A'cha blushed, "This is prepared for Miss."
"Good A'cha, I know you care. Go, eat with Jing Heng over there," Yun Shu said gently.
"This servant... there's only this one bowl. If Miss doesn't drink it, give it to Jing Heng. I've already had breakfast and I'm not hungry at all." A'cha quickly handed the soup in her hand to Jing Heng as if it were a hot potato.
Jing Heng steadily caught it, "Alright, I'll drink it."
He glanced at A'cha.
This glance made A'cha flustered, "That... that, I'll go make some light refreshments for Miss."
As she spoke, she quickly scurried away.
As if she didn't want to be with Jing Heng.
Jing Heng was stunned for a moment.
"Go help out, Jing Heng," Yun Shu reminded him.
Jing Heng was clever and immediately understood her reminder.
He hurried his steps, quickly chasing after A'cha.
However, he was still puzzled, why had A'cha been avoiding him recently? Did she feel he wasn't a reliable man after getting to know him?
For a moment, Jing Heng was lost in thought.
Watching them mutually guess each other's feelings and cautiously probe, Yun Shu, who was guessing their thoughts, gently curved her lips.
Gazing into the distance, Yun Shu's doubts deepened.
It was a woman?
If it were a man, there was an eighty to ninety percent chance it could be Prince Ning. All they needed to do was investigate whether Prince Ning had been secretly building his forces in recent years; such matters could be clarified in a short period.
But it was a woman.
Was Qian Le'er lying?
Or was there another master behind that woman?
This situation was becoming increasingly murky.
She pursed her lips, got up, and walked towards the mansion gate. She was going to the Qin manor.
She left the mansion and got into the carriage.
Just as she was settled and ready to depart, someone suddenly stopped the carriage.
A deep voice from the person blocking the carriage said, "Please stop."
Yun Shu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. The voice sounded familiar, but her mind was elsewhere, and she couldn't immediately identify who it was.
Upon seeing the person, she was slightly surprised, "Young Master Yi?"
Yi Zixing had been furious on his way here, but the moment he saw Yun Shu, his anger instantly subsided.
He even began to ponder what had truly happened.
Perhaps there was a misunderstanding.
The first glance Yun Shu caught of Yi Zixing when she lifted the curtain was his angry handsome face, but his expression changed rapidly, becoming one of confusion.
This left her perplexed.
What was going on?
"Does Young Master Yi have business?" Yun Shu asked.
Yi Zixing pursed his lips tightly and hesitated before speaking, "Le'er told me that Jing Heng was going to strangle her. There were indeed finger marks on her neck, so I've come to ask Miss Yun Er if you are aware of this matter?"
Yun Shu, her mind sluggish from a sleepless night, hadn't thought much of it earlier. Now she understood the reason.
So it was because of Qian Le'er.
She glanced at the sky outside; it was still overcast, and the clouds seemed even lower than before, as if a heavy rain was imminent.
"Qian Le'er told you? Did she tell you the reason?" Yun Shu retorted.
This question made Yi Zixing realize that Le'er hadn't mentioned any reason just now.
Could there truly be some hidden circumstances?
He knew that Yun Shu would never allow her subordinates to do anything inappropriate.
"Old Master Qin was assassinated last night. Qiu Lu and Jing Heng braved the heavy rain to see Qian Le'er. Young Master Yi might as well investigate the reason for this matter. I still need to go to the Qin manor, and we can discuss this another day." After speaking, Yun Shu lowered the curtain.
The carriage moved past Yi Zixing.
Yi Zixing's back stiffened considerably, his ears buzzing.
It seemed he had truly overlooked something...
He instructed the servant boy following him, "Where are the things my father investigated about Le'er kept?"
The servant boy looked bewildered, "They were all burned by the Young Master. Does the Young Master want them? If so, you can ask the Marquis again."
Didn't the Young Master treasure Qian Le'er like a jewel?
He had even fallen out with the Marquis and angered him to the point of illness, and he still wanted to marry Qian Le'er as his principal wife. Why had things changed so drastically?
"Not for now. You go and investigate," Yi Zixing thought for a moment, not wanting to alarm his father.
He still didn't want his suspicions to be true.
He wished for the pure land in his heart to remain untainted, and he hoped that others had misunderstood Le'er.
The servant boy looked into the distance; Yun Er's carriage was no longer in sight. No wonder the Marquis had said that if even he couldn't make the Young Master face reality, then Yun Er definitely could.
He had served by the Young Master's side. Although he hadn't seen Qian Le'er often, on the few occasions he had, he always felt that Qian Le'er wasn't as pure as the Young Master described.
"I hope it's all a misunderstanding," Yi Zixing frowned deeply.
Yun Shu's cold yet all-seeing eyes lingered in his mind.
She hadn't said much, yet it seemed she had told him a great deal.
He clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve.
...
Xiao Ju was worried.
Seeing Qian Le'er still leisurely sipping tea, she couldn't help but ask with concern, "Madam, the Young Master and Miss Yun Er are like siblings. The Young Master has always trusted Miss Yun Er very much. Will this backfire this time?"
*Slap!*
Qian Le'er slapped her, mercilessly, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could it backfire! Don't you believe that in the Young Master's heart, my status is higher than Yun Shu's? The Young Master believes every word I say, and Jing Heng is just a dog by Yun Shu's side. What do you think is more important?"
Xiao Ju was stunned by the blow, covering her face, "Madam is right."
"Just wait and see. The Young Master and Miss Yun Er will surely break ties starting today. From now on, this thorn in my side, Miss Yun Er, will no longer ruin the relationship between me and the Young Master. However..." Qian Le'er thought of that woman who also made her fearful.
That woman was unfathomable, as if she controlled everything in the capital. Yun Shu was certainly no match for her.
But under Jing Heng's questioning, she had been forced to mention that woman.
"However what, Madam?" Xiao Ju asked distractedly, covering her face.
Qian Le'er's face turned cold, and she regained her senses, "Nothing. Go and guard the entrance. As soon as the Young Master returns, come and tell me immediately."
"Yes, Madam."
...
Qin Manor.
White silk banners were hung everywhere in the Qin manor.
The pure white, combined with the gloomy weather, made the already sorrowful hearts even heavier.
She walked to the mourning hall.
From outside the door, she could see the ice coffin in the mourning hall.
She also saw Zhan Tianye and the three little ones kneeling obediently beside him.
Their innocent and tender voices soothed the wounded heart of Zhan Tianye.
"Daddy, Great-Grandfather must have gone to a very beautiful place. Mommy used to tell me a story. In that story, people who seemed to have left us were actually free from all troubles," Yun Xiaojing softly comforted Zhan Tianye.