Song Yihuan had a photographic memory. After reading a book once, the contents were deeply engraved in her mind.
At first, she copied the book rather slowly. But as she went on, her speed gradually picked up. She didn't even need to look up and compare, and the words she wrote were almost identical to the original.
She copied tirelessly. When she finally finished the first book, she let out a long sigh.
At this time, the sound of the night watchman came from outside. It was already the fourth watch of the night.
Sitting at the desk and copying for a long time made her whole body ache. She got up and stretched for a while, then blew out the lamp and lay down to sleep.
She put A Miscellaneous Record of Yang Mountain under her pillow, as if this way she would have a support in this world.
That night, she slept more soundly and peacefully than ever before.
In Jingtao Courtyard, Ji Lingchuan lay in bed but couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
The once - calmed lake of his heart was stirred up by a huge wave again today. The scene he saw in the market kept replaying in his mind over and over again—
Song Yihuan, in a coarse cloth dress, lifted her veil hat and showed an extremely bright smile to a man in short - sleeved coarse cloth. Her smile was bright and relaxed, and her eyes were full of trust and dependence on the man, completely different from the restraint and defense she showed when facing him.
Yes, although she kept saying that she wanted to cling to him and had an ulterior motive, when they were alone together, all he saw in her eyes was restraint and defense.
She had never even smiled at him like this. Even when she did smile, the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Ji Lingchuan felt as if there was a huge rock in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He prided himself on having great self - control, but at this moment, he couldn't help but wonder what the relationship between them was.
What did that man say to her and what did he give her to make her so elated?
"Fu Zhou!" He sat up straight in bed, frowning as he called out.
Fu Zhou was already asleep. Suddenly woken up, he yawned and replied drowsily, "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Go and find out..." Ji Lingchuan originally wanted Fu Zhou to investigate the background of that man, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he thought it was inappropriate and stopped.
Frowning tightly, he said impatiently, "Early tomorrow morning, go to the bookstore and get back the book A Miscellaneous Record of Yang Mountain."
Fu Zhou immediately lost his drowsiness and asked in surprise, "Why? My lord doesn't want the common people to read the book you wrote anymore?"
Ji Lingchuan rubbed his temples, his voice tinged with impatience, "There are a few places in the book that need to be revised. I'll send it back after I'm done."
Fu Zhou gave a start and quickly replied, "Yes!"
Early the next morning, Fuling gently pushed open the door. Looking at Song Yihuan sleeping soundly in bed, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
Chun Xing walked behind her and said, "Miss Si hasn't gotten up yet?"
Fuling quickly turned around and put her finger to her lips, "Shh!"
"Don't be so loud. You might wake up the miss," Fuling said with a warning look in her eyes and closed the door again.
Chun Xing quickly covered her mouth, "Okay, okay, I won't say anything."
The two left the room and sat in the yard to process the beans. Fuling asked, "Did Miss Si often copy books until late at night like this before?"
Chun Xing looked at her warily, "What do you mean? I'm warning you. You must never tell anyone that Miss Si copies books for money. If someone finds out, I'll definitely find a way to get rid of you."
Fuling quickly said, "You misunderstood. I don't want to tell anyone about this. I just think Miss Si... is very hard - working."
Chun Xing's attitude softened a bit, but she still snorted, "Humph, it's good that you know. Miss Si has suffered more in her life than the salt you've eaten. If you have a conscience, side with her more. Don't let Miss Si's kindness to you go to waste."
"Although the miss doesn't avoid you anymore, I won't trust you so easily. I'll keep an eye on you for Miss Si. If you dare to betray Miss Si and make her sad, just wait and see how I deal with you!"
At this time, the voice of Nanny Zhao came from outside the courtyard, "Is Miss Si up?"
Fuling and Chun Xing looked at each other, then got up and walked outside the courtyard. Nanny Zhao was standing there with a faint smile and said, "The Princess of the Heir Apparent has invited a theatrical troupe to perform today. She invites Miss Si to come and join the fun."
Fuling used to be a maid in Song Nanxin's room and was very familiar with Nanny Zhao. Hearing this, she frowned, looked at the inner room, and whispered, "Miss Si is not feeling well today and hasn't gotten up yet."
Nanny Zhao saw that her expression didn't seem fake. She glanced into the courtyard and said, "In that case, let Miss Si have a good rest."
It wasn't until Nanny Zhao's figure disappeared from sight that Fuling wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and turned back into the courtyard.
...
In Jingtao Courtyard, Ji Lingchuan put down his pen, frowned deeply, and looked out of the window.
The sound of the opera came from outside, disturbing his thoughts once again.
At this time, there was a knock on the study door. Fu Zhou strode in, looking a bit solemn.
"My lord, I failed to do what you told me last night."
Ji Lingchuan was stunned for a moment before he remembered what he was talking about. It was last night when he couldn't sleep and told Fu Zhou to go to the bookstore early in the morning to get back the book.
Remembering the reason, he coughed lightly, put on a straight face, and asked, "Why?"
"The bookstore owner said I was a day late. He had already given the book to a copyist to transcribe. And because you gave the book to the bookstore for free back then, the copyist was extremely fond of your book and had spent money to buy the original book from the bookstore owner. So, technically, the book no longer belongs to you, my lord."
Ji Lingchuan frowned tightly after hearing this, "What's this person's name and where does he live? How much did he spend on the book? I'll spend double to buy it back."
Fu Zhou immediately said, "I've thought of that too, my lord! But the bookstore owner said he didn't know the person's full name. He usually just called her 'Miss Rou'. He also didn't know where she lived. Now, we can only wait for her to finish copying the book and send it to the bookstore before we can find her."
Miss Rou?
There were very few people with the surname Rou in the capital. The only one he knew was Concubine Rou from the Ding'an Marquis Mansion, who had already passed away.
But Concubine Rou was dead. So where did this Miss Rou come from?
As if knowing what he was thinking, Fu Zhou said, "I was also curious. I didn't expect there to be a woman working as a copyist in the bookstore. So I asked the bookstore owner about her."
"I heard that Miss Rou's mother died when she was young. She has been living with her younger brother. But her brother is in poor health, so she has to support the family alone. She has very good calligraphy skills and can almost imitate most people's handwriting. She is also very outstanding among the copyists in the bookstore. The bookstore owner spoke highly of her."
A younger brother? And her brother is in poor health?
Fu Zhou's words made a delicate and beautiful face appear in Ji Lingchuan's mind.
Called Miss Rou and in such a similar situation. Could it be... her?