Xiao Du’s heart sank suddenly. He quickly rushed forward to help Xiao Zhixuan up, feigning anger, “What are you doing? Do you even consider me your big brother?”
Xiao Zhixuan held onto his rough, warm hands, feeling a bit calmer inside but still tearfully said, “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have listened to Aunt’s words and betrayed you and Sister-in-law. But Aunt was manipulated by someone. Even if she was wrong, she shouldn’t die for it. The one who should be punished is the person behind her!”
Xiao Du frowned, “Are you saying everything Aunt Cai did was manipulated by someone? Who could it be? Is that person still in the mansion?”
Xiao Zhixuan shook her head helplessly, saying, “I don’t know who that person is. Aunt never revealed anything to me, even though she followed orders from someone for years, including asking me to gather information from the mansion and framing Sister-in-law last time.” She looked down with deep guilt, “Aunt was just unwilling to be oppressed for her whole life and unwilling to lose me. So she was manipulated into doing wrong…”
Xiao Du’s gaze grew more serious. This confirmed his suspicions even more. Aunt Cai’s death wasn’t a simple suicide; there was indeed a mastermind behind it.
However, the forensic report from the coroners confirmed Aunt Cai died from poisoning, with no external or internal signs of injury. If someone forced her to take poison, how could there be no traces on her body? Moreover, there were many guards outside her room at the time, and the windows were sealed from the inside. How could another perpetrator have escaped from her room?
“Big brother?” Xiao Zhixuan’s timid voice interrupted his thoughts. Xiao Du looked up, asking softly, “Why do you say Aunt Cai didn’t commit suicide? Did you find something?”
Xiao Zhixuan bit her lip, “Because on the day Aunt died, she came to see me.”
Xiao Du abruptly stood up, shocked, “What? You mean she visited your room? But she was punished and not allowed to leave her room. I even asked her maids and guards outside, and they all said she stayed in her room.”
Xiao Zhixuan said, “I don’t know how she managed it. I just remember that day she dressed as a maid and secretly came to my window. She said she found a way to escape and planned to leave the mansion to hide for a while, telling me to take care of myself. She said she would find a way back to see me one day.” She recalled the scene of parting with her mother, never expecting it to be a farewell, and couldn’t help but cry again.
After Xiao Du calmed her down, he continued, “So you think since she planned to leave the mansion, she couldn’t have committed suicide.”
Xiao Zhixuan lifted her head excitedly, “Yes, Aunt would never commit suicide. She always left herself a way out. She told me she had the secrets of the person behind her, and if necessary, she would expose them. That person would surely fear that and try to help her. She planned everything meticulously, so how could she suddenly commit suicide?”
After listening to her words, Xiao Du fell into contemplation. He quickly understood how Aunt Cai escaped from her room, but he didn’t understand why, after escaping, she would return and end up dead in her room.
That day, when he saw the suicide note pressed under Aunt Cai’s body, he knew something was wrong. Although the handwriting confirmed it was hers and the content seemed fine at first glance, upon closer inspection, there was a major inconsistency.
She confessed her crimes in the note and even mentioned the Marquis and the Princess, but didn’t mention her most beloved and worried daughter at all, which was quite suspicious. Now, it seemed that it might have been a deliberate flaw left by her, or even a hint, to make the person reading the letter pay attention to Xiao Zhixuan and the hidden truth behind it.
He then asked, “Xuan’er, think carefully about what Aunt Cai said when she bid farewell to you. Did she have any special instructions? Don’t leave anything out, tell me everything.”
Xiao Zhixuan couldn’t forget her mother’s last words. She slowly recounted how Aunt Cai instructed her to be obedient and even told her how to find a good husband. After much recollection, she remembered something else, “She also mentioned the calligraphy scrolls she had prepared before her death, saying they were her efforts over the years. She asked me to retrieve them after she was gone and keep them safe, not to give them to others.”
A flash of insight struck Xiao Du. The calligraphy scrolls that were supposed to be in the cabinet, how could they have scattered on their own? Someone must have intentionally searched through them.
It was highly likely that Aunt Cai had hidden all her secrets in those scrolls. But if so, the most critical ones might have been taken by the perpetrator. How could they uncover the truth again?
After much thought, Xiao Du turned to Xiao Zhixuan, who was anxiously waiting. “Alright, I understand everything now. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. You just focus on resting, and leave the rest to me. If Aunt Cai was wrongfully accused, I will clear her name.”
Xiao Zhixuan was moved, her eyes reddening. Unable to control her emotions, she threw herself into her big brother’s arms, feeling deeply guilty. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, big brother. I’ve done so many wrong things before, I don’t deserve your and Sister-in-law’s kindness.”
Xiao Du gently patted her back like he used to when they were children, saying softly, “When I was poisoned and unconscious, and my Sister-in-law was falsely accused, you chose to defy Aunt Cai to help her clear her name. At that time, I knew you were still the kind-hearted Xuan’er.” He held her shoulders gently, “I want to see that little sister who will cuddle up to me, playful and cheerful. Can I?”
His gentle tone almost made Xiao Zhixuan unable to hold back her tears. In the end, she put on her once-famous bright smile and nodded firmly at Xiao Du.
As Xiao Du began his investigation into Aunt Cai’s death, Yuan Xi finally received the first letter from the Marquis’ Mansion.
That day, with a light breeze and faint clouds, she leaned against a ginkgo tree, opening the pale yellow paper in her hand slowly.
It was the first time she saw his handwriting, indeed as bold and free-spirited as he was. Yuan Xi read each word as if he were standing in front of her, speaking to her.
There were no sweet words in the letter, just him talking about the interesting events in the mansion since she left, one by one. He even mentioned the camellia tree she loved the most, saying that the camellia flowers had almost all fallen these days. He felt regretful, so he had the maids collect the petals, crush them into paste, soak the paper in it, and let it dry, so she could smell her favorite scent whenever she received a letter. He also remembered the days they spent together under the camellia tree.
Yuanxi leaned in close to the paper, her nose catching a rich scent of gardenia, fresh and delicate, filling her lungs and heart, prompting a soft smile to play at the corner of her lips.
At the end of the note, it was written: “My dear, it has been four days since you left. I cannot see the sun by day nor sleep at night. Though my thoughts of you are endless, I can only confide them to the ‘Jiao Huang’ we planted together. Speaking of Jiao Huang, there is another extraordinary thing. According to the usual flowering period, it should not have sprouted until spring after being planted in autumn. Yet yesterday, to my surprise, I saw a small shoot emerging from the soil, tender and green, with dew trembling on its tip. The joy and emotion I felt upon witnessing it firsthand are indescribable. I only wish you were here by my side to witness this scene together. I always thought that beneath this flower, there should have been two people.”
The last few words were slightly skewed, as if the writer suddenly struggled with their emotions, unable to maintain the previous composure. Yuanxi closed her eyes, pressing the letter firmly against her chest. A gentle pang stabbed at her heart, almost bringing tears to her eyes.
After a while, she slowly opened her eyes, reaching out to catch a falling leaf swirling in the air. She felt a sense of uncertainty in her heart: no matter how beautiful, everything is destined to wither. Should she hold on tightly or let it go?
She pondered for a long time without finding an answer, eventually sighing and standing up to carefully put away the letter. Turning back, she saw the parrot outside the window still hopping around, a sudden warmth filling her heart. Unable to resist, she walked over to play with it, softly repeating, “Xiao Du, you silly bird. Xiao Du, you silly bird.”
The parrot blinked, tilting its head for a moment before starting to cheerfully squawk, “Wanna stew, big chicken egg! Wanna stew, big chicken egg!”
Yuanxi was dumbfounded for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. Finally, she sighed inwardly, “Truly a foolish bird, I wonder where it came from.” But with its antics, her mood improved significantly.
The next day, Yuanxi anxiously waited in her room to see if another letter would arrive. To her surprise, it was Xia Mingyuan’s messenger who came, saying that Miss Xia was staying in her room every day, afraid of becoming melancholic, and asked Yuanxi to accompany her to the Pu Du Temple to worship Buddha.
Upon hearing this news, Yuanxi felt somewhat absent-minded. When she was not yet married, her father would occasionally take one of her sisters to the temple to worship Buddha. Those were days everyone looked forward to, as staying in the women’s quarters for too long, everyone hoped to go out and relax.
When she was young, Yuanxi had often imagined whether her father would remember her and take her along one day. As she grew older, she understood that these were mere wishes and stopped thinking about them. Who would have thought that today, this wish would come true, yet she no longer felt as excited as she had imagined.
From a young age, Yuanxi had longed for her father to smile at her, to show even a hint of care and concern. But even she hadn’t expected that when this day finally came, she would no longer care.
Despite these thoughts, she instructed Nanny Li and Aunt Anhe to help her dress up, as this was her father’s kindness, and she hoped to gain some insight by going to the temple.
So after getting ready, she followed her father onto the carriage, heading towards the Pu Du Temple. Along the way, Xia Mingyuan asked her about her recent days and habits, and Yuanxi answered each question, feeling her mood relax. She also shared some amusing anecdotes about the parrot, sparking Xia Mingyuan’s memories of some experiences he had had outside. They chatted comfortably, making this journey the most enjoyable time they had spent together in years.
The carriage stopped outside the gates of the Pu Du Temple, and the temple had already received word. A young monk led them inside, with Xia Mingyuan instructing Yuanxi to stay in the meditation room while he went to see the venerable master.
However, Yuanxi was unwilling to wait idly in the room. Accompanied by the sound of the temple bell, she strolled into the main hall. Incense filled the air as she knelt on the cushion, lifting her head to gaze at the majestic Buddha statue before her, silently praying, “It is said that the Buddha can comprehend the heavens and the earth. Can you help me understand what I should do?”
The scent of incense lingered, and the Buddha remained silent, and only the sound of monks chanting scriptures continued to flow in. As she stood up and turned around, she saw someone walking into the hall, dressed in a familiar green robe with an elegant demeanor. The person seemed surprised to see her, but then smiled and greeted her, “Lady Xiao.”
Yuanxi was also surprised. She had never thought she would see the Young Master again, yet her heart remained calm.