Chapter 120: Farewell

Bringing up the matter, Chunxiu quickly pulled Ji Rong to sit down and recounted in detail the events of the night her home was attacked, along with her suspicions. Even with Ji Rong’s sharp mind, she couldn’t help but look astonished. After a long moment, she said hesitantly, “Chunxiu… are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”

Hearing this, Chunxiu immediately grew flustered. “How can you say the same thing as my brother? I remember everything clearly—it wasn’t a dream! Someone really tried to kill me!”

“But even if it’s true, Meixue…” Ji Rong thought for a moment before shaking her head. “It couldn’t possibly be her. She doesn’t know martial arts—how could she possibly kill someone?”

“I thought it was impossible too, but tell me, Sister, who else besides Wu Meixue would want to kill me? And those eyes—I’m more certain now that they looked just like hers.”

“Even so, Meixue…” Ji Rong paced back and forth in the room, feeling that the whole situation was utterly bizarre.

“Do you remember when we went to her room to look for Shen Yunyi?” When Ji Rong nodded, Chunxiu continued, “I distinctly remember injuring Wu Meixue’s head during the scuffle, but in the blink of an eye, she acted as if nothing had happened. In my opinion, she not only knows martial arts but also sorcery. We’ve all been deceived by her façade. And then there’s Shen Yunyi—how could she have disappeared without a trace unless someone was secretly helping her?”

After hearing this, Ji Rong began to feel a growing sense of suspicion. “If that’s the case, did you try testing her after the fact?”

Chunxiu sighed. “I had to return to the mansion the next day, and Wu Meixue only returned today. So I haven’t had a chance to test her yet.”

Ji Rong nodded. “Then tomorrow, try to test her. If you can find evidence linking her to Shen Yunyi, that would be ideal. But if you can’t…” She paused, frowning. “If she failed once, she’ll surely try again. Your situation will be very dangerous.”

This was exactly what Chunxiu feared most. Anxiously, she asked, “What should I do? Or… why don’t I go with you to Hedong?”

“You don’t need to rush. Let me think about it.” By now, the sky outside had darkened, heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Chunxiu kept glancing at the tightly shut doors and windows, terrified that Meixue might suddenly burst in with a dagger, just like that night.

After sitting in silence for a long time, Ji Rong finally spoke. “I remember you mentioned having a decent relationship with Lady Sun from Ding Yulan’s quarters, right?”

Chunxiu didn’t understand the significance of the question but answered truthfully, “Not particularly close, but we get along well enough.”

Ji Rong nodded. “Ding Yulan has already been expelled from the mansion by the Second Master, and I’m leaving for Hedong tomorrow. You should speak to Head Nurse Yang and suggest that living in separate rooms is wasteful. Ask her to arrange for you to move in with Lady Sun. It’s a reasonable request, so I doubt Yang will object. If you two share a room, even if Wu Meixue wants to harm you, she’ll have to think twice.”

Chunxiu quickly agreed. “I understand. I’ll go talk to Head Nurse Yang later.”

Afterward, Chunxiu reminded Ji Rong of several precautions, including avoiding going home for now to prevent Meixue from finding an opportunity to attack outside the mansion. Ji Rong noted them all down but lamented with a bitter face, “All these are temporary solutions. I’ll still have to live in constant fear.”

Ji Rong gazed at her, her voice as cold and clear as the crescent moon just rising above the treetops. “To solve the problem at its root, there’s only one way—to find evidence of Meixue’s collusion with Shen Yunyi. Once you have that, you can rest easy.”

After a long pause, she sighed again. “Actually, accompanying me to Hedong wouldn’t be a bad idea either. At least you’d be safe. But that’s not something I can decide.”

Chunxiu’s expression shifted uncertainly for a while. Finally, she clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth. “I will uproot this thorn completely!”

Thus, the night passed. Before leaving, Ji Rong handed Chunxiu an exquisite porcelain bottle. “Inside is enough Divine Jade Powder for a month. Deliver it to the Second Madam on my behalf and tell her that I’ll ensure a steady supply of the powder is sent back—it’s not something she needs to worry about. Also, if you find evidence of Wu Meixue conspiring with the assassins, you can report it directly to the Second Madam.”

“I understand.” After Chunxiu accepted the bottle, Ji Rong gathered her belongings and headed to Qingchun Garden to join Li Jiancheng for their journey to Hedong.

At dawn, Li Jiancheng rode in a soft sedan chair to Songtao Residence to bid farewell. His trip to Hedong was crucial to the future success or failure of the Li family. Li Yuan repeatedly cautioned him to be careful, advising him to recruit as many soldiers as possible while avoiding exposing his identity. He mustn’t trust anyone outside their inner circle since the Li family hadn’t officially rebelled yet. If word got out that Li Jiancheng was privately recruiting troops and reached Emperor Yang Guang’s ears, all their previous efforts would be wasted.

In addition, Li Yuan reminded him to seek out Liu Hongji, urging him to recruit both Liu and the band of wandering knights around him.

Li Jiancheng promised to follow these instructions and then bid farewell to Li Yuan, leading a group of servants and guards who had been prepared beforehand. Li Shimin and his brothers accompanied him partway, repeatedly seeing him off until Li Jiancheng joked, “If you keep following me, we’ll end up leaving the city together.” Only then did they stop.

Li Shimin called out worriedly, “Big Brother, please take care of your leg. Don’t overexert yourself before it’s fully healed, or you might injure yourself further.”

Li Xuanba nodded emphatically. “Yes, yes, yes! Make sure to change your medicine on time and don’t neglect it. If you feel unwell, find a doctor along the way—don’t delay. Also, Big Brother, do you have enough guards for your trip to Hedong? If not, take some from my courtyard. I practice with them daily—they’re quite skilled.”

Li Jiancheng chuckled. “Am I not careful enough with my own legs? As for guards, I have more than enough. Alright, everyone, go back. No need to see me off any further.”

Just as they were agreeing, Li Zhiyun stepped forward holding a delicate porcelain bottle. “Big Brother, this is the injury medicine Master gave me when I returned. It’s very effective for external wounds. I heard from Second Brother that the situation in Hedong isn’t good, and you’ll be gone for so long—there’s no telling what might happen. Please take this medicine with you.”

Li Jiancheng glanced at him and said indifferently, “I already have Ji Rong’s tendon-renewal ointment. Even if I do get injured, that will be more than enough. You keep this medicine for yourself.” Though he owed his life to the medicine Li Zhiyun had given him earlier, the lingering resentment in his heart wasn’t so easily erased.

“Oh,” Li Zhiyun replied, visibly disappointed. As he was about to retreat, Li Shimin took the medicine from his hands and said, “The medicine bestowed by Master Hui’an shouldn’t be inferior to the tendon-renewal ointment. Big Brother, take it with you, just in case.”