Ginkgo leaves drifted down in the courtyard, carpeting the ground in gold. Xin Jiuwei leaned against the stone table, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface, her gaze fixed on Xin Yunzhou, who was practicing his sword not far away. Her brother's swordsmanship was far more refined than in her previous life; every move exuded composure and power. He was no longer the naive boy who would be toyed with by a songstress.
"Brother, take a break." Xin Jiuwei poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards him. "You've been practicing too hard these past few days; be careful not to injure your muscles and bones."
Xin Yunzhou sheathed his sword, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He strode over, picked up his teacup, and downed it in one gulp, laughing, "I'm just afraid of embarrassing my sister. I've heard that Xiao Xun is quite skilled with his sword, so I need to practice a few tricks to avoid him thinking our Xin family has no one else."
"How could he dare to underestimate the Xin family?" Xin Jiuwei smiled, a sweet glint in her eyes. "Besides, now that his identity is clear, how can he compete as casually as before?"
"Hmph, so what if he's the Sixth Prince?" Xin Yunzhou scoffed, but softened his tone when he saw his sister's slightly flushed cheeks. "Never mind, as long as he treats you well, I, as his older brother, naturally have nothing to say."
Just as Xin Jiuwei was about to respond, she heard light footsteps coming from the courtyard gate. She turned her head and saw a woman dressed in a light purple dress walking gracefully towards her; it was her personal maid, Xin Kui.
"Miss, I've checked all the account books you requested." Xin Kui curtsied, her voice as melodious as a clear spring. "The shop in the south of the city is making 30% more profit than last month, and I've deposited the surplus into the bank as you instructed."
Xin Jiuwei nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. Go and rest now."
Xin Kui was about to take her leave when she noticed Xin Yunzhou staring intently at her, forgetting to put down his teacup. Xin Jiuwei, seeing this, smiled knowingly.
"Brother?" she called softly.
Xin Yunzhou suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly put down his teacup, spilling a few drops of tea onto his sleeve. Seeing this, Xin Kui quickly took out a handkerchief embroidered with orchids from her sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "Please have this, young master."
"Thank you so much." Xin Yunzhou stammered as he accepted the handkerchief, but his eyes remained fixed on Xin Kui's face.
Xin Kui blushed slightly under his gaze and hurriedly excused herself. Only after her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did Xin Yunzhou turn his gaze away, only to find his sister looking at him with a half-smile.
"Who is this?" Xin Yunzhou asked, his voice filled with undisguised amazement. "How come I've never seen this before?"
Xin Jiuwei slowly sipped her tea: "Brother, do you really not remember? She's the courtesan from Panyue Tower who almost ruined your reputation."
"What?!" Xin Yunzhou jumped to his feet, his face changing drastically. "It's her? The one who drugged my drink and almost made me look bad in front of everyone—"
"Exactly." Xin Jiuwei nodded calmly. "However, at that time she was acting under Qi Huaiyu's orders. Later, I found out the truth and realized she had no choice, so I took her in."
Xin Yunzhou frowned, pacing back and forth: "Sister, you're taking too much of a risk! How can you keep someone like that around? What if she decides to do something bad again..."
"Brother," Xin Jiuwei interrupted him, her tone firm, "Xin Kui has been loyal for over a year, never wavering in her loyalty. She was forced into it; her elderly mother was seriously ill, and Qi Huai threatened her with medicine, leaving her no choice but to comply."
Xin Yunzhou was still uneasy: "Human hearts are unpredictable; you should still be careful."
Xin Jiuwei sighed inwardly. Little did her brother know that Xin Kui had stayed because years ago, he had rescued a young maid being beaten by a drunkard outside Panyue Tower—that maid was none other than Xin Kui's sister. Upon learning this, Xin Kui had vowed to repay the Xin family. How heartbroken she would be to hear her brother's suspicions!
"Don't worry, brother, I know what I'm doing." That was all Xin Jiuwei said in the end. Some things are better left to fate.
The brother and sister chatted about everyday things for a while, then Xin Yunzhou excused himself to go to the study to review his lessons and left. Xin Jiuwei watched her brother's hurried departure and pursed her lips thoughtfully.
Xin Yunzhou stepped out of the courtyard, but his feet unconsciously followed the direction Xin Kui had gone. After turning through several corridors, he finally saw the purple figure in a secluded little garden. Xin Kui was sitting on a stone bench, embroidering something with her head down, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on her.
"Miss Xin... Miss Xin." Xin Yunzhou suddenly became a little nervous, and her voice became dry.
Xin Kui looked up in surprise and, seeing it was Xin Yunzhou, quickly stood up and bowed: "What are your orders, young master?"
"N-nothing." Xin Yunzhou scratched his head, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Last winter, I saw someone being beaten in the back alley... Was that your sister? Are you... are your injuries healed?"
Upon hearing this, Xin Kui's eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into gratitude: "Young Master actually remembers such a small matter... My injury has long since healed." She subconsciously touched her left arm, where there used to be a deep scar.
Xin Yunzhou's gaze followed her movement to her arm, and he said, almost as if possessed, "I have some excellent wound medicine, a gift from Xiao... the Sixth Prince. If you need it..."
"Thank you for your concern, young master." Xin Kui smiled slightly, the sunlight shining on her delicate face, making her appear exceptionally beautiful. "Miss has given me the best medicine, and now even the scars are almost invisible."
Xin Yunzhou was stunned. The gentle and dignified woman before him was completely different from the heavily made-up, cunning songstress he remembered. Her eyes were clear and bright, and when she smiled, the corners of her eyes drooped slightly, like two crescent moons.
"Young Master?" Xin Kui felt embarrassed by his gaze and called out softly.
"Ah!" Xin Yunzhou came to his senses, his ears burning. "Um...I...I'll go first!" After saying that, he fled as if he had done something wrong.
Xin Kui watched his hurried departure and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. As she laughed, a blush appeared on her face, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.
A few days later, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the main hall of the Xin family home. Xin Jiuwei's cousin, Qi Huaihe, had just returned from Yuncheng, bringing good news.
"My maternal grandfather and aunts have decided to come to Yingzhou for the New Year!" Qi Huaihe said with a smile. "They've already set their departure date for three days later, and they asked me to come and ask my uncle's opinion first."
"Really?" Xin Xiyao stood up excitedly, tears welling in her eyes. "I haven't seen my maternal grandfather for five years..."
Xin Jiuwei grasped her sister's hand, equally overjoyed: "That's wonderful! Father will definitely agree." She turned to Qi Huaihe, "Cousin, you must be tired from your journey. Have some tea and snacks to rest, and I'll go tell Father the good news right away."
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