentle, like the wind blowing through flower petals: "Thank you for the chance encounter, Miss."
Xie Huailing nodded in return for Lin Shiyin's greeting and said, "Miss Lin."
Lin Shiyin explained to her, being careful not to make her overthink: "I came with the steward of Li Garden to thank Master Su and Miss Xie. However, the steward and Master Su were discussing important matters, and I didn't want to disturb them, so I thought I'd just take a stroll. I didn't expect the plum blossoms here to be blooming so beautifully."
Xie Huailing didn't really care about Lin Shiyin's purpose at all, and followed her words, asking, "I see. I guess I've come at an inopportune time. I wonder how Young Master Li's injuries are?"
Mentioning Li Xunhuan, Lin Shiyin's eyes welled up with a thin layer of moisture, like a glass window in the rain, but she quickly suppressed it and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. My cousin's injuries have greatly improved, and he moved back to the manor from the Divine Marquis's Mansion the day before yesterday to recuperate."
Although Lin Shiyin tried her best to make her voice sound steady, the slight tremor at the end of her voice and the lingering sorrow between her brows, which seemed even deeper than when they last met, still caught Xie Huailing's eye.
Xie Huailing's mind raced. The last time they met outside the Divine Marquis's mansion, Lin Shiyin was deeply worried about Li Xunhuan's uncertain fate; her sorrow was purely for Li Xunhuan, for her beloved. But now, even though Li Xunhuan was clearly out of danger, her sorrow was deeper, permeated with helplessness and an unspeakable sense of alienation. And then he remembered that she preferred to ask him, an outsider, about Li Xunhuan's situation rather than directly ask him…
Xie Huailing understood immediately. She asked bluntly, "Since Young Master Li is out of danger, why does Miss Lin seem even more worried?"
Before Lin Shiyin could answer, she continued, looking at the plum blossoms covering the tree: "If this sorrow is for Young Master Li, for the rift between you, then tossing and turning at night would be a waste of this rare winter scenery. Wouldn't that be a pity?"
Lin Shiyin's face was as pale as snow. She was shocked, embarrassed, and flustered that her thoughts had been exposed. She opened her mouth as if to explain, but in the end, she just bit her lower lip tightly, lowered her head without saying a word, her long eyelashes trembling violently, something struggling inside her.
Xie Huailing looked at her like this, feeling little emotion, only a bit bored. She wasn't the type to be compassionate, nor did she have any interest in being someone's mentor. She had already made her point clear; if the other person didn't even have the courage to speak up, then so be it. She turned to Bai Feifei, who was watching with her arms crossed, and gestured to herself before preparing to leave.
"Miss Xie."
As luck would have it, Lin Shiyin's soft voice rang out just as she was about to leave.
She was anxious and tentative, but her unfamiliarity and unease made her words seem particularly weak: "I heard that Miss Xie's background is similar to mine."
She was referring to the identity that Su Mengzhen had carefully crafted for Xie Huailing—an orphan girl whose parents had died, whose distant relatives had all passed away, and who had gone to live with her cousin alone: "I also heard from the elders in my family and the head constable of the Divine Marquis's Mansion that, despite her background, Miss Xie is a rare talent in the world, with unparalleled wisdom and resourcefulness. Even someone like Master Su has to rely on Miss Xie. Miss Xie can always do what she wants to do."
Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, but it still conveyed her confused and bewildered thoughts.
Xie Huailing asked indifferently, "So, what does Miss Lin want to say?"
Lin Shiyin fell silent again. Her immense courage seemed to have been exhausted by her question. She simply stared at Xie Huailing with her beautiful, bewildered eyes, her lips moving but no sound escaping. She didn't know what she wanted to ask, or perhaps she didn't even know what she wanted to ask. She only vaguely felt that she wanted to ask, but in this world, one can never simply say what one desires.
Xie Huailing shook his head, seeing her hesitant expression and helpless sorrow. Just then, a brother from the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion hurried through the moon gate and approached Xie Huailing. He bowed respectfully and brought a message from Su Mengzhen, inviting her to the warm pavilion in the reception room.
Xie Huailing agreed, not glancing at Lin Shiyin who was still standing there, and said to Bai Feifei, "Let's go."
She strode forward, and as she brushed past Lin Shiyin, her pace slowed slightly, leaving behind her final words:
"If you really have something you want to ask me, wait until you've thought it through and figured out what you want to ask before you contact me. I'm always ready to answer."
After speaking, she and Bai Feifei quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor. The cold wind swirled up the snow on the ground, which drifted onto the hem of Lin Shiyin's cloak, painting a picture of loneliness and desolation.
.
After passing through several courtyards and leaving behind the sorrow of the back garden, Bai Feifei spoke coldly. Displeased with Lin Shiyin's fragility and deep melancholy, she unusually broke the silence: "Who is she?"
"Lin Shiyin." Xie Huailing sketched out Lin Shiyin's background and situation clearly in just a few words. "The cousin of Xiao Li Tanhua. Her parents died and she was raised in Li Garden since childhood. Her life was as adrift as duckweed, with no one to rely on. Her heart was entirely devoted to her cousin, but there was something between them."
Upon hearing this, Bai Feifei's beautiful face showed undisguised sarcasm. She understood and said incisively, "Then I know. What she said just now was to ask you why you, who also live under someone else's roof, can live such a life, while your cousin relies on you so much."
That's because I'm not living under someone else's roof. Xie Huailing thought this, but she couldn't say it. Without stopping, she replied, "Of course I know. But it's no use for me to say it for her, and it's no use for anyone else to say it for her. She has to muster up her own courage, tear off her self-pitying shell, walk up to me, and ask clearly. Her temperament is really pitiful."
Bai Feifei said coldly, as if she had heard an extremely absurd joke, "Pitiful? What's pitiful about it? In this world, women who only know how to shed tears but have no skills whatsoever are all useless and good-for-nothings."
She spoke with an air of utter disdain, and it's unclear what she had been through.
“The future is still uncertain, how can you be so sure? What if her future is not like this?” Xie Huailing asked.
“She is now, after all,” Bai Feifei said.
Xie Huailing didn't refute, probably because she actually agreed with Bai Feifei's statement. The two of them quickly arrived in front of the building.
Su Mengzhen only called Xie Huailing. Bai Feifei's identity was also sensitive, and she was completely different from people like Sha Man who were close to Xie Huailing. So Xie Huailing told Bai Feifei to go wherever she wanted, and went upstairs and opened the door to the warm pavilion.
The warm pavilion lived up to its name in winter, its interior cozy and inviting. Charcoal burned quietly in the bronze incense burner with its animal-head design, emitting a comforting aroma unique to charcoal in the snow. The curtains were not drawn, and winter sunlight streamed through the window. In the interplay of the snow's color and the firelight, she first saw Su Mengzhen sitting on the soft couch, a fur blanket covering his lap. Then she saw the spot he had reserved for her, and then she saw the second person who was with Su Mengzhen there.
When Xie Huailing saw him, she knew that the time had come.
On the other side of the comfy couch, there was an exquisite wheelchair, and sitting in it was a person with a handsome and refined face. Who else in the world could he be but ruthless?
As soon as Xie Huailing entered the warm pavilion, Wuqing looked over. At this moment, they were discussing official business. The chief constable of the Divine Marquis's Mansion and the confidant of the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion did not intend to greet her first. It was Su Mengzhen who saw Xie Huailing enter, raised her hand to indicate that she should sit down, and then built a bridge between the two: "Huailing, there is something that requires your presence. We need to make some plans together."
In front of outsiders, Su Mengzhen always called her by this nickname that made her teeth ache a little.
Xie Huailing sat down on the armchair beside the soft couch as he instructed, put her hand warmer away, and settled in there, oblivious to Su Mengzhen's words. Anyway, Su Mengzhen knew she was listening, and that was enough for her.
After Su Mengzhen finished speaking, Wuqing's voice rang out, neither loud nor soft, like a calmly flowing stream: "Master Su, Miss Xie, the case of Li Xunhuan's assassination attempt is complex due to its involvement of high-ranking officials and nobles, the perpetrator's methods are bizarre, and the clues are elusive. Although the Divine Marquis's Mansion is willing to investigate thoroughly, due to certain reasons that cannot be openly stated, it is difficult to personally oversee this case. Ultimately, after weighing the options among all parties, the case has been transferred to Chief Constable Jin of the Six Doors."
"However, the household is still uneasy. This case involves far more than just an ordinary江湖 (jianghu) feud. The fact that the perpetrator was able to assassinate Li Tanhua in the heart of Bianjing, under the watchful eyes of everyone, demonstrates a level of audacity, cunning, and strength that should not be underestimated. There may be a larger scheme behind it, and the foundation of the Six Doors may be untraceable. Therefore..."
Wuqing stared at Su Mengzhen without moving. Standing here saying these things, the identity of a friend shouldn't exist, hence his solemn demeanor: "The Divine Marquis's Mansion hopes that the Golden Wind and Fine Rain Pavilion can assist in the investigation of this case. We wish to utilize your extensive network of informants to trace the origins, motives, and mastermind of the perpetrators. The Divine Marquis's Mansion promises to bear all expenses and manpower incurred. Furthermore, the Li Grand Tutor's Mansion will remember this kindness."
As Wuqing recounted her story, Su Mengzhen's gaze kept drifting towards Xie Huailing, seemingly unintentionally. After Wuqing finished speaking, he didn't directly express his opinion but instead asked her, "Huailing, in your opinion, is this something that can be done?"
The study was silent, the red glow of the charcoal fire flickering on the screen, making the tranquil landscape seem as if it had been set ablaze. A cold, unyielding gaze lingered on Xie Huailing, awaiting her response.
Xie Huailing leaned back in her chair, still feeling that Su Mengzhen's calling her name was making her teeth ache. She would rather he called her by name more formally. She glanced at Su Mengzhen and then at Wuqing. What they had agreed on long ago was just an interlude in front of Wuqing: "It can be done, of course it can be done."
Upon hearing this, Su Mengzhen, having finished his performance, didn't ask any more questions and directly decided, "Alright. This matter will be entirely in your hands." He didn't mention the allocation of manpower and resources, because there was no need to.
On his cold and indifferent face, there was surprise at Xie Huailing's straightforward agreement and Su Mengzhen's indulgent trust, but more than that, there was relief. The more confident Xie Huailing was, the more confident he felt. He added, "To facilitate our actions and exchange information, the Divine Marquis's Mansion has already made arrangements. Junior Brother Leng Xue will assist Miss Xie from the side."
Upon hearing the name "Cold-Blooded," Xie Huailing raised an eyebrow, then quickly regained his composure and nodded slightly to Wuqing: "Thank you for your trouble, Officer Cold-Blooded."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com