Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The long street was silent, save for the steady rhythm of horse hooves.

The interior of the carriage was scented with pleasant agarwood. Lu Jin’an sat opposite me, fiddling with a string of Southern Red Bodhi beads, his fox-like eyes staring at me without blinking.

He had a face that was beautiful to the point of being eerie.

“Stop the carriage.”

Lu Jin’an suddenly spoke.

The carriage came to an abrupt halt.

I didn’t know what was wrong and sat there in a slight panic.

Lu Jin’an lifted the carriage curtain.

Outside was a peach blossom forest. The night breeze blew, causing the flowering branches to sway gently.

Lu Jin’an jumped down from the carriage, turned around, and reached out his hand to me.

Not quite understanding, I followed him and jumped down.

The carriage was somewhat high. He caught me, and his embrace also carried the faint scent of agarwood.

A light chuckle sounded in my ear:

“This lowly official is a eunuch. For Miss Song to throw herself into my arms is like casting flirtatious glances at a blind man-a wasted effort.”

Only then did I realize he hadn’t intended to catch me. I felt a surge of embarrassment. “I thought…”

He smiled.

“I meant for you to give the puppy to me.”

He took Heidou from my arms.

“When I entered Jiangling, I passed by this place and thought the scenery was quite fine, with wild rabbits roaming about.”

He patted Heidou’s head. The black fur, stained with dirt, soiled his official uniform, but he didn’t seem to care.

“The little fellow should be happy living here.”

Lu Jin’an helped me bury Heidou under the largest peach tree.

Then he sat on the ground, picked up a large piece of tree root, took out a small knife, and carved for a while.

His fingers were very nimble.

In the time it took for the moon to pass in and out of the clouds, Lu Jin’an had carved a small wooden dog.

He threaded the multicolored string I was holding through it and tied it around my wrist.

“As long as you remember him, he is still with you.”

I hadn’t shed a tear in a long time.

Yet, faced with these words, my tears fell like rain.

Lu Jin’an waited quietly for me to finish crying before helping me back into the carriage.

He said, “There’s no need to say goodbye to your family, is there?”

I looked at him, and he gave a faint smile.

“For them to let you come out alone in the middle of the night to bury a puppy, they surely don’t treat you very well.”

I wiped the tears from my face and nodded.

“No need for goodbyes.”

[Xiao Qibai]

Midnight had already passed.

Xiao Qibai stood at the side gate of the Song Manor with a cold expression.

He didn’t like waiting, but tonight, he had no choice but to wait for this person.

The chilly night wind gusted over him. Xiao Qibai rubbed his brow irritably.

“Has that Ah Fei still not arrived?”

The maidservant replied tremulously, “No…”

Xiao Qibai closed his eyes.

It was his oversight.

After the Lotus Mark had been tattooed at the clinic, he shouldn’t have told the woman to go back and tend to her wounds herself; he should have kept her under guard.

Now she was having second thoughts.

“Pei Ren.”

“I am here, Your Highness.”

“Go to the fishing village immediately and kidnap Ah Fei’s father and sister. She will be the Lotus Girl whether she wants to or not.”

“Yes!”

Pei Ren took the order and was about to leave when he suddenly heard the sound of a carriage.

The carriage stopped in front of Xiao Qibai, and a figure stepped out.

Red official robes, a red tear-drop mole.

By the moonlight, Xiao Qibai recognized him.

Lu Jin’an.

As the head of the eunuchs, this man was skilled at political manipulation and was deeply calculating.

Xiao Qibai did not like him.

However, both his Imperial Father and the Imperial Consort doted on Lu Jin’an.

“Prince Yu,” Lu Jin’an greeted him.

Xiao Qibai loathed his manner; though he bowed, there wasn’t a hint of respect in it.

Fortunately, the words Lu Jin’an spoke were good news.

“On my way into Jiangling City, I encountered Miss Song Fei of the Song Manor.

“She was startled by a carriage and sprained her ankle, so I sent someone to take her to a clinic first.

“I have come specifically to the Song Manor to give word to Master Song.”

So she hadn’t changed her mind; an accident had simply occurred on the way.

Xiao Qibai felt a slight sense of relief.

But for some reason, a baseless gloom, like thin vines growing from the cracks in a rock, silently coiled around him.

Before he could figure out the source of this unease, Lu Jin’an spoke again:

“Miss Song Fei shares a destiny with the Imperial Consort. I must take her into the palace to accompany her.”

He had found out.

Xiao Qibai’s brow twitched imperceptibly.

Regardless of how it happened, Lu Jin’an had already discovered the tattooed Lotus Mark on Ah Fei’s body.

According to Xiao Qibai’s original plan, Ah Fei was supposed to learn etiquette and rules at the Song Manor to better impersonate Song Wanrong.

He hadn’t expected Lu Jin’an to arrive early and take Ah Fei away directly.

It didn’t matter.

Xiao Qibai comforted himself.

Entering the palace was a death sentence anyway. She might be quietly eliminated on the way before she even truly met the Imperial Consort.

Therefore, her true identity would not be discovered.

Even so, Xiao Qibai quickly added a few words:

“I have heard that this Miss Ah Fei of the Song Manor was raised at a countryside manor since childhood due to illness. Thus, she has never been properly tutored and her behavior is quite crude.

“If her lack of decorum offends Lord Lu, this Prince offers apologies on behalf of the Song family.”

Under the moonlight, Lu Jin’an gave a faint smile.

“Is that so?

“I, on the other hand, feel she is not as beneath notice as Your Highness suggests.”