In the darkness, Xia Jianxi once again saw a sneering He Lanci walking toward her.
Fear and despair enveloped her, bit by bit.
“Get away! Get away from me!”
Xia Jianxi awoke with a start. As she snapped her eyes open, she found her flailing hand tightly gripped by a man.
She instinctively thought it was the nightmare from her dream and struggled with all her might. But the face before her gradually changed into another—Yi Zichuan.
Yi Zichuan’s face was handsome and refined. His sword-like brows were slightly furrowed, a hint of impatience in his eyes. “Awake now?”
“That sword pierced through right next to your heart! You’d best not move, or not even Bian Que himself could save you if he were here!” Yi Zichuan stood there, staring straight at Xia Jianxi, his eyes filled with scrutiny.
Xia Jianxi looked down at herself. She was wearing an outer robe backward, and thick gauze was wrapped from her shoulder blade to her chest.
“The ones who bandaged you and changed your clothes were my mother consort’s people!” Yi Zichuan walked to a nearby table, his thumb tapping rhythmically on its surface.
Xia Jianxi subconsciously looked at Yi Zichuan’s hand, then followed his arm up to his face. “Does the Wang Ye plan to continue interrogating me?”
Yi Zichuan didn’t speak, merely toying with the golden hairpin hidden in his sleeve. After Xia Jianxi had fainted, he had immediately sent men to investigate. Sure enough, they found a pool of blood in the alley, and in a corner where the blood had spread, they discovered a golden hairpin caked in blood and mud. Clearly, what Xia Jianxi had said was true.
“Once you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll have someone send you back!” Yi Zichuan put away the golden hairpin and said in a low voice.
“You must send me back personally!” Xia Jianxi looked at Yi Zichuan, speaking word by word.
“I will repay you with gold and pearls for saving my mother consort’s life…”
“The Wang Ye has surely investigated my situation. If I return alone, do you think a woman with a sullied reputation will have any chance of survival?” Xia Jianxi looked at Yi Zichuan. “Wang Ye, you must clear my name!”
“What does your reputation have to do with me? Xia Jianxi, I will repay you for saving a life, but I do not care whether you live or die!” Yi Zichuan sneered and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to step over the threshold, Xia Jianxi suddenly shouted, “Aren’t you investigating the Marquis Yongchang Estate’s deficit case? I can help you!”
Yi Zichuan, who had just stepped out, spun around abruptly. The next moment, his hand was locked around Xia Jianxi’s throat. “How do you know I’m investigating the Marquis Yongchang Estate’s deficit case!”
Yi Zichuan’s grip on Xia Jianxi’s neck was so tight she could barely breathe. She desperately tried to pry his hand away, struggling to find a sliver of air.
His eyes were frighteningly red as he stared deadly at her. He only yanked his hand back when she was on the verge of passing out.
“Cough, cough…” Having narrowly escaped death, Xia Jianxi clutched her neck and coughed incessantly.
“You’d better explain yourself clearly. Otherwise, I don’t mind letting you die right here!” Yi Zichuan’s eyes were dark and deep, faintly glinting with murderous intent.
Xia Jianxi gasped for air, taking a long while to recover. She looked up at Yi Zichuan, her eyes bloodshot from the ordeal. “Not only do I know you’re investigating the Marquis Yongchang Estate’s deficit case, I also know that the reason you’re investigating it is because the case of the stolen Jiangnan flood relief silver you’re looking into implicates the Marquis Yongchang!”
Yi Zichuan slowly narrowed his eyes, which were brimming with killing intent. “How do you know all this?”
Xia Jianxi naturally sensed the dangerous aura. Forcing herself to remain calm, she looked up at Yi Zichuan. “The boots on your feet, Wang Ye, are of the latest style from Hangzhou City. But Bianjing is different from Hangzhou. Compared to the dazzling opulence of Bianjing, the nobles of Hangcheng, the land of fish and rice, prefer more elegant and refined decorations!”
Yi Zichuan glanced at his boots without a trace of movement, then looked back at Xia Jianxi.
“The Wang Ye should know that my mother is a merchant, and my maternal grandparents’ home is in Hangzhou City. I’ve heard a little about the flood in Taiping County. The local wealthy gentry would naturally know more about the inside story than you, Wang Ye!” Having recovered, Xia Jianxi looked up at Yi Zichuan. “The Wang Ye wants to investigate the case, and I want to live. Why don’t we cooperate?”
“Cooperate?” A rare flicker of interest rose in Yi Zichuan. “How do we cooperate?”
“As the saying goes, a mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake. I know you are immensely powerful, Wang Ye, but if you want to investigate a case in Hangcheng without any connections, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to get your foot in the door!” Xia Jianxi watched Yi Zichuan’s eyes. Seeing no rebuttal, she continued, “The Wang Ye wants to investigate the relief silver case, and I want to live. No matter how you look at it, this is a surefire win for you, isn’t it?”
Yi Zichuan remained silent, just staring into Xia Jianxi’s eyes.
Xia Jianxi met his gaze, trying her best not to look as uncertain as she felt.
In truth, her maternal family had never told her about the Taiping flood. But in her past life, after marrying into the Marquis Yongchang Estate, she had taken over the account books and discovered a large number of secret accounts from the year of the flood.
Although the accounting was done secretively, illicit money that never went through official channels always left a trace.
At the time, although Xia Jianxi felt something was amiss, the Marquis’ Mansion was in deficit, and the embezzled funds turned out to be military pay. With His Majesty’s investigation imminent, she didn’t even have time to think it through and could only hastily use her dowry to fill the enormous hole.
Later, the case of the stolen relief silver was closed with the provincial governor taking the fall for embezzlement. The matter was even posted on the imperial notice boards and caused a huge stir, so she had heard a little about it.
Seeing that Yi Zichuan was still silent, Xia Jianxi stared at him intently. “How is the Wang Ye’s consideration coming along?”
Yi Zichuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer to Xia Jianxi and let out a low laugh. “Xia Jianxi, do you know you’re striking a bargain with a tiger?”
“I’m already at a dead end. I have to fight for a chance. Whether I live or die will depend on my own abilities!” Xia Jianxi suppressed the tremor in her heart, her gaze burning.
After a long moment, Yi Zichuan straightened up and stepped back. He turned away. “What do you want me to do?”
The heart that had been hanging in her throat finally dropped. Xia Jianxi let out a low cough, trying to cover her slightly ragged breathing. “I want to return to my manor immediately. And I want everyone in this Bianjing city, from the Son of Heaven on high to the beggars on the street, to know that I was the one who saved the Dowager Consort!”
Yi Zichuan squinted at Xia Jianxi for a long time before raising an eyebrow in acceptance. “Fine!”
As soon as Yi Zichuan stepped out of the room, a guard approached. “Wang Ye, word has spread in Bianjing that the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Protectorate Manor was abducted by ruffians while out for the Flower Festival and has not returned for a night!”
Yi Zichuan subconsciously rubbed the golden hairpin in his hand. “Send someone to find out who spread this news!”