Standing outside the wall of Huichun Hall, he didn't rush back to the small courtyard but quietly listened to the sounds inside the yard.
At this moment, the yard was completely silent. Ye Wanmian should have gone back to her room to sleep. Only then did he climb over the wall and lightly land in the yard.
Neither Ye Wanmian nor Xiao Jingcheng's departure had caught anyone's attention.
Back in the room, Xiao Jingcheng found a fire starter and lit the oil lamp. He sat at the table and opened the booklet in his hand.
After flipping through just two pages, he realized it was the medical records of a clinic, which recorded the patients' symptoms and the prescriptions used by the doctors.
Had Xiao Yixuan been hiding in the room reading these things for the past few days?
Xiao Jingcheng frowned and continued to flip through the medical records. Then he found a folded corner, which should have been a mark made by Xiao Yixuan.
The part marked by Xiao Yixuan recorded the treatment plan for a foolish patient.
Further on, the other two marked points recorded a patient with amnesia and a patient with a head injury respectively.
Xiao Jingcheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table and let out a cold snort.
He guessed what Xiao Yixuan's purpose was in collecting so many medical records.
The tomb of the youngest son of the Chen员外 had been dug up, and his body had disappeared from the coffin. Xiao Yixuan, who had planned all this, must be very panicked.
However, the news that the crown prince was "dead" had already spread. At this moment, Xiao Yixuan couldn't search Dongli Town under the pretext of looking for the crown prince's whereabouts.
So, he wanted to find people with similar symptoms to him in the towns within a hundred - mile radius of Dongli Town.
It had been less than half a month since the tomb of the Chen员外's youngest son was dug up until today. Although Xiao Yixuan's method was troublesome, his thinking was indeed correct.
However, no matter how hard Xiao Yixuan wracked his brains, he didn't know that Xiao Jingcheng was right under his nose at this moment.
Xiao Jingcheng guessed that Xiao Yixuan must have come to Huichun Hall to inquire before coming up with the idea of investigating the medical records.
Since he had searched the medical records of all the clinics within a hundred - mile radius but spared Huichun Hall, it should be Ye Wanmian who had dispelled his doubts.
However, Xiao Yixuan was not an incompetent person. When they were in the capital, his schoolwork was never inferior to Xiao Jingcheng's.
If he deliberately sent someone to keep an eye on Huichun Hall, he would surely know what had happened there today.
Mo Zhizhang's arrival had added another person to Huichun Hall. With Xiao Yixuan's vigilant nature, he would never let such an anomaly slip by. He would surely come to inquire again in the next few days.
As long as Xiao Yixuan stayed in Dongli Town, Huichun Hall would sooner or later be at risk of being exposed.
Now that he had the medical records in his hand, he already had a way to divert Xiao Yixuan's attention. However...
Thinking of what Curly had said about the conflict between Xiao Wuchen and Xiao Yixuan, the corners of his lips twitched slightly.
Instead of diverting the two of them, it would be better to use one against the other.
The news that he was still alive must be spread somehow. Otherwise, he would really have to be a "dead man".
Rather than trying to do it himself, it would be better to let it happen through Xiao Wuchen's hands.
If there was a chance to get rid of Xiao Yixuan and the noble concubine's control, he believed that Xiao Wuchen wouldn't let it go.
After all, his younger brother was no ordinary person.
There were also the rampant rumors on the streets of Dongli Town, and the rumors about his birth that he had heard from two guards when he possessed the dog named Dahuang and went to the morgue with Ye Wanmian at night.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jingcheng's face turned as cold as frost.
Now, all kinds of unfavorable rumors about him had spread all over the place. Even two guards with extremely low military ranks were talking about his birth. What about in the capital?
If these rumors reached the palace and were known by his father - the emperor—
Xiao Jingcheng took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.
Although his mother was extremely strict with him and had never shown him a smile, she was still his mother.
Having witnessed the harm that rumors could do to a person in Dongli Town today, he could well imagine how his father, who was autocratic, suspicious, and cold - hearted, would treat his mother if he heard these rumors!
Although his mother was extremely strict with him and had never shown him a smile, she was still his mother.
Having witnessed the harm that rumors could do to a person in Dongli Town today, he wasn't naive enough to think that his father would treat his mother kindly.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jingcheng felt a wave of annoyance in his heart.
The situation he was facing now was indeed extremely difficult. He needed money, manpower, and an opportunity. He couldn't do without any of these three things. But now, he had none of them.
Let's not even mention money. He still owed Ye Wanmian three thousand taels of silver. As for manpower, he couldn't rely on the Shen family. In order to prevent the relatives of the emperor from monopolizing power, his father had been trying every means to weaken the Shen family's power over the years. The Shen family now only had half of the tiger amulet, and it was difficult to mobilize even a single soldier.
And the opportunity...
To break the deadlock and turn the situation around would not happen overnight.
Xiao Jingcheng blew out the oil lamp and lay down on the bed.
He smelled a faint fragrance in his nostrils. He came to his senses and took out a handkerchief from under the pillow.
The fragrance became a bit stronger, soothing his irritable mood at this moment.
His fingers brushed over the pattern embroidered on the handkerchief. In his mind, scenes of him and Ye Wanmian spending time together in Qingyu Alley kept flashing, as well as the picture of them catching fireflies in the forest.
But in the end, all these pictures turned into the girl's face full of disgust and disdain, and her words full of hatred.
"He relied on his noble status and didn't take others seriously. He never considered others' feelings and trampled on them wantonly, almost ruining others' lives because of him."
...
"A selfish, unrighteous, self - serving, and self - opinionated villain like him deserves to end up being hunted down and missing."
...
"I have no love for Your Highness, and I never want to be anything to Your Highness."
...
"Xiao Jingcheng, now you owe me, not the other way around!"
...
Xiao Jingcheng felt as if countless silver needles were piercing his heart, bringing a fine and dense pain.
If it weren't for Ye Wanmian, it would have been difficult for him, possessing Dahuang, to dig up that tomb, pry open that hard coffin, and rescue his own body.
If it weren't for Ye Wanmian, Taoist Yuanzheng wouldn't have been invited by her, and his soul that had escaped from his body wouldn't have been able to return to his body. He would have only been an unconscious living dead.
If it weren't for her, there would really be no more "Xiao Jingcheng" in this world.
Xiao Jingcheng clenched his fists tightly. His glass - like eyes were filled with strong determination.
He was able to survive all because of Ye Wanmian.
Her prejudice and disgust towards him all stemmed from the unintentional harm he had caused her two years ago.
The harm had already been done. It was hard to imagine what kind of state she would be in now if she hadn't escaped from Xuanzhou.
She was repaying kindness for hatred, but what had he been doing all these days?
He should have made up for her properly, but what had "he" done to her when he woke up the day before yesterday?
No matter how she treated him at this moment, it was what he deserved.
He had hurt her, shouted at her, and played tricks on her.
But was he really willing to accept this?
He had once felt her tenderness and care through Dahuang's body. How could he just give up like this?
Absolutely impossible!
What he, Xiao Jingcheng, wanted must be his. He would never let it go to others!
It's just that...
He might have to change his way.