Tushere flung aside the veil and scrutinized the woman up and down before speaking: "Who are you!?"
"I—I am no one? Let go!"
"Still pretending? Did you just drug ? Where did you get the drug?"
"What drug, I don’t know what you are talking about."
Seeing her feign innocence and ignorance, Tushere was infuriated and wanted to press further, but Wo Xue noticed the woman’s perpetually panicked and bewildered expression. Suddenly, she sensed sothing, pulling the woman before her, staring into her face, and said sternly: "We are from the Duke Mansion, questioning you now! What is your na and where are you from?"
Upon hearing "Duke Mansion," the woman turned even paler with fear, her legs nearly giving way beneath her.
Fortunately, Wo Xue held her firmly, and Tushere grabbed her other arm, barely keeping her upright. The woman’s eyes were red, and she pleaded tearfully: "I don’t know, soone gave a tael of silver, asking to deliver a package to the Lord riding out of town, so I ca. I am just working at the rice shop ahead; I really don’t know anything else."
"What?"
Tushere froze, instinctively feeling she was lying, sneering coldly: "Do you think we’ll believe you just because you throw a random lie?"
Wo Xue frowned, studying the woman again, and said softly: "Sister She’er, she might not be lying."
"Ah? Why?"
"Look at her clothes."
Glancing down at the woman, Tushere finally noticed she was wearing an inconspicuous cotton dress, yet still had an apron tied around her waist stained with a layer of white dust, examining closely, it was precisely the white foam sticking to rice grains.
Examining the woman further, her skin was coarse, appearance ordinary—indeed unlike soone working for a noble family. Plus, after their questioning, the woman was nearly collapsing from fear, tearfully saying: "I really don’t know; see, I only have that tael of silver the person gave . I’ll give it to you, but I really don’t know anything else."
Unwilling to give up, Tushere reached into her bosom, finding a tael of silver therein.
And considering her attire and appearance, she indeed appeared unlikely to carry a tael of silver on the street.
Exchanging glances, unease surged within them.
Grabbed the wrong person?
No, it’s not a mistake but—
Wo Xue gritted her teeth, tightened her grip on the woman’s wrist, demanding in a deep voice: "Who sent you to deliver the goods?"
The woman was already sobbing, stamring: "I—I don’t know either, just soone around your age, this young lady’s age, asked to co."
"What did the person look like?"
"I didn’t see, her face was covered with that—she later gave one too, telling to wear it when delivering things at the city gate, so I did."
"..."
"I truly don’t know who she is, please let go, you two young ladies."
At this mont, Wo Xue furrowed her brows, breathing heavily, yet gradually released her grip.
Though not subjected to torture, prior experiences allowed her so intuition in discerning whether one is lying, and this woman indeed seed truthful, her background matching her words.
Moreover, aligning with Shang Ruyi’s prior alert—
The adversary was extrely sly, exceptionally cunning.
So cunning, multiple tis on this journey they fell into her traps, almost losing their lives, yet till now, they knew nothing about the person’s identity, appearance, background, or even gender.
They thought, finally, they could turn the tables this ti, but unexpectedly—the opponent still had tricks left.
Tushere released the woman too, stamping her foot: "Gone to waste!"
Wo Xue also furrowed her brow.
But the next mont, she suddenly glanced around, looked back at the restaurant, and said: "Sister She’er, where is the Young Madam?!"
|
While she and the young woman struggled in entanglent, a carriage slowly drove along the path to the restaurant’s back door, soon, a light silhouette leisurely erged.
Supported by the maid accompanying the carriage, she deftly boarded the vehicle.
The maid lowered the curtain, gently asking: "Miss, are we returning to the mansion now?"
A soft "yes" echoed inside the carriage; the maid promptly turned to motion to the coachman: "Let’s go."
"Yes."
Without further words, the coachman lifted his hand to urge the horse, but just as he raised it, his arm stiffened, eyes widening in shock, staring ahead.
On this road, broad enough but allowing only one carriage, soone leisurely erged, blocking the way.
It was a young woman, dressed luxuriously, with resplendent looks, serene yet exuding an imposing aura of authority, no older than twenty, the tidy bun at her nape marking her as a married woman, evidently from a noble family.
Yet here she stood, obstructing their carriage.
The coachman hesitated briefly, yet politely said: "Madam, we’re leaving, please allow us to pass."
But before them, standing with hands clasped behind, her expression relaxed yet eyes blazing intensely at the familiar carriage, was none other than Shang Ruyi, who had just been sipping tea in the upstairs alcove and had dashed downstairs with Tushere, only to disappear.
She curved her lips in a smile, yet her eyes bore no trace of amusent.
Gazing at the curtain, seemingly frozen, she proclaid loudly: "I’ve already waited here, yet you’re still unwilling to reveal yourself?"
"..."
"Must I really—part the clouds to see the moon?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers