Clay figurines given away
Why aren't the guards at the princess's residence?
According to her plan, Tao Yan would only run away and would definitely not be able to defeat the royal guards. If it was really Tao Yan who died, then the worst outcome of the matter escalating to this point would be to hand over the guards, claiming that they were too eager to protect their master.
Princess Rongjing refused to admit to ordering her subordinates to commit murder, even at the cost of her life. She ended up in prison, which was somewhat unexpected for her.
The guards were unable to return to the princess's residence.
Given the skill level of the princess's guards, Tao Yan didn't have that ability. Perhaps there were other people present. Tao Yan might not have died; he was just using the deceased to tell her that Xi You's identity was dangerous, and he could easily find out if she verified it.
But where exactly are the guards?
In the dilapidated courtyard, a person lay on a dusty bed board. His hair was gray, half of his eyebrows were furrowed into a deep frown, and his lips were purple beneath his hooked nose. The next moment, a long, slender finger emerged from under his nose. "You only have half a breath left. Why don't you die somewhere else?"
In the dim light, her smooth, rounded nails gently stroked her chin. With a few slight movements, a mask fell off from beneath her loose hair. She then pinched her chin, casually pulled out a small silver mirror the size of her palm, and hummed, "Tao Yan, oh Tao Yan, how annoying."
After examining it for a moment, his lips grew even paler, seemingly dissatisfied with his ghastly appearance, and he slammed the mirror down on the table.
With this movement, more blood seeped out from the clothes; the clean cuts were clearly made by a sharp weapon.
"This is a huge loss. We hadn't even had a chance to play when disaster struck."
Wen Ruo has really grown up; she actually knows people from prestigious families. The Prince Ye's mansion is fine, but she insists on sticking close to Qi Guanlan. The princess is not someone to be trifled with; back then, the princess threw her husband out of the mansion with a single whip.
The two deep marks on the back of the stone lion's head were still there from that time. The prince consort lay on the ground in a disheveled state, while a heavily pregnant woman knelt on the ground outside. It was quite a lively scene.
As a result, not only was the woman not allowed into the mansion, but her husband was also divorced.
The unfaithful scholar, unable to make a living in the capital, wandered the world with a woman. At the time, even the martial arts world was talking about it, simply because the woman came from the Su Jian Sect. She fell in love with the handsome prince at first sight, as if bewitched, and did not mind being a concubine. She insisted on breaking off her engagement with her senior brother, and later the sect also declined.
The woman died after giving birth, never even hearing her mother's voice. Her husband has vanished without a trace. What a tragic end!
The martial world is so vast, and grudges and feuds spring up like mushrooms after rain, gradually fading from public attention. But the Flying Frost Sword Technique has reappeared, and it wants to kill Xi You, which is not good.
"I shouldn't have spoken so rashly!"
She built a tall building, but it collapsed overnight.
A knock sounded at the door, and Wen Ruo pushed it open. She saw Zhao Heng, who was in high spirits because of a happy occasion. He smiled at everyone he met along the way and said a few words every now and then. He was even more charming than the girls in front of the brothel.
Even with the door closed, she could still hear the mocking voices outside, laughing at her for being opportunistic and lamenting that Qi Guanlan's followers had scattered when the tree fell.
"He really gave you this shop?" Qi Guanlan was very persistent about Xi You. This shop was so special, how could he just give it away like that?
"Does Young Master Zhao suspect that the land deed is fake?"
Wen Ruo coughed, and Zhao Heng then noticed the smell of medicine on her, as well as the doctor muttering beside her. These two had been brought by Xiao Shunzi.
Xiao Shunzi only made a trip to Yan'an Temple, and the shop gave someone away. It was hard for him not to think about it. His eyes darted around, and he said slowly, "Qi Guanlan has entrusted a treasure to me. Do you know what it is?"
Zhao Heng dodged the question, and Wen Ruo had to be on her guard when dealing with him. With the clay puppet in hand, she had no interest in dealing with his nonsense. "Young Master Qi has many treasures, but I know that Young Master Zhao is only interested in one thing."
Zhao Heng laughed and said, "It was just a casual conversation. It was a calligraphy written by His Majesty himself for the young hero. He said he wanted to sell it to me, but Qi Guanlan is very ruthless. He asked me for a full ten thousand taels of silver."
Wen Ruo looked at Mr. Yi in surprise. A personal inscription? Ten thousand taels?
Seeing that the two understood each other without saying a word, Zhao Heng suddenly realized that he had wondered how Qi Guanlan had suddenly become so successful. It turned out that he had relied on this little errand boy. He had heard a little about the courtroom incident.
No wonder they say the young hero died of poisoning, without even mentioning his name. A lone man and woman fighting off robbers—if you told the story, few would believe it. The young woman's reputation would be ruined, and the princess would certainly not want her in her home.
"Young Master Zhao, did anything happen at the banquet?"
Zhao Heng stared intently at her, his anger flaring up again. She had used the little runner's merits to earn his money, then used the money to curry favor, and now the little runner was using a clay puppet to manipulate him.
"Actually, nothing much happened. Qi Guanlan broke his promise and took my things to hold me hostage to find Xi You. I think he just didn't want to give them back, and in the end we parted on bad terms."
Judging from her complexion, she probably hasn't recovered from the poison yet.
She even dragged her sick body to run errands for Qi Guanlan. It seems she's not just trying to climb the social ladder, but actually likes him? What is there to like about this pretty boy Qi Guanlan? Cao Xi chose him that time too.
Wen Ruo felt a little uneasy under his gaze. These people's thoughts changed in an instant, their expressions shifting faster than a woman's, and they even pretended to be deep in thought. But it didn't matter. "How was Miss Xi You's mood when she came out?"
“Xi You wouldn’t care about such a trivial matter. I’ve spent a few days with her, drinking and chatting every day. Miss Xi You is a straightforward and unrestrained person. She doesn’t think much of Qi Guanlan. She gave Qi Guanlan a good scolding at the banquet. When she left, she said she wanted to relax and even borrowed a bag of silver from me. She looked very excited. It was more like she was going to a casino than jumping into the river.”
"Of course, I was just using an analogy. What I mean is that Xi You would never jump into the river."
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Wen Ruo said, and Zhao Heng’s expression became even more intriguing. “Miss Wen is quite interesting.”
Wen Ruo was puzzled. Mr. Yi slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "Watch your step, I'm still here."
Zhao Heng coughed. "Actually, Qi Guanlan didn't seem very angry at the time. It's just that he got drunk and insisted that Xi You was fake, so of course I got angry and dragged Xi You away."
"Fake?"
Mr. Yi stroked his beard. “Now that you mention it, I remember something. When I examined the body this morning, I noticed something was off. Now that I think about it, the face and the body don’t match. I’ve heard of a man in the martial arts world called Tao Qianzhang, who has the ability to change appearance and voice. Could it be that this man has a disciple? Or perhaps he is the man himself?”
Wen Ruo suddenly said sarcastically, "Pretending to be a little girl to scam drinks, how shameless."
“You’re right, he’s shameless.” Mr. Yi laughed heartily.
Zhao Heng nodded awkwardly, unsure of what to say, his tone somewhat stiff, "Whether it's Zhen Xiyou or not, she was forced to jump into the river. The Princess's Mansion is involved, and helping her won't be easy."
"Young Master Zhao, were there any strange people at the banquet?"
Zhao Heng remained silent, his brows furrowing as if recalling something. Wen Ruo's eyes flickered. Tao Yan, who boasted of being a master of a thousand faces, and even acted like a big shot, scolding Qi Guanlan. Now look what happened, he deserved to be slashed.
Wen Ruo got up to get him the clay figurine, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Zhao Heng sitting restlessly, his fingers tightly clasped together.
Could it be that he has liked Cao Xi for a long time, which is why he opposes Qi Guanlan at every turn? The combination of innocence and a playboy seems somewhat incongruous.
"I've kept it safe."
Upon receiving the wooden box, Zhao Heng inspected it on the spot. This man was far more cunning than Qi Guanlan; one had to be wary.
The character "曦" on the sole of the shoe was still clear, without any fading. It was also packaged in such a precious box, showing that it had been carefully preserved. Zhao Heng wrapped it up with a complicated expression, but when he actually held it in his hands, he didn't know what to do.
Seeing his dejected expression, Wen Ruo feigned surprise and asked, "Whose work is this? Young Master Qi even specifically asked me to hide it."
"It's just a personal collection."
Zhao Heng nodded slightly, and the gift was presented to her automatically. "I didn't know what Miss Wen liked, so I brought some of the best tonics in the hope that Miss Wen will recover soon."
It's medicine again. My shop hasn't even opened yet and it's already been marinated in medicinal herbs. Years ago, people used to criticize pharmacies, but now that I'm running one, I don't even need to stock up on supplies.
Wen Ru frowned. "Isn't forcing Shiliu Niang to drink the medicine before considered karma?" She thought. "This has to be kept secret. If Shiliu Niang finds out, she'll definitely force her to finish it."
A soft laugh escaped her throat. Zhao Heng seemed to see through her, and a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes. "I just happen to have a new product in my shop that warms the spleen and stomach. It's especially suitable for a young lady like you. When do you have time, young lady? You can come to my shop for a visit. It's free."
"Mr. Yi told me to stay home as much as possible, so I'd better not upset him," Wen Ruo politely declined.
Zhao Heng was very easy to talk to; he took the things and was about to leave.
After seeing her to the door, Zhao Heng suddenly bent down, picked up a small notebook, and Wen Ruo quickly snatched it back, rolled it up, and stuffed it into her sleeve. "I accidentally left it here. Thank you, Young Master Zhao."
Zhao Heng flicked his fingers, twirled around in front of her like a peacock spreading its tail, and then resumed his frivolous manner. "How can Gongzi Lu be without me? Am I not a suitable match in Miss Wen's eyes? Or does Miss Wen prefer someone like Qi Guanlan?"
Wen Ruoren said, “Young Master Zhao is joking. I heard that the Cao family intends to form a marriage alliance with Grand Scholar Fang. Miss Cao has done me a great favor, so I took the liberty of inquiring on her behalf to express my gratitude. I hope she will not encounter a villain like Yang Cong. I hope Young Master Zhao will keep this a secret and not let the Fang family know.”
Zhao Heng forced an unnatural smile, gave a quick reply, and hurried away. Before leaving, he even closed the door behind him, but he used a bit too much force, and the door bounced open again.
Wen Ruo bolted the door shut, and no one could see the smile and calculation on her face through the wall. "Girl, Zhao Heng likes this."
"Shh!"
After everyone had gone far away, Wen Ruo pulled him into the courtyard, saying, "Mr. Yi has a good eye."
The two strolled leisurely to the small vegetable garden. Pomegranate's mother had cultivated a plot of land, saying she wanted to plant something, but it was still bare at the moment, with a water bucket next to it.
Wen Ruo carried the bucket to the well. "Mr. Yi has a really sharp eye. Even I only just found out, but Mr. Yi saw it at a glance."
Water was poured into the garden, ladle by ladle. Mr. Yi took a seed out of the house and said, "Plant this, and you can use it to make medicine for your mother next year."
"The little girl was well-behaved this time."
Wen Ruo turned over the soil in the pit, burying a handful or two or three grains in it. "I always follow the doctor's orders and take good care of my health. Tell me, are there any other patients as obedient as me?"
Mr. Yi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I can tell you're not quite settled either. Your brows are all crooked. Extend your wrist so I can take your pulse again and see if you can get out."
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