Chapter 562 Clearing the Clouds to Reveal the Moon
At this moment, Shang Ruyi's pupils suddenly turned black, like a clear and bright lake that had suddenly become a bottomless abyss, its clarity gone, leaving only depth and darkness.
Even so, one could feel the intensity of her gaze, burning intently as she stared down below.
Especially the person who stood in front of Song Shiyan.
Although the person was dressed in plain clothes that made it impossible to discern their identity or origin, they were petite and exuded a slender and delicate air, clearly a woman. Moreover, their face was covered by a veil.
The veil was made of a piece of cotton cloth about the size of a palm, tied behind the ears with two cotton ropes. It was very convenient.
Suddenly stopped, Song Shiyan was a little surprised. Just as he was about to ask, he saw the woman raise her hand and present him with a bundle with both hands.
Song Shiyan froze, then suddenly opened his eyes wide.
The next moment, he immediately dismounted. As soon as he reached out, the woman seemed to be on guard against something and immediately took a step back, back to a place where Song Shi could not reach her. Then she raised her hands again and presented the bundle to him.
This move clearly has a specific purpose.
Send gifts, but don't ask where they came from.
And what was inside that bundle—
Shang Ruyi held her breath, staring intently at the bundle. Although it was about the size of a pillow, it was very light. The woman's slender arms moved and lifted it casually without any sign of strain. She then spoke a few words to Song Shiyan. Song Shiyan frowned, looked at the woman, and then at the bundle.
Finally, he reached out and took it.
But when he was about to take the baggage, he hesitated slightly, his eyes flickered, and he looked up at the second floor of the restaurant where Shang Ruyi was.
The woman seemed quite startled as well, and the moment she saw him look up, she turned her head to look at him as well.
Behind the window, Shang Ruyi's scrutinizing gaze met his.
Immediately, she turned and ran like a startled fawn. Song Shiyan instinctively reached out to grab her, but the bundle he was carrying hindered him. In addition, several Imperial Guards nearby seemed to have noticed what was happening and came over to ask, blocking his way.
The woman turned and ran several feet away.
"Miss!"
Seeing this, Tushe'er's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists as if he wanted to jump out of the window. Shang Ruyi narrowed her eyes slightly and immediately said, "Go!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure darted out of the private room like an arrow released from a bow.
It is lying in the snow.
She was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, Tushe'er heard her coming downstairs. He quickly whispered, "Wait for me," and darted out after her.
Seeing that they had both left, Shang Ruyi paused for a moment and looked out the window one last time.
Then, he followed them out of the private room.
Just as the three of them left the restaurant and the sudden noise gradually subsided, a low, smiling voice came from the next private room, where people had been constantly ordering more food and drinks: "Waiter, settle the bill."
However, the sound did not stop Wo Xue's rapid steps. In just a moment, she had rushed down from the restaurant. Just as the slender figure was about to blend into the noisy crowd in front of the city gate, she rushed forward and grabbed the woman's arm!
"stop!"
"ah!"
Caught off guard, the woman let out a startled gasp. Turning her head, she revealed a pair of terrified and bewildered eyes. Instinctively, she tried to struggle to break free from Wo Xue's grasp, but Wo Xue had her firmly in her grasp and refused to let go. With one hand, she tightly gripped the woman's wrist, and no matter how much the woman struggled, she could not break free.
Tushe'er, who had rushed out of the restaurant, darted forward and grabbed the woman's other hand, saying, "I'll show you what it means to run!"
The woman was held captive and unable to break free, so she could only keep shouting, "What are you going to do?"
"What are you going to do? What do you think we're going to do?"
As he spoke, Tushe'er reached out and grabbed the veil covering the woman's face. With a forceful tug, the two cotton ropes snapped, revealing a strange and ordinary face.
She was a young girl in her early twenties with rough skin and a fearful expression.
Seeing this unfamiliar face, Wo Xue and Tu She'er were also somewhat bewildered, but they understood that the person they were "waiting for" here today was probably someone who had never shown up before and whom they could never have met. Therefore, it was not surprising that the face was unfamiliar.
Tushe'er threw off the veil, looked the woman up and down, and then asked, "Who are you?!"
"I...I'm nobody! Let me go!"
"Still pretending? Did you just give me medicine? Where did you get that medicine?"
"What medicine? I don't know what you're talking about."
Seeing her feign ignorance and feign ignorance, Tu She'er was furious and wanted to press her for answers. However, Wo Xue noticed that the woman had a look of panic and confusion throughout. She immediately sensed something, pulled the woman in front of her, glared at her face to face, and said in a deep voice, "We are from the Duke's Mansion. We are interrogating you now! What is your name? Where are you from?"
Upon hearing the words "Duke's Mansion," the woman turned pale with fright, her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Wo Xue grabbed her tightly, and Tu She'er also pulled on her other arm, so they managed to lift her up. The woman's eyes were red, and she said with a sob, "I don't know anything. Someone gave me one or two taels of silver and asked me to come and deliver a bundle to an official who was riding out of the city. So I came. I just work at the rice shop in front. I really don't know anything."
"What?"
Tushe'er was taken aback, instinctively feeling that she was lying, and sneered, "Do you think we'll believe a lie you tell us casually?"
But Wo Xue frowned and looked at the woman again, then said softly, "Sister She'er, she might not be lying."
"Huh? Why?"
“Look at her clothes.”
Tushe'er looked down and saw that although the woman was only wearing an inconspicuous cloth dress, she was wearing a robe tied to her lower body, which was covered with a layer of white ash. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the white foam that had stuck to the rice.
Looking at the woman more closely, her skin was rough and her appearance was ordinary. She certainly didn't seem like someone who worked for a wealthy family. Moreover, after being interrogated by the two of them, the woman was so frightened that she was almost on the verge of collapse. She said in a tearful voice, "I really don't know. You, you see, I only have that one or two taels of silver on me. It was given to me by the person who asked me to. I, I'll give it to you. I don't know anything else."
Tushe'er was still unwilling to give up, so he reached out and touched her, and sure enough, he pulled out a tael of silver from her bosom.
Judging from her clothing and appearance, she certainly didn't seem like someone who could carry an ounce of silver on her when going out.
The two exchanged a glance, and a sense of unease suddenly welled up in their hearts.
Did they arrest the wrong person?
No, it wasn't a case of arresting the wrong person, but rather—
Wo Xue gritted her teeth, tightened her grip on the woman's wrist, and said in a deep voice, "Who sent you to deliver this?"
The woman was already crying with tears streaming down her face, and stammered, "I... I don't know her either. She's an older woman who's about the same age as you and this young lady. She sent me."
What does the other person look like?
“I didn’t see it either. She was wearing one on her face—later she gave me another one and told me to wear it when I came to the city gate to deliver things, so I wore it.”
"..."
"I really don't know who she is, ladies, please let me go."
At this moment, Wo Xue frowned, panting heavily, but she couldn't help but slowly loosen her grip.
Although there was no torture or interrogation, her past experiences had taught her how to tell if someone was lying. The woman in front of her didn't seem to be lying, and her background and what she said matched up.
This aligns even more with what Shang Ruyi had previously reminded them of—
The other party is a very cunning, extremely cunning person.
So cunning that they fell into each other's traps several times along the way and almost lost their lives, yet they still don't know who the other party is, what they look like, what their background is, or even whether they are male or female.
I thought I could finally turn the tide this time, but I never expected that the opponent would have a trick up their sleeve.
Tushe'er released the woman and stomped his foot angrily: "All our efforts have been in vain!"
Wo Xue also frowned.
But the next moment, she suddenly glanced around, then looked back at the restaurant, and said, "Sister She'er, where is the young mistress?!"
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Just as the two women were struggling and entangled with the young woman, a carriage slowly drove along the path to the back door of the restaurant, and then a graceful figure walked out.
With the help of the maidservant, she nimbly boarded the carriage.
The maid lowered the curtain and asked softly, "Miss, shall we return to the manor now?"
A soft "hmm" came from inside the carriage, and the maid immediately turned around and called to the driver, "Let's go."
"yes."
Without saying a word, the coachman immediately raised his hand to whip the horse, but just as he raised his hand, his arm froze, and his eyes widened as he stared in astonishment ahead.
On this narrow path, which was not narrow but only wide enough for one carriage to pass through, a person slowly walked out and blocked the way.
She was a young woman, dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a beautiful face and a calm yet imposing presence. She was no more than twenty years old, and her neatly styled hair at the back of her head indicated that she was already married, and clearly, the wife of a wealthy family.
But here, they stopped their carriage.
The coachman hesitated for a moment, but still said politely, "Madam, we are leaving here. Please move on."
The lady standing in front of them, with her hands behind her back, looked relaxed but her eyes were burning with desire as she stared intently at the familiar carriage. She was none other than Shang Ruyi, who had just been sitting in the private room on the second floor, enjoying tea and chatting, and then rushed downstairs with Tu She'er and the others, but had disappeared without a trace.
She smiled with her lips pursed, but there was no smile in her eyes.
Staring at the curtain that had fallen down as if frozen in time, she said loudly, "I have already waited here, Your Excellency, are you still unwilling to show yourself?"
"..."
"Does it really take me—to clear the clouds and see the moon?"
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