Looking for someone
Jiang Yi was very happy during the Lunar New Year. With the First Madam not in the mansion, she could stay out as late as she wanted every night without anyone bothering her.
He Lin seemed very busy, leaving early and returning late, sometimes even later than she did.
When asked, the answer was always something happening at Yu Ling Pavilion. Jiang Yi was used to it; there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she had been stuck with someone in such a high position.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out that He Lin has been wearing several layers of disguise.
The first is his well-known identity as the second young master of the General's Mansion. Although he is not Su Tong and He Wei's biological son, he seems to be closer to them than biological children. The second is the mysterious and unpredictable head of Yu Ling Pavilion. No one knows what he does. He always wears a mask and is very mysterious. However, since he can get in touch with the emperor, he must be someone important.
The third one is the prince, Qi Junheng, who is little known. It is said that he died when he was five years old, along with Consort Su. No one knows what he went through in the meantime to become the He Lin we know today.
In conclusion, He Lin still has too many secrets.
What she had to do was to figure out He Lin's secrets one by one. Linglingyi said that this was the only way for her to return to the real world, but how easy was that!
He Lin, that taciturn guy, every time this topic comes up, he says he'll tell her when there's a chance, when the right opportunity arises. Who knows when that opportunity will actually come?! He's just playing games with her, passing the buck, clearly not wanting to talk about it.
Ask Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi, and you'll find their mouths are as thick as city walls. No matter what you do, you can't pry them open, not even a crack. They're He Lin's men, their mouths are tight.
Jiang Yi had no choice but to wait.
Opportunities will come eventually. I don't believe there are secrets that stay hidden forever. Among so many people around He Lin, there must be one who knows the secret of his background, such as Yin Zhaobai and Wu Yuan.
Since He Lin won't speak up, it should be easier to start with his friends.
Jiang Yi overheard Yin Zhaobai and Shangguan Muya together outside the study. The two were staying at an inn in the capital. Since Wu Yuan was the Imperial Advisor, she couldn't easily sneak into the palace, so she had to ask Yin Zhaobai first. She also wanted to visit Shangguan Muya. She had heard that her father, Shangguan Dehui, had been given poisoned wine by Emperor Liang before the new year. She hadn't seen her for a long time and wondered how she was doing.
That day, Jiang Yi finished getting ready and was about to step out the door when someone arrived.
Jiang Yi looked at the smiling, leisurely man in front of her, as if he was just looking for trouble and passing by to admire the scenery.
What a joke! What is Qi Junxu, the second prince of Liang, doing visiting their general's mansion? He must be here to cause trouble.
Jiang Yi was very wary: "What are you doing here? He Lin isn't here."
Qi Junxu narrowed his eyes. The person opposite him looked like a frightened cat. The moment he saw him, the person tensed up and bristled. Qi Junxu found it somewhat amusing. This person was really bold. Not only did he not bow to him, but he also dared to speak to him like that.
His attendant couldn't help but shout, "How dare you! Why don't you kneel before His Highness?"
"It wasn't me who summoned your Highness!"
"you……"
Qi Junxu raised his hand to stop the servant, and smiled, "I know He Lin is not here, so I came to find you."
Jiang Yi opened her mouth wide and pointed at herself: "Huh? Me?"
"Um."
What do you want from me?
Jiang Yike hadn't forgotten the time he threatened He Lin at the Mirror Flower Water Moon, and she knew that coming to find her while He Lin was away was no good.
Qi Junxu smiled slightly and touched the jade thumb ring on his thumb.
"Is this how you treat your general's mansion? Making guests stand while talking, and no hot tea? Otherwise, I'll talk to my aunt another day and have her straighten out the rules of this general's mansion."
Jiang Yi: "..."
Her lips twitched, and she performed a male curtsy, bowing at a sixty-degree angle with her hands clasped in front of her: "Yes, Your Highness, please come in."
The last syllable was drawn out, carrying a clear sense of resentment.
Qi Junxu didn't mind and indeed walked in with a smile.
Xia Zhi poured a cup of hot tea for each of them, and then stood properly beside Jiang Yi.
Jiang Yi gave a fake smile: "Drink up, no need to be polite."
Qi Junxu picked it up and smelled it.
"Hmm, not bad, pre-rain Longjing tea."
Jiang Yi chuckled twice. "As expected of a prince, he can tell what kind of tea it is just by smelling it."
Qi Junxu smelled it and then put it back on the table, refusing to drink it.
"Hey, Qi Junxu, what do you want from me?"
"Jiang Yi, you have quite the nerve to call me by my name."
"Ha, are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I'm leaving."
Jiang Yi, with an attitude of "I'm not afraid of anything, go ahead and throw me in jail if you dare," retorted sharply.
Qi Junxu glanced sideways, and his subordinate immediately understood, striding out.
"Xia Zhi, you should go out too."
"Oh? Miss."
"It's alright, go out."
"yes."
When only the two of them were left in the room, Qi Junxu suddenly stood up, startling Jiang Yi.
"Hey, what are you doing? Sit back down, I can hear you."
Qi Junxu was taken aback, then smiled helplessly.
"Okay. You know that He Lin is Xi Chen, right?"
"I...I don't know."
Jiang Yi blinked, continuing to feign ignorance: "Xi Chen? Who is Xi Chen? What is his relationship with our He Lin?"
"Jiang Yi, stop pretending with me. You know what I'm talking about."
Jiang Yi pursed her lips and remained silent.
"Then do you know about Xi Chen, oh no, I mean He Lin, being poisoned by the previous sect leader?"
"Poisoning? You mean the Heart-Eating Gu poison?"
Qi Junxu was quite surprised; she hadn't expected He Lin to tell her even this.
"yes."
Jiang Yi asked, "Do you perhaps know a way to detoxify?"
"I know."
"Tell me quickly! What's the plan?"
"The Gu poison in Yu Ling Pavilion comes from the Southern Frontier. It is said that Gu worms are everywhere there. All things in the world are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. Since the locals can live there safely, I think they must know how to cure Gu poison."
Jiang Yi frowned and muttered to herself, "Southern Xinjiang..."
After a long silence, Jiang Yi asked again, "Why are you telling me this? How am I supposed to know if what you're saying is true or false?"
Qi Junxu stood up and straightened his sleeves: "Believe it or not, I visited my uncle in prison before the New Year. He Lin helped me."
"Oh, then why didn't you just tell He Lin? And how did you know he was poisoned?"
Qi Junxu turned to look at her and said, "Goodbye."
Jiang Yi silently scoffed inwardly. No matter what, he and He Lin were half-brothers, so why was he so embarrassed to admit it?
A large group of people in the courtyard had left, and Jiang Yi only came to her senses after Xia Zhi came in and waved twice in front of her.
"Miss? What's wrong?"
Jiang Yi quickly shook her head: "It's nothing, I was just spacing out."
...
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the long street was brightly lit and crowded with people, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Jiang Yi dragged He Lin along to join in the fun, but who would have thought that they would run into Yin Zhaobai and Shangguan Muya by sheer coincidence.
At that moment, the two were looking at lanterns at a small stall. Shangguan Muya's expression was not good, and she was listless. Yin Zhaobai handed her a cute rabbit lantern, opened his mouth and said a few words. Shangguan Muya lowered her eyes, took it, glanced at it, and then put it back in its original place with her lips pursed.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Yi couldn't help but go up and say hello.
"Hi! Brother Zhaobai, Muya! What a coincidence! Are you also here to visit the lantern festival?"
After recognizing Jiang Yi and He Lin, Shangguan Muya smiled faintly and nodded.
"Miss Jiang, Young Master Lin."
"Mu Ya, why are you still calling me Miss Jiang? Didn't I tell you to just call me by my name?"
"Yes, Jiang Yi."
Jiang Yi tilted her head and smiled.
He Lin patted Yin Zhaobai on the shoulder with an ambiguous expression. Jiang Yi looked over and realized that Yin Zhaobai's gaze had been fixed on the person in front of him.
Yes, Yin Zhaobai likes Shangguan Muya, but it seems he hasn't confessed yet. Besides, Shangguan Dehui just died recently, and the people in the Prime Minister's mansion were either dismissed or scattered. Shangguan Muya went from a rich young lady to a commoner, falling from the clouds overnight. This must have been a terrible feeling for her, so how could she have the mind to talk about love with him?
"Jiang Yi, Chongyun Tower is a great place to enjoy the scenery. There will be a dragon lantern parade later. How about it? Are you interested in going up and taking a look?"
Jiang Yi smiled. Yin Zhaobai wasn't really asking her a question; he clearly wanted her to take Shangguan Muya up for a look and relax. Jiang Yi didn't expose his little scheme. Since that was the case, she might as well help him out.
"Okay! Muya, you should go too. We're just wandering around anyway, let's go!"
Without saying a word, Jiang Yi went up, grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her away.
Yin Zhaobai quickly grabbed Shangguan Muya's arm.
"Wait, you've gone the wrong way. It's this way."
Jiang Yi chuckled and said, "Oh, oh, oh, this way, you two hurry up, I don't know the way."
He Lin and Yin Zhaobai followed, but there were too many people on the long street, and they might get separated from each other if they weren't careful.
Walking through the bustling crowd, Jiang Yi stopped downstairs and looked up at the tall building in front of her, her eyes shining brightly.
How could she not have known that there was such a building in the capital? It was really a shame. She counted carefully and it seemed to have nine stories. It soared into the clouds, and her neck ached from looking up for even a short while.
"This is Chongyun Tower?"
He Lin stood next to Jiang Yi and softly replied, "Okay, let's go."
The four of them had just stepped onto the steps when they were unexpectedly stopped by the guards at the entrance.
One of them shouted, "Halt! His Highness the Second Prince is hosting a banquet here tonight. Do you have invitations? No one is allowed in without one!"
Jiang Yi was displeased and put her hands on her hips to start arguing: "Hey, do you know who you're stopping? This is the Second Prince's cousin! What, can't she come in without an invitation? Why don't you go in and announce her arrival, and see what your prince says then?"
The two guards exchanged a glance and a look.
"Alright, then you can wait here for a while."
"Go, go, go now!"
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