Xiaoyu asked suspiciously, "With her face covered, how do you know she’s a beauty?"
"Even through the thin veil, her features were somewhat discernible. Particularly her figure, unmistakably that of a beauty at first glance." as the reply came.
Xiaoyu turned to Xin He, clearly waiting for her thoughts. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
After listening to these descriptions, Xin He had an inkling of an answer, she said to Xiaoyu, "Bring out those beauties paintings we received from Hua Rao."
Xiaoyu nodded in response and immediately went to fetch the paintings.
Xin He pointed to the beautiful painting of Yi Ling and asked, "Is this her?"
The servant leaned in for a closer look, smacking his lips and said, "The eyebrows and eyes do resemble quite a bit."
Xin He glanced at Xiaoyu: "That’s enough, you can put it away."
The servant then asked, "So, madam, what do you think?"
"I have an understanding of this matter, don’t worry. You’ve done well; go and get your reward." Xin He waved her hand.
The servant bowed hurriedly in gratitude, "Yes, thank you, madam!"
Once the servant had withdrawn, Xiaoyu, unable to hold back, said, "Madam, do you suspect Yi Ling now?"
Xin He sneered, "I was just suspicious before, but now, I’m almost certain."
Xiaoyu nodded, "Indeed. Regarding the past incident at the Yihong Courtyard, only our two families know the real story. Now, the mastermind behind it is using this incident, clearly, it’s someone from the Sun Family. But Yi Ling... Why would she involve herself in this dispute again, being used as a pawn by the Sun family? Has she not learned from the previous two lessons?"
The reason Xiaoyu asked this was because she knew Yi Ling was incredibly smart and would not easily be manipulated by the Sun family.
After all, this game was just a struggle between the Sun family and the brothel. What reason would she, as a little courtesan, have for getting involved?
However, Xin He shook her head and sneered, "What if I told you that her ambition has never been contented with being just a courtesan?"
Xiaoyu was taken aback, obviously quite surprised, "Not just a courtesan? What else could she want? A courtesan can at most become a concubine. She’s already an honored concubine to Sun Yaowen, which is rare enough. Is she fantasizing about becoming a legal wife?"
"I’m afraid even the position of the legal wife might not be enough to satisfy her", Xin He said in a muted voice.
Such speculations by Xin He were not unfounded. Ever since she first met Yi Ling, she saw potent ambition in those seemingly innocent eyes. Such ambition wasn’t anything extraordinary, at least not for Ji Xinhe, wasn’t Xiaoyu also ambitious?
So she boldly used Yi Ling. But Yi Ling differed from Xiaoyu in one respect: While Xiaoyu was ambitious, she knew her limits. She knew what she could and couldn’t covet. Or, one might say, Xiaoyu was more grateful than Yi Ling. Yi Ling was like a wolf, a white-eyed wolf that could never be tamed. It was not just to her, but also to the Sun family.
Considering Yi Ling’s character, her decision to choose Sun Yaowen could not simply be because he was the young master of the Sun family. How could she respect and admire such a worthless fool? Her ultimate goal was to overpower him completely, and even replace him!
Even Xiaoyu, who had always been calm, had a flash of horror in her eyes. Turning to exchange glances with Shulan, they seemed to understand something but didn’t dare to say it.
If Yi Ling did indeed have such intentions, then she was certainly very daring.
Xin He picked up her tea cup and took a sip before saying, "Yi Ling..."
She paused, then continued, "She is not to be underestimated."
Her initial willingness to lend Ji Xiulan a hand was ultimately meant to repress Yi Ling. But what she did not expect was that, having suppressed her to this extent, she still found an opportunity to fight back. This woman was truly troublesome to deal with.
Suddenly, a little maid outside said, "Madam, Madam Song is here."
Xin He set down her tea cup, "Please let her in."
Madam Song walked in with a smile on her face. But even with that smile, it couldn’t conceal the fatigue and faint worry on her face.
However, Xin He - with her sharp eyes, noticed this, and asked with a smile, "Madam Song, you woke up early today. Are you not comfortable living here?"
Madam Song gave a small laugh and replied, "Not at all. I had a pleasant stay here last night thanks to Lady Mu’s hospitality. I am here to express my gratitude."
Xin He chuckled, "Is there any news about Miss Five?"
Madam Song shook her head, "Not yet."
"Miss Five is a valued member of your family. Wandering around outside, I fear the outcomes may not be good, should we report to the official?"
"There’s no need for that. After all, she’s a girl. I don’t want to make a big fuss about it as it won’t be good for her reputation. Our Song family also has considerable power in Yu State, and finding a young girl should not be difficult." said Madam Song.
It was obvious that the news of Song Ya Lan’s disappearance had spread quietly. Avoiding damage to her reputation was difficult. Madam Song’s decision not to report to the authorities was not about the issue of reputation, but likely because she was certain Song Ya Lan was at her grandmother’s house.
"So, does Madam Song plan to stay in Lian’an Town for a few more days?" Xin He asked.
Madam Song replied, "Not really, it just so happens that today is Mrs. Sun’s birthday. The Sun family had already sent an invitation to the Song family a few days ago. I plan to take the children to the Sun family, and then directly return to the prefecture city."
Xin He raised an eyebrow, the Sun family? Which Sun Family?
But before she could ask, Xiaoyu quietly came in and reported, "Madam, Xiaochaihua is back, saying there’s an important matter to report."
Xin He looked at Xiaoyu and noticed her solemn expression. She then apologized to Madam Song, "If you could wait a moment, Madam Song, I have some household matters."
Madam Song nodded, "Very well."
Xin He stepped out directly and saw Xiaochaihua waiting on the other side of the corridor.
"What’s the matter?" Xin He asked.
It certainly was not a trivial matter, otherwise he would not have interrupted her meeting so rudely.
"Besides investigating Officer Lou’s matter yesterday, I also discovered that the person behind yesterday’s incident was indeed Yi Ling.", Xiaochaihua replied.
"I’m aware of that already."
"I then took the initiative to inquire about the Sun family. Apparently, Mrs. Sun’s birthday is today, so Sun Yaowen and Yi Ling are likely to go to the ancestral house to celebrate. Moreover, I found out that Mrs. Sun has an only natural daughter, who is now the third wife of the Song family and the grandmother of Miss Song."
Xin He’s expression changed upon hearing this, "I see."
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