Chapter 98: Bamboo shadows swaying in the wind convey secret messages, and the secret investigation reveals murderous intentions
The afternoon sun filtered through the bamboo forest, casting tiny specks of light across the courtyard's bluestone pavement. Ziwei sat on the zither stool by the window, her fingertips gently plucking the strings. The melody of "Lotus in the Rain" drifted out on the breeze, carrying the warm, moist air of Jinan Lake. Jinsuo entered with a cup of freshly brewed Biluochun tea, the celadon cup gently swaying on the tray. "Miss, take a break. You've been playing for an hour."
Ziwei paused, her fingertips still hovering over the strings, her eyes reflecting the lotus pattern carved into the instrument. "My mother always said that the sound of the zither can express longing. I'll play it a few more times, maybe... maybe my father will hear it." She picked up the silk handkerchief on the table and gently wiped the dust off the strings. "Ci'er said this villa is safe, but I still feel uneasy. I don't want to cause her any trouble."
Jinsuo put down the tea tray and sat down next to her, her coarse skirt rustling as it swept across the floor. "Miss Fang is truly kind to us. Yesterday she even had some freshly made osmanthus cake delivered, saying you like sweet things." She suddenly lowered her voice. "But this morning when I was buying groceries, I saw a man in a gray shirt at the corner of the street staring at our gate with a strange look in his eyes."
Ziwei's fingers gripping the strings suddenly tightened, causing them to tremble slightly. "Could it be... E Min's people?"
"That shouldn't be the case," Jinsuo quickly consoled her, patting the back of her hand. "Miss Liu Hong said that if bad guys really come, she and Brother Liu Qing will rush over immediately. Besides, Miss Fang's brother looks like someone who's not to be trifled with. He'll definitely be able to protect us."
As he was speaking, brisk footsteps were heard outside the yard, accompanied by a crisp shout: "Ziwei! Look what good things I brought!" Xiaoyanzi lifted the curtain and came in. She was wearing a moon-white cloak over a lake blue short coat, holding a food box in her hand, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
"Ci'er?" Ziwei stood up in surprise, her skirt sweeping across the piano stool. "Why are you here? Didn't you say E Min was watching the Fang Mansion?"
Xiaoyanzi placed the food box on the table, untied her cloak and casually draped it over the back of a chair, revealing the embroidery of a little swallow on the inside. "Don't worry, I climbed over the back wall. No one saw me." She opened the food box, revealing several exquisite snacks. "This is Dingsheng cake made by my mother. She says eating it can turn bad luck into good luck." She picked up a piece and put it into Ziwei's hand. "Try it quickly. It's still hot."
Ziwei took a small bite, and the sweet aroma of glutinous rice mixed with the delicate taste of red bean paste melted on the tip of her tongue, but her eyes felt slightly warm: "Your mother is so kind..."
"I'll still be your mother from now on!" Xiaoyanzi sat down carelessly, grabbed a piece of cake and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "I told my mother that I'd adopted you as my godsister. She was very happy and said she'd come to see you after the storm died down." She suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice, "My brother just sent a message saying that E Min sent his trusted confidant, Eunuch E, to investigate the streets. I think they'll soon find out about this area. We have to be more careful."
Ziwei almost dropped the cake in her hand, her fingertips cold: "What should we do? Should we change places?"
"Changing locations will make it easier for us to be targeted." Xiaoyanzi waved her hand, her eyes shining. "I asked Liuhong to place spies in a nearby teahouse. They'll alert Eunuch E's men as soon as they get close. Besides, there's a secret door in this villa. If anything goes wrong, we can escape through the back mountain." She took out a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Ziwei. "This is the route map I drew for the back mountain. You and Jinsuo should memorize it, just in case."
The note was written in Xiaoyanzi's elegant yet somewhat sloppy handwriting, with a few crooked pine trees drawn beside the route as a marker. Ziwei looked at the note, feeling both warm and sad. "Ci'er, you've done so much for me..."
"You're talking nonsense again!" Xiaoyanzi poked her forehead with her finger. "We are sisters. Your business is my business." She suddenly moved closer to the piano, put her ear to it and listened. "Your piano is really good. The sound quality is so good."
Ziwei gently stroked the body of the zither, her eyes gentle. "This is what my mother left for me. She said...someone gave it to me back then." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, my mother also left a few music books with some letters inside. I haven't dared to take a closer look. Can you help me take a look?"
Little Swallow immediately perked up, clapping her hands and saying, "Bring it here quickly! There might be a clue inside!"
Ziwei pulled a blue cloth package from the camphorwood box and unwrapped the three layers of cloth, revealing several yellowed zither music books. Carefully, she opened the thickest one, and several neatly folded pieces of letter paper fell out. Xiaoyanzi picked them up and unfolded them. The edges of the paper were worn, but the handwriting on it was elegant and beautiful, exactly Xia Yuhe's.
"'The lotus breeze carries its fragrance, the bamboo dew drops make a clear sound'..." Little Swallow recited softly, and suddenly pointed to a line. "Look at this line, 'The eastern neighbor is corrupt, and the people are living in misery. I hope you will investigate this.' Could this 'eastern neighbor' be referring to E Min, the official in Jinan?"
Ziwei took a closer look and her heartbeat quickened. "My mother never cared about officialdom, so why would she write about this?" She suddenly remembered the old postman's words. "Could it be that my mother really knew about E Min's corruption?"
"It must be!" Xiaoyanzi clenched the letter tightly, her knuckles turning white. "This is the evidence! Emin was afraid your mother would tell others about this, so he's been keeping an eye on you and your daughter!" She carefully folded the letter and stuffed it into her arms. "We have to hide this thing so we can punish him in the future!"
At that moment, in the E Mansion's study, E Min stood by the window, his hands behind his back. He had locked the red sandalwood box in his desk drawer, the key chained to a jade pendant at his waist. Eunuch E stood nearby, his hands hanging down, his gray eunuch uniform dusty. "Your Excellency, there's been no activity from the Fang Mansion. It's just that Fang Yan has been leaving the city these past few days, and they've added more guards to Liu Qing and Liu Hong's warehouse."
E Min turned around, his goatee sticking up high, his triangular eyes flashing with a sinister light. "They must have hidden that old bastard in the warehouse!" He grabbed the tea bowl on the table and smashed it hard on the ground, splattering blue and white porcelain fragments everywhere. "A bunch of scoundrels, you dare to go against me!"
"Please calm down, my lord," Eunuch E hurried forward, his voice shrill, "I've found out that the Fang family has a separate courtyard on the outskirts of the city, with a sign that says 'Su Mansion'. Perhaps the girl from Jinan is hiding there."
E Min's eyes lit up, and he smiled sinisterly: "Okay! Take a few capable people with you and go investigate tonight! Remember, don't alert the Fang family. Capture that girl first and force her to admit that her life story is fake!" He patted the key at his waist, "As long as we have evidence of her forged identity, the emperor won't believe those nonsense!"
Eunuch E bowed and replied, "I understand!"
As the sun was setting, Xiaoyanzi was about to leave the villa when Liu Hong's subordinate Ah Fu suddenly emerged from behind the bamboo bushes, his coarse cloth shorts stained with grass leaves. "Miss Fang, Eunuch E has brought four men in black this way. They seem to be scouting for the way!"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes flashed, and she immediately said to Ziwei, "Hurry into the secret room! I'll lead them away!" She turned to Jinsuo and said, "Open the secret door behind the stove. Remember, don't come out without my signal!"
Ziwei grabbed her sleeve, her eyes red: "Then what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry, my Qinggong skills weren't learned in vain!" Xiaoyanzi slapped her hand away, a confident smile on her lips, "Wait until I lead them to the warehouse, and Brother Liu Qing will have his own way to deal with them!" She straightened her lake blue shorts, grabbed the horsewhip in the corner, and said, "Let's go!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaoyanzi's figure had already darted out of the courtyard and, like a startled oriole, disappeared into the bamboo forest. As the bamboo shadows swayed, she deliberately stepped on the fallen leaves to make a noise, and ran towards the warehouse outside the city. Soon, a chaotic sound of footsteps could be heard behind her, and the clinking of the black-clad men's swords was particularly clear in the silent twilight.
Ziwei and Jinsuo hid in the secret room, watching through the cracks in the bricks as Xiaoyanzi disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest, their palms wet with sweat. The scent of camphor wood filled the room, but it couldn't dispel their worry. Ziwei clutched the jade pendant to her chest, silently praying: Mother, please keep Ci'er safe...
As dusk deepened, the chase in the bamboo forest continued. Xiaoyanzi's feet flew, her whip occasionally lashing at the roadside branches, startling a flock of birds and cleverly distracting the pursuers. She knew this battle had just begun, and she had to win—for Ziwei, for Aunt Xia Yuhe, and most importantly, for the people harmed by E Min.
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