Song Yihuan looked up at the sun and found that it was about to set.
She had first gone to the bookstore and then to the medical clinic today, which had taken a lot of time. If she went to look for Qi Lei in the south of the city, she might not be able to return to the Prince Ning's Mansion before curfew.
Forget it. She would find another chance to go out and look for Uncle Qi tomorrow.
She returned to the market, bought some desserts, and then turned to leave.
Song Yihuan rushed all the way back to the Prince Ning's Mansion, but bumped into a familiar figure at the back gate.
Ji Lingchuan had just dismounted from his horse. When he looked up, he happened to see Song Yihuan at the corner of the alley.
In the quiet and secluded alley, there were only Ji Lingchuan, Song Yihuan, and a horse at the moment.
Song Yihuan had nowhere to hide. Her feet were fixed in place, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react. Although she was wearing a veil hat, she could feel that Ji Lingchuan's eyes were firmly locked on her figure. The implied oppression in his eyes made her heart inexplicably flustered.
She clutched her sleeves and couldn't help but wonder in her heart whether he had recognized her or not.
It was not until the horse beside Ji Lingchuan snorted that Song Yihuan came to her senses and took the initiative to explain:
"I went out to handle some business today. I didn't follow you."
After she finished speaking, he didn't respond at all. He just stood there looking at her.
Song Yihuan picked at the embroidered thread on her cuff, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.
She also thought this excuse was a bit far - fetched. If she was out for business, how could it be such a coincidence to meet him again at the back gate of the Prince Ning's Mansion? Maybe in his eyes, she had done it on purpose.
In the past, Song Yihuan would only avoid Ji Lingchuan and even just wanted to leave quickly.
But after learning the hidden secret of her elder sister, when she saw Ji Lingchuan again this time, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for him.
This Prince Ning's heir, who was powerful and serious on the battlefield, was just a poor soul kept in the dark.
Thinking of the money bag that she hadn't been able to give away, Song Yihuan took it out, walked forward, and held it in front of Ji Lingchuan with both hands.
"I have no way to repay the heir for saving my life. This money bag was embroidered by my own hands. I hope the heir will accept it."
Song Yihuan stood in front of Ji Lingchuan, holding the money bag. The woman's figure seemed petite and vulnerable compared to Ji Lingchuan. His body could completely cover hers.
The dark - brown money bag lay quietly in her fair and rosy palm. He could also see a few needle pricks on her fingers. Maybe because the money bag had been on her for a long time, it had absorbed her fragrance. Although it was a very faint apricot blossom fragrance, it stubbornly got into his nostrils and tugged at his heartstrings.
A breeze blew through the alley, lifting the light veil on her hat and revealing her charming and beautiful face. Her deer - like eyes were now looking at him intently, filled with glistening tears.
Just as Ji Lingchuan was almost drowning in this look, his eyes swept over the coarse cloth dress on her body, and the unfinished dowry in the Qi family's yard in Yongning Alley flashed through his mind.
And the gentle look on Qi Lei's face when he said the dowry was for someone.
He closed his eyes tightly and when he opened them again, his eyes were cold: "I don't need it."
Song Yihuan was stunned for a moment, and her fingers subconsciously tightened around the money bag that she had embroidered stitch by stitch.
Was she misinterpreting his meaning?
That night, he clearly said her embroidery skills were good. When she said she would embroider something for him, he didn't refuse either. That's why she embroidered this money bag.
It wasn't the first time she had faced such a cold - hearted him, but for some reason today, her heart felt as if there was a huge boulder blocking it, and her eyes were extremely sore.
She lowered her eyes to hide the tears that were quickly gathering in them, curtsied slightly, and said softly: "It was I who misinterpreted your meaning and was being presumptuous. Don't worry, heir. I'll leave now."
After saying that, she turned around and entered the back gate of the Prince Ning's Mansion, completely disappearing from Ji Lingchuan's sight.
Song Yihuan walked away quickly. She avoided people all the way and finally returned to Tinglan Courtyard. When her younger brother saw her coming back, he was extremely happy, and Tuxue also jumped off the table and meowed at her.
But she didn't stop. She silently returned to her room alone and locked herself inside.
Song Yixuan followed her to the door. Looking at the closed door, he was full of worry: "Fourth sister, what's wrong with you? Were you bullied when you went out?"
Taking off her veil hat, Song Yihuan's eyes were blood - red, and before she knew it, her face was covered with tears.
She didn't answer her younger brother, afraid that if she spoke, her emotions at this moment would be revealed.
She raised her hand to wipe her face and found that she was still clutching the money bag that she had spent a lot of effort embroidering.
Her eyes fell on the lifelike coiled dragon pattern on it. She sniffed and quickly walked to the table, picked up the scissors, and was about to cut the money bag.
But she hesitated when the scissors were about to fall.
She sighed, put down the scissors, spread out the money bag, and smoothed the wrinkles on it.
She had embroidered this carefully stitch by stitch. Even if she couldn't give it away, she shouldn't destroy it. Maybe she could sell it for a few dozen copper coins at the embroidery workshop. She was short of money at the moment and had no right to be willful.
It was just a pity...
...
At the back gate of the Prince Ning's Mansion, the horse snorted again and nudged Ji Lingchuan's left shoulder with its nose.
After Song Yihuan left, he stood there for a long time before the surging emotions in his heart gradually subsided.
He didn't miss the hint of vulnerability and tremor in her words just now. He hated himself for almost instinctively wanting to hold her back and keep her by his side after she turned to leave.
He kept telling himself in his heart that the reason she was approaching him was just because she wanted to find a shelter. And he just happened to be the one who could shelter her for now.
Even without him, she would find another powerful backer and repeat the tricks she was using on him.
Forcing himself to put aside the distracting thoughts in his heart, he loosened the reins he had been tightly holding. Ji Lingchuan walked into the back gate. Following his memory, he found the long - abandoned old water channel in the Prince Ning's Mansion in a secluded grove in the out - house area.
After getting new clues in Yongning Alley, after leaving, he ordered the yamen to return to the crime scene to check if there were old water channels hidden in the victims' homes, while he himself went to the Ministry of Works to get the drawings of the water channel renovation four years ago. It was on those drawings that he saw the Prince Ning's Mansion, so he headed straight for the back gate.
Since it hadn't been used for a long time, weeds grew all around the old water channel, moss covered the four walls, and the bottom was covered with decaying leaves. His eyes fell on the dark, cobweb - covered opening of the water channel, and he frowned slightly.
The opening of the water channel looked very narrow. It would be extremely difficult for an adult man to pass through it.
Was his judgment wrong?
Was this case unrelated to the abandoned old water channels in the capital city?
As he was looking, a distant memory suddenly flashed through Ji Lingchuan's mind.
He remembered that a young friend had once told him something about water channels many years ago.
Suddenly straightening up, Ji Lingchuan turned around and called a few servants from the out - house area. He asked them to block the opening of the old water channel with stones. Then he strode towards Jingtao Courtyard, rushed into the study, and took the black wooden box from the shelf deep in the study!