“No matter, I still have things to handle. Please tell Second Madam for me. Also, these next few days I’ll probably need Meixue to often leave the mansion on business. Please inform Nanny Yang as well, Steward Lin.”
Steward Lin repeatedly agreed: “Second Young Master, rest assured. This humble person will definitely handle everything for you.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Steward Lin.” Saying this, Li Shimin cast a reassuring glance at Yunyi: “I see you look unwell. You must be tired. Go back and rest quickly.”
Yunyi nodded gratefully. With Li Shimin’s words, even if Steward Lin was unwilling in his heart, he wouldn’t dare make things difficult for Yunyi in front of him. After Li Shimin walked away, he pulled a long face: “Fine, you may go.”
Yunyi had no energy to exchange pleasantries with him. She curtsied briefly and turned to head to her room. Upon entering, Jiang Caiping wasn’t there—she must have gone to practice dancing.
Only after sitting down did Yunyi realize she was utterly exhausted. From yesterday until now, one thing after another had come up, leaving her overwhelmed.
Now Wu Laosan’s matter finally had some leads, but the matter with Feng Li remained a dead end. Why exactly… why would Li Jiancheng specifically order Feng Li to kill her? If he suspected her identity, he should have told Li Yuan or Li Shimin. Moreover… judging from Feng Li’s reaction, Li Jiancheng shouldn’t have known. But apart from this, what else would be worth his murderous intent?
Furthermore, although Feng Li had been killed by her, there was no guarantee Li Jiancheng wouldn’t send someone else to kill her. If so, her situation remained very dangerous.
No matter how much Yunyi racked her brains, she still couldn’t guess Li Jiancheng’s intentions. At this moment, Jiang Caiping returned from dance practice. Seeing Yunyi upon entering, she said delightedly: “Sister, you’re back!” After Yunyi nodded, she said puzzledly: “Sister, why are you only returning now? This morning Steward Lin came looking for you and seemed very displeased. I was afraid he’d tell Second Madam about this, which would be troublesome.”
Yunyi forced a smile: “Don’t worry, I just met with Steward Lin. With Second Young Master speaking for me, I believe he won’t make things difficult anymore.”
“Second Young Master?” Jiang Caiping hesitated for a moment, then cautiously probed: “Sister, last night… were you with Second Young Master again?”
“What are you thinking?” Yunyi then recounted what had happened yesterday, naturally omitting the matter with Feng Li and only saying she had stayed home to accompany Wu Laosan.
Jiang Caiping hadn’t expected such a thing to happen and hurriedly asked: “Then… will Uncle Wu really be conscripted to war?”
Yunyi said heavily: “I don’t know. I hope Guard Duan can find the household register that Lu Sheng and his accomplices hid, so we can prove my father’s true age.”
Jiang Caiping said angrily: “The Feng family is truly rotten to the core. We already said Feng Chunxiu’s death was accidental, yet they still won’t let go of sister. Now they’ve created this mess too. They really deserve to die!”
Regarding the Feng family, Yunyi naturally harbored deep hatred. She had secretly decided that if the authorities didn’t sentence the Feng family to death, she would decide their fate herself, absolutely not giving them another chance to harm people!
After a moment of silence, Yunyi said: “By the way, how is your family?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Caiping’s eyes reddened slightly as she said softly: “They’re managing. Originally my father was among those to be conscripted. Later, uncle was afraid his only son would never return once he left, so he wanted to take my cousin’s place. But the officials wouldn’t agree, so he decided to go in my father’s place so father and son could look after each other. Fortunately it worked out this way, otherwise only mother would be left at home to care for two young brothers. But I pity uncle and cousin—that house will be empty from now on.” Speaking of the sad parts, she couldn’t help but sob.
Yunyi gently patted her back: “What about your aunt? Isn’t she there?”
Jiang Caiping shook her head: “Aunt died early. Uncle raised his only son alone through hardship, originally hoping he’d marry and have children. But before a marriage could be arranged, this happened.” After a pause, she added: “When I went back this time, I saw many families crying. Some people tried to escape but were caught and beheaded. So frightening.”
Yunyi sighed: “Don’t think about these things. Things will get better in the future.”
“Better?” Jiang Caiping wiped her tears and said sarcastically: “War last year, war next year, and who knows if there’ll be more wars and conscriptions the year after. How could life get better? I really can’t understand why the emperor must wage war. Can’t he let us live peacefully for a few years? He loves war so much—why doesn’t he go fight himself? He knows to cherish his own life, don’t others know too? Or does he think our lives aren’t lives?”
Yunyi fell silent in dejection. She no longer knew how to defend him, only hoping that after returning to the capital, she could tell Father Emperor what she had seen and heard during this time, persuading him to understand the people’s suffering and treat them with kindness.
That night, Yunyi slept very restlessly, constantly dreaming of Wu Laosan being worked day and night or even whipped by overseers. When she woke up, she was covered in cold sweat. To avoid more nightmares, she dared not sleep again, keeping her eyes open until dawn. After having Jiang Caiping tell Nanny Yang for her, she hurried to Jingji Pavilion. Li Shimin must have instructed the servants, so she was let in without announcement.
As soon as she saw Li Shimin, she urgently asked: “Second Young Master, is there news from Guard Duan?”
“Not yet.” Li Shimin comforted her: “Although Uncle Wu must go to the county office tomorrow to register, there are still about ten days until conscription ends. As long as we can prove someone tampered with Uncle Wu’s age before then, even if his name is already recorded, it can be crossed out. Don’t worry too much. Also, I’ve already instructed Zhihong to investigate this matter with all his might. Don’t worry too much.”
His words made Yunyi feel slightly at ease as she forced out a smile: “Having Second Young Master worry so much about Meixue’s affairs, Meixue feels truly sorry.”
Li Shimin smiled: “Uncle Wu is a good man. I also hope he can live peacefully at home in his old age. By the way, if you want to go home, I’ll have someone speak to Steward Lin.”
Yunyi indeed worried about Wu Laosan, so she didn’t decline. After thanking Li Shimin, she went with someone from Jingji Pavilion to find Steward Lin, who didn’t say much and quickly gave her a waist token.
After returning to the Wu household, Yunyi roughly explained Li Shimin’s investigation into Lu Sheng, telling Wu Laosan not to worry too much. After he agreed to everything, she probed: “Father, has anything happened in the city these past two days?” Although given Feng Li’s condition at the time, falling into the river meant certain death, not seeing the body still left her somewhat uneasy.