Si Zhan raised his hand, palm up, looking at her and saying nothing. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, his phoenix eyes containing a universe. “Leave everything to me. I will cancel the marriage contract between you and Si Yi. You just need to wait at ease.”
“…Okay.”
Just looking at Si Zhan’s face, she felt reassured, believing he would accomplish this.
*
That night, during the Spring Festival, Ning Wanwan allowed the maids in Chuyun Yuan to play freely, as long as they did not make too much noise.
The maids gathered in groups to play dice games, with the losers forced to eat various snacks. Zhan Xiang, having eaten too many snacks, found an excuse to enter the room to serve the young mistress. She gasped while covering her chest, with crumbs from osmanthus cake still lingering at the corner of her mouth.
Ning Wanwan, leaning on the bed’s cushion and reading a book, glanced at Zhan Xiang and teased, “Where did this little mouse who sneaks food come from? Can’t even wipe your mouth clean?”
Zhan Xiang hurriedly wiped her mouth with her sleeve, giggling as she approached the bed, covering the teapot. “Young mistress, the tea has gone cold. This servant will bring you a fresh pot.”
Ning Wanwan nodded, continuing to read her book. From the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of gold on Zhan Xiang’s head. When she looked again, Zhan Xiang had already left.
Soon, Zhan Xiang returned with a pot of boiling tea. Ning Wanwan deliberately glanced at Zhan Xiang’s hairpin and saw that it was gold.
Surprised, she recalled that Zhan Xiang was a first-rank maid with a good monthly salary, but wearing gold was far beyond her means. Curiosity compelled her to look again.
Something suddenly emerged in her mind, as if breaking through layers of darkness, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.
She sat up abruptly and said, “Zhan Xiang, take off the hairpin and let me see it.”
Zhan Xiang was momentarily stunned, then understood and handed the gold hairpin to Ning Wanwan. “Is this what the young mistress means?”
Ning Wanwan nodded and examined the hairpin carefully. It was ordinary in appearance, but the pattern—a cicada above a moon palace—was unusual and resembled a seal.
Ning Wanwan immediately ordered, “Quickly bring paper and an ink pad.”
