Fear
Jiang Yi was startled when she saw He Lin, and her expression became somewhat unnatural. "He Lin, what brings you here?"
The person opposite him frowned, their face serious. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Jiang Yi had never seen him like this before, and instinctively retorted, "I'm not being silly."
"If you're not messing around, then what's going on with these people?"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, He Yu couldn't help but interject, "Second brother, let's talk things out and not fight."
He Lin walked over and scolded, "Brother, she's being unreasonable. You should have stopped her, but why did you let her run wild like that!"
"I didn't mean it..."
Now that He Lin had caught her red-handed, Jiang Yi had nothing left to hide. She blurted out, "I asked my elder brother and Gu Ziyu to help, so don't blame them. This Master Zhou is so old, yet he wants to take Miss Hongdie as a concubine. I couldn't stand it and wanted to teach him a lesson."
He Lin gritted his teeth and said, "Jiang Yi! Who do you think you are? You dare to dream of saving the people in Mirror Flower Water Moon?! Do you even know that the women inside are all slaves? Without an official release order, anyone who tries to escape will be killed without exception! And do you even know who you are, someone who has the ability to buy a slave?!"
He Yu was stunned by these words. He had thought that the girl named Hongdie was Jiang Yi's friend, but he did not expect her to be so bold as to want to help the girl in the Mirror Flower Water Moon escape.
That place is rife with connections, and it's unknown how many shady deals are being made there by high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. It's incredibly murky, and the identity of its owner remains a mystery. Even the government doesn't dare to act rashly because it involves the interests of too many people and can't be touched lightly...
Jiang Yi hadn't really thought that much about it, and at this moment, He Lin's shout had left her mind blank. Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke: "I, I didn't do anything, I just wanted to teach him a lesson. Before I could even lay a hand on him, he passed out..."
He Lin's eyes were filled with helplessness. Even if you want to teach someone a lesson, why expose yourself in front of others? Oh well, what does she know?
After a long while, he lowered his eyes and glanced at the person lying on the ground. The man's hair was gray, and he must be over fifty years old. He already had three wives and four concubines in his household, and now he was going to marry a young and beautiful woman. No wonder Jiang Yi couldn't stand it.
Seeing that his body was stiff, He Lin squatted down to check his breathing, and then slowly withdrew his hand.
"Dead."
Jiang Yi nearly jumped three feet high, exclaiming in shock, "What? Dead!!"
Xia Zhi was also startled, her whole body trembling, and she grabbed Jiang Yi's sleeve, "Miss, what do we do now..."
Jiang Yi's face turned deathly pale, her legs went weak, and she almost couldn't stand. She hadn't meant to cause a death. Oh no! Would she be thrown into a dark, damp prison full of rats? What if she were beheaded? That would be too horrible! But she really hadn't done anything! At most, she'd just made a couple of threats!
At this moment, He Yu abandoned his usual playful expression, squatted down, and first reached out to check Master Zhou's neck. Sure enough, there was no breath at all. Then he lifted his eyelids to take a look. Jiang Yi saw that his eyes were all white and had very heavy blood vessels.
He exhaled a breath of hot air, stood up, and shrugged: "It's not my sister-in-law's fault. People get old, and they can't be rushed or upset. Look, she accidentally got so angry that she died."
Jiang Yi: "..."
No wonder she had overheard people in the East Palace gossiping that He Yu was notoriously protective of his own. Now she had witnessed it firsthand. When trouble came, it was always someone else's fault for being too fragile, and it had absolutely nothing to do with her.
"Alright, stop standing here. I'll stay and clean up this mess. You guys go back."
Jiang Yi swallowed hard and asked anxiously, "What are you going to do about it? He's dead."
He Yu found it amusing: "What does his death have to do with me? People die every day on the battlefield outside the Great Wall. Besides, no one did anything to him. He angered himself to death, so who can he blame? The capital is in chaos because of these people. It's no pity that he died..."
He Lin's eyes flickered, and he seemed to catch a glimpse of something before snatching off a jade pendant that Master Zhou was wearing.
"By tomorrow at the latest, I will definitely find out his identity. Thank you for your help, brother."
"Alright, you guys should hurry up and leave. If you don't leave soon, these people will wake up. I won't be going back to the manor tonight. I'll go to the military camp after I've finished cleaning up here."
He Lin nodded.
Jiang Yi wanted to grab Xia Zhi and run away, but she turned back after running a short distance. Everyone watched as she ran straight to Master Zhou and bowed to him.
"I really didn't expect things to turn out this way. Anyway, I'm sorry, please don't blame me, and please don't come looking for me..."
As she spoke, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes tightly, and dared not look directly at the person on the ground; her voice trembled noticeably.
Finally, she turned around and quickly pulled Xia Zhi towards the alley entrance, as if afraid that something would catch up with her. It was clear that she was very scared.
...
"Young master, I will go down to receive my punishment once I have found out that person's identity."
"No need, I've already given the jade pendant to... You know what to do."
"Young Master!"
"..."
From time to time, snippets of conversation between He Lin and Gu Ziyu could be heard from the courtyard. Jiang Yi lay on the bed, not hearing a single word, her head resting on her arms as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
When He Lin pushed the door open, he did not see Jiang Yi. The room was lit but there was no one in sight. He guessed that she might have already gone to sleep. He did not make a sound to disturb her and silently blew out all the candles, leaving only one on the table.
After a long while, the only sound in the room was the scratching of the brush tip on the rice paper.
For some reason, He Lin felt that Jiang Yi hadn't fallen asleep, so after hesitating for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Sure enough, the person inside the bed curtains sighed softly and whispered, "He Lin, I really didn't mean it, do you believe me? I didn't expect him to... Why didn't you scold me tonight? Why don't you scold me a few times? That would make me feel better."
Good intentions gone wrong and causing trouble—no one would feel good about it.
Why would I yell at you? It's late, go to sleep.
"According to your laws, would I be arrested and beheaded?"
"Beheading is unlikely."
The two people were talking through a screen, and from just a few words, one could sense Jiang Yi's unease and fear.
"However, since that person was able to evade the authorities and buy the convicts in 'Mirror Flower Water Moon,' his identity is not simple. And..."
Jiang Yi asked in confusion, "Hmm? What else?"
He Lin pursed his lips. Jiang Yi was sharp-tongued, but after all, she was inexperienced and didn't understand the wickedness of people's hearts. She was still somewhat naive.
The girl named Red Butterfly poured out her grievances to her, not wanting to marry an old man, but she didn't mention her status as a slave. Just this alone is suspected of using morality to coerce others to take risks for her. Didn't she think that Jiang Yi was also a weak woman who couldn't do anything?
No, she must have thought about it. It was precisely because she knew the men inside wouldn't help that she was even more determined not to let this opportunity slip by, and she begged and pleaded to give it a try. Of course, there was also an element of gambling involved.
She gambled on Jiang Yi's sympathy, and without a doubt, she won.
"It's nothing, but you'd better be prepared."
"What preparations?"
He Lin remained silent.
Jiang Yi waited for a while but didn't hear a reply, so she gave up and didn't ask any more questions. She turned over, sighed heavily, and said in a muffled voice, "I want to go home."
The sound was very soft, but He Lin still heard it.
He paused, then looked up at the screen not far away. In the flickering lamplight, his eyes were somewhat dim and unfathomable.
midnight.
Jiang Yi gripped the blanket tightly, jolted awake with a start, and gasped for breath. She touched her forehead; it was soaked with sweat, a few strands of hair clinging stickily to it. She had just dreamt that Master Zhou was chasing her relentlessly, his eyes rolling back, until they reached the edge of a cliff with nowhere to retreat, and she lost her footing and fell…
The thought that he was already dead sent chills down Jiang Yi's spine, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Even so, she didn't forget to wrap herself tightly in the blanket; she was afraid.
Jiang Yi woke up, and He Lin's voice came almost immediately afterward: "Had a nightmare?"
Hearing He Lin's words, Jiang Yi felt much more at ease. Although she was still scared, at least someone was with her.
She paused for a moment, then decisively threw off the covers and got out of bed. She walked straight around the screen and was stunned by what she saw. She couldn't believe her eyes. In the middle of the night, He Lin was actually drawing.
He Lin was also taken aback. He saw that Jiang Yi was wearing a snow-white inner garment, with a few stray hairs on her forehead damp with sweat, her eyes red as if she had been crying, her complexion was not good, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
"What's wrong?"
He Lin broke the silence first. Jiang Yi snapped out of her reverie, slowly shook her head, and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Not sleepy yet."
A landscape painting was laid out on the table, the colors were almost finished, with only a small patch of green lake water remaining.
Jiang Yi sat down next to He Lin, resting her chin on her hand, and asked, "The lighting is so dim, can you see clearly?"
"Well enough."
"Then you have good eyesight."
He Lin raised the corners of his lips and smiled suddenly.
Jiang Yi lay on the table, her forearm as a pillow, chatting with him casually. They talked about everything under the sun, asking him why he liked painting, why he didn't try to pass the imperial examinations, and that even if his poor health prevented him from becoming a martial arts champion, becoming a civil service champion would be good too...
Even when she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, she didn't dare to stop. Although He Lin's responses were always only two or three words, that was enough for Jiang Yi.
Finally, the voice trailed off, asking him, "He Lin, do you think ghosts exist?"
Before He Lin could answer, she lost her struggle with her eyelids, closed her eyes, and fell completely into a dream.
He Lin put down his paintbrush and looked at her with a complicated expression. He also wanted to know the answer to the last question she had asked earlier: Could a lightning strike really drastically change a person's personality? Or cause possession by a ghost? Even though he never believed in ghosts or spirits...
"Jiang Yi".
The person beside him did not react at all; their nostrils flared slightly, and their breathing was long and steady.
Even though he knew she was asleep and wouldn't answer, He Lin still murmured the question that had been bothering him: "Who exactly are you?"
He Lin sat there for an unknown amount of time before finally giving up. He fluttered his eyelashes and was about to get up when he suddenly felt something pulling him from below.
Looking down, he saw Jiang Yi's hand, tightly gripping his clothes as if afraid he would run away. Even in her sleep, she was so restless; she must have been truly frightened by what happened tonight…
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