An Jin took Xiao Huang from my shoulder. Xiao Huang flapped its wings but was caught by its beak and struggled unsuccessfully, looking quite miserable.
As I was laughing, I caught a glimpse of a large white dog hiding alone by the wall, looking our way. When it saw me see it, it hesitated and didn’t rush over like usual.
“Yuan Qing!” I waved to it. But it retreated and ran away with its tail between its legs.
Surprised, I quickly chased after it and finally found it in the horse shed. It was curled up next to the horses, burying its head in the hay, as if not wanting to be seen.
I squatted down, parted the hay, and pulled it out.
Its originally even and dense white fur had lost several patches, with a small wound under its eye, looking pitiful and tearful.
Having lost the fight and been disfigured, Yuan Qing had probably finally lost its confidence. I seemed to see a dejected white dog with a lonely silhouette slowly disappearing in the sunset…
I applied medicine to its wound and held it in my arms, comforting it for a long time, swearing I would never abandon it. Only then did it slightly recover, extending its tongue to lick my arm.
An Jin brought Xiao Huang in and placed it in front of Yuan Qing. I had expected Yuan Qing to rise up in anger, but it didn’t even look, just nestled its head into my arms.
Xiao Huang hesitated, jumping in front of it and gently rubbing its beak on Yuan Qing’s tail.
Yuan Qing lazily opened its eyes and glanced at it.
Was this a reconciliation?
And so, after half a month of bird-flying and dog-jumping in the An residence, peace finally arrived. Later, Xiao Huang could even perch on Yuan Qing’s head to sunbathe and help scratch its itches. Yuan Qing finally adopted a whatever attitude towards this noisy bird, occasionally pretending to pounce, gently pawing it before letting go.
The neighbors now had a pair of partners in crime that together made the entire street restless.
I felt quite gratified. With these two lively creatures causing a ruckus, life felt quite flavorful. An Jin heard me say this, and though he smiled, there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes.
I knew he really wanted a child. However, since drinking the sterility wine, we had tried every method but with no effect. I had gradually given up hope and started trying to adapt to life with just the two of us, while for An Jin, accepting this reality was obviously more difficult.
My elder brother had also finally married Miao Yin, spending every day happily with his wife. Both marriages went smoothly and added much festivity.
Those who are not in the family do not understand the family’s troubles. This time, Mother became unhappy, treating Miao Yin coldly at home and finding fault with her constantly. The eldest brother had to appease his mother while also comforting his newly married wife. Although Miao Yin was open-minded, she was not a traditional submissive woman. Unable to bear her mother-in-law’s unreasonable provocations, she finally fought back a few times, which only resulted in even colder treatment.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is indeed an eternal challenge. Xue Miao Yin had no natal family, so she occasionally confided in me, her eyes reddening as she spoke.
I pondered that while Mother was fierce, she was not unreasonable. When the eldest brother had initially arranged this marriage, she had been happy and praised it everywhere. So why had she suddenly stopped giving the new daughter-in-law a good face?
I deliberately went shopping with Mother and subtly inquired about the reason. To my surprise, Mother had numerous complaints about Miao Yin. First, she complained that Miao Yin was incompetent at housework, her needlework was terrible, and after marriage, she even made the eldest brother cook, showing no consideration. Second, Miao Yin was too strong-willed, and the eldest brother listened to everything his wife said, which disappointed Mother. Lastly, this daughter-in-law had actually encouraged the eldest brother to abandon a stable future and open a restaurant! This was unforgivable.
Of course, I could also sense her subconscious belief that the eldest brother was now a famous figure in Yan Feng City, with many girls eager to marry him, and that marrying Xue Miao Yin was actually a bargain for her.
I broke out in a cold sweat and suddenly found my mother-in-law quite endearing.
Of course, there were many servants in the An family to do housework, but some traditional needlework that should be done by a daughter-in-law, I had never touched. As for morning and evening greetings, that was even more distant. However, the mother-in-law had only been somewhat cold towards me and never made me do anything. The father-in-law was kind, treating me just like my own father.
Feeling fortunate, I tried to persuade Mother, but she was stubborn and wouldn’t listen. I could only subtly express Mother’s dissatisfaction to Miao Yin and ask her to be more careful. Miao Yin was smart and quickly understood, not only learning housework but also occasionally appearing submissive in front of her mother-in-law and eldest brother. Their relationship gradually improved. If Miao Yin could become pregnant in the future, Mother would surely forget all her dissatisfaction.
We had An Jin, the eldest brother had Miao Yin, Si Tian had Tang Wei, and even Yuan Xiang had a child. In the atmosphere of couples flying together, the younger sister also began to actively participate in matchmaking, and the two families seemed to be heading towards a harmonious and happy family path.
However—the words “however” and “but” are like a large ink spot on a beautiful scroll, dark clouds drifting across a bright sky, mud floating in a clear stream.
A fire broke out in the palace of Emperor Ji, burning down a side hall. This burned-down side hall was precisely where the coffin of Princess Nan Rui was placed.
My back chilled in waves. An Jin was right; in His Majesty’s eyes, rather than letting the Fifth Princess become a threat to the Qi Kingdom, it would be better to make her completely disappear from this world. The Su family’s people would sneak into the side hall at night, definitely because they had heard that the Fifth Princess’s coffin might be hidden there. Where did they get this information? The mechanism in the side hall burned the entire palace but failed to trap a single assassin, instead letting him escape – this was inexplicable.
There were still many doubts and suspicious points about the entire incident. I sensed something, but my thoughts were half a beat slow, struggling to untangle the details. An Jin apparently had a clear understanding of the entire sequence of events.
“Your feeling is correct,” An Jin nodded, his eyes encouraging. “Don’t miss any clues, think about what might be hidden here. The Su family, His Majesty, the side hall, that assassin. Don’t rush, take it step by step, start by thinking about how the Su family got their information.”
In the past, he would have immediately revealed the truth, but now he only gave me some hints, wanting me to analyze and deduce on my own. I felt he had been deliberately encouraging me to think independently and analyze situations without relying on him.
I calmed my mind and began carefully sorting out my thoughts. The Su family had lost the Fifth Princess’s body and were in a state of confusion and panic. Somehow, they had received information that the palace was secretly designing mechanisms for a certain side hall.
Looking at the final outcome of them sending an assassin, there were two possibilities. First, they knew the side hall contained the Fifth Princess and wanted the assassin to steal the body; second, they were not certain whether the body in the side hall was the Fifth Princess and wanted the assassin to confirm.
