Ji Yuluo slept deeply for an entire day. The gloomy, rainy weather made the room dim, and the sound of rain outside was continuous. With the charcoal fire burning inside, it was especially conducive to sleep. When Hongshuang came to give her medicine, she refused to get up. She swallowed a few mouthfuls of porridge and then lay down to sleep again, as if to make up for all the sleep she had missed in the past few days.
As the sound of the thunderstorm faded away, she dreamed of the Qiao family again.
She dreamed of Madam Qiao again—
It was during the time when the snow was melting. The cold of early spring was still biting, but there was already a hint of new beginnings. She did not dare to stop when she escaped from the dark prison of Qianfang Pavilion. Not until she had left her pursuers far behind did she stop. She knew it was the lady surnamed Lin who had deliberately sold her.
Children are naturally sensitive. Although she had only been with the Ji family for two days, she noticed the shocked and fearful looks in the eyes of the adults when they saw her. She knew that no one in that large courtyard liked her, but she still had to go back. She couldn’t just starve to death, could she?
She walked until her shoes were worn out.
The neat little whip she had was now a tangled mess.
When she was tired, she rested in a ruined temple. When she was hungry, she stole and robbed. Every day, she played a cat-and-mouse game with those chasing her. Consequently, her shoes became more and more worn out until one day, she couldn’t run away anymore. Surrounded by those from whom she had stolen money and food, they beat and cursed her.
In an instant, the surrounding noise faded away. A carriage had stopped nearby, and a woman as beautiful as a fairy stepped out. Ji Yuluo had never seen such a gentle and beautiful person in her life. The woman reached out to brush aside the hair covering Ji Yuluo’s face, and her fingertips carried the scent of flowering trees.
At that moment, Ji Yuluo thought she must be the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, come to save her from suffering.
She asked Ji Yuluo her name and age, and Ji Yuluo answered truthfully. But when she asked where her home was, Ji Yuluo lied and said she had forgotten.
Ji Yuluo did not usually cry, but that day she cried pitifully in front of Madam Qiao to gain her sympathy. Later, Madam Qiao cleaned her up and, finding her pretty, grew very fond of her. She adopted Ji Yuluo as her foster daughter and had her call her “mother” just like Qiao Xun did. She taught her to read and write, to appreciate poetry and painting. Every day, she dressed her up beautifully, which was Madam Qiao’s pleasure. Seeing the beautiful Ji Yuluo made her very happy. Madam Qiao also taught her to keep accounts and learn the business of the shop, speaking patiently and explaining everything in detail.
To Ji Yuluo, all of this felt like a dream.
So, she lived in constant fear, behaving obediently every day, afraid that Madam Qiao would one day find her a burden and abandon her. After all, Madam Qiao had her own son. Why would she willingly raise a child with an unknown background?
She was so bad. She even thought that if only Qiao Xun didn’t exist, everything would be better.
Without Qiao Xun, Madam Qiao would have only her and would never drive her away.
But what fault did Qiao Xun have? He foolishly followed her around all day, calling her sister. In truth, Ji Yuluo was annoyed by him. She didn’t like him at all!
These wicked thoughts persisted day after day, until one afternoon, when the sun was shining brightly, she pushed him into the water.
The pond was too shallow. Qiao Xun choked on a few mouthfuls of water and caught a cold, but after three days of rest, he was back to his lively self.
When the old maid asked him how he fell, he only said he slipped.
He still liked to play with her and would share the things he liked with her.
Later, Ji Yuluo asked him if he had knocked his head. Qiao Xun, feeling both aggrieved and earnest, said, “Mother said you had a hard life, so I must treat you well.”
Ji Yuluo thought he must have really knocked his head. Who else would still be kind to someone who tried to harm them? How foolish.
That night, when the Qiao family was annihilated, Madam Qiao hurriedly shoved the two children into a cabinet, tearfully instructing them not to come out no matter what. She touched Qiao Xun’s face and said, “Xun’er, be brave. You’re a man. Protect your sister.”
It was the first time Ji Yuluo saw Madam Qiao cry. Qiao Zhengping was an excellent husband who never let Madam Qiao suffer, but that night, Qiao Zhengping died.
Through the holes in the cabinet door, she saw the bloody corpses one after another. She and Qiao Xun covered each other’s mouths, their palms wet with each other’s tears.
Outside, bodies were strewn everywhere. The nannies and maids who had taken care of them lay in pools of blood.
Qiao Xun trembled and said, “Sister, I’m scared…”
They spent two nights sleeping on the streets until the government posted the “murderer” of the Qiao family case on the outer wall. The murderer was depicted as a bandit. They claimed it was bandits who had killed the Qiao family.
No, that’s not how it happened!
So, Ji Yuluo took Qiao Xun to report the case to the authorities, but that was the biggest mistake she ever made.
Qiao Xun died.
He was only eight years old, so young. He clung to Zhao Yong’s leg, his voice tender and loud, “Sister, run! Run!”
In the end, as he was dying, he whispered, “Go… go, sister…”
Zhao Yong dragged the dying Qiao Xun towards her, leaving a trail of blood on the ground—Qiao Xun’s blood.
Run, you must run!
Yes, you must run…
The snowy night was dark, as dark as the dungeon of Qianfang Pavilion. The damp, rotten smell surged up again. The snow buried her. It was cold, so cold.
On the bed, she curled up in the quilt, her whole body trembling. Her temperature was even higher than it was in the morning.
Huo Xian had been worried sick all day. After work, he was summoned by Emperor Shun’an to accompany him in the palace. By the time he returned home, it was late at night, and the rain had lessened. However, the “minor illness” the doctor had mentioned had worsened instead of improving.
Nanny Liu had already called the doctor again.
Huo Xian took off his cloak. “What’s going on?”
The people in the room were all Ji Yuluo’s attendants. No one spoke for a moment, until Biwu said softly, “Miss… drank some porridge but didn’t take her medicine.”
Chaolu quickly added, “Miss said a slight cold doesn’t need medicine. It will get better in seven days.”
Hongshuang sighed quietly nearby.
Huo Xian laughed coldly. “Seven days? Are you sure your mistress won’t burn to death in seven days?”
“You—” Chaolu’s neck stiffened, so much that it hurt. She then quietly turned back to whisper to Hongshuang, “But it does seem to be getting worse.”
Hongshuang held her forehead. Just then, Nanny Liu brought in a new dose of medicine. Hongshuang quickly went to receive it, gently calling, “Miss, Miss, wake up.”
Chaolu’s claim that the young lady never gets sick isn’t entirely true. In Chaolu’s eyes, if she doesn’t take medicine, she’s not sick. Ji Yuluo indeed never had any major illnesses, but for minor aches and pains, she refused to take medicine.
The most memorable incident was when the master brought her back from the Yunyang prison. The person, who originally had delicate and smooth skin, was covered in injuries, barely clinging to life, and had to rely on medicine to sustain herself.
When she was unconscious, she would drink the medicine obediently, but as soon as she felt a bit better, she would refuse it.
Moreover, her face was naturally cold and pale when she was sick, making her look even colder. With just a glance, the maids didn’t dare to persuade her. In the end, it was the master, coughing incessantly out of frustration, who finally got her to drink the medicine obediently.
Apart from this, even Xie Qiao threatening her with a whip didn’t work.
One moment, Ji Yuluo was still dreaming of being buried in snow, and the next, she smelled the scent of medicine.
It was too unpleasant, as repugnant as the stinking ditch in that dark prison.
Ji Yuluo frowned, her voice hoarse: “…Take it away.”
Hongshuang was not surprised and patiently continued to urge, “Miss.”
Huo Xian, sitting by the stove to warm himself, walked over, took the medicine from Hongshuang’s hand, and scooped Ji Yuluo out from the bedding. He pressed the medicine bowl to her lips, “Drink.”
Ji Yuluo was forced to drink a mouthful, which immediately made her cough.
She suddenly opened her eyes and pushed Huo Xian with one palm.
Even though she used eighty percent of her strength, she was too weak, and the force that landed on Huo Xian’s chest felt like a feather brushing past. She was still fierce, “Get out!”
“……”
Huo Xian raised his eyes slightly, “You all, go out first.”
Biwou responded affirmatively.
Chaolu was reluctant at first but was pulled out by Hongshuang.
The room quieted down for a moment. Seeing Ji Yuluo sliding down with her eyes closed, Huo Xian jostled her to wake her up, “I have some new leads about Yunyang, do you want to hear?”
Ji Yuluo’s eyelashes trembled, and she struggled to open her eyelids.
Her eyes were red from the fever, and when Yunyang was mentioned, her body reacted faster than her mind. Even in her confusion, she looked over at him. Huo Xian hesitated, then lowered his gaze to meet hers, “You drink while I talk.”
He forcibly placed the bowl in Ji Yuluo’s hands, “Otherwise, we can wait until you’re well to discuss. I don’t discuss matters with muddleheaded people.”
Ji Yuluo looked at the medicine bowl, slowly taking it over.
Huo Xian held her to keep her from sliding down. Seeing her take a sip, he continued, “After Huo Jue’s defeat, another incident occurred. The court sent officials to assist with Yunyang’s post-disaster reconstruction. Following procedure, officials from the Ministry of Revenue were sent to audit Yunyang’s accounts. I believe the key lies here.”
Holding the bowl, Ji Yuluo asked hoarsely, “Was there any problem with the accounts at that time?”
Huo Xian looked at her medicine-moistened lips and said, “No, but it’s hard to say. There must have been some trouble in Yunyang back then that required Zhao Yong to personally go there. What kind of trouble? It must have been something the court couldn’t know about. Coincidentally, at this time, officials from the Ministry of Revenue were sent to audit the treasury funds. Do you think there’s really no connection at all?”
He adjusted Ji Yuluo’s bowl, signaling her to continue drinking, “The official sent back then was named Qin Wei. He is now a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. At that time, he was a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. The former emperor sent him there to supervise.”
Ji Yuluo said, “This person—”
“He shouldn’t be faking it. Qin Wei is timid and conservative, but he works diligently and meticulously. He doesn’t dare touch anything illegal or corrupt. Another important reason is that he is related to the Marquis of Xuanping’s household; he is Huo Cong’s uncle. With the Marquis’ support, it’s unlikely he would have any collusion with Zhao Yong.”
Huo Xian continued tapping her bowl and said, “The audit results have no issues, but that doesn’t mean there were no problems during the audit process.”
Unconsciously, Ji Yuluo’s medicine bowl was almost empty. She turned her head and asked, “Do you want to interrogate him?”
The taste of medicine lingered.
Huo Xian didn’t refuse. Looking at her, he said, “I can’t investigate this; you have to do it.”
Just as Ji Yuluo was about to ask more, Huo Xian said, “Want to know? I’ll tell you when you’re better.”
“…”
She stared at him expressionlessly for a long moment before turning back and gulping down the rest of the medicine. She then heard Huo Xian chuckle beside her. She didn’t know what he was laughing at, but it made her feel uneasy. So she looked at him and said, “I feel a bit nauseous. Are you sure you still want to laugh?”
