As He Sui’an brushed past the woman in purple, she glanced sideways.
Wasn’t this the person from the ship?
She quickly averted her gaze, feeling anxious.
The old maid urged them quietly, “Hurry in and serve the guests.”
He Sui’an entered, carrying trays and pouring tea, tasks she was familiar with, avoiding major mistakes. However, their faces, not those of ordinary maids, drew occasional glances.
But in such a setting, no one would have the leisure to scrutinize closely. Besides, the eldest young master of the Duan family liked attractive maids, using them for work by day and for his pleasure by night, a fact known to the family.
The woman in purple took a seat on the right.
In the Zhou dynasty, the left was considered the place of honor.
As the legitimate eldest son, the eldest young master of the Duan family naturally sat in the leftmost seat.
The second young master sat beside the woman in purple, while the youngest, not yet of age, sat at a nearby table. The youngest young master was unaccustomed to such large gatherings, having been forced to attend by his mother, who pinched and twisted his arm.
At the head of the hall sat two people.
One was Master Duan, his face beaming with smiles, and the other was today’s honored guest.
The guest wore an as-yet-unremoved red official robe, a black belt at his waist. His face was handsome, eyes bright, brows clear, with a dignified bearing, looking more like a scholar than a high-ranking official.
Xie Wenqiao indeed rose from the top scholar of the Zhou dynasty to his current official position.
He seemed like a righteous official.
But whether he was or not wouldn’t delay He Sui’an’s plan.
She happened to be assigned to serve tea beside the eldest young master. Following the rules, she offered him tea. The eldest young master, noticing the beauty of the maid serving him, was momentarily distracted.
But even the profligate eldest young master knew better than to misbehave in front of an important guest, lest his father kill him.
The eldest young master maintained a façade of propriety.
He Sui’an, thinking quickly, used her sleeve to conceal her actions. She took out the small ceramic container holding the hallucinogenic Gu insects, deftly removed the cloth stopper with her finger, and silently released the insects onto the eldest young master.
The eldest young master felt a slight sensation on his wrist, like a mosquito bite.
Very subtle.
But having used hallucinogenic Gu insects for years, he was familiar with this feeling. Growing suspicious, he wanted to lift his sleeve to check, but Master Duan called him over, forcing him to temporarily set it aside.
Master Duan wanted to introduce his son to Xie Wenqiao, hoping to build connections for the future. The eldest young master understood his father’s intentions, so he restrained himself and acted properly.
Xie Wenqiao conversed with them smoothly.
The woman in purple sat elegantly, showing no intention of mingling or building connections.
Her husband, the second young master, though thin and silent, maintained a respectable demeanor.
He Sui’an accidentally caught the eye of the woman in purple. The woman looked at her as if she had never seen her before, then calmly turned away and sipped her tea.
Did she not recognize her? He Sui’an’s emotions fluctuated like a rollercoaster.
It was understandable.
If it weren’t for the commotion caused by the woman and her husband outside the cabin that night, He Sui’an might not have noticed her. The hurried glance that night likely didn’t leave an impression on the woman.
It’s better she doesn’t remember.
He Sui’an hoped the woman wouldn’t recall her. Otherwise, if questioned, it would lead to more trouble and might reveal that they weren’t servants of the Duan mansion.
When He Sui’an stopped looking in that direction, the woman in purple glanced at her again.
She slowly lowered her gaze.
She remained silent.
He Sui’an, estimating the time, carefully stepped back with the tea tray. Master Duan was now asking the eldest young master to offer tea to Xie Wenqiao, who politely declined.
The eldest young master thought Xie Wenqiao was just being modest. He approached with the high-quality West Lake Dragon Well tea, but halfway there, his hand shook, spilling the tea and staining Xie Wenqiao’s red official robe with a dark patch.
Master Duan was stunned.
The woman in purple lifted her eyes.
The second young master remained seated, uninterested in his elder brother’s actions, lost in his own world. The youngest, born to a concubine, was too timid to speak.
The eldest young master shook his head violently.
His steps visibly grew unsteady, strangely so.
Xie Wenqiao, being close, reached out to support him out of courtesy, his voice clear and resonant, as if soaked in water: “Young Master Duan, are you alright…”
“Get away from me!” The eldest young master shouted.
With those words, the entire hall fell silent.
Master Duan was the first to react, “You rebellious son, what are you doing!”
Recognizing the signs of his son under the influence of hallucinogenic Gu insects, he anxiously called for help, “The eldest young master has had too much to drink outside. Quickly, take him away.”
Xie Wenqiao, no fool and seasoned in officialdom, could easily tell the difference between drunkenness and something else. The eldest young master had no scent of alcohol on him; there was no way he was drunk.
He observed the situation calmly.
The eldest young master shoved the servants away.
“Get lost.”
He stared intensely at Xie Wenqiao, who was wearing red official robes, mistaking him in his hallucination for his deceased wife. That night, she too had been dressed in red when he beat her to death.
“You wretched woman, you’re back?”
Xie Wenqiao’s handsome eyebrows furrowed slightly.
In his hallucination, the eldest young master felt a perverse excitement at seeing his wife, rather than fear. He raised his hand, ready to strangle her again.
Seeing his eldest son about to strangle Xie Wenqiao, Master Duan nearly fainted. He tried to intervene but was thrown aside, falling hard to the ground, his old bones nearly breaking.
“Hurry! Pull the eldest young master away!”
Master Duan shouted loudly.
The woman in purple only shielded the second young master behind her, quietly watching the scene unfold.
The surrounding servants hurried to intervene, but the eldest young master’s strength, amplified by the hallucinations, was too much for them. He broke free and lunged at Xie Wenqiao.
“Watch out!”
Master Duan was nearly frantic.
Xie Wenqiao, untrained in martial arts, sidestepped, causing the eldest young master to fall onto a table. Several servants ran in from outside and pinned him down, but he continued to laugh maniacally, drooling.
Master Duan, helped to his feet, trembled and tried to explain.
Xie Wenqiao raised his hand to silence him.
Master Duan’s face turned ashen.
Xie Wenqiao bent down beside the eldest young master, lifting his sleeve to reveal a wrist covered in insect bites, “Master Duan.”
“Lord Xie, there are many mosquitoes in this season. My son, he…” Master Duan stammered with a forced smile.
Xie Wenqiao released his grip.
Xie Wenqiao stood up, “Master Duan, I have seen people using hallucinogenic Gu insects in the capital. They habitually let the hallucinogenic insects bite their wrists, leaving a dense pattern of insect marks.”
“If someone were framed, they would only have a single bite mark. How could there be so many, clearly accumulated over a long period?”
Master Duan tried to argue, “It could be just ordinary mosquito bites.”
Xie Wenqiao’s face grew stern.
He spoke softly, “Master Duan.”
Master Duan’s whole body trembled, and he muttered, “Lord Xie.”
“The emperor has ordered a strict prohibition on the sale of hallucinogenic Gu insects. Sellers face the death penalty, buyers severe punishment. Are you aware of this?”
Who wouldn’t be aware of this?
But knowing was one thing, defying the decree was another.
Master Duan stammered, “I…”
Xie Wenqiao continued firmly, “This matter will be handled impartially and thoroughly investigated. If the eldest young master has been wrongfully accused, I will clear his name. Rest assured, Master Duan.”
This statement blocked Master Duan from pleading for his son.
The eldest young master, lost in his hallucination, was completely unaware of his father’s distress.
The woman in purple glanced toward the Duan mansion gate.
Two people had taken advantage of the chaos to slip away, but she didn’t care. After all, the matters of the Duan family were not for her household to manage. She decided to take her husband back to their quarters.
*
What happened at the back of the Duan mansion, He Sui’an didn’t know. Her focus was on escaping.
Jiang Xuewan followed her in their flight.
He Sui’an, knowing not to judge people by appearances, didn’t blindly trust the high-ranking official from the capital in the Duan mansion. She had no time to speculate whether he was a just official or complicit.
She only needed to use the confusion caused by the eldest young master’s hallucinogenic-induced madness to escape, ensuring no one would notice them.
Jiang Xuewan couldn’t run anymore.
They had been running for a long time.
“I’m so tired, can we rest?” Jiang Xuewan twisted the hem of her dress, fearing she was a burden.
Even if Jiang Xuewan didn’t want to rest, He Sui’an couldn’t run anymore. Her legs were weak and numb, barely able to maintain a slow walk. They had to rest.
Besides, the Duan mansion would certainly be too preoccupied with dealing with the eldest young master’s disgrace during the guest’s visit to worry about finding them.
“Alright, let’s rest for a bit.”
He Sui’an found a corner to rest in.
This place seemed to be called Qingzhou, a name unfamiliar to her, and she didn’t know her way around.
They were captured on the boat, so returning to the boat recklessly might be dangerous. If they first encountered the same boatmen, they might be silenced before seeing Qi Buyan.
Perhaps they should find someone to ask about the location of the dock and wait there, hoping to encounter Qi Buyan or Jiang Songwei looking for them.
But she was very, very hungry now.
He Sui’an’s face fell.
She rubbed her slightly chubby cheeks, feeling that she might lose some weight after this stressful day. She checked her purse, finding only a single coin left.
Jiang Xuewan was also hungry. She looked at the coin in He Sui’an’s hand with wide eyes and said, “Xuewan is hungry.”
He Sui’an asked, “How about we eat a bun?”
“Eat!”
Jiang Xuewan’s eyes lit up instantly.
He Sui’an used the coin to buy a vegetable bun, broke it in half, and handed one half to Jiang Xuewan. “Here, let’s eat the bun.”
Jiang Xuewan happily took the bun and suddenly kissed He Sui’an on the cheek, leaving some saliva. “Xuewan thanks Miss He for the bun.”
“You…” He Sui’an blushed, “Why are you kissing people?”
Oh well.
This was probably her way of showing gratitude.
He Sui’an wiped the saliva from her cheek and was about to eat her half of the bun when a colorful butterfly gently landed on her shoulder.
A butterfly?
She wanted to touch it.
Soon, a second, third… more butterflies flew over, transforming her from unnoticed to highly conspicuous in the corner of the street.
Passersby couldn’t help but stop to admire the rare spectacle, marveling at the sudden influx of butterflies.
Countless butterflies fluttered like a moving painting, slowly spreading out.
The butterflies’ wings flapped, and the sound of bells rang.
It felt like an old friend was arriving.
He Sui’an looked up.
The young man followed the butterflies, coming from the other end of the long street, looking at her across the crowd.
