"I recognize him?" Qin Guan was slightly surprised. "Who is it?"
As her words fell, a man's voice suddenly rang out, "Does Ninth Miss still remember me?"
Hearing this, Qin Guan immediately turned around and fixed her gaze, seeing a young man in a blue robe walking in together with Zheng Baishi. Looking at the smiling eyes of the blue-robed young man, Qin Guan exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Wei?"
Qin Guan never expected to encounter Wei Qizhi here!
It had been four months since they parted in Jinzhou, and she never imagined she would see Wei Qizhi here. How could Wei Qizhi be in this place?
Zheng Baishi entered with a smile, "Young Master Wei said earlier that he recognized Ninth Miss. It turns out to be true."
Wei Qizhi walked in leisurely. Qin Guan glanced at his legs and noticed he walked naturally, seemingly without any disability. Noticing her gaze, Wei Qizhi smiled, "Earlier I suffered from leg disease, but fortunately Ninth Miss saved me. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to walk today."
Wei Qizhi's father held an official position, and his mother was a daughter of the Duke Song's household, making Wei Qizhi a rather renowned noble young master in the capital. Yet though Qin Guan had returned to the capital for many days, this was her first time encountering him.
"Young Master Wei, it's been a while since we last met."
Qin Guan performed a slight curtsey, while Wei Qizhi returned a cupped-hand salute. "Greetings, Ninth Miss. I didn't know you had come to the capital. I said before that if Ninth Miss entered the capital, I would host a welcome banquet and gift you horses."
A slight smile touched Qin Guan's lips. "I dare not accept. I'm not particularly fond of horses, how could I take what others cherish? Why is Young Master Wei here?"
Meng Zhou then smiled and explained, "When I previously served at the Imperial Academy, Qizhi was my student. Later he had no interest in officialdom and didn't enter government service, but our teacher-student bond remains. This time, since Ziyi and the others are being exiled to the northern regions, and Qizhi happens to have his own horse training grounds there - not only that, but his horse transport team is returning north these days. It works out perfectly for them to look after Ziyi."
Wei Qizhi also smiled, "Before the New Year I went north to purchase horses and just returned these past couple days. Upon arriving in the capital, I learned there's a new Little Medicine Immortal in the city. Upon inquiry, I discovered Ninth Miss had actually come to the capital." Wei Qizhi's expression brightened with a relaxed smile. "I've been thinking all along that if Ninth Miss came to the capital, she would surely amaze everyone. And now it has indeed come to pass."
"Young Master Wei flatters me too much. It's merely a fortunate coincidence."
As Qin Guan modestly replied, Zheng Baishi smiled, "This is no mere coincidence." Then his tone grew slightly solemn as he said, "Brother Meng, since Ninth Miss has arrived, it's time for Ziyi and the others to depart. The hour is almost upon us."
Wei Qizhi added, "Teacher, I've given all the instructions. They're waiting outside the city walls."
At these words, the expressions of Meng Zhou and several others changed. Meng Ziyi and Xu shi held Third Madame's hands, their eyes reddening in unison.
In just these few days, several more silver strands had appeared at Third Madame's temples. Her eyes reddened at the words, but she spoke in a hoarse voice, "Good children, go now, go..."
Meng Ziyi and Xu shi knelt together, kowtowing three times before Third Madame, then rose to their feet and walked outward.Third Madam chased forward a few steps but ultimately did not speak again. Meng Yao stepped forward and firmly supported Third Madam as everyone slowly followed to the side hall entrance, watching Meng Ziyi and his wife follow the two guards out. Their figures grew increasingly distant until they disappeared around a corner...
Third Madam ultimately couldn't hold back, covering her mouth as she wept.
Meng Zhou sighed, "Third Sister-in-law, as long as they are both well, that is enough."
Third Madam nodded while crying. The group stood for a moment longer before Meng Zhou expressed his gratitude to Zheng Baishi and Qin Guan, then led the Meng household members back to the Meng residence. Zheng Baishi personally escorted Qin Guan to the rear gate of the government office and sighed, "So this case is now completely closed. Thank you, Ninth Miss."
Wei Qizhi stood nearby, his expression also somewhat sorrowful.
Just half a year earlier, he too had experienced a homicide case within his own household.
"You flatter me. I didn't contribute much. This outcome is already the best possible."
After Qin Guan spoke, Zheng Baishi also felt quite emotional. Knowing that Zheng Baishi was busy, Qin Guan took the initiative to bid farewell. Seeing this, Wei Qizhi also said he would leave. With official duties awaiting him, Zheng Baishi took his leave of them and returned to the government office.
Wei Qizhi looked at Qin Guan, "I didn't expect to see Ninth Miss again because of another case."
Qin Guan examined Wei Qizhi for a moment, "Has Young Master Wei's leg truly recovered?"
A deeper smile appeared on Wei Qizhi's face, "It has, though it still aches faintly during rainy weather."
"Young Master Wei was severely injured at the time, and the condition persisted for quite a while. It's inevitable that some aftereffects would remain." After a slight pause, Qin Guan added, "Did Young Master Wei not spend the New Year at home?"
Wei Qizhi chuckled wryly, "After the incident before the New Year, things at home became rather unpleasant. I went north to relax not long after returning to the capital. By chance, I came across some excellent horses and ended up staying there for quite some time."
Qin Guan sighed softly, "That matter actually had nothing to do with Young Master Wei. You needn't dwell on it. Since you enjoy taming and raising horses, you could specialize in this Path. I just wonder if your parents would approve."
Wei Qizhi's mother, after all, was the daughter of the Duke's household and the elder sister of the current Wan Fei. She likely wouldn't be pleased to see Wei Qizhi living so freely. Hearing this, Wei Qizhi smiled, "After that incident, my father and mother stopped controlling me. We've also had fewer interactions with the Duke's household. Now I'm completely free, but one cannot only pursue personal pleasures in this life. The fine horses I acquired in the north are intended for the imperial court. There will be the customary spring hunt after the season turns - selling these horses for a good price makes my trip worthwhile."
Wei Qizhi loved horses, and now that he was dealing in horses, he could interact with them daily. Qin Guan nodded with a smile, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Wei Qizhi, then took her leave first. Knowing that Qin Guan currently resided at the Marquis's household and wishing to avoid gossip in the capital, Wei Qizhi, though wanting to repay Qin Guan, hadn't yet found a suitable method and thus parted ways with her.Qin Guan had already been thinking of Grand Princess and Yue Ning, and seeing Wei Qizhi made her recall events from Jinzhou even more. After returning to the Marquis residence, she sent another letter to Jinzhou. Yet, for some reason, no reply came from that direction. Qin Guan changed her routine of checking the Empress Dowager’s pulse from once every two days to once every five days. In between, she visited the Meng residence twice to see Meng Yao. Thus, time quickly passed until mid-February. The snow melted, tender willow buds sprouted, and before she knew it, winter had ended and spring had arrived.
One day, Qin Guan entered the palace as usual to check the Empress Dowager’s pulse. As she approached the Longevity and Health Palace, she saw Ninth Prince Yan Sui playing in the central courtyard of the front hall. He held a delicate brush, dipping it in water to write characters on the stone tiles.
Momma Su stood guard beside Yan Sui and immediately stepped forward to greet Qin Guan upon her arrival. Qin Guan smiled as she watched Yan Sui’s back and remarked, “Ninth Prince has only been studying with his tutors for a few days, and he’s already so diligent?”
Momma Su gave a bitter smile. “Ninth Miss, you’ve misunderstood. Ninth Prince has several tutors—one teaches poetry recitation, another the Thousand Character Classic, and another calligraphy. He does well with reciting and memorizing texts, but he strongly dislikes writing. Right now, he’s just playing. Strangely enough, though, he enjoys doodling and writing during play.”
Qin Guan found this peculiar and asked, “Could it be that the tutor is too strict?”
Momma Su sighed. “I accompany Ninth Prince, and the tutor is very gentle, considering his young age. Yet, for some reason, Ninth Prince simply dislikes writing in the classroom.” She glanced helplessly at Yan Sui and added wistfully, “The Empress Dowager thinks it might be a mismatch with this tutor’s teaching method. She plans to let Ninth Prince play freely for a while and then find a new tutor later.”
Momma Su continued, “In a couple of days, several elders from the Yizhou Bai clan will arrive. I’ve heard some will enter the Eastern Palace, while others will be responsible for teaching the princes. The Empress Dowager intends to have Ninth Prince resume his writing lessons then.”
Considering Yan Sui’s young age, Qin Guan said, “Ninth Prince is indeed too young to be pushed too hard.”
As she spoke, Qin Guan couldn’t help but think about the Yizhou Bai clan that Momma Su had mentioned. It had been over half a month since she encountered Wei Qizhi, and now the Yizhou Bai clan was coming to the capital. Lately, she kept running into people connected to past cases.
Qin Guan wanted to see what characters Yan Sui had written, but the watermarks on the bluestone tiles had already half-dried. Combined with Yan Sui’s unsteady grip, the strokes were crooked and messy, making it difficult to decipher. After exchanging a few more words with Momma Su and seeing Yan Sui absorbed in his play, Qin Guan proceeded directly into the main hall of the Longevity and Health Palace.
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