return
"Lotus seed soup, have some."
Jiang Yi had dark circles under her eyes, with obvious panda eyes. She didn't even care about her makeup anymore, and was completely bare-faced. She was half-lying on the table, showing no interest in the soup that He Lin pushed over.
I'm not hungry.
He Lin looked at her intently, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Your older brother will handle it. You don't need to worry."
Jiang Yi scoffed, "You talk as if you handle this kind of thing all the time. By the way, did you find out his identity? What if he's a member of the royal family? I'd be dead for sure."
"Aren't you one?"
"I?"
Jiang Yi was stunned for a long while before she realized, "Oh right, she seems to have some connection to the royal family too. The First Madam is the Eldest Princess! His Majesty's own sister! She calls Qi Shuangyun her mother-in-law, and as family, she can't just abandon her, can she? But she messed things up before! Whether to save her or not is really hard to say, hmm..."
"Forget it, it's better to just kill me than to beg the First Madam!"
He Lin raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying it.
"We found out. There's nothing special about Master Zhou's identity; it's just that his brother holds some position in the imperial court."
Jiang Yi replied listlessly, "Oh."
He Lin glanced at her several more times. In the past, Jiang Yi would have insisted on getting to the bottom of things, but today she was surprisingly calm.
After a moment of silence, He Lin spoke up, "I've already made proper arrangements for the two girls in 'Mirror Flower Water Moon.' You can stay home these next few days and don't go out running around anymore."
At this point, Jiang Yi finally reacted and sat up straight. "Hmm? How did you arrange it? Without the release order, they can't leave the capital at all. Besides, Master Zhou is dead, and the government will find out about them sooner or later."
"You don't need to worry about that, I have my own way of doing it."
"What method?"
He Lin did not answer.
Jiang Yi grew anxious and grabbed his forearm, shaking it gently: "Tell me, what's the solution? How can I feel at ease otherwise?"
"Drink this bowl of porridge and I'll tell you."
She hadn't eaten anything for almost half a day since last night, and He Lin was really worried about her small body.
Jiang Yi was taken aback. Was He Lin concerned about her?
Surprised as she was, she didn't press the matter. Under the gaze of the person opposite her, she slowly picked up the spoon and put the porridge in her mouth. After just one sip, she could tell that the lotus seed soup was made by He Lin and contained honey. It was sweet and just to her liking.
Jiang Yi buried her head in her porridge, and after she had drunk most of it, He Lin finally opened his mouth and said, "Only the dead can't speak."
"Pfft...cough cough..." Jiang Yi almost spat out her drink, her eyes wide with disbelief as she asked, "What did you say? You...what did you do to them?"
He Lin patiently explained, "Nothing's wrong, don't worry, it's just a fake death. They'll be fine. The news of Master Zhou's death will probably reach Mirror Flower Water Moon soon, so I had to act ahead of time and send someone to pick them up with his jade pendant overnight. It won't involve you."
Jiang Yi was still in a daze, not understanding how He Lin had managed to do it.
"Then...where are the two sisters now?"
He Lin poured her a cup of hot tea and said, "She should be out of the capital by now."
Jiang Yi was stunned for a long time. Ziyun and Hongdie were slaves, and once they left Mirror Flower Water Moon, they had nowhere to go. The tattoos on their faces meant that no one would take them in. That was fine too. The world was vast, and they could go anywhere. Anyway, no one knew them, and they didn't necessarily have to stay in the capital to survive...
After a long silence, Jiang Yi uttered two words: "Thank you."
After all, she was the one who took on this task and promised it to them, but now He Lin has to clean up her mess.
He Lin smiled and said, "I accept it. It's rare to hear those two words come out of your mouth."
Jiang Yi was displeased and slammed down the porcelain spoon. "Hey, what do you mean? Do I look like the kind of ungrateful person? I'm very sincere, okay!"
"..."
·
Soon, news of Master Zhou's mysterious death spread throughout the capital. His elder brother, a high-ranking official, was determined to get to the bottom of the matter and had already vowed to catch the murderer at all costs. Although the coroner and the doctor's examination results were the same—the body had no external injuries and he died of a sudden heart attack—Master Zhou's brother refused to believe it. Furthermore, the four sedan bearers had witnessed someone stopping the sedan chair that night, and he insisted that someone had deliberately murdered him...
Jiang Yi knew nothing of this and stayed in Luoying Courtyard without going out. Occasionally, she would go to Qinxiang Garden to chat with Su Tong to relieve her boredom. It wasn't until she hadn't seen Gu Ziyu for several days that she realized something was wrong.
Even if He Lin wanted to punish Gu Ziyu, he shouldn't have disappeared for so many days. Could it be that he kicked him out of the General's Mansion?!
Thinking of this, Jiang Yi couldn't sit still any longer. She went straight to He Lin's study, but when she opened the door, no one was there.
Xia Zhi hadn't returned from delivering something to Qinxiang Garden yet, and she was all alone in the courtyard. She sat idly on the bench under the eaves for a while, but instead of He Lin, she was greeted by other people.
"Miss Jiang."
A gentle, soothing voice sounded from behind.
Jiang Yi turned around and saw Shangguan Muya smiling at her, holding a small square solid wood box in her hand. She was wearing a light blue dress with a matching cloak, looking every bit the part of a well-bred lady from a noble family.
Following behind were a man and a woman, Yin Zhaobai and her maid. Yin Zhaobai was carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. When he made eye contact with Jiang Yi, he winked at her. Jiang Yi understood that he meant for her to pretend she didn't know him. The maid was carrying a piece of black silk, which looked like a garment.
"Miss Shangguan."
Shangguan Muya nodded and said politely with a smile, "I didn't expect Miss Jiang to still remember me."
Jiang Yi smiled and said, "I remember. I just don't know why Miss Shangguan has time to come to the General's Mansion today. Could it be that you are looking for He Lin?"
Shangguan Muya smiled lightly: "Miss Jiang is too kind. I have come uninvited today, firstly to thank Miss Jiang for saving my life that day, and secondly to ask Young Master Lin for the painting, and also to return something."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow. She knew about the painting; it had been reserved for a hundred taels of gold at the East Palace banquet. Returning something? What was it? Could it be that He Lin and Shangguan Muya had some story she didn't know about?
As Jiang Yi was thinking, Shangguan Muya picked up the solid wood box and opened it. Inside was a white jade hairpin, which was clear and flawless. The head of the hairpin was shaped like an orchid, with a warm and lustrous color. It was clear at a glance that it was made of the finest white jade and would not be cheap.
“Miss Jiang, I don’t know what you usually like, so I took the liberty of choosing a hairpin for you. I hope you won’t mind.”
"You gave it to me?"
Shangguan Muya nodded gently: "Yes, as the sage said, a gentleman is like an orchid. I think Miss Jiang's temperament is more suited to orchids."
Jiang Yi was naturally happy to be praised, and her joy was evident on her face, with a smile on her face. She didn't stand on ceremony and directly reached out to take the white magnolia hairpin and look at it.
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. Thank you, I really like it."
Shangguan Muya smiled and lowered her head: "I'm glad Miss Jiang likes it."
"By the way, you just said you came to ask He Lin for the painting, but he's not home. I know where he went. Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Yi warmly led the group into the house, saying, "Hey, what troubles you? Come in, I'll pour you some tea."
Seeing that the courtyard was rather deserted and there was hardly anyone around, and that Jiang Yi, a young mistress, was personally pouring tea, Shangguan Muya asked suspiciously, "Miss Jiang, is this courtyard only occupied by you and Young Master Lin? Why are there no servants in the manor?"
"No, there should be four people in total: me, He Lin, Xia Zhi, and Gu Ziyu. I don't usually see anyone coming this way. He Lin prefers peace and quiet."
Shangguan Muya nodded understandingly and took the tea Jiang Yi offered. "Thank you."
"Please sit down, don't be shy."
Jiang Yi poured three cups of tea and placed them on the corresponding seats. Seeing that Yin Zhaobai and Shangguan Muya's maids were standing there dumbfounded, she couldn't help but speak up.
The maidservant immediately became frightened and shook her head repeatedly: "Miss Jiang, this, this is not in accordance with the rules."
"Oh dear, there are no outsiders here, why bother with rules? I hate those stupid rules the most, sit down!"
If Jiang Yi and Shangguan Muya were to sit and chat over tea with two people standing beside them like door gods, she would feel really uncomfortable.
Upon hearing this, Yin Zhaobai raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Shangguan Muya turned to look at the two of them and said with a smile, "Since it is Miss Jiang's invitation, please do not refuse. Please sit down."
The maid breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, Miss."
"Are these all for He Lin?" Jiang Yi asked casually, but her hands moved quickly. Before Shangguan Muya could answer, she naturally took the things from Yin Zhaobai and the maid. "I'll keep them for him for now."
Apart from Yin Zhaobai, the other two were stunned.
After a moment, Shangguan Muya replied, "Okay, of course."
When Jiang Yi received it from Yin Zhaobai, her hand felt a sudden weight. Good heavens, it truly was a hundred taels of gold! It was definitely substantial!
Since Jiang Yi had her back to Shangguan Muya and the maid, they couldn't see her expression. So Jiang Yi gave Yin Zhaobai a wink, glanced at the black clothes, opened her mouth, and mouthed, "What's that?!"
Yin Zhaobai glanced at Shangguan Muya and, seeing that she was drinking tea and not looking in their direction, mouthed in response: Ask yourself.
Jiang Yi: "..."
Who should she ask? He Lin or Shangguan Muya? Jiang Yi's intuition told her that there must be something between the two of them.
Hmm—could they be each other's first love?! Or perhaps an unattainable white moonlight?
To be honest, she felt a little jealous, but otherwise, she was filled with curiosity...
Ask away, who's afraid of who!
Jiang Yi plopped down next to Shangguan Muya and said bluntly, "Miss Shangguan, is that dress the one you said you wanted to return to He Lin?"
Shangguan Muya was taken aback by her question. Fearing that Jiang Yi might have some reservations, she hurriedly explained, "Miss Jiang, please don't misunderstand. Years ago, I went out to pray for my father and was kidnapped by a group of villains. Fortunately, Young Master Lin happened to pass by and rescued me. The weather was cold at the time, and I was injured, so he left this cloak behind. Now it can be considered that it has been returned to its rightful owner."
Jiang Yi smiled and nodded, her eyes crinkling, "Oh~ so it was a hero saving a damsel in distress. Why didn't He Lin say so earlier? You two really missed out."
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