Ji Lan рursеd hеr liрs; shе would be morе thаn hapрy to sее Наn Yаn аnd Zhuo Qi togеther. To get revengе оn a mаn, wasn’t it just а mаttеr оf finding a bеttеr husbаnd thаn him? Fu Yunхi was сonsidered unrivаlеd in the Grеat Dynastу, but this Western Rоng princе didn’t sееm tоо bаd еither now. Аt lеast hе trеаted hеr yоung mistrеss quite well, didn’t hе? Аs the sаying goes, it’s еasy to аdd flоwеrs to brоcade, but hаrd tо sеnd chаrсоаl in snоwу weаthеr.
Shu Hоng sighed sоftly but said nоthing. Hаn Yаn smilеd agаin аnd quiеtlу sipped hеr tea.
Two daуs passed quiсkly.
During thesе two dауs, Hаn Yan stayed in the Clear Autumn Garden without stepping out. Zhuang Hanming came by a few times, but Han Yan did not see him. Zhuang Shiyang, on the other hand, was unusually quiet. After returning, he hadn’t sought her out on his own. In the past, Han Yan might have been puzzled, but now she simply instructed Ji Lan to keep an eye on Zhuang Shiyang’s movements within the mansion and devoted herself wholeheartedly to her own affairs.
On this day, the sky was exceptionally gloomy. Outside, torrential rain poured down, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Dark clouds pressed heavily over the entire capital, making the sky as dark as night. Yet in the darkness, lightning illuminated the heavens, and the thunderclaps struck people’s ears one after another, rumbling as if the sky were about to collapse. Han Yan sat quietly while Ji Lan lit a lamp in the room, saying with a hint of fear, “Why is it raining so heavily? It’s quite frightening.”
Water streamed continuously from the eaves, and the sound of splashing rain kicked up snowy-white sprays in the pond. It was clearly raining incessantly, and no one knew what the situation outside was like.
Han Yan felt a chill and pulled her outer garment tighter around herself. “It’ll probably keep raining for three days and nights before it stops,” she said.
Shu Hong looked thoughtfully at Han Yan. “So, young mistress, did we win the bet with Lord Yang?”
Ji Lan seemed to remember only now and exclaimed, “Ah!” before turning to Han Yan. “That’s right, young mistress! We won that bet. You’re truly amazing, but… how did you know such a heavy rain would come?”
Han Yan paused briefly and smiled. “I just had a dream. I dreamed of this heavy rain.”
Ji Lan believed her words without question and said excitedly, “Young mistress, your dream was truly miraculous. If only you could dream of future events, that would be even better.”
Han Yan smiled faintly. If her past life had truly been just a dream, how wonderful that would have been. But those were all real events, the pain that had existed within her. Because it hurt so much, she remembered it clearly. How could she not know about future events? She did know, but she had changed her own fate, so the once-clear future had now become unpredictable.
“This rain… I’m afraid it’ll cause a flood,” Shu Hong murmured. Outside, the rain was pouring so heavily. They could hide indoors, light lamps, sit, and drink tea, warm and comfortable. But there would always be homeless commoners whose houses leaked wind and rain, perhaps now staring helplessly at the mess in their homes. Floods might mean little to wealthy officials like them—they would lack nothing they needed to eat or use—but for the poor commoners, it was nothing short of a catastrophic disaster.Han Yan frowned. In her previous life, this rain had lasted for three days and three nights, leaving countless commoners displaced and homeless. The capital was suddenly flooded with refugees. Unfortunately, the national treasury was empty, as all the silver had been used for military provisions, leaving no means to help these people.
Her gaze grew somewhat distant. Back then, Wei Rufeng had personally sent many things over, saying they were to comfort Han Yan after her fright. For a young girl about to marry him, Han Yan at the time thought this was her future husband’s thoughtful gesture and was filled with joy and gratitude. Today, as events repeated themselves, it felt like a lifetime ago. Han Yan knew Wei Rufeng naturally would not send anything this time. Having lived through a lifetime, she had seen Wei Rufeng’s true character and no longer held any expectations of him. But what about Fu Yunxi?
Did she still have expectations of Fu Yunxi? If Fu Yunxi came to see her, how should she respond? As she pondered, she shook her head and laughed at her own overthinking. Fu Yunxi probably had no time to visit her now. Rather than dwelling on this, it was better to think about what questions to ask when she met Yang Qi.
Just as she was thinking, a sudden knocking sound came from the window. Han Yan was startled, thinking she had misheard. But amidst the rain, the knocking was exceptionally clear. Outside, it was pitch black. Han Yan felt suspicious. Ji Lan and Shu Hong exchanged glances and were about to speak when, unexpectedly, the window swung open violently, and a figure leaped into the room.
Han Yan was startled, but when she saw the person’s face clearly, she relaxed. Zhuo Qi was drenched from head to toe, his hair dripping wet, as if he had rushed over through the rain. Han Yan asked, “What happened to you?”
He took a few steps inside, immediately leaving a trail of water on the floor. Shu Hong frowned, but Zhuo Qi took a deep breath, looked at Han Yan, and smiled. “So warm.”
Han Yan asked, “How did you get here in such heavy rain?”
Zhuo Qi picked up the tea Han Yan had been drinking from the table, brought it to his lips, and took a sip. Shu Hong frowned again, but Zhuo Qi seemed completely unfazed. “I found out what you asked me to investigate.”
With just this one sentence, Han Yan’s attention shifted from the cup at his lips. She asked, “What happened?” Her tone carried an urgency she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Zhuo Qi looked at her with amusement, pondered for a moment, and said, “I braved the heavy rain to bring you this news, and I’m completely soaked. Yet you show no concern for my well-being. At the very least, you could give me a cloak to wear so I won’t be so cold.”
Han Yan glared at him. “I don’t have any men’s clothing.” He couldn’t possibly wear Zhuang Shiyang’s clothes, and Zhuang Hanming was too small. Was he saying this on purpose?
Zhuo Qi rested his chin on his hand. “You could find me one of your own…” Seeing Han Yan’s expression grow increasingly dark, he raised his voice with a laugh. “A cloak.”
Han Yan glared at him for a long time before finally relenting. She went to her wardrobe and fetched a fox-fur cloak. The man was completely drenched, and just looking at him made her feel cold. Even if it was for her sake, she could afford to give him a cloak. She handed the cloak to Zhuo Qi. “Will this do?”Zhuo Qi took the cloak from Han Yan's hands, but instead of putting it on immediately, he brought it to his nose and took a deep sniff, revealing an intoxicated expression. "So fragrant." Finally, under Han Yan's nearly murderous gaze, he leisurely draped the cloak over himself and smiled faintly. "Thank me. I've found that person."
"Found him?" Han Yan was somewhat surprised. After all, from the time Fu Yunxi had learned of this news and tasked him with the investigation until his departure for the campaign, several months had passed. Yet, before that, no particularly useful information had been uncovered, let alone any leads on this person. But Zhuo Qi had managed to find out in just two days. Even if Zhuo Qi's subordinates were exceptionally capable, the difference was simply too vast. Or perhaps Fu Yunxi's subordinates weren't so incompetent as to be this ineffective. Could it be... An improbable conjecture surfaced in Han Yan's mind... Could it be that Fu Yunxi had deliberately concealed the information?
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