Inside the Pine and Crane Hall, as she watched Song Yihuan leave, the Princess of Ning squinted slightly and fingered the Buddhist beads in her palm.
To be honest, Song Yihuan's performance had once again exceeded her expectations.
To be able to do this, one must either be truly indifferent or extremely calculating.
Which one was Song Yihuan?
Someone gently tugged at her sleeve. The Princess of Ning looked down and found that Song Yixuan had somehow come back. With a pair of clear and innocent big eyes, he pleaded:
"Goddess of Mercy, do you dislike Sister Yihuan?
"Please don't dislike her, okay? Sister Yihuan is very obedient and has worked so hard. Without Sister Yihuan, I wouldn't have grown up. In my heart, Sister Yihuan is like my mother. She's the person I like the most."
As he spoke, two lines of tears rolled down his eyes.
The Princess of Ning immediately felt heart - achy. She picked him up and placed him on her lap. Using a handkerchief, she wiped away Song Yixuan's tears and said:
"You've misunderstood. I don't dislike her. I just made some things clear to her."
Song Yixuan sobbed in her arms and asked, "Really?"
"Little Xuan'er, you don't understand. The human heart is the most complicated thing. If she's always as obedient as you said, I'll see her goodness. If she wants to marry into a good family, I can even adopt her as my god - daughter so that her in - laws won't look down on her.
"The important thing is how she chooses. Do you understand?" The Princess of Ning said with a faint smile.
Song Yixuan didn't understand. He repeated, "As long as we're obedient, that's enough? Goddess of Mercy, don't worry. Xuan'er and Sister Yihuan will definitely be obedient."
...
Song Yihuan had been delayed in the Pine and Crane Hall for a while. She thought Ji Lingchuan and Song Nanxin had gone far away, but when she chased after them, she caught up with them after only walking for a short while.
Song Yihuan deliberately slowed down her steps to keep a distance from the two in front. But since they were on the same path, her eyes always lingered on the tall figure in front.
Only then did she notice that Ji Lingchuan was wearing a vermilion - purple robe today. On it, more deeply - colored silk threads embroidered flying beasts. His wide sleeves fluttered in the wind. There were no ornaments on his waist. He looked neat and tidy.
She remembered that her elder sister had bought a jade pendant for him the day before. Why wasn't he wearing it? Could it be that her elder sister hadn't given it to him?
However, even without any ornaments, his heroism and nobility were fully revealed.
When he walked, his steps were steady, his figure was straight and imposing, and his shoulders were broad and powerful. Just his back could make people feel the majesty of the commander of the Black Armored Army.
Her eyes involuntarily fell on his right shoulder.
There was no sign that he had been injured. Was he really okay?
Song Nanxin was walking diagonally behind Ji Lingchuan, two steps away from him.
At this moment, she didn't notice that Song Yihuan had quietly followed. She thought Song Yihuan was still in the Pine and Crane Hall being questioned by the Princess of Ning.
Seeing that the timing was right, she secretly winked at Baizhi. Baizhi lowered her voice and said beside her:
"Princess, this servant always feels that the hairpin on Miss Yihuan's head looks very familiar.
"Seems like it's the one you lost the other day..."
Song Nanxin said in a low voice, "You remembered wrong. That hairpin wasn't lost. I had someone give it to Yihuan."
The voices of the mistress and the servant weren't very loud and didn't carry far. But Song Nanxin was sure that Ji Lingchuan, who was walking in front, could hear.
Baizhi was about to continue, "But this servant clearly remembers..."
Song Nanxin interrupted her in a low voice, "That's enough. I gave her that hairpin. Besides, it's not wrong for Yihuan to dress up nicely for the meeting at the Duke Jiang's Mansion today. If she can find a good husband because of this, I, as her elder sister, will be happy for her."
Baizhi mumbled, "Only you whole - heartedly treat her as your younger sister. Whether she has you as her elder sister in her heart is still uncertain. Look at how she deliberately dressed so flamboyantly today. Isn't she just trying to outshine you and seduce men at the Duke's Mansion?"
As they were talking, Song Nanxin was constantly paying attention to Ji Lingchuan's reaction.
Sure enough, after hearing their conversation, Ji Lingchuan stopped.
When Ji Lingchuan stopped, everyone stopped. Song Nanxin was secretly delighted. She looked up at Ji Lingchuan, expecting to see disgust on his face. But then she heard Ji Lingchuan say in a deep voice:
"Princess, hasn't this servant of yours learned the rules in the Marquis's Mansion?"
Song Yihuan didn't know what had happened in front. She was on guard against any possible schemes from Song Nanxin. Suddenly seeing Ji Lingchuan getting angry, she was startled and stopped in her tracks, not daring to get closer.
Both Ji Lingchuan and Song Nanxin noticed her. The man's eyes lingered on her face for a moment, then he looked at Baizhi beside Song Nanxin and said coldly:
"Spreading rumors and trying to sow discord in front of your mistress. Is this the kind of servant taught by the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's Mansion? Hmm?"
Baizhi's knees involuntarily bent, and she knelt down with a thud. Bowing her head, she trembled and said, "Your, Your Highness, please calm down. This servant, this servant knows her mistake."
Seeing that he had scolded Baizhi in front of Song Yihuan, Song Nanxin's face turned ugly for a moment.
"Your Highness, Baizhi isn't..." She was about to defend Baizhi when Ji Lingchuan shot her a look. Feeling the hidden anger in that look, Song Nanxin shivered involuntarily, and the words on her lips couldn't come out.
There was no emotion in Ji Lingchuan's eyes. He was like a god of death.
"The Princess and I haven't known each other for long, so you may not know me well. I dislike suspicion the most, and I especially hate gossiping about others behind their backs. Since everyone is here today, let's just lay everything on the table."
He turned around and looked at Song Yihuan, who was standing behind looking blank. His eyes swept over the rather expensive jewelry in her hair and the clothes on her body. Then he asked Song Nanxin:
"The jewelry in her hair. Did you really give it to her, or did she steal it?"
The man's deep and somewhat cold voice echoed around and reached Song Yihuan's ears. She couldn't help but look up at the man, with obvious surprise in her eyes.
When Song Nanxin had sent Baizhi to deliver the clothes and jewelry, Song Yihuan had guessed that her elder sister had an ulterior motive. So she had played along and put on the clothes and jewelry.
It turned out that her elder sister's real purpose was to slander her for stealing the jewelry and clothes?
Song Yihuan sneered in her heart.
Her elder sister had framed her for losing her virginity on the pretext of being unable to bear children due to a fall into the water. She had even forced her to win the master's favor by threatening her with Xuan'er's heart disease. Now she was trying to frame her character.
Didn't her elder sister know that even a cornered rabbit would bite?
But what surprised Song Yihuan the most in this matter was Ji Lingchuan.
She thought that with Ji Lingchuan's personality, he would continue to misunderstand her and believe the charges her elder sister had placed on her.
After all, when they had accidentally met in the market the other day, the man had still been cold - faced to her, obviously believing that she was a woman who would stop at nothing.
Collecting herself, Song Yihuan took a deep breath and looked at Song Nanxin blankly and helplessly:
"Sister, what's going on? Why does Baizhi say I stole your things?"