Entangled Love GL - Chapter 19

Duan Min lowered her head to look at the text on the slip, and Yang Mei quietly watched her. Four months had passed, spring and summer were over. Facing each other again, she didn’t know how to speak the first sentence.

“I originally guessed it would probably be a bamboo slip from my family, but I didn’t know it was this particular roll.” Duan Min seemed completely at ease and unconstrained. She smiled and said, “It’s something from a long time ago. I wouldn’t have remembered it if I hadn’t seen it. I didn’t expect you to find it.”

Yang Mei did not respond. As soon as Mu Ye and Lady Yun left, she could no longer smile. She suddenly lost much of her spirit and looked unwell.

Seeing her silence, Duan Min said nothing more. She avoided her gaze and retreated behind the zither.

Yang Mei also sat down at the table and, after a long while, asked, “Did you notice the jade pendant on my sword?” As soon as she walked into the water pavilion, Duan Min had looked at her red-sheathed sword. Had she already noticed the sword pendant was missing? Yang Mei believed Duan Min must have a legitimate reason, but Yang Mei felt this ambiguous question had to be asked immediately.

“Yes,” Duan Min admitted very openly, “I never figured out what it was. It looked very strange.”

“We were together for over a month, and you were unwilling to ask me even at the end of your guessing. That is truly something you would do.” Yang Mei poured herself a cup of tea. Even before drinking it, she already felt a bitterness in her mouth. Hadn’t Duan Min always been like this? Except for the first few days in the mountains, she was unwilling to talk to her about anything casual. If that were the only thing, it would be fine, but she talked about her casual matters with others. What did she tell Lady Yun about herself? And Mu Ye.

Yang Mei almost crushed the teacup.

Duan Min, however, didn’t know what she was thinking. She said, “I don’t like doing things this way. If we could get along normally, I would have asked long ago.”

Duan Min knew that what had happened would always leave traces, and no matter how normally they got along, there would always be an element of self-deception. But she still preferred to let the connection that might exist pass by normally. The days when Yang Mei was full of calculations yet smilingly called her Min-jie could never come back.

Duan Min suddenly felt a little wistful. Memories always produce a feeling similar to nostalgia without warning.

Yang Mei said faintly, “Don’t worry. I’ve decided. I will never like you like a fool again. From now on, I will treat you like anyone else.” She paused and added, “I’ll be willful for a little longer. Once I turn back, I will never say any strange words to you again.”

“You seem to have grown up a little.” Duan Min smiled, paused, and then said, “Please return this bamboo slip to me.”

Yang Mei did not turn back, only answering with a soft sigh.

The zither music in the water pavilion was dry, and the melody was intermittent. The bamboo forest rustled, and suddenly someone came.

Yang Mei waited for him to approach and asked, “How is it?”

The man looked solemn, glanced at Duan Min, and hesitated to speak.

Yang Mei said, “It’s alright, just tell me directly.” Almost simultaneously, Duan Min had stood up and walked out, saying, “I’ll go find them to come back.”

Yang Mei looked at her retreating back faintly and thought let it be. She only asked, “What happened?”

“Miss, someone is openly threatening to take your life!”

“Oh?” Yang Mei frowned involuntarily.

“Miss Zhang A’jiao and Miss Yan Shuangying have already been killed by her!”

“What?!”

Zhang A’jiao was the only daughter of Zhang Man, the head of the Howling Tiger Hall, and Yan Shuangying was the sister of Yan Bozhan, the head of the Nine-Turn Dragon Pavilion. Both had known Yang Mei for years, and they had met last month. Even though Yang Mei had seen many dead people, hearing this news abruptly still affected her.

Yang Mei’s face turned pale: “Tell me in detail.”

It turned out that when the few people from the Pavilion arrived at the dilapidated ancestral shrine, it was just past noon. The shrine was small and broken. The maid, Ji Yan, who went in place of Yang Mei, was waiting at the entrance, while the others hid around. The group did not see anyone entering or leaving, nor did they find anything strange. However, at noon, a woman’s laughter suddenly echoed around them. They couldn’t tell where it came from and couldn’t see anyone.

The woman laughed for a while and said, “Your Miss Yang is putting on airs, trying to make someone else die for her! Tell her for me, no one I have set my sights on has ever escaped!” After the words fell, there was silence.

The group rushed into the shrine to look. Inside, two bodies were lying there, each with a blackened bl00d hole on the neck, indicating death by a poisoned needle. Next to Miss Zhang A’jiao was a crystal begonia flower broken into four pieces. Yan Shuangying was clutching a round fan painted with a picture of butterflies chasing each other. Yang Mei’s jade pendant was placed on the dusty offering table, already stained black by poison.

“Miss, what should we do?”

Yang Mei sat in a daze for a while and said, “Go back and tell the Advisor. Send two people to the Howling Tiger Hall and the Nine-Turn Dragon Pavilion and tell them to collect the bodies themselves.”

“…Young Master Hao Er wants to buy Su Yuan’s freedom, and the wealthy Elder Li from the north of the city wants to buy Ran Qiu as his eighth concubine. I have told them both that our Lady Yun is not free and to discuss it tomorrow.”

“Have you privately asked the girls their opinions?” Lady Yun sat upright in the side hall of the Quiet Garden, facing seven or eight managing mamas. They were all dressed in bright red, yellow, blue, and green silk clothes, with pearls and jade covering their heads, looking very imposing.

“I’ve asked. Miss Chi Chi and Miss Ran Qiu are sensible girls; they will abide by Lady Yun’s decision. It’s just that Su Yuan girl is utterly infatuated with that young master and even asked me to say a few good words! If she gets deceived later, she deserves it!” The mama who spoke was only forty-something, still somewhat attractive, but her face had the look of a shrew, making it clear she was a difficult character to deal with.

“As long as Young Master Hao Er is willing to spend the money, let him take Su Yuan. Keep Ran Qiu and Chi Chi for a little longer.”

The mama assented and retired. Another person took over: “The sixteen new girls are all ready. There will be no mistakes tomorrow. Does Lady Yun want to take a look tonight?”

“Forget it. Let them rest well.”

Another person said, “Mrs. Ma and Mrs. Hong have sent invitations these two days. Which house should make the girls’ winter clothes this year?”

“You decide. The weather is said to be getting cold soon. Don’t delay.”

“People from the Dai Kee Velvet Flower shop came with a batch of new designs. They look alright. The rouge and powder for the Hall also need restocking. I’ve already copied the list. Would you like to see?”

“Nao Hong, go to the account room and get the money for Mama Xiang. All those items should be bought.” Lady Yun looked at the list, circled the total of seventy-four taels of silver, and handed it to the maid waiting nearby.

Nao Hong took it and was about to leave when a mama suddenly stopped her: “Wait, Miss.” She turned to Lady Yun and said, “I was just about to mention this. Scholar Fu is drunk again and keeps ranting. Should Lady Yun go have a look?”

Lady Yun’s expression slightly changed: “How indecent!” She immediately instructed, “Call two guards to lock him in the woodshed in the back to sober up. I’ll find him tomorrow.”

The bright moon was nearing full. The Yunyun Hall was brightly lit with continuous clamor. Lady Yun walked towards the Quiet Garden. Nao Hong continuously lectured Fu Shaojun, the gist being that a toad was trying to eat a swan’s flesh, but her expressions were colorful and never repeated.

Lady Yun was annoyed but too lazy to speak to her. Returning to her residence in the Quiet Garden, she watched Rao Lu carefully bring her red date and white fungus soup. Frowning, she said, “Take this away. Go heat up a few pots of wine for me.”

Nao Hong was surprised: “How can you drink tonight, Miss? Tomorrow is the fifteenth, the night of the bright moon and clear singing assembly. If you get a headache…”

“Go and rest. I know my limits.” Lady Yun forced a smile to dismiss her. She then removed her earrings and hairpins and sat down wearily and dispiritedly.

Duan Min was reading a book in her room. She had arranged to have a box full of medical books and pharmacopoeias moved from the Yiwei Clinic and used them for entertainment when she had nothing else to do. Ling Er suddenly entered and said, “Lady Yun is here.”

Lady Yun brought four pots of wine and said, “I’ve wanted to drink with you for a long time. There’s no time like the present. How about we get drunk tonight?”

Ling Er carefully closed the door and left. Duan Min put down the book she was holding and looked at the wine pots, lightly chuckling, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Mu Ye, Yang Mei, or those girls at the Wu Xue Study couldn’t sleep tonight, but you—why can’t you sleep either?”

Lady Yun had already filled both their cups: “I’m not unable to sleep; I’m just very annoyed. Big troubles like Miss Yang are always rare, but isn’t it the small things that usually keep us restless?”

Duan Min raised her cup: “That statement deserves a drink.” With that, she drank it all in one gulp.

Lady Yun only drank half a cup: “That statement is actually incorrect. It looks like a small matter, and it sounds like a small matter, but in my heart, it is truly not small.” Lady Yun looked down at the remaining half cup of wine, “He came today. He said he was going to the residence of Minister Yuan and stopped by to see me—and he genuinely only ‘saw’ me. He left without even sitting down.”

When you like someone, if they are completely unsympathetic and clearly refuse you, it truly makes you resent them. But if they don’t refuse, constantly making you guess, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that is also truly hateful.