Seeing that Song Yihuan didn't respond, Ji Lingchuan said indifferently,
"What? Didn't you say you wanted to repay me for saving your life? Or did you give that money bag to someone else?"
Song Yihuan almost choked on her own saliva.
She hadn't given the money bag to anyone else. She had planned to take it to the embroidery workshop to sell for silver after leaving Qi Lei today. But due to the case, things had been delayed until now.
She coughed lightly twice, took out the money bag from her sleeve, and reached it forward.
"Here it is."
Seeing that she still carried the money bag close to her body after being rejected yesterday, the frost in Ji Lingchuan's eyes melted a little. This time, instead of refusing, he gladly accepted it.
"You get off the carriage first. I'll return to the mansion later," Ji Lingchuan said.
They had returned in the same carriage. If they entered the mansion together, they would surely be noticed. Now that Song Nanxin was not in the Prince Ning's Mansion, given their identities, they should avoid suspicion even more. Song Yihuan didn't say anything. She just nodded, lifted the carriage curtain to look around, then got off the carriage and quickly walked into the Prince Ning's Mansion.
The faint cold fragrance of apricot blossoms still lingered in the carriage. Ji Lingchuan leaned against the carriage wall, his fingers gently caressing the money bag in his palm.
After a stick of incense had burned, Ji Lingchuan got off the carriage and walked into the Prince Ning's Mansion.
Back in the mansion, Ji Lingchuan went straight to the Jingtao Courtyard. These two days, Fuzhou had been sent out by him to handle matters with the yamen runners. Only Fuxing and the others were serving in the Jingtao Courtyard. He waved his hand to dismiss everyone and then entered the study alone.
He found the black wooden box on the cabinet. Ji Lingchuan sat at the table, opened the box, took out the letter inside, and carefully read the contents word by word.
Suddenly, his finger stopped, and he even held his breath a little.
"Mother is already seven months pregnant. Her body is getting heavier. She can't fall asleep at night, tossing and turning. So I told Mother the stories that Mr. Lingji told me. Mother liked them very much and soon fell asleep. Thank you, Mr. Lingji!"
"I was scolded by Mother again today. I really hope the baby in Mother's belly will come out soon. Then I won't be the only one who makes Mother angry and gets scolded. Mr. Lingji, do you have younger siblings? Do you think if I have a younger brother, will he be very naughty?"
When he met that young friend four years ago, she had mentioned that her mother was seven months pregnant. According to the time calculation, it exactly matched Song Yixuan's age.
Whenever he asked her a question, she could always answer him from a strange and wonderful perspective. For example, when he was building a water canal, she associated it with the acrobatic troupe in the market.
From her words, he could tell that she was a smart, lively, and interesting girl. She was very familiar with what happened in the market and didn't seem to be a delicate young lady who stayed in the deep boudoir all day.
And all this was very consistent with Song Yihuan.
Turning further down, on another letter, he saw another sentence.
"I know someone who makes very delicious Yangchun noodles. If I have the chance, I'll invite Mr. Lingji to have noodles."
The words "Yangchun noodles" made Ji Lingchuan think of Qi Lei.
But there were also doubts in his heart. If Song Yihuan was that young friend, when she got the "Miscellaneous Notes from Yangshan" he wrote in the Youyang Bookstore, she wouldn't have been indifferent to the name "Mr. Lingji".
Moreover, if it was proven that she was that young friend, as a concubine's daughter of a marquis's mansion, how could she appear in the Imperial College and in that dilapidated temple?
Fuzhou had gone to inquire. With Concubine Rou and her situation in the marquis's mansion, they would never send her to the Imperial College to study. And she had also admitted herself that she had never been to the Imperial College.
An idea suddenly popped up in Ji Lingchuan's mind - what if she was lying?
What if there was some unknown secret that made her have to hide the truth from others?
...
As soon as Song Yihuan's figure appeared in the Tinglan Courtyard, she heard a meow and her younger brother's childish voice: "Fourth sister, you're finally back."
Someone tightly grabbed her sleeve. Song Yihuan lowered her head and saw Song Yixuan's worried little face, as well as a cat circling around her.
Fu Ling and Chun Xing also stepped forward and surrounded her.
"Fourth Miss, why did you stay out so long today and come back so late?"
"Yes, we were so worried. Now the city is in a state of panic. We don't know where the murderer is hiding. Miss, you'd better not go out these few days."
A warm current welled up in her heart. Song Yihuan first smiled and ruffled her younger brother's hair, then said to the two maids:
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. The murderer you mentioned should be caught soon."
"Really? That's great!"
The two maids were extremely happy when they heard this and chattered away.
"Fourth Miss must be hungry and tired after a day of running around. This servant has prepared hot water and dinner for Fourth Miss. Hurry up and wash up, change your clothes, and fill your stomach."
They all entered the room together. Then, the clear laughter of the women came from the room from time to time.
After dinner, after coaxing her younger brother to sleep, Song Yihuan wrapped her clothes and returned to her own room.
An oil lamp was lit on the table. The ground ink, paper, and brush had been prepared by Fu Ling in advance. Taxue was curled up in a corner of the table, sleeping soundly with its tail gently swaying behind it.
After sitting down, Song Yihuan picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, and began to continue copying the "Miscellaneous Notes from Yangshan".
She wrote extremely seriously. When she put the brush to the paper, she hardly hesitated. Those words had long been deeply engraved in her mind and had become a part of her.
It wasn't until the sound of the night watchman faintly came from outside that she knew it was already the third watch. Then she put down the brush, rubbed her sore eyes, and got up to walk towards the big bed not far away.
A gentle breeze blew. She found that the window was still open. Song Yihuan stepped forward to close it, but found that there were several twinkling fireflies lying on the climbing vines outside the window.
She stood there and watched quietly for a while. Unconsciously, she thought to herself, would there be fireflies at the border?
She wondered when Mr. Lingji would publish the second volume of the "Miscellaneous Notes from Yangshan".
Taking back her gaze, Song Yihuan closed the window, returned to the bed, lay down, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
When she woke up the next day, Song Yihuan found that Taxue had somehow got into her quilt and was sleeping beside her. She smiled and tapped Taxue's nose, then got up and called Fu Ling in to serve her.
Fu Ling picked out a light cyan brocade robe with cloud patterns for her to change into, but Song Yihuan stopped her and asked Fu Ling to get a coarse cloth dress instead.
Fu Ling looked worried: "Is Fourth Miss going out again today?"
Song Yihuan changed her clothes and said, "There are still some things unfinished. Don't worry. Everything will be settled after today."
With Song Nanxin not in the mansion, Song Yihuan felt much more at ease. She quietly left the Prince Ning's Mansion through the back door. She walked a short distance along the alley, turned a corner, and saw the carriage that had already been parked there.
As if hearing her footsteps, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Ji Lingchuan's solemn and cold face.
"Get in the carriage."