TPGA - 38

After meticulously filling and tamping down the grave, she washed her hands and returned to the room. She pushed the cabinet back into its original position and wiped away any remaining traces of blood on the floor, ensuring Jiang Caiping wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

After finishing all of this, it was almost dawn. Before Jiang Caiping woke up, she removed her clothes and sprinkled the medicine Jiang Caiping had given her on the reopened wound on her left shoulder, then re-bandaged it. She also washed her bloodstained clothes.

While hanging the clothes to dry, she saw a figure suspended in mid-air in the direction of the front courtyard. She knew it must be Moping. That wretch Li Jiancheng had devised such a cruel method to force her to reveal herself—it was despicable. After she eliminated Li Yuan and returned to Luoyang, she would definitely have her father issue an edict to execute Li Jiancheng!

But for now… what should she do? She couldn’t go there herself, but she also couldn’t bear to watch Moping die. Over the years, aside from her mother and Aunt Ji, the person closest to her was Moping. She had to find a way to save him!

Just as she was pondering a solution, a drowsy voice came from behind her. “Sister, why are you up so early?”

Yunyi suppressed her thoughts and turned to Jiang Caiping, who was still rubbing her eyes. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I got up to wash my clothes. Did I disturb you?”

After becoming more awake, Jiang Caiping quickly took the clothes from her hands. “You should leave these kinds of things to me! What if you hurt your wound again? Would I have to ask the pharmacy steward for more medicine? By the way, I’ll help you apply the medicine later.”

Yunyi smiled faintly. “No need. I was bored just now and felt a bit uncomfortable with the wound, so I already applied the medicine myself.”

“Do you feel any better?” Seeing Jiang Caiping’s unreserved concern, Yunyi felt a slight warmth in her heart and said, “Don’t worry. The medicine you brought is very effective. It doesn’t hurt at all now.”

“That’s good.” After helping hang the clothes, she moved closer to Yunyi and grinned. “If it really works, I’ll go get some more later.” Without waiting for Yunyi to respond, she added, “Don’t worry. Steward Zhao is actually quite nice. At worst, he’ll scold me a little. You don’t need to worry.”

Yunyi, knowing that Jiang Caiping cared about “her,” didn’t refuse further. Glancing once more at where Shen Moping was hanging, she bit her lip and said, “Caiping, I want to go to the front courtyard.”

“The front courtyard? Why would you go there for no reason? There’s nothing interesting to see.” Seeing Yunyi staring blankly at a certain spot, Jiang Caiping curiously followed her gaze. A moment later, she exclaimed in surprise, “Sister… don’t tell me you want to see that Shen Moping?”

Yunyi withdrew her gaze and said, “What’s wrong with that? Can’t I?”

“It’s not that you can’t, it’s just…” Jiang Caiping looked around and whispered, “He’s an assassin. Anyone associated with him will only meet misfortune. Remember how you were thrown into the dungeon and punished for no reason? Wasn’t it because of those two? Luckily, Second Master helped you, or you’d probably still be in the dungeon right now.”

“I know, but…” Yunyi tried to speak in Mei Xue’s tone. “We’ve known each other for a while. Seeing them end up like this makes me feel uneasy.”

Jiang Caiping wrinkled her nose. “They brought this upon themselves by attempting to assassinate the governor. They have no one to blame but themselves. Especially Shen Yunyi—how could we have considered her a good sister, sharing everything with her without reservation? She nearly got you killed. Just thinking about it makes me furious.”

A flicker of guilt passed through Yunyi’s eyes. “Yunyi must have had her own difficult reasons for doing what she did. Besides, it’s all in the past now. No point bringing it up again. As for Shen Moping, don’t worry. I’ll just take a quick look and come right back. I won’t stay long.”

“Sister, you’re just too kind-hearted.” With that, Jiang Caiping said, “Let me finish washing up, and I’ll accompany you over there.”

Yunyi chuckled softly. “You say I’m too kind-hearted, but aren’t you the same?”

Jiang Caiping made a face. “Not at all! I’m just afraid you’ll accidentally run into one of Eldest Master’s men stationed nearby and drag me into trouble. That’s why I have to keep an eye on you every step of the way.”

Yunyi shook her head with a smile. “Alright, alright. I know you mean well. Hurry up and get ready.”

Amid their light-hearted banter, Jiang Caiping quickly finished washing up and accompanied Yunyi toward the front courtyard. The closer they got, the clearer she could see: Moping’s body was covered in wounds, with hardly a patch of intact skin. Dark red scabs crusted over his injuries, and because he had been suspended in the air for so long, his tightly bound wrists and fingers had turned a corpse-like pale blue. Even if he survived, his hands would likely be useless.

When they were about ten steps away from where Shen Moping was tied up, Jiang Caiping suddenly pulled Yunyi back. “Sister, we’re close enough. Don’t go any further, or we might be mistaken for accomplices and arrested.”

Yunyi didn’t speak, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Shen Moping hanging in the air. If it weren’t for her, Moping wouldn’t have ended up like this. She couldn’t stand by and watch him die. She had to… she absolutely had to find a way to save him.

But Jiang Caiping had mentioned that Li Jiancheng had stationed many men here. Along the way, she had noticed several hidden figures lurking in the shadows. If she tried anything, she would likely be captured before she could even act.

Under these circumstances, saving Shen Moping alone was simply impossible. What… what should she do?

Just as she was deep in thought, a cold, stern voice came from behind them. “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Caiping recognized the voice and quickly pulled Yunyi around, bowing her head nervously. “This servant greets Eldest Master.”

The newcomer was none other than Li Jiancheng. He glared coldly at the two of them. “I asked, what are you doing here?”

As Jiang Caiping was trying to think of a response, Yunyi beside her spoke up. “Reporting to Eldest Master, we were passing by and saw someone hanging here, so we stopped to take a look.”

Li Jiancheng limped slightly as he approached Yunyi, scrutinizing her. “I remember you. You’re the dancer who performed during the assassination attempt. You’re the one who led the assassin into Songtao Residence, giving her the chance to harm my father, aren’t you?”

Yunyi lowered her gaze and said, “Yes, but I truly didn’t know Shen Yunyi was an assassin. If I had known, even if you gave me the courage of a thousand men, I would never have dared to bring her into Songtao Residence and cause harm to the governor.”

“Is that so?” Li Jiancheng’s lips curled slightly, his expression darkly amused. “I just saw you staring at this assassin for a long time, and I thought you might be trying to save him.”

Yunyi’s heart tightened. This Li Jiancheng was extremely suspicious—just a few extra glances had aroused his suspicion. She quickly replied, “Eldest Master is joking. Those two used me to enter Songtao Residence, and then they caused me to be thrown into the dungeon and tortured, nearly costing me my life. I hate them more than anything. How could I possibly want to save him?”