Ji Yunxi felt as if she had woken from a very long dream.
When she came to, she was in an unfamiliar room. She sat up groggy and confused, only to hear Qingxuan’s voice outside the door.
“Mistress, are you in there?”
For a moment panic fluttered through her, then it steadied into anger.
“Qingxuan, I’m here.”
She pushed the door open. Qingxuan stood there sweating, his hair damp against his forehead. “Mistress, something’s happened. Come with me to the main hall—now.”
Ji Yunxi’s earlier disorientation vanished. She had realized—whatever had attacked her must have been Feng Xingzhi. He had actually laid a hand on her? Not daring to face her was one thing, leaving without a word another, but to knock her unconscious—that was unforgivable.
Qingxuan hovered beside her. “Where did you go just now?”
“Looking for someone.”
“Did you find them?”
She snorted. “If I had, it wouldn’t have been worth it.”
Qingxuan felt the shift in her mood and fell silent.
“I think you were right, Qingxuan,” Ji Yunxi said. Her voice was tight. “He’s heartless. Why should I keep some sense of honor for him? Big brother was right—let’s annul the engagement.”
Qingxuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Yesterday she’d been pleading with him not to lose control; today she was volunteering to break things off with Feng Xingzhi?
“Mistress, don’t say that in anger.”
“Who’s angry?” She was cursing Feng Xingzhi inwardly as she walked, and by the time they reached the main hall the sight in the center chilled her—a shape covered in white cloth.
Something in her stomach dropped. If she was right, it was the body she had seen earlier.
The hall was packed; even guests who had been lingering outside had come in. No one spoke; they were all quiet, like a chorus of witnesses. Ji Yunxi edged through the crowd until she stood behind Su Ningyuan.
She hadn’t noticed that Jiang Yaoji’s eyes had been fixed on her from the moment she arrived, unblinking and sharp. Su Ningyuan, noticing the stare, snapped his fan open with a crisp sound that cut the air. The noise seemed to tug Jiang Yaoji back into composure. She cleared her throat.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s speak plainly about what just happened. Xiaorou, tell us again what you saw.”
The maid who had swaggered at the Jiang gate now stepped forward with humble courtesy, bowing her head. “Mistress, on my way to the kitchen I saw General Su’s maid acting suspiciously. I followed her, but lost sight of her in the garden. When I turned, I found Third Elder’s body.”
At the word “body,” fear broke out of her like a sob; she began to wail, pitiable and loud. Jiang Yaoji theatrically helped her to her feet. “It’s understandable to be frightened when you see such things.”
Xiaorou stood trembling, not daring to glance at the covered form.
Su Ningyuan’s brows tightened; something about the account unsettled him. He subtly stepped to place himself between Ji Yunxi and the crowd, voice low. “Did you find the person you were looking for?”
“Found him,” Ji Yunxi said coldly. “And he’s safe in the mansion—treated like a guest, in fact. We wasted our worry on nothing.” Her tone dripped with resentment.
“Then we’ll wait for the banquet to end,” Su Ningyuan replied.
“It won’t come to that.” Ji Yunxi gave a helpless, bitter laugh. “I’ve seen this body before.”
“You saw it?” Su Ningyuan’s voice rose.
“It was an accident. Someone was dragging the corpse through the garden; I happened to be nearby behind a rock and hid. I’m sure no one noticed me.”
Su Ningyuan remembered the predatory look from Jiang Yaoji and felt unease twist in his chest. “Yunxi, this will reflect badly on you. Jiang Yaoji’s eyes weren’t kind.”
Ji Yunxi could feel the malice like a hand on her shoulder. She turned to Qingxuan. “Is this Third Elder the one who returned today?”
“No.” Qingxuan answered. “He’s just one of the many elders in the Jiang family. Mistress, that Xiaorou’s story doesn’t sit right—I think she’s trying to pin this on you. What should we do?”
Before anyone could reply, Su Ningyuan spoke up, calm and steady. “Whatever they say, we must stay composed. If we didn’t do it, then it’s not our concern.”
Lu Shu, standing to one side, watched this exchange with growing anxiety. Su Ningyuan carried himself like a man of stature; even a rival might gladly lend him aid. It was clear he had genuine feeling for their mistress. Ji Yunxi’s adversary this time was formidable.
A man quietly came in through the back door and took his place beside Jiang Yaoji. Lu Shu’s eyes went wide at the sight. Qingxuan’s hand shot out to grip his arm. “Don’t be rash—now’s not the time. Don’t make trouble for General Su.”
The young man forced his excitement down but could not stop staring at the newcomer.
Jiang Yaoji lifted her chin. “Xiaorou, tell us again—who was the maid you saw with General Su?”
Su Ningyuan moved to intervene. “Wait, Lady Jiang—what do you mean by that?”
Jiang Yaoji stopped flattering and became formal, voice sharp. “General Su, do you not see? My family has been slain. Surely you understand a family seeks justice.”
Smug with maternal righteousness, Xiaorou no longer feared Su Ningyuan’s rank. She pointed straight at Ji Yunxi. “It was her!”
Ji Yunxi stepped forward, not a hair out of place. “Lady Jiang, you mustn’t make false accusations. Did you see me kill someone with your own eyes?”
Of course she had not.
Xiaorou, avoiding the truth, hedged. “I saw her just before Third Elder died. If it wasn’t her, then who else could it be?”
“Absurd,” someone in the crowd muttered. “Does passing by make you a murderer? If so, no one here is innocent.”
Jiang Yaoji’s face went dark. Her words had clearly been intended to stir the room.
“Is Lady Jiang being too hasty, accusing a woman like that?” another voice said. “Now everyone will be afraid to walk about the Jiang house—afraid of being named a killer.”
“General Su is honorable—if his maid would commit murder, why hide it?” a third added, suggestively.
Whispers grew like a tide; every murmur fed Jiang Yaoji’s ire and, crucially, reached Feng Xingzhi’s ears. Ji Yunxi turned to look for him, to read his face.
Feng Xingzhi stood placid and still beside Jiang Yaoji, expressionless. He watched as Jiang Yaoji leveled her accusation, as if the whole thing were none of his concern. The gentleness Ji Yunxi used to know in him had vanished.
Her disappointment spiked into something colder. Betrayal hummed under the hurt, and her gaze hardened until it cut.