Chapter 9

On the other side, Li Xiuyuan and Su Xian left the Drunken Night Tower. Su Xian was gentle, but not foolish. Judging from Li Xiuyuan’s behavior, it was not just a simple case of being drugged.

Today, what she had decided to do had her own selfish motives. After all, Mi’er was going to marry someone, so it didn’t matter who she married. Once Mi’er entered the door, Su Xian would not mistreat her. Other women could not be as close to their sisters as she was to her own younger sister.

Moreover, sisters never hold grudges against each other overnight. Her husband was also a talented person. Once everything was settled, Mi’er’s anger would eventually dissipate.

But now, Su Xian was really anxious. A woman’s reputation was the most important thing, and she really wanted Su Mi to marry Li Xiuyuan, but she couldn’t let others bully her!

Li Xiuyuan and Su Xian searched around but returned without success. They returned to a place not far from the Drunken Night Tower and happened to see Zhang Yin’s carriage leaving. The two of them guessed that Su Mi had already come back, so they immediately followed the carriage.

When the carriage arrived at the door of Su’s residence and Su Mi got off, she saw another carriage behind her out of the corner of her eye. She knew who it was without thinking, so she quickened her pace and didn’t want to see the two of them.

But women walk slowly, and she was stopped by Li Xiuyuan, who had come running over from the carriage. He was wearing a water-blue straight robe with a slanting collar, and if it weren’t for knowing his true character, she would probably have been deceived by his gentlemanly appearance.

“Mi’er!” Li Xiuyuan stood in front of Su Mi. He looked at the woman in front of him, with a peach blossom face that was bright and charming, and the faintly colorful beauty under the veil he saw earlier matched this one.

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Rdelle, pbl oyp zlpp talld vbyd pbl oyp y ulya yts, zkjl y qawkv vbyv bye fwpv akrldle, okvb y nakpr yde vldela talld yde ale, yde kq bl vssj y ckvl, vbl vypvl oswze rascyczu cl alyzzu pollv. Tsolhla, Nk Dkwuwyd alxlxclale obyv bye byrrldle vseyu, yde bkp qynl kxxlekyvlzu vwadle cye.

“Typ bl esdl yduvbkdt vs usw?” Nk Dkwuwyd takvvle bkp vllvb yde ypjle.

Fw Yk tzydnle yv bkx yde eked’v oydv vs vyzj vs bkx. Jwv obld pbl xshle vs vbl zlqv, Nk Dkwuwyd yzps xshle vs vbl zlqv, yde obld pbl xshle vs vbl aktbv, Nk Dkwuwyd yzps xshle vs vbl aktbv.

“Ebyv bl eke vs xl kp dsdl sq uswa cwpkdlpp.”

“Yk’la, esd’v usw alyzzu jdso xu kdvldvksdp?”

Fw Yk pdllale, “Nk Dkwuwyd, svbla vbyd usw, R byhl dlhla byvle ydusdl ps xwnb.”

“Zsw!”

“Yu pkpvla kp blal.”

Li Xiuyuan instinctively looked back, and Su Mi took the opportunity to slip away from him.

“Husband, can you tell me where Su Mi went this afternoon?” Su Xian, holding her stomach and gasping for breath, walked up to Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan looked at Su Mi’s retreating figure, clenched his fists, and shook his head.

He had been thinking about her for so long, and she was the perfect woman. If she wasn’t, he would still consider having her as a concubine, treating it as a one-time visit to a brothel.

Su Mi’s small courtyard was in the back garden of the Su family’s mansion. Although she was wearing a cloak, Su Mi was still afraid that someone would see the blood stains on her clothes.

Thus, as she walked past some servants in another courtyard, Su Mi simply gave a nod to signify that she didn’t wish to pause.

When she reached the entrance of her courtyard, Su Mi slowed down her steps.

Faint crying came from inside, and Su Mi’s heart softened. If it wasn’t Chun Mei, then who else could it be?

She didn’t deliberately move quietly, but Chun Mei was crying loudly with her head buried on the rattan table under the pavilion, covering up the sound of footsteps.

On the rattan table, there were several not-very-exquisite pieces of jewellery, as well as several blue-faced notebooks stacked together.

Su Mi was very familiar with this. The old woman who went out to buy things for the mansion went out many times, and sometimes she secretly gave her some money to bring back a few books.

Su Mi was aware that Su Mingde didn’t have a strong liking for her, and she was also apprehensive that her frequent outings would result in her mother, Mrs. Yu, being blamed by Su Mingde. So, when she went to Drunken Night Tower, she used the pretext of accompanying her sister, hoping to get some benefits, but things didn’t turn out as expected.

Su Mi poked Chun Mei, who was crying with her head down.

“Silly girl, you’re crying so hard I can’t hear you coming back.”

Chun Mei lifted her head in a daze, with imprint marks from the pattern of her clothes on her face, and tears still hanging on her cheeks. She had just been crying and smiling when she saw Su Mi for a moment, but the next moment, she cried even harder.

“Miss, where did you go?” “This servant will never leave you again!”

Su Mi went up and patted Chun Mei lightly and hugged her into her arms. “I’m fine; it’s not your fault.”

The person in her arms trembled and cried, and Su Mi sighed and had to wait until she calmed down before bringing up the topic.

When Chun Mei’s emotions stabilized, Su Mi pointed to the books on the rattan table.

“Did you buy these books for me?”

Chun Mei sniffed and said, “En.., I bought some jewellery and happened to see the neighbouring stall selling some second-hand notebooks.” “They were cheap, so I thought I’d buy one for Miss to see.”

“My Chun Mei is so good to me,” Su Mi said as she hugged Chun Mei and patted her back.

After Su Mi went missing that night at Lingquan Temple and returned with a fever, Yu Qingniang had someone calculate her fortune, which revealed that she needed to purchase a maid with the same zodiac sign to serve her. That maid was Chun Mei.

It had been six years since they were together.

“Miss, where did you go? Miss Xian said you were drunk and then disappeared. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find you,” Chun Mei said, choking up a little.

Su Mi was afraid she would cry again, so she quickly stopped her and asked, “My mother doesn’t know anything, right?”

“Yes, Miss Xian told me not to say anything, and I dare not tell anyone,” Chun Mei said. She knew that it wouldn’t be good for a woman to disappear after drinking.

“Okay, that’s good.” Su Mi breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried that Yu Qingniang would be worried.

“Ah, Miss, are you injured?” Spring Mei saw the bloodstains on Su Mi’s body and exclaimed in shock.

“It’s just a minor injury. Is there hot water in the clean room?” Su Mi bathed and washed herself every day, even in the winter, and now she was sweating.

“Yes, Lin Mama had already boiled some before she left,” Chun Mei replied.

Now that Chun Mei’s mood had calmed down, she immediately got up and said, “Miss, I’ll get your clean clothes.”

“Okay,” Su Mi smiled and replied.

A cypress wood tub is placed in the center of the clean room, with a large hollow wooden grid underneath and a hollow bamboo tube leading out hot water that splashes over.

Steam rises from the tub, creating a foggy mist throughout the room.

Su Mi is immersed in the hot water, eyes closed, leaning against the edge of the tub. The water covers her up to her collarbone, revealing the sparkling white collarbone and the petals of crimson flowers nestled underneath, accentuating her flawless, snowy skin.

“Miss, does your hand still hurt?” Chun Mei sits on a small stool with a wooden water bucket on her knee, combing Su Mi’s hair with a comb and using soap to clean it.

“It hurt a bit when I first got into the water, but it’s better now.” Su Mi tests her right hand under the water. Of course, the deep wound hurt, especially when she first got into the hot water. It was a piercing pain.

Chun Mei notices that Su Mi is talking less than usual, so she doesn’t dare to ask more. She knows that Miss doesn’t like to drink alcohol, and when the young lady told her about it, she didn’t believe it and went to investigate on her own.

Fortunately, Miss is back now.

After finishing the bath, Su Mi changes into the clothes that Chun Mei prepared for her and sits in the courtyard, while Chun Mei stands and twists her hair.

The summer breeze in the evening is not as hot as during the day, and Su Mi’s pent-up frustration is gradually blown away.

It’s hard to believe that she has no resentments in her heart. However, even if she decides to escalate the situation, her mother would be the only one who would believe her, and she doesn’t want to cause any trouble for the Yu family.

In the end, this matter could only be buried in her heart. Oh, actually, there was one person who knew about it.

Su Mi suddenly thought of that person, whom she had only met twice; she didn’t know why she thought of him all of a sudden.

Chun Mei held a dry cloth and asked, “Miss, what about the jade hairpin you often wear?” I remember you took it out this morning.”

Jade hairpin… Su Mi understood; she was actually thinking of that hairpin, not the stranger.

“I lost it.”

“Miss, where did you lose it? Let me help you find it. Master gave it to you, and I remember how much you liked it.”

“There’s no need to look for it; it’s gone.”

“Oh.”

After wringing Su Mi’s hair dry, Chun Mei wiped some residual water off her body and then went to the room to get medicine and a cotton cloth.

She carefully cleaned her hands before bandaging Su Mi’s wound.

“Miss, I don’t know if this will leave a scar.” Chun Mei felt sorry for her and said this while wrapping the wound with cotton.

“The wound will heal.” Su Mi’s mood changed, and her eyes dimmed. “Chun Mei, if my sister comes later, tell her that I’m sleeping.”

Yes, Miss,” Chun Mei nodded.

Qin Yan has returned to the villa he recently purchased in Jiangling City. He dislikes living in someone else’s place.

If he had not been searching for a cook skilled in capital-style cooking, he wouldn’t have visited Drunken Night Tower to test the food, and consequently, he wouldn’t have encountered the woman who resembled a white rabbit.

Her eyes were red, her skin was white, and she trembled when she was afraid, just like the white rabbit he had seen in the hunting grounds.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by the study window.

Ling An stabilized his body and lowered his head, saying, “Master, that woman lives in the Su family in the south of the city and has not contacted Cui Manshu.”Today’s matter should be a coincidence.”

“A coincidence…”

“Master, do you want me to continue monitoring?”

“Forget it.” Qin Yan casually threw the jade hairpin from his sleeve onto the table. She was somewhat interesting, but not enough to make him care.

Ling An still had no expression on his face. “Master, Chen Sanquan’s body and confession have been brought back to the capital. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue can only close the case with him.”

“If Cui Manshu wants to be a member of my Eastern Bureau, let him have a chance to try.”

“I understand, Master.”