The study was dark. Shi Lan, who had rushed in, didn't have time to check what was going on. She immediately grabbed the window frame and, before the soldiers could notice, slowly closed it.
A few seconds later, a series of footsteps sounded outside the window. Shi Lan stood against the wall until the footsteps faded away before she turned around and looked at the place that the original owner had only glimpsed briefly when serving tea after marrying into the family.
The study occupies a large area, but there are very few books to put in it. The shelves along the wall, which should be used to display books, are filled with various ornaments of different sizes.
Beside the bookshelf stood two floor vases that glowed faintly even in the darkness. In the distance, the landscape on the screen seemed to come alive as it gently swayed in the light. Shi Lan snorted, glancing past the screen she had seen countless times since childhood in the clan council hall, and focused her gaze on the square table in the center of the room, where a paperweight and pen holder were placed.
The square table was large, with several stacks of documents piled on it, and papers scattered around it that had not yet been neatly arranged.
Shi Lan tiptoed over and flipped through the items a couple of times. Seeing that only trivial things had disappeared, she lost interest and let go.
There were several drawers on both sides of the table, which Shi Lan easily opened with a finely polished, long hairpin.
Upon opening it, the treasures that Zhu Boyan had plundered from other places were displayed before Shi Lan's eyes. Among them was a turquoise the size of a child's fist, which even had a few streaks of golden color. The peach-pink crystal, which was exquisitely carved into a graceful peony, was so lifelike that it looked just like a real flower.
Shi Lan picked up the lifelike peony, looked curiously at the starlight shining through the window, then pursed her lips and threw it back into the box.
After searching the desk, there was almost no place left in the room to put things. Shi Lan then searched the bookshelves, but to no avail. She couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
Shi Lan paced around the large, wide table in frustration. Thinking about the depth of the drawers she had just opened, she suddenly had a bright idea and tapped the wooden board on the outside of the table a few times.
The unusual sound filled her with joy.
Shi Lan stretched out her slender fingers and gently stroked the edge of the table.
Soon, she touched a protrusion that would be completely invisible to the naked eye.
Shi Lan pursed her lips smugly, then lightly fiddled with her fingers a few times, and the desk suddenly made a soft 'click' sound.
A wooden plank had come loose and detached from the table.
Shi Lan's eyes lit up, and she reached out to pull him.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind her head, and Shi Lan's heart tightened. She forced herself to dodge more than two feet to the side.
A tall, dark figure appeared out of nowhere, and a sharp gust of wind from a punch grazed past Shi Lan's rounded arm.
Shi Lan stared in surprise, her back suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat.
The shadowy figure didn't linger in the fight and went straight to get something from behind the wooden plank.
Shi Lan frowned angrily, twisted her slender waist, and lightly punched the dark figure with her pink fist.
The shadowy figure glanced at Shi Lan and saw that her punches were weak and her body was swaying. He thought it was just fancy footwork and that her posture and momentum remained unchanged.
Shi Lan's lips suddenly curled into a strange grin. With a slight shift of her arm, her thumb slipped out from between her fingers. The fist, which was about to strike the waist and ribs, suddenly turned towards the Mingmen acupoint on the back of the dark figure.
If this spot were to be struck, the shadowy figure would be crippled, if not paralyzed. Shi Lan glanced sideways at the shadowy figure.
The dark figure also sensed something was wrong. It paused in its movement of bending down and quickly dodged to the side.
Shi Lan's attack missed, so she quickly dodged backward. The black figure was agile, and she had only practiced body-refining techniques for a few days. In terms of skill, she was no match for him.
The dark figure stopped, glanced at Shi Lan silently, and clenched his fist, as if only now considering Shi Lan as an opponent.
Shi Lan quickly took a few steps back, glanced at the side window a step away, smiled coldly, reached out and haphazardly pushed the ornaments on the shelf, then leaped out of the side window.
The crisp cracking sound masked the rustling of Shi Lan hitting the ground, and also drowned out the annoyed curses of the dark figure.
Almost at the same time that Shi Lan landed, the dark figure also jumped out through the still-open window.
Not far away, patrolling soldiers heard the noise and rushed over.
Under the dim sky, Shi Lan gave the dark figure a defiant look, then ran away without looking back, following the escape route she had planned earlier.
The shadowy figure stood there and chuckled softly twice. He turned to look at the soldiers who were rapidly surrounding him, stroked his chin, and then disappeared into the darkness as well.
A dozen minutes later, just as Shi Lan slipped back into her room, a noisy commotion came from outside the door.
Shi Lan quickly took off her outer clothes and stuffed them haphazardly into the quilt. Just as she was about to call out to Tan Yue, a woman in a fitted blouse and with a seductive figure barged in, followed by a group of soldiers guarding the door as if they were watching out for thieves.
"Sister, there's no need to call her 'Tan Yue' anymore. That girl was disrespectful to me, and I've already punished her on your behalf."
Shi Lan reacted quickly, grabbing a blouse from the side and putting it over her head. By the time the soldier approached, she had already fastened the buttons on her chest with swift fingers.
"She's not exactly respectable. I've never heard of a concubine daring to barge into the main wife's room. Besides, I'll teach my maids a lesson. How can this family be any better? It's not up to a concubine to overstep her bounds."
Shi Lan's contemptuous tone made Wang Yuan's pretty face turn from red to purple. She took two deep breaths to barely suppress the anger in her heart, waved her hand, and the soldiers near the door immediately went out.
Wang Yuan then smiled again, slowly walked up to Shi Lan, and said, "Sister, you don't know, there was a thief in the governor's courtyard just now. Brother Yan got up overnight to search, and I was just following Brother Yan's orders." Wang Yuan glanced at the unmoving Shi Lan, pursed her lips, and continued, "Sister, you are gentle and elegant, and the maids around you must be reasonable as well. I originally wanted to search quietly and leave, but I didn't expect that Tan Yue was so ignorant and wouldn't let anyone in. Brother Yan got angry and ordered someone to drag her out and beat her."
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