"If you have anything to say, ask now. He won't hold on for much longer." Hu Qianshan yawned, stood up, and said with great impatience.
Of course he was impatient when he was pulled out of bed in the middle of the night just to save a little thief.
"No way?" Zhao Jingyu expressed his disbelief, "Is there anyone else you can't save, teacher?"
"I'm not a god. You were so ruthless and now you blame me for my poor medical skills?" Hu Qianshan glared.
"I don't dare!" Zhao Jingyu smiled and clasped his fists. "Teacher, go and have a rest first. I'll massage your shoulders after I finish asking you questions."
Hu Qianshan snorted and left accompanied by Huangfu.
Zhao Jingyu ordered Wei Jun to close the door, personally moved a chair over, sat down in front of the man, and began to question him.
"Tell me, who sent you?"
"No one sent me here. I got into debt from gambling and wanted to steal some silver to pay it off."
Thanks to the effect of the silver needles, the man regained consciousness quickly and spoke clearly, but the lie he told was so poorly made that it was almost like fooling people.
Zhao Jingyu sneered. If it wasn't for Xie Nanjia, this kind of person wouldn't be worth even a second glance at, and he didn't have the patience to listen to his nonsense.
What's more, this man is now in his last moments and may die at any time, so he cannot waste time.
"Do you know who I am?" He pulled out Wei Jun's sword with a clang, and the tip of the sword pointed directly at the man's throat.
The man shrank back and nodded. Even if nothing else, just by looking at his flamboyant red clothes, one could guess that he was the second son of the Zhao family.
"Very good, since you know who I am, you should know my temper." Zhao Jingyu said coldly, "The next opportunity is your only chance, I hope you don't waste it."
The man shuddered under his fierce gaze and said calmly, "I just heard what the doctor said. I don't think I'll have a chance to speak now."
"So you're not going to tell me, right?" Zhao Jingyu sneered, thrusting the tip of his sword forward, and suddenly called out a name, "Ma Sihai!"
The man's face changed drastically, and he asked in panic, "How do you know my name?"
Zhao Jingyu said indifferently, "Not only do I know your name, I also know that you have a 67-year-old mother and a three-year-and-five-month-old son. Your wife was taken away by a creditor two months ago to pay off a debt, and your brother-in-law cut off a finger because of this. You really can't survive, but if you plan to die without saying a word, please choose a relative to accompany you on your journey, son or mother, it's your choice."
Ma Sihai's eyes widened in horror. The handsome man in front of him made him feel cold all over. He fell to the ground with a plop, reached out to hold Zhao Jingyu's feet, and pleaded in a pitiful voice: "Second Master, I was wrong. I was ordered by Miss Zhao to kill that girl. Please don't hurt my son, don't hurt my old mother, please, please..."
Zhao Jingyu dodged his hand in disgust, not wanting him to touch her feet. She stood up and looked down at him: "Are you sure that what you said is true?"
"I promise, I promise." Ma Sihai kowtowed repeatedly, "Everything I said is true. I dare not joke with the lives of my family members."
"Okay, I believe you." Zhao Jingyu nodded, returned the sword to Wei Jun, and strode out of the secret room.
Ma Sihai didn't expect him to leave like this. He looked at Wei Jun in confusion and said, "Sir Guard, will the Second Young Master really let my family go?"
"Who do you think the Second Young Master is?" Wei Jun said calmly, "Your wife has already been rescued by the Second Young Master and is now working as an embroiderer at the Shuiyun Embroidery Workshop."
Ma Sihai was stunned and finally understood why the second young master knew his name.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Second Young Master. I will work like a slave in my next life to repay you." He kowtowed three times in the direction where the Second Young Master left, then spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly fell to the ground.
…
The sound of reading aloud could be heard from the school. Outside the school, the maids of the young ladies gathered in the middle of the courtyard, basking in the sun and chatting.
Xie Nanjia has always been reluctant to get close to others. She sat alone in the corridor thinking about things. The mottled sunlight shone on her, casting a layer of soft light on her pretty face. From a distance, she looked like a fairy walking out of a painting.
"The sleeves are so beautiful." The maid of the eldest lady of the East Mansion praised sincerely.
This one sentence stirred up a hornet's nest and aroused the jealousy of a group of girls.
"What's so good about it? Why can't I see it?" Zhao Lanshu's maid Yun Que said disdainfully, "What's the point of being a maid no matter how good-looking she is? She's just a servant, a dowry, or a bed-warming maid. How can she be the mistress of the house?"
"That's right. If you don't follow the right master, you don't know what kind of cat or dog will warm your bed!" Zhao Lanyun's maid Qingmei echoed and pushed Haitang, "Don't you think so?"
Haitang subconsciously glanced towards Xie Nanjia, and just in time, Xie Nanjia heard the chirping sound and looked over here as well.
Their eyes met, and Haitang panicked and quickly dodged, saying with a smile: "We are all girls, what's the point of talking about this, let's talk about something else!"
"Yes, yes, we are all maids, how can anyone's life be good?" The maid of the second young lady of the West Mansion also thought that this was meaningless, and deliberately changed the subject, "I heard that your mansion is haunted, what is going on?"
"…" Haitang became even more flustered, "My stomach feels a little uncomfortable, you guys go ahead and talk, I'll go to the bathroom."
Having said this, he ran away in a hurry.
Xie Nanjia's eyes followed her figure until she was out of sight, then he withdrew his eyes and continued thinking about his own things.
After a while, the reading stopped, the class ended, and the ladies came out to move around.
The maids came forward one after another and helped their young ladies drink water and change clothes.
Xie Nanjia was sitting in the corridor, close to the door, and was the first to arrive.
According to the order of seniority, the first one to come out was the eldest daughter Zhao Lanya. Xie Nanjia stepped forward and said loudly: "Miss, you have worked hard!"
Zhao Lanya was startled by her and took several steps back until she bumped into Zhao Lanyan, the eldest daughter of the East Mansion, who came out from behind.
"What's wrong, big sister?" Zhao Lanyan helped her up and asked with concern.
Zhao Lanya steadied herself, patted her chest and said, "It's all because of that damn girl. She scared me."
Xie Nanjia stared into her eyes and asked with a smile: "The slave is just a little girl, what are you afraid of me for, young lady?"
Zhao Lanya was frightened by her gaze and did not dare to look at her. She stretched out her hands to push her away and walked away with Zhao Lanyan.
Xie Nanjia turned and looked at her, thoughtfully.
In the evening, after school, Xie Nanjia and Zhao Lanzhi returned to Yilan Courtyard together.
As soon as she entered the room, Zhen'er came up to Xie Nanjia and said, "The Second Young Master just sent someone to tell him that he wants to eat the meal you cooked, and asked you to invite him when it's ready."
Zhao Jingyu hadn't come to Yilanyuan for dinner for a long time. He suddenly wanted to come for dinner today. He must have asked something from that person. Thinking of this, Xie Nanjia nodded and said, "I know. I'll do it right away."
Zhao Lanzhi was also very happy when she heard that her second brother was coming, and said happily: "You go and do it quickly, I will go wash up and change clothes so that I can accompany my second brother for dinner later."
Xie Nanjia agreed, went into the house to change clothes, and went to the big kitchen to find Aunt Cai to get the ingredients.
The big kitchen was a crowded place, and all kinds of news spread very quickly. Although she had left the big kitchen, she would still visit there every now and then, and always maintained a close relationship with Aunt Cai.
When Aunt Cai saw her, the first thing she asked was, "Do you know what the ghost story is about?"
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but laugh: "Auntie, do you think I'm an official or a half-immortal? How would I know such things?"
Without waiting for Aunt Cai to ask any more questions, he took out a white fox fur handcuff from his bosom and handed it to her: "I made this myself. It's cold now. Use it to warm your hands."
She made two in total, and planned to give the other one to her mother when she had the chance.
"It's amazing that you still think of me." Aunt Cai already knew that she didn't want to say more. She took the handcuffs, looked at them again and again, and praised, "You have really clever hands. You are proficient in sewing and cooking."
"Auntie is more skillful than me!" Xie Nanjia said, "How is Suju? Is it easy for you to use her?"
Speaking of Su Ju, Aunt Cai's face lit up with smiles: "Su Ju is much better than you, capable, well-behaved, and filial, and never causes me to worry. Next spring, I plan to ask her to help cook."
"It was my recommendation that made it better." Xie Nanjia said, "Auntie should thank me."
"You silly girl, how do you want me to thank you?" Aunt Cai said with a smile.
"Remember this for now. I may have to trouble you again in the future." Xie Nanjia said.
Aunt Cai put away her smile and said seriously, "If you have anything to say, just ask."
"Don't worry, I won't be polite with you." Xie Nanjia said.
After taking the ingredients back, she began to busy herself with cooking.
Nanny Li and Su He helped out, Zhen'er was in charge of lighting the fire, and they all prepared the meal in a lively manner.
Before the last soup came out of the pot, Nanny Li urged Xie Nanjia to invite the Second Young Master, fearing that the dishes cooked earlier would get cold if they were late.
Xie Nanjia then handed the rest of the work to her, took off her apron and went to the west wing to invite Zhao Jingyu.
According to her previous plan, she should have struck while the iron was hot and made the haunting incident bigger than it actually was, in order to break through Yunying's psychological defenses in one fell swoop. However, she didn't expect that before she took any action, someone would attack her first.
Although this didn't hurt her at all, it did affect her pace of action to some extent, forcing her to suspend her plans and solve her own problems first.
Before this, she had never thought that anyone would want to kill her. She was usually a little tough, but she was also very careful about her limits. Except for Aunt Hong and the handyman in Qingqu Garden, she didn't seem to have had any conflicts with anyone serious enough to lead to murder.
At first she suspected it was the Third Aunt because the Third Aunt was punished and confined by the Marquis because of her.
Later, she suspected it was the Second Miss because she had contradicted her many times.
But today in school, Haitang and Zhao Lanya's awkwardness when facing her gave her new ideas.
She walked and thought all the way, and before she knew it she had arrived at the west wing. The guard inside seemed to know she was coming, and the door opened as soon as she knocked.
"Brother Guard, I'm here to invite the Second Young Master to come over for dinner..." She bowed and saluted, but suddenly stopped halfway through.
The person guarding the door was not a guard at all, but Zhao Jingyu.
"Go on!" Zhao Jingyu said with a smile.
"..." Xie Nanjia was speechless, "You're not waiting for me here on purpose, are you?"
"That's right!" Zhao Jingyu said with a smile, "I asked you to make medicinal food for me, but I didn't eat it even after my wounds healed. I'm almost dying of greed."
Xie Nanjia: "You didn't tell me later, so I forgot about it."
"It shows that you don't care about me at all." Zhao Jingyu pushed her out the door and walked back with her, complaining, "If I had known you were so heartless, I shouldn't have saved you last night."
Xie Nanjia asked hurriedly: "How is that person?"
"Dead." said Zhao Jingyu.
"Dead?" Xie Nanjia was shocked. "Did he say anything before he died?"
Zhao Jingyu nodded: "Yes."
"What did you say?" Xie Nanjia asked.
Zhao Jingyu deliberately kept it a secret: "You haven't fulfilled the conditions we made yesterday. If I tell you everything, you'll cheat again."
"..." Xie Nanjia glanced at him, "Forget it if you don't want to tell me. I already know who it is anyway."
"Is it true?" Zhao Jingyu expressed disbelief.
Xie Nanjia smiled slightly, grabbed his hand, wrote a word on his palm, and asked, "Is this the person?"
Zhao Jingyu blinked: "I was so busy itching that I didn't notice what the words were."
"..." Xie Nanjia threw his hand away angrily.
"Write it again, this time I want to read it carefully." Zhao Jingyu took the initiative to hand her his hand again.
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to write it again.
Zhao Jingyu saw the word clearly, took a deep breath, and asked in surprise: "How do you know it's her?"
Xie Nanjia was actually not sure, but when he asked this, he knew that he had guessed correctly, so he immediately told him what happened in the school that day.
Although Zhao Jingyu was making a fuss, one had to admire her meticulous mind. She could accurately lock onto the target with just a glance and a movement. She was truly extremely smart.
"Are you really just a farm girl who fled to the farm due to famine?" He looked at Xie Nanjia inquiringly and asked the question that had puzzled him for a long time.
Xie Nanjia's heart skipped a beat, but she calmed herself down and met his gaze, asking, "Didn't you investigate this a long time ago? Do you not believe the results of the investigation, or do you not believe in the ability of your people to do things?"
"How did you know?" This time it was Zhao Jingyu's turn to be shocked. How powerful was this girl? She even knew that he had sent people to investigate her.
"Song Ce told me this when he came to deliver lotus roots during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Xie Nanjia told the truth.
Mid-Autumn Festival? Zhao Jingyu calculated the time and couldn't help but sigh: "You are really patient."
"So what if I lose my temper? I can't beat you." Xie Nanjia said half-jokingly.
"Ha!" Zhao Jingyu laughed, "Now that you're telling me, are you sure you can beat me?"
"Of course not." Xie Nanjia said seriously, "I'm just sure you're not a danger to me now."
"Really?" Zhao Jingyu smiled evilly, "Maybe you are wrong?"
"No, I'm not a fool. How could I not see that you have been protecting me all the time?" Xie Nanjia's tone suddenly softened.
This answer was beyond Zhao Jingyu's expectations, and his heart brightened.
Damn girl, she wasn't completely blind yet, she finally saw how good he was to her.
No! He thought again, this girl is not someone who easily reveals her emotions. She is suddenly being frank and flattering to him. Could she be trying to trick him into doing something for her again
"Tell me quickly, what are you planning?" he asked with a stern face.
Xie Nanjia smiled slyly and hooked her finger at him: "Come closer and I'll tell you."
"..." Zhao Jingyu had a feeling that she had bad intentions, but he couldn't resist her temptation. After struggling for a moment, he finally put his ear closer.
(End of this chapter)