Although yesterday’s carriage incident was frightening, it was a fruitful day for Jiang Si.
She had found the person her elder sister mentioned in her previous life—the one who shouldn’t have been saved. What made her even more grateful was that, due to her early precautions, she had arranged for A’fei to keep a close watch on Zhu Ziyu. When Qing’er sought their help, A’fei was hidden among the onlookers.
When she used a few gold beads to send away the two idlers, she had signaled A’fei to follow them.
At that time, she had watched A’fei follow at a moderate distance before feeling somewhat relieved. Coming early today to inquire was to see if A’fei had made any discoveries.
It could be said that having A’ya watch Qing’er was a passive defense, while A’fei’s side was an active offense.
If they could trace the origins of those two idlers, perhaps they could uncover who had set up the trap for her elder sister in her previous life, and why.
Every effect has a cause. Jiang Si firmly believed that the other party’s elaborate scheme couldn’t simply be due to a dislike for her elder sister.
“I didn’t lose them,” A’fei replied with a grin to Jiang Si’s inquiry.
“Where did they go?”
A’fei’s expression suddenly turned strange. However, considering that the Miss Jiang he was working for was quite different from ordinary young ladies, he felt there was nothing he couldn’t say. So, he cleared his throat and said, “I followed them to the Jinshui River.”
Seeing no change in Jiang Si’s expression, A’fei asked uncertainly, “You know about the Jinshui River, right?”
A’man, who was dutifully playing the role of a wooden statue, silently glanced at the sky.
Of course, she knew. Their Miss had recently been to the Jinshui River to commit arson and murder…
“I know. It’s a place my Second Brother likes to visit,” Jiang Si replied.
A’fei’s mouth twitched, silently sympathizing with Jiang Zhan for a moment.
“Continue,” Jiang Si prompted.
“I saw those two idlers board a flower boat. In the evening, I pretended to be a customer and went abroad to take a look. It turns out those two idlers are pimps on the flower boat…” A’fei mentioned “pimps” and worried that Jiang Si might not understand, but seeing her unperturbed expression, he felt his concern was unnecessary.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Miss Jiang knew even more than he did, but surely that was just his imagination.
“Are you certain those two are pimps?”
“Absolutely. I even asked around specifically. Those two have been working on the boat for several years.”
Jiang Si frowned in thought, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.
Since Qing’er was supposedly planted by the opposition to get close to her elder sister, she had assumed the two idlers were just putting on an act. She hadn’t expected them to work on the flower boat.
Could it be that Qing’er’s arrival at her elder sister’s side was just a coincidence, and her later harmful intentions were also coincidental, with nothing pre-arranged?
Jiang Si quickly dismissed this notion.
While coincidences are common in this world, when it comes to matters concerning those close to us, even coincidences should be treated as if they weren’t.
Her elder sister’s life was at stake; she couldn’t afford to be careless.
Jiang Si gently closed her eyes to ponder: If she were the one orchestrating all this, how would she do it?
Truth can be disguised as falsehood, and falsehood as truth. In a carefully woven lie, the more truth it contains, the fewer flaws it has.
A’fei was perceptive. Seeing Jiang Si silent with closed eyes, he wisely remained quiet until she opened them again before asking, “Does the Miss have any further instructions?”
“If money is no object, how long would it take you to become familiar with those two men? Or rather, to extract some information from them?”
A’fei thought for a moment and said, “Not long. Three days should be enough.”
“Three days?” Jiang Si was surprised, not expecting A’fei to give such a short timeframe.
A’fei smiled and explained, “Miss, you don’t understand. The men who work on flower boats are lower than dirt. Nobody respects them. As long as they’re not particularly tight-lipped, it only takes a meal or two to coax them into spilling everything, even stories about peeking at young wives bathing when they were kids…”
A’man’s eyebrows shot up, “Watch your language in front of the Miss!”
A’fei made a face at A’man.
“I’ll await your news in three days,” Jiang Si said.
“Rest assured, Miss. Wining, dining, and getting close to people is my specialty.”
Jiang Si still added a cautionary note, “Be careful.”
A’fei agreed readily. As he reached the courtyard gate and pulled it open, his eyes widened, and he reflexively closed it.
A hand stopped the wooden door.
The young man, somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, didn’t have hands as large as a full-grown man, but his strength was considerable.
A’fei pushed hard, but couldn’t budge it.
“Get lost,” Yu Jin said, pushing A’fei aside and striding in.
Jiang Si was surprised, yet somehow not entirely unexpected. Countless thoughts raced through her mind, but her expression remained unchanged.
Yu Jin walked up to Jiang Si in a few steps, his gaze fixed intently on her.
Jiang Si stood up, supporting herself on the stone table, “Mr. Yu, you’ve come uninvited. What business do you have?”
“Let’s talk inside.”
Jiang Si sat back down, “We can talk here. A’fei, you may go.”
A’fei left, looking back repeatedly.
What exactly was the relationship between Miss Jiang and that man? He was dying of curiosity.
Watching the courtyard gate close again, A’man showed rare quick-wittedness and ran over to bolt it.
Jiang Si’s face darkened slightly.
Whose maid was she, anyway?
“Can you speak now?” Jiang Si asked.
At this moment, Jiang Si was seated while Yu Jin stood, but the seated person had the upper hand. Although Yu Jin very much wanted to disregard everything and carry her into the room, he didn’t dare to act.
There was no help for it. He cherished her, but she didn’t cherish him enough yet. He could only compromise.
“A’man, go inside,” Yu Jin pointed at the doorway.
A’man scampered over, but as she reached the steps, she realized it wasn’t her mistress who had given the order. She quickly stopped and glanced at Jiang Si.
Jiang Si, not wanting to waste more time, gave a slight nod.
Only the two of them remained in the courtyard. Even the wind swirling around, lifting fallen leaves, seemed to blow more fiercely in the suddenly spacious area.
Yu Jin sat down, placing both hands on the stone table, his gaze focused intently on the young woman across from him.
“What exactly do you want to say?”
“There’s one thing I feel you’ve misunderstood, so I must clarify it.”
Jiang Si waited for him to continue.
Yu Jin paused for a moment.
In that instant, the wind seemed to suddenly grow stronger, disturbing a loose strand of Jiang Si’s hair. The morning light spilled over the courtyard wall, bathing her in a faint golden glow.
The sun at this time of year wasn’t as intense as in summer, providing just the right amount of warmth.
Then she heard him say, word by word: “I don’t have feelings for any Holy Maiden. The one I care for is the Fourth Miss of the East Peace Earl’s Manor—Jiang Si.”
In her previous life, Jiang Si had heard countless sweet words from the man opposite her. Those words of love had entangled her like a fine, clinging net, making her feel increasingly suffocated and discontent. So much so that when given the chance to start over, even though she couldn’t erase him from her heart, she still decisively chose to stay away.
Now he was saying that the one he cared for was Jiang Si…
At this moment, Jiang Si had no idea what she was thinking. She almost frantically rushed into the room, forcefully closing the door behind her.