Looking at Wan Ruo's earnest expression, an inexplicable sense of trust welled up. Although they had only met a few times, he trusted her completely.
"Yeah, I trust you!"
Wan Ruo was also shocked by this sudden trust. Before this, she had been struggling with how to convince him, but she never expected it to be so easy. It was almost unbelievable!
"Ah?" Wan Ruo hadn't reacted yet.
Si Hongxi looked at the dazed Wan Ruo, smiling as he stroked her head. "I said I trust you. Thank you for worrying about my mother's matter. This shouldn't have been your concern!"
Hearing Si Hongxi's words, Wan Ruo swatted his hand away. "Don't misunderstand. I just think the Princess Dowager looks a lot like my late grandma, so I just want to help!"
After saying that, Wan Ruo continued walking forward. Si Hongxi realized that his action might have been inappropriate at this moment. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly caught up and joked, "Okay! So what do you suggest? Do we need to find a Taoist priest, a monk, or a celestial being who can exorcise demons?"
Wan Ruo didn't take it to heart. After much thought, she said confidently, "It doesn't need to be that troublesome! I can handle it!"
Hearing this, Si Hongxi couldn't help but smile in disbelief. "You?"
"Yeah! Ever since I was born, I've been following my grandma to help others with such things. My grandma was a well - known shaman, specialized in dealing with these matters. I've been influenced by it since childhood. Although I'm not as good as my grandma, I should be able to handle it!" Wan Ruo said confidently about her grandma.
Wan Ruo knew very well that although she was boasting, unlike Granny Yin, who was a shaman with the support of spirits, she had no such backing and felt rather unsure. Fortunately, she had Wan Zi, so it could be considered having an assistant!
Hearing this, Si Hongxi was surprised that she had such abilities. "Okay! Since I have a capable person by my side, there's no reason for me to look for others. What do you need me to do?"
"I'll go back and make some preparations. Tomorrow, I'll go to take a detailed look at the Princess Dowager!" Wan Ruo said confidently.
"Alright. I'll pick you up at the same time then!" Si Hongxi said.
"Okay!"
The two continued walking towards Shan'an Fang.
On the other hand, after Qin Manman was sent home, her mother, Mrs. Zhang, was pacing around anxiously at home. Seeing some movement at the door, she went out and was surprised to see her daughter getting off a carriage.
This carriage looked like it belonged to a wealthy family. How could an ordinary commoner like them ride in such a carriage?
As soon as Qin Manman got off the carriage, Mrs. Zhang grabbed her aside and interrogated her, "Where have you been all day? You're just getting back now. I've been worried sick. Didn't anything bad happen to you?"
"Mom! I'm back, aren't I? You're so annoying!" Qin Manman impatiently shook off Mrs. Zhang's hand and walked into the house on her own.
Mrs. Zhang mumbled, "This child!" and then followed her into the house. She still persisted in her questioning, "What's with that carriage? Who sent you back? Did you hook up with some rich young master? Come on, tell me quickly! You're really going to drive me crazy!"
"Mom!" Qin Manman was really helpless in the face of her mother's continuous questioning, so she had to tell her what had happened that day.
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang was shocked, overjoyed, and angry at the same time. "I never thought that I, Mrs. Zhang, would finally have a chance to turn things around. Now that you've hooked up with the Prince of Pingnan, won't we have endless money and jewels in the future? The Prince of Pingnan is someone we've never even dared to dream of in normal times!"
Qin Manman also felt complacent. Just thinking about Si Hongxi made her feel elated.
At this time, Qin Manman's father, Qin Jiang, couldn't help but ask, "I never thought that the witch would have such abilities. How could she hook up with the Prince of Pingnan? Could she be able to bewitch people?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang immediately remembered the scene of being tricked by Wan Ruo. Her eyes turned vicious. She instructed Qin Manman, "That witch has a malicious mind. Don't conflict with her directly. Remember to make good use of her relationship with the Prince of Pingnan and hold the Prince's heart firmly. Be patient. If you become the Princess of Pingnan in the future, won't you be able to deal with her?"
Meanwhile, Si Hongxi had returned to the Prince's Mansion. As soon as he arrived, a maid presented a white jade hairpin.
"Your Highness, this hairpin was left by that young lady when she was doing her makeup!"
Si Hongxi took the white jade hairpin and looked at it carefully. "A fox?" The pattern on it looked very delicate, but it seemed that very few women wore this style. It was really quite special!
It was good, though. Since it was her thing, thinking that he could return it to her someday and have another chance to meet her was really nice. As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up.
On Wan Ruo's side, as soon as she entered the gate of Shan'an Fang, she ran into Bai Chen. Wan Ruo was startled at first. Seeing Bai Chen staring at her, she suddenly wondered if she looked good in this outfit. There was a little bit of secret joy in her heart.
Bai Chen was also amazed by Wan Ruo, but seeing that the jade hairpin he had given her was not on her head, he felt a bit annoyed. He sneered, "Didn't you go to Young Master Si's place to make pastries for his mother? You don't look like you've been making pastries. You look more like you've been on a blind date!"
Hearing this, Wan Ruo felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on her. She mumbled in explanation, "No, I really went to make pastries. But let me tell you, do you know who that Young Master Si is?"
Wan Ruo got more and more excited as she continued, "That Young Master Si is the one from the brothel, the one who paid five hundred taels. Do you know? He's actually the Prince of Pingnan!"
Looking at Wan Ruo's naive look, Bai Chen suddenly leaned in front of her and said sourly, "What? Do you regret it?" He sneered and continued, "Are you thinking that if you had been bought by him back then, you might be the Princess of Pingnan now? Humph!"
Before Wan Ruo could say anything, Bai Chen deliberately walked around her in a circle, sized her up, and then continued, "With your looks, even if you were bought back by him, at most you'd just be a maid in the mansion. Wake up!"
Hearing Bai Chen's words, Wan Ruo was so angry that she puffed up her cheeks. She frowned and mumbled softly, "I never thought that way. There's no need to humiliate me like this. Am I really that bad? Really!"
"Oh, right! Where's my jade hairpin?" Bai Chen interrogated.
Only then did Wan Ruo suddenly remember that she must have left it in the Prince of Pingnan's Mansion. She gave an embarrassed smile and said, "I'll go back and look for it. I'll return it to you later!"
Humph! Bai Chen naturally knew this would be the result but still deliberately asked. Hearing her answer, he gave a mischievous smile and leaned menacingly close to Wan Ruo. "You'd better look for it carefully when you get back!"
Wan Ruo held her breath nervously, and her heart was pounding. She let out a sigh of relief only after Bai Chen turned around and walked away.
On the way back to her residence, she ran into Yun Jiu and that annoying guy Yun Yi. Just thinking about how troublesome Yun Yi was, Wan Ruo quickly covered her face and pretended not to see them, hurrying forward.
Unexpectedly, Yun Yi had already seen through her intention and blocked her way. When she moved left, he moved left; when she moved right, he moved right. In the end, Wan Ruo put down her hands and looked up to see Yun Yi. She interrogated, "Why are you blocking my way?"