"Something's wrong! Something's terribly wrong, Madam! Little Master is in a bad way!"
The scream of the maid pierced through the door. Madam Kong, who had just dozed off for a while, was jolted awake once again.
"What's going on? What's wrong with the little master?" Madam Kong grabbed the young maid who came to deliver the news. A sense of foreboding suddenly crept over her.
"The little master, he..." The young maid knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face in rivulets. Her body convulsed with sobs. Finally, before Madam Kong's patience ran out, she blurted out, "The little master is dead!"
It was like a thunderbolt out of a clear blue sky. Madam Kong nearly collapsed onto the chair. A sense of darkness engulfed her future. Her eyes were filled with horror. "How is that possible? Where are the mansion doctor and the imperial physician? Weren't they supposed to be by the little master's side? How could the little master be dead?"
"I don't know. I don't know."
The maid shook her head like a rattle. Her body began to tremble visibly.
Everyone in the mansion knew how much the master doted on the little master. If he found out that the little master had died under her care...
As if envisioning something truly terrifying, the young maid rolled her eyes and fainted to the ground.
She had been scared unconscious.
"Quickly drag her away!"
Madam Kong had by now regained her composure. She averted her eyes in disgust and began to calculate in her mind.
If Kong Jiao was dead, Kong Ren would surely go mad when he found out. And it would be them who would bear the brunt of his anger.
She had to find a way to break the news to him gradually, to give herself some time to cushion the blow.
But as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. Before Madam Kong could come up with a plan, another piece of bad news arrived.
"Madam, I just heard that the Ministry of Justice has released the master on the spot!"
"What did you say!"
The pastries on the table toppled over. Madam Kong felt that she couldn't bear such bad news. Why had the Ministry of Justice released him today?
Time was of the essence. There was no time to delve into the details. She quickly had her hair disheveled and began to make arrangements methodically.
"Fuzi, you go immediately with a set of clean clothes and the coachman to pick up the master. And," she paused for a moment, "don't tell him about the little master for now."
"Linzi, you go and prepare some items to ward off bad luck. After all, he's coming back from prison. It's always better to be safe than sorry."
"As for the rest of you," Madam Kong took a deep breath and exhaled slowly after a long while, "you all come with me to the little master's room."
Outside the Ministry of Justice, the onlookers had already dispersed, but some had already reserved good spots for the next day. Compared to today, the trial of Miss Feng the next day would be the real showstopper.
"Master, you've suffered."
Recognizing Fuzi, the maid beside the madam, Kong Ren frowned impatiently, but managed to hold back. He let her help him change into a clean outer robe.
"How is Jiao'er? Have you taken good care of him?"
The maid's hand paused slightly, then she smiled and said, "Don't worry, master. The little master is doing well. The madam has been taking good care of him. He even woke up for a while this morning."
"Alright."
Hearing this, Kong Ren's heart eased a little. But since he hadn't seen the little master with his own eyes, he still had some doubts in his mind.
After changing his clothes, at his urging, the coachman drove the carriage at breakneck speed. The carriage was driven as fast as a galloping horse.
"The master is back! The master is back!"
Seeing the familiar carriage, the servants who had received the news and were waiting at the main gate immediately cheered.
"The master has survived a great disaster. He will surely have good fortune!"
"The master will surely have a prosperous official career in the future!"
Compliments poured out like water, but Kong Ren ignored them all. He took big strides and was about to enter the mansion.
However, just as he crossed the threshold with one foot, the mansion steward stumbled up to him.
"Master, you're finally back. The little master, he's gone!"
Lu Yinxi received the news personally delivered by Shang Luoshu that afternoon.
Yes, personally.
"The noble Prince Jing, when did you start acting like a thief?" Lu Yinxi crossed her arms and looked at the man sitting on the wall, teasing him with a smile.
"Didn't Miss Four already know about this?"
Estimating the distance, the man leaped down from the wall and appeared in front of the young girl in an instant. "If I remember correctly, the first time we met was in Miss Four's room, wasn't it?"
"Do you still have the nerve to mention it?"
The young girl kicked out, but the man nimbly dodged. "The first time we met, you put a knife to my neck. Prince Jing is really brave!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shang Luoshu rubbed his nose and chose not to reply.
"Come on, tell me. What do you want?"
Just after having afternoon tea, Lu Yinxi was about to continue her embroidery of the silk pouch when Hongmei and Hongrui stealthily dragged her here.
She thought there was something important, but unexpectedly, it was this person who had come in person.
"Don't you want to hear the latest progress of the cases involving the Kong and Feng families?"
"I do, but can't you just do it like you usually do? Why do you have to climb over the wall?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the dust on his clothes from climbing the wall. Lu Yinxi walked over to his side helplessly and gently patted the dust off.
"Alright, be more careful next time!"
She withdrew her hand and stepped back, trying to regain the original distance. But her wrist was caught by the man.
"If I had sent the news like I usually do, wouldn't I have missed Xi'er's such considerate service?"
The name "Xi'er" made the young girl's cheeks flush instantly. "What are you calling me? Who gave you permission to call me that?"
She挣脱 the man's hand and took a step back to a distance she felt was safe. She deliberately turned her head away and said, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. I have to go back and embroider a silk pouch for my mother later!"
"Silk pouch?" Shang Luoshu's eyes lit up. "I wonder if I would be so lucky as to have one?"
"Shang Luoshu!"
Lu Yinxi stamped her foot. Her cheeks grew redder. Did he really think she didn't know what it meant to give a silk pouch to a man?
Knowing that she was angry, the man immediately backed off. He composed himself and said, "Alright, alright. Let's get back to business. Let's talk about the business."
"Lord Feng has returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Also, Kong Jiao is dead. I did it."
The drizzle had stopped. The gentle breeze brought the smell of the earth and cooled the heat on her face. Lu Yinxi nodded and looked at him seriously. "And then?"
"Also, Feng Wan's trial will be held tomorrow."
The man took a few steps closer to her. His eyes were filled with heartache and helplessness. "I have a way to save her life. Don't use your Speech Spirit."
He really knew about the after - effects of the Speech Spirit!
The young girl averted her gaze slightly. She felt uncomfortable as if her secret had been exposed. "How do you know?"
"You've used the Speech Spirit in front of me more than once. Every time you use it, you will... So it's not hard to guess."
Tilting her head, Lu Yinxi thought carefully. It seemed that what he said was true. She scratched her cheek and pretended to be nonchalant. "Well, it's actually not a big deal. You'll get used to it."
"But I can't get used to it!" The distance between them closed again. The young girl met the man's gaze and heard his voice.
"Xi'er, my heart aches for you!"