“Miss, that old man is gone.”
Early in the morning, just as Shen Xia woke up, Qianzhu lifted her skirt and hurried into the room, sounding extremely anxious.
She knew how highly Shen Xia regarded the old man, so the moment she opened the door and discovered he was gone, she immediately came to report it.
Gone?
Shen Xia pressed a hand to her forehead, her delicate brows knitting slightly together.
“Did he leave anything behind?”
“Yes. This letter was left on the table.”
Taking the letter, she unfolded it and saw bold, unrestrained handwriting that perfectly matched Hu Jiuchi’s personality.
Shen girl, thank you for telling me about the matter of West Mountain. This old man always keeps his word. It isn’t convenient for me to leave the island right now, so I’ll have to wait another month. When the time comes, I will help you. As for leaving the Shen Residence first, it is also for your own good. Murong Ke is not so easily deceived. If he discovers my identity, none of us will be safe. I have a residence on East Street. You may secretly bring Li Xiao there. There are already many more eyes watching your courtyard, so be careful.
After reading the letter, Shen Xia’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
Just as the novel had described, Hu Jiuchi was indeed a loyal and honorable old man.
Seeing Shen Xia put away the letter, Qianzhu guessed that she already had a plan in mind, so she brought up another matter.
“I heard that Madam and the Second Miss have returned from the temple. They’re already on the road and should arrive home within an hour.”
Madam?
Shen Xia paused slightly while straightening her sleeve.
Only then did she realize Qianzhu was referring to Shen Ying and the others’ mother, the mistress of the Shen Family, Madam Guan.
Madam Guan was herself the daughter of a concubine from the Guan Family.
Speaking of the Guan Family, they occupied a rather unique position within the Jin Kingdom.
The Guan Family specialized in forging weapons and enjoyed considerable fame throughout the regions south of Jiangnan.
For that reason, Shen Duancheng had always regarded Madam Guan quite highly.
To outsiders, Madam Guan was the very image of gentleness and virtue, and many women on the island considered her a model to emulate.
But as the saying went, appearances could be deceiving.
Could a woman who raised someone with Shen Ying’s temperament really be harmless?
“Am I supposed to pay my respects to Old Madam today?” Shen Xia suddenly remembered and asked Qianzhu curiously.
Qianzhu’s lips twitched.
Only now has this young lady remembered morning greetings?
The sun was already high in the sky. At this point, it was closer to an afternoon greeting than a morning one.
Of course, she dared not say such things aloud.
Respectfully, she replied, “Old Madam and the young masters and young ladies should still be at Qing’an Courtyard. If Seventh Miss wishes to go, then you may.”
“If you don’t wish to go, it can be skipped. Master has already said that you need not concern yourself with any other affairs of the household. You only need to… take good care of the Tenth Prince.”
The Tenth Prince?
Hearing Qianzhu address Li Xiao that way, Shen Xia’s expression changed slightly.
Qianzhu quickly explained, “Early this morning, Master was summoned to the Murong Residence. After he returned, he ordered everyone not to show any disrespect toward the Tenth Prince. From now on, the Tenth Prince will live in your courtyard, and his treatment will be the same as the young masters of the Shen Family.”
As she spoke, Qianzhu could not help but grumble inwardly.
How had Li Xiao suddenly risen in status overnight?
Hopefully, he would not remember all the times they had bullied him.
After hearing this, Shen Xia nodded. She already understood Murong Ke’s urgency.
As the date for the selected maidens to travel to the capital drew nearer, Shen Duancheng was anxious, but Murong Ke was no less anxious.
When Murong Ke had been assigned to Nanli Island, the Emperor had issued a decree stating that he could not leave the island unless specifically summoned.
If he wanted the Emperor’s approval to leave, he needed to obtain information about the Jiang Family’s former subordinates through Li Xiao and earn merit.
For years, Li Xiao had remained stubbornly silent, and Murong Ke had failed to extract anything useful. Eventually, he had almost given up.
Yet the commotion Shen Xia created yesterday had reignited his hope.
Naturally, he would not let such an opportunity slip away.
This was an opportunity for Murong Ke, but it was equally an opportunity for both her and Li Xiao.
“Did anything else happen in the residence last night?” Shen Xia asked again.
Anything else?
Qianzhu thought for a long while before finally remembering something.
“Master apparently didn’t sleep all night. A snake got into his room and nearly bit him. It scared him terribly. He suspected it came from the bamboo grove behind his courtyard, so before leaving this morning, he angrily ordered all the bamboo cut down.”
“Oh? Then he’s quite fortunate. It’s a pity he wasn’t bitten to death.”
Touching her cheek, Shen Xia murmured softly.
She still remembered the slap Shen Duancheng had given her.
And since she was someone who paid back every grievance in full, she had taken her revenge that very night.
She had placed a substance near his window that attracted snakes.
Since he fancied himself a cultured gentleman and had planted a large bamboo grove behind his room, it provided the perfect hiding place for snakes.
Naturally, she had made excellent use of it.
And fortunately, the snakes had performed admirably.
“Come on. No matter what, Old Madam is an elder. I should still pay my respects.”
In a fairly good mood, Shen Xia clapped her hands and stood up.
When she reached the side room, she called out,
“Li Xiao, are you awake?”
It was almost as if Li Xiao had been crouching right behind the door. The moment he heard her voice, the door swung open.
He was breathing heavily, sweat glistening on his forehead, while his eyes shone brightly.
But as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he quickly adjusted his breathing.
Understanding flashed through Shen Xia’s eyes.
So he knew people were watching them and had been secretly practicing martial arts inside.
“Come on, I’ll take you to pay your respects to Old Madam Shen.”
Naturally, she ruffled his hair and smiled.
Only after doing so did she realize that he was not actually her younger brother.
Then again, an adopted younger brother was still a younger brother.
With that thought, she felt much more at ease.
As she withdrew her hand and walked ahead, Li Xiao could still feel the lingering warmth of her palm atop his head.
Tilting his head, he felt oddly conflicted.
Why did she always like patting his head?
Did he really look that much like a child?
Qing’an Courtyard was Old Madam Shen’s residence.
Although she disliked the concubine-born sons and daughters of the Shen Family, she cared deeply about formal etiquette and appearances.
Therefore, she required all grandchildren residing in the estate to come pay their respects every day. They were expected to wait outside her door before dawn and remain there until she woke up.
By the time Shen Xia arrived, most people had already left.
She glanced up at the sun overhead.
Indeed…
It was quite late. But for her, it was perfect.
With such a weak body, shouldn’t she be allowed to rest properly?
“Seventh Miss? Why are you here?”
Concubine Tang lifted the beaded curtain and stepped outside. The moment she saw Shen Xia, surprise filled her voice.
In the past, Shen Xia had always been obedient. She was usually the first to arrive at Qing’an Courtyard before dawn, even though Old Madam rarely spared her a glance.
Yet after all the chaos she had stirred up over the past few days, everyone had assumed she had somehow changed completely and would never come to pay her respects again.
Who would have thought she would actually show up today?
“Tang Wan, who did you just say had arrived?”
Old Madam Shen’s displeased voice immediately sounded from inside.
Concern instantly appeared on Concubine Tang’s face. She took Shen Xia’s hand and lowered her voice.
“Seventh Miss, when you go in, please don’t anger Old Madam again. No matter what, she is your elder. We are all members of the Shen Family. There’s no need to make things difficult for one another.”
Concubine Tang had been very close to the original owner’s mother, and the original Shen Xia had regarded her as a second mother. As a result, Shen Xia’s tone softened considerably.
“Mm, I don’t like causing trouble either.”
Unless someone was asking for it.
“Then… go on first. I’ll prepare tea for Old Madam.”
Concubine Tang nodded worriedly.
Soon, Shen Xia and Li Xiao stepped across the threshold and entered the room.
She did not forget to remind him, “Just stay beside me. Ignore everything else.”
Old Madam Shen was reclining on a couch while servants massaged her legs and shoulders.
The moment she looked up and saw Shen Xia, her expression immediately darkened.