It was the first time anyone had seen someone allocate their own property as a bride price for the bride.
The lingering warmth of Yi Yuan's lips still on her wrist, Ye Xi was tickled into fits of laughter:
"I'm serious. It seems like my background is about to be revealed, but something's off. I don't know when I'll find my birth parents, or perhaps they..."
Her bright smile dimmed a bit, and Ye Xi's voice softened:
"Are no longer in this world."
"I can't keep dragging things out just because I haven't found them. Whether my birth horoscope is wrong or the three letters and six etiquettes are missing, as long as it's you who marries me, A Yuan, as long as it's you, I'll marry."
As if his heart had been struck hard, Yi Yuan was momentarily speechless.
He stretched out his long arms and pulled her into his embrace, rubbing his cheek against her smooth and delicate face:
"Okay. Then let's give it another half a year or so. If we still can't find them, we'll get married in spring."
Just then, Saixing knocked on the door and said:
"Miss, Miss Qiao and Miss Liu are here."
"Okay,"
Ye Xi replied loudly:
"Please ask them to wait in the Leisure Flower Pavilion. I'll be right there."
"I'll go and see them first. Miss Liu's coming probably means there's news about my background."
Breaking free from Yi Yuan's embrace, Ye Xi said seriously:
"This case is extremely strange. The situation in Tanzhou is very different from what we've investigated. You go and get busy first. We'll have dinner together tonight."
Yi Yuan nodded and accompanied Ye Xi out of the door.
"Okay. Be careful with your hand. Don't use too much force again."
With a sweet smile, Ye Xi responded twice and parted ways with Yi Yuan, heading towards the Leisure Flower Pavilion.
When she arrived, Qiao Yan and Liu Mengxian were chatting. Seeing Ye Xi, the two stood up to greet her.
"I heard you cut your hand while archery?"
Liu Mengxian didn't know the real situation and only knew the story they had agreed on before. So as soon as she saw Ye Xi, she asked with concern:
"How's the wound? Is it serious?"
Glancing at Qiao Yan, who was sticking out her tongue playfully, Ye Xi replied with a smile:
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Liu. It's almost healed. It's just scabbed over, and I have to watch my diet. Sometimes it itches a lot."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qiao Yan was the first to bring up the matter at hand:
"I heard that in this case of embezzling military funds, the prefect of Tanzhou and Yan Yifan colluded in secret, deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth from the subordinates. And Shen Bianhuai was also deceived. Is that true?"
Of course it wasn't true.
But now all the witnesses were dead, and there was no evidence to prove otherwise. Ye Xi could only shake her head and say:
"I don't know either. But it's the best that A Yuan can clear his name and come back."
"Right,"
Qiao Yan didn't think much about it and nodded to herself:
"Prince Yu'an was really unlucky. Just after he left, the jailer went to take action, making him carry this unjust blame for nothing."
"Fortunately, the Shen family wasn't affected too much. You don't know that during that difficult time, A Zhen was so worried every day. I went to see her several times but never saw a smile on her face. I was even afraid that she would blame your prince, after all, Prince Yu'an didn't show any mercy when he accused Yan Yifan and Shen Bianhuai in the court."
Speaking out all her thoughts without reservation, Qiao Yan picked up the tea and took a few sips, then continued:
"But A Zhen is really the most reasonable. Instead of being partial to her own family and blaming Prince Yu'an for harming the Shen family, she thought that if Shen Bianhuai really did something wrong, he should be punished."
Tsk-tsk twice, Qiao Yan exaggeratedly patted her chest:
"My heart finally settled down. Otherwise, caught between you two, I would have been so miserable."
Ye Xi couldn't help but burst out laughing, and her eyes flashed.
She really hadn't thought of this. She didn't have much contact with Princess Si, and every time Yi Zhen had spoken up for her. But it was true that the Shen family was involved. No matter whether Yi Zhen knew the inside story or not, since she had said so, considering Qiao Yan, she had to believe Yi Zhen's words.
At least, she shouldn't show obvious hostility in front of the straightforward Qiao Yan.
"Princess Si is really reasonable."
Ye Xi echoed with a few words of praise and then changed the subject:
"Miss Liu, did you come today because there's news about my background?"
Nodding, Liu Mengxian said seriously:
"Indeed."
"I wanted to come and tell you yesterday, but when I heard that something had happened to Prince Yu'an, I thought you must be very busy, so I waited for another day."
The others immediately perked up, their eyes bright as they stared at her.
Liu Mengxian couldn't help but smile under their gazes. She took a sip of tea and said:
"I sent someone to secretly investigate when I got back. Although no children were lost in our Liu family, my third uncle's wife has a younger sister from her maiden family. She was very close to my third uncle's wife when she was still unmarried, and Nanny Xi also had a lot of contact with her."
"Later, she married a poor scholar and gave birth to a daughter. But the little girl was seriously ill and on the verge of death at the age of three. The lady was heartbroken and couldn't manage the household, so my third uncle's wife sent Nanny Xi to help. But not long after, the little girl still passed away."
"So,"
Qiao Yan blurted out first:
"Maybe the little girl wasn't actually dead at that time. Instead, Nanny Xi secretly took her away and sold her."
Glancing at Qiao Yan, Liu Mengxian frowned slightly and agreed:
"That's possible, but it's just a guess. So to confirm this idea, I sent someone to secretly check the little girl's tomb. Guess what?"
At this crucial moment, Liu Mengxian even played a trick, which made Qiao Yan both anxious and curious. She couldn't help but guess:
"Could it be that there's no one in the tomb? Is that right? Hurry up and tell us."
"A Yan,"
Ye Xi said with a smile as she patted her, pretending to be annoyed:
"What are you guessing randomly? Miss Liu just sent someone to check the tomb, not rob it. How could they know if there are any bones inside?"
"Uh..."
Qiao Yan forced a smile. Liu Mengxian gave Ye Xi an appreciative look and didn't drag it out any longer. She said directly:
"Miss Ye is right. Although the person I sent didn't see if there was anyone in the tomb, the tomb was overgrown with weeds and there were no signs of maintenance or worship. My person almost couldn't find the place."
"Normally, even though it's been a long time since the lady lost her daughter, she should at least go and visit the tomb on Tomb-Sweeping Day or the anniversary of her daughter's death. Even if she didn't want to go there herself for fear of sadness, she couldn't just leave it unattended all year round. Although the scholar's family wasn't wealthy, they could still afford one or two servants."
"The person I sent took it to heart and secretly asked a few questions. The news they got was that someone used to come and take care of the tomb from time to time two or three years ago, but then no one came to visit it anymore."
The more they listened, the tighter their brows furrowed. Ye Xi twirled the silk ribbon around her waist and hesitated:
"Does that mean the lady herself knew there was actually no one in the tomb?"
Since she knew, but they didn't make a fuss or look for the girl, and even staged a show to deceive others, it was obvious that they had deliberately sent the little girl away.
So was Ye Xi deliberately abandoned?
The room fell silent for a moment.
Qiao Yan opened her mouth several times but didn't know what to say. It was Liu Mengxian who forced a smile and tried to ease the atmosphere:
"Maybe they had their own difficulties. Anyway, we have to first confirm if you're that little girl. I sent someone to carefully inquire about the girl's characteristics. They said there was a bell-shaped blue birthmark on her right ankle."
"So, do you have one?"