Ji Lingchuan spoke bluntly, causing Marquis Ding'an's face to stiffen and his expression to turn somewhat embarrassed.
Marquis Ding'an held an official position in the court. With his noble title, when the late emperor was still alive, he secretly defected to the camp of another prince. However, that prince failed to be crowned the crown prince in the end. After Ji Zihuan ascended the throne and the empress dowager took control of the court, that prince was enfeoffed as a king and was effectively exiled from the capital under the pretext of going to his fief.
Marquis Ding'an was also implicated. His official rank dropped from the fourth rank to the fifth rank, and his prestige in the court declined significantly.
It was not until the empress dowager arranged a marriage for Ji Lingchuan and selected Song Nanxin among the female disciples of the Imperial College. After the Marquis's Mansion got involved with the Prince Ning's Mansion, Marquis Ding'an was restored to his original position.
Therefore, even though Ji Lingchuan spoke impolitely, he dared not show his anger. He voluntarily packed up the chessboard and said with a smile, "I'm old. Naturally, I can't compare with the young and energetic young master."
"By the way, I heard that we're going to set off for the hunting ground in Xingzhou next month for the autumn hunting?"
Ji Lingchuan looked up at Marquis Ding'an and replied, "That's right."
The royal family of the Yu State would go to the royal hunting ground for autumn hunting every three years. The royal hunting ground was located in the northern part of Xingzhou, on the border between Xingzhou and the border city of Liaocheng. It would take more than twenty days to travel from the capital to Xingzhou.
There was only half a month left until August. The list of people who would accompany the emperor on the autumn hunting had basically been finalized. For the court officials, it was an unparalleled honor to accompany the emperor to the hunting ground for the autumn hunting. If one could make contributions during the autumn hunting, they would advance further in the officialdom. Marquis Ding'an would never miss this good opportunity.
He tentatively asked Ji Lingchuan, "So, the list of people who will accompany His Majesty on the autumn hunting has been finalized? I wonder if the Marquis's Mansion is on the list?"
Ji Lingchuan said, "In five days, the list of accompanying people will be announced in the palace, and the imperial edicts will be sent to each family. Just wait patiently to see if you can accompany, Marquis."
This brat! Marquis Ding'an was so angry that his chest heaved.
Ji Lingchuan straightened his sleeves and said indifferently, "Since you're not in good spirits, I won't disturb you any longer. Have a good rest, Marquis."
Then, he got up and left the Wenwu Pavilion.
Standing in the corridor of the Marquis Ding'an's Mansion, Ji Lingchuan looked around and walked towards the southwest corner.
As he walked, he heard some noises in his ears. He changed his steps and hid his body in the rockery.
There was a sound of footsteps outside. Several maids walked by.
"Didn't you see Miss Four's arrogant look when she came back with Miss Big today? If someone didn't know, they might think it was her who married into the Prince Ning's Mansion."
"Do you think Miss Four has been staying in the Prince Ning's Mansion and is reluctant to come back because she wants to seduce the young master and be his concubine?"
"I'm sure that's it. Today, the young master brought Miss Big back to visit her family. Logically, she and Young Master Five should have come back too, but Young Master Five is nowhere to be seen. Maybe she's trying every means to stay in the Prince Ning's Mansion."
"I think Miss Big shouldn't have taken her and her younger brother to the Prince Ning's Mansion. Didn't Concubine Rou seduce the marquis behind the back of the seriously ill old madam and then stay in the mansion? Miss Big needs to be careful that Miss Four might follow Concubine Rou's example and steal the young master's favor."
The voices outside gradually faded away, and the gossiping maids gradually walked away. When there was no sound around, Ji Lingchuan walked out from behind the rockery. The frost between his eyebrows was heavier than before.
It was extremely ridiculous!
Ji Lingchuan had long known that Song Yihuan and Song Yixuan were in a difficult situation in the Marquis's Mansion. At this moment, seeing that even an ordinary maid could scold and slander her wantonly, he knew how much misunderstanding Concubine Rou's incident had brought to her and her mother.
He wondered if she had suffered any grievances in the places he couldn't see.
In the Qinghe Courtyard, the small house, which was not big in the first place, had become even more empty after Song Yihuan's tidying up. There were three large wooden boxes on the ground, which contained almost all of her and Song Yixuan's belongings.
After all this fuss, her forehead was completely soaked with sweat, and she also felt a bit thirsty.
She was just about to get some water to drink when she turned around and saw a tall and imposing figure standing silently outside the door. She didn't know how long he had been standing there or how much he had seen.
Suddenly seeing someone she shouldn't have seen here, Song Yihuan's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively stepped forward and grabbed Ji Lingchuan's sleeve, pulling the man standing outside the door into the room. Then she slammed the door shut.
She turned around, but unexpectedly, Ji Lingchuan was very close to her. She almost bumped into the man's arms.
Taking a step back, her back against the door panel, Song Yihuan looked up at Ji Lingchuan and asked, "Young master, why are you here?"
Ji Lingchuan looked down at her obviously panicked face. Remembering the gossips he had just heard, his Adam's apple moved slightly.
He wouldn't say that he had come here specifically.
"I'm here in the Marquis's Mansion for the first time. I got lost. I heard some noises in this courtyard, so I came in to take a look. But..." He looked at the door she was leaning against and said, "Once you close the door, it might be hard to explain."
"I—" Song Yihuan was at a loss for words. "I just worried that if you stood outside, people might misunderstand."
"Heh." Ji Lingchuan gave a soft laugh and took a step closer to her. He bent down, and the tip of his nose was only half an inch away from hers. His upturned phoenix eyes were as black as obsidian, reflecting Song Yihuan's nervous face. Their breaths were ambiguously intertwined.
"Letting people misunderstand. Isn't that what you want the most?" he whispered.
Just as Song Yihuan was about to push him away, he straightened up, turned around, and walked into the room. Looking around at the dusty room, he asked, "This is the place where you've lived for more than a decade?"
Song Yihuan composed herself and secretly clenched the corner of her sleeve. She replied, "Yes. This is the 'home' of me and my mother."
Ji Lingchuan's eyes searched the room carefully, not missing any corner. To his disappointment, there was nothing in the room that looked familiar to him.
"Young master, this place hasn't been lived in for a long time. There's a lot of dust in the room. It's not suitable to stay for long," Song Yihuan said.
Ji Lingchuan turned around and saw the wooden boxes she had placed on the ground.
"All packed up? Didn't you leave anything behind?" he asked.
Song Yihuan gave a soft reply, "No. Everything is packed properly."
After saying this, the two fell silent again. Ji Lingchuan didn't want to leave, and Song Yihuan didn't know what reason to use to drive him away.
Remembering the silver that Qi Lei had given her, she said, "I've received the reward for assisting in the case from Uncle Qi. Thank you, Young Master."