“After the autumn rain, the sky cleared up, and a grand drama was about to conclude. Peace returned to the flower hall, with only raindrops trickling down from the eaves, forming a transparent curtain of rain.
Aunt Cai emerged from behind the rain curtain and suddenly spotted a familiar figure by the wall. Alarmed, she hurried over and grabbed her, whispering urgently, “What are you doing here!”
Xiao Zhixuan lifted her tear-filled eyes, staring intensely at Aunt Cai with a mix of disappointment, anger, and profound sadness. Aunt Cai, feeling uneasy under her gaze, involuntarily looked away.
“I finally understand why you asked me to stay in the room today and help you copy books. You were afraid I would discover your secret, weren’t you? Why…” Xiao Zhixuan’s words were cut off as Aunt Cai covered her mouth, trembling as she said, “If you want your mother to die, just keep shouting. Don’t you know who I’m doing this for?”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes showed a struggle. She tightly grasped Aunt Cai’s arm, her knuckles turning white. Her gaze shifted through several emotions before finally softening, letting Aunt Cai lead her into the room.
Aunt Cai dismissed all the maids at the door and closed it firmly behind them before turning to Xiao Zhixuan. “Listen to my explanation, Zhixuan. There are reasons behind my actions.”
Xiao Zhixuan, feeling both angry and hurt, regarded Aunt Cai as if she were a stranger, her voice sharp and sorrowful. “What kind of reasons would drive you to harm Big Brother and frame Sister-in-law?”
Aunt Cai’s expression changed, “Is this what you think of me?” She laughed bitterly, “Do you think I can harm him?”
Xiao Zhixuan was taken aback. In her anger, she hadn’t considered this possibility. But she quickly regained her resolve. “Even if Big Brother’s poisoning has nothing to do with you, what about Sister-in-law? You must have tampered with that sachet. I asked Guihe, and she said after you returned to your room, you were alone for a while. Later, no maids were allowed to follow you when you went to the Princess’s courtyard, and then Sister-in-law was called there. Do you dare say you had no involvement in this?”
Aunt Cai sighed, her gaze shifting, “Zhixuan, I’ve told you not to get involved in this matter. Just let your mother handle it. Why won’t you listen?”
This was as good as an admission. Xiao Zhixuan was too angry to speak, only glaring at her. After a long silence, Aunt Cai’s face showed a hint of sorrow, “This matter is far more complicated than you imagine. In any case, with His Highness unconscious and Madam in danger, there will be no one to know about our affairs. When the Mansion is cleared, I’ll find a way to leave. Once I’m gone, with no tainted mother like me, you’ll be able to live peacefully as the Marquis’s daughter. Your Big Brother and father have always doted on you and won’t make things difficult for you.”
Tears filled Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes as she realized her mother’s intentions. “But what about Sister-in-law? She can’t be falsely accused like this!”
Aunt Cai shook her head, “Silly child, when our safety is at stake, why bother about her? Have you forgotten the incident where you offended her before? If she gains power and becomes the mistress of the Mansion, won’t it be harder for you to live there?”
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyes showed despair as she sank onto the bed, not knowing what to do.
The next morning, His Highness Luo Yuan brushed off the dew on his clothes, stepping out of the house, and preparing to go to the Hanlin Academy. Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure rushing over.
Upon recognizing her, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Third Miss, what are you doing here?”
Xiao Zhixuan’s clothes were covered in mud, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were already swollen from crying. She looked at him with a pleading expression, “Mr. Luo, you must save Sister-in-law!”
Luo Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He turned around and calmly said, “The affairs of the Marquis’s Mansion have nothing to do with me. I’m no longer associated with the Mansion. Third Miss, why are you looking for me? It’s cold and damp here. Be careful not to catch a cold. You should hurry back.”
Xiao Zhixuan shook her head frantically, “Mr. Luo, I know I’ve been wrong before, and I know there’s no relationship between you and Sister-in-law! But the situation is dire now, and only you can save her. Please, you must help her!” She then briefly recounted to him how Marquis Luo Duren had been poisoned and how his wife, Lady Yuan, had been falsely accused, deliberately omitting the identity of the true culprit and hoping he could provide a solution to help Yuanxi out of this predicament.
Luo Yuan listened, feeling a cold sweat forming in his palms. However, he looked at her suspiciously and asked, “With such a major incident, how did you manage to get out?”
Xiao Zhixuan hesitated, knowing that he still didn’t trust her. Her face immediately flushed red as she said, “I’m familiar with the layout of the mansion, and today… I crawled out from a dog hole!” Being a daughter of the Marquis, admitting to such embarrassment made her blush even more, and she couldn’t bring herself to look up at him.
Luo Yuan pondered for a while, then sighed deeply. “Mrs. Xiao’s situation is truly unfortunate, and I understand that Third Miss is desperate to save her sister-in-law. However, there’s nothing I can do. Third Miss, please go back.” With that, he walked past her, preparing to move forward.
Xiao Zhixuan panicked and grabbed his arm, saying, “In the end, Mr. Luo still doesn’t believe me, right? I, Xiao Zhixuan, swear that I came here only to save my sister-in-law. If I have any other intentions, I’ll suffer from mouth ulcers tomorrow and die a horrible death with my intestines rotting!”
Luo Yuan turned to look at her, his gaze shifting from her determined face to a complex expression. After a while, he said, “Do you truly want to save your sister-in-law?”
Xiao Zhixuan nodded hastily, pleading, “Please, Mr. Luo, you must help me.”
Luo Yuan averted his gaze and slowly said, “Then convey a message to Madam for me. Regardless of prosperity or adversity, as long as she recalls her original intention, she won’t be trapped. I once taught her a poem: ‘The jade-like nature of Yao Huang is pure, with roots buried in filth yet the spirit remains indomitable.’ If she can understand the meaning behind it, she’ll find her way through the fog.”
Xiao Zhixuan furrowed her brow, feeling somewhat puzzled. But before she could say anything, Luo Yuan’s tone suddenly became heavier, “Third Miss, make sure you remember clearly. I’ll say it again. You must convey the message to Madam without missing a word.”
Xiao Zhixuan snapped out of her daze, seemingly understanding something, and quickly nodded, carefully memorizing his words. The sunlight slowly peeked through the clouds, casting elongated shadows of the two figures by the door.
“As the jade-like nature of Yao Huang is pure, with roots buried in filth yet the spirit remains indomitable.” Yuanxi silently recited the poem in her mind, then looked at the disheveled Xiao Zhixuan with a determined expression, feeling perplexed.
Xiao Zhixuan was afraid that Yuanxi wouldn’t believe her, so she kept making vows and oaths, almost on the verge of tears. She said, “Mr. Luo said this sentence and asked me to remember it well, saying that as long as you truly understand, you’ll understand. Sister-in-law, you must believe me!”
Seeing her in such a distressed state, Yuanxi felt touched. Moreover, the poem Xiao Zhixuan mentioned did seem to have been taught to her by the Young Master, vaguely remembering that it was about peonies.
Her gaze drifted to the window, then suddenly she remembered what Xiaodu had said before, “Next spring, there will be a yellow peony blooming outside your window.” “If I’m not around, let this flower accompany you.”
Yao Huang, peonies, filth… Could it be that something was buried beneath the yellow peony? Yuanxi clenched her fists tightly, her heart pounding. But why would the Young Master know about this? And why would he want to tell her through Xiao Zhixuan?
Her mind was in turmoil, unable to make a decision. At this moment, Xiao Zhixuan noticed Yuanxi’s strange expression and asked anxiously, “Sister-in-law, did you remember something?”
Yuanxi turned to look at her, hesitated for a moment, and then forced a smile, “Not yet. Maybe I need to look through some books and think about it. Today, you’ve worked hard. Go back to your room, change your clothes, and rest. If there’s any progress, I’ll have Anhe inform you.”
Xiao Zhixuan also realized that she must look quite disheveled at the moment. She nodded and held Yuanxi’s hand, saying many comforting words before reluctantly leaving.
Seeing her figure disappear into the distance, Yuanxi quickly called for Li Mama and Anhe, saying, “Go dig under the ‘Jiao Huang’ tree in the courtyard where His Highness personally planted it. See if there’s anything buried there.”
She had second thoughts and added, “Wait, wait until tonight when there’s no one around. Be careful not to be discovered.”
In the quiet of the night, two figures appeared under the ginkgo tree in the courtyard. They carefully dug into the soil, trying not to disturb the roots. Fortunately, they didn’t dig for long before they found something hard. Excitedly, they used their hands to unearth it, and to their surprise, it was a finger ring engraved with a snake pattern, glimmering faintly under the moonlight.