Chapter 6
Song Jiyun stood in the courtyard for a while, waiting until she was certain the government officials had left before returning to the silk cabinet.
Involving the government authorities—this truly was a huge problem she had stirred up!
The golden light of the setting sun streamed in like gilded foil, lighting up the silk cabinet.
She opened the wardrobe, pulled the cloth from the man’s mouth, and smiled. “Apologies for the offense!”
The man sat upright on the small cot, his sharp eyes fixed on her, but his tone was calm as he said,
“No wonder you dare to scheme for the family inheritance!”
Song Jiyun took it as a compliment and replied with a smile, “Thank you for the praise, young master!”
The man had never met such a shameless woman.
Song Jiyun entered carrying a plate of osmanthus rice cakes.
“Young master, you’ve traveled far and are an honored guest. I ought to treat you with respect, but who would’ve expected the registrar to arrive suddenly? Everyone in the household went to greet him, so dinner is delayed. Who knows when it’ll be ready?”
She used the cloth to pick up a piece of rice cake and offered it to him. “Please, have a piece to tide you over!”
The rich fragrance of osmanthus reminded the man of the scented spray she had doused him with earlier.
Looking at her now—smiling and speaking in a gentle tone—she seemed familiar.
And yet, her actions were reminiscent of how she had coaxed the big dog with meat dates earlier…
What was she scheming now?
The veins on his forehead throbbed as he said, “I don’t eat osmanthus cakes.”
Song Jiyun didn’t insist. “It seems you’ll be staying here for some time. The east wing has the best view. I’ll have someone prepare it for you…”
“No need!”
The man gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the gilded chicken-wing wood door handles and settling on the translucent bamboo-patterned soft gauze covering the window. “I’ll stay here.”
Song Jiyun gave him a deep look. “Are you sure about this, young master?”
The man nodded.
“Alright!” Song Jiyun readily agreed. “I’ll have someone tidy it up right away.”
The man said, “I need a bath and a change of clothes.”
Song Jiyun froze for a moment. “Now?”
Setting aside the issue of untying him, she hadn’t even had time to select a servant or maid to assist with the bath.
She couldn’t possibly do it herself, could she?
Even her own baths were attended by maids.
Song Jiyun hesitated briefly, but the man was already leaning leisurely against the wardrobe panel, looking as if he was waiting for her to figure it out.
Since he wasn’t afraid, why should she be?
Song Jiyun smiled at him, got up decisively, closed the wardrobe door, and instructed Xiang Zan to have the tea room heat water and bring it to the bathroom.
Xiang Zan didn’t think much of it and ran off to relay the message.
Before long, several servant women arrived with buckets of water.
Her bathroom was designed according to her preferences: four walls made of green stone blocks, with a washstand at the entrance, a screen on the left hiding the bath barrel and pool, and another screen on the right concealing the toilet.
The bath pool was out of the question for him.
She decided against using the bath barrel too.
Song Jiyun had the servant women fill the bath barrel with water, then dismissed them.
Opening the wardrobe door, she said, “Will you walk on your own, or should I help you?”
The man remained silent for a while.
Just when she thought he might ask for her help, he stood up unsteadily but quickly steadied himself and walked into the bathroom.
Song Jiyun massaged her forehead.
This man was even more formidable than she had imagined.
Where on earth had this person come from?
Watching his back, she followed him into the bathroom after a moment.
The man was curiously examining her bathroom.
When she entered, he raised his chin and gestured for her to assist him with his clothes.
Song Jiyun forced a smile, grabbed a pair of scissors, and began cutting his clothes.
The man’s body stiffened slightly.
It was unclear whether he had brought this on himself or was simply unaccustomed to such “service.”
His robes, inner clothes, and pants all turned to scraps in silence.
As she cut, Song Jiyun silently admired his physique.
As expected of someone who practiced martial arts, his body was lean, balanced, and perfectly proportioned—everything was just right.
“Alright, you can leave now!” the man said, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
Song Jiyun calmly replied, “Okay,” and swiftly exited, holding the scissors. Outside, she burst into muffled laughter, clutching her waist and abdomen.
In the end, he had taken the bath.
***
Song Jiyun’s wet nurse, Madam Zheng, came to see her.
She arranged for Liuzi, a mute but strong servant, to attend to the man during his bath.
While Liuzi assisted him, Song Jiyun stood under the eaves, talking to Madam Zheng.
“I’ve found out what you asked,” Madam Zheng said in a low voice.
“They say a young master from the capital went missing. Someone brought a county magistrate’s name card to request a meeting, but the magistrate was in Nanchang. The registrar didn’t dare delay and sent people to search everywhere.”
“That’s not right,” Song Jiyun said slowly, twisting the cloth in her hands. “The magistrate and registrar have always been at odds. If the magistrate’s name card was used, the registrar wouldn’t be this thorough. Either it’s a false rumor, or even the lower-level officials are being kept in the dark.”
Madam Zheng grew anxious. “Should I go investigate further?”
“No need,” Song Jiyun replied.
“The situation is complicated. If we interfere now, we might alert them and ruin everything.”
“What should we do, then?” Madam Zheng asked.
Song Jiyun instructed, “Just keep the gates secure and don’t let anyone barge in. As for his identity, we’ll figure it out slowly. He won’t tell us now anyway.”
Madam Zheng nodded respectfully.
Song Jiyun added, “Liuzi is strong and obedient but not clever enough. We need a sharp, perceptive servant to attend to him, or he might escape.”
Such a servant was hard to find even on ordinary days, let alone now.
Song Jiyun said, “There’s no rush. The important thing is to find the right person. For now, Liuzi and I can manage.”
***
Liuzi ran out and gestured wildly, indicating that he had completed his task.
Song Jiyun returned to the silk cabinet.
The man, dressed in a light cotton robe, with damp hair draped over his shoulders, sat on her chaise longue, his complexion back to normal.
Song Jiyun lit another incense burner and handed him a cup of tea.
He reluctantly lifted the cup to sniff it and said, “What other teas do you have here?”
She had lived here for over a long time and couldn’t tell the difference between teas, but he was picky.
“We have West Lake Longjing, Xinyang Maojian, Junshan Silver Needle, and Wuyi Rock Tea,” she said.
“Is the Xinyang Maojian from before or after the rain?” he asked.
Suppressing a string of complaints, Song Jiyun replied, “Before the rain.”
“Then I’ll have the Xinyang Maojian,” he said, choosing his tea.
Song Jiyun brewed a cup of Xinyang Maojian for him.
By the time she placed the cup in front of him, he could barely lift his hand.
—
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