Ling Chen turned his gaze away from Zhou Xingzhi and onto Song Zhiyu.
Upon seeing her true face, a fleeting look of surprise crossed his eyes.
Meanwhile, the dispute in the shop continued.
"I never knew that Miss Tan could disregard the laws of the dynasty, arbitrarily arrest and interrogate people, and even beat and kill them. Could it be that His Highness Prince Li is above the law?"
"Tomorrow at court, I will personally ask Lord Tan and His Highness Prince Li whether they are aware of Miss Tan's actions or whether they are intentionally condoning them." Pei Qingyan slightly raised the corners of his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
Anyone who knows him knows that he is angry.
Tan Yingying was startled by Pei Qingyan's words, her body trembling like a leaf. Knowing she had made a terrible mistake, she frantically grabbed Xiao Xun's arm, "No, that's not what I meant. Brother Xiao Xun, please help me, I..."
Taking advantage of the moment when Tan Yingying was holding Xiao Xun back, Ye Linxi quietly took a few steps back and hid by the door. She gave Song Zhiyu a gentle smile, lowered her head, and hurriedly left.
Her steps were disordered and hurried, as if a ghost was chasing her.
"Lord Tan has truly raised a fine daughter." Xiao Xun pulled away from Tan Yingying's hand, leaving behind this ambiguous remark. His gloomy eyes were fixed on Ye Linxi's departing figure. He lifted his long legs and took a few big strides to catch up with her.
Xi'er, you can't escape.
Song Zhiyu coldly watched Tan Yingying slump to the ground, looking utterly dejected. Having achieved her goal, she didn't linger any longer and left with Pei Qingyan.
*
Shuiyunjian, the largest teahouse in the capital.
"Have the people from the Marquis's mansion made things difficult for you? Why didn't you come to see your brother after you came to the capital?" Pei Qingyan's icy gaze melted as he carefully examined Song Zhiyu. Seeing that she had gained some weight, he finally felt relieved.
Song Zhiyu poured Pei Qingyan a cup of tea, winked playfully, and smiled, "Big brother, don't worry, the people from the Marquis's mansion can't make things difficult for me."
"This is the key to my brother's residence. I've left you a pharmacy and a medicinal herb field here. You can go there anytime." Pei Qingyan handed the key to Song Zhiyu, smiling indulgently.
When he passed the imperial examination with top honors and gained the emperor's favor, he built a mansion and then thought of bringing Song Zhiyu to the capital.
Unexpectedly, at that time Prince Heng rebelled, and he was too busy to take care of himself. Fearing that he would drag Song Zhiyu into danger, he postponed the matter.
After the remnants of the rebels were dealt with and the situation in the court was stabilized, the people he sent met in the capital before they even reached Li County.
He hadn't expected Song Zhiyu to have the identity of a noblewoman from a marquis's family, but strangely, the marquis's family hadn't made her identity public, and Pei Qingyan vaguely sensed something was amiss.
But no matter what Song Zhiyu's identity is, she will always be his sister and the most important person to him.
Five-year-old Song Zhiyu found seven-year-old Pei Qingyan and gave him hope to live.
After that, they depended on each other for survival and became each other's closest relatives. He then decided to spend the rest of his life protecting her.
"By the way, these are the antidote pills, resurrection pills, and other various pills I made. They are all labeled on them."
"Brother, you must keep this safe. You might need it sometime." Song Zhiyu carefully put the key away, took out all the bottles and jars he had on him, and stuffed them into Pei Qingyan's hands.
Pei Qingyan rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review at a young age and was highly regarded by the Emperor. There were many who feared him, hated him, and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. It was better to bring these pills as a precaution.
“Okay.” Pei Qingyan gladly accepted her sister’s kind offer.
Pei Qingyan pondered for a moment before speaking, "You're in the Marquis's residence..."
"Brother, the storytelling has begun." Song Zhiyu smiled, interrupting Pei Qingyan and gesturing for him to look downstairs.
*Smack!*
With a sharp crack, the sound of the gavel striking the table drew the attention of everyone in the teahouse.
The storyteller raised his hand to stroke his long, white beard, cleared his throat, and began his tale only when all eyes were on him.
"Last time we talked about how the Marquis of Chengen beat a maid to death in the street, which was a sad story. Who knew that the maid was actually the personal maid of the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion, and was beaten to death for framing the second daughter."
And this young lady, everyone knows that she is the most talented woman in the capital, and is renowned for her beauty.
It's truly baffling that such a kind-hearted woman would condone her maid's framing of her sister.
The storyteller took a sip of tea, cleared his throat again amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, and continued, "The reason for this is that the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion is not the biological daughter of the Marquis of Chengen."
A sudden clap of thunder startled the crowd, who were engrossed in the storytelling, as if they had stumbled upon some incredible secret.
"In order to consolidate her position, the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion staged a grand show, using herself as bait to frame the second young lady, but unexpectedly, she lost both her wife and her army..."
Pei Qingyan turned to look at Song Zhiyu, feeling angry, but not at Song Zhiyu.
He felt heartache and regret for not investigating his sister's situation in time, causing her to suffer so much injustice.
What a magnificent residence of the Marquis of Cheng'en!
*
After saying goodbye to Pei Qingyan, Song Zhiyu was about to leave Shuiyunjian when she noticed a faint gaze coming from above her.
Song Zhiyu looked up and her eyes met Zhou Xingzhi's. The two locked eyes.
Zhou Xingzhi was here too.
Was it just her imagination? She actually saw a hidden joy in Zhou Xingzhi's eyes.
I'm not entirely sure, I'll take another look.
Song Zhiyu shifted her gaze back and found that Zhou Xingzhi was still in the same posture, his handsome face calm and his eyes deep, but with an emotion she couldn't understand.
Only then did she notice that there were two other people standing next to Zhou Xingzhi.
The man in brocade on the left had a mysterious smile, his probing gaze shifting back and forth between her and Zhou Xingzhi, his excitement almost overflowing.
The man in black on the right had a smile on his lips, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly with the smile on his face, revealing a fox-like cunning, as if he could see into people's hearts and make people involuntarily fall in love with him.
At first glance, Song Zhiyu knew that this person was no ordinary person.
Just like her second brother Jiang Jiyao, she always had a smiling face and seemed gentle and polite, but in reality, she was not easy to approach.
Dealing with this kind of person is risky; you can easily fall into their trap if you're not careful, and it's impossible to guard against it.
Strangely, Song Zhiyu did not feel strongly wary of him, always feeling that he would not harm her.
Song Zhiyu shook her head, and couldn't help but chuckle. She didn't even know him, so how could she be so sure that this person wouldn't hurt her?
Is it simply because he is Zhou Xingzhi's good friend?
Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. Song Zhiyu nodded to Zhou Xingzhi as a greeting, then paid and left.
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