"What's wrong with Xia Zhu?" Lu Bai scratched his head in confusion, muttering to himself as he watched the little maid's panicked retreating figure.
Song Zhiyu didn't seem to care much and casually replied, "Perhaps there's something urgent."
She had no impression of Xia Zhu and didn't care about Xia Zhu's reckless behavior.
If Lu Bai hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have known that such a person existed in Songxi Courtyard; it was as if she had never seen him before.
"Xia Zhu is a cleaning maid in the outer courtyard and rarely enters the inner courtyard, so it's normal that Miss hasn't seen her." As if noticing Song Zhiyu's confusion, Lu Bai gave a concise explanation.
Clearly, neither the master nor the servant took this little incident to heart.
"Let's go, don't keep Wushuang waiting." Song Zhiyu nodded slightly, straightened her sleeves, and walked towards the door.
But the two had only taken a few steps when they bumped into Shen Jinshu, who was coming from the opposite direction.
"Second sister, it's been a long time. I heard that you are now the goddaughter of Old Madam Ling. As your older sister, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet." Shen Jinshu raised her familiar smile, her tone neither warm nor cold, as if the discord between them had never existed.
But whether it was genuine congratulations or not, only Shen Jinshu herself knows the truth.
She was only confined to her home for three months, and Song Zhiyu had already risen to prominence.
With the title of Miss Lingguogong's daughter, she's now even less worthy than Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu twitched the corners of her mouth, a thin layer of frost forming in her eyes. "Miss Shen has been copying Buddhist scriptures for three months, and her temperament has become much calmer. I suppose she won't make a fool of herself like she did at the lake banquet."
He's only just been released from confinement and he's already coming to cause trouble for her. Shen Jinshu really can't wait.
It's just about hurting each other, who doesn't know how to do that?
Song Zhiyu brought up the old story again, and his words struck a nerve with Shen Jinshu.
Everyone in the Marquis's mansion knew why Shen Jinshu had been confined by the Empress Dowager, almost implicating the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion, but no one dared to mention it to Shen Jinshu.
But Song Zhiyu was an exception; she not only brought it up, but also repeatedly reopened Shen Jinshu's wounds.
Lu Bai secretly gave Song Zhiyu a thumbs up in her heart. She should learn more about cursing techniques from her young lady; maybe she could use them in the future.
Shen Jinshu's smile remained unchanged, but she was more composed and better able to control her emotions than she had been three months ago.
"During these three months of confinement, I devoted myself to copying Buddhist scriptures, cultivating my character, and deeply reflecting on my mistakes. I will never be foolish enough to let others take advantage of me again, so my second sister can rest assured."
She attributed all her mistakes to the excuse that she was being used by others, without mentioning her own faults at all.
Song Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Shen Jinshu had made a lot of progress during the three months of confinement, becoming even more unpredictable.
Seeing that Song Zhiyu remained silent, Shen Jinshu glanced at her subtly, and after rambling on for a while, finally asked the question she most wanted to ask, "By the way, did Second Sister see any suspicious people passing by here just now?"
I just saw a young maidservant loitering suspiciously outside the courtyard gate. Fearing she might do something wrong, I wanted to question her myself, but she vanished in the blink of an eye.
She chased after that person and ran into Song Zhiyu here. It was too much of a coincidence. She subtly tried to get information out of Song Zhiyu.
"No." Song Zhiyu replied sparingly.
As for why she didn't mention Xia Zhu's matter, it's naturally because she wanted to.
More importantly, Shen Jinshu's probing words made Song Zhiyu wary.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu simply covered her mouth and smiled, "Perhaps I misread it."
The probing look in her eyes had faded considerably, but her suspicions hadn't diminished much.
But Shen Jinshu knew she couldn't get anything out of Song Zhiyu, so she had to give up and change the subject. "The divine physician Liangyue is treating my elder brother's leg, and it's reached a critical stage. Would you like to come with me to take a look, second sister?"
"No need, I have other things to do." Song Zhiyu refused outright; she had no interest in Shen Yuzhou or that imposter.
Ling Wushuang sent her an invitation to meet at Zuixianlou. She was on her way to the meeting and had no time to pay attention to Shen Jinshu's hypocritical act.
Watching Song Zhiyu's departing figure, Shen Jinshu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Isn't she afraid that once Liang Yue heals her brother's leg, she will be worthless?
Or perhaps she was too confident in her medical skills.
Shen Jinshu sneered, "Song Zhiyu's only redeeming quality is his medical skills."
If she loses even her only advantage, will the Duke of Ling's mansion and the Eldest Princess still treat her so well?
Liang Yue's appearance was to replace Song Zhiyu's existence.
*
Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)
"Miss Song, Miss Ling is waiting for you in the top-tier private room." As soon as they got off the carriage, Song Zhiyu and Lu Bai were led into the shop by a waiter.
"Miss Ling knew you were coming, so she specially arranged for me to meet you at the door."
"I heard that a highly skilled chef recently joined Zuixianglou..."
While chatting with the waiter, Song Zhiyu lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold, heading towards the top-tier private room upstairs.
Before she could even step onto the stairs, she suddenly felt a gust of wind and two tall, burly men, each supporting a woman whose face she couldn't see, rammed straight into her shoulders. "Get out of the way, don't ruin my good time."
Song Zhiyu frowned and dodged, thus avoiding being caught in the crossfire.
Lu Bai wasn't so lucky; she stumbled and almost fell down the stairs, but fortunately Song Zhiyu caught her in time.
Seeing that they were about to leave after hitting someone, Song Zhiyu's face turned cold. She grabbed the man's arm and her clear, cold voice seemed to be filled with ice, "Wait a minute, you think you can just walk away after hitting someone? Not so easy."
"You just want money, right? I have plenty. One hundred taels is enough to buy your life."
Seeing that Song Zhiyu was wearing a veil and dressed simply, the man naturally didn't take her seriously. He took out a silver note from his pocket and threw it on the ground while cursing.
After saying that, the man smiled contemptuously, shook off Song Zhiyu's hand, and tried to leave.
He had just tricked a little fool, who was quite good-looking with fair skin and tender flesh, and was looking forward to enjoying himself. He didn't want to waste his time on these lowly people.
But the smug look on his face didn't last long. He was horrified to find that he couldn't break free from Song Zhiyu's control.
"Ahhh! Let go! Do you know who my cousin is? How dare you treat me like this!" The man's face was contorted in pain. He hadn't expected Song Zhiyu to be so strong; she had almost crushed his hand bones.
Song Zhiyu maintained her grip, expressionless, and uttered a few words, "Oh, then tell me who exactly your cousin is, so I'll be a little scared."
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