Chapter Twenty-Seven: He Was About to Lose His Grasp
The next morning, when Shen Qingnian got up to wash and dress, she didn't see the comb, but instead found a Hetian jade comb.
Shen Qingnian was stunned.
Just then, Ling'er walked in, rubbing her neck and muttering, "That's strange, I made sure to close the window last night."
"The window was open again when I woke up this morning. Could I have remembered wrong?"
Ling'er thought that the window was open, so she caught a draft at night and her neck hurt.
Shen Qingnian seemed to have discovered something. Last night, someone climbed through the window and entered the house. Not only did they not harm them, but they also replaced her wooden comb with a jade comb.
Who would be so kind?
What frightened her even more was how this person managed to sneak into the house so quietly—what was he planning to do?
In March, the mountains are covered with peach blossoms, and the peach blossoms at Wanbao Temple are especially beautiful. Many young men and women come to the temple to offer incense and then stop by to admire the flowers.
Shen Qingnian had Ling'er go to the back gate early in the morning to ask if the carriage was ready.
But a long time passed and Ling'er still didn't return.
Shen Qingnian was getting anxious. It was getting late to Wanbao Temple at this hour, and she wondered if Xiao Huaiyi would have the patience to wait for her.
Someone entered her house at night. She didn't know who it was or what it wanted to do.
All she could do was leave the Marquis's residence as soon as possible.
If Xiao Huaiyi is indeed a good man, she wants him to come and propose marriage as soon as possible, and after the wedding, they can go back to their hometown.
Even though Xiao Huaiyi was merely an illegitimate son of a fallen noble family, her father, a merchant, wouldn't dare offend her. Then she could take her mother away.
But where exactly did Ling'er go? How could she just disappear like that?
Shen Qingnian had no choice but to go to the back door herself. She saw the coachman still waiting there and went up to ask, "Did any maids come by just now?"
The coachman shook his head; he didn't see any maids.
Shen Qingnian was puzzled. Ling'er had been gone for so long and hadn't returned. Could it be that she had angered someone in the manor and was being held captive?
But Xiao Huaiyi might still be waiting for her to keep their appointment. If she doesn't go, Young Master Xiao might misunderstand and think she's unwilling to be with him.
She really wanted to keep her appointment with Xiao Huaiyi.
So Shen Qingnian took out a piece of silver and gave it to the coachman: "Please go to Wanbao Temple and find a young master named Xiao Huaiyi. Tell him that my maid is missing and I cannot keep my appointment today. Please go to the temple tomorrow."
The coachman chuckled as he accepted the loose silver, then drove the carriage toward Wanbao Temple.
Shen Qingnian turned and walked towards Qianyue Residence. She needed to think carefully about where Ling'er might be.
Wanbao Temple.
Xiao Huaiyi had been waiting for a long time in a pavilion. The pavilion was located on a high place, from which one could see the gate of Wanbao Temple.
As soon as Shen Qingnian enters, Xiao Huaiyi will be able to see her.
Butterfly Dance picked up the teapot, filled a teacup, and handed it to Xiao Huaiyi.
He looked into the distance; the worshippers in the temple were gradually leaving, but Shen Qingnian was nowhere to be seen.
Butterfly Dance frowned: "Young Master, is Miss Chen not coming?"
Xiao Huaiyi put down his teacup and closed his fan.
Miss Shen clearly nodded yesterday. A straightforward person like her wouldn't easily go back on her word.
"It's alright, let's wait a little longer. Miss Shen may have been delayed by something." Xiao Huaiyi picked up the teacup again and looked into the distance.
Butterfly Dance glanced at the temple entrance and frowned: "Young Master, has Miss Shen misunderstood something, which is why she has been so late in keeping our appointment?"
To outsiders, the young master was an uneducated man who spent his days frequenting brothels.
But Butterfly Dance knew that this was all a show put on by the young master for others to see.
The young master specifically summoned her today to explain the whole story to Miss Shen.
Xiao Huaiyi fanned himself with his fan and said, "No, if Miss Shen doesn't come, I will go to find her."
Xiao Huaiyi had seen many noble ladies before, some domineering and arrogant, others gentle and dignified, but none of them were lifeless.
Shen Qingnian was the most vibrant person he had ever met. What was even more remarkable was that he saw a stubbornness in her. Like him, she was a resilient person.
Looking at the young master's tall and slender back, Diewu couldn't help but feel a little envious of Shen Qingnian.
Miss Shen is so lucky to be valued so highly by the young master, unlike her, who has been by his side for so long but has not received even a sliver of his affection.
Besides, her own status was not worthy of the young master. What noble young master would marry a courtesan?
Even if she only sells her art, not her body.
After thinking about it, Shen Qingnian decided to ask her aunt for help.
As she was walking through the corridor, she saw Xie Yanzhi coming this way. He stopped when he saw her, as if waiting for her.
Shen Qingnian stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness."
She was anxious to find Ling'er. After giving a curtsy, she didn't wait for Xie Yanzhi's response and turned to leave.
Xie Yanzhi noticed that she was walking very fast and had a few beads of sweat on her forehead. He casually put his hand behind his back and said as if it were an unintentional remark, "Ling'er is at Guanlan Residence."
Shen Qingnian stopped in her tracks.
Guanlan Residence is Xie Yanzhi's courtyard.
How could Ling'er be there?
How did he know she was looking for Ling'er?
Just as Shen Qingnian was about to ask for clarification, Xie Yanzhi had already started walking towards Guanlan Residence. She had no choice but to follow behind him.
We soon arrived at Guanlan Residence.
The view of flying eaves and green tiles, magnolias surrounding the walls, and golden beast faces and colorful dragons on the pillars on both sides is exquisite and elegant.
Shen Qingnian couldn't help but sigh, Guanlan Residence truly lived up to its reputation as the residence of Xie Yanzhi, the heir of the Jingnan Marquis's mansion.
Upon entering the courtyard, Shen Qingnian asked, "Young Master, where is Ling'er?"
Xie Yanzhi pointed to the side room next to him: "It's inside."
As soon as Shen Qingnian entered the room, she saw that Ling'er's feet were wrapped in white cloth strips, looking like big radishes.
Upon seeing Shen Qingnian, Ling'er burst into tears, crying sadly, "Miss..."
The young lady asked her to look after the carriage, but she injured her foot, which delayed the young lady from going to meet Young Master Xiao.
Ling'er felt very guilty.
Shen Qingnian stepped forward to help Ling'er back to her chair, and asked anxiously, "What happened? What's wrong with your foot?"
Ling'er wiped away her tears with her sleeve and said, "I was originally going to the back gate to find the coachman, but I was accidentally bumped into by a maid on the way and twisted my ankle."
Shen Qingnian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Fortunately, it was just a sprained ankle; she hadn't offended any important person.
It wasn't even a minor injury or bleeding. Seeing her foot bandaged like that, she thought Ling'er's foot was seriously injured.
Shen Qingnian asked again, "Then how did you end up at Guanlan Residence?"
“Yuan Qing came in through the back door and found that I had sprained my ankle. Since Qian Yue Ju was too far away, Yuan Qing carried me here and bandaged my ankle.”
"The prince even sent someone to fetch a doctor for me."
Shen Qingnian turned to Xie Yanzhi and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Ling'er's foot needs to rest at home for a few days. How can she keep her appointment tomorrow?
Xiao Huaiyi waited at Wanbao Temple until there was no one there, not even Shen Qingnian, nor did he see any groom.
Xiao Huaiyi closed his fan and said to Diewu, "Let's go to the Marquis of Jingnan's residence."
It turned out that Shen Qingnian hadn't seen the coachman take the money and then drive the carriage to the other side of the Marquis's residence.
Xie Yanzhi was already waiting there.
The coachman stepped forward and told Xie Yanzhi what Shen Qingnian had said.
"Go down."
Having received instructions, the coachman drove the carriage back to the Marquis's residence.
Xie Yanzhi didn't know why he was stopping Shen Qingnian from seeing Xiao Huaiyi.
He felt that if Shen Qingnian went to Wanbao Temple, he might really lose her.
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