The character “Xu”?

Ji Yinshu’s brain nerves tensed sharply, and her palm involuntarily clenched. She first stood dazed in the distance for a few seconds, then shifted two steps and quickly walked over.

She saw the maid breathe a sigh of relief. “So there’s no jade inside, that’s good, that’s good.”

Just as she was speaking, Ji Yinshu took the brocade box from her hands.

“Master Ji?”

The two maids were stunned for a moment.

They looked at each other!

Ji Yinshu stared at the character “Xu” on the handkerchief, not speaking for a long time. She carefully took the handkerchief out and grasped it in her hand, only then discovering that this wasn’t a complete handkerchief, but rather half of one, precisely torn through the middle of an embroidered crimson jasmine flower.

A crimson jasmine flower—no one would embroider such a thing on a yellow handkerchief. But this half jasmine flower seemed familiar to her from somewhere.

Her fingertips rubbed over it again and again, when suddenly, she remembered with a jolt.

Her heart trembled!

Yes, she had indeed seen it before, at Yi Zhuang.

Too coincidental!

Really too coincidental!

Clutching the handkerchief, she asked the two maids, “Whose is this?”

One maid pointed at the large chest. “It was packed among the master’s and madam’s belongings, all things from when the young master was little.”

“I’m asking about this handkerchief.”

The maid stammered, “It should be…”

Before she could finish—

“That also belongs to the young master. The master and madam were very protective of it, always keeping it in this brocade box, placed in the large chest. They wouldn’t let anyone touch it.”

Uncle Fu’s voice!

He walked over and continued, “Everything here belonged to the young master when he was little. The master and madam always kept them well stored. Usually, they wouldn’t let anyone touch them. This time, because the room over there is leaking, we’re moving things to the West Court. Master Ji, is there a problem with this handkerchief?”

Not only was there a problem, but it was a major one.

The heavy stone in Ji Yinshu’s heart crashed from her chest to the ground, and her mind surged like roiling seas with all sorts of scattered pieces of information.

Then, bit by bit, they came together as one.

Finally, she understood the entire sequence of events.

“Thud!”

Her hands trembled, and the brocade box in her grasp fell to the ground.

Uncle Fu quickly bent down to pick up the item, asking as he did, “Master, what’s wrong with you?”

Holding the handkerchief, she said in a heavy tone, “Uncle Fu, may I borrow this handkerchief to look at?”

“This…”

“I won’t damage it. I’ll return it first thing tomorrow morning.”

Uncle Fu thought, it was just a handkerchief, not worth much money. Besides, she was Master Ji, naturally trustworthy, so he said, “Since you’ve asked, Master Ji, if you want to look at it, go ahead and take it.”

“Thank you.”

She nodded lightly, then turned and entered the courtyard.

Uncle Fu placed the brocade box back into the large chest, then scolded the two maids. “What’s wrong with you two, being so clumsy? These things are all the master’s and madam’s belongings, absolutely cannot be damaged. Fortunately, what’s inside are all soft items. If it had contained porcelain or jade and you’d smashed or chipped them, I’d have given you two something to see.”

The young maid said aggrievedly, “Uncle Fu, we know we were wrong. But this iron ring rusted and broke by itself, you can’t blame us!”

“Alright, alright, hurry up and clean up, move the things to the West Court, and find a blacksmith to come repair this iron ring.”

“Oh.”

The two maids tidied up, closed the chest lid, and carried it away.

Uncle Fu stood there stunned for a little while, unable to understand why Ji Yinshu would want something from their young master’s childhood. It was just a handkerchief—though yellow in color, it wasn’t made of gold!

Unable to figure it out, he simply shook his head and left.

Ji Yinshu returned to her room and sat there motionless, staring fixedly at the handkerchief spread on the table. First she stared at the crimson jasmine flower, then at the character “Xu.”

She took out the orange-blood colored jade pendant and aligned it with the character “Xu” on the handkerchief, gently overlapping them.

After a long while, she called out, “Zijin.”

Shi Zijin’s figure appeared at the door and stepped inside.

With hands clasped, she asked, “What are your orders, Master?”

Ji Yinshu turned her head slightly. “Go to the study at the yamen right now in secret. On the topmost shelf of the left bookcase, there’s a book called ‘The National Register.’ Bring it here immediately.”

“Yes.”

“Wait, don’t tell anyone, including the Prince.”

“Yes.”

Shi Zijin asked no questions and agreed without a word. After withdrawing, her body leaped and disappeared.

About half an hour later, she returned with the National Register and handed it to Ji Yinshu.

Finally unable to restrain herself, she asked, “Master Ji, what is this book?”

“The genealogical register of our Great Lin Dynasty’s imperial clan surnames.”

“Why look for this book?”

“To seek an answer.”

Hmm?

Seeing Ji Yinshu flip through the book with her brow tightly furrowed, Shi Zijin knew this was not a good matter.

She quietly withdrew.

Ji Yinshu usually flipped through books very quickly, but with this National Register, not only did she turn the pages slowly, she carefully read every single character on them, afraid of missing even one word.

The National Register was densely packed with genealogical names, recording from the founding of the Great Lin Dynasty to the present, documenting all the surnames, given names, courtesy names, titles, and honorifics within the imperial family.

Several years ago, when the court sent this book to the Jinjiang yamen, she had briefly glanced through it but found it utterly boring and tossed it aside. Sometimes, she even used it to prop up an uneven table leg. Later, when that muddlehead Liu Qingping saw it, he was scared on the spot. He quickly bent down to retrieve the book from under the table, and to prevent her from using it as a table prop again, he hid the book on the topmost shelf and pressed it down with many heavy volumes.

Therefore, she had long since forgotten the book’s existence entirely!

If she hadn’t seen that character “Xu” on the handkerchief again, she probably wouldn’t have remembered it.

At this moment, she flipped through it very carefully, from the founding emperor on the first page to the late emperor, then from the late emperor to the current dynasty. The hope in her heart gradually turned to disappointment as the pages slowly decreased.

Could it be that she really was overthinking?

Until—

When she turned to the fifth page from the end, her hand paused, her gaze falling on a name on that page.

Her hand trembled, and the National Register in her grasp nearly fell to the ground.

Although she had already guessed it earlier, it still startled her.

Duke Yuguo!

That page was precisely Duke Yuguo’s genealogical entry!

Whether his given name, courtesy name, or even his titles, all were written there in great detail.

She read the information recorded there over and over again. Who knows how much time passed before she finally closed the book and gently set it aside, sitting silently without saying a word.

It wasn’t until the sky outside gradually darkened that she carefully put away the items on the table one by one. Then, taking the portrait and carrying a lantern, she left the room.