I promise you.
Xi Chun opened only one door and tiptoed inside. The view inside was much darker than outside, and it took Xi Chun a while to adjust before she could see clearly. She carefully tried not to make a sound, passed through the small hall of the main house, turned left, and entered Wei Qiao's bedroom.
She vaguely heard Wei Qiao's breathing, but couldn't see clearly in the direction of the bed curtains. After finding Wei Qiao's dressing table, she began to search through it. Wei Qiao's hairpins were all in a box on the table. Xi Chun fumbled for a long time before finding the handle and opening the box. The light was too dim to see what was inside the box. She moved the box to the window where the light shone through, and only then could she see what was inside in the darkness. It turned out that it was full of Wei Qiao's hairpins, but there was no chrysanthemum hairpin of hers.
After putting the box back in its place, Xichun turned around and saw a screen in the room. She carefully walked inside and found several cabinets against the wall. Xichun guessed that her hairpin might be in one of the cabinets. Just as she was about to approach one of them, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a damp hand.
Xi Chun stood frozen in terror, her mouth agape. She dared not scream or move, for she was afraid that what had grabbed her wasn't a human, but a water ghost. Her grandfather had once forbade her from playing in the river, saying that water ghosts were always wet and would drag people into the water with their wet hands to drown them. Xi Chun didn't understand why the water ghost had come ashore and even into Wei Qiao's room. Only one thought occupied her mind: run!
Just as she was about to exert herself, she suddenly heard a familiar voice, "What are you doing in my room so late at night, sister-in-law?"
Wei Qiao became alert as soon as Xi Chun carefully opened the door. At first, he thought it was a thief who had come in to steal something, but later he heard Xi Chun rummaging through things in front of his dressing table and muttering to herself, which confirmed that it was indeed Xi Chun.
"Huh?" Suddenly realizing that the person behind her wasn't a ghost, Xi Chun felt much more relaxed. She patted her still-shaken chest and chuckled awkwardly, "I..." She couldn't find a reason for herself and stammered.
Wei Qiao released her hand, got up, put on a nightgown, and sat back down in the bathtub. Then he used a tinderbox to light the candlestick next to the bathtub.
Hearing the splashing water and the sound of Wei Qiao getting dressed, Xi Chun realized that Wei Qiao hadn't slept and was taking a bath here in the middle of the night. When the light suddenly came on, Xi Chun's vision became clear, and knowing that Wei Qiao was still in the bathtub, she dared not turn around to look at him.
Wei Qiao saw that Xi Chun was still standing there blankly, and the fact that her hair was still in a bun clearly wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. His body was still burning with desire, and he smiled faintly. "Sister-in-law, you've come to find your hairpin, haven't you? Turn around and let's discuss it."
Xi Chun found Wei Qiao's voice strange, not as clear and cold as usual, and somewhat like Aunt Liu's voice. She thought of Zhang Yunyao's words—the hairpin cost twenty taels of silver. If she didn't get the chrysanthemum hairpin, would her mother-in-law be angry and forbid her from eating meat again? Thinking of this, Xi Chun turned to face Wei Qiao, but she didn't look up. Men and women shouldn't touch; she didn't want to see Wei Qiao in the bathtub.
Seeing her with her head down, Wei Qiao sneered, "Sister-in-law, you dare to steal things from my room in the middle of the night, but you don't dare to look me in the eye?"
"Those are mine. You took them and haven't given them back to me," Xichun muttered, frowning.
Sweat continued to bead on Wei Qiao's forehead, and his throat was parched. "Sister-in-law, could you bring me a glass of water? I'm so thirsty."
Xi Chun looked up and glared at him, only to find that Wei Qiao was acting very strangely. Most of his body was submerged in water, but his face was flushed, he was covered in sweat, and his whole appearance was terrible, as if he was trying his best to endure something.
Xi Chun momentarily forgot what she had just wanted to say. She asked worriedly, "Uncle, are you sick?" Xi Chun couldn't think of any other reason why Wei Qiao was in such pain except for being sick.
Meeting her worried gaze, Wei Qiao nodded readily, gave her a weak smile, and suddenly felt a surge of secret joy.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll go get you some water." Xi Chun turned around and walked to the table in the small hall, pouring Wei Qiao a full glass of cold water by the light.
"Here, drink up." Xi Chun handed the celadon cup to Wei Qiao.
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Wei Qiao took the teacup from Xi Chun's hand. His hot fingertips accidentally touched Xi Chun's fingers, feeling a cool sensation. He thought to himself that he wanted more of this touch.
Xi Chun didn't seem to feel anything. After Wei Qiao finished drinking the water in a few gulps, she even asked him if he wanted another cup.
"No need." Wei Qiao placed the teacup on the small table next to the bathtub. He picked up the towel draped over the tub and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Seeing that he looked much better and less distressed than before, Xichun asked about the chrysanthemum hairpin she cared about most. "Uncle just said he could discuss the chrysanthemum hairpin with me. How can I get it back? I swear to God I won't tell anyone about what happened that day. I'll keep it to myself. Uncle, please give me back the hairpin." Her tone was almost pleading towards the end.
"Sister-in-law, I have a headache," Wei Qiao said to Xi Chun, tilting his head with a faint, alluring smile on his face, his captivating eyes fixed on Xi Chun's face.
Xi Chun was startled by his smile, and immediately thought of the story Wang Mama had told her. She took a step back in fear, twisting her hands together in front of her.
Wei Qiao hadn't expected Xi Chun to react this way. He thought he could easily win her over with his good looks. He suppressed his smile and reverted to his usual aloofness. "Sister-in-law, would you like to massage my head? My head hurts so much." As he spoke, he pressed his hands to his temples, his brows furrowing.
Xi Chun couldn't figure out what Wei Qiao was up to, so she ignored him. She felt he was probably just teasing her and might not actually give her the hairpin in the end. She looked outside the screen, thinking it best to leave first and deal with it another time. At worst, she could just tell her mistress the hairpin was lost, and she could decide what punishment to give her. But then she remembered the days she'd been a vegetarian, and her mind started to ache.
Seeing her gaze directed outside, Wei Qiao sensed that Xi Chun was about to leave. He had no choice but to speak again, "Sister-in-law, don't you want your hairpin anymore?"
Xichun looked at him suspiciously, "Will my uncle give it back to me?"
Wei Qiao nodded. "Of course, I need my sister-in-law to accompany me out of the manor the day after tomorrow. I will give it to you after this is over. I will never go back on my word."
Xi Chun's bright black eyes gazed at Wei Qiao's face. Seeing that he didn't seem to be trying to deceive her, she nodded. "Okay, I promise you. You must keep your word." After saying that, Xi Chun stopped looking at Wei Qiao, turned around, walked out of the screen, and jogged back to Qingwu Garden.
Watching Xi Chun's hurried departure, Wei Qiao shook his head with a wry smile. His sister-in-law was sometimes foolish and sometimes clever; it would probably take some effort to win her love. He used to only find Xi Chun amusing, but seeing the painting in the imperial study and Yan Zhongyou's expression today had given him the real intention of making her one of his own. If Xi Chun fell in love with him, her simple mind would surely be well-suited to his use. Then he thought again that exploiting a woman's love was somewhat shameful, but thinking of his father, he didn't care anymore. From the moment he began to rack his brains to flatter and fawn over Yan Zhongyou, his father's killer, he had stopped caring. His only desire was revenge.
He blew out the candle on the candlestick beside him, and the world instantly plunged into darkness again. He leaned his head back against the bathtub and let out a long breath. Feeling his eyes getting wet, he released the strength supporting his body and let himself slide into the tub.
On the appointed day, Xichun had just finished breakfast and was preparing to clean the house when a clear, melodious female voice came from the courtyard, "Young Mistress, are you there?"
Xi Chun threw down the broom and stepped out of the main room, only to find that the person who came was Xue Song Tang's maid. Fu Qing was craning her neck to look into the room, and when she saw Xi Chun come out, she smiled warmly and said, "Young Mistress, the Second Young Master asked me to come find you. He said you two had made an appointment. The carriage is ready. Please come with me, Young Mistress."
Xi Chun hadn't expected it to be so early. She smiled and told Fu Qing to wait a moment, then went inside to put on her cloak before following Fu Qing out.
Fu Qing glanced at Xi Chun, a woman with fair skin, a high nose, and striking beauty. She and Xi Chun had met a few times, but only by chance in the garden; they would exchange a curtsy and that was it, never speaking. Her knowledge of Xi Chun consisted only of her being an orphan who had come to the capital to find her husband, and later, after Wei Kang's death, she became a widow. Zhang Yunyao was stingy, and her life in the mansion was difficult.
However, she had never known that Wei Qiao and Xi Chun had any connection; she had never seen them speak together. Zhao Yu had mentioned before that Xi Chun said Wei Qiao was her benefactor, but that matter had been over for a long time. It was quite unexpected that the Second Young Master had asked her to come to Qingwu Garden to find someone this morning.
Xi Chun had no idea what Fu Qing was thinking; she was worried about where Wei Qiao would take her today. She turned to Fu Qing beside her and asked, "Miss, has my uncle said where we're going today?"
Fu Qing shook her head. "Replying to the question, Young Madam, this servant does not know either. This servant's name is Fu Qing, Young Madam, you can just call me Fu Qing."
Fu Qing led Xi Chun through the small garden to the west gate next to Xue Song Hall. Xi Chun looked around anxiously, afraid of the dogs guarding the west gate and the guards seeing her and Wei Qiao leaving together. Fu Qing noticed her expression and reassured her, "Young Madam, don't be nervous. The guards at the west gate have been sent away. No one will see you."
Xi Chun's expression softened slightly, and she nodded, saying, "Thank you, Miss Fu Qing."
After passing through the west gate and seeing that there was indeed no one guarding it, Xichun breathed a sigh of relief. A blue cloth carriage was already parked at the gate, and Agui and Zhao Yu were waiting there. When they saw Xichun arrive, they hurriedly bowed to her, "Young Mistress, please."
Xi Chun turned around and nodded to Fu Qing, then stepped onto the stool that A Gui had placed there, lifted the blue curtain, and entered the carriage. Wei Qiao was already seated inside. Seeing Xi Chun enter, he smiled slightly at her, "Sister-in-law, you've kept us waiting. Please have a seat."
The carriage was fairly spacious, with three seats. Wei Qiao sat in the middle, while Xi Chun chose the seat on the left.
"A-Gui, let's go." Wei Qiao called out to the outside, and the carriage immediately started moving.
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