Yan Sanhe’s brows furrowed as she put down her chopsticks.
“You mean Master Ji deserved to be dismissed from office?”
“At least he’s not a good official.”
“Good officials and bad officials have nothing to do with me. What else did you discover at the Ji manor?”
“I overheard some idle chatter among servants—some said they wanted to redeem themselves and leave the Ji family, but feared the master wouldn’t agree. Others said the master has the Crown Prince’s protection and will be reinstated sooner or later.”
“The Crown Prince?”
Yan Sanhe’s eyes showed alarm. “The Ji family actually has connections to the Crown Prince?”
Li Buyan shrugged blankly. Who knows?
Yan Sanhe thought for a moment. “Now I have another doubt.”
“What?”
“Since they have that connection to the Crown Prince, why would Ji Lingchuan still be dismissed from office?”
Li Buyan’s eyes became even more bewildered. “This…”
Yan Sanhe suddenly lost her appetite.
She hoped Old Madam Ji’s heart demon had nothing to do with Crown Princes or the court—that would be very troublesome.
Very, very troublesome.
Li Buyan ate quickly. By the time she finished, Yan Sanhe had barely eaten half.
“Sanhe, just based on how carefully you chew when eating, you might actually be a concubine’s daughter from a prominent family with status not inferior to the Ji manor.”
Yan Sanhe scoffed dismissively.
Li Buyan got up and retrieved those papers from the inner room. While looking at them, she asked, “You still haven’t said if you made any discoveries today?”
“There are several unreasonable points.”
“Tell me quickly.”
Yan Sanhe wasn’t accustomed to talking while eating, so she simply put down her chopsticks.
“Not keeping dogs is one point. The courtyard being secluded and gloomy is another. And also… showing favoritism toward Pei Xiao is also a point.”
Li Buyan frowned. “Where’s the unreasonableness in favoring Pei Xiao?”
“Is Pei Xiao’s personality and that mouth of his likeable?”
Yan Sanhe’s lips curved in a cold smile.
“The juniors old people dote on most are either those who say pleasing things, those who are accomplished, or like Third Master Xie of the manor—those who were sickly and nearly died since childhood. Which category does Pei Xiao fit?
Moreover, with so many grandsons and granddaughters in the Ji manor, how would it be his turn?”
Li Buyan nodded. “Now that you analyze it that way, it really is odd.”
Yan Sanhe picked up her chopsticks. “Tomorrow will be a tough battle. Let’s sleep early tonight.”
“Fine!”
Li Buyan folded the papers neatly and rolled them in her palm.
“I’ll go have Tangyuan come in to eat. After eating, have her treat the wound on your forehead again.”
“You can treat it too.”
“Better not.”
Li Buyan shuddered. “I don’t care about my own injuries to hands or feet, but if you break even a bit of skin, it hurts me to look at. Let her do it!”
…
The study.
After speaking the last word, Xie Zhifei was terribly thirsty and drained a cup of tea in one go.
Xie Daozhi frowned. “This Ji family matter seems very troublesome. Third, do you think Yan Sanhe has any confidence?”
“It’s only been the first day—what confidence could there be?”
Third Master Xie’s expression was lazy. “Father, is that portrait she drew for us when dissolving the obsession and resolving the demon still around?”
Xie Daozhi: “What do you want it for?”
“Let me have a look.”
“What’s there to look at?”
“Pei Mingting’s calligraphy surpasses mine, right? My calligraphy was taught hand-by-hand by Father—it’s not bad either, right? But that girl’s brushwork puts even Pei Mingting to shame.”
Xie Zhifei looked askance. “Painting and calligraphy are inseparable. I want to appreciate it.”
Hearing this, Xie Daozhi bent down and retrieved the painting from the bottom drawer.
Xie Zhifei was amused. “Hidden so carefully—is it really necessary?”
“What do you understand?”
Xie Daozhi glared. “You know what your Grandfather Yan was best at? Precisely this brushwork. In the past, it was worth a thousand gold pieces and difficult to obtain. Throughout Anhui Prefecture, he was tremendously famous.”
Xie Zhifei spread out the painting. “So you’re saying that girl inherited his mantle?”
Xie Daozhi looked at the painting and pondered. “Still lacks some refinement, but at such a young age to have this level of accomplishment is already rare, truly rare!”
Hearing the curiosity in his voice, Xie Erli said, “Third, she wrote those characters—bring them for Father and me to see.”
“She collected them herself. I only glanced at them.”
“Not using your brain at all.”
Xie Erli angrily tapped Third’s forehead with his finger.
He was a scholar. Scholars compared learning first, calligraphy and painting second, poetry and prose third. Whenever he heard someone’s calligraphy was excellent, he couldn’t wait to feast his eyes on it.
“Stop poking!”
Xie Zhifei batted away his eldest brother’s finger. “Father, this calligraphy and painting must have required training from childhood, right?”
“Absolutely requires foundational training from youth. She’s seventeen this year—I estimate when she was three, your Grandfather Yan was already teaching her hand-by-hand.”
Three years old?
Xie Zhifei sneered coldly inwardly.
Yan Xing probably never even saw Yan Sanhe’s face!
…
Xie Zhifei came out of the study and stopped at a corner, coughing forcefully.
Steward Xie, hidden behind a tree, came scurrying out bouncing.
“Third Master, Tranquil Reflection Residence closed its courtyard gate a quarter-hour ago. At dinner tonight, Miss Yan sent Tangyuan away and dined behind closed doors with Miss Li.”
“Mm.”
“Last night when Miss Yan returned, Second Master was waiting halfway. Second Master gave Miss Yan an old ginseng, saying it was thanks. This old servant investigated—that old ginseng was obtained from Concubine Liu’s quarters.”
“Anything else?”
“…”
Steward Xie racked his brains for a long while, then shook his head. “Nothing more.”
Only then did Xie Zhifei’s lips curve slightly into a smile. “Continue watching closely for me. Any disturbances whatsoever—immediately, at once, swiftly come tell me.”
Steward Xie smiled obsequiously. “Third Master can rest completely assured.”
Xie Zhifei gave a heavy hum through his nose. Zhu Qing behind him pulled out a banknote from his bosom.
“Lichun Courtyard has brought in some new people. Steward Xie, when you have time, hurry and take a look. You might still catch something fresh.”
Xie Xiaohua was overjoyed in his heart, though his mouth demurred. “This old servant does things for Third Master—how can I take Third Master’s silver? This, this, this…”
“Take it!”
Xie Zhifei hooked an arm around Steward Xie’s shoulder and smiled. “Be careful with this matter. If that ancestor discovers it, you’ll have nowhere to die.”
Steward Xie had just received the banknote, but now it felt burning hot—truly burning—so hot he wanted to throw it away.
“There’s one more thing—help me keep extra eyes open.”
“Third Master, just give your orders.”
“What that ancestor likes to eat, doesn’t like to eat, how she eats, whether she eats cleanly…”
Lord above!
Steward Xie could barely breathe.
What’s wrong with Third Master? Has he taken a fancy to that ancestor?
Impossible, my dear Third Master!
Young Master Pei is right—that ancestor is a spirit medium who frightens people!
“Have you memorized everything?”
“This old servant has memorized it.”
“Go then!”
Steward Xie had a belly full of bitter grievances he didn’t dare spill. He could only rotate his two fat legs and scurry away bouncing.
Xie Zhifei watched him leave, then said, “Zhu Qing?”
Zhu Qing: “Master!”
Xie Zhifei: “How many more days until the people we sent to Yunnan Prefecture reach the capital?”
Zhu Qing: “At most five or six days.”
Xie Zhifei: “Have Ding Yi set out immediately to meet them. Tell them it’s my order—they needn’t return to the capital. Instead, detour to Taohua Pool in Anhui Prefecture, to Yan Xing’s old home.”
Zhu Qing was alarmed. “Master, you want to…”
Xie Zhifei looked up at the sky. At the horizon, a slender crescent moon smiled with somewhat profound meaning.
“I want to know that ancestor’s and Yan Xing’s… true relationship!”