Turned to look out the window, her mind racing with thoughts of Jie Xiangsi.
It was mid-to-late December, and the journey from the capital to Yangqu would take about two days. Since Zhou Yanzhi needed to arrive in Yangqu before the tenth of the first lunar month, he had to set off no later than the evening of the seventh.
But given Zhou Yanzhi's temperament, he would definitely arrive in Yangqu before the tenth, and if nothing unexpected happened, he would depart immediately after New Year's Eve.
Therefore, she only had a month to prepare. No matter what, she had to go to Yangqu with Zhou Yanzhi!
...
"Sister Qingshu, do you know what's wrong with my young lady?" Yuhe sat on a low stool in the outer room, propping her head up and looking at the person behind the beaded curtain. Seeing that the person was still motionless, her tone was somewhat melancholy: "Why is she sitting there so blankly, for the whole day?"
"This... I don't know either." Qingshu was also somewhat puzzled.
Since returning from the library that day, Xie Xiangsi had been preoccupied, spending her days either copying scriptures or sitting by the window watching the snow fall, neither speaking nor moving, seemingly lost in thought.
Mo Yue, who had been observing Xie Xiangsi for a long time, couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement, "How can you sit for so long, Miss?"
It was truly admirable; she certainly couldn't do it.
As the center of their discussion, Xie Xiangsi hadn't noticed how long she had been sitting, only staring blankly at the snowflakes outside the window, pondering how to get Zhou Yanzhi to take her to Yangqu to investigate the case.
Yangqu wasn't far from the capital, but its prosperity paled in comparison, even somewhat impoverished, largely due to frequent natural disasters. Each time, before the people could recover, a new wave of calamities would strike.
Furthermore, being under the emperor's nose, the court didn't trust local officials to be corrupt or harm the people, thus focusing most of its attention on remote areas, making Yangqu the most desirable destination for dispatched officials.
Natural disasters compounded by man-made calamities, a vicious cycle that perpetuates a facade of peace masking underlying decay.
The current problems with the Yangqu relief funds, escalating to the Dali Temple in the capital, suggest a truly serious matter, necessitating Zhou Yanzhi's clandestine investigation rather than a public one.
Xie Xiangsi pondered.
Since these relief funds are linked to evidence against the Xiao family, and natural disasters are unpredictable, and there's no news of any current disasters in Yangqu, coupled with the Xiao family's raids in early November, the problem with the relief funds likely predates the Xiao family's case, only to be suppressed.
The night Zhou Yanzhi mistakenly entered her room, he carried the scent of blood—could it be related to this case?
A moment later, Xie Xiangsi sighed heavily.
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, impossible to unravel.
If she weren't currently in Xie Xiangsi's body, she would have loved to drift to Yangqu without a care, caring nothing for Zhou Yanzhi.
But then again, if she weren't in Xie Xiangsi's body, she probably wouldn't even have a chance to overturn the Xiao family's case. Even if she got clues, she couldn't tell Zhou Yanzhi.
Speaking of Zhou Yanzhi, Xie Xiangsi sighed helplessly.
Five whole days had passed since that day in the library, and she had kept that cloak hidden for five whole days, yet Zhou Yanzhi hadn't even remembered that he had left a cloak with her.
It seemed that being the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was quite busy; when he was busy, he was nowhere to be seen. For five days straight, she hadn't even seen a single shadow of him.
Oh well, if he didn't come looking for her, she would go looking for him.
With that thought, Xie Xiangsi stood up briskly, turned her head, and called out to the three people outside the beaded curtain, "It's almost New Year's Eve, shall we go out for a stroll?"
"Yay!" Yu He and Mo Yue were the first to cheer.
...
Perhaps because the year was drawing to a close, even though soldiers in armor still patrolled the streets, the city's residents cheerfully set up their stalls, and crowds thronged the streets.
Jie Xiangsi's body had been ill earlier and was still somewhat sickly. Wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, she strolled around the streets, but suddenly felt a little bored.
Looking at the stalls selling New Year's items on both sides of the street, she suddenly thought of the time before the Jin'an Marquis's mansion was in trouble. Although her father and brother were far away on the frontier and unable to return to celebrate the New Year with her, New Year's gifts would always arrive at the mansion before New Year's Eve.
Most were ornaments for girls, but there were also some sharp swords, said to be for her self-defense.
Her father would always ask in the letters he sent how tall she had grown and whether she was studying diligently with her teacher.
Although the letters were short, Xiao Yan could imagine the usually stern general in front of his soldiers, his loving expression as he wrote them.
Her brother's letters were quite long, much more trivial than her father's. He asked how the year had been, if anyone had bullied her, and if anyone had, he told her to slap them across the face, no matter who they were.
Every time Xiao Yan read her brother's letters, she couldn't help but think that if everyone knew that the spirited and handsome young General Xiao they saw was actually a fussy and indecisive boy, they would be utterly astonished.
Thinking of this, Xie Xiangsi's smile faded, and her eyes reddened slightly.
But this year, no one would send letters anymore.
Xiao Yan wouldn't receive any either. "
Miss
, what's wrong?" Qing Shu keenly sensed the sudden melancholy in Xie Xiangsi's expression and asked softly with concern, "Is it too cold?"
Xie Xiangsi paused, looked up towards the direction of the Marquis of Jin'an's residence, and forced a smile, saying softly, "Yes, it's too cold." She then pointed to a shop not far away and said, "You all go and rest at the teahouse up ahead. I want to take a walk by myself."
"Eh? Didn't you say you were cold, Miss?" Yu He, being younger, hadn't noticed Xie Xiangsi's low spirits and, fearing she was truly cold, wanted to pull her to the teahouse.
Just as Xie Xiangsi was about to say something, Qing Shu gave Mo Yue a look, signaling her to pull Yu He away.
Turning to Xie Xiangsi, she said gently, "With the year drawing to a close, the capital is a mixed bag. Let Qing Shu accompany you for a walk, Miss."
Hearing this, Xie Xiangsi glanced at Qing Shu, seeing the concern in her eyes, and, unwilling to disappoint her, nodded slightly, "Alright."
Qing Shu smiled faintly.
"Then...Miss, where shall we go?"
Where to?
Actually, Jie Xiangsi didn't know either. The snow in the capital was regularly cleared, and at this moment, there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground. She took two steps forward, then, as if remembering something, turned to Qing Shu and said softly, "I've heard that Su Ji's Golden Silk Crispy Cake is the most famous in the capital. I'd like to buy some to take back. Let's go there."
"Then so be it, Miss."
... Su Ji's Golden Silk Crispy Cake truly lived up to its reputation as the most famous pastry
in the capital. Even in winter, there was a long queue in front of the shop. When it was Jie Xiangsi and her companion's turn, it was the last one. "Here you go, Miss. This is our Su Ji's best Golden Silk Crispy Cake!" The shop owner handed the pastry wrapped in oil paper to Qing Shu while calling out to the long queue behind them, "Our pastries are sold out for today. If you all want some, please come early tomorrow!" For a moment, there was a chorus of complaints behind them, showing how disappointed they were. Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi and Qing Shu exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly. They were indeed lucky.
Just as she was about to turn away, a sharp whip tore through the air and hurtled towards them.
In the cold wind, stray hairs fluttered at Xie Xiangsi's temples. Her eyes narrowed, and she abruptly pushed Qingshu aside, only to be struck squarely by the whip herself.
"Crack!"
Instantly, a burning pain shot through her forearm, and Xie Xiangsi's eyes reddened with agony.
At the same time, a horse's neigh rang out, its hooves barely grazing Xie Xiangsi's hem before landing heavily on the bluestone bricks.
"Miss!"
Qingshu, ignoring the pastries scattered on the ground, stumbled forward and shielded Xie Xiangsi behind him, gently lifting her forearm. Even the usually composed Qingshu couldn't help but exclaim, "Heavens!"
She saw specks of blood seeping through the brocade sleeve. Winter clothes were thick, and Qingshu didn't even need to lift the sleeve to imagine what lay beneath.
Suppressing Qing Shu's hand as she tried to pull up her sleeve, Jie Xiangsi coldly looked in the direction the whip had come from.
"Apologize."
Hearing this, the girl being stared at by Jie Xiangsi smiled contemptuously, casually tugging at her whip from her horse, and lazily looked up at Qing Shu, saying, "I was going to hit her. You insisted on pushing her away, and that's why you took this hit for her. You brought it on yourself, why should I apologize? I won't!"
Hearing her unreasonable words, Qing Shu immediately tried to argue, but Jie Xiangsi forcefully held her down.
Looking at the arrogant woman before her, Jie Xiangsi thought to herself: No wonder she's the Fourth Prince's sister; she's just like her brother, arrogant, domineering, and utterly annoying.
That whip was clearly aimed at Qing Shu's face. If she hadn't pushed Qing Shu away, Qing Shu would surely be disfigured today!
It's true what they say, you can tell a lot about a child's character at three and their future at seven. In her opinion, Zhou Yuyi is an absolute nuisance!
It was true before, it is true now, and it will be true in the future!
Xiao Yan understood this deeply from a young age. As the daughter of a general, she had accompanied her father to the palace as a child. The then-Crown Prince was forced to lead a group of little children in playing. Xiao Yan was adorable from a young age, and with her good personality, everyone preferred to play with her.
However, this behavior angered the Fifth Princess Zhou Yuyi, who was the same age as Xiao Yan at the time. Feeling that she, a princess who was the center of attention, was not as well off as a marquis's daughter, she was wronged and angry and kept making a scene, forcing everyone to surround her before she would stop.
But only Xiao Yan knew that this Fifth Princess had secretly pinched her many times during the chaos, leaving her arms, legs, and waist covered in bruises.
She even deliberately tripped her and plotted to push her into the Imperial Lotus Pond several times, showing a vicious mind even at a young age.
The two girls were filled with disgust.
Xiao Yan hated her inexplicable targeting, and Zhou Yuyi hated that Xiao Yan had taken her place.
Even later, when Xiao Yan grew up, her relationship with the Fifth Princess wasn't good. If she and Zhou Yanzhi were like bickering lovers, then she and Zhou Yuyi were mortal enemies, the kind who wanted to slap each other every time they met.
For example, at the beginning of this year, when Zhou Yuyi was punished to practice at Huguo Temple in the suburbs of the capital, Xiao Yan, upon hearing the news, defiantly rode her horse around the outskirts of the capital a few times.
Thinking of this, Xie Xiangsi sighed inwardly.
Hearing the news of Xiao Yan's death, Zhou Yuyi was probably overjoyed.
How frustrating!
Thinking this, Xie Xiangsi felt the wound on her arm from Zhou Yuyi's beating hurt even more. Today, she had to crush Zhou Yuyi's morale!
Sneering at Zhou Yuyi's disdainful expression, Xie Xiangsi coldly said, "Your words are laughable. If I hadn't pushed her away, your whip would have struck her face. Have you considered that it would disfigure her?!"
Hearing Xie Xiangsi's words, Zhou Yuyi became even more disdainful, glancing indifferently at Qing Shu beside her, and said unhurriedly, "Didn't you miss?"
Xie Xiangsi laughed angrily, "So what?"
Zhou Yuyi's tone was flat: "So I won't apologize."
After a pause, she added nonchalantly, "Besides, do you know who I am? I can hit whoever I want. Do you need to lecture me?"
After saying that, Zhou Yuyi gave the two of them a provocative smile, pulled on the reins, and was about to leave.
But before she had taken a few steps, Xie Xiangsi's cold voice came from behind. "Did I say you could
leave?"