Yu Shu heard footsteps behind her and stopped under a tree. She turned around and saw Ji Xingxuan carrying a bamboo brush basket. She rolled up her sleeves and walked in front of her in a few steps.
"Why are you following me?" Yu Shu frowned. There were only a few days left until the Spring Garden banquet. She had to keep an eye on Qin Yuerou, the bait. She didn't want Ji Xingxuan, the 'suspect', to notice anything at this critical moment.
As usual, Ji Xingxuan wore a veil over her face. Only her forehead and eyes could be seen. She looked at Yu Shu with a smile that wasn't a smile and said unhurriedly, "I'm curious.
What happened between you and Academician Jing? Why do you act as if you don't know each other? I thought you would study under him, but I heard that you went to see Academician Sima instead. "
Yu Shu naturally heard the mockery in her words. She raised her eyebrows and asked instead of answering, "I'm also curious.
How can you study under Jing Chen with a clear conscience? Aren't you afraid that Lord Ji will scold you for being an unfilial descendant if he finds out in the afterlife? "
Ji Huaishan practiced favoritism and committed fraud during the Dayan Examination. Both Yu Shu and Jing Chen pointed out that they were guilty. In the end, Ji Xingxuan bit her tongue to avoid punishment. At one point, in court, she angrily accused the two of them of being her grandfather's murderers. But now, she calmly asked for guidance from Jing Chen and bowed her head to be his disciple. This' broad-mindedness' indeed made Yu Shu 'admire'.
Yu Shu always knew where Ji Xingxuan's sore spot was. But today, Ji Xingxuan seemed to be especially resistant to being trampled on.
"You don't need to say anything to anger me. Even if my grandfather knows in the afterlife, he would only curse some sinister people." Ji Xingxuan's eyes turned cold. She didn't lose her composure like she did at Qiongyu Brothel.
Yu Shu pursed her lips, thinking that she was just scolding her. She was not in the mood to argue with her anymore.
"Then don't meddle in other people's business. Whether Jing Chen and I are good or bad, it has nothing to do with you. If you have nothing better to do, why don't you go back and please your master, lest you lose his favor?"
As she spoke, she turned sideways and fiddled with the flowers by the roadside. She turned her head and cast a teasing glance at Ji Xingxuan from the corner of her eye. That glance. It was extremely sarcastic.
Ji Xingxuan pursed her lips tightly, her back stiffened into a straight line. A few months ago, her family had been defeated and she had no choice but to rely on Liu Hao. She had to endure humiliation to preserve her chastity. However, to someone as proud and arrogant as her, Ji Xingxuan had no other choice. Because of this, she became a target of gossip, but it became a source of hatred in her heart.
When she thought of this, she couldn't help but hate the person in front of her even more. Her hatred grew to the extreme, but she became calmer instead. She lowered her head and smiled, saying,
"Thank you for reminding me, I almost forgot. Yesterday, after the Shuang Yang Meeting ended, I accompanied them to the banquet at Ning Wang Fu. At that time, there were many guests and I saw the Eleventh Prince. When I saw that he had brought a new pet with him, I felt that she looked very familiar. So I took a few more glances and saw that arrogant demeanor. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that she was the sister of the Fortune Teller. "
Yu Shu narrowed her eyes. Seeing that Ji Xingxuan didn't seem to be lying, she was instantly enraged. She gave Liu Yi, that brat, a good beating in her heart.
In the next moment, she was suspicious. Liu Yi, that brat, should be afraid of her. Why was he suddenly so fearless?
However, in the next moment, Ji Xingxuan answered her doubts,
"Speaking of which, the Eleventh Prince can't be blamed for his carelessness. After all, he knew that he was being threatened. He was beaten for nothing and had to leave the Shuang Yang Meeting midway. Naturally, he would fly into a rage out of humiliation. Unfortunately, the one who threatened him now has a new leader, so he couldn't directly settle the score with her. He could only find another way to vent his anger … So Liu Yi already knew!
Yu Shu stared at Ji Xingxuan in an unfriendly tone, "When did you tell him?"
During the Shuang Yang Meeting, Liu Yi had slipped into the room she was resting in and wanted to do something to her. She had caught him and beaten him up. She had then lied to him that her teacher was an expert from a Daoist sect to suppress this scandal. Who knew that Ji Xingxuan, who was staying next door, had heard everything. A few days later, she had used this to threaten her for the rest of the Liuyao Technique.
At that time, Yu Shu had not given in. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, she would change her mind. Ji Xingxuan had missed the best chance to control her, so Yu Shu didn't take this matter to heart.
Who knew that in the past few days, Ji Xingxuan would dig it out again.
"One rainy day, didn't I meet the female fortune-teller in the study garden?" Ji Xingxuan sneered,
"I remember that at that time, someone warned me that I would be skinned. I was scared and spilled the beans in front of Your Highness. I actually told him the dirty things that I heard in Qiongyu House that day. As for how Your Highness told the Eleventh Prince, I don't know."
Yu Shu was at the peak of the Shuang Yang Meeting. Ji Xingxuan chose to avoid her. The two of them met again in the Taishi Study Garden. Ji Xingxuan avoided Yu Shu several times when she saw her, but it didn't mean that she was prepared to endure it forever.
Even a rabbit would bite when cornered, not to mention that she was not a kind person.
Yu Shu's face was tense. Her eyes flickered as she looked at Ji Xingxuan.
Ji Xingxuan moved and walked towards her. She stopped when she was just a step away from her. Her eyes looked down and stared at Yu Shu's slender neck. She lowered her voice and said to her,
"You destroyed my family. Every day and night, I hate that I can't strangle you to death with my own hands. Don't worry, as long as I am still alive, there will be a day when I will make you wish you were dead."
Ji Xingxuan's cold breath touched Yu Shu's neck, and she couldn't help but feel her throat tighten. For a moment, she felt that Ji Xingxuan was really going to reach out and strangle her neck.
She stood there without moving. Ji Xingxuan retreated. She lowered her head and walked past her. It was as if nothing had happened and those words of hatred were all an illusion.
After a while, Yu Shu turned around and stared at the crescent door at the exit of the garden. She frowned and felt inexplicably uneasy.
Why was Ji Xingxuan so fearless?
***
During dinner, Xue Rui noticed that Yu Shu was absent-minded. He moved the spoon in his hand and pushed back her chopsticks that were about to reach into the fish soup. He teased,
"When did you learn to use chopsticks to serve soup?"
Yu Shu retracted her chopsticks and twitched the corner of her mouth in embarrassment.
Xue Rui sighed and put down his bowl and chopsticks. He was ready to solve her problem first. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to eat peacefully.
"Tell me, what's wrong with you? Why are you so listless?"
Yu Shu said perfunctorily, "I'm thinking about the topic that Academician Fang talked about in the afternoon."
"Tell me the truth." Xue Rui was already used to her talking nonsense. Now, even if he closed his eyes, he could still guess whether she was telling the truth or lying.
Yu Shu paused. She thought in her heart, how should she tell Xue Rui the truth? Should she say that she felt stifled when she saw Jing Chen lecturing Ji Xingxuan today? Or should she say that the Eleventh Prince had once taken advantage of her and now found a girl who looked similar to her to play with him? Or should she say that Ji Xingxuan almost reached out to strangle her neck today?
Yu Shu was depressed. It seemed that none of them could be "shared" with Xue Rui.
"Actually, I miss Little Xiu. Why don't I go home tomorrow?"
"Well, go home tomorrow if you have nothing else to do." Xue Rui seemed to believe her. He picked up his chopsticks and asked casually,
"Did you see Ji Xingxuan in the study today?"
Yu Shu wanted to say no, but she changed her mind. Ji Xingxuan was now a key figure in the murder case. Two lives were involved. It seemed inappropriate not to mention what happened to them to Xue Rui.
"Yes, I saw her."
"Did you talk?" Xue Rui asked in a few words. It was not hard to figure out the main point. There was nothing in the Taishi Study that could trouble her. One was Ji Xingxuan, and the other was Jing Chen.
Yu Shu scratched her chin and said, "I did talk a little. I paid attention to my words and actions. She will not notice anything strange."
Speaking of this, she remembered Ji Xingxuan's fearless look. She frowned and said, "Big brother. I think that if the people behind Ji Xingxuan were the ones who plotted against Jing Chen back then, then they must be a very powerful party. What do you think? What do you think? Is it related to Prince Ning? "
The only thing that Ji Xingxuan relied on was power. From the people around her, Liu Hao was the most suspicious one.
If it was really Prince Ning, then it would involve a lot of things. If she and Xue Rui found out who the mastermind was, the whole court would be shaken.
Xue Rui was obviously clearly aware of this since the beginning. Now that Yu Shu had clearly pointed it out, he wasn't shocked or afraid in the slightest, and he said with a flat tone,
"No matter who is involved, we must investigate this murder case. We must investigate this murder case thoroughly; it is also the will of His Majesty. "
Yu Shu successfully changed the topic. Xue Rui did not try to pull her back. Anyway, he had guessed that her bad mood was because of Ji Xingxuan. Seeing that she looked better, he urged her to drink the soup while it was hot.
The two of them ate dinner. Xue Rui suggested that they go to the courtyard for a drink. Yu Shu thought about it and did not refuse. She went upstairs to her room to wash her face. After cleaning herself up, she went up to the third floor. Xue Rui had already had someone set up a couch and was waiting for her.
To keep cool, Yu Shu only wore a round-collared, small-sleeved, striped blouse over her white unlined top. She sat on the short couch covered with a leather blanket. When the wind blew, she shrank her neck and lowered her head to sneeze.
"The wind is cold at night. Why didn't you put on more clothes before coming out?" Xue Rui scolded in a low voice. He took the cloak hanging on the railing and shook it out to cover her shoulders. His fingers hooked around the collar and he bent down to tie it for her.
Yu Shu reacted half a beat slower. Seeing his face come closer, she could only turn her head away. She didn't want him to find her uncomfortable so she cleared her throat and asked,
"What kind of wine?"
"It's green cattail wine from Jiangxi. Smell it and see if it's very light." Xue Rui tied the cloak properly for her, then he sat by her side. His long arm reached for a white porcelain wine bottle and passed her a small, round, and adorable flower-shaped cup. Then, he filled each of their cups.
Yu Shu was about to bring it to her mouth when Xue Rui stopped her, "Wait."
While speaking, she saw him take the fruit box from the wine table and hand it to her. Yu Shu saw clearly that there were more than a dozen golden orange fruits inside. They looked like loquat fruits, but they were much smaller.
Xue Rui saw that she didn't want to admit it, so he smiled and said, "This is a golden pill from Sichuan. It can stimulate saliva and stop coughing. Put one in your mouth, bite it and drink the wine. Let's see how it tastes."
Yu Shu doubtfully pinched a golden fruit and put it in her mouth. As soon as she bit it, she wrinkled her nose because of the unique sour and bitter taste. She almost spat it out. She hurriedly put the wine in her mouth. Who knew that the moment the wine entered her mouth, her mouth was filled with a spicy sweetness that quickly spread to her limbs and bones.
Yu Shu was startled. She was sure that her ears must have turned red.
The golden fruit was still in her mouth. Yu Shu chewed and chewed. The bitter taste just now disappeared, leaving only a sour and sweet taste.
"How is the taste?" Xue Rui asked.
Yu Shu was pleasantly surprised and nodded: "Good wine, great." At the beginning, it was bitter, but for the sweet taste later, she was willing to eat that little bit of bitterness.
Xue Rui raised the corner of his mouth and looked up at the silver moon in the sky. He said seriously:
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