Chapter 11 Planning to Catch a Turtle in a Jar
Lin Shuyan's fingertips tightened slightly.
Granny Qian and Lin Shuyan left together, neither of them noticing the shadowy figure beside the sycamore tree.
Yun Si's words just now left Granny Qian stunned.
Spilled water cannot be gathered up again, and a broken mirror cannot be mended.
How much of her current behavior is genuine?
In Granny Qian's view, Yun Si's sudden change must be a reluctant act forced by circumstances.
Utterly despicable.
After sending Lin Shuyan back to the Rose Courtyard, Granny Qian comforted her with a few more words.
“Miss Lin, His Highness has been too busy these past few days, otherwise he would have come to see you long ago. Don’t worry too much, just rest in the Prince’s mansion. No one will dare to kick you out.”
These words reassured Lin Shuyan.
Lin Shuyan bowed to Granny Qian and said, "Thank you for your love and care. I will never forget your kindness."
Granny Qian liked Lin Shuyan because she was grateful and kind. She helped Lin Shuyan up and liked her more and more as she looked at her.
She's so gentle and sensible. I should advise His Highness that she's such a wonderful girl and he should marry her as soon as possible.
Granny Qian was in a hurry to go back and check the expense accounts, otherwise Mr. Qu would send someone to urge her again, so she didn't say anything more to Lin Shuyan.
Just as I turned the corner of the corridor, I bumped into Mu Ze, who was walking briskly.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and dark red bloodstains seeped through the fabric of his blue outfit, clearly indicating that his wound had reopened and had not been treated.
“Oh, Chieftain.”
Granny Qian was startled and quickly grabbed him, pulling him towards the corridor: "What happened to this wound? Didn't Doctor Ji change your dressing?"
Mu Ze wiped his face and waved his hand dismissively: "It's just a minor injury. I've been so busy these past few days following His Highness to the Ministry of War and the Ordnance Department that I haven't had a moment to spare.
He said he wanted to walk forward, but he stumbled because of the aggravation of his wound, and his brows furrowed.
This injury has indeed affected his efficiency in handling official business.
Seeing this, Granny Qian clicked her tongue in distress.
Suddenly remembering something, she took out a bottle of wound medicine from her person.
As he raised his hand, Mu Ze noticed that the burns on her hand had completely disappeared and healed as before.
A few days ago, when her hand was hurting terribly, she complained that Dr. Ji's medicine was becoming less and less effective, and how could it get better so quickly?
Has Dr. Ji researched a new drug?
Granny Qian handed the wound medicine to Mu Ze: "I found a small porcelain bottle at the corner gate a few days ago. The powder inside feels cool when applied. Look at my wound, it will be healed in three days."
"Found it?"
Mu Ze's expression was strange.
Upon closer inspection, why does this medicine bottle look somewhat familiar?
This is not...
Mu Ze's eyes widened.
He suddenly turned and ran towards the main courtyard. Granny Qian was pulled back by him and stumbled, chasing after him and shouting, "Why are you running? We haven't gotten the medicine yet!"
Mu Ze arrived at the door of the study in the main courtyard. He groped around in the grass for a long time before Granny Qian caught up, panting.
What are you looking for?
"Find the medicine."
Mu Ze searched carefully in the grass, somewhat regretting his actions that day.
Although she's not a very good person, the medicine is excellent.
Granny Qian was completely bewildered and was about to ask him if he had gone mad from being so busy when she saw him actually pull a bottle of medicine out of the grass.
It was exactly the same as the bottle in my hand.
"this……"
"It was given by Master Yun. That day, His Highness was punished by kneeling for more than two hours because of her, and was also attacked and injured when he returned. I was angry with her, so I threw away the medicine she gave me. I didn't expect that the medicine would be so effective."
Did Master Yun give it to you?
Granny Qian's fingers, which were holding the medicine bottle, trembled slightly.
The exact same medicine, then what about her bottle?
Could it be that Master Yun saw the burn on her hand and deliberately left the medicine at the door?
He left the medicine, but said nothing.
Granny Qian's heart suddenly became complicated.
...
Shenfu.
Shen Qian lay weakly on the bed, while his mother's eyes were red from crying.
Mr. Shen sat to the side, feeling increasingly annoyed by the faint sobs that sounded from Mrs. Shen.
"Your son is back safe and sound, why are you still crying? The most important thing now is to go to Prince Jin and put more pressure on the Dali Temple. We must make them catch the murderer and give our Shen family an explanation!"
“But the people from the Dali Temple said that the only person who saw the murderer was killed, and Qian’er didn’t find anyone suspicious. Besides, at that time, there wasn’t a soul on the street, and no eyewitnesses could be found. This case will most likely never be solved.”
"What do you, a mere woman, know?"
"alright!"
Shen Qian's head was throbbing from the noise: "Let's leave it at that. Don't go to the Dali Temple anymore. Otherwise, what am I supposed to say when they ask me why I went to the sealed-off Marquis's mansion in the middle of the night?"
"Yeah, why would you go to such an unlucky place?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shen fell silent, while Mrs. Shen, as if reminded, couldn't help but press Shen Qian, "Could it be because of Yun Si? Qian'er, I heard that Yun Si ran back to the Xiao Prince's mansion on her own. That woman is a menace; you should stay away from her in the future..."
Before Madam Shen could finish speaking, the gatekeeper came in to report: "Master and Madam, Miss Yun requests an audience. She says she is worried about the young master and wishes to come in and see him one last time."
What is she doing here?
Just as Madam Shen was about to suggest sending the person away, Shen Qian spoke first to the gatekeeper, "Let her in."
"Qian'er, you..."
"Mother, I know what I'm doing. You and Father should go out first."
Seeing her son like this, Chen's mother was so angry that she forgot about her grief and got up to leave the room.
"Then you should rest well. I'll come see you again later." Father Shen left as well.
Once outside the room, the couple went in opposite directions, one on the left and one on the right.
Yun Si was led by the gatekeeper towards Shen Qian's room.
Mother Shen waited for her under the eaves.
When she saw people approaching from afar, a look of disdain and disgust flashed across her face.
What are you doing here?
As Yun Si approached, Madam Shen blocked her path and asked sarcastically, "Isn't this Princess Xiao? What brings Princess Xiao to our humble Shen residence?"
Yun Si lowered her eyes, bowed respectfully, and then replied softly, "I came to see A Qian. Is he alright?"
"Do you need to ask him whether he's good or bad?"
Mother Shen gave her a cold look and said some extremely unpleasant things.
"Don't think I don't know what you've been up to by staying at the Shen family's villa for a month. Let me tell you, you and Qian'er will never be together. If Prince Xiao doesn't want you, our Shen family will never want you either!"
"Madam Shen has misunderstood."
Yun Si lowered her eyes, still maintaining a respectful posture, and said softly, "I just heard that A Qian had an accident, and I came to see him as a friend. I have no other intentions."
Mother Shen snorted coldly and glanced at her disdainfully.
"You're smart enough to know your place. When you see Qian'er later, you'd better watch your words and don't say anything ambiguous that might cause him to misunderstand. Otherwise, don't blame me for not remembering our past relationship."
"yes."
Yun Si lowered her head and said obediently, "I will keep your words in mind, Madam."
Seeing her so humble and subservient, Mother Shen's face lit up with a smug look.
Once a high-ranking young lady of the Marquis's mansion, she later became the Princess Consort of Xiao. Every time they met, they had to flatter and fawn over her. Now, it was finally her turn to hold her head high and be proud. Madam Shen felt extremely happy.
"Alright, go quickly, don't keep Qian'er waiting."
"Thank you, Madam."
Yun Si gave a slight curtsy, raised her head, and looked at Shen's mother with a faint smile.
As they passed by Shen's mother, their sleeves brushed together, and a silver needle, as thin as a cow's hair, silently pierced Shen's mother's wrist.
Mother Shen felt a slight numbness in her wrist, like being bitten by a mosquito. She frowned slightly but didn't pay much attention to it.
Yun Si walked slowly. After Chen's mother had gone far away, she turned back and glanced at her. Her beautiful face was expressionless, but a hint of mockery and coldness flashed in her eyes.
When she was forced to marry Qin Ye, Madam Shen sadly held her hand and said that she had no chance of being a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in this life, and that she would treat her as her own daughter from now on.
Later, when the Marquis's mansion encountered trouble, she divorced Qin Ye and had no choice but to rely on Shen Qian. Shen Qian secretly arranged for her to stay in a separate courtyard, and this Madam Shen immediately changed her attitude.
In an attempt to drive her away from the villa, they secretly bribed the servants to try and take advantage of her. Fortunately, she overheard them and was so frightened that she hid in the woodshed for two days. Only after Shen Qian found her did she dare to return to her room.
She was still naive back then, and to avoid putting Shen Qian in a difficult position, she kept the matter a secret from him.
But in reality, how could Shen Qian not know?
Yun Si withdrew her gaze and slowly walked towards Shen Qian's room.
"A-Si, you've arrived."
Upon seeing Yun Si enter, Shen Qian struggled to sit up from the bed.
Yun Si stood three steps away from the bed, looking at him with a worried expression, but made no attempt to help him up.
Are you feeling better?
"I... am fine."
Shen Qian looked at her tenderly, and seeing that she hadn't moved for a while, he frowned slightly: "Why are you standing so far away?"
He patted the spot next to his bed: "Come sit down."
"No, thank you."
Yun Si walked to the chair next to her and sat down, a faint and distant smile on her face: "This is the Shen residence. If people see this and it gets back to Madam Shen, she will be angry."
"A-Si, didn't I tell you this before?"
Shen Qian was clearly displeased; his pale face darkened. "You never need to care about what other people think..."
"Yeah?"
Yun Si chuckled, not continuing the topic: "By the way, I heard you were locked in a secret room in my father's study. The Marquis's mansion has been sealed off. What were you doing there?"
"Of course I'm going to find evidence."
Shen Qian was somewhat excited, but looked at Yun Si with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"Are you doubting me? I've been thinking every day about how to help you find evidence that the Marquis's mansion was framed, but what about you? You're still hiding under the eaves of your enemy. Do you really think Prince Xiao won't hurt you?"
"So, have you found any evidence?"
Yun Si stood up and walked slowly towards him: "You said that Prince Xiao framed the Marquis's mansion, but I asked him and he said no. I am also looking for evidence now. If it was not Prince Xiao, then it must be someone else. Do you agree?"
"..."
"In short, my parents must have been framed. One day, I will find that person and expose them!"
The sudden fierceness on Yun Si's face startled Shen Qian.
"A-Si, what...what do you mean by saying that?"
Shen Qian remained calm on the surface, but a chill was gradually gathering in his eyes: "You've actually started to believe other people's slander and doubt me. You've disappointed me greatly."
"I have no doubts about you."
Yun Si returned to her original chair and said coldly, "I only believe in evidence."
"I know, I've been searching for you. I was even locked in a dark room and almost died because of this. Ah Si, please give me a little more time..."
"I recently heard a secret."
"What secret?"
"I heard that my father has something hidden in his possession. That thing can not only prove the innocence of the Marquis's family, but also bring down all those who framed the Marquis's family."
"Who told you that?"
Shen Qian's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
"It is an unsigned secret letter."
"Have you told anyone about this?"
"Yes, I have."
Yun Si said calmly, "I've spread the word, planning to trap them like turtles in a jar. Ah Qian, you'd better get well soon. I'm waiting for you to come with me to catch the person who framed my entire family!"
"……good."
As Yun Si left the Shen residence, she recalled Shen Qian's expression and felt great.
She was eager to see how Shen Qian would react next.
Knowing it's a trap, will he jump in or not?
If he doesn't jump, and someone else finds the item, the entire Shen family will be implicated. But if he jumps, and is caught, he will have no way to defend himself.
This is a dead end that will lead to certain death.
Yun Si came out with light steps, only to find that her carriage was gone, replaced by another carriage.
"Come up."
A familiar voice suddenly came from inside the carriage, and even through the carriage wall, one could feel the chill emanating from the person inside.
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