Chapter 188: Sister
Late that night in Yanjing City, a heavy rain suddenly began to fall.
Spring rain was usually gentle and drizzling, as if reluctant to damage the newly bloomed flowers. Yet this night, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling, a torrential downpour arrived abruptly, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway precariously.
In the stables, Little Blue restlessly lifted its hooves, stomping impatiently on the ground. It paid no attention to the fodder in the stone trough, which worried the stablehand. This fine steed was now Old General Ji’s treasure and had to be carefully tended to. If anything went wrong, Old General Ji would surely show no mercy.
In the birdcage in the courtyard, Little Red was also startled by the thunder, chirping noisily. This time, it did not mimic human speech but behaved like an ordinary bird, frightened by the thunder. The servant moved the cage indoors, where the sound of thunder was somewhat muffled.
The rainy night was dark and cold, with not a single star in the sky, only thick, heavy clouds. Just then, a frantic knocking sounded at the Duke’s residence gate.
The gatekeeper was startled. When he went out to check, he saw a woman standing outside, cloaked but drenched from head to toe. Her hair was almost completely soaked, and she stood before him like a drowned rat.
“Miss?” the gatekeeper frowned. Who would come to the Duke’s residence so late? He didn’t recognize the woman.
The girl lifted her face and said, “I… I am Bai Xue, the maid of the Jiang family’s Second Young Lady. I need to see the Duke. I have something important to tell him!”
Only then did the gatekeeper recognize her—it was indeed Bai Xue, who served Jiang Li. While others might not be familiar with her, the servants of the Duke’s residence were well-acquainted with Jiang Li. Aside from Situ Jiuyue, she was the only one who could swagger into the Duke’s residence and seemed to be on good terms with Ji Heng.
The gatekeeper pulled Bai Xue further inside, shielding her from the wind and rain. “Miss Bai Xue,” he said, “the Duke is not in the residence right now, and it’s unclear when he will return. You’re completely drenched. Why not come inside, change into dry clothes, and have some hot water to avoid catching a cold? With such heavy rain outside, how did you manage to come here alone?”
Bai Xue felt an indescribable emotion well up inside her. Outsiders often said Duke Su was unpredictable and that even the servants of the Duke’s residence were arrogant, never deigning to look others in the eye. Yet, in reality, they were not as cold as rumored.
“No… because what I have to say is truly important… Sir, when will the Duke return?”
The gatekeeper hesitated. “Well… we servants have no knowledge of the Duke’s whereabouts. If you wish to wait for him, Miss Bai Xue, please come inside. The wind and rain are getting in.”
As he spoke, another gust of wind swept through. Bai Xue had no choice but to step further inside. Seeing her condition, the gatekeeper called another servant to escort Bai Xue into the Duke’s residence to change her clothes first.
Bai Xue had come on Tong’er’s instructions, sneaking out on her own. Jiang Yuanbai must not find out about Jiang Li’s close ties to the Duke’s residence, so she couldn’t use the family carriage. At this hour, there were no carriages available on the streets either. The roads were filled with soldiers searching for Jiang Li. To avoid drawing attention, Bai Xue had walked slowly under an umbrella but eventually had to run all the way. By the time she arrived, she was naturally soaked and utterly disheveled.After Bai Xue changed her clothes and came out, she stood in the corridor outside the Duke's mansion's flower garden. The servant urged her to wait patiently, but Bai Xue couldn't calm down no matter what. The worse the weather became, the more she worried about Jiang Li, not knowing where Jiang Li was.
Just then, someone suddenly called her name. Bai Xue turned around and saw it was actually Situ Jiuyue.
Situ Jiuyue stayed in the Duke's mansion because the flower garden always had ingredients for making poison, and she had a good relationship with Old General Ji, so there was no need for discretion. Seeing Bai Xue, Situ Jiuyue asked curiously, "Why are you here? Are you alone? Where's Jiang Li?"
"Young Lady Situ!" Bai Xue called out as if grasping at a life-saving straw, "You're close with the Duke. Do you know when he'll return?"
"Him?" Situ Jiuyue shook her head, "I'm not close with him. Besides, why would I know when he goes out on business? It seems your young lady didn't come, only you're here." She looked Bai Xue up and down. Although Bai Xue had changed into dry clothes, her hair was still damp. Situ Jiuyue said, "You came here in such a hurry to seek Ji Heng's help? What, has your young lady encountered trouble again?"
Situ Jiuyue spent all day in the alchemy room and naturally didn't know what had happened outside. Moreover, to protect Jiang Li's reputation, Jiang Yuanbai hadn't publicly announced Jiang Li's disappearance yet. The soldiers wouldn't gossip about it, and with Ji Heng absent, the Duke's mansion staff wouldn't specifically investigate this matter.
Bai Xue said, "It's not trouble - she's missing."
Situ Jiuyue's previously indifferent expression froze as she looked at Bai Xue and asked, "Missing?"
"Yes." Bai Xue then recounted everything that had happened during the day in detail. Only after finishing did she say to Situ Jiuyue, "So this matter is truly important. It was the same with the Third Young Lady's incident last time - although the master sent soldiers to investigate, they found nothing in the end. It was the Duke who found Princess Yongning's private prison. This servant thought that with the Duke's mansion's capabilities, perhaps they could find the young lady sooner... Young Lady Situ, when exactly will the Duke return to the mansion?"
Situ Jiuyue's expression turned serious as she said, "As far as I know, he should have left the city."
Bai Xue froze.
"He has important business this time and probably won't return for a while. If you want Ji Heng to help you find someone, that won't be possible for now."
Disappointment immediately appeared on Bai Xue's face.
Situ Jiuyue pondered for a moment and said, "It's not completely hopeless. I'll think of a way to inform Ji Heng about this matter and see how he arranges things. Although he's not in Yanjing City, he might be able to make arrangements. Don't worry too much. Since the other party came prepared and specifically kidnapped your young lady, it's not just to take her life - otherwise Jiang Li's body would have appeared by now. Furthermore," she said bluntly, "even if Jiang Li unfortunately dies, for the sake of the Duke's mansion's relationship, Ji Heng would still avenge her."
These words might as well have been left unsaid, as Bai Xue became even more anxious after hearing them.
"Staying here won't help anyway, you should return," Situ Jiuyue said. "Although I don't know when Ji Heng will return, I do know he definitely won't be back tonight."Bai Xue was silent for a moment, knowing that Situ Jiuyue was telling the truth. Her staying here would indeed be of no help. Moreover, Situ Jiuyue had promised to inform Ji Heng about the matter. Once Ji Heng learned what had happened, he would likely take action.
At least her trip hadn't been in vain.
Bai Xue bowed to Situ Jiuyue, expressed her thanks, and then departed.
After Bai Xue left, Situ Jiuyue returned to the small room next to the medicine-refining chamber.
The youth named Ah Zhao was now able to sit up, leaning against the bed. Though he still couldn't move on his own, his mind was clear and alert.
Ah Zhao was awake at this moment. Seeing Situ Jiuyue enter, he smiled faintly and said, "Just now, I overheard Physician Situ speaking with someone outside. You mentioned the princess manor's private prison."
"Yes," Situ Jiuyue replied. "A friend of mine has gone missing. Speaking of which, she has some connection to you."
Ah Zhao looked puzzled.
"Back then, she wanted to save her younger sister and asked Ji Heng for help in locating her. Ji Heng found his way to the princess manor's private prison. Initially, it was only for her sister's sake, but by chance, he encountered you and brought you out. One could say that if not for her, you would still be in that prison, with no hope of seeing the light of day again."
Upon hearing this, Ah Zhao was also surprised and then asked, "That... friend, has she gone missing now?"
"She disappeared this morning. Her whereabouts are still unknown."
"Since she is Physician Situ's friend, why do you seem not at all..."
"Sad? Anxious?" Situ Jiuyue interrupted him before he could finish. She smiled, though her smile was icy cold. "Friends, family—to me, they are just names, without any special meaning. Rather than worrying about others, it's better to worry about oneself." She took out a needle. "This is the kind of person I am. For instance, I can save you, but I can also kill you."
Ah Zhao was not frightened by her words, merely shaking his head with a smile.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I just remembered my elder sister," Ah Zhao said. "My elder sister used to always teach me to worry about myself and not others."
"Then your sister was quite wise," Situ Jiuyue remarked as she applied the needle to Ah Zhao. "Where is she now?"
After a long silence with no response, Situ Jiuyue looked up.
The youth's bright eyes had dimmed, as if veiled by a layer of haze. He whispered softly, "My elder sister has already passed away."
(End of Chapter)
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