5 005

When Jiang Xinyue woke up again, it was already night.

As she opened her eyes, she found herself in an entirely unfamiliar environment. Plain-colored curtains hung loosely, partitioning off a small space. The quilt covering her was soft and comfortable, carrying the faint, sun-drenched scent of cotton. Given the current era, cotton was a precious commodity, not easily obtained.

Could it be that Pei San had found her again?

At this thought, she sat up hastily, using her hands—which were wrapped tightly in bandages—to pull back the curtains.

Sitting at a round table in the room was a man dressed in a pale ink-colored silk robe. His appearance was striking, his temperament refined. He possessed an air of scholarly grace and integrity, standing as a peerless figure even among the sons of noble families.

Jiang Xinyue was intimately familiar with this person. For a moment, she was stunned, murmuring, "Brother?"

As she spoke, large tears rolled down from her eyes. She stared at him unblinkingly, terrified that this might be another hallucination.

"Chuchu, it is me," Xu Yanli replied. He stood up and walked to a wooden rack, taking a cloak to wrap her up securely. Watching the young girl wipe away her tears incessantly, he couldn't help but stroke her head, though he said nothing more, letting her release her pent-up emotions.

The girl was actually quite delicate; she had loved to cry and act spoiled since childhood, wanting everyone around her to pamper her. Yet, most of the time, her outbursts were all sound and no substance; once her demands were met, she would immediately beam with joy.

Xu Yanli didn't know how many times he had been baptized by her tears, but this was the first time he had seen her cry without a sound. Her beautiful eyes were red and moist, tears falling silently, yet her face wore a bright, triumphant smile. She didn't reach out to tug at his sleeve as she usually did, but simply said happily, "I knew you would come for me."

It shouldn't be like this. The treasure cherished by the Xu family since childhood should not have to grow up in such a manner.

For the first time, Xu Yanli felt the piercing pain of heartbreak. He lowered his gaze, his emotions unreadable. "I am late."

"There is no such thing as late. Besides, I am perfectly fine now." Jiang Xinyue caught her breath, wiped her tears with effort, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is Grandmother well? You didn't tell her about my disappearance, did you?"

"We didn't dare. We only sent word to Weinan saying you had arrived safely in the capital."

"That is good. Her health has declined with age; if she found out and worried herself into an illness, that would be my sin. How are Uncle and Aunt?"

"They were both anxious to find you, but we couldn't make too much of a scene, so we could only send household servants. However, Father and Second Uncle have already written to friends in the Fenzhou area, asking them to keep an eye out. But most of our acquaintances are based in prefectures and counties, and even after sending people to inquire throughout the region, there was no news."

Jiang Xinyue understood. Her maternal family was the Xu clan of Weinan. Her ancestor had been a Chancellor and an Imperial Tutor, and the family had produced countless talents over three hundred years, becoming a prominent name in the south. Even if some families they associated with had fallen on hard times, few would have retreated into the wilderness, so it was normal that there was no trace of her.

After asking about the Xu family, she finally pursed her lips and asked, "And my mother? Did she send anyone to look for me?" She did not even ask about the rest of the Jiang family.

***

Candlelight fell on the side of the woman's face. Even though she was so nervous that she was using her bandaged hands to stroke the quilt, her face remained impassive.

Xu Yanli’s heart softened. He rested a hand on his knee and deliberated before saying, "When Mother heard about your accident, she was shocked and sent people to search."

"And when they didn't find me, the Jiang family persuaded her to give up?"

"Her health is indeed poor, and she lacks the energy; she went to Father and begged him to search." Being his own aunt, Xu Yanli glossed over the details. "But it is all the same whoever finds you. We are family; why split hairs?"

Jiang Xinyue did not believe this and pierced through his lie. "You don't need to comfort me. I know what kind of person she is. I suspect that even if she went to beg my uncle, it was only to make a scene at the Xu residence and push the responsibility for my disappearance onto you. Did my uncle manage to squeeze some benefits out of the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion again?"

"Jiang Hengming has served as a Shujishi for several years; he should be promoted after the year-end review. However, it hasn't been decided where he will go."

Jiang Xinyue opened her mouth and then closed it, trembling with rage. So, while she was out there suffering, the Jiang family’s main branch was reaping all the benefits?

Yet, she couldn't say a word to Xu Yanli. The reason was simple: her accident did have a small connection to him. Before the New Year, she had accompanied him to the Xu ancestral home in Weinan to visit their grandmother. Half a year later, they set out to return to the capital. Halfway there, Xu Yanli received an urgent report that his mother, Lady Lu, had fallen gravely ill. He was forced to take a few attendants and rush back to the capital. Before leaving, he had made all preparations, leaving his guards with her and hiring professional escorts, traveling along the official road.

If not for the accident, they would have been perfectly safe. But the accident happened. Their party was raided by mountain bandits; everyone was either captured or killed. There might have been one or two who escaped, but it was unlikely. If someone had escaped, they would have certainly sent word to the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion or the Xu residence.

Jiang Xinyue realized clearly that she had simply run into this misfortune. Even if her cousin hadn't left early, she still would have encountered the bandits. So, what did it have to do with Xu Yanli?

But she feared Xu Yanli would not think that way. Thanks to that mother of hers who only cared about her father, she had nearly been neglected to death as a child. Her grandmother couldn't bear it and often took her to the Xu house to raise her, so she had spent the majority of her life there. She was the only girl in the Xu family’s generation, and despite having many male cousins, she was never short of love.

Xu Yanli was the eldest grandson of the Xu family and carried the responsibility of an older brother; he was indulgent toward her, to the point that she had grown up following him everywhere. She feared that he was the one most unable to let go of her accident, bearing all the blame from the Jiang family, leaving her own parents with nothing to say.

It had been nearly half a year since her accident. Most people had likely given up, only Xu Yanli had persisted in searching place by place. How could she blame him for his guilt?

If only her mother could stand up for herself—if the only daughter of the Xu family hadn't married down into the declining Marquis Mansion, she would have lived a life of comfort. Instead, her mother was spineless and blindly in love with her father, leaving the Xu family with no excuse to intervene. If her mother had married someone of equal status, things would have been better; at least large clans valued their reputation. The worst thing was to encounter a family like the Huaiyuan Marquis, who relied on having nothing to act like scoundrels, even willing to step on a girl’s corpse for profit.

If it were her, she would rather die than marry down and let such people attach themselves like leeches to suck her blood for a lifetime.

Jiang Xinyue said indignantly, "Brother, I don't like the Jiang family."

"If you don't like them, then you don't. Now that you are back, the previous arrangements are void."

"I fear they don't even want me to go back," Jiang Xinyue sneered. A girl kidnapped by bandits and missing for half a year—the Jiang family likely hoped she had simply perished, so as not to drag the reputation of the other girls in the family down with her.

Hearing this, a flash of disgust crossed Xu Yanli’s eyes. As the eldest son groomed by the Weinan Xu family, he was a man of refined and elegant temperament; even after days of travel, he remained composed.

He stretched out his hands, calloused from the reins, and gently stroked his sister’s hair. His gaze was gentle and indulgent. "Rest assured, I will take you back myself. No one will dare to climb over your head."

"Chuchu, I am here for everything."

***

After watching his sister eat and fall asleep, Xu Yanli left the room and returned to his own guest room opposite. He sat at the temporary desk, where a medical record for Jiang Xinyue lay. It had been written by a renowned doctor in Qian County, who had recorded her condition in detail after checking her pulse.

Before Jiang Xinyue had even woken up, Xu Yanli had read the record hundreds of times, memorizing the position of every character. Yet, he read it again, word for word, his face becoming incredibly grim.

The candle wick popped, and the flickering light on his dark expression added an oppressive weight. He regained his composure, carefully folded the papers, and held them to the candle flame. The fire licked the paper, and it began to burn.

Staring at the burning record in his hand, he asked, "What did the County Magistrate say?"

Mo Yun, hearing the question, lowered his head further. "It has been clarified. There is a horse ranch within the territory of Qian County. The Magistrate suspected a lapse at the ranch and wanted to bring the cousin there for questioning. However, he has already sent people to examine the horse, and the mark on the iron hoof does not match. It appears to be a warhorse from the Qinghai region, possessing extreme endurance, not something typically assigned to ordinary cavalry."

"Qinghai?"

"The Qinghai region is guarded by the forces of Duke of Zhenguo, Pei Yannian. A while ago, the Duke struck into the heart of the Chahar tribe and even cut down the barbarian flags; this battle will ensure peace on the border for a decade. The Emperor originally wanted to summon the Duke to the capital, but it seems he was severely wounded and was granted permission to enter the capital only after he recovers."

"I managed to get information from the Magistrate, saying that the Prefect had long instructed that a great figure had arrived in this area, and to keep his subordinates in check to avoid any taboos." Mo Yun paused, then, braving his master’s increasingly calm gaze, voiced his suspicion. "I fear the person who came to this area is the Duke of Zhenguo himself. If... if the cousin..."

"Oh? What cousin is there?"

As the medical record burned to the last scrap, Xu Yanli raised his other hand and, as if unable to feel the heat of the fire, crushed the ashes out. "Go tell the Magistrate that this woman was a servant of the Xu family who fled after poisoning her mistress, and has already been executed."

He brushed the ashes off the table and leaned back into his chair, returning to his refined and composed appearance, though his hands were now stained with filth.

"As for the doctor who checked Chuchu’s pulse, ask his whole family to move to Weinan to settle down. Second Uncle went there in such a rush that the household staff isn't fully prepared; they will fill the gap perfectly."

"Yes," Mo Yun replied, accepting the order.