Chapter 29

True and False Mei Xue

Shen Moping stared at him coldly and sneered, “You don’t need to waste your breath. I won’t say a word.”

Li Shimin was about to respond, but Li Jiancheng’s voice cut in, cold and grim. “Second Brother, no need to waste time on him. I’ve already thought of a way to make that bitch walk right into our trap.” He straightened up and clapped his hands. “Du Zhihong, come in.”

Du Zhihong and the others entered at once. “What are your orders, Young Master?”

Li Jiancheng spoke with a cold expression, “Take him outside and hang him up. I want everyone in the Taishou Residence to see him.”

Shen Moping realized what he intended to do, and his face changed. He grew anxious and said, “I’m just an insignificant person. You want to use me as bait? That’s nothing but wishful thinking!”

Li Jiancheng smiled sinisterly and pressed his foot down on Shen Moping’s head. “You’ll know soon enough if it’s wishful thinking.” Then he ordered, “Send people to lie in ambush. As soon as that bitch shows up, grab her immediately. Anyone who lets her slip away will regret it!”

His words sent a chill through the group, and they quickly lowered their heads in agreement. They then dragged Shen Moping to the front yard, where they hung him up high, and spread people around to lie in wait.

Shen Moping hung by his arms, his vision blurred by blood, everything around him turning a sharp, painful red. He muttered to himself, “Master, please don’t be fooled. This life, I owe to you. It was given back to you, and I should repay you. You must safely return to Luoyang to see the Empress... but I can’t go back with you.”

At this moment, Yunyi had no knowledge of Shen Moping’s situation. After dealing with Li Shimin, she hurried away, hoping to find a place to hide. However, the Taishou Residence was under tight surveillance, and there was nowhere safe to go. Having not eaten in days, she was feeling faint from hunger. After considering her options, she decided to return to the brothel. If Mei Xue hadn’t returned yet, she could still use her identity for a while longer.

Chapter 29: True and False Mei Xue

With these thoughts in mind, Yunyi quickly made her way to the brothel. Recently, with the Taishou Residence in chaos due to the assassin incident, everyone was on edge. When there was no immediate danger, the doors of the rooms were tightly shut, and staying inside her own quarters saved Yunyi a lot of trouble.

She arrived outside the room where Mei Xue and Jiang Caiping shared a bed, listening carefully. After confirming that there were no sounds inside, she pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, Jiang Caiping was sitting idly on a chair, resting her chin in her hand. When she saw Yunyi enter, she was first stunned, then immediately showed a look of surprise. In the next moment, she rushed over and threw herself into Yunyi’s arms, choking with emotion as she said, “Sister, you’re finally back! I was so worried about you. Are you alright? Did they hurt you? After they took you away, I went to find Yang Mama to ask her to save you, but she said you were accused of plotting to harm the Taishou and no one could save you. I even tried to go to the dungeon to see you, but they wouldn’t let me in. Now that I see you’re alright, I’m so relieved!”

Aside from Empress Xiao, no one had ever embraced Yunyi like this. She froze for a moment, unsure how to react. Only when she felt a pain in her shoulder did she snap back to her senses and awkwardly say, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Caiping reluctantly let go of her and looked her over, her eyes red as she said, “In just a few days, you’ve lost so much weight. You must have suffered a lot. They’re so wicked. The one who attempted to assassinate the Taishou was that Shen Yunyi. You had nothing to do with it, but they suspect you were an accomplice. It’s truly unreasonable.”

Yunyi forced a smile and said, “It’s no wonder they would think that, since I recommended Yunyi to go to Songtao Residence.”

At the mention of this, Jiang Caiping became furious. “That Shen Yunyi is despicable! We treated her so well, and she’s been deceiving us all along. She even used you to enter Songtao Residence to carry out the assassination, nearly getting you killed. If I ever see her again, I’ll scold her harshly!”

Yunyi responded casually, “Caiping, I was locked in the dungeon for two days without a drop of water. I’m really thirsty and hungry now. Could you get me some water and food?”

Jiang Caiping quickly agreed and told Yunyi to wait in the room before rushing out. After a while, she returned with a pot of water and a plate of steamed buns and pickled vegetables. “There’s nothing much to eat in the kitchen right now, just these buns. But later, when lunch is ready, there will be plenty of good food.”

Yunyi didn’t wait for her to finish speaking before grabbing the buns and devouring them, her hunger overwhelming her.

Seeing how ravenously she ate, Jiang Caiping quickly poured her a glass of water and sympathetically said, “Sister, slow down. You might choke. Don’t worry, lunch will be ready soon, and there will be plenty of delicious food.”

Yunyi nodded, finishing all three buns quickly. After Jiang Caiping cleaned up, she spoke mysteriously, “I heard that Shen Yunyi’s brother has been captured. The Young Master and the others are forcing him to reveal where Yunyi is hiding. By the way, sister, do you know why they suddenly tried to assassinate the Taishou?”

Yunyi responded vaguely, “I’m not an assassin, how would I know what they were thinking?” Then she added, “Caiping, I’m still a little hungry. Could you bring me a few more buns?”

This wasn’t a safe place to stay. Once Mei Xue returned, her true identity would be exposed. She needed to leave as soon as possible, and when hiding, the most important thing was having something to eat. A few more buns would make things easier.

Jiang Caiping clicked her tongue and said, “Sister, you’ve already eaten so much and you’re still hungry? How about waiting a little while? Lunch will be ready soon.”

“I’ve been hungry for two days and still don’t feel full. Besides, compared to those meals, I find buns more filling.” Seeing her insist, Jiang Caiping said, “Alright, I’ll ask the kitchen staff if I can get a few more buns.”

Jiang Caiping went back to the kitchen and, after some persuasion, managed to get two more buns. When she returned, she was surprised to see Mei Xue standing outside the room. She quickly walked over, saying, “Sister, didn’t I tell you to wait for me inside? Why did you come out? Were you afraid I wouldn’t help you get buns? Look, I’ve brought them!”

Mei Xue had just come from the dungeon and was confused by her words. “What waiting? What buns? Caiping, what are you talking about?”

Jiang Caiping was stunned. “Didn’t you say you were still hungry and asked me to get buns for you?”

“I never said anything like that. Besides, I’ve been locked in the dungeon for two days and haven’t seen you. How could I have said something like that to you?”

Jiang Caiping stared at the buns in her hands, shaking her head. “That’s not right. You just came back and said you were hungry, so I went to get food for you. After eating, you said you were still hungry, so I got more buns.”

Mei Xue couldn’t help but laugh, exasperated. “You girl, are you confused from sleeping? How could I not remember what I’ve done or said?”