Chapter 88

Lu Jin Xiu was startled. Using the light from the lantern, she took a quick glance at the woman who had fallen. She immediately knocked the lantern from the maidservant’s hand.

“Young madam? She’s clearly a little thief! Just send her to the authorities.”

The lantern rolled on the ground, extinguishing the flame inside. The area was plunged into darkness. With Lu Jin Xiu speaking so confidently, no one dared to approach and confirm.

Nan Yi had fallen badly, her body numb. Struggling, she tried to get up. Hearing Lu Jin Xiu’s long-lost voice, she decided it might be best to pretend to be dead. She didn’t know what to say once she got up.

Should she admit she was the long-lost young madam? As long as Lu Jin Xiu denied it, the maidservants wouldn’t dare speak up. Even if forced to admit it, how could she explain her sudden appearance? She had supposedly been sent to the estate, dying from a sudden illness, with only half a breath left… But if she were truly sent to the authorities, she would likely be caught by the Qi soldiers before even reaching the government office, and the consequences would be unthinkable.

Suddenly, Nan Yi reached out and grabbed Lu Jin Xiu’s ankle, her voice filled with deep sorrow as she whispered, “Aunt Lu… don’t you recognize me? Have you forgotten… what you did to me…?”

Chapter 89: Revisiting Old Grounds

In the pitch-black garden, Nan Yi’s voice floated in the air, causing Lu Jin Xiu to scream in terror, jumping and trying to shake off Nan Yi’s hand.

Like a female corpse, Nan Yi crawled forward in the darkness. When Lu Jin Xiu managed to shake off her right hand, Nan Yi’s left hand latched onto her, leaving a trail of blood behind.

Lu Jin Xiu was so frightened that she lost color in her face, her soul seemed to have left her body. She screamed continuously, finally managing to break free of the “ghostly hand” and stumbled away, only to run into Xie Que Shan, who had come toward the noise.

The light of the torch flared like a dragon.

“What happened?” Xie Que Shan furrowed his brows and asked.

“Ghost! There’s a ghost…” Lu Jin Xiu shakily pointed toward the shadow in the garden.

Nan Yi hid behind the rockery, thinking to herself that it was over. She had only intended to scare Aunt Lu into leaving so she could escape, but now she had brought Xie Que Shan, a formidable figure, into the scene. He was not someone easily fooled.

She knew that her appearance now was highly suspicious. She feared he would ask, “Where did you come from? What do you want?” But she didn’t want to face him. She knew that her clumsy lies wouldn’t deceive Xie Que Shan’s sharp eyes.

And deep down, what she feared the most was standing on the opposite side of him. She was a spy for the Candle Division, opposing Qi, while he served the Qi people. If he saw her in that outfit, she would be his enemy.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess when she heard swift footsteps approaching the rockery. Nan Yi had no place to hide now.

He held the torch and looked over. Both shadow and light fell on her. She knelt on the ground, dragging her injured leg, looking at him with a deathly resolve. A fleeting look of surprise crossed Xie Que Shan’s eyes as he lifted his head, glancing at the tall walls and the direction beyond, and he seemed to have formed a guess.

He calmly turned back and said, “There’s nothing here.”

“But just now—” Lu Jin Xiu screamed.

Xie Que Shan interrupted her, “If the house is haunted, we’ll invite a Taoist priest to perform an exorcism tomorrow. Aunt Lu was startled and is babbling nonsense. Please help her back. No one should go out tonight, nor should anyone mention what they’ve seen.”

Lu Jin Xiu was somewhat unconvinced and wanted to stretch her neck to look, but no one around dared to oppose Xie Que Shan’s orders, and they forcefully took her away.

Nan Yi, however, didn’t dare to breathe a sigh of relief—he sent everyone away... what did he plan to do?

Finally, everyone left, and only Xie Que Shan and Nan Yi remained in the garden.

Xie Que Shan suppressed the pity in his heart. Her return... dangerous yet tempting. He walked through the pavilions and towers of Wang Xue Wu every day, often missing the sight of her moving among them. He couldn’t help but think, if she had always stayed by his side... He dared not think too much, fearing his selfishness. He had already built a dam to block the surging tide and couldn’t afford to fail now.

But tonight, she had unexpectedly returned, and she had walked right into his trap. He could use some methods to keep her, but... there was still a part of him, a sliver of reason, warning him that she wouldn’t want to be the fake young madam again. She needed to leave before the pursuers arrived.

“Still not leaving?” Xie Que Shan lowered his gaze, his tone cold.

“Thank you.”

Nan Yi sighed in relief; after all, he had shown mercy. She didn’t dare speak more and, dragging her injured leg, was about to leave, but unexpectedly, she bumped into Lady Gantang, who had hurried over.

Lady Gantang took one look at Nan Yi, who had disappeared for many days and reappeared in such a state, and at Xie Que Shan standing coldly nearby. She was somewhat surprised.

Nan Yi was wondering how to explain herself when, unexpectedly, Lady Gantang suddenly rushed up and hugged her, crying emotionally.

“Heavenly mercy, how did you return by yourself from the estate? Did you suffer some injustice or was it some kind of shock?” Lady Gantang gently touched Nan Yi’s face and then looked at Xie Que Shan, continuing, “I knew she was suffering from the soul separation illness. It was definitely not right to send her alone to that place. Xie San, why not take this opportunity to move her back here? The world is unstable, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. The Xie family is so large, can’t she be supported here?”

Saying this, Lady Gantang took off her outer robe and draped it over Nan Yi’s shoulders.

Nan Yi’s head was nestled in Lady Gantang’s warm embrace, the faint scent of incense from the woman entering her nose—this situation was full of twists and turns, and she was somewhat dazed.

Xie Que Shan was dumbfounded. He didn’t understand what his second sister was doing. He had gone to great lengths to send Nan Yi away from Wang Xue Wu, and now, with one “good deed” from her, Lady Gantang had brought her back.

At that moment, loud noises could be heard as a group of Qi soldiers barged in, with the lead being the tearful Lu Jin Xiu.

“Where is the anomaly?”

“Right there, it was haunted just now! It scared someone to death!”

Xie Que Shan immediately reacted and said, “I can’t take care of what’s happening in the back garden. Please leave it to my second sister.”

With that, he quickly walked toward the Qi soldiers.

Nan Yi understood now. It was likely that Lady Gantang had seen the Qi soldiers coming to search, guessed that something had happened in the back garden, and came up with this clever plan. She felt that Lady Gantang’s embrace made her feel at ease. She was truly a woman of wisdom and grace, and Nan Yi couldn’t help but want to stay there a little longer.

But Xie Que Shan... did he really go along with this story?

Nan Yi’s mind was still tense.

Once Xie Que Shan had left, Lady Gantang’s expression immediately returned to its sharpness as she instructed Tang Rong, who had followed her.

“Tang Rong, clean up the bloodstains here. I’ll take the young madam back first.”

Lady Gantang helped Nan Yi up and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t be afraid. Come with me.”

Nan Yi glanced back and saw that Xie Que Shan was blocking the Qi soldiers from entering.

“There’s no ghost there. It’s my widowed sister-in-law. She’s a bit unwell in the head and was having a fit at midnight. If you’re looking for an assassin, I vaguely saw a shadow going that way.”

Nan Yi let out a deep breath. The Xie family wanted to protect her—no one could stop them.

The faint scent of incense burned in the room as Lady Gantang carefully treated the wound on Nan Yi’s leg.

Fortunately, the crossbow bolt that had struck her seemed to have been dulled, and the wound wasn’t deep. Perhaps the enemy had accidentally used a defective arrow, which allowed her to survive yet another close call.

Nan Yi felt the tension that had been building for days finally ease. At the crucial moment, Lady Luck had finally sided with her.

As Lady Gantang bent down to apply medicine, Nan Yi lowered her voice and whispered in her ear, “Lady Gantang, the Princess is safe.”

Lady Gantang looked up in surprise, gazing at Nan Yi in disbelief.

Nan Yi nodded affirmatively.

Moved and grateful, Lady Gantang grasped Nan Yi’s hand, her eyes glistening with tears. She wanted to ask something but hesitated, unable to speak.

This girl surely had an extraordinary identity. Lady Gantang had suspected as much before, especially when, during the Lantern Festival, she had suddenly been moved by Xie Xiao Liu, and shortly after, there were several significant events at Li Du Mansion. Later, when she attempted to investigate at the estate, she found it was sealed tight. Now, seeing Nan Yi with an injury and dressed in a black night outfit, combined with the sudden appearance of Qi soldiers, she had some understanding of what was happening.

But she still didn’t ask, for what they were doing was, after all, secretive. The more people who knew, the greater the risk of exposure. After a long silence, Lady Gantang repeatedly said, “That’s good… That’s good. Thank you.”

Nan Yi smiled in relief. Compared to the confusion and helplessness she had felt when first meeting Princess Ling Fu, she now felt grounded. She had helped others, and others, without hesitation, had protected her in return.

That night, she finally had a peaceful, undisturbed sleep.

The next day, Nan Yi was woken by a commotion. Blinking sleepily, she glanced at the sun streaming in through the window. She had slept until noon, and she had no idea what the noise outside was about.

Feeling a bit lazy, she curled up in bed, unwilling to get up. Suddenly, someone hurriedly pushed open the door—it was a maid from Lady Gantang’s room, looking somewhat startled and flustered.

“Young Madam, Lady Gantang requests your presence in Xuan Ying Hall. She says… there is a guest… who has an important matter to discuss with you.”

A guest?

Nan Yi was a little puzzled, but she still got up and allowed the maids to help her get dressed. She had been away from Wang Xue Wu for just over a month, and in that time, she had lived rough and unsettled. Now, surrounded by luxury and care, it felt like a dream she had once lived. Being back in this dream, with a flower hairpin in her hair and a brocade robe draped over her, she felt a bit restricted.

However, when she looked in the mirror at the radiant woman before her, Nan Yi couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Wasn’t she just naturally beautiful and hard to resist?

The major tasks were already settled, and the rest were trivial matters. What guest could there possibly be that she couldn’t handle? Nan Yi felt a bit light-headed, and for the first time in a while, she was in a carefree mood.

Upon entering Xuan Ying Hall, she immediately sensed something odd. The courtyard was filled with exquisite lacquered wooden chests, and just looking at the boxes made her think they were valuable. Each was covered with a red cloth—what were they for? Were they trying to bribe Xie Que Shan?

But what did they need her for?

When she stepped into the hall, Nan Yi saw both Xie Que Shan and Lady Gantang, and when her eyes turned to the guest seat, she saw none other than Zhang Yuehui.

Zhang Yuehui flashed her a brilliant smile, and the smile made Nan Yi feel uneasy. Her instinct told her that this was not going to end well. He stood up, walked over to her, and bowed to Xie Que Shan and Lady Gantang.

“I am here to ask for the hand of your young madam, Nan Yi.”

???

Big brother, what game are you playing now? Please, don’t mess with me.