The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and Jie
Xiangsi and her companions' carriage finally arrived at the outer city gate before curfew. Perhaps because it was nearing the end of the year, the officials at the city gate were checking people very strictly, comparing their portraits one by one before letting them pass.
Yuhe huddled in the carriage, pushing the window open a crack, and looked at the imposing officials ahead, sighing softly, "This is truly the capital city; I can hardly breathe."
Can't breathe?
Jie Xiangsi smiled, "That's an exaggeration."
Just then, it was their carriage's turn to enter the checkpoint, and Yuhe slammed the window shut and sat back down.
"Knock knock."
There were two light knocks on the side of the carriage.
"Inspector, open the carriage door."
Yuhe opened the door and handed two household registration documents that she had prepared beforehand to the head official.
Su Feng took the book, glanced at it briefly, and asked with some surprise, "You're here to see Yan Zhi?"
Xie Xiangsi nodded, "Yes."
Hearing this, Su Feng raised a brow with his peach blossom eyes and, before the two could react, called out to those behind him, "Yan Zhi! Your cousin is here!"
As Su Feng's voice fell, the steady sound of hooves came from not far away, and a figure emerged from the thick white mist, stopping in front of Xie Xiangsi's carriage.
"Cousin?"
It was a deep and magnetic voice, slightly hoarse, perhaps due to the dry weather.
Xie Xiangsi, sitting inside the carriage, looked up.
The man sat casually on the horse, one hand holding the reins, the other resting on a narrow knife at his waist. His understated yet luxurious dark blue robe hung quietly at his side, and he wore a pure black cloak, as elegant as jade and as verdant as pine trees. He was exceptionally handsome, unparalleled in the world.
He leaned slightly forward into the carriage, his large frame blocking most of the light, making it impossible for Jie Xiangsi to see his expression. She could only see the gleam in his dark eyes.
This was Zhou Yanzhi, the grandson of the Empress Dowager, the son of Prince An, and the youngest Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
For some reason, Jie Xiangsi met the man's dark eyes directly, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Cousin Yanzhi."
Actually, Xiao Yan and Zhou Yanzhi knew each other, and were quite familiar. However, wherever the two were present, things rarely went smoothly.
Zhou Yanzhi disliked her flamboyant behavior, and she disliked his rigid manner; whenever they met, a verbal battle was inevitable. Thinking
about it this way… she and he could barely be considered a pair of bickering lovers.
The snow was falling heavily, and a thin layer of frost quickly settled on Zhou Yanzhi's eyelashes. He glanced indifferently at Jie Xiangsi's household registration documents, whispered a few words to Su Feng beside him, and then returned the documents.
Brushing the frost off his cloak, Zhou Yanzhi turned his horse around and gestured to the coachman to follow. The carriage moved slowly, and Zhou Yanzhi slowed down as well, walking to the window.
Xie Xiangsi opened the window a crack, only able to see the man's robes swaying with the horse's movements.
Through the window, Zhou Yanzhi's voice came.
"My cousin has come from afar, and Mother specially sent me to greet her."
He paused, as if just realizing something. "
Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Zhou Yanzhi, courtesy name Ce'an."
Through the window paper, the girl's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, came. Xie Xiangsi's body was gentle, and even her voice was exceptionally tender: "Xiangsi knows that Cousin is a young genius, decisive in solving cases. Even though Xiangsi is far away in Danzhou, she can still know a thing or two about him."
Hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow.
"Cousin flatters me."
...
The sound of hooves clattered, passing through this long street, and around the next corner was Zhou Yanzhi's home, the Prince An's Mansion.
Zhou Yanzhi's father was the youngest son of the Empress Dowager, who was frail and sickly from childhood and died of illness when Zhou Yanzhi was just one year old.
The Empress Dowager pitied Zhou Yanzhi for losing his only child at such a young age, and the Emperor also doted on his younger brother, extending this affection to Zhou Yanzhi as well. The Prince An's Mansion was thus built to be very grand.
The exquisite buildings almost occupied an entire street, and the three large characters "Prince An's Mansion" on the plaque were very imposing.
Zhou Yanzhi rarely returned home due to his work, and his aunt, Aunt Xie, preferred quiet; therefore, the vast Prince An's Mansion was mostly inhabited by Aunt Xie and a few servants.
Zhou Yanzhi dismounted at the gate. Having received the news, Aunt Xie had already sent two old women to wait at the entrance. As soon as Jie Xiangsi's carriage stopped, they calmly welcomed him, exchanged a few pleasantries, and led him towards the main hall.
Passing through a long corridor, one arrived at the main hall.
The room was spacious and bright, with a valuable silver charcoal burning steadily in the central stove.
A beautiful lady, still possessing a certain charm, sat in the hall. Although a few fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, her overall demeanor suggested she must have been a beauty in her youth.
"Yanzhi greets Mother,"
Zhou Yanzhi, who was walking ahead, bowed first. The nannies surrounding Aunt Xie quickly bowed their heads. Seeing her son, who was rarely home, return, Aunt Xie smiled happily. "Rise," she said
. Zhou Yanzhi responded with a "Yes," and removed his cloak, sitting down at the lower end.
Without Zhou Yanzhi's cover, Xie Xiangsi was revealed, and instantly, everyone's eyes were on her.
Many looked at her with curiosity.
Xie Xiangsi knew this was the first step in gaining Aunt Xie's approval. As a distant relative, Aunt Xie had little affection for her; if the first impression was bad, her future days in the Prince An's mansion would be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, Xie Xiangsi was naturally beautiful, and as a noblewoman from the capital, Xiao Yan's manners were impeccable.
So…
the rest depended on her emotional intelligence and eloquence.
Xie Xiangsi stepped forward slightly, curtsied, neither servile nor arrogant.
"Xie Xiangsi greets Aunt."
Seeing Xie Xiangsi approach and bow, Aunt Xie quickly stepped forward to support her. "Good child, no need for such formalities."
Aunt Xie's voice was very pleasant, so kind that it instantly evoked goodwill.
Jie Xiangsi rose with her aunt's help, lowering her eyes obediently as her aunt pulled her to sit down, and respectfully said, "Thank you, Aunt."
Aunt gently stroked Jie Xiangsi's face, her hand showing tenderness, "Poor child, your father passed away early. Since he entrusted you to me, you can stay with me from now on. Your cousin is rarely home, so your presence will keep me company." Jie
Xiangsi nodded in agreement, then turned and winked at Yuhe, presenting a palm-sized piece of jade.
Under Aunt's gentle gaze, Jie Xiangsi explained, "Aunt, I came alone this time and have nothing to give you, except this piece of jade, which is somewhat pleasing to the eye. I hope you will accept it."
Although Jie Xiangsi spoke modestly, anyone with discerning eyes could see that this jade was more than just pleasing to the eye; its texture was clear, its color lustrous, and it was a high-quality piece of jade.
While in the capital, Xiao Yan didn't pay much attention to jewelry and ornaments, but she knew more or less about the preferences of noble ladies. Aunt Xie was one of them, who had a particular fondness for jade.
It just so happened that Xiao Yan had hidden a piece of jade in the outskirts of the capital when she was young, and she dug it up a few days ago when she passed by.
Clearly, this gift had pleased Aunt Xie, and her smile became more genuine.
"You're so thoughtful."
Hearing this, Xie Xiangsi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had passed the test.
The atmosphere in the hall warmed up immediately. As they chatted, it became time for dinner. Aunt Xie ordered the servants to prepare food for Xie Xiangsi and Zhou Yanzhi, who refused to stay home, to dine together.
Watching her son's seemingly elegant but actually extremely fast eating, Aunt Xie put down her chopsticks and frowned: "Ce'an, eat slowly. You've finally come back; can't you stay home a little longer?"
Xie Xiangsi also put down his chopsticks.
Sensing the reproach in her mother's words, Zhou Yanzhi stopped what she was doing, picked up a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and
said, "I've been busy lately, but I'll definitely spend more time with you when I have some free time." Hearing this formulaic reply, Aunt Xie said helplessly, "Alright, alright." Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Haven't you found Xiao Jiangsheng yet?"
Zhou Yanzhi paused in his tea-sip, knowing that his mother knew, and nodded.
Aunt Xie understood and sighed, "Sigh, alright then, go ahead and do your work."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded in agreement, took the cloak from the old woman beside him, and strode out, quickly disappearing from sight.
Unnoticed, Xie Xiangsi dug her fingers deep into her palm, her eyes filled with an unfathomable darkness.
Xiao Jiangsheng, the young general of Da Zhao, was also... her twin brother.
Still searching?
Could it be that her brother wasn't dead?!
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Xie Xiangsi chatted with Aunt Xie for a while longer before being led away by a servant to rest.
…
Aunt Jie had a small courtyard prepared for Jie Xiangsi on the west side, called Chaoxi Pavilion.
The courtyard was filled with plum blossoms, now in full bloom, snow falling on their tips, creating an indescribably elegant scene.
Fearing that Yuhe alone wouldn't be able to properly care for Jie Xiangsi, Aunt Jie also assigned two slightly older maids, Qingshu and Moyue.
At this moment, the two were preparing water for Jie Xiangsi's bath, while Yuhe was organizing the things Jie Xiangsi had brought.
After bathing, Jie Xiangsi sat before the mirror, and Qingshu used a handkerchief to help her untangle her hair. Looking at the face in the mirror, so unlike Xiao Yan's, Jie Xiangsi was stunned.
The person in the mirror had a slight smile, exuding a gentle and graceful air, but Xiao Yan's smile was different. Xiao Yan was bright and beautiful, radiant like the morning sun, and her smile was unrestrained and radiant.
Gently stroking the face in the mirror, Jie Xiangsi felt a pang of sadness. In her past life, Xiao Yan had ultimately died at the city gates that day.
"Miss, Miss?" Qing Shu called softly a few times.
Xie Xiangsi then came to her senses and looked up to explain, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you just now, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing, it's just that your hair has been dried. I was thinking that you must be tired from your journey, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to bed." Qing Shu folded the handkerchief and placed it aside, speaking gently.
Feeling that her hair was indeed dry, Xie Xiangsi nodded.
"Oh, okay."
Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly remembered something and looked up at Qing Shu: "By the way, Sister Qing Shu, I'm new here. When I entered the city, I saw officials looking for people with portraits. Could you tell me what happened?"
Hearing this, Qing Shu nodded, "Of course."
So, Xie Xiangsi called Yu He and Mo Yue, and the four of them sat down around a round table in the room.
Qing Shu and Mo Yue initially declined to sit, but Yu He insisted, "Please sit down, my young lady is very easygoing. There's no need for formalities in private."
Seeing Xie Xiangsi nod in agreement, her face showing no sign of surprise, the two finally sat down.
Seeing Xie Xiangsi's curious eyes fixed on her, Qing Shu couldn't help but chuckle, then slowly said, "Speaking of major events, I'm afraid there's nothing bigger than the Xiao family's treason case."
"Yes, yes, yes! A month ago, everyone was talking about it, and it only started to quiet down these last couple of days," Mo Yue, lively as ever, said, propping her head up with her hand.
Yu He exclaimed, "Good heavens, why are the officials at the city gate still searching for people?"
Qing Shu thought for a moment and said, "I heard that General Xiao isn't dead, so they're looking for him with his portrait."
Not dead…
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Xie Xiangsi's heart still skipped a beat.
Her brother was alive! This was truly good news, wonderful!
Wanting to know more, Xie Xiangsi thought for a moment, then feigned surprise and said, "Sisters, our information network has been quite poor along the way. We only know about the Xiao family's treason, but we've heard that the entire Xiao family has been executed."
"I don't know about that, but it's a fact that General Xiao is still alive." Qing Shu paused, then lowered her voice and continued, "The person in charge of searching for General Xiao is our young master; it should be true."
Hearing this, Xie Xiangsi's heart trembled.
It was actually… Zhou Yanzhi…