#135: The Ninth Day of the First Month

“Enough!” Li Shimin made a move as if to strike, and Li Xuanba quickly retreated. After walking a short distance, he turned back and said something that left Li Shimin both amused and exasperated: “Second Brother, give it some serious thought!”

“That brat!” Li Shimin muttered under his breath as he headed toward Jingji Pavilion. Though his expression remained calm, his mind was rippling with thoughts. This wasn’t the first time someone had suggested he harbored feelings for Meixue. Even his eldest brother had hinted at something similar.

Did he truly have feelings for her? No, whenever he thought of Meixue, he didn’t feel that deep, lifelong connection. At most, he felt some fondness—nothing more.

Wucheng was the one he truly loved, the one he wanted to spend his life with.

The winter nights were long and cold. Yunyi lay in bed, listening to the howling wind outside, unable to fall asleep. Li Shimin’s figure kept appearing in her mind, and the harder she tried not to think about him, the more frequently he came to mind.

The longer she interacted with him, the clearer his character became to her—gentle, benevolent, wise, surpassing many noble sons and high-ranking officials she had met in Luoyang. This time, he had saved her and Wu Laosan. A person like him would surely bring prosperity wherever he served as an official.

But alas… he bore the surname Li. He was Li Yuan’s son, and the murderer of Mo Ping. This fact alone doomed them to be irreconcilable enemies. He—had to die!

Yunyi had entertained the thought of killing Li Shimin more than once. But this time, when the idea surfaced, her chest tightened painfully, as though a boulder pressed down on it, making it hard to breathe.

Forcing her thoughts elsewhere, she began to reflect on the matter of Chunxiu. On the night of the ninth day of the first month, after Chunxiu spied on her bathing, she likely noticed the tattoo on Yunyi’s shoulder and guessed something, which prompted her hurried departure from the mansion.

In fact, Yunyi had seen Chunxiu leave the mansion that night. She had intended to follow and kill her but was delayed by unforeseen circumstances. Planning to act the next day, she discovered that Chunxiu had never returned since leaving that night. Her discreet search of the Feng household also yielded no trace of Chunxiu. Later, she learned of Chunxiu’s death.

Who exactly was the person the night watchman claimed to have seen? And why had Chunxiu gone to such a remote place alone?

No matter how long the night, it eventually passed. For the dancers, each day was much the same: practicing dance in the morning, music in the afternoon, and occasionally gathering in small groups to chat during breaks.

Today, however, everyone gathered around Jiang Caiping, listening intently as she recounted yesterday’s events. When they heard how Li Shimin had exposed Feng Cheng’s scheme and unraveled the mystery of Chunxiu’s death, their eyes sparkled with admiration. One dancer sighed dreamily, “I never imagined Second Young Master to be so talented in both literature and martial arts, and so intelligent and wise.”

Jiang Caiping recognized her—the one who had claimed to see Meixue leave the Yuefang Pavilion before Lady Wan. With a faint smile, Jiang Caiping remarked, “Yes, if it weren’t for Second Young Master’s brilliance, Elder Sister Wu would’ve been wrongfully killed because of your testimony!”

The dancer paled and stammered, “I only stated what I saw. I didn’t mean any harm.”

Jiang Caiping understood, but she still felt uneasy. As they spoke, Linshi entered the room. Everyone quickly rose to greet her respectfully.

“Rise,” Linshi said, then approached Yunyi. “I heard you narrowly escaped being wrongfully accused of murder yesterday. Are you all right?”

Yunyi replied politely, “Thank you for your concern, Third Madam. Yesterday, Second Young Master uncovered the truth behind Chunxiu’s death and cleared Meixue’s name.”

Linshi nodded and continued, “It seems the stewards were careless. If they had simply reviewed the records of those entering and leaving the mansion, they would’ve known you hadn’t left the premises in recent days. There was no need to go through the ordeal at the county office.”

Jiang Caiping interjected, “To answer Third Madam, the records were checked early on. However, Second Madam pointed out that Elder Sister claimed to have been alone in the garden until the fourth watch of the night without witnesses, which seemed too suspicious. That’s why the Feng family took her away.”

Upon hearing this, Linshi’s expression turned peculiar as she fixed her gaze on Yunyi. “You didn’t tell them what you were doing that night?”

Yunyi lowered her eyes and replied, “Since I promised Third Madam I would keep this secret, I must do my best to honor it.”

“Good.” Linshi nodded approvingly, then suddenly grabbed Yunyi’s hand. “Come with me to Yuxiu Pavilion.”

Yunyi was startled. “Third Madam, what are you doing?”

Linshi’s voice turned icy. “If she wants to know what you were doing in the garden that night, I’ll take you there to tell her. That way, she won’t keep suspecting things unnecessarily. Let’s go!”

Seeing Linshi’s resolute demeanor, Yunyi had no choice but to follow her to Yuxiu Pavilion. The maidservant guarding the door tried to stop them. “Third Madam…” Before she could finish, Linshi snapped, “Out of my way!”

The maid, new to Yuxiu Pavilion, had never seen Linshi so fierce and stood frozen in shock. By the time she regained her senses, Linshi had already pulled Yunyi inside. Hurrying after them, the maid attempted to block their path again. “Third Madam, Madam is teaching Fifth Young Master calligraphy. You can’t just barge in like this.”

Linshi ignored her and signaled Jichun to push open the door. Mother and son, Wanxiu and Zhizhun, looked up in surprise. Upon recognizing Linshi, Zhizhun rose and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Third Aunt.”

Linshi gave him a complex look but said nothing. The maid trembled nervously. “I tried to stop Third Madam, but she insisted on coming in. I couldn’t do anything.”

“Leave us.” Wanxiu waved dismissively, then turned to Zhizhun. “Zhiyun, practice writing in your room as I just taught you. Remember, keep your wrist steady and apply moderate pressure.”

“Yes, Mother, I understand.” Once Zhizhun left, Wanxiu smoothed her robes and rose, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Dear sister, what brings you to Yuxiu Pavilion today? And why have you brought this dancer along?”

Linshi pulled Yunyi forward, her eyes cold as stars. “You’ve been so curious about what Meixue was doing in the garden that night. I’ve brought her here to tell you.”

“Oh?” Wanxiu arched her delicately painted brows in surprise. “What you’re saying… don’t tell me you were with Wu Meixue that night?”

“That’s right. On the night of the ninth, Meixue was with me,” Linshi declared firmly.

Wanxiu lowered her head and smiled faintly. “I know you’re close with this dancer, but there’s no need to defend her so strongly. Besides, the matter is settled. She…”

Linshi abruptly cut her off. “Wan Xiuzhen, have you already forgotten what the ninth day of the first month means?”

Wanxiu froze, then forced a smile. “The ninth day of the first month? I’m afraid I don’t recall. Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

Linshi stepped closer, her voice dripping with hatred. “Three years ago, on the ninth day of the first month, you murdered my child!”