Before Xia Jianxi even reached the rear courtyard, she could already hear the exaggerated wails of Ting Wan and Shi Wei. Sure enough, the next moment, the two came charging toward her like rolling balls.
Xia Madam quickly pulled Xia Jianxi aside, narrowly avoiding a direct collision with these two human projectiles. However, the maids still managed to latch onto one of Xia Jianxi’s legs each.
“Young Miss, you’re finally back! If you hadn’t returned, Shi Wei was ready to atone with her life!”
“Young Miss, thank goodness you’re safe! If anything had happened to you, Ting Wan truly wouldn’t be able to go on living!”
Listening to their dramatic sobbing, Xia Jianxi found herself caught between laughter and exasperation. “Both of you, get up! My mother is right here—aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”
“We lost our Young Miss—no amount of deaths could make up for that! What does a little shame matter?” Shi Wei continued wailing.
Watching the two maids clinging to Xia Jianxi, Xia Madam discreetly turned her head, carefully wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes before turning back. “Hurry up and stand! Can’t you see your Young Miss is still injured?”
The two maids froze for a moment before scrambling to their feet. They then proceeded to inspect Xia Jianxi from head to toe, and upon realizing her injury was to the chest, they broke out in a cold sweat. “Young Miss, were you… on the brink of death?”
Xia Jianxi, having noticed Xia Madam’s red-rimmed eyes, immediately coughed sharply. “What nonsense are you spouting!”
Only then did Shi Wei remember that their mistress was present. She quickly covered Ting Wan’s mouth. “Yes, yes, we were talking nonsense!”
Xia Madam quietly dabbed at her tears again. “I must go burn incense before our ancestors and inform them that Jianxi has returned. You two take good care of your Young Miss—if anything happens to her again, I’ll have your hides!”
Ting Wan and Shi Wei hurriedly assented. “We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare! We’ll treat our Young Miss like a treasure and never let her leave our sight!”
Xia Madam was amused by the two maids’ antics. After offering a few more careful instructions, she departed for the Ancestral Hall, glancing back every few steps.
Finally back in her bedchamber, Xia Jianxi gazed at every familiar inch of the room, and the reality of her rebirth slowly seeped into her very being. Standing beside the bed, she ran her fingers gently over the silk canopy at its head.
This was a canopy made of the finest Mulberry Silk—smooth to the touch and exceptionally lightweight. It had been meticulously selected from the bolts of silk her maternal grandfather had sent from Jiangnan.
With just that light touch, Xia Jianxi’s nose tingled with unshed tears.
Thank goodness… thank goodness Heaven had granted her a second chance.
Just as Shi Wei brought over warm water to help Xia Jianxi freshen up, a black figure suddenly flipped in through the window.
“Ah!” Shi Wei and Ting Wan screamed in fright.
“Silence!” the figure in black snapped coldly, then pulled off their mask to reveal a strikingly beautiful face.
Shi Wei and Ting Wan immediately fell silent but positioned themselves protectively in front and behind Xia Jianxi, their expressions wary. “Who are you?”
“I am the Shadow Guard assigned to your Young Miss by the Prince Regent. My name is Yao Zi!” The black-clad figure glanced dismissively at Shi Wei before stepping up to Xia Jianxi, bowing her head and clasping her fists. “Young Miss!”
This was the final condition in Xia Jianxi’s collaboration with Yi Zichuan—she needed someone unknown to the public who could handle matters for her.
“Miss?” Shi Wei looked at Xia Jianxi in confusion.
Xia Jianxi nodded, then turned to Yao Zi: “My maid tends to be easily startled. I hope she didn’t frighten you!”
Yao Zi raised an eyebrow: “Indeed, but I’m not so easily scared either!”
Xia Jianxi studied Yao Zi, this being their first meeting, and couldn’t help but feel curious about her skills: “Are you Yi Zichuan’s Shadow Guard?”
Yao Zi paused, then replied with some disappointment: “I’m not yet qualified to be Wang Ye’s Shadow Guard. I can’t defeat him in combat.”
“Only those who can defeat him qualify as his Shadow Guard?” Xia Jianxi couldn’t resist asking.
“Of course! How else could we protect Wang Ye?” Yao Zi said matter-of-factly. “By the way, Miss Xia, when I passed through your main hall earlier, I overheard some things I shouldn’t have. I wonder if you’d be interested!”
Xia Jianxi slightly furrowed her brow: “What did you hear?”
Yao Zi recounted what she had overheard, concluding with a tone of mockery: “It’s my first time encountering people who openly scheme against others right in their territory. They probably thought speaking in hushed tones would prevent anyone from hearing!”
“Second Master is actually such a person!”
“I knew Second Young Miss was involved in this matter from the start. If she hadn’t been pestering us both that day, we would never have left Miss’s side!”
“Miss, who would have thought Second Master and his wife have been plotting against you all along? And to think General and Madam treated them so well! They’re truly ungrateful wolves!”
Compared to Shi Wei and Ting Wan’s righteous indignation, Xia Jianxi’s reaction remained notably calm.
Yao Zi watched Xia Jianxi’s composed demeanor and finally asked after a long pause: “Miss Xia, did you already know what kind of people they are?”
Xia Jianxi was momentarily stunned, then smiled bitterly.
If she had known earlier, how could she have been manipulated by them like a fool?
It’s just that she had already heard these words from her cousin before He Lan Ci threw her into the cellar—now she was merely hearing them repeated.
It was only at this moment that Shi Wei and Ting Wan realized their young lady had remained silent throughout, merely lowering her gaze to quietly observe her fingertips.
Shi Wei stepped forward with concern: “Miss…”
“Not exactly early,” Xia Jianxi took a deep breath, “just slightly earlier than you.”
Ting Wan looked at Xia Jianxi, her eyes suddenly reddening: “And General simply let such people go? That’s utterly outrageous! The General should have flayed them alive! All these years, Miss has always treated Second Young Miss like a real sister. How dare they treat Miss like this? They’re… they’re simply inhuman!”
“Exactly! What kind of people are they? All these years, whenever Miss obtained anything nice, she’d immediately send a portion to Second Young Miss. Who would have thought she’d treat Miss like this? It’s truly… the more you feed a snake, the more it wants!” Shi Wei stamped her foot in anger.
Listening to this, Xia Jianxi couldn’t help but look up at Shi Wei: “Our Shi Wei is so angry she’s even using proverbs now!”
Shi Wei was momentarily speechless, then frowned: “Miss, how can you still joke at a time like this?”
Xia Jianxi was amused by Shi Wei’s expression and then said softly, “We have no evidence to prove it was them. Even if Father wanted to stand up for me, he’d have no justification. If they turn the tables on us, it’ll be even more troublesome!”
“So we just stand by and watch?” Ting Wan couldn’t help but complain.
“If they harbor such intentions, they’ll eventually slip up. There’s no need to rush things now!” Xia Jianxi comforted gently.
Yao Zi glanced at Shi Wei and Ting Wan and chuckled lightly, “Miss Xia’s two maids seem quite innocent, not at all like typical servants from the inner chambers.”
Xia Jianxi paused, then lowered her eyes with a faint smile. “They’re clever enough, just a bit excitable sometimes!”
Shi Wei and Ting Wan both closed their mouths and bowed their heads.
Truth be told, Yao Zi wasn’t wrong. If they hadn’t trusted Xia Yuruo so blindly this time, they wouldn’t have been tricked into going elsewhere, leaving their young lady to be kidnapped by thieves.
“Enough of that. Stop overthinking and go prepare a room for Yao Zi. Then report to the steward—say she’s Shi Wei’s distant cousin here to work in the estate.” Xia Jianxi reached out and gently tapped Shi Wei’s forehead.
As Shi Wei looked up, a tear immediately rolled down her cheek. Xia Jianxi was taken aback for a moment, then reached out to wipe it away gently. “Go on now.”