Early the next morning, Bai Shao went to the Surging Waves Courtyard and the Pine and Crane Courtyard respectively to deliver a message, saying that Song Nanxin was having her period and would be inconvenient to serve in the bedchamber for the next few days.
Upon hearing this, the Princess of Ning stroked the prayer beads in her hand and let out a soft sigh. "It seems we'll have to wait a bit longer," she murmured.
The Princess of Ning knew she shouldn't be hasty. She herself didn't conceive Ji Lingchuan until half a year after her wedding. Moreover, before the birth of the legitimate eldest grandson or granddaughter, no concubine's children should be born. So she bowed to the Buddha statue enshrined in the Buddhist hall, praying to the heavens to bless Ji Lingchuan with many descendants.
In the Surging Waves Courtyard, Ji Lingchuan also learned the news. Instead of being disappointed, he felt a sense of relief.
Whether Song Nanxin was truly inconvenient to serve in the bedchamber or just using this as an excuse to avoid his favor after last night's incident, it was a good thing for him.
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, last night's events made it clearer to him that he had already developed a wavering heart towards his once beloved wife. He needed time to sort out his thoughts, recognize his responsibilities and missions, and think carefully about what to do next.
He ordered someone to send some tonics to the Shulan Courtyard later, then he left the mansion with Fuzhou, heading towards the palace.
As dawn broke, the various courtyards in the Prince of Ning's Mansion began to stir.
Song Yihuan always suffered a great deal on the first day of her period. After enduring the excruciating pain, she felt as if she had come back to life.
Remembering that today was the third day after the birthday banquet of the Dowager Lady Jiang, the result of the writing competition between Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng was about to be announced.
Approaching noon, she summoned Fuling and Chunxing. "You two stay in the courtyard and take good care of the Fifth Young Master. I'm going out to the bookstore to settle my previous payment. I'll be back soon."
"Fourth Miss, are you going alone? Let this servant accompany you," Fuling said worriedly.
Song Yihuan changed into an ordinary coarse cloth dress and put on a veil hat. "Don't worry. I won't stay out long. I'll be careful to hide my tracks so that no one will notice me," she said with a smile.
After giving the instructions, Song Yihuan quietly left the Tinglan Courtyard and exited the Prince of Ning's Mansion through the back door of the servants' courtyard.
She left through the back door used by the servants. There was a small alley outside the back door. No one other than the servants of the Prince of Ning's Mansion would pass by. And this was the busiest time for the servants in the mansion, so no one noticed her departure.
She walked through the alley and then along another road. In a short while, she left the area of the Prince of Ning's Mansion and stood on a bustling street.
Song Yihuan looked up at the position of the sun, then turned and walked towards the Western Market.
There were two markets in the capital, the Eastern Market and the Western Market. Both were bustling, and the types of goods sold were similar. The only difference was that the goods sold in the Eastern Market were of high quality and mainly served the nobles and dignitaries, while the Western Market was more suitable for ordinary people.
This was why Ji Lingchuan chose to post the articles written by him and Gu Yunzheng on the bulletin board in the Western Market.
If he had posted them in the Eastern Market, due to his status, passers-by would surely consider the influence of the Prince of Ning's Mansion and declare Ji Lingchuan the winner, which would be unfair.
In the Western Market, the common people didn't know their identities as the two participated anonymously. They would surely choose the one they liked most, and the winner would be truly determined by strength.
To be honest, Song Yihuan never expected Ji Lingchuan to be so fair. She thought that a proud son of heaven like him would simply ignore Gu Yunzheng's challenge.
Therefore, she became even more curious about the article written by Ji Lingchuan, and quickened her pace.
Hastening all the way, she finally arrived at the Western Market before noon.
The Western Market was as bustling and prosperous as she remembered. Pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, and from time to time, she could see carriages and horses passing by.
She remembered that the bulletin board was in the middle of the Western Market. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Song Yihuan avoided the pedestrians and continued walking towards it.
The closer she got, the faster her heart beat. From afar, she could see a group of people gathered in front of the bulletin board, pointing and discussing something.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly thought of a question - would Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng be on the scene, waiting for the result of the competition?
Although she was very curious about the result, she didn't want to cause any trouble. It would be a bad thing for her if Gu Yunzheng misunderstood that she still had feelings for him or if Ji Lingchuan misunderstood that she was trying to get close to him again. So her steps hesitated.
But in the end, her curiosity got the better of her. She adjusted the brim of her hat, bit her lower lip, and continued walking forward.
She was wearing a coarse cloth dress and a veil hat. As long as she was careful not to speak, who could recognize her?
Song Yihuan was full of expectations to read the articles of the two on the bulletin board. But when she finally squeezed through the crowd and reached the bulletin board, what she saw was not the articles written by Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng during the competition at the Duke Jiang's Mansion, but a wanted notice.
The wanted notice stated that there had been a strange murder case in the capital. Five women had died overnight. They all had the same cause of death, but their death times were only a quarter of an hour apart, and the crime scenes were very far from each other. It had been listed as a top - priority case. The government announced that a curfew would be enforced throughout the city from now on, and anyone with clues could report to the government and receive a reward.
The common people gathered in front of the bulletin board were all discussing and pointing at this wanted notice.
Song Yihuan looked back and forth on the bulletin board but couldn't find the articles written by Gu Yunzheng and Ji Lingchuan. She casually grabbed a passer - by and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, there were two articles posted on this bulletin board before. Why can't I find them now?"
The man replied, "Oh, miss, you're late. An hour ago, the government officials came and removed those two articles and posted this wanted notice. Now if you want to see them, you have to ask the government officials!"
How could this happen?
Gu Yunzheng was now a judge in the government. Did he order this? Song Yihuan wondered subconsciously.
But she immediately dismissed this thought.
Although her relationship with Gu Yunzheng didn't end well, during their previous interactions, apart from being a bit stubborn, he had always been a gentleman and should be above such underhanded tactics.
It seemed that this case was really tricky.
Song Yihuan was extremely disappointed. She stood there motionless for a long time before turning around and leaving.
Unbeknownst to her, on the teahouse diagonally opposite the bulletin board, a pair of sharp phoenix - like eyes followed her steps closely, the gaze deep and focused.