Song Jiyun was unperturbed, allowing him to size her up with relaxed grace. She smiled and said, "Would the young master dare to make this bet with me?"
"Fine!" The man sneered, his gaze slanting over her with a touch of nonchalance and arrogance.
Song Jiyun only feared he would refuse, and upon hearing his consent, she laughed, "Then I shall take the liberty of offending the young master!"
She bowed to the man and turned to take a Slender-necked glass plum vase more than an inch high from the nearby cabinet, sprinkling its contents over the man. đđđđđŹđđđˇđđżđđĄ.đđ¸đ
The fragrance of osmanthus immediately permeated the gauze cupboard.
The man sneezed several times in a row.
Song Jiyun struggled to suppress her amusement as she turned and opened a cupboard door against the corner wall.
The four-panel cupboard contained a small couch with a cool mat and old clothes of various lengths hung above it.
"Iâm afraid the young master will have to be slightly inconvenienced and rest here," she said, reaching out to help the man from the chest.
The man stumbled, brushed off Song Jiyunâs hand with indifference, and with a stride of his long legs, exited the chest and sat boldly on the small couch as if he were the master of the place.
Song Jiyun suddenly felt as though she were a little maid...
She decided to make a cup of tea for the man.
The man said "No need," but his bound hands behind him kept trying to untie the hemp rope around his wrists.
The more he tried to untie the rope, the tighter it became.
It must have been a double-loop knot.
The manâs expression darkened slightly.
Song Jiyun chuckled softly.
He wouldnât be mistaken to think she had added something to the tea, would he?
She picked up the Tea Cup, drank it in one gulp, and said as if savoring the flavor, "This yearâs freshly marketed pre-Qingming Biluochun, kept by the tea farmers themselves. Not even Tribute Items have such a fine flavor."
What trick was this woman playing now?
He stared at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun smiled, her eyes and eyebrows exuding joy as she moved lightly to the window and lit the three-legged animal-head blue and white porcelain incense burner on the table in front of it.
The faint scent of grass began wafting through the gauze cupboard, mixing with the earlier fragrance of osmanthus and causing a slight sense of heaviness in the chest.
The man held his breath and looked towards Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun was busy tending to the incense burner.
The man hesitated for a moment. Not being accustomed to martial practices, he had no choice but to breathe in a few whiffs.
Someone knocked at the door.
Song Jiyun went to answer it.
From outside the gauze cupboard came the murmur of a middle-aged womanâs voice: "... The Chief Accountant himself is leading the team... The Great Master said he hasnât seen any strangers, but those people donât believe it at all... Several constables are personally conducting a search, going through each courtyard one by one... They will soon be here."
His expression cleared a bit.
Soon after, Song Jiyun walked in and cheerfully said, "Young master, the people looking for you are here!"
The man lay back against the cabinet, his gaze sloping down. He didnât even bother to flutter his eyelids.
Song Jiyun blinked and said, "The young master is highly skilled; I wouldnât dare take risks against you, so I must trouble you a bit more." Saying this, she actually took a handkerchief and attempted to gag him again.
The man attempted to turn his head to avoid it only to find his limbs were weak and he was lacking the strength to resist.
He looked straight at Song Jiyun, his eyes wide open.
Song Jiyun spread her hands with a helpless air, sighed, and said, "Soft Bone Powder in the incense burner, the antidote in the tea."
The room fell silent.
With a pleased mood, Song Jiyun extinguished the incense burner and said, "Young master, Iâll go meet with your people first."
She closed the wardrobe door and stepped out of the gauze cupboard with a light footfall.
Soon, a creaking sound of a door reached the manâs ears, and a sliver of golden light pierced through the cracks of the dark wardrobe.
He tried to move, but his body felt as though it had separated from him; no matter how hard he tried, he couldnât make a single sound.
Fortunately, if he squinted and looked through the cracks of the wardrobe, he could see the scene outside.
The man stubbornly persisted for quite some time, but still couldnât shift his position at all.
He didnât know how much time had passed, maybe half an hour, or perhaps just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when he heard Song Jiyunâs voice: "This is where I keep my clothes, and there is also a bathroom inside."
He opened one eye wide.
Song Jiyun walked in with a sleek yellow dog and a tall and sturdy woman.
"Is this dog named Wangcai? Can it eat something?" she asked the woman following the large dog, "I have some meat-stuffed dates, brought over from the Songjiang River."
The woman, who was the jailor of the womenâs prison, though tasked to inspect the Song familyâs inner courtyard, regarded Song Jiyun with due courtesy since she was the young lady of the Song familyâs second branch: "It generally doesnât eat food from strangers, but the young lady can give it a try."
No sooner had she spoken than the large dog ferociously rushed over to a box in the gauze cupboard, barking wildly at it.
The jailorâs expression turned grave, and she glanced at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun looked bewildered and asked, "Whatâs wrong?"
The jailor asked, "Whatâs inside this box?"
"Oh!" Song Jiyun hurriedly opened the box, saying, "There are some books and some porcelain. Theyâre things my father left behind."
After a search, the jailor found nothing suspicious.
Song Jiyun had already opened a wardrobe door, saying, "The bathroom is here!"
The jailor went in to check.
Crouching in a corner of the wardrobe, Song Jiyun rubbed the dogâs head that was sniffing around the book box and called, "Wangcai, come here!"
She fed the large dog a meat-stuffed date.
The dog paused and wagged its tail at her.
By the time the jailor came out, the large dog was happily munching away, no longer responsive to calling.
Song Jiyun laughed heartily, hugging the dogâs head and saying, "You really are clever!"
After a momentâs hesitation, the jailor said nothing and, with keen eyes, began to open the wardrobe doors one by one, looking around.
Song Jiyun fed the large dog several more meat-stuffed dates, holding the dog in her arms, and smilingly peered through the cracks of the wardrobe near her.
Two very different pairs of eyes met.
Song Jiyunâs smile grew sweeter.
Holding the dogâs front paw, she waved it towards the wardrobe, saying, "Come, letâs say hello!"
There seemed to be a faint noise from inside the wardrobe.
The jailor turned her head back. She only saw the young lady of the Song familyâs second branch petting Wangcaiâs head while feeding the large dog meat-stuffed dates, and saying, "Youâre so good! Why are you so loveable!"
She thought she had misheard and turned back again, resuming her inspection of the wardrobes.
Song Jiyun exclaimed in a low voice.
The jailor turned around.
The large yellow dog snuffled greedily with a mouthful of meat-stuffed dates, twisting its head to nuzzle the skirt of the young lady of the Song familyâs second branch. The dog was repeatedly fended off by the young lady but continued to beg for more treats.
The young lady of the Song familyâs second branch, with flushed cheeks, said, "Oh dear, I will send you a basket full of meat-stuffed dates later."
The jailor, feeling somewhat embarrassed, shouted "Wangcai" loudly, smiled apologetically at Song Jiyun, and, taking hold of the dogâs leash, walked out.
Song Jiyun fetched a basket of meat-stuffed dates and chased after her, handing the jailor a basketful of snacks like meat jerky, saying, "These are all delicacies my father brought back from the Songjiang River before he passed away. Since weâre in mourning, we donât need them. You can have them as a token of fate!"
Thinking of the rumors circulating in the city, the jailor sighed inwardly, accepted the basket, and thanked Song Jiyun again and again, and then led the dog to search the next courtyard.
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