The round - faced girl's eyes were red from crying. She looked up at Wei Dongling and hurriedly said, "I just went to the toilet and asked the new lad to watch the fire for me for a while." The round - faced girl turned around and searched among the kneeling people, but the lad was nowhere to be seen. She panicked instantly and shouted, "Second Master, Young Steward, he's not here!"
Wei Dongling's heart sank. She had a vague answer. It must be someone from the Zhao Mansion who had sneaked in to silence the witness.
She just didn't expect that the bird's nest originally stewed for her would be accidentally eaten by Lü Kou.
The person who had poisoned it must have escaped by now.
Master Qi was so angry that his whole body trembled. He roared, "Who brought that new lad here?"
Among the kneeling people, an old woman who washed dishes crawled out tremblingly and cried, "I was just temporarily blinded by greed! That lad stuffed me some silver and said he wanted to find a job in the mansion. Since there was a shortage of a strong man to chop firewood in the kitchen, I pleaded with the kitchen steward to let him in. I really didn't know he was here to poison someone!"
Wei Dongling sighed, then took Qi Jinxuan and carried Lü Kou back.
At night, Wei Dongling lit a candle and embroidered a silk pouch. Thinking about Lü Kou being poisoned, she was secretly extremely anxious. She didn't know when Uncle Li would be back. After the failed poisoning attempt by the Zhao Mansion, they should soon take new actions. They couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Wei Dongling made a knot with her fingers, picked up the scissors to cut off the extra threads on the silk pouch, put it into her sleeve, and then went out towards the Yu Mansion.
The guards at the gate of the Yu Mansion, the residence of the Censor, looked at the woman in front of them. Seeing that she came to look for the eldest young master as it was getting dark, they didn't bother to hide their disdain and said, "Our eldest young master is not at home. Please come back tomorrow, miss."
Could he have gone to the Night Fragrance Pavilion? Or maybe he had gone to the underground gambling house in the East Gate to lose money again?
Wei Dongling curtsied to express her thanks and then turned away.
She hadn't walked far when she saw the carriage of Young Master Yu coming back. The coachman recognized Wei Dongling and quickly reined in the horse to stop the carriage.
Hearing the coachman's report, Yu Zixi lifted the curtain and got off the carriage.
Just as Wei Dongling was about to step forward to greet him, she saw the carriage curtain being lifted again, and a fair - featured woman in white got off the carriage.
Yu Zixi said something to the woman in white. The woman bowed her head and then turned around and entered the Yu Mansion.
Yu Zixi walked towards Wei Dongling with a big smile on his face. He said in surprise, "Why do you have time to come and find me tonight?" Then he reached out to pull her into the Yu Mansion for tea.
Wei Dongling withdrew her hand and said in a bad mood, "I just came to give you something. I'll go back right away."
"Oh? What is it?" Yu Zixi looked full of expectation.
Wei Dongling took out the silk pouch from her sleeve and handed it over. Yu Zixi held it in both hands and looked at it for a long time. His face grew darker and darker. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
Wei Dongling rolled her eyes and said, "The silk pouch you asked for."
Yu Zixi looked at the pattern on the silk pouch and said speechlessly, "I'm asking what is this thing you embroidered?"
Wei Dongling replied, "Peppa."
Yu Zixi stared at her with wide eyes and asked, "What is Peppa?"
Wei Dongling said, "It's a pig."
Yu Zixi:...
Yu Zixi said angrily with a dark face, "You just embroidered a pig for me? And it's so ugly!"
Wei Dongling looked down at the silk pouch and then up at Yu Zixi's face. She said stubbornly, "It's not ugly. Where is it ugly?"
Yu Zixi was so angry that he gritted his teeth and roared, "Wei Dongling!"
Wei Dongling rolled her eyes and said, "Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
She could just give it to the Cloud Prince. Then she'd have one less to embroider.
Yu Zixi was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time. He stuffed the silk pouch into his robe and ordered fiercely, "This one doesn't count. You need to embroider a new one."
Wei Dongling lifted her hand with a dark face and waved it in front of Yu Zixi's eyes, shouting, "Impossible! I've pricked my hands like this just to embroider a silk pouch for you!"
Yu Zixi held Wei Dongling's fingers full of needle pricks and looked at them carefully. He sighed and said, "Fine. If you don't want to embroider, then don't."
Wei Dongling said in a low voice, "Today, a maid in the mansion ate the bird's nest that was originally meant for me. She was poisoned by Conium and almost died."
Yu Zixi was shocked. He lowered his voice and asked, "Who did it? Was it the Zhao Mansion again?"
Wei Dongling lowered her eyes and said, "The person who poisoned her has escaped. It's most likely the Zhao Mansion."
Yu Zixi said angrily, "They're so despicable! I'll go and talk to my father. I'd better marry you earlier. It's too dangerous for you to stay there."
Wei Dongling's eyes moved, but she didn't say a word.
Yu Zixi continued, "I originally wanted to wait until things about you were cleared up before we got married. I never thought the Zhao Mansion would do such a vicious thing! Well, it seems we've been too kind to them on weekdays."
Wei Dongling looked around and asked softly, "Do you still remember the exact location where you saved me that day at Chongguan Ferry?"
Yu Zixi thought for a moment and nodded, "I should be able to find it."
Wei Dongling said in a low voice, "That day, I saw with my own eyes that the people from the Zhao Mansion were secretly transporting something. They didn't flee in a hurry until someone came."
Yu Zixi's obsidian - like eyes moved slightly. He said, "Let's follow this lead and investigate!"
Wei Dongling said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
The two hit it off and decided to act immediately. They each mounted a horse and galloped on the official road under the bright moonlight, heading straight for Chongguan Ferry in the western suburbs.
After a long time, they arrived near the horse - training ground.
Looking at this place that had once made her tremble all over, Wei Dongling couldn't help but feel a little scared. If Uncle Li and the others hadn't arrived in time that day, she might have really died here.
Yu Zixi noticed her strange mood. He jumped off his horse and reached out to help her down. His eyes sparkled like stars as he said, "Wei Dongling, don't be afraid. I'm here."
Bah, you're such a flirt!
Wei Dongling rolled her eyes and refused his help. She flipped off the horse by herself.
Yu Zixi:...
The two tied up their horses from a distance and walked towards the ferry. They walked for a long way and finally saw a large reed forest. There was a crooked - neck jujube tree in front of them.
Wei Dongling looked up and said, "It seems to be here."
"Yeah." Yu Zixi took her hand and led her into the reed forest.
Wei Dongling originally wanted to break free of his hand, but since it was so dark in the forest that she couldn't see the path under her feet, she had no choice but to let him lead her. They groped their way deeper into the forest, with each step uneven.
At the end of the reed forest by the small river, the two stopped.
Wei Dongling pointed to the position where she had seen the small boat last time and said, "I bumped into them right here that day. But I guess they won't come until after 3:30 a.m."
"It doesn't matter."
Wei Dongling looked back at Yu Zixi. Under the bright moonlight, she saw with her own eyes that Yu Zixi was reaching out to untie his belt.
Wei Dongling was startled. Her face turned deathly pale instantly.
In this reed forest in the middle of the night, with just a man and a woman, what on earth was Yu Zixi going to do?
"You... you... what are you doing?" The sudden change shocked Wei Dongling so much that her calves began to tremble. She covered her chest and took small steps back.
Yu Zixi raised his eyebrows, with an ambiguous smile on his handsome face. He said, "What do you think I'm going to do?"