Ninth Prince’s Residence.
At the main entrance, two rows of sword-bearing guards stood rigidly on either side.
Their faces were expressionless, their eyes sharp as torches, instantly alert at the slightest movement in the surroundings.
Beneath a century-old ginkgo tree not far away.
Two sneaky figures were hiding behind the thick trunk.
“Miss, in another quarter-hour, the manor guards will change shifts. There will be about half a cup of tea’s time when the entrance is unguarded.”
“We’ll take that opportunity to sneak to the base of the northwest corner wall.”
“There’s a dog hole there. I’ll take you through it. I guarantee we won’t be discovered.”
Jixiang’s dark, gleaming eyes shifted as she turned her plump, round face toward Ji Yunsu, patting her chest and whispering with conviction.
Hearing this, Ji Yunsu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Originally, she had worried that her nighttime exploration of the Ninth Prince’s Residence would be fraught with difficulties.
After all, she knew nothing about the internal layout of the residence. Even if she successfully sneaked in, finding the Qi Yu Nanzhu Cao would be no easy task.
But she never expected that the father and daughter she had casually helped were actually servants of the Ninth Prince’s Residence.
This luck was truly overflowing!
“Jixiang, when the gate guards change shifts later, don’t come with me.”
“I can find that dog hole myself.”
At this moment, beneath the weimao covering her face, Ji Yunsu wore a solemn expression as she spoke calmly.
On the way here, she had already learned the general layout of the Ninth Prince’s Residence from Jixiang.
She had also learned from Jixiang that the Ninth Prince had always been in poor health, and the residence had built a Medicine Hut that stored all the medicinal herbs.
Sneaking into the Ninth Prince’s Residence to steal herbs was extremely risky. If discovered, the consequences would be severe.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Ji Yunsu felt it was better to go alone and not implicate others.
“Miss, you saved my father’s life. My life is yours, I’m sticking with you!”
Jixiang lifted her head and spoke to her young mistress in a muffled voice.
Before her mistress could react, Jixiang pointed at the manor entrance and said: “Miss, the guards are changing shifts. I’ll take you to the dog hole.”
With someone familiar with the surroundings leading the way, everything proceeded smoothly.
Soon, Ji Yunsu avoided all the guards and successfully crawled through the dog hole.
“Woof!”
Just as she stood up, before Ji Yunsu could even brush the dust off her clothes, she heard a low dog bark nearby.
“Dahuang, don’t bark, it’s me.”
Jixiang immediately shushed the yellow dog tied to a nearby crooked-neck tree.
After speaking, Jixiang familiarly pulled a large bone from the grass and tossed it to Dahuang.
“Whine… whine… whine…”
Seeing the bone, Dahuang wagged his tail excitedly, emitting low, cooing whines from his throat.
Then, happily turning his rear toward Ji Yunsu, he pretended not to see anything and contentedly gnawed on the large bone by himself.
Witnessing this, the expression on Ji Yunsu’s round face beneath the weimao twitched slightly.
This dog was so easily bribed – just one large bone and he’d betray his master. Not very effective at guarding the house.
But this was exactly what Ji Yunsu wanted – she needed exactly this kind of unprincipled dog.
Otherwise, she would have been exposed, hehe…
After the alarm was lifted, Ji Yunsu immediately asked Jixiang: “Can you find me a set of maid’s clothes from the manor?”
“Yes, Miss! I’ll go get it!”
With that, Jixiang quickly brought back a set of maid’s attire.
Ji Yunsu changed into it swiftly, removed her weimao, revealing her face that hadn’t completely subsided from swelling, still somewhat puffy like fermented steamed buns.
“Miss, you’re so beautiful,” Jixiang gazed at her young mistress’s delicate features, a flash of admiration in her eyes, and couldn’t help but remark.
A faint smile curved in Ji Yunsu’s clear almond-shaped eyes as she teased, “With this bun-like face of mine, where’s the beauty in that?”
“Miss, you have a kind heart, and your nose, eyes, and mouth are all lovely. In my heart, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world!”
As she said this, Jixiang grew a bit emotional, afraid her young mistress might think she was spouting nonsense, and quickly thumped her chest with a “thump-thump” to emphasize her sincerity.
Hearing this, Ji Yunsu laughed, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons.
A thoughtful glint passed through her eyes as she solemnly revealed, without holding back, that her distorted appearance and figure were due to being administered a slow-acting poison.
Towards her own people, Ji Yunsu always gave her complete trust.
Jixiang was one of her people, so naturally, she couldn’t keep anything hidden.
At the same time, she also informed Jixiang that she was the unfavored second daughter of the Grand Tutor Manor.
“Jixiang, now that you know my situation is difficult, and following me might mean facing open and hidden dangers every day, are you still willing to stay with me?”
“Willing, willing!” Jixiang nodded repeatedly. “If Miss doesn’t mind me being clumsy and eating a lot, I’d be thanking heaven and earth!”
“From now on, I’ll protect you, Miss, and Madam and Young Master!”
“Anyone who dares harm you will have to answer to my fist and see if I agree!”
As she spoke, Jixiang clenched her large, fan-like hand into a fist, swinging her pot-sized fist through the air a couple of times with a whooshing sound.
Seeing this, a spark of approval lit up Ji Yunsu’s eyes. Oh ho, this personal maid is sturdy and strong, with great strength—not bad, not bad!
With their master-servant relationship formally established, Ji Yunsu no longer hesitated. She directly pulled a gauze scarf from her sleeve and covered her face.
As a thief, one must have the awareness of a thief—the face must be concealed.
After doing this, Ji Yunsu instructed Jixiang in a low voice: “You stay here as backup; I’m going to steal the medicine.”
“Miss, I’ll go with you…”
“Didn’t you just say you’d listen to everything I say as your young mistress?” Ji Yunsu interrupted Jixiang’s words with feigned seriousness.
Without giving Jixiang time to react, Ji Yunsu turned and strode purposefully towards the direction of the Medicine Hut, sneaking along stealthily.
“Miss, be careful! Today is the fifteenth. The Ninth Prince goes to the hot springs in the back mountain every month at this time for treatment.”
“The Medicine Hut and the hot springs are on two separate paths. Make sure you don’t go to the wrong place!”
Watching her young mistress’s hurriedly receding figure, Jixiang suddenly remembered something and quickly called out in a hushed voice.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, Jixiang could no longer see her young mistress’s back.
Scratching her head, Jixiang turned to look at Dahuang, who had finished gnawing his bone and was now wagging his tail and drooling at her, and muttered softly to herself.
“Dahuang, do you think Miss heard what I said?”
“Woof!”
…
On one side, Jixiang worried that her young lady might go to the wrong place.
On the other side, Ji Yunsu, disguised as a maid of the Ninth Prince’s Residence, walked unimpeded toward the direction of the back mountain.
When she reached a fork in the road, Ji Yunsu couldn’t help but pause in surprise.
Huh?
Jixiang didn’t mention there would be a fork here!
Which direction is the Medicine Hut?
Left or right?
Ah, never mind, let’s check the left side first. If it’s not there, then it must be the right.
With the situation being sudden, Yunsu could only randomly choose a path and move forward.
Meanwhile, at the end of the path Yunsu had chosen…
Amid the misty steam of the hot springs, a tall and robust figure loomed faintly visible.
Pei Wuheng’s long arms were spread open, resting casually on the edge of the hot spring pool.
The steam drifting above the springs enveloped his sharply defined face, while glistening droplets of water traced slowly down his exquisitely chiseled, transcendent immortal features, eventually sliding onto his prominently sculpted, snow-white, muscular chest.
“Crack!”
Suddenly, a crisp sound of a snapping twig broke the silence without warning.
Instantly, Pei Wuheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, fluttered his long, raven-black lashes open abruptly: “Who’s there? Show yourself!”