"Young Master—"
Fuling held the broom, unsure whether to set it aside, but still bowed her head in greeting.
Qin Chen strode over, looking at Qin Guan and her maid with surprise. "You two... how..."
Qin Guan's gaze swiftly swept over the thin boots on Qin Chen's feet.
The soil in the orchid garden was different from elsewhere due to the flower beds. If someone had been here, traces would likely cling to their shoes.
Yet at a glance, Qin Chen's footwear was spotless.
"Young Master, there was someone hiding in the orchid garden."
Qin Chen had an elegant demeanor, his gaze gentle and warm. In Qin Manor, he was one of the few who treated Qin Guan and her maid kindly. Fuling's voice choked with grievance as she complained.
"Someone hiding?" Qin Chen raised an eyebrow, scanning the surroundings. "How could someone be hiding here? Perhaps you misheard?"
"No, I—"
Fuling wanted to continue, but Qin Guan nudged her elbow.
"Earlier, Fuling was moving two pots of orchids indoors when she was startled by some noise. I came to check with her out of concern. It might have been... just the wind playing tricks on her ears." Qin Guan set aside the shovel, her posture finally regaining its composed grace.
"At night, it's easy to mistake things," Qin Chen said with a faint smile, his gaze warm and affectionate as he looked at Qin Guan. "But how could you two young girls come here alone? You should have called for male servants to accompany you."
Qin Guan lowered her eyes. "Yes, Elder Brother is right. It was careless of me."
Qin Chen glanced once more at the orchid garden. "No matter. Tomorrow, I'll have someone tidy up this garden. Make sure to lock the side gate properly in the future. Come, let me show you the gift I brought."
So Qin Chen had come to Orchid Isle Courtyard to deliver a gift.
Qin Chen turned and walked ahead, Qin Guan and Fuling following.
Aside from Qin Chen, his personal attendant Chengxin had also come along.
Chengxin held an ornate box and hurriedly handed it over when Qin Chen turned back. Qin Chen took it and said, "It's too late now, so I won't enter. I had planned to bring this tomorrow morning, but thinking of how you saved Lan'er and how I haven't properly thanked you yet weighed on my conscience."
He opened the box. "This is a set of sapphire jeweled headdress I bought for Lan'er earlier. She adored it but never wore it. Since you saved Lan'er and her child today, this is our token of gratitude."
As the box opened, a dazzling brilliance spilled forth.
Qin Guan frowned, hesitating momentarily—the gift was undeniably lavish.
Seeing her reluctance, Qin Chen added, "Lan'er has already woken and taken her medicine. She chose this herself. If Ninth Sister refuses, does it mean our gift doesn't meet your expectations?"
Qin Guan looked up, meeting Qin Chen's eyes briefly. The eldest son of the third branch of the Qin family had remarkably gentle eyes, paired with a smile as warm as spring breeze. Qin Guan's guarded heart relaxed slightly.
She accepted the box. "Thank you, Elder Brother."
She was no saint, and given her current precarious situation, there was no reason to refuse.
Qin Chen exhaled in relief, his smile deepening. "Good. Lan'er's recovery will still require your attention."
He glanced around the courtyard again. "You've endured hardships here before. From now on, if anything is lacking in this courtyard, just let me know. Lan'er rarely saw you in the past, but after you saved her, she said you were calm and composed—she's grown quite fond of you. When you have time, visit her more often to chat."
Qin Guan didn't respond verbally, only nodding slightly.Qin Chen noticed her aloofness and hesitated before speaking, "Ninth Sister, I just heard about your fall into the lake. No matter how desperate you felt, you must never consider taking your own life. Promise me you won’t do such a thing again. I heard you fell ill after waking up—are you better now?"
Qin Guan pressed her lips together, her gaze lowered. "I’m fully recovered now. Don’t worry, Eldest Brother."
Fuling’s heart ached when Qin Chen brought up the incident, yet she seemed to trust him implicitly. "Young Master, you may not know this, but after that incident, the young lady injured her head and can’t remember many things from before."
A look of pity surfaced in Qin Chen’s eyes. "Ninth Sister, the manor has wronged you in the past, but from now on, we’ll treat you well. You—"
"Thank you for your concern, Eldest Brother," Qin Guan interrupted him. "It’s late. You should return now."
Qin Chen seemed to want to say more, but seeing Qin Guan’s lowered eyes and withdrawn demeanor, he understood she didn’t wish to dwell on the matter.
With a sigh, he relented. "Very well. You two should rest. I’ll take my leave." With that, he turned and left.
As she watched his retreating figure, Qin Guan’s eyes darkened with unreadable depth.
"Young Lady, this jewelry is from the Brocade Embroidery Workshop in the city. The workshop is renowned not just in Jinzhou but throughout the entire southern region. Their pieces are custom-made only for nobles and officials—ordinary folks can’t even buy them if they wanted to."
"This sapphire... its color and texture are top-grade. It must have cost a fortune. Young Lady, the Eldest Young Master is humble and unassuming, with exceptional talent. In all of Qin Manor, he’s the one who treats us best."
Qin Guan turned to her. "How so?"
Fuling sighed. "You’ve forgotten, but the Eldest Young Master often studied away from home. Even so, whenever he returned, he would send us silver. He’s helped us many times."
No wonder Fuling seemed so familiar with Qin Chen. Qin Guan glanced once more toward the courtyard gate before shifting her gaze to the side door.
"Go and lock the side door. It’s time to rest."
Remembering the shadowy figure from earlier, Fuling didn’t dare delay and hurried to secure the side door. When she returned, she added, "Young Lady, why didn’t you let me finish earlier? The Eldest Young Master is kind-hearted—he would surely help us investigate!"
A flicker of sharpness passed through Qin Guan’s eyes. "Nothing would come of it. It’s late, and the Orchid Courtyard connects to many paths. Even he wouldn’t go to great lengths for our sake."
Making a fuss would only alert their enemy.
"But who could it be? I’m certain it was a person."
Once inside, Fuling secured the door while muttering to herself as she helped Qin Guan prepare for bed.
Lying on the fresh bedding, Qin Guan felt a faint unease.
"Fuling, from now on, we must be careful when moving about Qin Manor."
Fuling, who slept on a small couch nearby, gasped in surprise. She seemed to sense the gravity behind Qin Guan’s words and asked fearfully, "Young Lady... do you think that person means us harm?"
Not just harm—perhaps even murderous intent.
Qin Guan thought so but couldn’t voice it outright to Fuling. "The people in the manor have long disliked us both. It’s best to be cautious."
Fuling exhaled shakily. "Are you worried we’ll stir up trouble? Don’t worry, Young Lady, I understand." After a pause, she nervously tightened the brocade quilt around herself. "Young Lady, let’s keep an extra lamp lit tonight."
As the bed curtains gently swayed, Fuling could just make out Qin Guan’s silhouette lying still in the dim light.Qin Guan remained silent as Fuling shivered and said, "I keep thinking about Miss Song's appearance. Who could be so cruel as to kill her? How could such a vicious person exist in this world?"
As Fuling spoke these words, Qin Guan's thoughts also turned from the murder of Ninth Miss to this bizarre and horrifying homicide case.
What kind of person would kill a newlywed bride in such a brutal manner?
Upon reflection, it seemed only a devil could be so utterly depraved.
Yet Qin Guan's past experiences assisting her father with criminal cases made her clearly understand—devils were merely ordinary people, utterly unremarkable. They lived alongside you day and night, they shared meals at your table...
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