Song Jiyun stood in the courtyard for a while, until she was sure that the governmental authorities' men had left; only then did she return to the gauze cupboard.
Having stirred up the governmental authorities, it seemed she had really caused a big trouble!
The dying sunlight, like gilded foil, streamed in, making the gauze cupboard dazzle with light.
She opened the wardrobe, removed the handkerchief from the man's mouth, and smiled, "My apologies!"
The man sat upright on the beauty couch, his eyes especially sharp as he looked at her, but his words were neither hurried nor slow, "No wonder you dare to plot for the inheritance!"
Song Jiyun took it as a compliment, laughing, "Thank you for the praise, young master!"
The man had never seen a woman with such a thick skin.
Yet Song Jiyun brought in a plate of Osmanthus cake, hinting in her words, "As a distinguished guest from afar, young master should be treated with the highest courtesy. However, the Chief Accountant arrived suddenly, and everyone went to greet him, delaying the meal. I'm not sure when dinner will be."
She fed him a piece of the cake through the handkerchief, "Young master, have some dessert to tide you over!"
The rich fragrance of the Osmanthus reminded the man of the fragrant dew she had sprinkled on him, and looking at the person before him, cheerful and smiling, warm and welcoming, he felt a sense of familiarity.
Song Jiyun even moved it closer to his mouth.
Just like she had coaxed the big dog with meat just before...
Veins in his temples throbbing, he said, "I don't eat Osmanthus cake."
Song Jiyun didn't insist, "It seems you will need to stay here for a while, young master. The view from the east wing room is the best. I'll have someone clean it out for you."
"No need!" the man gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping from the boxwood four-seasons cabinet in the room to the pine-scented, bamboo-patterned Soft Misty Gauze on the window, "I will just stay here."
Song Jiyun hesitated, looked at him deeply, and said, "Are you serious, young master?"
The man nodded.
"Alright!" Song Jiyun replied briskly, "I'll have someone redecorate this place."
The man hummed an agreement, in a careless and leisurely manner, "I need to bathe and change my clothes."
"Bathe?!" Song Jiyun exclaimed with wide eyes, "Are you sure you want to bathe now, young master?"
"Yes!" the man, with a crooked smile leaning against the cabinet, looked at her composedly as if indicating that she should take care of it.
"Alright!" Song Jiyun said, "I will have someone bring water over."
If he wasn't afraid, what was there for her to be afraid of?
Song Jiyun snaps the cupboard door shut, got up decisively, and called for Xiang Zhan to instruct the tea room to heat water.
Xiang Zhan ran off with a patter of footsteps to deliver the message.
Soon, a few rough servant women brought over the water.
The bathing chamber was set up according to her specifications. Surrounded by bluestone blocks, upon entering there was a washstand, behind the left screen was the bathing tub and pool, and behind the right corner screen was the toilet.
The pool was out of the question for him.
She decided against using the tub.
Song Jiyun had the servant women fill the tub with water and once they left, she reopened the cupboard door, standing before it, "Will young master walk on his own, or shall I assist you?"
The man gazed at her for a long while, silent, and just as she thought he was going to ask for her help, he stood up unsteadily, then walked with increasing steadiness into the bathing chamber.
This man was more formidable than she had thought.
Where on earth had such a demon sprung from!
Song Jiyun stared at the man's back for a while before following into the bathing chamber.
The man was looking around the bathing chamber with interest when he saw her come in, raised his chin, and said, "Clothes."
Song Jiyun was on the verge of laughter.
With a forced smile, she walked over, took a pair of scissors, and began to cut his clothes.
The "snip, snip" sounds began.
The man's body stiffened slightly.
She wasn't sure whether he had shot himself in the foot or was simply unaccustomed to such "service."
Song Jiyun sneered inwardly.
The Taoist robe, undershirt, and long pants... one by one, they became tattered cloth in the silence.
As she cut, she inwardly clicked her tongue in appreciation.
As expected of someone who practiced martial arts, he had a lean and proportionate figure, not overly muscular, with broad shoulders and long legs, not to mention abs, and that V-line... everything was just right.
"All done," the man's voice, carrying a hint of restrained anger, rose abruptly and awkwardly within the bathroom, "You can go out now!"
Song Jiyun felt a bit regretful and deliberately let out a "huh," saying, "Can you manage on your own?"
The response was an air almost turning to ice.
"Fine then!" Song Jiyun, holding the scissors, confidently circled around the screen and took off running, not stopping until she reached the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, where she finally covered her waist and laughed silently.
However, the bath had indeed proceeded.
Song Jiyun's nanny, Nanny Zheng, came looking for her.
She couldn't really leave him there, because in the end, it would still be her issue to deal with.
She arranged for a servant boy, Liu Zi, who could listen but would not speak, to serve him.
While Liu Zi bathed him, she stood under the eaves talking with Nanny Zheng.
"I've found out about the matter you asked me to look into," Nanny Zheng whispered, "It's said that a noble young master from the Capital disappeared suddenly; someone used the name card of the Lord County Magistrate to request a meeting, but the County Magistrate had gone to Nanchang Prefecture, and the Chief Accountant did not dare to neglect it, thus ordering a search everywhere."
"That's not right!" Song Jiyun slowly twirled the handkerchief in her hand, saying, "The County Magistrate and the Chief Accountant have always been at odds; if someone had used the County Magistrate's name card, the Chief Accountant would not have made such a fuss. This is either false information released by someone or even the lower ranks are kept in the dark."
Nanny Zheng grew anxious, saying, "Then I'll go and inquire some more."
"No need!" said Song Jiyun, "The situation is complicated. If we barge in now, we might just spook the grass and scare the snake, ruining things."
Nanny Zheng asked, "Then, what should we do?"
Song Jiyun instructed her, "Just follow my orders, keep a close eye on the gates, and don't let anyone else break in. As for the identity of that man, we can only investigate slowly. At this point, even if we ask him, he won't tell us."
Nanny Zheng respectfully acknowledged with "Yes."
Song Jiyun thought for a moment and then said, "Although Liu Zi is strong and obedient, he's not sharp enough; we need to find a cleverer servant boy who is skilled at reading expressions to serve by the young master's side. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to keep an eye on him."
Finding such a servant boy was difficult even in normal times, let alone in a rush like this.
Song Jiyun said, "We can't just hurriedly pick someone out of desperation; it's crucial to choose the right person. For now, between me and Liu Zi, we should be able to get by."
Nanny Zheng agreed.
Liu Zi came running out, signaling to her with a series of gestures, indicating that he had completed the tasks she had ordered.
Song Jiyun went to the gauze cupboard.
The man was sitting on her beauty couch, dressed in a moon-white fine cotton undergarment, his slightly damp hair draped over his shoulders.
The lingering twilight had dispersed, but it wasn't yet time to light the lamps; his face was in shadow, keeping his expression indiscernible for the moment.
Upon seeing her enter, he presumptuously commanded, "Pour me a cup of tea!"