If it continued like this, forget about before dark—she probably wouldn’t make it back to the Governor’s mansion even after nightfall. By then, who knew what kind of talk it would cause.

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and walked out into the rain. However, the rain didn’t fall on her as expected. She looked up in surprise and saw an oil-paper umbrella held over her head, and the person holding it was actually…

After seeing clearly who was holding the umbrella, Yunyi quickly curtsied, “Greetings to Second Young Master!”

Li Shimin smiled slightly, “We’re not in the mansion now, so there’s no need for formalities. Please rise.”

“Thank you, Second Young Master.” After Yunyi straightened up, she asked puzzledly, “How did Second Young Master come to be here?”

“I’ve been investigating the assassin in the mansion for so many days and felt quite stifled, so I came out for some fresh air. I never expected such a coincidence to encounter you here, and also…” Li Shimin furrowed his thick black brows, “His name is Du Ruhui, isn’t it?”

Yunyi looked at Li Shimin in surprise, “Second Young Master saw everything?”

Li Shimin moved the umbrella more toward Yunyi’s direction, “I happened to see it. When I was preparing to return, I remembered you didn’t seem to have an umbrella, so I came back to check. Sure enough, that was the case.”

Yunyi sneered inwardly. What a convenient coincidence—he had probably been secretly watching her every move all along. Fortunately, she hadn’t done anything excessive at the Du family’s door, or he would have seen through her act.

After walking for a while, Li Shimin said, “Did you two have some unpleasantness? I saw that after you left, he kept standing in the rain, and later even had an argument with someone.”

Yunyi was silent for a while, then said, “Ruhui and I grew up together as childhood friends. He’s a good person and treats me well. Before I entered the mansion to work, he said he wanted to marry me, but… his mother doesn’t agree. She thinks my father and I are of lowly status and unworthy of their Du family, telling me to stay away from her son from now on.”

Li Shimin looked at her sympathetically, “Can you bear to let go?”

Yunyi looked at her reflection in his eyes and said softly, “What if I can bear it, and what if I can’t? Some things can’t be changed by just saying ‘I can’t bear it.’ When one should make a clean break but doesn’t, it only leads to more chaos.”

Li Shimin looked at her deeply, “I always thought you were a gentle and soft-natured person. I never expected you to have such a strong side. Just for this alone, many men are inferior to you.”

Yunyi lowered her eyes, “Second Young Master jests. Who is born strong? We’re all forced to become so. If marrying into the Du family meant only I would suffer, that would be one thing, but Father… he’s worked hard for most of his life. I really can’t bear for him to suffer more because of me.”

Li Shimin nodded slightly, “Your filial heart is admirable. By the way, how is your father’s health?”

“Father’s health is still quite robust, and with the pearls and jade pendant Second Young Master rewarded, Father won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, “It’s a pity you have no news of that assassin, otherwise the rewards would be far more than these.”

Yunyi quickly waved her hands, “Second Young Master, Yunyi really hasn’t contacted me since the incident. Believe me, I truly know nothing and am certainly not an accomplice.”

Li Shimin smiled, “I know, otherwise how could I have released you? I was just speaking casually. Don’t overthink it. The rain is getting heavier—let’s hurry back.”

Yunyi was about to agree when she noticed that his left shoulder was quite wet because the umbrella hadn’t covered it. She quickly said, “Second Young Master, let this servant hold the umbrella instead.”

Li Shimin noticed her gaze and smiled warmly, “It’s no matter. Let’s go.” Seeing him say this, Yunyi could only accompany him toward the Governor’s mansion.

While they were traveling, Jirong and Chunxiu were also walking with difficulty in the heavy rain, one hand holding medical books wrapped in oil paper and the other holding an umbrella. Their skirts and shoes had long been soaked by the rainwater.

Chunxiu walked while grumbling complainingly, “This damned weather—of all times to rain, it had to be when we’re returning to the mansion. Fortunately we brought an umbrella when we left, otherwise who knows what state we’d be in. My feet are almost numb from cold—I wonder if I’ll get frostbite.”

Jirong wasn’t comfortable either, but her temperament was more stable than Chunxiu’s. She didn’t say much, only, “Let’s hurry. We’re almost there. Once we’re back at the mansion, we’ll heat some water to soak our feet—that should be fine.” As she spoke, she reminded worriedly, “Be careful not to let rainwater drip into the oil paper. These books are all unique copies. If they get damaged by rain, we won’t be able to find identical ones again.”

“I know.” Chunxiu hugged the medical books in her arms tighter. After walking another stretch, she finally saw the shadow of the Governor’s mansion through the pouring cold rain. Just as she was about to quicken her pace, two people entered ahead of them. When they were putting away their umbrella, Chunxiu saw their profiles and said in surprise, “Sister, look quickly—isn’t that Second Young Master and Meixue? How did they come back to the mansion together?”

Jirong looked carefully and indeed saw Li Shimin and Meixue. A flash of coldness passed through her eyes as she said coolly, “Perhaps they happened to meet, so they returned together.”

Chunxiu said with a face full of jealousy, “What do you mean ‘happened to meet’? Where are there such coincidences? How come we never encounter Second Young Master?”

“Perhaps this is just her luck.” Jirong wiped the rainwater from her face with her arm, “Alright, let’s stop talking about this. Let’s go in quickly—it’s almost dark.”

Chunxiu responded and followed her all the way back to the music quarters. Zhang Shi was waiting outside the room where they lived, holding a small bundle in her hands. Seeing them return, she showed a smile. After taking the umbrellas from their hands, she said, “You two sisters have finally returned. I’ve been waiting for quite a while.”

Jirong opened the door and went in. After placing the heavy medical books on the table together with Chunxiu, she said with a smile, “It’s rare to return home, so I couldn’t help chatting a bit longer. It just happened to start raining when we came out. Fortunately it’s not too late, or we’d have to endure Steward Lin’s scolding. By the way, sister, you specially came to wait—is there something you need?”

Zhang Shi smiled, “Nothing much, I just brought some pastries from home for you two sisters to try.” As she spoke, she looked at the two packages on the table curiously, “What are these? They look quite heavy.”

Chunxiu wiped the rainwater from her body while saying casually, “These are medical books Jirong brought from home, for use in…”

“For passing the time.” Jirong took over, “Since the assassin incident, we haven’t practiced dancing for a long time. Staying in the room all day is really boring, so I brought some medical books back to read for entertainment.” After saying this, she secretly glared at Chunxiu when Zhang Shi wasn’t looking. The latter realized she had almost let something slip and lowered her head apologetically.

After Zhang Shi removed the oiled paper, she indeed saw stacks of medical books inside. Several were already yellowed, showing their age. She had heard Chunxiu mention that Jirong’s family had been physicians for generations until her father’s generation, when they declined. She smiled, “Even so, you don’t need to bring so many. People who don’t know might think you’re planning to become a female physician in the future.”