Chapter 44. She was so open and honest, so open that she called him...
The bodyguard who had been secretly following Yu An reported all the details he had learned to Ji Jinghe early on.
Ji Jinghe, who had just gotten out of bed and was not fully awake, couldn't help but worry when he heard Yu An barging into the Li residence alone.
"Is the young mistress alright?"
Wei Ji: "Everything is fine."
"What do you think? There are so many people in the Li family. You let her in alone. What if something happens? How will you take responsibility?"
Ji Jinghe couldn't help but frown, his tone becoming somewhat harsh.
Wei Ji immediately apologized, "My men said that the young mistress probably noticed our people and disguised herself as a maid, driving a carriage alone towards the town. She tried to evade us several times along the way, even using the cover of night to hide in alleys and shake us off. By the time our men discovered her, the young mistress had already entered the Li residence..."
"After the young mistress came out, they went in and asked Li Yan's wife, Liu, who said that the young mistress had left them more than two hundred taels of silver and left with the secret letter left by Li Yan."
So she went to great lengths, even resorting to haunting her home, just to get away to Wanping and find those things.
The undeniable truth made Ji Jinghe think deeply, and the more he pondered the various ways she had deceived him, the more a gaping hole seemed to appear in his chest.
He was unwilling to admit it, but that was the truth.
He stood up with a stern expression and walked into the hall. "Anything else?"
Wei Ji: "The young mistress is ill with a high fever and cannot get out of bed. She says she will stay in Wanping for a while longer."
Ji Jinghe: ...
If they have such great abilities to find people, how can they have such a high fever that they can't even get out of bed?
People usually thought she was raised in seclusion, delicate and frail, but who would have thought she could ride a horse and even outrun the guards...
What else does she have that he doesn't know...?
Ji Jinghe: "How did she know there were Li family members in Wanping County?"
Wei Ji couldn't answer. He had just opened his mouth when he heard an undisguised displeasure above him: "Investigate."
*
Within half a day of the news that she would not be returning for the time being, Ji Shu arrived at Tantuo Temple with the imperial physician. Fortunately, Yu An had made preparations in advance.
Upon hearing that it was a relapse of her old illness from some time ago, Ji Shu couldn't help but worry, "It was finally getting better, how could something go wrong again..."
Yu An comforted her, "Didn't the imperial physician also say that this time the symptoms are mild and the recovery will be quick?"
Ji Shu: "Then what are you still doing here? Hurry up and go home. My brother called me early this morning with the imperial physician, saying he wants to persuade you to go home."
Yu An was taken aback, but seeing Ji Shu's serious expression, she knew that she wasn't faking it.
Ji Shu said seriously, "Don't stay here anymore, and don't pray for this blessing. Mother has already asked a master to perform a ritual for our family. Mother and Aunt's illnesses are gradually improving, so there's no need for you to stay in Xishan."
She's only been gone a few days, how did things turn out like this?
Seeing that Yu'an did not respond for a long time, Ji Shu directly told Baozhu and the servant to start packing, and they would set off after lunch in the afternoon.
“There’s no need to rush…” Yu’an stopped him.
Ji Shu said firmly, "My brother said that the evil spirit in the house has been caught, so you don't need to worry, sister-in-law. Even Mom said everything is fine now."
Unable to argue back and with no grounds to refuse, Yu An had no choice but to listen to Ji Shu and return home at 9 PM that night.
He tried to explain all the way home, but when he got there, Ji Jinghe wasn't there.
Perfect timing! Let her take some time to come up with more excuses to hide those secret letters.
A day or two passed, and before they knew it, it was March. Ji Jinghe hadn't been home for four or five days.
"My grandmother said that the Censorate is busy again. With the new emperor ascending the throne, there are bound to be some clean-up and re-examination of the old affairs of the previous dynasty. Who knows, there might be a general amnesty for the whole country this time for the Empress Dowager's birthday."
Ji Shu embroidered the pattern Yu An had made, stitch by stitch, speaking very slowly.
Yu An took a deep breath and was momentarily lost in thought.
A gentle breeze blew in through the wide-open window, accompanied by meows. Noticing something unusual under her feet, Yu'an looked down and saw Ji Shuxin's newly adopted kitten. It was black and white, and like its owner, it exuded a mischievous charm.
“The Zheng family’s female cat had several litters. I arrived late, and when I got there, there was only this one left. I thought that it wouldn’t hurt if the colors were a bit mixed, so I kept it.”
Seeing Yu'an reach out to tease it, Ji Shu smiled and asked, "Isn't it incredibly clever?"
Yu-an grew up in the countryside and was used to seeing cats and dogs since childhood. However, she became afraid of dogs because of her experience of being kidnapped. Over time, she also developed an indifferent attitude towards cats.
Ji Shu: "If you like them too, why don't you get one too? You're bored by yourself anyway."
Yu An shook her head, "Let's forget about it."
She can't even take care of herself, why should she drag an innocent life into suffering with her?
She buried herself in the embroidery shed again, chatting with Ji Shu while busy with her work, and before she knew it, it was late at night.
The room was lit by only one lamp. Yu'an sat on the bed, carefully examining the inconspicuous slips of paper.
Most of these conversations involve Li Yan and Xia Zhao, touching upon matters ranging from the emperor's heart to the people's livelihood. The scope of the discussions is vast, and the depth of the conspiracies is profound. Among them, the most important topic is the matter concerning Xu Yun from several years ago.
Although it cannot lead to a conviction, it can still prove that Xu Yun's death was inextricably linked to the Xia family.
Since the new emperor is determined to re-examine old cases, why doesn't she take advantage of this opportunity?
She was powerless on her own, and her understanding of the court was limited to what others said. Seeking external help was the best course of action.
After some random thoughts, I reluctantly packed up my things, put them back, and went to sleep.
Ji Shu was very enthusiastic about learning needlework. Every day after breakfast, she would come to the half-acre courtyard, go back for a nap at noon, and then continue until dark.
The two sisters-in-law teased each other day after day, and time flew by.
Sometimes, when the weather was nice, the two would move to the gazebo in the back garden. But one day when they returned, the house was a mess, and a triumphant tabby cat was lying comfortably by the bed, licking its fur.
Yu An's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked for her box, but she didn't show it because Ji Shu was in front of her.
Baozhu saw this and quickly stepped forward to start tidying up.
Ji Shu was so angry that she cursed, "You stinky cat, what are you doing here! Look at the mess you've made..."
When the cat sensed something was wrong, it vanished in a flash, leaving no trace.
Since her own cat had caused such a mess, Ji Shu had no choice but to apologize repeatedly. After all, the half-acre courtyard wasn't hers, and there were still many of Ji Jinghe's things on the bookshelf. If something went wrong, she would be in big trouble.
Unable to find her belongings, Yu'an lost her patience. After casually replying "It's alright" twice, she began to clean up the mess with the maid.
By evening, she still hadn't found what she was missing.
Baozhu: "Miss, are you sure those things were placed here?"
Yu An: "Of course."
She was watching it just a few days ago.
Baozhu searched the entire room, and said in distress, "It's such a small place, and it's just a bunch of paper scraps. Where could it have gone? Could it have been blown out the window by the wind? Or could it have been eaten by the cat?"
There were many small, trivial items, so Yu'an put them all into a large envelope for easy storage. The cat couldn't eat the cardboard, and besides, there was no wind or clouds that day, so they couldn't have been blown outside.
There is only one possibility: it was taken away.
Who could it be...?
"Have any outsiders come in these past few days?" Yu An asked.
Baozhu affirmed, "Besides me, it's just Miss and Caiqi. The rest of them are all our own people from the courtyard. They're either serving food or water, and there are always people around when they're doing those things. How could they possibly have a chance to take anything?"
After pondering for a long time, she finally arrived at the outcome she least wanted to see—
Ji Jinghe.
With so many things on the bookshelf, there was nothing I couldn't steal, but I took the most inconspicuous one.
Except for the time she left her room to go to the garden at noon, she stayed at home all day. How could someone have gotten away with it?
This only proves that the person who committed the crime was extremely familiar with the area.
After waiting for half a month, seeing that he still hadn't made a move, she thought he didn't know... but it turned out that the other party was also waiting for her to lower her guard.
Baozhu: "Miss, what should we do?"
Yu An took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and uttered two words: "Sleep."
The things they had gone through so much trouble to find were gone just like that. Baozhu felt it was a pity. "Why don't we search the whole mansion tomorrow to see if someone has taken them by mistake..."
"No search."
Yu An, holding her breath, went to bed. "Don't worry about this anymore. Go back and rest."
Ji Jinghe missed the Shangsi Festival and didn't return until the fifteenth. When he went to Rongshou Hall, everyone happened to be there.
Yu An was seething with hatred. Normally, he would at least say a few words of concern, but today, upon seeing the person, he couldn't even bear to glance at him.
“You’ve been out ever since Yu’an came back from Xishan. You’ve been really busy these past two weeks.”
On the surface, Ji's mother was expressing her indignation on behalf of Yu'an, but in reality, she was also blaming her grandson for being so ignorant.
Even if you're busy, you can't completely neglect your wife at home; husband and wife shouldn't be so distant.
Ji Jinghe didn't even look at the person beside him, but just smiled and replied, "I was busy with official duties, so I neglected these things."
Ji Suyi laughed along: "You speak official language to your wife? What husband is like you?"
The two smiled without saying a word, neither willing to break the deadlock.
Finally, it was Ji's mother who spoke up, "If you ask me, after you finish eating, you two can go back and talk to each other quietly. Young people, there are some things you can't say in front of your elders, we know that."
Ji Suyi immediately nodded in agreement.
Yu An didn't seem to care and didn't respond. Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a while, Ji Jinghe had no choice but to acknowledge the elders' words first, and then changed the subject.
When she got back in the evening, Yu'an wasn't in the mood to sit by the embroidery shed. After washing up, she sat directly on the couch, waiting for Ji Jinghe to finish washing up.
Ji Jinghe noticed her sitting upright to the side, glanced at her indifferently, then walked to the bedside. After a long while, seeing that she showed no intention of turning off the light and going to sleep, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
The book slammed shut with a "snap," and a sharp glare swept over me.
"When will you return my things, sir?"
Ji Jinghe stared at her quietly, then asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"
Yu An retorted, "The old man knows better than I do what it is."
"Are you so sure I took it?" He turned around slowly, his tone nonchalant.
"Since you've asked it that way, isn't the answer obvious?"
Yu An couldn't stand his unhurried manner, so she stepped forward and stood in front of him, uttering only two words: "Give it back to me."
Ji Jinghe sat in front of the couch, staring at her intently, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "So you admit that you went to Xishan under the guise of praying for blessings, just to find those things, and that even the haunting of your house was orchestrated by you, right?"
Even after being exposed, she still lost face, so she silently took half a step back: "No."
no……
Ji Jinghe gave a wry smile. "You've already caught the person, and you still say it's not true... How much of the truth do you have in your mouth?"
He leaned in and grabbed her wrist tightly. "I gave you a chance before, but you chose not to say anything. I thought I had wronged you, but what about you? I clearly told you that if you had anything to say, you could just tell me. Why did you do something so harmful to yourself and others?"
"To deceive everyone, you resort to self-medication. Is this what you consider right?"
Ji Jinghe waited for her to refute him, but all he got was silence.
That means he guessed right.
In order to deceive the imperial physician, she didn't even care about her own body.
Those watery eyes, just like last time, held a fierce and distant quality, no different from those of a stranger.
He opened his mouth, but through gritted teeth, managed to utter only one question: "You stayed in the first place only to overturn the verdict, didn't you?"
His deep voice inexplicably conveyed a hidden sadness. Yu An leaned back slightly, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and carefully discerned the emotions in his eyes.
...
"Yes," she coldly uttered a single word.
The answer was thrown in his face without any mercy, without any buffer.
Without explanation or excuse, she was simply so open and honest that he couldn't find any fault with her.
She couldn't even be bothered to come up with an excuse.
Yu An: "Grandpa, do you know the answer? If you do, then give me back my things."
Ji Jinghe choked, his anger finding no outlet, which instead turned into a sharp pain, leaving him powerless to resist. He saw her looking at him intently, her gaze never wavering.
"I don't know why you're asking this?" Yu'an let him hold her hand.
"Sad? But what right do you have to be sad, sir? And what right do you have to question me and take my things?"
"When the Chu family was in trouble, did you care whether I lived or died, or even glance at me?"
She sneered, "The old man only has eyes for the Xu family. Even knowing that my father died unjustly, he still only has eyes for the Xu family. You don't want the Xu family to suffer an injustice, so you abandon my family and take the blame."
"If you feel guilty, then feel guilty. What does it have to do with me?"
"The old man says he needs to talk to you, but if he actually comes to you, would you help him?"
Ji Jinghe, suppressing a bitter taste in his mouth, said, "So you think Pei Chengyu is good? You believed him? Was the person who sent you the message that Li Yan's family is in Changping... him?"
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