Two days passed in a row, and Yue Zhan had not returned to the manor since he left that morning. Shi Lan was in a state of self-pity when Zhu'er reported that he had not returned yet. Shi Lan thought about it and then let it go.
Any official would be nervous if they knew that so many unreported and fierce guards had suddenly appeared in their jurisdiction, let alone this border area, the very edge of a country's territory, a place where not a moment's relaxation is allowed.
As the Grand Commander, Yue Zhan has a responsibility to investigate the situation, and it's normal for it to take a few days. Besides, Liu Weng is indeed a spy. If he can take down Liu Weng and his gang, it will be a good thing for Anxi. However, if she wants to take Liu Weng's life in the future, she will probably have to go through a lot of trouble.
Shi Lan sat on the veranda in front of the courtyard, leaning against a pillar, enjoying the breeze, looking at the flowers and trees that were both green and blue, yet exuding a sense of desolation, and pondering how she should deal with it if Yue Zhan captured Liu Weng.
A maid with double buns walked along the long corridor from afar. When she stopped in front of her, she spoke without any politeness: "Madam, you seem to be in a good mood. But I wonder if you still remember what Old Man Liu instructed you to do?"
Shi Lan already knew someone was coming, but she thought they were just passing by. She never expected that this person had come specifically to find her.
Shi Lan slowly turned her head to look at the person who had come in.
The newcomer had a round face, slightly high cheekbones, small eyes, and a somewhat flat nose. Her appearance was ordinary, and although she had the features of a Tang Dynasty person, she exuded an indescribable poverty. Looking at her tattered coarse linen clothes and straw shoes with holes in them, Shi Lan grinned.
As far as she knew, in the entire Governor's Mansion, even the most ordinary maids wore clothes made of brocade in all four seasons. The only difference was the fineness of the material. But this person's clothes were so tattered. The only possibility was that she had offended the steward and was being deliberately made difficult, with her allowance being withheld.
Shi Lan remembered that she served Qing Hong together with Chun Yue, and her name seemed to be Qiu Yue.
When Qiu Yue saw her looking at her, she subconsciously raised her chin, her eyelids slightly closed, and she gave off an aggressive look.
"So what if I remember? So what if I don't?" Shi Lan raised her eyes and looked at her indifferently, not understanding what she had to be proud of.
“If you remember, that would be best. Old Liu is in trouble now, and it is the time for you to be loyal to your lord,” Qiu Yue continued, glancing sideways. “If you don’t remember, someone will remind you, my lady.”
Shi Lan nodded and said, "I haven't been feeling well lately, and my spirits are low. I forget many things in the blink of an eye. I don't know who this Mr. Liu you mentioned is, or why he has something to tell me?"
Shi Lan leaned back lazily, glancing sideways at Qiu Yue.
Qiu Yue raised her eyebrows and her eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Lan Niang, don't you dare refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Shi Lan snorted contemptuously, "You're just a lowly servant girl. What right do you have to speak to me like that? Believe me or not, I can take half your life with a single word. Then you'll see if that so-called Old Man Liu you mentioned can control you."
Qiu Yue was so angry that her chest heaved violently. She clenched her newly calloused fingers tightly, wanting to slap Shi Lan's full moon-like face.
Before Shi Lan entered the manor, her life, while not exactly luxurious and carefree, was still one of constant flattery. Her most demanding daily tasks were simply serving Qing Hong some meals and fetching her toiletries.
At that time, Qinghong was in power and could order the manager around at will. Although Qiuyue was very careful, she still couldn't help but be disrespectful in her words and actions. The manager didn't say anything at the time, but that didn't mean he didn't hold a grudge.
As the saying goes, fortunes change, and in the blink of an eye, Qinghong was kicked out of the mansion. She, who was left behind, suffered greatly. Not only did she have to do the men's work of carrying water and chopping wood, but she also had to wash the servants' clothes. If she didn't wash them clean, she wouldn't even get any food.
The entire governor's mansion had at least a hundred servants. Every day, as soon as Qiuyue opened her eyes, she had to wash a mountain of clothes. By nightfall, she was so tired that she could barely straighten her back.
Looking back, how could Qiuyue not hate? If it weren't for Shilan, Qinghong wouldn't have been kicked out of the mansion, and she could still enjoy being flattered and served. How dare the steward treat her so harshly, making her do so much work, causing her to look like an old woman when she was in the prime of her life.
Qiu Yue clenched her knuckles tightly, recalling the wrinkled skin she saw in the mirror that morning, like an old tree. She wanted nothing more than to scratch Shi Lan's fair and translucent skin and ruin her beautiful and delicate face, but she couldn't. Her reason reminded her that if she really laid a finger on Shi Lan, this day next year would surely be the anniversary of her death.
Shi Lan is always perceptive and quick to sense changes in other people's emotions.
So he lowered his eyes and looked at her trembling sleeves and slightly upturned lips.
A gentle breeze stirred, and stray strands of hair brushed against her eyelids. Shi Lan raised her eyes and shouted with a stern and imposing voice, "Get out of here!"
Qiuyue gritted her teeth, glared at her hatefully, and after a long while turned and left.
Shi Lan watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.
How could the person who came be Qiuyue?
Wasn't it the old lady in charge of the flowers and plants in the mansion who came to find the original owner?
Could things have changed?
Shi Lan frowned, feeling somewhat irritated.
Ever since her last assassination attempt failed, Shi Lan has hated uncertainty. This reminded her of that previous failure, which was also the first time she had failed after meticulously planning it.
As Zhu'er walked along the corridor, she saw Shi Lan and happily ran up to her, "My lady, my husband is back! He's been looking for you everywhere."
Shi Lan turned her head, a smile appearing on her face. "Really?"
Before she finished speaking, she had already leaped lightly down the corridor and walked briskly towards the courtyard, her trailing skirt trailing behind her.
Pearl followed behind, and seeing her happy expression, she smiled, for this was the first smile her wife had shown in the past two days.
He strode towards the hall, and before he could even enter, Yue Zhan stepped across the threshold to greet him.
"Lan Niang, I'm back," Yue Zhan said, opening his arms and smiling as he saw Shi Lan walking happily towards him.
Shi Lan took two quick steps, stood in front of him, put her hands behind her back, and gave him a disdainful look. "What do you want?"
Yue Zhan was taken aback by her retort and felt a little embarrassed. He awkwardly withdrew his arm, touched his nose, and said, "I didn't do anything. I was just afraid you would fall, so I stopped you."
Shi Lan smiled, her big eyes sparkling with a joy she herself was unaware of.
Yue Zhan pulled her into the hall. Knowing that she was interested in knowing about the mansion, he dismissed Zhu'er and began to tell her about the Liu family.
That morning, Yue Zhan went directly to the barracks from there, mustered his troops, and charged straight there, but he was too late. The place was already deserted. Yue Zhan sealed off the mansion and searched inside for wolf god moon worship totem and some items commonly used by the Turks.
Yue Zhan was furious and immediately ordered a city-wide search. Many people of different ethnicities with appearances different from the Tang people were captured. After being tortured and identified, many guards of the Liu family were found. Unfortunately, Ashina and Liu Weng were not among them.
The prefectural city couldn't be sealed off for too long, but if the city gates were opened, Yue Zhan worried that Liu Weng and the others might escape. Helpless, he thought of Shi Lan and decided to ask her if she had any clues, which is why he rushed back to the prefectural city. (To be continued.)
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