Jiyun placed the box in the gauze cupboard next to her inner chamber.
Since she had decided to live well in this identity, she arranged a dressing room according to her past life habits.
That gauze cupboard was her dressing room.
She also instructed Zheng Quan, "When you go out this time, if you have the chance, quietly hire a few highly skilled Protectors to come back. If they are women, all the better."
This incident made her realize that there could never be too many hidden contingencies.
Zheng Quan respectfully complied.
Jiyun then told him a few more things to be cautious about when going out before sending him on his way.
Xiang Zhan couldn't help but worry, saying, "Brother Ah Quan isn't here anymore, what if the Great Master sends people to bully us?"
"That won't happen!" Jiyun said, "Dad hasn't been gone for seven days yet, and those who had once received Dad's favor are still reminiscing about his kindness. If Great Master openly breaks with us, he would be criticized for 'bullying a widow and an orphan,' which would ruin his reputation."
Xiang Zhan nodded vaguely, feeling that if the young lady said it was alright, then everything must indeed be fine.
But her heart was still uneasy as she said, "The young lady should also teach those gossipy women a lesson."
"Oh?" Jiyun raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Xiang Zhan whispered to Jiyun, "I heard them secretly discussing that now the Second Old Master is gone, the Second Madam can't hold up. They said that it's unclear who will take charge of the house in the future. We need to plan early, and each find our own way to survive."
As she spoke, she was so angry that she almost cried, "It's definitely because of this that Steward Lin dared to disobey you! This is why the Study room hasn't been cleaned since the master passed away."
Jiyun's expression remained calm.
These were all within her expectations.
In her previous life, she had heard uglier words and encountered more embarrassing situations.
"Don't worry," she touched Xiang Zhan's head, "I know everything. After Dad's funeral, I will dismiss some maids who had served Dad from the house."
In the meantime, she could take this opportunity to see who was deceitful and lazy.
Xiang Zhan nodded repeatedly.
Jiyun then instructed her, "Go to the Ritual Room for a moment and bring me the ritual book to look at."
She needed to know who had come to pay their respects so she could adapt accordingly when something arises.
Xiang Zhan ran off to the Ritual Room.
Yet, Jiyun thought that she had overestimated these servants of the Song Family.
Some people are so foolish you can't even block them.
Otherwise, people like Steward Lin wouldn't emerge.
In any case, she still needed to arrange for several able-bodied women to serve closely in her mother's and aunt's chambers as a precaution.
She leaned over the desk by the window in the inner chamber and was reassigning the staff roster for guarding the inner courtyard.
A barely audible rustling noise came from the box.
If it weren't for the silence in the gauze cupboard and her constant attentive listening to the movements inside the box, the sound would almost have gone unnoticed.
Jiyun frowned.
She knew the drug she had administered better than anyone, and logically, this strange man should not have awakened so soon.
He had awakened earlier than expected.
Was it because his martial arts skills were particularly strong?
Jiyun felt uneasy.
She pretended not to hear and decided to let him stew a bit longer.
Sometimes, when people are bound and imprisoned in darkness, not knowing how they will be dealt with, they often engage in wild speculation and even scare themselves.
If she could frighten him, it would be for the best. If not, she would also get to see what his resolve was and how she should deal with this man.
Song Jiyun continued to lower his head, arranging the duty roster for the inner courtyard.
When Xiang Zhan returned from the Ritual Room, she took the duty list, gave it to the Nanny in charge of the inner courtyard, drank a cup of tea to moisten her throat, and then tiptoed over to the chest, opening it with a "pop."
A pair of black, bright eyes entered her sight.
Song Jiyun took a closer look and saw a stranger looking back at her with a calm expression and clear eyes.
Having been left out for such a long time seemed to have no effect on him.
He appeared even more rational, calmer, and composed than before in the study room.
Song Jiyun's heart skipped a beat.
The worst outcome had arrived.
She felt a slight sinking feeling inside, but her face showed nothing.
"The gentleman is awake," she said composedly. "Can we talk 'quietly' now?"
A glint passed through the man's eyes, like a streak of obsidian across a dark sky, as he stared motionlessly at her.
She had schemed against others, and their discontent was to be expected.
Song Jiyun said, "If the gentleman doesn't speak, I will take it as your consent." With that, she removed the handkerchief from his mouth.
Perhaps because his mouth had been blocked for too long, the man took several deep breaths.
"It was wrong of me to have brought the gentleman here in such a manner," Song Jiyun apologized. "However, I was compelled by circumstances. I ask for your understanding."
The man scoffed and said, "If I were you, I would release the person!"
"Enemies should be resolved, not tied up; who would want to offend others for no reason?" Song Jiyun said innocently. "I do not know the gentleman, and before my affairs are settled, how could I risk letting the gentleman leave?"
The man pursed his lips and lowered his eyelids.
His eyelashes were long and black, neither curly nor entangled, standing out like little rows of trees.
Song Jiyun smiled and said, "I only wish for the gentleman to stay with me for a few more days! May I know if the gentleman has any taboos? I shall instruct accordingly, so no one neglects you."
The man opened his eyes, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, and said indifferently, "Are you sure you can keep me here?"
He spoke plainly, his voice subtly conveying a powerful confidence, as if he was stating a fact rather than questioning her.
Song Jiyun was slightly stunned.
This aura was definitely not that of an ordinary person!
How could someone in such a predicament still possess such strong confidence?
Her mind raced, yet she said, "How can we know the outcome without trying?"
Did he have companions who would come to rescue him?
Or would his disappearance cause great turmoil that would inevitably lead to her?
If she were merely an ordinary girl kept in seclusion, she might not have thought of this. But who made her remember two lifetimes, and in her previous life, she was "well-informed"?
Yet, the man closed his eyes again, a posture of meditating and not willing to speak further with her.
Was he certain that she could do nothing to him?
Song Jiyun chuckled softly and said warmly, "Sir, why don't we make a bet?"
She lowered her voice, which became soft and sweet, enticing like a siren calling.
"If I win the bet, the gentleman will agree to stay here peacefully and follow my arrangements. If I lose..."
She drew out her words.
The man suddenly opened his eyes.
Song Jiyun's voice became even more enticing: "Then I will let the gentleman deal with me as he pleases. What does the gentleman think?"
The man curled the corner of his lips, sizing her up and down, as if mocking her overestimation of herself.