Chapter 65: Encountering a Mysterious Man

Chapter 65: Encountering a Mysterious Man

Another girl grumbled, "Yes, and she said we should follow her without our maids as if we were her servants."

Mrs. Zheng had instructed them to accompany Zheng Jinxiu and ensure she had fun. When she grew tired, they were to take her to watch a play.

They were told to let Zheng Jinxiu buy anything she desired and given ample silver for the purpose.

Their responsibility was not only to provide the money but also to carry Zheng Jinxiu's purchases.

Zheng Jinxiu, like a cheerful butterfly, skipped ahead, while they seemed no different from servants, right?

Frustrated, they exchanged glances and deliberately slowed their pace.

In the crowded throng, they soon lost sight of Zheng Jinxiu.

Delighted, Zheng Jinxiu picked up a mask of a fairy and put it on, exclaiming, "I want this one, sister. Could you please settle the payment for me?"

But there was no response from behind.

Removing her mask, she discovered that neither of her two half-sisters were around. What was going on? "Sis Liuli, Sis Liuxin?" Had they gotten separated due to her hastened pace? Alone in an unfamiliar place, the fear of losing touch with acquaintances welled up within her. Although this street belonged to the Zheng family and she wore their identification token, ensuring her safety, she still felt a sense of unease. Zheng Jinxiu put down her mask and turned back to search for them. After wandering through two streets without finding them, she even lost her way home, which intensified her concern. Meanwhile, Zheng Liuli and Zheng Liuxin were seated on the second floor of a teahouse, observing Zheng Jinxiu coldly from above. Zheng Liuxin expressed her worry, "Sister, is what we're doing... perhaps not appropriate?"

"What are we afraid of? We're on our own street; nothing untoward will happen. Let her search for a while longer before we call out to her."

"Alright, I'm almost exhausted anyway."

The two of them enjoyed their tea and snacks in a leisurely manner.

On the street, Zheng Jinxiu's search had worn her out as well, causing her pace to slow down. She dragged her heavy feet along, scanning her surroundings and shouting occasionally.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle, startling her.

"Aah..."

The hand released her, and the person, with disheveled hair, lifted his head to look at her. "Miss, from your accent, you're from the capital?"

Zheng Jinxiu gazed at the person lying on the ground, still recovering from the shock.

He had only one arm, and his legs seemed broken, dragging awkwardly behind him. Nevertheless, his speech was clear and carried the accent of someone from the capital. Despite his dirty appearance, his eyes were unusually vibrant.

The female lead was known to have a certain condition, and despite her fear, Zheng Jinxiu lowered her voice to ask, "Uncle, are you also from the capital?"

"Mm-hmm."

"If you're from the capital, how did you end up here?"

The man replied, "That's a long story, little lady. You seem like a kind soul. Can you tell me why someone from the capital would come to this place?"

Zheng Jinxiu explained, "I'm surnamed Zheng. I came to Xingyang with my grandmother to celebrate the New Year and pay respects to our ancestors."

He had been begging on this street for many years and was naturally aware that the Zheng family still had a ninety-something-year-old matriarch alive.

After waiting for so long, he had finally encountered a member of the Zheng family.

"Are you Zheng Ji's daughter?"

Zheng Jinxiu blinked. "Uncle, how do you know that?"

The man was visibly agitated.

"How many daughters does Zheng Ji have?"

Not wishing to mention Zheng Jinyu, Zheng Jinxiu replied, "Only me."

"One?" He muttered to himself, "That must be it then."

The man was visibly excited and continued, "Has Elder Master Xie arranged any marriages between the younger generations of the Xie and Zheng families?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jinxiu also felt a surge of excitement.

She remained composed, even affecting a look of subtle surprise.

"Uncle, who are you? How do you know? I... I am betrothed to Prince Chen, the son of the Imperial Princess."

"Indeed, indeed, it's you." The man wept with emotion, using his solitary arm to dig into his disheveled hair, and from within, he retrieved a spherical object.

He pressed it into Zheng Jinxiu's hands and said to her, "Take this and go find the Imperial Princess and Prince Chen. Tell them, tell them to save the prince consort immediately."

"What?" Zheng Jinxiu, holding the small ball, was utterly astonished.

She whispered urgently, "Uncle, didn't the Prince Consort pass away a long time ago?"

The man's once bright eyes now grew dull, and he merely mumbled about finding the princess, seeking out Prince Chen, and saving the Prince Consort.

Zheng Jinxiu gripped the ball tightly and hastily stepped back.

This man didn't have much time left.

He should've died a long time ago, but a strong belief had kept him alive until now. With his mission accomplished, his time was up.

Putting the small ball away, Zheng Jinxiu felt her heart racing.

After a moment of hesitation, she pressed a piece of silver into his hand and swiftly left the scene.

Zheng Jinxiu rushed onto the street in a panic, soon bumping into Zheng Liuli and Zheng Liuxin, who had just finished their tea break.

Seeing Zheng Jinxiu's pale face, Zheng Liuli asked, "Jinxiu, why are you running? We couldn't even catch up to you."

"Oh? I, I couldn't find you, I was scared." Zheng Jinxiu immediately immersed herself in the role, tears falling down her cheeks.

Zheng Liuli was extremely frustrated, finding her behavior annoying.

"Haven't I told you not to wander off in crowded streets? If you got lost, how would we explain it to Second Grandma?"

Zheng Liuxin also scolded her from the side, "We just told you not to run, but you didn't listen. We've been searching for you for ages."

The two of them took turns blaming her, implying that she had wandered off on her own and caused them all the trouble of searching.

Zheng Jinxiu, instead of crying or arguing back as they expected, meekly agreed.

"Sister, I'm sorry."

Seeing her apologize, the two sisters felt unamused and said, "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's go have a meal together and then watch a play."

All the establishments on this street belonged to the Zheng family. As soon as they arrived, they headed straight for the private box reserved exclusively for the Zhengs.

Generously, the two of them treated her to a taste of Xingyang's specialties.

The theatrical performance was in the afternoon, so in the evening, the three of them reconvened for the show, leaving their purchases at the dining spot where the owner would arrange for someone to deliver them home.

After a day out, they finished watching the play as the sun was setting.

Lady Zheng was already waiting in the main hall. Upon seeing them return, she asked with a warm smile, "Jinxiu, did you have fun today?"

Zheng Jinxiu managed a strained smile. "It was pretty good."

Her answer was rather forced.

Zheng Liuli and Zheng Liuxin felt a lump in their throats.

Lady Zheng's smile froze. "What's wrong? Weren't you happy?"

Zheng Jinxiu shook her head repeatedly. "No, it was great. There were so many people on the streets; one could easily get separated."

Zheng Liuli and Zheng Liuxin looked grim, while Lady Zheng fell silent, her gaze toward the two concubine-born daughters carrying an ambiguous meaning that made them feel uneasy.

Not saying anything further in front of them, Lady Zheng simply instructed them to go rest.

Upon their departure, she immediately instructed her people to investigate the matter.

Those streets all belonged to the Zheng family. As the Lady Zheng, it was effortless for her to uncover any information she desired.

In no time, news reached Lady Zheng's ears about how they had separated on the street, with Zheng Jinxiu searching for someone and Zheng Liuli and Zheng Liuxin enjoying tea.